March 11-12

Carolyn and some neighbor friends.

The mural is coming along!!

Sophie adding to the talent.

Angel, the new art teacher, wants the students
to paint as they feel the mural should look
according to a drawing he proposed.

Buenos amigos.

Axel, a student of ours, with his sister.

Happy Birthday, Chloe!!

Rock and roll.

Neighbor friend.

This is Caleb. (and a note from Cheri--we´re having serious problems with our internet connection and may not be able to write daily from now on..... Also, we are going to Jinotega (in the north) spending overnight there and will return Sunday. Look for any news either Sunday night, or more realistically, Monday....)

Thursday afternoon was a bit of a departure from the past few days. Emma James, Chloe Zorn, Jon Gilman, and Sophie Herring helped Angel (La Nicaraguita´s art teacher) paint a mural of fruits and vegetables outside the school. It´s not quite finished yet, but so far it looks fantastic. While they were painting, Andrew Chavez and I sat in on English class with seventh grade. Although I´ve helped with fifth grade English class, it was really interesting to see the more advanced class and how English grammar is taught. Jon Gonzales went around to the different classes and helped the English teacher out. Everyone else helped make decorations in pre-school.

Thursday was really, really hot (it was close to 100). By mid-afternoon, I had already finished three bottles of water and was missing winter a little bit, but the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Even with the heat, I´m very glad to be here in Nicaragua.

This morning was more or less normal. Jonathan Gonzalez and I helped out with fifth grade. The kids are great, but I don´t understand where they get all their energy from. They´re always happy and always ready to play. They love us unconditionally and get really excited whenever we walk into the room. One kid, Roberto, is especially happy that we´re here. On the first day, he drew me a bunch of pictures. During recess this morning, one girl brought us helados (ice cream) which was very refreshing. Ice cream definitely tastes better in Nicaragua.

The thing that´s surprised me most about the trip is how chaotic the classes are. There are 31 kids in fifth grade, and the classroom is relatively small. Since the school is very open, the noise from each class is not confined. It´s very hard for the students to hear what the teacher is saying, and very hard for the teacher to keep all of then quiet and seated. Even with all the noise and distractions, I´m amazed at how bright the kids are. They are all very motivated to learn, and without that motivation it would be hard for them to keep afloat.

Today is Chloe Zorn´s birthday, and this morning we had a little fiesta with a piñata. While blindfolded, Chloe whacked at the pinata a few times while Vladi pulled it up and lowered it so she would miss it. But alas, Chloe was clever and soon, she smacked it hard and the candy came falling out. Jon Gonzalez and Nia dove on the candy as if they had never eaten any before. We gobbled it up and then played musical chairs.