Pillars of NPH #2

Hello Everyone!

I just had my two-month anniversary in Nicaragua this past Saturday and cannot believe it has already been two full months!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I will continue describing each of the 4 pillars of the NPH philosophy. Today I will talk about the topic most relevant to my work: education. Many of us have been taught in the US that there is no better key to a good future than a good education and Father Wasson was in complete agreement. Yes, all of these kids have been dealt a rough hand in life, but they have also been given the secret to turning it into a winning hand: a mind of their own.

In order to secure each of the children a solid education and chance at a bright future, NPH runs its own school in each one of the international homes. They are technically private but other local children can attend at a small (merely symbolic) cost, which means that NPH serves  many more than just the children who live here. Although our school is one of the best in the country, compared to a school in the States, it is still quite a shock (as I have already mentioned). What is really great about NPH is that rather than come in and try to change the system here and input all of our ideas about education, they work with the local system. It would be easy for me to say that the current education system is broken and ineffective but that would be a lie. Before I can judge how classes are here, I must first understand the system in the country and how teachers are trained, the local pedagogy and the manner in which students are taught to learn. NPH hires mostly local teachers (I am the only foreigner) and is beginning to train them in different teaching styles in order to help them with finding success in the classroom. However, education does not only occur in the classroom and everyone here supports the students outside of class with homework, projects or finding books to read in our library (can you believe we have a library??!?!?).

Along the lines of education, I am pleased to announce my classes have definitely been improving in the past few weeks.  I decided to alter my approach to teaching and focus on more student involvement, more games, more activities and more speaking. In the end, more fun. Because in the end of the day, you learn when you’re having fun, right? So whether it means making giant flashcards for every new word and racing through them as a class, pulling out a ball and playing catch or singing “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes” when we get bored, I’m trying it! I have had less disciplinary problems and feel less exhausted after teaching all morning so I think it’s working!

As for what is going on in the house…I finally introduced Ultimate to the home! On Independence Day the volunteers organized a massive scavenger hunt for all of the kids. Each volunteer was responsible for running one “prueba” or challenge that each team had to complete in order to get another clue. Obviously, I pulled out my discs and designed mine around passing down a field. I had to teach quite a few frustrated kids but at the end most of them managed more or less. One of the girls even came back to play with me later! Here are some pictures of her throwing the disc (check out her form!). 

I will shamelessly admit that I am trying to spread the Ultimate bug and hope they all catch it so I can share the wonderful game. (And-selfishly-so that I have someone to throw with.)

Last but not least, the food of the week…. “Vigoron”

Vigoron is a dish that has yucca, beef and a salad (shredded cabbage, carrots, chili peppers and other vegetables) wrapped in a plantain leaf. It is a very common street food that you can find in almost any park, especially around dinnertime. Well as I was waiting for a bus back to the home this weekend, I happened to sit down next to a vigoron vendor. I was not planning on eating but couldn’t resist the alluring smells. So I bought one and enjoyed every last bite of it. I still haven’t gotten used to the culture of eating by hand so the “Handi” tool I got for my birthday came in handy!! Check out for yourself…

And here I am at the beach relaxing a bit and climbing the surrounding hills on my weekend off...

Philosophy 101 (1/4)

Buenos dias!

In the past month I have (hopefully) answered your questions about where in the world I went (NOT the middle of the jungle), what I am doing (NOT running from the real world) and what kids have stolen my heart (all of them). However, many of you are probably still wondering how this “orphanage” works, the values the kids are taught and the general philosophy by which NPH is run. So for the next few blog entries I will be talking about the philosophy behind NPH international, which includes all of the homes (9 in total).

[Also, a side note, just like orphanage has been phased out of English it is also no longer used here. The more loving term is  “casa hogar” which roughly translates to “group home”.]

When Father William Wasson founded the first NPH home in Mexico in 1954 founded it on 4 pillars: Education, Love, Respect and Work. Each one of these aspects has a scriptural basis and is founded in the Catholic character of the home. Everyone here at NPH knows these pillars by heart and it is easy to seem them reflected in the everyday life here.

This week I want to focus on work and how all of the children here are taught the value of hard work from a young age. Why don’t you take a look at their typical weekday for yourself…

5:00 am-Wake up. Do chores and wash pajamas and clothes from yesterday.

6:30 am-Breakfast then off to school.

7:00-12:30 School.

1:00 pm- Lunch

1:30-4:00 pm- Homework, chores, wash uniforms and possible work in the fields.

4:00-6:00 pm- Free time, usually spent going on leisurely walks to pick fruit or playing soccer in one of the many fields. 

6:30-7:00 pm- Dinner, chores, iron uniforms for the next day and relax with the rest of the time.

8:00 pm- Bedtime. “A dormir y soñar con los angeles”

Even the littlest boys (as young as 5 years old) have daily chores, which they must complete three times a day. The most common chore is “trapear 5 veces” or mop the floors of the common area five times. Although I originally thought mopping the floors a total of 15 times a day was crazy, I have learned that in a house with 15 boys running all around it does make sense. About 2 days a week everyone is also called to work in the fields after lunch for an hour or two, helping collect the food that we eat. These jobs range from collecting rice, weeding onion gardens, tilling the soil and “macheteando” (macheteing)- the Nica way to mow the lawn. I am learning now that my childhood chore of vacuuming the house was nothing in comparison to what these kids know.

The children also get rewarded for all of this hard work. Each child is given enough clothing and shoes but if they want a new or special pair of shoes they also have the option of working extra. For example, the boys of my house wanted new sneakers so they worked in cleaning up a garden for a few days and were then given colorful new sneakers. For a sneaker fanatic, I could understand their overwhelming excitement to try them on!

All the children here have faced tough situations, one way or another. But with this commitment to work, they learn that they have the power and capacity to change their situation (to a certain degree). They learn to take responsibility for the cleanliness of their own home. They learn that even though they may be small, they can work just as hard and make as much of a difference as an older kid. For me, this is crucial for any child’s self-confidence and self-worth, and I am proud to be a part of it.

So that’s our lesson for the day!

Here are a few pictures of them enjoying powdered milk…

Now for a bit on my recent travels…

On my weekend off last week I ventured to the nearby city of Granada with Beatriz, another new volunteer. Monday was Independence Day for all of Central America from Spain so on Sunday we were able to watch a parade march through the town square. Every school in the city marched in the parade and many of them had their own bands. A few of the bands were truly amazing and a pleasure to watch. Not only did they have an awesome beat but the kids had the perfect attitude to go with it…

And I couldn’t help but record the only hipster glasses I have seen since I got here. I LOVED them…

I ended up hiding in the shade to avoid another sunburn and came across this man who had taken his grandson to watch the parade. I couldn’t help to take a few candid pictures after they asked for a picture…

And last but not least, my weekly food update...

After wandering around Granada all weekend, Beatriz and I found a great Canadian bakery for breakfast on Monday. I indulged in an apple cinnamon crumb cake and LOVED it. I know its not Nica food but I was feeling a bit homesick and this just hit the spot!

Sibling love!

Happy Hump Day!

Thanks so much for checking out my blog! A few people have told me how much they enjoy reading and checking up on me so I’m happy to report that I am still doing great and have even more fun stories for this week.

This past weekend was the first time I took part in the “Programa Familiar” in the home. Although two siblings may both be living here at NPH, when they are in different grades, live in different houses and rarely have the same free time it can be hard to maintain a strong relationship. The point of this family program is to bring each set of siblings together for some special activity, allowing them to cherish that special sibling love. Each families within NPH loves when it is their turn to participate, especially since each set of siblings gets to participate about twice a year. Running these family activities is another one of the volunteer’s responsibilities here so every weekend that I work I must spend either a morning or an afternoon with one set of siblings.

This weekend I had a boy from my house and his younger brother. Since I am not allowed to use names we will call them Bob and Carl (very Nicaraguan, right?). Bob is ten and extremely well behaved, only two years older than Carl but Carl has a small developmental disability and behavioral problems so the two don’t seem close in age at all. I was free to pick whatever activity I wanted to do with them so I chose to help them bake sugar cookies. What kid doesn’t love sweets, right? I managed to find cookie cutters in my house so they had a blast making hearts and letters and even a turkey.

While I watched Bob teach Carl how to crack an egg and later how to roll out the dough I was reminded so much of my “motherly” older sister. When the two started sneaking bites of raw dough and licking the bowls, I couldn’t help but see myself fighting with my two sisters over who got to lick the spatula. Whether it’s three girls in the states or two boys in Nicaragua, we’re all the same when it comes to cookie dough!

Although I’m not sure how much batter went into the cookies versus their stomachs, by the end they had a bunch of cookies to take back to their houses!   I can’t wait to work with another family in two weeks! Here are a few pictures of them...

As far as school, this past week was surprisingly nice. On both Tuesday and Friday several students were missing so we were down to less than ten students in every class. This ended up being a blessing because I was finally able to give the individual attention I wanted to! Without such a large group, the students behaved better and listened while I explained new material. I got all the way through a lesson plan and we had time for games! In one class there were only 4 students so my co teacher bought them all cookies and we ate and played and had a great day. Although the other kids missed the lesson, those that were there truly benefited from the class. At the end of the day I could say that I had showed love and attention to every student in my classes. What more can I ask?

Since a post of mine wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some great food I ate…this past Friday I tried my first Nacatamale! No, this is not a typo. It is a Nicaraguan tamale (get it?), which is what every guidebook tells you is the typical food here-besides rice and beans. Like any other tamale it is wrapped in a plantain leaf with a corn based filling but these have meat, peppers, chili peppers, potatoes and, of course, rice. My co-teacher brought it to me as a “snack” during our mid-morning break on Friday. When she brought out a cup of coffee and two pieces of bread “to help with digestion” I realized snack may have a different meaning here…Nonetheless, I finished it all and loved every bite. Tamales can be pretty tasteless but the Nacatamale has so many flavors! Since we are entering the corn harvest now I am crossing my fingers that we start eating Nacatamales for lunch or dinner. I will keep you all posted. As for the recipe, everyone here knows how to make them so I am also planning on learning how. We’ll see how that goes…

Until next time!

Cheesey times

Hey everyone!

I just realized I have now been here in Nicaragua for over a month! How crazy is that? It definitely feels like more than that, with all of the new things I’ve learned, relationships I have formed and crazy things that have happened.

To start off, here are some updates on my boys…Last week one of the older ones in the house (he is 16) moved to another boy’s house in order to even out the number of kids in each house. It was sad to see him go but the house is all of twenty feet away so I still see him a few times a day!

Last week during dinner a few of the boys began to practice the new rhythms they had learned on the marimba. (The marimba is a cousin of the piano that looks like a xylophone and is used in folk music here.) A few other boys joined in and before long, I had an impromptu dinner and a show! These ten year olds were just having a blast finding new beats, I couldn’t resist taking a video. Check it out below! After the concert somehow I started showing them music on my iPhone and they ended up requesting Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Now, I knew that Jackson was famous and that Thriller was one of his more famous songs but I was not prepared for what happened next. They started doing the dance! Exactly like in the music video, one boy played Jackson and the rest started in “graves” (aka lying on the ground). Then one by one they came up and did the zombie walk. It was so much fun to watch and see how this facet of American culture had really spread all over the whole world. After that night, I promised to download some more music so we can have more dance parties. I may have graduated college in May, but there’s no way I’m giving up my weekly dose of ridiculous dancing!

Teaching has been the most challenging part of my new life so far. There are so many things I want to be able to share with my students but I have been hitting quite a few road blocks along the way. Although I may come into class with a great lesson plan, chances are I will not get to the majority of it because of a host of problems, bad behavior being the most common.  The kids behave extremely well outside of the classroom, but once they enter it some of them throw rules to the wind. I am slowly learning how to keep everyone interested, in their seats and attentive but it is tough going. Given the difficult family situations and somewhat chaotic classroom environments that the students are subjected to, I do not blame them for our troubles. I only hope to continue to find ways to overcome these setbacks so that everyone can benefit from my class.

On a totally different note, this past weekend I had time off and went to the Island of Ometepe, which is where NPH was located until a big move to our current location in 2008. However, at that time a volunteer in occupational therapy stayed on the island because she was providing therapy for the local children and didn’t want to leave them without therapy. With the support of NPH and other volunteers, she founded a clinic on the island. Now six years  later, she has just opened up a center in it’s own location and is running it through NPH.  How cool is that!? She really is an amazing person to have achieved this.  The kids here are always talking about how cool the island is and how much fun it is so we finally decided to come check it out and see the new center at the same time.

Here is one of the main rooms of the new occupational therapy center. 

Check out the awesome mural that covers the whole room. 

The island has two large (and active) volcanoes and sits in the center of Lake Nicaragua so it has quite a few beaches and fun things to do. Along with the other volunteers, I visited a natural pool that came from  a river that runs through the middle of the island.

This is the natural pool we visited. 

Here is a view of one of the two volcanoes. 

 I also visited and hiked around a lagoon and then spent a day at the beach. As most of you know, I LOVE to hike so being able to go on a short hike was really great. Plus my parents sent me an amazing care package full of treats so I had a delicious Kind bar along the way (THANKS Mom and Dad!).

Two of the volunteers I was hiking with enjoying the beach after hour hike. 

Me and my Kind bar!

For dinner one night I had a piece of lasagna that had real mozzarella cheese in it! In Nicaragua the only type of cheese is queso fresco, which I am only slowly learning to like. As a huge cheese fan, having real delicious cheese for dinner may have been the best thing about the entire weekend. I am still gushing over that cheese thinking about it 4 days later! Who knew cheese could make me so happy?

From a single Michael Jackson dance to a simple piece of cheese, I am learning that it truly is the little things in life that matter. When I slow down a bit and take the time to appreciate the little things, I realize I am surrounded by little notes from God. These notes are filled with messages of love, whether the love with which He shatters cultural differences and brings people together (dancing with my boys), His love for those with physical handicaps (a center in the middle of rural Nicaragua) or His love for me (in the form of cheese). It isn’t hard to find these notes from God; they are all around us. All we have to do is open our eyes and let our heart be filled.

Until next time!

Here is the lagoon we hiked around. 

A view of the beach...

Study Time!

Happy Monday!

I finally slipped up and broke my goal of a post a week; it can get so busy down here! I hope I didn’t keep anyone holding their breath too long! This past week was exams week for all of the kids, from primary to secondary. So from students, to teachers to tias we were all busy making sure the kids were as prepared as they could be.

After teaching for two full weeks I am getting into the swing of things and was excited to see how all of my students performed on their exams. Along with a local teacher, I teach grades 2-6 as well as multi-grade in which students are learning to speak Spanish or write, or both. Some of the children who come here only speak Miskito (an indigenous languages) when they arrive, so first they must learn Spanish. Class can be hard with disciplinary problems but I am learning how to work along with my students to earn mutual respect in order to reach our goals. It is also really great that I live alongside my students, allowing me to can connect with them outside of the classroom. This way, I can understand the situations they come from and adopt teaching methods that best suit their needs. It’s also great for the boys in my house because they have a live in tutor!

However, we didn’t only study English this week. We learned how to multiply double digits, civic responsibilities and rights, the difference between similes and metaphors and much more. Tuesday night was math night so I brought along a deck of multiplication math cards that I had found in the volunteer house. A few kids were struggling with times tables, so I figured I would try teaching the way I learned; running through decks of flashcards. I started outside with one of my boys and then another joined in. So we made it a game; whoever answered correctly first got the card. At the end the one with the most cards one. Well, it got pretty competitive so we got some spectators. The next game they joined in. And then some more came. And then the older boys in the house paired up with the younger ones in teams. And then the house next door came to check out the raucous and ended up joining in. By the end we had about 15 boys screaming out their multiplication tables and grabbing for the cards they earned. Although at one point I was in the line of some grabbing hands, I couldn’t think  of a better way to break the monotony of studying. They were having so much fun and doing math at the same time, what could make a science nerd like me happier?

However, by Thursday the morals were dropping a bit because of the long week. So I channeled my lovely mother and did what she always did for me when I was younger; lighten the studying with a snack. Now I cannot compare to the gourmet platters of hot chocolate and apples and peanut butter my mother used to bring to me, but I tried. So after dinner I handed out chocolate bars to all the boys as a combination “Good Luck/Keep on Going” snack.

            In other news, I finally tried my hand on macheting! Everyone in the volunteer house has a weekly chore, one of which is gardening. Although it may sound dainty, it consists of cutting the grass/weeding the area around the house with our very own machete. Yes, a machete. I decided to learn how/help out another volunteer who’s turn it was on Friday afternoon. After an hour of awkward arm swings, three popped blisters and a gallon of sweat, I would say it was a success. Along with the other volunteer, I successfully put on a very entertaining show for the girls in the neighboring houses. Although they offered loads of advice and showed me how several times, the success was in the show that I put on rather than the grass I cut. I’m going to give my hands a break this week but will keep you all updated on my “macheteando” skills. Stay tuned.

            Here are some pictures from the celebration of Padre Wasson, the founder of NPH, last weekend. Each house had to make a mural in his honor to enter into a competition. I'll let you judge...

The youngest boys house put on a skit and all dressed up like angels.

My house decided to make a giant W in honor of William Wasson's initials. 

Here is a look at the back of it. 

Sew much love

Imagine a table full of 10-year-old boys excitedly sewing up holes in their worn backpacks, pants and shirts. Each boys head is down while the concentrated silence is only pierced by shouts of “¡Mira! ¡Yo lo hice!” (Look, I did it). Impossible, you say? Nope, just another Tuesday night in Casa San Jose (my house) at NPH.

After spending two full weeks with the boys in my house, not only I am finally learning their names, but also that it truly is the little things that matter. Earlier in the day, one of my boys asked if I could bring a needle and thread to the house that night so that we could work together to sew together is well worn book bag. When I returned the second night to finish the project, it seemed half the house had found something that needed fixing. However, they did not want ME to do it; they wanted to do it themselves. So, armed with an extra sewing kit (THANKS GRANDMA!) and a lot of patience, we had an impromptu tutorial and sewing class. By the end of the night, everyone had been successful and avoiding pricking himself too much with the needle.

As I sat and admired the boys, I realized the grace I am searching for already exists in each one of them. All I can do is help them to see how much they are filled with. And to do that, all it takes is spending time and listening. This week of orientation has further compounded this realization. Each department has spoken to us new volunteers about what they do and how we play a role in that department’s tasks, as well as the overall mission of NPH. All the insight and suggestions have been extremely helpful in identifying my role here for the next year. I am starting to see it as a combination older sister/godmother/companion/friend.

As a tribute to the memorial of Father Wasson’s passing this weekend, here is a link (and part 2) to his biography. The video talks about the Father’s life-how he came to found NPH- and the principles that still guide the organization today. I would highly suggest it to everyone as another way to learn more about the worldwide family of pequeños that NPH has raised with love and care.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera to our sewing party but here are some pictures of my boys from a photo shoot we had another night…..

And some of the beautiful churches in a city named Leon that I visited on my weekend off…

Also, if anyone was planning on sending me something, the last address I posted was WRONG. This is the correct one…

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos

Eliza Herrero

Apartado de correos #29

Jinotepe, Carazo

Nicaragua, Central America

First Week!

¡Buenos dias from Nica!

I am just about done with my first full week here and there is so much to tell! I have not started teaching yet, but rather will be spending the next few weeks orienting myself. So today I’ll just be giving you an overview of life here as well.

            For those of you who still don’t know what Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos is I highly suggest checking out their website and reading up. But if you’re too lazy to read all that, here’s a quick summary…It’s a home for about 300 children in Rivas, Nicaragua that meets all of a child’s needs. I am starting to think of it as a small town because we have an infirmary, priest, psychologists, social workers, physical therapists,  dining hall, market, primary and secondary schools, housing for all kids, soccer fields and fields where all of our food is grown. The children are here because some way or another they cannot be fully taken care of at home. Whether their parents don’t have the money to provide for them, are too sick, or have passed away they are welcome here.

            And boy are they welcome here! There is so much love and care I am overwhelmed at the system they have developed. Each child is assigned to a house of other boys (or girls) of their own age. Then each house has a tia/tio who is the primary adult responsible for them. Then there are a few older kids to help out the tio. Then there is (in about half the houses) a volunteer assigned to just those kids. So there is quite a bit of love going around.

            I was lucky enough to be assigned to “Casa San Jose” which is a boys house ages 9-12 or so. I know what you’re thinking “BOYS? But she’s a girl?” But my boys are amazing and not at all too much to handle.  Yes, it may be the first weeks and they may be on their best behavior but I already love them. I will take some pictures of them and make sure to post them next time!

            Even though I’m not teaching yet, I have gotten into the schedule pretty well. Here’s my daily schedule…Wake up at 6 am and have breakfast with my house at 615 and then stay with them until they go to school at 7:15. When I start teaching, I will go with them and teach until noon but for the next few weeks I am doing other orientation things in the morning. Then I meet with them at noon for lunch and help with homework afterwards. After homework the boys all have chores so I either do more orienting stuff or relax. Then I come back and spend the afternoon with them. This includes anything from teaching ultimate, watching them play soccer, going on a walk or just hanging out at the house. Then we eat dinner at 6:30 and hang out in the house until bedtime at 8. So that’s my typical day, more or less.

Love,

Eliza

The volunteers home. There are 6 of us living in this house. 

I feel like a princess with my mosquito net!

The house of which I am a "madrina", which has a gorgeous view and spacious yard to play.  

Here's a few of my boys after I showed them how to take a selfie.