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Published: April 28th 2005
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1st Grade Students
It's the old "rabbit ears" and "banana on the head" joke...... Hola Amigos!
Apologies for the lack of diaries lately- I will blame it all on the terrible Internet access.....(which is a fact).
So I've already been in my new town for almost two weeks.....liking it so far, although it's probably been the toughest moment of my trip, because I'm in a very remote town, very simple living quarters and in a job where I sometimes feel very helpless. But at the same time, I'm loving the experience, I think it's helping me grow as a person. Listen to me, I'm almost as floaty and new age as about 90% of the people in this town (mostly Americans who are really "out there" 😊 )
So, to describe where I'm living at the moment.....I'm living with Senora Cecilia (a fabulous cook) and Don ChiChi, a lovely couple. And about all of their family; two sons, a daughter, her daughter, cousins, nieces, well you get the picture. I'm sure they don't ALL live in the house, but I'm really not sure, they're there all the time. There's also about 6 dogs, a cat, 20 chickens, lots of iguanas. The 'Don' has a sugarcane mill, so there's workers all over the place as well. Even though the town of Las Delicias is tiny, there's hardly ever a moment of peace at this house. My room is a little 'cabina', stone walls (which I've now decorated with the kids' drawings, and my People/Hello!/Glamour magazine cutouts), two beds, no windows, but during the day there's a little window-type mini-door (aah so descriptive) that I can open, without too many bugs coming in. Yes, there's a lot of bugs.....I've gotten quite used to them I'm proud to say. A few days ago I was in the bathroom and saw a scorpion and I didn't scream! I am however, very relieved I have my mosquito net! (It has some bat or gecko-poo on it, they'll be some great memories later on I'm sure) I sleep alright, although I wake up every night, usually because the neighbour's dog barks at anything that squeeks or moves, and if he doesn't, then there's the howler monkeys that start growling at about 5am (along with the rooster). I've also gotten used to them now and can actually get back to sleep after that.
Never for too long though, as my day starts at about 7am. I have breakfast (yes, the usual rice and beans still) then I'm off for my 15 minute hike to school. I have one class from 8am-10.30 and another from 11-12.30 although this can vary, depending on the student's ages and how fast they are (or should I say slow?). There are about 20-25 students at the school, and they are all very adorable. The young ones will not learn any more than 'dog', 'cat', 'mother', 'father' and some of the numbers. They gat bored after about 20 minutes and then want to play games. But I love them, they're so cute, they bring over drawings and scribbles all the time, so cute!! Writing is definitely not one of the strengths over here. They copy every word, spelling does not come naturally and even the 13 year olds make some crazy mistakes, unbelievable. But then this is a completely different country. Some students are really eager to learn and actually pick up quite a bit which motivates me again. The fact that I'm teaching them the same as the previous 5 volunteers shows that it's really quite difficult for them to learn.
There is not a whole lot to do in Las Delicias, as it consists of only houses and a pulperia (minimart), so you have to look for entertainment in other places. I went to Malpais yesterday, a 20 minute drive from Las Delicias on a dirt road (don't attempt driving these roads unless you have a 4x4 here!!!) From Delicias, it's a 50 minute hike to Montezuma (Las Delicias is up a hill/mountain) so the way down is alright, going back is somewhat more strenuous......I'm hoping I get a ride from a passerby later!! Last weekend my "sister" Lucie from Samara came to visit, and we stayed in a hotel here in Montezuma. We went to the Montezuma Falls (gorgeous) and went to the beach. And in the evenings we went to the local bar "Chicos" and a Full Moon Party at a very funky hotel bar "Luz de Mono" (hmm interesting name) with some Ibiza-style electronic party going on. Not quite my scene but it was the only thing open after 12!!
My plans for this weekend aren't sure yet, but I really want to go back to Samara, I just have to see whether it's worth getting a minivan return for 80 dollars....
You'll find out soon, xxxx Flora
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