No School, No School...Going to the Canyon

In college I was an education major. That was my main focus. Since I was a freshman in high school I knew I wanted to be a teacher. My education classes almost crushed that dream; they were boring and repetitive and didn't permit me to focus on only secondary education. What a pain! I almost changed majors but...to what? So I threw on a Spanish major as a buffer. After all, you never know.

And now I'm here in Nicaragua co-teaching with Nicaraguan teachers. Some days are really good and I love my job. Some days are really bad and make me wonder if I should be a teacher. Most days school is cancelled: all day, after recess, for a holiday. Let't take a look at this week.

Monday school was normal. Tuesday school was normal for some people but not for everyone. Some teachers had to go to a pre-meeting to plan for the big meeting that will happen this Friday. If the teacher doesn't come to school, the kids don't have class. Substitutes don't really exist. Wednesday (today) school was cancelled after recess. Why? Because there is a meeting to plan Thursday's assembly. This means that the kids had class from 12:30PM-3PM. Tomorrow there is no school because there is an assembly to celebrate Mothers' Day (which is a HUGE deal here). The assembly starts at 9AM. Why can't there still be class from 12:30-5:30? I think the logic is that since the teachers and students are at the school in the morning, they shouldn't have to be there in the afternoon. Friday there is no school because there is a teachers' meeting (like I previously stated, if teachers are there in the morning they will no come in the afternoon). Monday there is no school because it's Mothers' Day and that's a national holiday. So...yeah.

My work is a little frustrating because I feel like the lack of importance put on education hinders me from "making the difference" I thought I would be making. I know that I am affecting change in small ways and bettering people's opinions of the US but...it just wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Sometimes I wish I had more freedom in my English program. I wish I could devote less time in the actual schools and do more teacher trainings and give more community assistance. But, like any job, I have to do what my bosses tell me to. Finding that balance and feeling useful at the same time is sometimes a challenge.

What isn't a challenge? Finding fun things to do on the weekends. If I use my stipend smartly, I can usually save enough to go visit a PCV friend or meet them in a new place. This weekend I'm heading to Somoto Canyon. I went once before with Julie but we couldn't enter the high-walled canyon because it was during the rainy season and they were worried about flash flooding. This could still be an issue but I'm going to give it a go anyways. (Don't worry. If there's a danger they won't let me go in.) This place offers some great hiking, beautiful views, a river to swim in, rock walls to jump off of, etc.

I know sometimes my blog posts might seem a little down, like this one sighting some of the faults in the education system, but it's just what happens to be going through my mind at the point I sit down to write. Nicaragua is a beautiful place and I enjoy living here. I'm learning a lot about what I like and don't like, what I want in a career and what I don't. I'm bettering my Spanish and broadening my outlook on the world and how it works. These are things I like. Next blog will be more positive, don't you worry.

Love and miss you all!