Success

I can't write much tonight as I have homework still to do.  I just wanted to record a few thoughts from today. First of all, it was a privilege to spend time with the women of HOH. They greeted us warmly and listened respectfully as we taught.  I was impressed by their thoughtful responses to our questions.  What struck me most were their smiles...I know what their lives have been like, the horror they have endured, yet they still smile and laugh.  I saw sparks and spirit in their beautiful eyes.  The woman who only has one arm as a result of her husband's torturous abuse, came up and patted my back to make me feel comfortable.  I am absolutely blown away by their strength and resilience. One woman told us that she only has one year left until she graduates and will be able to have a home of her own. The woman sitting next to her had only been at HOH for 3 months. She couldn't wait to tell us about the approaching graduation of her friend.  The pride was palpable.  What an amazing turn around made possible through the vision of one woman and the commitment of countless others!!  Our lives matter! We can have a significant impact on the lives of others, one life at a time. God is rippling the effect at HOH.  In a country where the problems for women and children seem insurmountable, there is hope.

The teaching part of the day was much easier than I thought it would be.  Although  my Spanish is still in the elementary stage, I used the same strengths I rely on when I teach in English.  I am an actress by nature.  The classroom is my stage.  I had a blast role playing a little girl learning from her mom. Of course, I hammed up the disobedient, distracted part.  The women laughed and smiled as they recognized their children in my actions.  The thing is, we were sharing the language of love.  The native tongue was not all that important.  We were relating as women and moms.  

Though it was not an easy day, I left with a smile on my face and hope in my heart.

Hump Day

Not too much to report today.  I just kind of needed the day to regroup after yesterday.  I got up early and walked to town to take advantage of my free gym pass. It felt good to do something familiar even though the gym was nothing like my gym at home.  Exercise has always been my fall-back to release stress and re-energize.  It did help to start the day. 

Back to the Spanish Scool/Community Center to plan for tomorrow's return trip to HOH. My group will be teaching the resident women how to teach their children to do chores.  It is not so much the specific instructions of a particular chore, but the process. As teachers, we model first, then guide through practice, and finally release our students to do on their own. The "I do, we do, you do" method of teaching.  The women living at HOH were never taught how to keep a home.  They survived on the street, often moving from one temporary place to another.  They did not have role models to follow.  Our job is to break down the teaching into simple steps through role playing.  Those steps include knowing how to give feedback, both positive and constructive.  In addition, we will let them know that the process takes time and practice. If a child doesn't do the chore right, it simply means more modeling and practice may be required.  All of this will be taught in Spanish, of course! Thank goodness we are working in groups!

Others will be teaching the importance teaching chores in the first place. Another group will talk about age appropriateness of specific chores.  The last group will show the women simple chore charts they can use to help motivate their children and stay organized.  Why go through all this?  Well, the director of the program asked us to do this because the women just do not have the backgrounds to take care of homes or to teach their children. She told a story about one woman who left her 4 year old to watch over her house while she was away. When she returned, she realized the house had been robbed. She beat her child for failing to do what she'd asked.  Once again, we take so much for granted in our life experiences.  Seems so basic, but all of this is far from basic.

The afternoon Spanish class is long and intense, four hours every day.  I struggled to stay focused a bit today as the heat and humidity drained my energy.  I will say that I am really enjoying being able to hold significant conversations with our teacher. We have been sharing a lot about our lives and processing our experiences here. I told her a lot about HOH. She shared a story about one of her teaching colleagues at the high school. This young woman (25 yrs old) was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant. Her mother and stepfather kicked her out of the house. When she had the baby, she also turned to prostitution to support herself and the baby.  It is so hard to wrap my head around all of this! Here, she has a professional degree as a teacher, yet she cannot survive.  She could be one of my children.  What a horrific choice so many women are forced to make!  My teacher explained that this situation is very common.  The society is based on men.  They have so much power over women.  She also said that since the war, there are seven women to every one man.  The men commonly have many women and father many children. They do not necessarily take responsibility for their children. My teacher's own father had 12 children by 5 different women! Fortunately, he supported his children although his wife had no knowledge of the other women or children.

Anyway, I am sure tomorrow will bring a whole new set of eye-opening experiences.

#FFTFellow

On a lighter note, here is a photo of the view from my exercise machine at the gym:

Photos speak more than words

Here more images from the day:

#FFTFellow

 

    

House of Hope

How can I even attempt to put into words what I witnessed today?  I'm not sure I can do it justice, but I want to try.

Today was an incredibly hard day.  We arrived at school early and took an hour bus ride back into Managua to spend some time observing at House of Hope.  It is a vocational rehabilitation program for women and their children leaving the world of prostitution and human trafficking.  We spent several hours their observing and touring the property.  My heart is so heavy as I process what I saw.

We began in a pavilion-like building where women in the "Tuesday Morning Program" were gathered for a church service including prayer,praise, and singing. The room was filled with women of all ages who had come by bus from the brothels and streets of the city to participate.  The women are still trapped in the world of debt bonded prostitution, but come once a week to participate. After the service, the women broke into groups to work on items sold in the HOH store including:  jewelry, potato bags, greeting cards, and ornaments.  Money earned from the sales go directly to pay the women who craft the products by hand, in hopes of teaching them marketable skills that will one day allow them to leave the life of slavery and prostitution.

While they were setting up, one of the HOH employees (volunteer) gave us a tour of the residences and shared some of the women's stories.  There are currently 16 women and their 26 children living on the property. All have horrific histories of abuse- first from their families, then by the men using them for sex, then by the Nicaraguan society that views them as nothing more than trash.  She told us about one resident who was abandoned by her parents. The grandmother took her in so that she could pimp her out.  Another woman was working and came home to find that her "husband" ( probably her pimp) had raped their daughter. The daughter ended up pregnant by her father. When the mother tried to stand up to her "husband", he cut off her arm.  When I had seen the woman earlier, I wondered what had happened to her...what accident could have caused her to lose her arm at the shoulder? I also saw cigarette burn scars all over her remaining arm.  How could one human treat another so horribly?  The stories continued with another about a women who worked on the street servicing men in a cardboard box since she didn't have a room.  I cannot even imagine the living hell that made up their day to day lives starting from very young ages. Sixty-six percent of prostitutes begin working by the age of 11years old.  The cycle repeats itself over and over as the girls/women have babies and must come up with money to feed them. With no access to healthcare or stable living situations, they often end up selling their oldest daughters to help feed the family.

Coming from that picture of their histories, I found myself peering at the dark rooms they currently live in as palaces. These rooms they now call home have no furniture-only metal bed frames with no mattresses. They have no running water, no flush toilets, no kitchens with cabinets. They do have a safe, secure space with a roof,a cement floor, and a metal "grill" outside to cook for their children. 

 This is truly a house of hope as they learn that they have value and that they do not have to sell themselves in order to live.  The program helps the women break free from addiction, slavery, and abuse as they rebuild their lives one step at a time. The women are able to learn trades and start their own businesses through the micro grant program.  With $65, they can produce and sell their own goods. They receive medical care, psychological counseling, education, and the means to send their children to school.  They can even rent and eventually own their own homes once they graduate from the residential program.

It is by no means an easy journey from slavery to freedom. Many women do not trust HOH. When they first come, they hoard the supplies for making the items. They don't trust each other so there are many fights. They are in survival mode and must learn that it is possible to live differently, to trust, to allow others to get close to them.  Some come and then return to prostitution.  Some return to HOH again.  The people of HOH are not in the business of giving up. They are committed to sharing God's love and transforming power one life at a time.

Angela, another HOH worker, is a prime example of that transformation. Near the end of our day there, we gathered in the staff house to hear her story. Angela had been abandoned by her parents along with her siblings. She grew up going to school with no shoes, no uniforms, no books, no pencils so that she could listen and learn. The other children at school made fun of her and her siblings because they didn't have the required necessities, but she persisted in order to have a better life. She worked hard and was able to graduate to become a teacher herself. Then she met a man and had her first child. He left them. She met another man and had two more children-three girls and a boy. She explained with great pride that her two girls were both college graduates- one a psychologist and the other a social worker.  Unfortunately, after her third child was born, she could not make enough as a teacher to provide for her children on her own. A friend told her how to make money through prostitution. Thus began her fall into twelve years of sexual trafficking. She didn't want that life, but felt trapped with no means to take care of her children. One day she met April, the founder of HOH, and heard from her about God's love and hope for a better life for her and her children.  With her help, Angela was able to get out and help her children onto a path far from prostitution. She went through the HOH program and now works for them. She has been out of prostitution for 11 years. Now she travels to where HOH has built programs to help break the cycle in Honduras,Guatemala, and Belize.

I could say so much more. The reality of  life here is nothing like my reality. It definitely gave me a new perspective. The next question is: where do I go from here? What do I do with this new knowledge? I am learning a lot more than just Spanish, that is clear.

#FFTFellow

Here are some photos that speak for themselves:

 

    

Noise

It is amazing how quiet sounds. Interesting thought, right?  Well, here there is noise constantly. I was never so aware of the sound of quiet before! This morning at 5:15, I awoke to the sounds of firecrackers. Boom!Boom!Boom! Sounds like engines backfiring.  This happens all day as the Catholic Church nearby is celebrating a festival.  Nobody around here seems to notice much, though. Even their dog, Isi, is stoic to the loud noises. My host mom's baby niece was here on my first day. She never even flinched when the booms sounded and she is only 4 months old!  Last night as I sat watching the neighborhood activity, I was struck again by the many noises in the evening. At one point, a man used a loudspeaker to announce that he was selling fresh eggs and cheese. He drove his truck down the block selling his goods. Horns blare. Bicycle bells chime. Church bells ring. Dogs bark. Music serenades. People call to each other and talk along the way.  As I retreat into my room, the sound of the ceiling fan lulls me to sleep. Despite it all, I am growing accustomed to it and even find comfort in the noise. It is a reminder that this is a bustling place, full of life.

Classes

We spent 4 hours in small groups learning Spanish today. I really like our teacher.  She is very easy to talk to and is a skilled teacher. It was interesting to share our impressions of teaching both here and in the U.S. From the "teacher" perspective, we have a lot in common. Teachers in both countries share frustrations with students' lack of motivation and respect.  I am excited to put into practice what she taught us today. Working hard to push past my comfort zone.  The area where we meet for classes is incredibly beautiful. It is on the top floor of the community center and overlooks the main square.  Feeling like I stepped back in time to a rich,romantic era.

Here are pictures of the view through our window:

Not bad!#FFTFellow

  

Adventure

This morning I got up at 5:15 to join other group members to exercise. We walked to the park on the shore of Lake Nicaragua and ran/walked for a few miles. It is so hot here that you must get up early to survive exercising! Anyway, I enjoyed the experience even though I hadn't slept well because I was so fearful that I'd oversleep.  Then comes the adventure....when I returned to my house at 6:40, I was locked out! Here, all the houses have double locked doors. There is a main door and a barred door for security. I was locked out of both and had no key!! Fortunately, I was able to wait across the street at another group member's house until I spotted my host dad.  Thankfully, everybody has a good sense of humor!  Just another Nicaraguan adventure....still smiling 😬💪

Now the real work begins as I start Spanish classes today and begin the volunteer work tomorrow.  Hasta luego!

#FFTFellow

Laguna de Apoyo

Today began early after my first full night's sleep in several days.  I enjoyed a bowl of fruit for breakfast with my host family and attempted once again to hold an interesting conversation using only Spanish. With each conversation, I feel myself gaining confidence. I am really trying to "sacar el jugo", get the most out of everything.  

And then I was off....I stepped out into the heat of the morning to walk with my host father into the city for my course orientation at the APC Language School.  I wanted to walk there on my own, but he insisted on guiding me for the first day. (For those who know me well, I take pride in my sense of direction.)  Upon arrival at the school, I was struck again by the beauty of  town. The school itself is in a large, historic colonial building across from the expansive town square.  It opens into an indoor courtyard with arches and greenery. Beautiful paintings hang everywhere as it serves as an art school and gallery as well.  How fortunate we are to spend our days learning in such a fine environment!

The group of teachers and medical students gathered for the first time for introductions and tour the city together.  It is a diverse group including elementary, middle, and high school teachers, a principal, nurses, and pharmacy students.  We come from all over the US- Texas, Arizona, Mississippi, California, Illinois, Colorado- all with the common goal to improve our Spanish skills in order to be better practitioners in our various fields.  For all of us, it is a journey outside our comfort zones. Fortunately, we are led by excellent guides who are very well organized and patient with us.

Today's journey included a walking tour of the city with a visit to a Chocolate Museum.  I couldn't help but to think of all my students for whom I'd read "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory". I even took a picture of Willy Wonka in the museum!  After, walking through the sweltering heat, we headed up into the mountain bordering Granada. Swimming in the waters of a lake in a volcanic crater could not have been a better salve to our tired,traveler bodies.  The water was warm, yet refreshing beyond measure! I stayed in for over an hour! I wish you could all be here to soak it in with me.

#FFTFellow

Here are a few photos from the day: 

     

Mi casa en Granada, Nicaragua

I arrived in Grenada today after a long journey. I left the house at 3:35 a.m. And arrived in Nicaragua by 2:00 p.m. Our time.  Surprisingly, I am not too exhausted despite little sleep over the past few days.  It must be the adrenaline kicking in!  I am so excited to finally be here. My host "mom", Sonia, has been so kind. She made me a delicious dinner and spent a long time talking with me. She is very patient as I try to find the words to express what I want to say.  I am thankful to be able to use Google searches at this stage of my learning.

Anyway, I arrived in Managua and took a 45 minute bus ride to Granada. I was struck by the contrasts almost immediately.  The areas around the city of Managua are very poor.  Many people live in shacks with dirt floors.  There is dirty water and garbage in the streets.  However, as we drove further outside of the city, the streets were much cleaner. The city of Granada is lined with beautiful, colorful colonial buildings. The sidewalks are covered with tiles.  There is a large center square with a park. Horse drawn carriages await tourists for rides.  I promise to post pictures when I have another opportunity to walk about.

In the meantime, here are a few of my home for the next two weeks.

  

Though there are many differences, I feel safe, secure, and welcomed here.  I am so, so thankful.

Videos about some of the volunteer work

I finally got the right links to share more details about some of the places where I will be working.  The conditions are shocking by U.S. standards.  It is definitely a world away from Glastonbury where I live.  I hope that we are able to offer some assistance and learn from our hosts.  Take a look.

House of Hope 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxH1bI40kBE

Vision for Granada Christian Education Center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A14JkyLzH_Y

(Backup) One week Countdown to Departure

Now that most of my end of school year paperwork is done, I can breathe and start packing!  I have been cramming Spanish exposure over the past few weeks, hoping to get a jumpstart. Pimsler Spanish 1 is a constant in the car. I have been doing Duolingo lessons,reading an online textbook, and watching Spanish TV.  I also signed up for some private tutoring.  After my first hour and a half tutoring session, I thought "What have I done? What have I gotten myself into? I can barely keep English words in my brain these days, let alone Spanish...".   I turned off the computer and started crying!  I realized just how far I have to go.  

The thing is- I am expected to start teaching groups in Spanish within 3 days of my arrival.  Crazy, huh?!  Anyway, I have calmed down and made an important decision.  I will make the most out of this experience no matter how challenging it may be. I will give my best effort no matter how inadequate I may feel.  I am just going to laugh at myself and rely on my talents with body language and drama.  I know that I will not be alone in this.  I will be with others on the program and have many at home showering me with support and prayers. God is always with me. For that, I am so grateful.

Over the past few days, I have received hundreds of dollars of donations for my GoFundMe campaign to support House of Hope Nicaragua.  I am amazed by the generosity of people near and far.  I have been trying to figure out how to add videos so you can see what I will be doing. Unfortunately, I have run into technical difficulties.  Stay tuned....

Welcome to my adventure!

Hello Followers!

I have an incredible opportunity working as a second grade teacher with students from all over the world.  As a teacher of many new arrivals to this country, I have the opportunity to influence their first impressions. My hope is to motivate them to learn, grow, and to become productive members of our community.   I am privileged to work with many families who have sacrificed greatly to come to the United States seeking a better life for their children. 

 

In order to communicate more effectively with my Hispanic students and families, I will attend the Common Ground International Spanish Immersion Program in Nicaragua and Costa Rica to acquire Spanish language skills and deepen my understanding of Hispanic culture. I will participate in community service projects to develop skills to empower impoverished families through service to others.

I am eager to grow as a professional and bring my new skills to the classroom so that I may better serve all of my students and families.

Please stay tuned to follow my adventures :)

Thank you,

Amy