I have arrived (Bring on the beans and rice)

This picture shows my new home...this is my living room/the front of the house. The table in the picture acts as my dinner table, study table and multi-purpose activity table.

My new site (and home for the next 2 years) is quaint and semi-rural. I have running water, electricity (that goes out at 7a.m. and returns around 3 p.m.). I also have my own little house, which is adjacent to the casa of one of my teacher/counterparts at the local school. My house has a small living room, a frig and gas stovetop (a tank of gas costs C$ 200 cordobas or around $11 dollars). Behind the living room is my bedroom, which I have already semi-decorated with my mosquito net.

This is my frig and cooking area. This is also located in my living room in the front of the house.

Yesterday, I went to a rural community 45 minutes away on a bus that has trouble going in reverse. Of course, the bus route we take calls for the bus to reverse twice! I always cross my fingers when I come to this part of the journey in hopes that the bus will be able to reverse smoothly and we will be on our way. However, we frequently encounter trouble and the solution is to pop the hood and literally pour 1 gallon of oil on top of the radiator (I am no mechanic, but this method seems to do more damage than good). When I finally arrive at the school I am greeted by the school’s director who is very excited to have a volunteer at the school. I am equally excited. I have 17 students at this school and after a brief lesson on Dengue (brief lesson summary: Dengue involves bleeding internally and from your eyes…it is also commonly known as the “bone crusher”). Note to self, don’t get Dengue. The kids (ranging in age from 15 to 18) are all interested in me and the following dialogue pursues:

Female student: My name is Marta, what is my name in English?

Me: Marta, I suppose, it’s the same

Female student: hahaha!! (very excited)

Me: My name (Brie) is the name of cheese in France

Students: Really? (Everyone laughs)

Me: Yep!

Students: Cheese? But in the U.S. what does it mean?

Me: Not sure, it’s just a name

Students: Do you have any kids?

Me: No

Students: Are you married?

Me: No

Students: You do want to get married, right?

Me: I suppose

Students: Do you have any brothers?

Me: I have 1 younger brother

All of the female students: Ooooooooo

Students: When is he coming to visit?

Me: I don’t know

Students: Are you allowed to date here?

Me: I guess

Select students: I have a brother…

Me: (SILENCE)

Students: Is that your natural hair color?

Me: Yes

Students: Do you like rivers?

Me: Sure

Students: Do you like the ocean?

Me: Yep

Students: We will all have to go to a river close by

Students: Do you like Celin Dion, My Heart Must Go On

Me: From the movie Titanic, yes that was a nice song (in truth, I would prefer never to hear that song again…it has been played out).

Me: OK, See everyone next week!

The entire class proceeds to walk me to the bus stop (3 blocks away) and wait with me until my bus comes 30 minutes later. I was glad to have the company of all the students. I really enjoyed this class session and look forward to next week, which will cover topics such as “what is the Peace Corps” and “what is LEC (La Empresa Creativa).”

On Friday, I woke up at 4:50am to get ready for the day and go catch a mystery bus that could arrive as early as 5:30am or as late as 7am. Therefore, I thought it would be better to be really early and catch the bus opposed to arriving too late and missing the only bus that travels to a rural school about 1 hour north of my town. The town is only 1 hour away if I was driving an SUV; however, I am not driving an SUV I am riding in a small micro-bus that travels about 20mph and therefore it took around 2 hours to reach the town. When I finally arrived at the school I was pleasantly surprised because the class that I will be working with prepared a mini-welcome celebration complete with a poster that read “Welcome Teacher” and balloons decorating the classroom. The students prepared poems, dances and games to welcome me to the community and to the school. I had a wonderful time! As the time passed I was informed by one of the teachers at the school that sometimes the afternoon bus back to my town does not come…ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I was in a bit of shook because I was unaware that there was a possibility of me being stranded in this town…without a way out! No worries, because one of the teachers I work with offered a room in her house for me to stay in…however, I lucked out because the bus finally came…it was just really late. In the future, I will remember to pack a toothbrush and my lesson plan!

My weekly schedule:

MONDAY– I don’t even have to leave my town!! I just walk 3 blocks down the street to teach in the local school. Classes are 45 minutes each and have around 50 students a piece.

TUESDAY- I hop on a bus headed toward a town 45 minutes away. This class has 17 students and a bus that has trouble reversing!

WEDNESDAY – I travel to my 3^rd school, located in another rural community 45 minutes away (a medium sized class of 35 to 40). I walk 6 kilometers to get into town and if I’m really lucky I might be able to borrow a horse to ride. I also sleep over at another volunteer’s house because the bus stops running in the afternoon.

THURSDAY – I travel to another school to simply observe the class. This school has made it to the national competition for the LEC 2 years in a row…it is a chance for me to see sustainable development in progress.

FRIDAY – I travel 2 hours (give or take) up North to teach. The classes have 50 students each, but they are muy alegre (very happy). This is another town where the bus sometimes comes in the afternoon and sometimes does not come…therefore I may have to sleep over at a fellow teacher’s house (she is 27 and very polite, happy and fun).

SATURDAY/SUNDAY – I stay in my community to get to know people, plan lessons with teachers, talk with the women at the market, do laundry, shop for food, clean my house, study Spanish, watch Spanish TV and read!