Lights Out

I apologize in advance for random information thrown here and there. I give up on trying to organize my thoughts. It takes too long to edit and given that I’ll never be satisfied with what I do (I’m a perfectionist) and that I usually go off on tangents anyway, why bother?

So, I’m taking a break right now from my English lesson planning because it’s making my head hurt. The thing is that as I plan what I want to teach, new words and rules pop into the picture and before I know it, I’ve included WAY too much information to teach in one lesson. It’s definitely a learning experience, this whole teaching business, especially since I’m creating my own lesson plans (with the help of several teaching manuals, of course). And teaching adults is a whole other process in which I have been training myself (I highly recommend Peter Renner´s The Art of Teaching Adults). So sometimes I feel myself getting overwhelmed with this and everything else going on as a volunteer. A month ago I was begging to be busy, almost like I felt after a long summer vacation during college, and now I find myself stressed sometimes and longing for peace of mind. I’ve even stopped watching the two soaps that were part of my quality time with Doña Susana (my host mom). I’d like to mention that these novelas are original and hilarious, not Univision junk. Then again, they do take up two hours of my evening but even the great book I’ve been reading has been sitting on my shelf and I glance at it often wondering when I can continue with it without feeling like I should be doing something else. Ok, so what am I so busy with? (I’m laughing at myself right now because I really wanted to fix that last sentence. I will try to ignore the grammar rules that were so heavily engrained by an unforgettable high school English teacher…in case you’re wondering: ending a sentence with a preposition is a no-no). Anyway, so I’ve committed myself to helping several people and projects that are now either taking up most of my time or making me feel guilty because I haven’t dedicated as much time as I promised I would. As a CED Volunteer, we have three main objectives: supporting micro entrepreneurs, teaching English and computer skills, and working with youth in business and life skills development. In the beginning, I really did NOT want to teach English. My reasoning was pretty selfish since I didn’t think I would be gaining much from it as opposed to working in business-related projects. But now my first real project is teaching practical English for people working in tourism (I’m all about practicality). And so far, it’s been a rather enjoyable and enriching experience. I’ve never taught adults, much less English. Thankfully, a World Teach volunteer is helping me facilitate the class. Before I steer away from the title of this blog, I chose it as a reason to finally write a new blog (I know it’s been a while). Last night, an hour into the class, the lights went out. Four out of twenty people had flashlights, and I was ready to call it a night thinking few people wanted to continue. To my surprise, and Kevin’s assurance, the class adjusted their seats to share the flashlights and continue correcting their homework. Someone went out to buy some candles, and we managed to cover nouns, articles and continue practicing the use of the verb ‘to be’ until the end of class. Despite the long hours of preparation (probably more than needed but nonetheless), the satisfaction I get with a successful class is worth it. I just need to try not to teach too many things at once. It doesn’t help that I have several teaching manuals from which to choose. I just want to make sure I don’t miss anything important. Even when I go shopping or out to eat, I have to walk through every aisle and read everything on the menu before I leave or make a decision. That’s if I do (85% of the time I ask for recommendations). Sorry…

On another note, I’m coordinator for a group that is supposed to analyze markets relevant to the solid waste management initiative that will affect all communities within the municipality. This is supposed to be a community-driven project but there is some skepticism about its potential, at least from my group members. I’m really happy to have met Ramiro, who created his own recycling center in his backyard. Unfortunately, he has received more problems than support from local officials. For the past four years, he’s dedicated himself to recycling, waking up early every morning to collect everything from plastics, metals, glass, and paper. He recently received intensive training in Guatemala, is a member of a nation-wide recycling network, and was named Protector of the Environment by PINDECO, a large pineapple-producing company in Costa Rica. Ironically, pineapples are horrible for the soil. Anyway, this man makes a living by selling these items to various buyers, and he knows what its worth. I admire his perseverance and my goal is to invite him to my community to educate and inspire others to take up this practice, if only to protect the environment. Residual water is another issue in my community but I would need to find experts and appropriate information as I am not familiar with this topic. My dilemma at the moment is finding the time to meet with my group and complete a diagnostic study of how the future action plan should incorporate and support micro entrepreneurs like Ramiro. The municipal building is an hour and a half from my community, and there’s one study that I need to read and share with my group before we present our information at the end of the month.

My third realized effort is working with a group of artisan women that wish to regroup after years of separation due to some disgusto (quarrel, I guess). The other two groups in my community are fairly organized, so I’ve decided to focus on the former as I feel I can be more useful to them. My group has the luxury of owning their own building and machinery that were donated to them in the past. It has been closed and sitting in the dust until now. Yesterday afternoon, I facilitated the first half of a very important meeting. My objectives: Explore and analyze motivation, leadership, and the qualities of a successful entrepreneur. An ambitious plan but the information was well received and understood. As I was taking down the newsprint with the objectives written on it, a woman asked if I could leave it up so they could have and see it alongside the ground rules and the list of a successful entrepreneur’s behaviors that I had printed for them to see. I stayed for a while after, and it was nice to hear a few of them refer to the suggestions offered during my presentation. Of course, I couldn’t have done this without a Peace Corps resource manual and careful preparation. Next meeting: creating an action plan. Apart from these commitments, I am finding the time to learn how to make masks and play the guitar. At least I’m not bored. And nothing has me happier than knowing that my dad is visiting in three weeks. Life is good. I just need to take a deep breath and take things one at a time.