An update

I realized last night that I have not really told you what my peace corps assignment will be all about.  Actually,  am just getting a handle on it so it is good that I waited.  Nicaragua is the 2nd most poor country in the world or central america, second only to Haiti. Many of the children here are basically starving - they describe it as extreme poverty...that sort of says it all.  There are a lot of environmental issues that the country is trying to address ( deforestation being the major one) but mainly they are trying to keep their people alive.  Many children have food, like those in this little town,  but it consists mainly of  rice ( not the kind that is grown in water), frijoles and cafe.  The rice and frijoles are OK but when eaten with cafe, the cafe interferes with the nutrients taken in from the frijoles and rice. They almost never have vegies and fruit and if they do, it is rare.   So, we are being trained to give elementary science classes on nutrition and the environment ( they are providing us with extremely good training) along with learning the language for some of us, and when we get to our locations, we are required to have a garden at our own houses, start a school garden in each of the three schools we will be working in and also have a couple youth groups during the week to work on projects that improve the environment in the kids´town.  Here in the training site, we are practicing everything so we are teaching 3 classes in the local school, we have our youth group started and we are starting our garden next weekend.  That is what the machete thing was all about.  We have learned what it takes and now we need to pass that on to the students and teachers. Sustainability is also heavily emphasized so we are supposed to spend much time getting integrated into the community and finding the local folks who already have a garden and enlist their participation and hopefully, when we leave, we will leave  more enlightened youth and families. Luckily, the Nica curriculum requires each class ( school maybe) to have a garden so the teachers have an incentive to work with us.  There are many elementary school teachers here who are ëmpiricas¨which means they have OJT only.  But, we all know, credentials do not necessaily make for a good teacher, so I am hoping to meet up with some good folks.  The pay here for teachers, and school directors, ( and the policia, incidentally) is below the poverty level....so, that tells you a lot.  My grandchildren want to have a penpal arrangement with one of my classes here but I won´t be able to do that until I get into my schools at my assigned site.  I go to my site in Dec. but they are on vacation until Feb and then it will take me a few months to figure out which teachers will be working with me and who among them wants to do a penpal thing.  So, Nicole, it probably won´t be until next year before I can really get a class going to work with your class.  But, thanks for the offer and we will get it going as soon as we can.   I think I told you, we have lots of talks (charlas) from current volunteers who tell us what to expect and what they are doing etc. So, as I said, little by little, I am beginning to understand what I will actually be doing once I get my assignment.  That won´t be until early November and then I don´t actually go there until early December.  So......more to come.  Thanks for all your comments and emails.