Photos from a nicaragua public school

a typical classroom in Nicaragua. I volunteer in this school twice a week. notice the gaping holes in the paint and open windows. there is no air'conditioning in the schools and on hot days, students carry their desks into the courtyard to work. and there is no electricity from 8 am to 2pm, and that means no running water. The school only has latrines. and no cafeteria. students in grades 1 through 3 attend from 8am to 1pm and then go home. students in grades 4 through 6 go to school from 1PM to 530PM...in the same classrooms as the younger kids. There are no textbooks and teachers must copy everything onto the classroom board. These teachers earn roughly $100 a month for their work, or roughly $5 a day. Students are required to wear uniforms, but many wear dirty, torn uniforms that are held together by safety pins. Parental involvement in students' lives is virtually nonexistent.

recess at the school where i volunteer. there is no playground, just a concrete courtyard. During recess, the students simply flood this courtyard to talk. A few boys try to play games with a deflated, old basketball.









student desk






the teachers "desk" and file cabinet. This is nothing more than a table and a plastic chair









the classroom. there are two fifth grade classes at the school. my class has 38 students. Yes, 38..in one classroom. The idea of doing participatory education is almost absurd; how can one find an activity for 38 students?! Moving 38 students around a classroom is chaotic. I can understand why teachers lecture for hours on end; it makes for easier classroom management.

dia de la independecia

september 14th is independence day in nicaragua. here are a few photos from the celebration in my town of Masetepe. The day started with a parade of children through the streets and conclude with ballet folkorico at the town square (where two Peace Corps trainnes and I retained VIP seating were introduced to the crowd as the official representatives from the organization...hopefully, no one will find out this is only training!(










the children performing a native dance





native dance























drummers in native dress










Night in Nicaragua.

Daily Routine

Mass at the local Catholic church

Life in Nicaragua:

Now that training is in Week 2, a daily routine has developed for me. I wake up at 5AM when the buses to Manuaga begin to roar through town (with the drivers yelling MANUAGAMANUAGAMANUGA!!!). At 6:30AM I finally roll out of bed and take a cold shower. There is no such thing as hot showers in Nicaragua, but who wants one when it is 80 degrees and humid (and this is the winter!). I eat breakfast with my host mother (usually rice and beans, sometimes pan dulce) and head to the classroom, which is currently my patio. Language classes begin at 8AM (with three other students) and lasts until 12PM. We break for lunch, and I usually eat with my host mother and father (again, rice and beans). Classes begin again at 1PM and we spend the afternoon practicing Spanish. Sometimes we visit the schools and talk with the children or visit the mayór´s office. Classes usually concludes at 4PM. After 7 hours of Spanish lessons, I am throughly exhausted (and, as one person described, wanting to cut my tongue out!) I crash in the family´s hammock for an hour or more and head off for a quick walk (or, in today´s cahse, to the local Cybercafe). Dinner is 7PM and is usually gallo pinto (fried rice and beans...how did you guess?). After that, my host family and I crowd around the big screen television for an hour of the hottest telenovelas. By 8PM, exhaustion wins and I head to bed.

photos de nicaragua

Poverty is a way of life here.

Taxis

Rain from Hurricane Felix

Sunset in Manuaga

Peace Corps Nicaragua

On August 29th, I arrived in Managua, Nicaragua with the Peace Corps. After a two day orientation at a hotel in Managua, I packed my bags and headed to Masatepe, a town near Masaya, to meet my host family and begin training. This process will last for 11 weeks, and then I will move to the community where in which I will volunteer for two years. Three days a week I will have language training; two and a half days I will have technical training on environmental issues and classroom teaching.

In my host family, I have a host father, mother, and grandmother. We definitely life well compared to other Nicaragua families. I have my own room and bathroom, and the house has satellite television on a big screen TV. Due to an nationwide energy crisis, the electricity regularly winks out. At my house, there is no power between 8AM and 2PM on Monday and Wednesday and Saturday. That also means there is no phone service. In addition, the water goes out. On most days, we have water from 4am to 7am and 2pm to 8am. On good days, we have water, phone and electricity and the same time. if we are lucky. buena suerte!!