Thursday, July 21, 2011

Final Days of the Internship

There has been so much happening in these last final weeks that it has been difficult to keep up with the blogging.  All of the new materials in the recreation center have been inventoried and put in their places.  There are lights and electricity, books, games, DVDs, karaoke, and coloring books.  There are chess boards and dominoes, cards, clay, and puzzles.

The director and I spent most of last week incorporating the recreation center into the curriculum schedules. Each class has a designated time when they can go into the recreation room (under the supervision of the teacher) to read and play.

Everyone is really excited about this new space and I am so glad that everything turned out successfully!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

"Nica" Time

The concept of time is one difference between the United States and Nicaraguan cultures that has made the adjustment to life here just that much more interesting.  If I have learned anything so far, it is patience.  Here is a helpful guide to “la hora Nica” for anyone planning on working here in the future:

Nica Word    Meaning in Nicaragua           Actual Meaning
Entre poco    Soon                                  A week, a month…
Un rato        A while                               Sometime that same day
Un ratito      A little while                        Within the next 8 hours
Ahora           Now                                  Within the next 3 hours
Ahorita         Right now                           30 minutes or so
Ya               Right right now                    10 minutes

Another aspect of Nica-time is that it makes it very difficult to estimate the time needed to do certain things.  To me, setting up a meeting with my supervisor is something that should be relatively easy.  Scenario in my head: I go to her office, ask her what time is best for her, and then show up to her office at that time to chat.  What really happens: I go to her office, the door is locked.  I go to the library next door to ask where the director is, the librarian doesn’t know.  I walk to the next class building and find the assistant director; she doesn’t know where the director is either.  I finally ask for directions to the director’s house, go there, and set up a meeting.

Other things, however, that I estimate will take days, happen before I can realize what is going on.  The fact that the recreation room had zero electricity was a detail that I had been worried about since the beginning.  I thought that it would be an expensive project—but obviously necessary.  I used long extension cords from the other class buildings for the first half of the internship, but then realized last week that something needed to be changed.  I asked the director how to go about getting an outlet installed in the room, and she directed me toward Ernesto, the school’s Mr. Fix-it.  I explained to Ernesto that the recreation room needed electricity and he made a phone call to one of his buddies.  Within 10 minutes, two of Ernesto’s friends arrived with all of the supplies.  The removed the ceiling tiles and did some re-wiring and presto!  Lights!  What I thought would take three days and about 100 dollars took only 3 hours start to finish and 11 dollars!  In Nicaragua, I am amazed every day...