Olympic Fever!!!

I've got it...in a big way. And currently, I have no idea how I will watch the Olympics. Without access to television channels (my roommate did bring a television with him when he moved in), I don't know what I will do. I think I could probably plug in the television and see something but it wouldn't be all access with the cable channels. I'm trying to determine how much of the Olympics will be shown online. Anyway, I'm loving the track and field and swimming trials right now.

All's well here. Sorry for not much news. I'm ready to come home. I mean, it's great and all, but how many more days I can...
-eat rice and beans
-put toilet paper in a trash can next to the toilet and not in the toilet
-feel like I'm reliving my college dorm days...except I'm the uncool RA who wants everyone to be quiet
-herd kids to buses and restaurants
-deal with the rash on my feet (hoping for heat rash)
-ride on a school bus
-ignore the nasty men who yell at me while I run
-have kids around me 24-7
-nod and smile when people speak Spanish to me
-have to walk from the shower to my room in my towel past boys I've taught in class
-go without dairy...they do have some weird fried cheese...I haven't touched it

That's the scoop.

Yo enseño!

I think that´s correct. Anyway, I taught math to some Nicas tonight. They were working on their homework and I told them that I teach math in the U.S. They immediately asked for my help. I was lucky to have my colleague there to assist me with some Spanish...I really didn´t learn too many math specific words in school. It´s always nice to have your choice of profession reaffirmed.

Nice day today. We went the house of Hugo´s great-grandmother (Hugo is one of my students). His mom left Nicaragua for the U.S. in 1989 to get away from the war. She told us a lot about what it was like here before she left and how she left. Quite amazing. After 18 years in the U.S., she finally got her citizenship last year. Her son is a great kid, so it was nice to chat with them in a context other than him and really get to know them.

Tomorrow, we´re off to see a coffee plantation in Posoltega. Hopefully it doesn´t smell too much like coffee...that nauseates me.

This is an interesting article that I was able to read in my spare internet time. I hope that link works. I´m using a Spanish keyboard, so many of the keyboard shortcuts are totally different than I´m used to. Also, all the menus are in Spanish, so it´s a lot of trial and error as I type.

Off to hand wash some clothes before bed. Having a great time and so far, I´m not sick of all the rice and beans!

Bubba Gump de Nicaragua

Today, we went to a shrimp farm!!! It was pretty cool, even for a kosher girl like me. We drove for about an hour and went through this gate with guards. I thought we were there, but then we drove for 30 minutes on a dirt road through sugar cane fields. It was wild. Since we were there to see the shrimp farm, we didn´t get information about how the sugar cane is grown, so that´s a mystery to me. Anyway, it was cool to see how they use water pressure to empty the shrimp ponds and recycle the water around for use again.

Running in the morning has been pretty fun. It starts getting light here around 5pm (and dark by 7pm), and so I get up and do my warm-up so that by the time I really get going, it´s mostly light out. It feels like about half the streets are asphalt and half are cobblestoney, so I´ve finally find a 5 mile route that does not include cobblestones. That is great! I get a lot of cat calls from the men. Yesterday, as I walked on my cool down, a guy grabbed my butt as he rode by on his bike. I totally hit him. And honestly, I´m so sweaty, that he got the short end of that stick. Anyway, it´s been an adventure here. I don´t see anyone else out running, so for some locals, I´m a bit of an attraction.

Off to dance classes and then the disco.

Best Day EVER!!!

You can probably guess that I got my luggage today. I was driven to Managua and there it was! Yay! All is there except my sunglasses, but maybe I just left those in Cali. I cannot say how amazing it is to be in clean underwear. Also, Patagonia traveling clothes are the greatest for someone who sweats as much as I do. On the upside of the sweating, my students say my skin looks clearer. Bonus!

So that was basically my day. I´m signing off so I can get back to my book. Thanks for all the comments.

How Much Can One Really Sweat?

If you´re me, the answer is a lot. So, I´ve established a good routine of washing my underwear at night and letting it air dry so I have something to put on in the morning. Yay! So, you can infer that there´s still no luggage. I´m glad it wasn´t one of the kids. I think I can probably get by for the most part with this one pair of pants...although they are hot for some reason (or maybe it´s just the weather), running shirts, and plenty of shoes. I did have a hat in the luggage I did get...which has saved me since I don´t have sunglasses. I also realized that my camera battery charger is in the other luggage. Grrrr! There´s so much good stuff in there. I hope to see that bag soon.

Yesterday:

• Breakfast at La Tortuga with some amazing papaya and pineapple juice. The traditional dish is pinto gallo, rice and beans. I quite like it.
• Lots of walking...went to the market and talked to the woman who is in charge. She was great and totally represents the trend that many women here have quite a bit of power because they are more reliable.
• Saw most of the murals in the city which tell the tale of the revolutions throughout Nica´s history.
• Had ice cream! So refreshing
• Taught English to locals at a language school. That was awesome! I am not teaching English, but the kids are and they are so into it. They will teach English every day, Monday through Thursday to student of varying proficiency.
• More yummy meals (La Buena Cuchara and Comedor Lisette)

Today:

• Breakfast at La Buena Cuchara...with amazing mango juice. More pinto gallo but also eggs today.
• A discussion with the kids about the Nicaraguan revolution (1970s through 1990ish) and what a revoltion means for a country.
• A tour of the revolutionary museum in Leon. The place was somewhat unofficial. It wasn´t a museum as we know one. It was basically a room with photocopies of books and newspaper articles hung on the wall. We were told the entire history by a local, so that had to be translated. I definitely don´t learn well by just listening. I need interaction and something to read/look at. So, I think I looked like I was paying attention, but (don´t tell the kids) I have no idea what he said. That´s kind of sad for me, but it´s just not how my brain works.
• Lunch at La Callejon (the gutter). This place was really nice inside and the food was pretty good. My diet is basically rice, vegetables, and plantains. I think I might have to start eating chicken, but I am worried that the beef has diary hidden in it.
• I´m going to take a nap. Adios! More English teaching tonight!

As A City Wakes

I got up at 5:30 this morning (more than 8 hours sleep...awesome!) and went for a run. Basically, I had to lock myself out, since I couldn´t leave the hostel open. I ran 5 miles on crazy cobblestones and with the only socks I have. I used my Nike SportBand to log the miles, which is handy. It´s neat to see people going to work and school. There were lots of horses and cows pulling goods around. I only got attention from the garbage men and trucks full of men going t work. Most people didn´t pay me any mind. When I got back, it seemed like no one was awake so I went for a walk to the center of town and saw all the kids going to school (before 7am). They are too cute. I really hope to go into a school because they look really pretty with courtyards and such. I love all the doorways here. I´ll take pictures, but I´m not sure how I´ll post them. Anyway, the doors are beautifully carved wood and just kind of regal looking.

Okay...enough computer time. More to come...

Ahhh...We´re Here

Hi All....



We´re here in Leon. We are staying in the cutest hostel (La Tortuga Booluda). I am having a tough day because some of my luggage was lost. Without going into too much detail, but basically, I have my running clothes (built in underwear only), all my shoes, glasses, perscriptions, and toothbrush. That´s about all I´ve got. I can´t really figure out which would be worse...not having running clothes to start my half training tomorrow or not having a change of clothes at all (also having no toiletries, suncreen, bug spray, etc). I think the latter is worse...especially if I have to go more than one more day in these clothes. One of my cute students told me I could borrow some of her clothes...meanwhile, she´s about 5´4¨ and size 2. Yeah...that´s gonna happen. I´ve got my contacts in shot glasses (borrowing some contact solution) and hopefully the maid won´t throw them out (like happened in Colorado in high school). So, interesting trip so far.



Today, we landed in Managua, got a bit of history of the revolutions that happened and a tiny bit about US involvement over time. Then, we went to the US Embassy. I was a bit disappointed. They are clearly not trained to host high school students who have just taken a red eye. We then drove north to Leon and settled into our cute hostel. Lunch was ehhh but dinner was better. I´m sticking to ¨vegetarian¨fare so far because I feel like countries like Nicaragua hide pork or other meet in just about all their food (read¨Ana´s Taqueria rice made with chicken broth). I´ll probably be more ¨don´t ask, don´t tell¨by the end.



Anyway, the kids are great. They are all having fun together in the hostel and getting along swell.

Where I Teach

Where I teach is an amazing place
Where I teach, everyone can recite the mission
Where I teach, every student is given a voice
Where I teach, everyone lends a hand
Where I teach, we have made the road by walking
Where I teach, we convince struggling students to stay at our school
Where I teach, we write haikus about each other
Where I teach, faculty fun ends every meeting
Where I teach, most questions can be answered by the students
Where I teach, teachers get the biggest standing ovation at graduation
Where I teach, student don't just learn about respect, they see it everyday in their teachers and classmates
Where I teach, we decide by consensus
Where I teach, students can articulate their opinions
Where I teach, students are given a forum to articulate their opinions
Where I teach, we leave no Husky behind
Where I teach, students are given second chances
Where I teach, students appreciate the words revision and redemption
Where I teach, we have to force kids to leave the building on the last day of school
Where I teach, I am reminded that five (!) years of teaching doesn't mean I don't have more to learn
Where I teach, teachers plan and run the professional development
Where I teach, my students give me reading assignments
Where I teach, we give an annual award for Wit
Where I teach, character is just as important as academics
Where I teach, the hardest days are the days that convince you that this is the place you want to teach

I have just completed my fifth year of teaching. I am exhausted, but happy. I am so proud to be teaching where I teach. While living on the other side of the country has its challenges, I am so appreciative to be at this school, with these teachers, these students, and these parents. May you all send your kids to a school so great.

Who Did The Math On This One?

From WBUR.com

"BOSTON, Mass. - June 13, 2008 - When the Standells made waves with "Love that Dirty Water" in the 1960s, the Charles River deserved that "dirty" description.

But in the last 15 years, the river has made a remarkable recovery. You can even swim in it 63 percent of the time."

63% of the time? Really? Is that exact? That's 230 days a year, so I guess I can believe it.

Blog Woes

Hi All,

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have excuses, but you don't need to hear them.

In good news:
I graduated from PT. I have been running pain free for more than 3 weeks and can now do 30 consecutive single leg squats. I'm working on getting up to 50 by the fall, then 100 by the spring. FYI, I am not as good as one of my students who can put one leg straight out and go all the way down. My body was not built for that.

Two more days left of school! Our second senior glass will graduate Friday night.

I'll hit the Nicaragua soil on Monday morning! I am hoping to be able to post here often, but the kids will be posting quite frequently at http://community.globalglimpse.org/. So check there for updates.

Bad news:
Not too much other than our drought here (and my landlord asking me to water...you can imagine my response) and just not having enough time for everything. But, it all has to get done by Sunday, I guess.