NIca Update

Practicum week is here!! I am going to be spending a week in the mountain city of Jinotega! I couldn't be more excited, from everything I have read in my guidebook it sounds amazing. Plus it will nice to give my sweat glands the week off. With the help of a 3^rd year TEFL volunteer we will be shadowing a Nicaraguan teacher for a week. We will be teaching at least 3 of our counterpart's classes (hopefully more) while our counterpart and TEFL partner observe us and give us feedback. When we aren't teaching we are observing or planning with our partner for the next class.

Other than the cooler climate and amazing coffee that I have heard so much about, what I am really looking forward to is the opportunity to teach. I don't know if I have mention briefly before but I have not had the best of luck teaching here. I have not taught a single class here, which is frustrating to say the least. I have gone to school like 5 times with my lesson in hand and struck out every single time. The causes vary from rain storms and school being canceled. Band practice in which all the students are practicing for some important parade during school hours and class being canceled. Surveys and census taking for my grades and so student are not in class. Unfortunately the last day I went some student from the class I was going to teach had committed suicide and so understandably class was canceled.

There is an interesting phase that I have heard a lot since I have been here and that's Sí Dios Quiere which in English is literally “if god wills it” but I think we say more god willing. This is a very strange concept for your typical American myself included. I am not a church going person but I know a lot people who are and I have never heard anyone say anything like I'll come to that meeting or we'll have class at this time god willing. Maybe that is just because of the importance of time in the American culture, but those are things I hear often here. However I think its so much more than time conflicts happen which everywhere, but the number of times and reasons my classes have been canceled is astonishing. It really makes you think that the phrase is true and maybe the big man upstairs is just not on your side. It's disappointing but I don't let it get me down I just shine it on and look forward to the next opportunity. Apparently god has a lot more power in this neck of woods. So sí Dios quiere I will teach class in Jinotega and I will teach 3 days at my instituto when I get back back to Niquinohomo.

I'll let you know how everything goes when I get back.

Amazing coffee cooperative!

My Counterpart Edgar Fellow Trainee Megan and I

Jinotega Practicum Week with counterparts