Los Viajes de Sarah: 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!