School is... Cool

So the school year has started, and I am still trying to wrap my head around what that means.  I am supposed to work with 4 teachers total from 2 different schools, so I have been splitting my time observing different classes.  What I am looking for are teaching styles and interest in working with me, so that I may pass the next two years with the best probability of that may fit with making a difference.  Some aspects of the school day are a little hard to figure out, like why cleaning must take place during school hours or why parents are allowed to sit in with kids on occasion.  The limited resources in the classrooms also still surprise me.  The kids have a hard time reading partially because they never have access to anything to read except during school hours.  The only material in school is textbooks with short stories about the merits of being honest or going to school.  Nothing is developed over time or left unfinished in a school day, and the kids know that they will never have to remember anything about the day’s work again.  

That being said, I have played hookie for a few days, going to hang out with a group of high school students from Connecticut who were helping a local community construct a footbridge over a stream that becomes a torrent during the rainy season.  The kids were mostly charged with moving rocks in order to fill in the immense space for the ramps, but they also mixed and spread concrete and cement to fill the anchor pilings for the suspensions.  They were a fun group, with lots of energy and were very interested in the PC and what our experience was like.  I tried to make it clear that our experience is just that – our own – and that only some of the generalities of service transfer from sector to sector or from country to country. 

Other than that, I have been preparing for a half marathon, and hope to have a time a little under than 2 hours.  I have been running pretty much every day, and feel good about my endurance etc.  Running has been a lot of fun and I have enjoyed a different Nicaragua of the early mornings and late afternoons.  That being said, I am looking forward to being out of training.  It was interesting to get ready for a race but I think that running just isn’t for me.  It is too slow and repetitive, and I look forward to being able to afford buying a bike some day!  The race is on Sunday about 4 hours from here.  The entrance is $10 for a dinner, housing, breakfast and for the race, which seems like a pretty good deal for me.