Some updates...

Hey there everyone!
           I have been trying to get this post up for a few days but the power (and therefore internet) has been in and out all week so my apologies. 

            Thanks once again for checking in on my blog.  Life here at NPH Nicaragua has been pretty hectic these past few weeks with a third grade class getting the best of me, some rowdy days in Casa San Jose and three goodbyes.

            As far as third graders go, I learned a very important lesson this week: never ever trust a group of 8 year olds to stay in their seats while you go off to find their homeroom teacher. Even though they say they won’t move, the second you turn your back you have one off to the fields, one running around the high school and one locked in the bathroom-of another classroom. Corralling them back into the room was quite a sight; at least I gave the other teachers a laugh.

            In other news, in the volunteer house we said goodbye to one of the volunteers who had finished her 13-month term and is headed home (with some backpacking through South America along the way). She had become a close friend of mine who could always be counted on for a healthy vent about the craziness here, a spontaneous session of aerobics to the tune of “Shake it Off” or a great night out. I’m sorry to say goodbye but happy I at least got to know her over the past 7 months.

            The two additional goodbyes were for the two tias in my house. After working for over 10 years, the two of them decided to leave for a number of personal reasons. Anyone who has heard me talk about my experience so far will know that I consider them the angels of Casa San Jose and my personal role models as a madrina.

            Here is a small glimpse of their job responsibilities…

Everyday they wake the boys up at 5 am and get them ready for school while overseeing the cleaning of the entire house, serving breakfast, sewing ripped pants, helping find homework and dealing with those who got up on the wrong side of the bed. While the boys are at school they are on break, during which they re-clean the house, do their own laundry and, if they are lucky, take a quick nap. Once school is out they help with homework, chores, tears and anything else that a typical mother does- multiplied by 14. I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen them sit down while on the job. To sum it up, they do the impossible everyday for 10 days in a row. 

So perhaps a more appropriate description would be half angels half energizer bunnies….

            The night before they left, I was given the two best pieces of advice I have yet to hear about working here:

“Gather up as much ‘animo’ and ‘paciencia’ as you can muster, and when you’re all out, ask God for a second helping of each.”

The word “animo” roughly translates to excitement, energy, passion and even courage. “Paciencia” translates, as you guessed, to patience. One of my tias even has a habit of throwing up her hands and exclaiming, “Dios dame paciencia con este chavalo” (God, give me patience with this boy). Now, that might seem a bit dramatic but it normally brings about giggles from the boys, solving her problem in an interesting manner.

            So the logical conclusion of our conversation? If I want to be the angelic energizer bunny like the tias I look up to, I need to ask for and find a lot of patience and “animo”. Although these two things may seem too simple to make me a better madrina, I disagree. Sometimes life is just that simple. I’ll let you know how it goes for me…

            On an unrelated note, I happened to climb a volcano two weeks ago on a weekend off.  Along with two other volunteers and a guide, I camped out about 100 meters below the crater. Here are some pictures from the hike and campsite…

Our oasis like campsite right below the crater. 

Me and two other volunteers on the edge of the crater. 

Here's a shot of the amazing view we had over the land below. 

Have I told you I started doing yoga?

 This post my food update is not quite Nicaraguan. Well actually, it’s 100% American and 0% Nica… I managed to make homemade peanut butter! It’s not only deliciously natural but also a lot cheaper than the $9.00 mini jars that I can buy here.

NOTE: Unfortunately, I am no longer allowed to post pictures of the kids because of privacy issue so I cannot show you how they are doing. However, we did have an NPH photographer come visit and I finally have some evidence that I do actually teach.

Neccesary clarification here: I was NOT yelling at the student but rather
super excited because he managed to pronounce purple correctly.