Week in Review

Like we said in our last post life is becoming more "normal." In some ways, life is very much like it was in the USA. The adults work, take care of the children, pay bills, try to find some alone time, etc. The children go to school, have afters-school activities and play dates. We each have our friends, acquaintances and some folks we could do without. On the other hand, things are so very different. The language, the culture and the simple mechanics of getting things done in a very poor country make this a rich and challenging adventure. Every week we each have new discoveries, wonderful experiences, frustrations and questions -- each of which could be a long post. For now, here is a summary of everyone’s week in their own words, hopefully giving you a picture of our life here.

Not Fun/Fun - by Hannah
This is what was not fun. Arleth (her friend) was not supposed to go into my classroom but she did even though my teacher said no five times. She took my hand when my teacher was not looking and said corre (run) because she did not want the teacher to see. She ran all the way to my house and said it is the end of class to my Dad. My teacher was worried (and called wondering where Hannah was). Last night the lights went out and I had no night light. It was pitch dark and I bumped into everything. Luckily I screamed DADDY and he came out of the bedroom with a flashlight.

Hannah and Her Sisters

This is what was fun. I was drawing with my friend Cindy and I made a pretty picture with the sun and sky and a house and flowers and butterflies and a worm. I like to play with her a lot. Daddy got a new bike and it is fun. I went swimming in a lake and I was never scared a fish would bite me. I did a run jump (off a floating dock) into the lake. Mommy reading stories to me is fun. Preschool is fun. I had green poop and that is really funny (no illness, just green for some reason).

I Have Lots of Subjects So I Do Not Know What to Name This – by Emma
This weekend we went to Laguna de Apoyo and we got onto a floating dock in the deep water. The water was warm and I do not know why. We also floated in tubes. We stayed in the biggest room in a place called the Monkey Hut. I had a really fun time.

Laguna de Apoyo

I am going to be in the independence day parade (September 14th) and I am in the gimnasia (pom pom girls) not the paliona (baton twirlers). I had to buy lots of clothes, knee high socks, a red skirt, pom poms, white shoes and a white t-shirt. Practice is really fun but it always starts late. The older girls are basically in charge of us.

School is really interesting but it is also very fun and hectic. People are always yelling in my face asking me if I like a boy in my class (Emma and Carlos seem to have a little romance going). The teacher can end school whenever she wants like if she has to see her husband because she lives in a different city that is far away. We have three subjects at school, math, Spanish and civics. I think my Spanish is getting good and I can have conversations with girls in my class without going, hmmmm, what does that mean?

Great Escapes - by Jeff

We had a wonderful escape from the patron saint festival in San Ramon by visiting our new favorite place in Nicaragua, Laguna de Apoyo. We swam, ate pizza, swam some more and relaxed by this lake which formed in the crater of a dormant volcano. Thermal vents keep the water warm and the location keeps the crowds to a minimum. The area is protected and thus development is sparse (compared to Lake Tahoe, for example). Speaking of which, Laguna de Apoyo rivals Lake Tahoe in its beauty; the only downside is the lack of skiing.

One of our hens escaped from our chicken run. I spent one night and the next morning running around town looking for our beloved Estrella. I heard many interesting theories; she left because she wanted a rooster, a dog ate her, someone stole her and painted her brown, etc. I finally found her right on the other side of our fence and our neighbor (also named Emma) tossed her over for me. I then spent the next day making our chicken habitat escape proof. Many of our neighbors thought I was being foolish as it would be easier to cut their wings but that is something I just did not want to do. Hopefully the chickens will now stay put. In other chicken news, our neighbor Maria lent us her rooster named Pinto. Estrella and Luna are keeping him company as Maria sold all of her hens. Perhaps they will finally start laying eggs. Hannah says if they do not we should eat them and get a dog!

Speaking of Hannah, as you already read, she escaped a great deal of school. Last week most classes were cancelled due to her teacher’s doctor appointment, the school census and a holiday. This week there was no school Monday – Wednesday because of the patron saint festival. The festival ended Tuesday but Wednesday was also a day off so folks could recover from the holiday. As you read, Thursday Hannah and her friend Arleth came home from school two hours early and Arleth told me there was no more school. Hannah seemed confused but it all became clear to me when her teacher called wondering what was up. I had to explain to Arleth and her mom that we were very happy she wants to play with Hannah but it has to wait until after school. Hannah escapes even more school because her teacher has a workshop Monday and Tuesday (I guess they never heard of substitutes). While I am on the subject, I walked into Emma’s class on Friday to say hello and found that the teacher had not arrived and was an hour late. I improvised an English lesson until someone finally showed up to take my place at the white board.

Universality – by Aileen

Certain things this week grabbed my attention not because they were so meaningful or funny or memorable, but because we/they could have been any people, anywhere in the world. They’re the kind of things that kind of make me wonder why we can’t all just get along.

Last week, I happened to be walking by the kids’ school when they got out for recess. The frenetic energy as the kids burst out of their classrooms and sprinted for the yard was palpable, even from outside on the sidewalk. It reminded me a lot of the energy on the yard at Fairmount (where I used to work) during recess.

On Friday, I had a meeting with a community that has been very enthusiastic about starting a project to build two new classrooms for their school. The meetings I’ve had there so far have been well-attended, with good participation, and with people even showing up on time (!). But when it came time to appoint the president of the committee that would be in charge of the project, there was dead silence. You’ve all been there: silence, a few nervous coughs, some slouching, and everyone studiously avoiding eye contact with each other.

Childen at a Community Meeting

The other day, I was in a rural community and some women were washing laundry in a river, while their kids played and splashed around nearby. As the women finished the laundry, they had to coax their kids out of the water with bribes of treats back at home. It reminded me of trying to get Emma and Hannah out of the water at Laguna de Apoyo.

In Closing...

Okay, after reading this again it is clear that our life is not what we used to consider normal. I guess settled would be a better word. We are really happy to be settled and normal will have to wait until we come home. In the meantime, we are enjoying the differences.  If you are interested in enjoying them too, we welcome visitors!