Life in the Jungle

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Limited elecricity, beautiful sunsets, warm beer, fruit trees, long dusty roads and hot showers. I guess you have to take the good with the bad, right? The Great Aves volunteer house is located about an hour and a half outside of Puyo, the nearest town, and is where I will be spending the next several months. Unfortunately, my camara was lost/stolen because I was dumb and it fell out of my pocket while we hitched a ride...so pictures will be coming once I can buy an acceptable replacement.
Classes start tomorrow and it looks like we will be busy. The country does not have a standardized English program and the province where I am actually does not even have it in the cirriculum. So the local children in this rural area will only be exposed to English for either one or two hours a week, while an optional adult class is held once a week for about an hour and a half to two hours. As of right now it seems like a daunting task, to teach at least 8 schools a week, with limited resources and volunteers.
Life at the house is somewhat of a challenge as well, but also very exciting. There is a generator, which is run for about 3-4 hours each night, meaning food does not keep long and we have to rely on creativity for our communal meals. As of right now there are 8 of us living together but this is the transition week and the people that have been here for the last 3 months will be leaving next weekend....leaving us in charge. There is a vehicle, but since I have arrived it only has worked on several occasions...at least it is predictably unreliable.
The house at least is large, with an office (in the making), living room, 4 bedrooms and what is called the t.v. room. Bascially it is an unfinished room with two large open windows that showcases the sunset in the jungle, complete with the chirping of the local bird and insect population. Beautiful. The house also feels homey with Jim and Lucy, the resident dogs...and Biscuit, the cat that everyone hates.
The community development aspect of the program has a functioning compost bin in the back yard and are currently building a nursery for the local population. Hopefully one day soon we can get our own garden up and running. Across the street there are remanents of someone's hard work, where we can collect mangos, naranjillas and bananas, so I guess that it is ours for the time being.
Our first few days of teaching have been eye opening. Imagine trying to teach a new language to children who are still struggling with their native tongue and who may or may not be able to write. At least the majority of the classes contain less than 10 students, allowingeach student to recieve the personal attention necessary. The schools themselves are quite poor. Some have working bathrooms and there is typically a garden that produces food for the children´s daily meal. It is nice to see how the community comes together at some schools, with parents rotating the cooking duties.
We are begining to learn how to take care of things here...from tricks related to the car to the best places to shop and which insects bite. It is crazy how so little can go so far...it creates a challenge but also makes life quite interesting. Thursday night´s dinner was a spectacle! Almost everyone had a hand in the cooking and it still took 3 hours to complete...but a full mexican dinner was made for 10 people in the middle of the jungle.

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Comments

[mom]

the jungle
i'll have to remember to never complain about my teaching conditions. we do have a drive set up for you and your school. will mail out next week and see if things get there love you and love to read about your travels

[Josh bro]

Pets
Jess, you made me laugh with the cat comment! Think about you daily! Skype this weekend?

[Dad]

Hola from Florida
Hi Jessie, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog (my first experience with a "blog"). I am glad that you are living the life of austerity, living the frugal life, rather than one of extravagance and luxury. It surely prompts creativity and ingenuity. Mom told me about the methods of car repair that you are learning - banging on parts with a hammer. Based on conversations with our very experienced Chief Mechanic at the City, it is a very cost-effective repair method in trying to start a car, used to bump a starter. After a while the starter, as it turns, keeps coming to rest at the same stop - this point gets worn - and so the hammer bumps it out of the worn spot and so it works again! I learned it too and use a hammer to bump start our electric garage door opener! Anyway, I like the beer stories and would love to sample some. I leave for my motorcycle trip to West Virginia next Wednesday, and beginning tomorrow, I will plan my two day trek taking back roads most or all of the way (450+ miles each way just to get to the rally site). I will be staying at an inn in a room that sleeps three (I get the loft). Then we will explore the mountains for two days, then I head back home for two more days of riding. Then for the weekend of Sept 25, I will be flying up to Massachusetts for a surprise 50th birthday for Uncle Ken. As of yet, I haven't told anyone that I'm showing up at the party site on Saturday night - that should be a surprise in and of itself. I plan to see Grandma, Aunt Pam, John Dolan, etc. during the weekend stay as well as my family and friends at the party. I called Jared tonight. He's doing well. He said he went to "The Swamp" today to watch the Gators defeat USF 38 - 14. Unfortunately, I won't be bringing up the old 1981 Yamaha 250 up to him. I was originally planning to drive both Yamahas up to Jared and drop off the little 250 to him, but one of the replacement parts (left front fork) is bent and can't be used, so the bike probably won't be ready by next week's trip. Well, you take care of yourself and those kids. I hope that they learn as much from you as you will learn from them! Love, and hugs and kisses, Daddie

[Karen Bense]

Love your blogs!
Jesse, Your Mom gave me your blog address and I have just finished reading them. You will always remember the wonderful experiences you are now having and have had (Spain). Take care of yourself! You should submit your writings to International Living and maybe get paid for them!