Here we go....

Last Friday, we had a party at El Farito for the community to officially say goodbye to the old guys and welcome the new kids on the block, and it was so lovely. (See right for my moment of glory officially introducing myself to the community.) Goodbye and hello hugs flow together like something so bittersweet. The people of Cedro Galan have hearts the size of... I don't know- something really big. So, it's official. The old Program Directors have packed their bags and given their hugs and cried their tears and boarded their planes back to the good ol' US of A, and this Tuesday we seven newbies suddenly found ourselves riding that bike with no one holding onto the back. Chaos ensues... Just kidding. Sort of.

Here is a rough recap of my week:

Literacy:
We had over 30 students register for our Spanish literacy class this month, and we had to turn some away! We have four levels of literacy, and the kids break up into their groups to read and discuss and write together. The main method of teaching in schools here seems to be "copy page 82." So we try to bring some creative thought to the table and encourage the older kids to challenge themselves with new books and to really understand what they're reading. The youngest kids (my group) are still working on recognizing letters and syllables and sounds. We spend a lot of time clapping out syllables and talking about the difference between "G duro y G suave" (hard and soft G). And we also spend a lot of time saying "No pega. Espera por tu turno. Puedes esperar hasta despues de clase?" (Don't hit. Wait for your turn. Can you hold it?)

Last week, we made some school visits and observed the grades from which most of the students in our respective groups come. It was great to see the kids with whom we spend every afternoon sitting in their desks with their uniforms and turning around to smile and wave every chance they got. I missed out on snack time because apparently you have to bring your own dishes from home to have rice and beans and pineapple juice from the buckets that get delivered to each classroom mid-morning. Next time I'll be ready.

Microfinance:
Big news! We gave out our first loans yesterday! "Tiendita Melba," "Reposteria Johanna," and "Boutique Happy Baby" are three brand-new or seriously improved businesses run by three women in Cedro Galan. Yesterday, Melba, Johanna, and Laura (with her daughter Laurita by her side) took comprehension tests to make sure they understood the rules and process of the program, and after they passed with flying colors and signed their payment plans, I handed them a total of about $480 USD (C$8900). Johanna will be fixing her industrial Kitchen Aid mixer so that she can start making her community-famous cakes again. She is also buying more professional packaging and establishing relationships with local businesses who will sell her cakes and treats. Melba will be selling underwear and shoes from her house. Laura will be buying more supplies to make quilts and children's clothing. These three have a great relationship with one another, and we will continue meeting every week to discuss concepts like publicity and how not to spend more money than you make (a concept I have yet to embrace).

Creative Arts:
Weeellll, that was interesting. Our first creative arts class had potential to be fantastically creative and artsy, but instead, we found ourselves huddled in the middle of El Farito for the better part of an hour and a half with 30 screaming Nica children because of the torrential rain and thunder. Before chaos ensued, however, we had a lovely discussion about the puppet show we took a group to see last Sunday in the city.

There was so much more, but let me sum it up by saying this: This week, we seven twenty-somethings suddenly found ourselves acting as English teachers, Spanish teachers, math teachers, baseball coaches, art directors, microbusiness consultants, bus drivers, public health specialists, exercise instructors, loan officers, and about a thousand other things that we've never been before. In Spanish. Needless to say, overwhelming! But here I am on Friday afternoon. I lived to tell about it! And I think we even had some fun! We have a lot of work to do in the weeks and months to come. I have so much more Spanish to learn and so much more about classroom discipline and what the holes are in these children's education and how to fill them and how to make this microfinance program work. Here we all go, into the unknown, but we've got feet in our shoes and brains in our heads and lots of good friends, large and small.


Besos.
Julie

"Duck, Duck... um.... qué?"

Things to do when there is no power at night:
-boil some water (because there's gas)
-take a shower (because there's water) but you have to make sure that you know how to tell shampoo from conditioner bottles in the dark
-turn on some lanterns in the kitchen and go fly hunting (because fly swatters don't require electricity)
-read with a headlamp
-curse the name of Daniel Ortega, who is probably responsible for the fact that you can't wash your clothes
-write a blog until your computer battery runs out
-make hand shadows with a flashlight
-listen to someone play guitar
-taunt neighbors' dogs a safe distance from their fences
-stand on your head

So, there's actually quite a bit you can do for five hours a day when there is no electricity here in Managua. It's not so bad.

In other news, Dane and I have started the first official new program of MPI's Team Nica 07-08! There were already two beginning English classes rolling when we got here, and at one of them, there was a handful of younger kids who hung out during the class, and I think some summer volunteers had worked with them a little to teach some greetings and numbers and "dog" and "cat." Dane worked with them one day and asked if they would rather play games or do more English worksheets, and they nearly unanimously voted for worksheets. Who can deny that kind of enthusiasm? So on Wednesday, we had our first Kids' Beginning English class! We learned greetings and farm animal vocabulary and then played a matching game with a flash card puzzle and did a crossword worksheet. Copying seems to be the main method of teaching in Nicaraguan schools, so getting the kids to try to figure out solutions on their own is a bit of a challenge, but they eagerly grab their crayons (sometimes from each other's vice-like grips) and try real hard. We finished up with a game of Duck, Duck, Goose to cement two of our new vocab words. Sometimes the kids would forget the word "Goose" and ask for help before they tapped their victim on the head, which gave the chaser an unfair advantage, but it was fun. Good things ahead.