Our First Day

Today we met nearly all 70 students, their parents, and some extended family. They travelled (some for hours) from their small aldeas in the campo to drop off their daughter(s). Some came by bus, others by bike, and still others by foot.

The four of us spent a good part of the morning tracking down the students and making sure that they all had name tags. Later Sister Teresa gave a bit of an introduction to the center and said a few prayers. Then the families said their goodbyes and left their daughters in our hands. Then came the fun part: all of the rules and regulations. This ranged from respecting each other’s things to no makeup or nail polish. The sisters really try to make sure that academics are the students’ main focus.

Each girl will have received a medical evaluation before they start classes. This includes collecting some general information (parents’ names, birthday, etc.) but also what their living conditions are like. The girls reported what their houses were made of, if they had dirt or cement floors, and whether or not they had things like electricity, potable water, or a latrine. As Tori and I went around helping the girls fill out the forms, we noticed that the answers varied. Some had brick houses and cement floors while others didn’t have potable water or electricity. It’s easy to forget the conditions of home life (at least regarding physical comforts) while the girls are at the school. I’ve been getting a lot of flashbacks to my days of recess and lunches in the cafeteria with my friends. Yet instances like filling out this medical evaluation keep me grounded and make sure that I’m in check.

After a few questions about their general health, they got checked for lice-sometimes followed by a chemical shampoo. Tori and I spent the afternoon supervising the students while they tried not to get their clothes wet washing their hair in the shower. Quite a feat if you ask me.

It’s typical for women to have two first names and two last names. For someone like me who can’t remember my own name, it is a challenge to remember 70 of these double names… On top of that, they’re different than what we’re used to. For example, one of the girls is named Blanca Rosa and it seems that they call her Blanca for short.

I’m still really looking forward to getting to know the students (even if it means remembering all of their double names). They seem like a great bunch so far!

Tomorrow starts our first real day of classes. We’ll have our normal schedule so I’ll be starting off with Spanish with the 10^th grade class. Wish me luck!

Community

It’s only been a little over a week and already I can tell that we’re going to be well taken care of and a part of the community here. It’s been humbling to see so many people reach out to us after only knowing us for several days. We’re blessed to be surrounded with loving neighbors- including the dozen kids in the barrio that come and yell for us to come out and play. Norlan lives to the right of us with his wife and two daughters. He’s incredibly patient with us while we learn Spanish and is entirely down to earth. Last week we spent a few nights sitting in a circle in the front yard telling jokes and sharing stories. One of our first nights here he invited us to his yard while his friend and daughters sang and played guitar. He’s so willing to share his life with us and find out about ours. He has a great sense of wisdom about him and I can tell that we’ll be learning a lot from him over the course of our year here. 


Norlan’s oldest daughter, Alexandra, is seven or eight. She’s very bright and quite mature for her age. She looks out for the other kids when we’re playing and is also very patient with our slow Spanish speaking.

Emilio and Sonia live behind us with their son Emilito. They’ve been keeping a close eye on us, making sure that we feel safe in the neighborhood and giving us insights to the life here.  Emilito is the most energetic six year old that I’ve ever met, and I’ve enjoyed playing with him. It’s amazing how children can bring out such joy in our lives.

At mass I appreciate the seriously long period of time dedicated to greeting each other with the sign of peace. The church is a place of community, for the people, and this is strongly felt the moment you walk through the door. It’s a decent sized parish, and yet it seems like everyone knows each other. After only two services I already recognize a good number of faces. 


These are only a few of the people that have touched our lives and with whom we will grow in friendship. Before embarking on this trip I had my worries. I was afraid that as four gringos living in a house by ourselves we would feel the stark separation between our cultures, languages, and backgrounds. Yet something much more profound  has connected us to the surrounding community, in which we will continue to find our place. 

Marie Poussepin Center

It’s been almost a week since I left Stonehill and the foot of snow. So much has happened since then: moving into our incredible home, playing in the street with all the neighborhood kids, attempting to make beans, bike rides around the barrio, and training our dog Ranger to sit.

But for now I’ll just focus on the school. We’re working at the Marie Poussepin Center, named after the founder of the Dominicans of the Presentation. It’s a school for about 70 girls from grades 7-11. Since the country only requires that students complete 6^th grade, this is an opportunity for these girls to continue their education. All come from the surrounding aldeas and stay at the Center throughout the week and return home on weekends. A rigorous interview and application process ensures that the families and the students are dedicated to their education and faith.

Over 40,000 students in the country rely on an educational system through the radio for grades 7-11. They receive workbooks and follow along to learn the sciences, history, math, Spanish, and even English. Since the teacher is essentially the radio, it is very self-directed. It’s the student’s responsibility to make sure that the homework is completed and the material is understood. Some students are visited by tutors once a week who are trained to assist the distance learners.

This is essentially the same system that the sisters have implemented at the Center. There is still a strong reliance on the books which dictate the structure of the trimesters. Yet, there are several tutors which aid in educating in a formalized manner. The students come to class prepared (having read the book and listened to the radio) and the tutor helps with comprehension. We're also there to help provide activities to make sure that the material is understood well. 

When the students come to the school they are at very different levels. Some have been to a public school in their aldea while others may not have had the opportunity. Living in the “city” is very different than the aldeas where there may not be electricity or running water.

This first trimester I’ll be teaching two Spanish classes (grammar and literature) to 10 and 11 grades and a Techniques to Study course to the 7^th graders. I’ll also be holding review sessions for two English classes and two Spanish classes. I just finished some of my lesson plans for the semester and am getting excited. It was pretty overwhelming at first, but I’ll have fun with the material and it will be wonderful to be a part of the students’ learning.

I’m proud to be part of a school that has made so much change. Now many of its graduates continue to an agricultural college with scholarships. And the students seem to develop holistically. They learn about good eating habits, hygiene, staying healthy, faith, and being a contributing citizen. The three words painted on the wall that they chose to describe their school are: responsibility, respect, and honesty. I’m already inspired by the students and I haven’t even met them! And outside of the incredible support that the sisters offer, it is an absolutely beautiful place. It’s pretty quiet now, but in a week and a half, it will be brimming with activity.

Well I meant this to be a short post, but here it is! Hope everything is well back home. I send my love!

Paz, Cassie

And we're off!

Tomorrow is the first mark of my eleven month journey. My parents and I will head to Stonehill for our four day orientation, and then we fly out on Friday. This week Chris, Matt, and I will be learning about creating intentional communities, cultural sensitivity, and lots more. Our program director, Kris, seems to have wonderful things planned for us!

I can finally say that I'm completely...almost completely.. packed and am anxiously waiting to get things rolling. Time at home has flown by as expected, but I was able to do a lot of great things at home. I traveled to Burlington with my parents and to NYC with Kate, attended a Buddhism class with Lucy, celebrated Christina's birthday, and was lucky enough to have lots of loving friends from Stonehill visit for a night.

Saying goodbye is never an easy thing, but I hope to keep everyone updated through this blog and I will have access to email. (fyi: I also will be receiving texts on my us cell!) So be sure to keep in touch, and hopefully I can do the same. : ) To everyone who has supported me thus far- my endless gratitude. You will all be in my thoughts as I go experience Honduras!