So I did get more sleep last night, but these kids aren't behaving so great. More and more of them aren't following directions, being disrespectful, sneaking into rooms where they shouldn't be, etc. They are supposed to be using English at all times at camp (we can't control them in their dorms though), but a lot of them don't and even when we remind them they just say "yeah ok teacher". Super frustrating!! There are some great kids; don't get me wrong. However, a lot of them are lying about feeling sick and sneaking off. We tell them to go back to their rooms and they just stare at us, put their hand up (1 minute or wait), or keep walking. It's driving me crazy. It's a losing battle. There's only so much we can do and the kids are just not behaving as well as I would have expected for this camp. I know that they aren't having as much fun at this camp because it's a lot of work and heavy classes, but they knew what it was as it is called "English Intensive Camp". I get really frustrated when the kids don't listen or wait for you to turn around and then continue what they weren't supposed to be doing. I keep checking outside for wandering girls because I keep hearing doors opening and closing. "Lights out" was almost an hour ago... I still hear chatting, but it's time for me to get some sleep. I can't stay up all night waiting for someone to sneak out. They have to make their own mistakes and live with the consequences.
Tomorrow we are doing a fun, surprise activity for the kids: going to the movie theater in Managua. It will be the first time for a lot of kids to go to a movie theater so that will be neat. I hope that they will behave better!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Sleep!
Oh, thank the Lord, I got some sleep last night!! We finished the movie last night around 8:30pm that we had started the other night with the students and quickly moved them all toward their rooms. During our staff meeting we had to tell several of them to go back to their rooms, but they all got there eventually. My roommate (other PCV, Monica) and I got to bed before 10pm and didn't have much trouble keeping the girls in their rooms or keeping quiet. Yay!! We kept the fan on to cool down the room & cut out the outside noise and slept peacefully until 6:15am and even hit the snooze for an extra 5 minutes :) It was sooooo nice! Hope we can do that again!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Early Morning
Today was a very early morning--it still is actually. I'm at camp for high school students right now and these Nica high schoolers are nothing like American high schoolers when it comes to morning routines... They are not the kind to roll out of bed and into the classroom. These kids get up WAY too early to take a cold shower before the sun rises in the chilly morning. So the rule for camp mornings is supposed to be lights out until at the earliest 5:30am (for 6:45am breakfast). Well, I woke up at 4am this morning, not because I was feeling cheery, but because the girls were already awake, chatting, and running to the showers. 4AM!!!!???? I had to get up to tell them to be quiet, turn their lights off, and to not take showers in the boys bathroom.
The way the rooms & bathrooms are set up is kind of weird, but basically there are 2 dorm style rooms for the boys (17 & 18 boys in each room) and they have bathrooms next door to their rooms, but only toilets & sinks. Their showers are actually over near one set of the girls' rooms, which happens to be right next to my room so I got a lot of noise this morning. The girls in my section (2 rows) have to walk over to the other girls section (which really isn't too far) to use the girls' bathroom with showers. Well, some girls thought since they were up at 4am it would be ok to take a shower in there since there were no boys, but ya never know who might be roaming around that early so I had to kick them out.
Well, I'm definitely NOT a morning person, as most of you know. I set my alarm for 6am since breakfast starts at 6:45am and we just have to walk about 50ft to the cafeteria. However, I've been up since 4am and haven't been able to get back to sleep through the giggles, morning chatting, and shower line yelling. The boys are lined up outside the showers and the counselors are reminding them to take quick showers. I can't even stand the thought of taking a cold shower this early since I'm almost shivering just sitting outside with my computer in jeans & a sweater. Yikes!
Well, let's hope I can get to bed much earlier tonight (and maybe take a nap during midday break??) because I'm going to be tired today! I considered just locking the doors to the bathrooms and not letting anyone in until 5:30 or even 6am, but there probably would have been a lot of whining. ;) I really wish I had brought my earplugs to camp...
The way the rooms & bathrooms are set up is kind of weird, but basically there are 2 dorm style rooms for the boys (17 & 18 boys in each room) and they have bathrooms next door to their rooms, but only toilets & sinks. Their showers are actually over near one set of the girls' rooms, which happens to be right next to my room so I got a lot of noise this morning. The girls in my section (2 rows) have to walk over to the other girls section (which really isn't too far) to use the girls' bathroom with showers. Well, some girls thought since they were up at 4am it would be ok to take a shower in there since there were no boys, but ya never know who might be roaming around that early so I had to kick them out.
Well, I'm definitely NOT a morning person, as most of you know. I set my alarm for 6am since breakfast starts at 6:45am and we just have to walk about 50ft to the cafeteria. However, I've been up since 4am and haven't been able to get back to sleep through the giggles, morning chatting, and shower line yelling. The boys are lined up outside the showers and the counselors are reminding them to take quick showers. I can't even stand the thought of taking a cold shower this early since I'm almost shivering just sitting outside with my computer in jeans & a sweater. Yikes!
Well, let's hope I can get to bed much earlier tonight (and maybe take a nap during midday break??) because I'm going to be tired today! I considered just locking the doors to the bathrooms and not letting anyone in until 5:30 or even 6am, but there probably would have been a lot of whining. ;) I really wish I had brought my earplugs to camp...
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Camp: 1 down 1 more to go
So I made it through the first camp with English teachers and I actually had a great time. I was soooooo exhausted throughout the camp and ready to crash at the end, but I made it through. I got to know a lot of awesome English teachers from all over Nicaragua which was super cool. I was very impressed by their English levels too. They were a fun a group to work with.
We had a great time at camp and now I'm at my second camp for high school students that are in the ACCESS program--the English program I've been teaching culture with in Boaco, but this is for students all over Nicaragua. The students arrive tomorrow so we're just here preparing everything. I did get a little rest this weekend, but Frank was visiting so we were talking a lot and I had to help him with a craft project he needed to make for a dinner in his town. It actually turned out really nice. It's a picture frame made from cardboard and rolled up magazine pages.
Well, here's to another week of camp! Please Lord, give me strength :)
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| My reading group for the week |
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| Being silly! |
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| Camp Staff (4 girls on bottom are all PCVs) |
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| Being silly again |
Well, here's to another week of camp! Please Lord, give me strength :)
Friday, January 6, 2012
Camps
Although January is my "vacation", I'm going to be pretty busy this month. I leave tomorrow morning for a camp for English teachers. I'll be teaching a class on gender roles & relationships and a workshop on materials design. I'm excited for the camp, but I know it's going to be exhausting. After that camp, I'll have a day and a half off, then it's off to another camp, but for high school students. I'll be teaching a variety of topics such as grammar, oral presentation, writing, etc. all in English. I'm looking forward to that camp too, but I'm not as prepared for it because the camp details were sent out a little late and most of us were out of the country during December. Now I have this other camp, so I'm gonna try to "prep" during the evenings if possible. We'll see. After the second camp, I'll have a day off and then I'm off to meetings with Peace Corps. That won't actually be too exhausting because I won't be up front blabbing, but I'll be listening and participating in small group things. I'm really excited for that because we get to see all the TEFL PCVs (the newer group & everybody in my group) and we'll be bringing one of our counterpart teachers. Should be a good time :)
I have a little anxiety thinking about the next few weeks to come, but I know I will enjoy myself and look back and be glad that I volunteered and participated in the camps. Please pray for me for strength, a positive attitude, confidence, and good health--camps are physically exhausting too!
I have a little anxiety thinking about the next few weeks to come, but I know I will enjoy myself and look back and be glad that I volunteered and participated in the camps. Please pray for me for strength, a positive attitude, confidence, and good health--camps are physically exhausting too!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Christmas in January
One nice thing about not being in Nicaragua over Christmas is coming back to Christmas mail and gifts to exchange :) I picked up several Christmas cards from friends and family which will now decorate my wall (thank you to all those who sent cards & pics!!) & Jasser and I exchanged gifts after I got back into Boaco. I gave him a red scarf (per his request) and he gave me a mug with a picture of him & me on it that says "Brothers Forever"--translation from Spanish because their word for siblings is "hermanos" which can be used for boys & girls. Anyway, I found it endearing. It was a really sweet gift--something I can hold on to for a long time :)
We later visited my aunt here and I took a little treat to her house: chocolate covered cherries from the States--yum! I also greeted several "family" here and they were all glad to see me, and me of them. It's nice to be back. I really gotta soak up these last 10 1/2 months before I have to leave this beautiful place. Time is going by fast!
We later visited my aunt here and I took a little treat to her house: chocolate covered cherries from the States--yum! I also greeted several "family" here and they were all glad to see me, and me of them. It's nice to be back. I really gotta soak up these last 10 1/2 months before I have to leave this beautiful place. Time is going by fast!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Back in Nicaragua
It was so nice being back in the US and getting to meet Frank's extended family and see some new places, but all things must end some time...
The two week trip was so great and didn't go by too fast, but now I'm already back in Nicaragua and it's 2012--crazy!! We started out our trip with family things including finding a Christmas tree, decorating, and dinners. It was really special for me to be included in all of this. Then, Frank &I ventured out to DC & Arlington on our own so he could show me around. We even had a little date night & went out to dinner & a movie--so fun :) And, for the last part of our trip, Frank's parents took Frank & me with them to Colonial Williamsburg to celebrate New Years (we met up with Frank's aunt & uncle there too). That was a really neat trip full of fun, new experiences and delicious food. Our last night in Maryland was spent with family--we sat around the lit Christmas tree and chatted, ate a delicious meal together, played cribbage, and ate ice cream while watching one of Frank's (and his dad's) favorite shows, "Jeeves and Wooster".
Although I didn't want it to end, I knew we would have to come back sometime. I do love Nicaragua and I'm excited for this new year, but it's going to be hard to get back into the swing of things after that wonderful time of home comfort... such as hot showers & being able to flush the toilet paper haha After 2 weeks of pure English, I was still able to whip back into Spanish, so that's good. Upon arriving in Nicaragua though, Frank & I weren't quite ready to hop on a bus back to our towns so we got a taxi to ease us into Nica culture haha We had a lot of bags too so it just made more sense ;)
I'll be posting pictures on my Facebook, because there are way too many to put on here & the internet is a lot slower here than it was in the US when I posted my last blog. But, here are a couple to get you through.
Christmas Church tour in downtown Frederick, Maryland:
Frank's youngest brother's (Robert) birthday:
Arlington & DC:
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia:
The two week trip was so great and didn't go by too fast, but now I'm already back in Nicaragua and it's 2012--crazy!! We started out our trip with family things including finding a Christmas tree, decorating, and dinners. It was really special for me to be included in all of this. Then, Frank &I ventured out to DC & Arlington on our own so he could show me around. We even had a little date night & went out to dinner & a movie--so fun :) And, for the last part of our trip, Frank's parents took Frank & me with them to Colonial Williamsburg to celebrate New Years (we met up with Frank's aunt & uncle there too). That was a really neat trip full of fun, new experiences and delicious food. Our last night in Maryland was spent with family--we sat around the lit Christmas tree and chatted, ate a delicious meal together, played cribbage, and ate ice cream while watching one of Frank's (and his dad's) favorite shows, "Jeeves and Wooster".
Although I didn't want it to end, I knew we would have to come back sometime. I do love Nicaragua and I'm excited for this new year, but it's going to be hard to get back into the swing of things after that wonderful time of home comfort... such as hot showers & being able to flush the toilet paper haha After 2 weeks of pure English, I was still able to whip back into Spanish, so that's good. Upon arriving in Nicaragua though, Frank & I weren't quite ready to hop on a bus back to our towns so we got a taxi to ease us into Nica culture haha We had a lot of bags too so it just made more sense ;)
I'll be posting pictures on my Facebook, because there are way too many to put on here & the internet is a lot slower here than it was in the US when I posted my last blog. But, here are a couple to get you through.
Christmas Church tour in downtown Frederick, Maryland:
Frank's youngest brother's (Robert) birthday:
Arlington & DC:
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| Tomb of the Unknowns |
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| U.S. Capitol |
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| National Christmas Tree |
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| Governor's Palace |
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| Writing with a quill pen |
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| Carriage ride around town :) |
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| Troublemakers... |
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