Maggie and I were very sad to learn
that Jorge was suffering from back pains this morning. Thus my planned activities
in the vegetable garden were postponed and instead I headed out with Don Chepe
and a group of students to an overgrown spot by the fishpond to carve out a
large composting pit. One student hastily hacked away at the tall grass with a
machete while I attempted to accomplish the same task with my shovel - not as
easy, but definitely fun and enjoyably toilsome. This particular group of
students did not speak very much English at all, but still we were able to work
effectively as a team and enjoy some of the North American rap music that one
of the students was playing from his phone. Almost as soon as we had cleared
the area and dug out a good-sized pit, the clouds swept in over us and
unleashed a torrential downpour, causing us to scurry up the hill and seek
shelter next to the rather stinky pig pens.
Digging a composting pit
Once the rain let up enough to
venture down the hill we returned to Jorge's classroom (still without Jorge =(
.....) where the students immediately set to coordinating and choreographing a
dance routine to a Spanish/English version of "In The Still Of The
Night"; I spent the time writing in my personal diary about the past
weekend's activities, which included a beautifully serene solo hike into the
woods where I discovered a tree comprised of spiral-bent branches that formed a
veritable organic portal up into the canopy. Fernando Luis, the young man whom
I became fast friends with during the classroom painting activity, convinced me
with a wide grin to put down my notebook and dance with them for a little
while; he's quite the smooth salesman.
After class I enjoyed a scrumptious
lunch with Maggie that comprised of flattened, fried plantains and a colorful
array of steamed vegetables, rice, and beans; I think I am becoming addicted to
the local Lizano sauce! After lunch I headed over to Sergio's classroom where I
reviewed different means of transportation with the students, including written
and oral comparisons (which car is bigger, faster, more expensive, etc.). I was
pleased with the knowledge, proficiency, and progress I witnessed during these
exercises. At the conclusion of this class period I joined Karen in the
teacher's salon to continue working on the bilingual brochure for C.T.P. We
added a sixth and final category to the catalogue: Colegio will offer tours of
the grounds, classrooms, and all four major products that the students are
engaged in. The proceeds from these tours will go towards helping fund the
projects themselves. I am proud to have contributed to such an important
undertaking that will surely benefit the school by offering an English
translation for those guests who would need it. The day was joyously concluded
with a short but exciting game of dominoes between me, the vice principal
of the school, and the accounting teacher. I am continuously honored and
humbled by how wonderfully well the staff treats me; I truly feel like a part
of the community.
Entry
submitted by: Justin
Message
of the Day – Justin: “No man
will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit
for doing it.” – Andrew Carnegie
No comments:
Post a Comment