Settling in

So it’s been a few days in Cisco and I have to say life is pretty wonderful. After spending Sunday settling in, unpacking, visiting nearby family, and hanging out with my own, I spent the next four days working in some form. Monday morning, after a good run/shower/breakfast, I headed over to the centro basico with one of my cousins, we’ll call her Ses. For some reason, I’ve found myself drawn to her over the last few days. I had a nagging feeling she reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t figure it out. Then I just figured it was because she was always so happy and smiley and seemed interested in me. She liked talking to me and was patient and generally happier than the normal thirteen-year-old girl in the states who has everything (looking at you, Kaitlin!). But then, just today, I figured it out! Ses totally reminds me of Coach Toni’s daughter, Samantha. She has the same nervous mannerisms, shy but inviting smile, and unique way of talking about almost everything positively. I think she kind of looks like her too, although this could just be my mind playing tricks. But yes, Sam, you have a Honduran alter ego (can’t really say twin) over here in Ocotepeque. It’s comforting. And I think no matter how old you get (I absolutely cannot believe you’re in college right now), you’ll always partially be a sixth grader to me.

Sorry about that tangent. Anyways, I walked to the centro with Ses and her other friends and we chatted about school. I found out the uniform is mandatory for the kids in seventh-ninth grades but optional for the rest. I learned about how there are four teachers for those three upper grades, so they specialize in subjects. They told me all about the things I’d see that week, since it was a holiday. It was a fun talk during the rough hike to the school. The school is probably only about a quarter mile away, but you go down a HUGE, steep hill (way worse on the way back, of course), over a small bridge over a river, up a small hill, cut through behind the library up a bigger hill, and then make your way on a road to the actual school, which is a bit back from the street. I’ll take a picture one day of my commute; though my legs ache after it, it’s certainly more invigorating than sitting in a car (though a part of me does occasionally miss driving). We arrived a few minutes before eight, the school’s official start time.

Of course, nothing really ever starts on time here, let alone on this holiday week. But eventually the kids assembled and went through some very patriotic motions before the day really began. Of course, Profe introduced me to everyone, listing my degrees and obliging me to give a quick welcome speech. From then on, I stuck with Profe as he showed me around the school, introduced me to the teachers, and we talked about ideas. It was fun and interesting. He also showed me the computer room and talked about future plans for the school. It was a good morning and we decided I’d start by just observing classroom by classroom for a full day to get the full idea of how things go. I like this idea very much.

Tuesday and Wednesday were cultural days for me, working at getting to know the community in general. Tuesday was the carerra de cinta, a weird competition/cultural/fund-raising/community thing. Basically, men in the community paid a certain amount for the privilege of riding their horses in front of a crowd, using a small pen-like dagger thing to try to snag a number off a hook that was suspended at arm’s length while the horse ran. I’ve reread that sentence and it’s really the best I can do. Each number attached to the hook corresponds with one of the princesses of the day, which are young girls dressed nicely who present the cowboy with a small prize. The whole thing was interesting for like ten minutes and then was boring and repetitive as the cowboys missed time after time. With eighteen cowboys, it took forever. Plus, I had been there a full hour before it started to meet people and observe at the time Profe told me. When I left at like one (I was hungry!), they were still missing several cowboys who just kept going. But it was good for me to meet more members of the community, bond with the teachers, AND I got to ride a horse for a little. Everyone insisted I try and I’m glad I did because it was fun.

That afternoon, I spent some time in the health center. I took some pictures and got to know the two nurses, who were very helpful and seemed interested in having me help at my own pace, with my own strengths. I’m really excited to start working with the parents of kids with special needs, who want to start their own therapy group (I’d like to help with this as well as form a general parent’s group). I’m less excited for some of the pregnancy-related initiatives they want me to help implement, but I think it will be good to learn about this sort of thing. They were also extremely understanding about me not having that much direct health-related experience, so that was really reassuring. They want me to work slowly as I learn and concentrate on what I’m comfortable with. I think the two of them will be great counterparts.

On Wednesday, it was Independence Day in Honduras! Everything was closed and the big part of the celebration in Cisco was the parade through town. Alongside a million kids (probably about 200?), lots of teachers and parents, and whomever else happened to follow along, I marched in the Cisco parade. It was cute and, while lot and exhausting, allowed me to learn a bit more of my way around town and say hello to lots of different people. It seems like almost everyone in town has at least heard of me and I’m starting to get shouts of “Alexandra!” everywhere I go…I’m still getting used to it, but I definitely like it. The parade had drummers, flag holders (including Ses), cheerleaders, dancers, cowboys/military men, and little tiny kindergartens dressed up basically like Halloween. Overall, it was really cute and I’m excited to eventually post those pictures.

After the parade, a lot of people gathered back at the school to have “civic acts,” which were very interesting. Besides the more usual stuff with the anthem, the flag, and a prayer, there were also several questionable dance routines done by students, a really bizarre play that I couldn’t follow at all, and some boring speeches. Of course, Profe again introduced me with all my degrees, but at least this time I didn’t have to say anything. I had strategically sat in the back. After all the official stuff was over, there was a charity dance thing that I sat in on for awhile. People paid to get into a classroom that had been converted into a dance hall. I only stayed to watch the first two couples start dancing, which I think were entirely made up of ninth grade students. It was extremely interesting to watch them dance. All four had great, natural rhythm, and moved in a way that made you want to watch them. It also made me feel just a tiny bit creepy. They seemed to have no problem dancing in front of their teachers and principals, though…they weren’t overly suggestive or anything, but I would have thought they would have felt more awkward. Even more surprising was that if anyone was awkward, it was the girls. They would giggle with their friends but still could move well. The boys were completely at ease and even a bit better at dancing than the girls. Very different from how I remember sixth and seventh grade dances, and from how I imagine they must still go today. I guess these kids were older, but I never went to any dances or proms after that, so I don’t really know how it compares.

Thursday was my first day officially observing. It was a very mixed experience. I started with the first grade, which has two classes, and randomly picked one. The teacher was very supportive and open to the idea, but only seven of her 23 students showed up that day. She said it was a combination of it being a holiday week, and that there was flu going around, and that there were usually 20-21 kids there on a given day. I guess we’ll see how the other days go. But it was fun to watch her interact with the seven kids who did come, including one with special needs that I was really interested in. She seems like a genuinely good, caring teacher and I was pleased to see my Spanish level does exceed that of the average first grader.

The first half of the morning went very well, but then the rest was sort of a mess. The kids went to computers after the first recess, which really just seemed time for them to randomly play things they didn’t understand. They stayed in computers for a while and then went to another recess early, and this recess lasted for the rest of the school day. The teachers were in a meeting that no one had told me about and that was simply it for the rest of the school day, until everyone convened for the last ten minutes of more patriotic activities. It wasn’t a total waste for me, as I did get to have some good long talks with some of the more social students, mostly fourth graders who liked to stand around me and grin and take forever to work up enough nerve to answer my questions. Hopefully they’ll come around with time. I already have a few favorites, and a few who clearly really adore me, and that’s very sweet. I’ve even received a few gifts, including a heart-shaped leaf, a poem about friendship copied by an older sibling, and a decorated empty envelope. It makes me feel loved! They’re all hanging in my room now.

Also on Thursday, I had my first English/Spanish lesson with my uncle, the Pastor. He has been learning English and is extremely interested in it. He’s entirely self-taught, primarily using books and an extremely bad computer program. I asked him if he would want to spend about two hours a week working on each other’s second language. I really just need someone to correct my errors, while he needs whatever he can get but the most help with pronunciation. It was an interesting session. It was fun but hard to work on his English. There are so many exceptions with every rule and so many different parts of pronunciation that are nearly impossible for a non-native speaker. But I tried the best I could and I think he enjoyed it. As for the Spanish part, he mostly just helped with my pronunciation and a few cultural things I didn’t understand before. He’s certainly not a Spanish teacher, as I learned when I tried to ask him whether I should use preterit or imperfect tense in a certain sentence. So the sessions will mostly focus on pronunciation and little, nitpicky things for me…which is completely fine.

Overall, it was a good start to my first real week as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I feel like I’ve gotten to know two of my three main counterparts (I will have to be better about visiting the library next week, as long as the library is better about being open). I’ve really bonded with some of the kids I’ve met, including some family members. I feel like the community in general knows who I am and has some idea of what I’m here to do. It was a nice, relaxing way to begin service while still feeling I was accomplishing things, so yay for that!