The Country Under My Skin

I just finished up my final week of full-time teaching, with about 3 1/2 weeks under my belt.  I can't believe how much I've learned over the past month and a half!  The students have probably taught me more than they will ever know and more than I have probably taught them!  They are such fun characters and I just can't believe I only have two short weeks left with them!  The students are finishing up their science unit over the human body and are nearing the end of a short poetry unit.  I've been getting more comfortable teaching, especially when it comes to classroom management, so I have been giving the students more and more time to work in groups and with partners than I was in the beginning.  I just think they can get a lot more ideas when they work with one another (usually anyways!). 

As I've already mentioned several times, I continue to be blessed with an amazing cooperating teacher and other teachers.  They are all so open and have so much knowledge to share.  I've also learned so much more about the culture through them since they have lived here for so much longer.  This experience abroad has given me such an amazing outlook on life in general.  I miss the U.S. very much, but there's no way I would have gotten half of the knowledge I've gained here than if I was in the states.

This weekend I had a great opportunity to travel to Granada for a little R&R and celebrate some friends' birthdays.  The hotel we stayed at was so nice.  I enjoyed lounging by the pool, having a few drinks, and taking a nap in a hammok. It was just great to get out of Managua and off of campus for awhile.  The only downfall was that I started to feel a little sick on Thursday night and it carried into the weekend.  I'm hoping the bacteria or parasites or whatever has decided to bother me will soon be over!  Even though I didn't feel well, I still managed to have a blast.  The trip was truly unforgettable as we lounged by the pool, went out for dinner, danced the salsa to live music, and hung out with some locals. 

While we were in Granada, there was a poetry festival going on.  A very famous poet by the name of Gioconda Belli was apparently in town for the festival, as we saw her on Saturday at breakfast!  I am currently reading one of her books, The Country Under My Skin about the revolution, so it was really exciting to see her in person!  It's just amazing to read about this country while I'm experiencing the culture and living here.

Unfortunately just when I think I am getting over the shock of living in a third world country, I see something that brings me back to the first moment I arrived in Nicaragua.  When eating outside along the streets of Granada, many vendors walk by trying to sell you things.  Although this isn't the most pleasant experience while you're trying to enjoy dinner, it really isn't that big of a deal.  Seeing children high off of glue, however, is another matter.  In order to curb hunger, some children sniff glue to get high.  This child was maybe 8 or 9 years old.  I just couldn't stop thinking about this child and comparing him to the privaledged students at ANS.  How in the world can there be such a difference in socioeconomic status?  Yes, I realize there are poor people in the United States, but this is a different level.  There's not much of a middle class here, but there are the richest of rich and the poorest of poor.  This child hasn't left my mind since I saw him on Friday night.  I know I can't dwell on this and need to except the fact that this is normal for poor countries, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept.  I'm really starting to see (both positves and negatives) how this country is getting under my skin and becoming a part of who I am and who I will always be.

And with that horribly sad story, I will share some pictures of the past week's activities!

Science Stations!  Students make an organ out of play-doh

Students are working out their muscular system!

Hotel Con Corazon in Granada

Getting some much needed R&R

Stephanie, Laura, Alex, and I

Ants, Turantulas, and Mice; Oh My!

As you can see from the title of this entry, there have been a few unwelcomed guests creeping into the apartment at night.  We borrowed the neighbor's cat last night to deal with the mouse issue, but I don't think that problem was resolved.  Just another thing to get used to I guess!

School this week seemed unfortunately slow, but it started to pick up on Thursday.  I feel more in the swing of things after the second week of full-time teaching, but I'm a little sad about having only one more week of it.  After next week, I will only be partially teaching and then observing.  My cooperating teacher was commuting to school each day last week (1-2 hour drive) in order to live near her mother in law, but that was quickly ended because her car got hit by a horse!  No one was hurt, but the car was damaged and the horse was pretty injured.  I guess car accidents caused by cattle is pretty common here!  I didn't find out that my cooperating teacher wasn't going to be at school until 10 minutes til class began, but the day went really smoothly and I enjoyed the time with the students! 

By Thursday of this week I was starting to get a little stressed out with thinking about applying for jobs, planning lessons, and my TWS so Laura and two other friends and I went to a little cafe to have a salad (not common here) and just get away from the school for awhile.  The taxi we took wanted to stop and pick up 2 kids from school which would have been fine, except for the fact that there were already three of us in the backseat and one up front. We stopped anyways and picked up the two kids from school and they just took a seat on our laps!  After dinner we went to a movie (The Green Hornet) which was really good!  Movies here are in Enlgish and have Spanish subtitles.  They also only cost $3.00.  I'm not really sure why people who can't speak English go to these movies, but oh well!

Friday was Laura's birthday so we went out for some delicious sushi at restaurant in a hotel located in Managua.  I was cold for the first time last night, even though it was still probably 75 degrees out!  Our taxi ride home consisted of a "pimped out" SUV, which compared to the taxis we normally ride in (no door handles, can't shift to make it up hills, no a/c, etc) it was quite the ride! 

This morning we went to a local marcado and got fresh produce.  I finally got more bananas!  Plaintains are common here, but bananas aren't located at the grocery store we visit weekly.  Laura and I also bought 4 lobster tails for five bucks... total.  I think we'll be having quite the feast!  This weekend hasn't been too eventful, but a few friends and I have been starting to plan spring break.  Spring break (also called Semana Santa) is April 16th-25th.  We have been looking into going to Costa Rica and traveling to Puerto Viejo where there is snorkeling, bike riding, and hiking.  From there, we are tentatively going to Panama to Bocas del Toro, where there are beautfiul beaches and a international park.  We are looking into this great hostel called Bocas Bound.  From there, we are going to Panama City.  There are greyhound buses that travel from Nicaragua to Costa Rica to Panama every day.  It will be a lot of traveling, but I think it will be well worth it!

One Month in 5th Grade

I have officially been in Nicaragua for over a month and have been in the 5th grade classroom for 4 weeks!  I have been teaching for the past 7 days and have enjoyed it.  There have been some rough moments, with bullying issues, too much chatting, and students not turning in their work, but I'm learning that these moments will come with teaching anywhere.  I still love going to the classroom every day, even if it is at 6:15 in the morning! 

My cooperating teacher and 5th grade team continue to be such a blessing.  They are not only helping me with the work in school, but they are also giving me advice about life, the job search, etc.  Their words of encouragement and support are so helpful and appreciated. 

In science, the students are working on the human body and the systems.  This is a really fun unit, and since there isn't a textbook, my cooperating teacher and I are coming up with some really creative ideas for the unit.  They've done body systems projects and will be doing a play later in the week.  I actually enjoy teaching science, even if it is the same lesson 3 times a day!  All of the kids are different though so each class is very unique. 

The lack of transportation in Nicaragua and the lack of sidewalks has started to become a bit frustrating.  I would really enjoy a safe transportation system and/or the availability to walk places, but that isn't advised in this country for foreigners.  I enjoy Nicaragua, but I miss the ease of travel in the States.  This weekend we were able to travel to the Laguna again, and each time I am just amazed by how beautiful it is!  We are also going to an internet cafe to work on lesson plans and the dreaded teacher work sample.  The next few weekends will be more adventure-filled, so hopefully my next update will be more exciting.

Below are some pictures some of my students presenting their projects and a picture of us at the Laguna!