So I have officially been south of the Equator for one week, and am starting to get comfortable being here. It seems just as one situation begins to be routine, another new one appears and i have a whole new set of guidelines, jargon, and people to meet. It makes for a truely amazing experience.
Today I met with the the coordinators of "Sonrisas de Esperanza" or "Smiles of Hope" the organization I will be teaching English for, and visited the site where I will be teaching English. I have had a few definitions of what "poor" is, but I gained a new perspective into what it can mean. The only thing I have ever seen that even came close to matching the poverty in the San Juan de Miraflores district of Peru is in Bosnia. But for some reason that pales in comparasion to what I encountered today.
I do not pity the people living in the Cerrobola district because they don't seem to pity themselves and it would seem contrite to do so. The only thing I can do is respect them as one would to any other person, and teach English the best I can.
I start my first class on Tuesday June 3rd, and will teach two 1 1/2 classes for kids ranging from 8-16. I also will be giving classes on basic sanitation to adults and how to properly clean their food and make sure the water they do have is safe to drink. As I have said before, I'm not here to move mountains, just hopefully start a network with caring individuals and have an impact in a few lives that would not have periviously had the opportunity to learn a foreign language.
More to come...
Tomas
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Arrival
WOW!!!
That's about all I can say-The driving here is RIDICULOUS!! If any of you have ever been to Mexico City or Jakarta, I'd compare it to that-
The house I live in is HUGE!! All hardwood and marble floors, my private bathroom and bedroom-plus I have to tech savvy little bros (13, 16) Diego and Luis who just helped me get on to their network.
I still need to shower and maybe rest, but then I will walk around and take some pics of the place and neighborhood...
That's about all I can say-The driving here is RIDICULOUS!! If any of you have ever been to Mexico City or Jakarta, I'd compare it to that-
The house I live in is HUGE!! All hardwood and marble floors, my private bathroom and bedroom-plus I have to tech savvy little bros (13, 16) Diego and Luis who just helped me get on to their network.
I still need to shower and maybe rest, but then I will walk around and take some pics of the place and neighborhood...
Oh The Boredom
Sitting here at MIA-feeling a bit MIA-I think the idea of being gone for a couple of months is beginning to set in. This in and of itself doesn’t bother me all that much, I am just incredible bored of waiting in lines.
Should come as no surprise traveling in an airport, but as I sit and “people watch,” I am a really wishing that I would have traveled with someone else. Traveling by yourself is and can be a bit lonely. Oh woe is meL Ha, I just should’ve picked an itinerary that did NOT include a ten hour layover in Miami. I would really like to pick up smoking again, just to have something to do.
And stupid airports!! Why can’t they give a guy (or gal) some free internet?! Oh, you haven’t nickel and dimed me to death already? Not getting even free peanuts is a bit disgraceful, and a little disheartening. And they should honestly have a separate section for screaming babies, like outside of the plane, or in the cargo area!
I have been able to pass the time reading El Alquimista which is a great book and I would highly recommend to anyone who is traveling alone, because it really touches and relates to the idea of searching…
So I’m not all piss and vinegar, just frustrated after sitting here for so long. I should’ve taken some advice and gone to Little Havana for some Cuban food, but I’m cheap and didn’t want to spend a lot of money. So what do I do? Ate at Chile’s and had a jumbo margarita-some days I just don’t get myself.
Promise the next entry to be much more upbeat, and hopefully with some pictures.
For those that do not know yet, while in Peru I will be teaching English to little tykes, giving self-esteem talks to adolescents (hold all jokes-I’m serious) and giving first-aid classes to adults.
I would really like to thank everyone at the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Store for donating so many books-I have a 45 pound suitcase full of materials and some Ramen noodles (thanks Beefs!). So hopefully I will be able to enrich a couple of lives-and have a little snack here and there.
Thanks to all the well-wishes from everyone-Meant a lot!
Hasta…
Tomás
Should come as no surprise traveling in an airport, but as I sit and “people watch,” I am a really wishing that I would have traveled with someone else. Traveling by yourself is and can be a bit lonely. Oh woe is meL Ha, I just should’ve picked an itinerary that did NOT include a ten hour layover in Miami. I would really like to pick up smoking again, just to have something to do.
And stupid airports!! Why can’t they give a guy (or gal) some free internet?! Oh, you haven’t nickel and dimed me to death already? Not getting even free peanuts is a bit disgraceful, and a little disheartening. And they should honestly have a separate section for screaming babies, like outside of the plane, or in the cargo area!
I have been able to pass the time reading El Alquimista which is a great book and I would highly recommend to anyone who is traveling alone, because it really touches and relates to the idea of searching…
So I’m not all piss and vinegar, just frustrated after sitting here for so long. I should’ve taken some advice and gone to Little Havana for some Cuban food, but I’m cheap and didn’t want to spend a lot of money. So what do I do? Ate at Chile’s and had a jumbo margarita-some days I just don’t get myself.
Promise the next entry to be much more upbeat, and hopefully with some pictures.
For those that do not know yet, while in Peru I will be teaching English to little tykes, giving self-esteem talks to adolescents (hold all jokes-I’m serious) and giving first-aid classes to adults.
I would really like to thank everyone at the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Store for donating so many books-I have a 45 pound suitcase full of materials and some Ramen noodles (thanks Beefs!). So hopefully I will be able to enrich a couple of lives-and have a little snack here and there.
Thanks to all the well-wishes from everyone-Meant a lot!
Hasta…
Tomás
Friday, May 16, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
