Every week you hear about our work down here in Guatemala, but did you know that Manna has three international sites? Though all three sites are driven by the same mission, and run community development programs led by small teams in their respective countries, each site looks very different on the ground. This week we will bring you first person narratives of MPI's work in Ecuador and Nicaragua. So, without further ado, I present this week's blog from Samantha Wyatt of MPI Nicaragua.
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7:30 a.m.: Wake up, sneak out of my room so as not to wake
up my roommate Carrie, and head to the kitchen. There I find Elena, our amazing
cook, finishing up a batch of French toast. We have
a cook Monday through Thursday to allow us to focus on programs during our four
busy days of the week.
9:00 a.m.: Pile into the micro with all nine fellow PDs to
head to La Chureca (Managua's trash dump). The drive to Chureca takes about 20 minutes, and provides
an interesting cross-section of life in Managua. At one main intersection, two familiar
men propel themselves onto the hood of the micro and begin cleaning the
windshield. We keep a stash of cookies in the glove compartment for such
occasions, and these guys always remember us, making sure to shake everyone’s
hand through the windows before the light turns green.
9:45 a.m.: We arrive at the clinic and community center in
La Chureca after a brief but incredibly sweaty walk. On Tuesdays, I help Jesse teach our brand-new kids’ English
class in Chureca’s Esperanza School. Thursdays, however, I still work with
Jenny and Karen, my older, more advanced students. Unfortunately, Karen was
unable to come this morning due to a university soccer game, and Jenny is
nowhere to be found. On the walk to Esperanza we
run into Milton, one of our students. His regular teacher, Matt, is busy, so I offer to work with Milton. Milton is 17 years old and
recently moved out of Chureca, but returns to the dump to hang out with friends
because he feels that people outside are
too fresa (pretentious). Milton
knows everyone in Chureca, and offers to help me find Jenny’s house to check in
and schedule our next class.
10:10 a.m.: Milton and I find Jenny’s house, and, in lieu of
ringing a non-existent doorbell, we peer over the fence (constructed with black
trash bags). We see Jenny’s head peeping out of a structure on the other side,
and realize that she’s in the shower. While rinsing shampoo out of her hair,
she tells us with a smile that she’ll be ready to meet next Tuesday.
11:00 a.m.: I conclude a short but productive lesson on the
past simple tense with Milton. After finishing our discussion on Lil Wayne vs.
Eminem and giving him a homework assignment, I meet up with the other PDs (who
have been walking around talking to moms in our Child Sponsorship Program) and
we make our way back to the micro.
12:30 p.m.: Arrive at El Farito, the community center where
we work in the local community of Cedro Galan. Thirty kids promptly spill
through the gates and line up to wash their hands before sitting down to
collectively scream/sing their prayers and eat (“GRACIASSSSS SEÑOOOOOOOR POOOOR
TU AMOOOOOR!!!”). I have a great talk with Armando and Gerald as they inhale
their arroz con pollo.
1:15 p.m.: To incentivize and reward kids for helping with
Comedor cleanup, every two weeks we put on a venta in which helpers who have earned “dolares” can
purchase items ranging from silly bands to crayons or—for the big spenders—a
Frisbee. The venta runs smoothly
this afternoon, without any tears or drama!
1:30 p.m.: Today, I stick around for Fiona and Christin’s
Kids English class. I sit at the back table with Agdiel, a 16-year-old with a
severe mental disability. Agdiel is great today, super quiet and well behaved.
We draw squiggles and participate when Fiona shouts call-and-response questions
(“IS HE ON THE BUS?!” “YES HE IS!”)
2:30 p.m.: On the way back to the house, I pass by Jorge,
one of the students in our Kids English class at Salero. Even though he’s with
his cool friends, Jorge still waves to me! Yes!
3:15 p.m: Get home and help Carrie and Anna to prep for the
women’s exercise pool party. Today all of the regular attendees of women’s
exercise are coming to the house for a pool workout!
4:15 p.m.: After taking some amazing photos of everyone
bouncing around the pool, Maggie and I watch Peter Pan and play Frisbee with
Henry, Junior, and Jose, three boys who have tagged along with their moms.
5:30 p.m.: Time for Adult Beginner’s English! Fiona reviews
object pronouns, and we do a worksheet in class to practice. We have a big
class today, and everyone is a little more chatty than normal, but also excited
to participate. We’ve recently decided to incorporate more listening
activities, so we end class by asking students to fill in the missing lyrics of
a Taylor Swift song. Unfortunately Love Story is way to difficult for our
class, but everyone remains enthusiastic, especially after seeing Fiona and I
sing along.
6:45 p.m.: Get home, eat a quick dinner, and get ready for
Anna and Maggie’s Advanced English class. I don’t teach advanced, but enjoy
going, as it tends to be very social and conversation-based. A lot of our close
friends in the community go, and it’s invariably a good time.
8:30 p.m.: Get home from advanced, do some dishes with
Fiona, and relax. Friday’s a light day—our only programs are computer class and
girls’ soccer—so there’s nothing to prepare for!
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If you'd like to keep up with Samantha and MPI Nicaragua's work, you can follow their blog. We'll hear from MPI Ecuador later this week! Thanks for reading!
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