Hola a todos!
I’m back in the blog world again! I’ve
decided to cut back posts to once a month as I have actually started to get
busy here and have less time to spend online. As seems to be the pattern, this
next blog post is going to get all of you up to speed on what I’ve been up to
here in terms of projects. I also have included some pictures, of my site
curtsey of my camera which traveled through several states, countries, and
across all of Nicaragua to arrive here in Bluefields. A big shout out goes to
Kelsey Guziak, a current Peace Corps trainee here in Nicaragua who brought my
camera all the way from the states to Nicaragua.
I currently am working on co-teaching in
both the primary schools that I have been assigned (Ruben Dario and Santa
Rosa). For each school, I am required to co-plan and co-teach one to two
natural science classes every week with two teachers. The idea behind this is
to facilitate an ideas-exchange between the Peace Corps volunteer and teacher
so that the volunteer is able to capacitate (as the creoles say) their teachers
to integrate more dynamic learning techniques and classroom management into
their lesson and in turn the teacher is able to help the volunteer navigate the
challenges of a Nicaraguan classroom (of which there are many). So currently I
am co-planning and co-teaching with two fourth grade teachers in Ruben Dario,
as well as two fifth grade teachers and a fourth grade teacher in Santa Rosa.
Co-planning is….challenging. Imagine the usual challenge of working closely
with another teacher and then add in language and cultural barriers. In other
words, like anything worth doing, it’s a process.
In addition, I am also collaborating with
two local organizations to do urban gardening projects in both my schools. One
is a local government organization that is somewhat akin to a ministry of the
environment. The other is a local NGO called FUNDCO. Although they normally
work on promoting organic gardening practices in more rural areas of the RAAS,
they have agreed to collaborate on this project and provide some of the
materials and technical training. Already, both schools have realized the
compost portion of this project. The next step is building raised garden beds
and then planting the seeds. Raised garden beds require more planning and
effort, but seem to make the most sense here since 1) we are in a more urban
setting and space is therefore more limited and 2) the soil here is mostly clay
and rocks so it’s almost impossible to plant seeds directly in the soil without
first mixing it with a significant amount of sand and compost. More pictures
and updates of the project to come as it unfolds!
The last big project that I am currently
working on is co-teaching a class at the local university. My last blog update
seems to have caused a lot of confusion about whether I am actually teaching
the class or not. I am glad to say that I am not principally teaching the
class. Instead I am focusing more on preparing the practical classes (aka: lab
classes) than giving lectures. The experience I’ve had working with the
university has been an invaluable lesson in making clear your objectives, as
well as being assertive. Like all new volunteers, I still am getting the feel
for what projects I should be working on and how I should collaborate with
community members to plan for and achieve the project’s objectives. As I said
before…it’s a process.
Well, that’s all I have to report on the
project front. Now all of you actually know what I do here. Now for some
pictures. Enjoy getting to know my site! I hope to see all of you here in the
next two years J
The apartment complex where I live
Where I wash my clothes (aka: the pila)
Kitchen
View from the kitchen which is located in a seperate building behind the house.
The second floor, where my room is.
Hanging out on the porch
View from the second floor
My room
