The One with Some Happy Days

Greetings!

One week from today I will be taking the GRE. The score from this test is valid for 5 years, so if I decided to go back to graduate school within that time I will be set. I am still about 50/50 on whether or not I want to, I change my mind daily. But, I still have over a year left in Panama, and trust me, I know a lot can change in a year!

Anyway, as I was studying vocab words for the GRE I was remembering how in Middle and High school my English teachers would assign essays in order to learn new vocabulary. So I had the bright idea of writing a Blog Post using my new vocab words =)

I only used a handful of the words, so it should still be fairly easy to read. For any English teachers that may be reading this, I apologize in advance if this is tortuous to read =)

I am sure it will be evident which words are the GRE words but just in case it’s not, I put them in italics.

And for those of you who find this turgid (overcomplicated, boring) or turbid (unclear)…. Just refer to the pictures, they tell the same story.

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Eight months of teaching English….check

Congratulations to the nine graduates of “Meti’s basic English course.” Despite the fact that each person in the community told me numerous times that they wanted to learn how to speak English, these are the only students who were persistent , showing up to every class, and taking each exam. I know that learning another language is an arduous task. So to laud my graduates for sticking with it and showing such great vigor, I presented each one with their own stack of ESL workbooks, courses 1-5 as well as a certificate (Panamanians LOVE certificates) to prove o their peers they are erudite. We also had a raffle with a boxful of various goodies that were donated. And to satisfy their taste buds I found it appropriate to serve the traditional dish of the Untied States of America, which includes a combination (in no particular order) of Grape Jelly, Jiff Peanut Butter and White Wonder Bread. I also perfected my stove top Carmel corn recipe. The five gallons of Carmel Corn that took me two hours to make disappeared in record time. This tells me either they were either extremely voracious or they genuinely relished in the Carmel Corn. And my students were not the only ones to enjoy these tasting treats. The hundreds of ants taking over my kitchen upon my return seemed to find my haphazard sandwich making a blessing.

At the very end of the celebration three of my students publicly and eloquently expressed their gratitude for the time I had taken to teach them. This was an unexpected approbation and one I won’t soon forget.

We have a new Classroom in Buena Esperanza!!!

Even though the old school house is neither squalid nor obsolete, with the continued influx of children, a third classroom was pertinent. And compared to this new classroom, the old school house is very nondescript.

This new classroom is wired! Two ceiling fans, lights all around and outlets in every corner! The only thing missing is the actual energy source…. The government has promised to bring a solar panel, but historically my community tends to be hapless in regards to government agencies delivering on their promises. Still they have a sanguine attitude that this time will be different... we'll see.

The people of Buena Esperanza have become inured to living without electricity… and they recognize that having a safe and secure structure to foster learning is paramount and the amenities of electricity are peripheral.

Play Time and World Cup

Each afternoon,The radio is on... and the toys are out!

The World Cup games have been a great way to bring my community together. While the "usuals" are mostly children, often some of their parents and even grandparents come out to play. Even the pariahs are welcomed with open arms (at least by me). To others, that is an aberration their just not ready for.

So far this play time has been completely extemporaneous and unplanned. It is definitely an anomaly bringing the community together in this sort of social setting because usually people tend to keep to themselves in the afternoon.

We preface each game with a trip to the map (thank you Nick for our new maps!) to identify where each team comes from. This is usually followed by a question and answer session where they ask me how that team traveled to South Africa, how long it took, how much it cost, whether this particular country is poor or rich etc...

In an attempt to inculcate good manners and sharing, “please” and “thank you” are musts, and all games/toys must stay in the community center and never be taken to their home. So far everyone has been compliant.

Most of the kids are a bit ingenuous when it comes to their coloring book skills. But others are more disingenuous in theirs techniques and color choice.

While I find the discordant noise of that South African Vuvuzela extremely annoying.... The kids love it, attempting to make the noise themselves.... So, needless to say, by the 5^th hour of play time, I start to enervate and often attempt to abscond to cook dinner without anyone noticing.

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A big Thank You to the Kaufer Family!!!

This amazingly inspiring Argentinian family travels to impecunious communities with great alacrity to rectify the visual impaired children by purveying glasses!!!

The father and mothers giving spirit was manifest in their four children as well!

They demonstrated such fidelity to the children they treated, and have already committed to return in 2011!

We look forward to your return!

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Minchi it is….

The name was largely chosen out of default, because I took too long to select a name, all the kids just started calling her Minchi (Mi Mi for short), but I like it!

She (yes, it's a she) proves to be a continuous entertainment source for me and my visitors. Mi Mi is extremely robust especially in comparison to the other animals in Buena Esperanza. Early morning she can be found nonchalantly preening herself but by mid day she is often audacious and contentious, especially towards the starving dogs that attempt to steal her food.
Great Company!!!
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Naked Babies

Even though I am not a partisan to the idea of babies running around naked and barefoot (mostly

because of snakes), the reality is they are ineluctable and really just too darn cute not to take pictures of…. Here are some pictures of the regulars.



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There is ever a mundane or prosaic day in Buena Esperanza...
...and Mother Nature continues to deliver vivid sunsets, showing the ineffable beauty of the Oasis that is Dolphin Bay!
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Even though I wish I could expedite my travels.... I will be home in 3 days! I am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, eating Mommas home cooking, drinking some fresh mountain potable water and after nearly a year of the extreme fervor of Panama, I can’t wait to jump in my big blue (jelly fish free) lake!

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Thank you for helping me study for the GRE!!!.... That was a lot harder than I thought it would be...I think I need to study a bit more.

I will be returning back to Buena Esperanza July 17th.

Click below for some more pictures!

May and June Happenings

Paz,

Meti