Flying: surreal. It seems like it really should take longer than 4 hrs to completely change lives.
Weather: Cold! My body's more or less used to 90-degree heat by now, and this 45ish stuff was a surprise.
People: Evelin, Sulmi, Kristel, Angelica, & Nancy took me to the airport and saw me off. It was especially hard to say goodbye to the girls. And good to have them there.
Intersections: The desk agent at the airport saw me signing, and when I got up to the counter signed, "Are you Deaf?" I was definitely surprised. "No, I'm hearing, but you sign?" Turns out she's Elton's sister! (Elton is an 18yo Deaf man we know in Orange Walk). Then on the plane I sat next to a woman who's father is Deaf and mother's an interpreter for Sorenson.
Size: Everything really is bigger in Texas. Bigger, and just more. There is just so much of everything. It was a little overwhelming, even though I knew what to expect. But it was good to see my cousins again and to eat a hearty Italian meal:)
Communication & Disorientation: I left my cell phone in the front seat of my cousin's Hummer when he dropped me off at the airport. Grr. Then I kept forgetting where exactly I was and where exactly I was going, with so many destinations and plans swimming thru my head for the next week. I stared at the baggage claim monitor at O'Hare for a good two minutes trying to figure out why "Chicago" was not appearing under the "Arrivals" list, before I realized I was *in* Chicago and arriving *from* Dallas.
Reunion: Andy and Emily picked me up, despite a relay of communication in order to get in touch w/ them w/o the use of my cell phone. Then we went to his house, ate yummy chilli and sheet cake, played with the dogs, caught up and headed back to Goshen. I was beside myself for the last 20minutes of the ride--- Goshen really has been good to me and it's good to be back. Then we had a house meal at La Barna w/ Anika & Veloris, I bundled up in more clothes, caught up some, and started my homework:P. Feels good to be home, briefly, before finding my next one.
Off to a good start, gotta keep runnin
Monday, May 12, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The next craziest week
I don't know how it's all gonna happen, but here's where to find me from now until May 19::
Saturday (hoy!): Say my final goodbyes (for now) to Belize. Fly to Dallas. Spend the night with my cousins-in-law
Sun. morning: Fly to Chicago. Catch a ride back to Goshen with Andy and co.
Sun-Thurs: Pack up my life in Goshen, meet with profs, take final exams with the ASL dept, tie up any loose ends with the college, pack my car, **see people**
Fri dawn: Drive to O'hare, fly to Kansas City. Catch a ride back to Hutch with Adam (and his dad), who's flying in the day before from Guatemala. Hang out w/ the fam.
Sat morning: Go to Ann Marie's graduation. Woot!
Sat. afternoon: Drive back to KC. Fly to Chicago. Grab my car. Drive to DC.
Sunday: Drive to DC. Move in with Dominique and co.
Monday: Start work w/ the Entry Level Interpreting Program at Birnbaum Interpreting Services
Heaven help me....
Saturday (hoy!): Say my final goodbyes (for now) to Belize. Fly to Dallas. Spend the night with my cousins-in-law
Sun. morning: Fly to Chicago. Catch a ride back to Goshen with Andy and co.
Sun-Thurs: Pack up my life in Goshen, meet with profs, take final exams with the ASL dept, tie up any loose ends with the college, pack my car, **see people**
Fri dawn: Drive to O'hare, fly to Kansas City. Catch a ride back to Hutch with Adam (and his dad), who's flying in the day before from Guatemala. Hang out w/ the fam.
Sat morning: Go to Ann Marie's graduation. Woot!
Sat. afternoon: Drive back to KC. Fly to Chicago. Grab my car. Drive to DC.
Sunday: Drive to DC. Move in with Dominique and co.
Monday: Start work w/ the Entry Level Interpreting Program at Birnbaum Interpreting Services
Heaven help me....
Friday, May 9, 2008
Lasts
Pues,
It was a good last week. I was having doubts about whether or not I had been any more effective by staying 16 weeks instead of 10, so I made a list of things that have happened in the last 6 wks, and was pleasantly surprised. I felt affirmed in having stayed, despite some of the challenges that came along w/ it too. Maybe I'll try to post it at some point.
Saturday, Elodia and Rubia took me to Chunox, a pretty pueblo in the North where we had to take a hand-cranked ferry across the river. We met a sweet, sociable Deaf boy. He lives so far north on rutted roads that it would be unlikely he could come to Mary Hill for school, but the mom did take him to visit Nancy's class after we talked with her b/c they were going to be in Orange Walk for a Dr.s appt anyway.
In any case, I got to have good goodbyes w/ my schools this wk. We played the "Elephant Game" at San Narcisco and all the kids brought me snacks to share for a goodbye party. I talked to Mitchel and Laisha's principal about coming to the Wednesday afternoon Deaf class at Mary Hill, then talked their mom into sending both the kids, along with their hearing sister who I've been teaching to sign and their Deaf sister who rarely leaves home now cuz she has a 4mo old baby girl. Mitchel came in the morning w/ the principal for Sp. Olympics practice, then the sisters came in the afternoon for the Deaf class/Signing workshop. He and Christopher played all morning and I had no desire to corral them into participating in the official activities;).
The workshop in the afternoon was really fun. I enjoyed chatting with the Deaf teacher, Mr. McCool (perfect name, eh?) and I borrowed a cool math strategy from Nancy to teach to the teachers who came along w/ their Deaf students. I had a lil burst of pride too when Mitchel, who tends to be shy, jumped up and rattled off the alphabet when Mr. McCool started to teach it to the new students.
Yesterday I said goodbye to the Mary Hill kids, and gave them each a DVD I made of their work (yay for iDvd on my Mac. I recorded all "my" students signing a book, which they loved-- "I'm on TV!") The woman who makes lunch for the teachers made flour tortillas for me b/c she knows they're my favorite, and I had some nice moments with Miss Lupita and Miss Sheba (her teaching assistant). I tried to set them up with a webcam as a going away present, but the logistics did not work in my favor. They will get the camera but the programs I wanted to set up so they could use it more easily w/ the kids will have to be left to someone else to do, so I hope they have time for it. Elodia's talking about doing a masters in Sp. Ed in North Florida next year, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I say goodbye to her and Rubia tonite, after Girl's Night, the last of the local goodbyes. All Nancy's students signed a gift for me today and hugged me goodbye in the afternoon. Nancy took me out to lunch for a debriefing on the internship as well.
Overall, it's been a good closing week. I still have things to run around and finish before I leave, but at least I'll get to spend some quality time w/ the girls before I leave tomorrow. Sulmi & Evelin are staying the night tonite instead of going home for the wkend, and they'll come with Nancy to drop me off at the airport tomorrow, along with Kristel.
Be seeing you all soon. Much love!
It was a good last week. I was having doubts about whether or not I had been any more effective by staying 16 weeks instead of 10, so I made a list of things that have happened in the last 6 wks, and was pleasantly surprised. I felt affirmed in having stayed, despite some of the challenges that came along w/ it too. Maybe I'll try to post it at some point.
Saturday, Elodia and Rubia took me to Chunox, a pretty pueblo in the North where we had to take a hand-cranked ferry across the river. We met a sweet, sociable Deaf boy. He lives so far north on rutted roads that it would be unlikely he could come to Mary Hill for school, but the mom did take him to visit Nancy's class after we talked with her b/c they were going to be in Orange Walk for a Dr.s appt anyway.
In any case, I got to have good goodbyes w/ my schools this wk. We played the "Elephant Game" at San Narcisco and all the kids brought me snacks to share for a goodbye party. I talked to Mitchel and Laisha's principal about coming to the Wednesday afternoon Deaf class at Mary Hill, then talked their mom into sending both the kids, along with their hearing sister who I've been teaching to sign and their Deaf sister who rarely leaves home now cuz she has a 4mo old baby girl. Mitchel came in the morning w/ the principal for Sp. Olympics practice, then the sisters came in the afternoon for the Deaf class/Signing workshop. He and Christopher played all morning and I had no desire to corral them into participating in the official activities;).
The workshop in the afternoon was really fun. I enjoyed chatting with the Deaf teacher, Mr. McCool (perfect name, eh?) and I borrowed a cool math strategy from Nancy to teach to the teachers who came along w/ their Deaf students. I had a lil burst of pride too when Mitchel, who tends to be shy, jumped up and rattled off the alphabet when Mr. McCool started to teach it to the new students.
Yesterday I said goodbye to the Mary Hill kids, and gave them each a DVD I made of their work (yay for iDvd on my Mac. I recorded all "my" students signing a book, which they loved-- "I'm on TV!") The woman who makes lunch for the teachers made flour tortillas for me b/c she knows they're my favorite, and I had some nice moments with Miss Lupita and Miss Sheba (her teaching assistant). I tried to set them up with a webcam as a going away present, but the logistics did not work in my favor. They will get the camera but the programs I wanted to set up so they could use it more easily w/ the kids will have to be left to someone else to do, so I hope they have time for it. Elodia's talking about doing a masters in Sp. Ed in North Florida next year, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I say goodbye to her and Rubia tonite, after Girl's Night, the last of the local goodbyes. All Nancy's students signed a gift for me today and hugged me goodbye in the afternoon. Nancy took me out to lunch for a debriefing on the internship as well.
Overall, it's been a good closing week. I still have things to run around and finish before I leave, but at least I'll get to spend some quality time w/ the girls before I leave tomorrow. Sulmi & Evelin are staying the night tonite instead of going home for the wkend, and they'll come with Nancy to drop me off at the airport tomorrow, along with Kristel.
Be seeing you all soon. Much love!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Winding up before winding down....
**Main events in bold for the benefit of scanners:)**
The title here is what we always say about Sulmi around her bedtime, but it's true of my last couple wks here as well.
Last wk we took a field trip to the zoo w/ Lupita's class (Christopher), and they invited Mitchel and Laisha along too. So much fun! It was April the Tapir's (Belize's national animal) 25th birthday and the zoo had a party for her. "My" students made fast friends which great to see. Mitchel was beside himself w/ excitement over all the animals. I loved spending the day w/ them.
Evelin is adjusting great! We were worried when she got seriously homesick the first wk, but since then she's been fine. Her language skills have literally exploded; Nancy and I are asking ourselves if she always knew this much and we just missed it or if she's an incredibely fast learner. Probably some of both. We knew she was smart and not being met at her potential in her previous environment, but we're now realizing just how smart she really is. I'm so grateful to see her in a learning environment where she can really thrive.
Last wkend I went to Chetumal, Mexico again w/ Elodia. Got my visa renewed, ate a nice lunch at the beach, and checked out the Maya museum. I was stunned by the differences in consumer culture when you cross the border into Chetumal: so convenient, so tempting, so overwhelming. I enjoyed seeing a little bit more of the town tho and feeling like I can say I've been to Mexico with just slightly more credibility (it still seems strange to me to think of having "been to" a whole country after only getting to see a little piece of it.)
Last Friday for Girl's Night there were no hearing siblings in attendance and the sweet mischevious 2yo daughter of one of the women slept through the whole thing. It was a nice change of pace and, while I really like interpreting Girl's Night, it was a good change of pace to feel like more of a participant.
Ah! How could I forget-- I went to Belize City this week and visited the Deaf school; so much fun! I knew several of the kids from a past field trip, so I got to chat w/ them, interview one of the teachers, and get a better idea for what life is like for Stella Maris Deaf Academy students. And then on Wednesday, the long-planned, often-delayed workshop for all of Corozal's Deaf students materialized in Mary Hill! We only had 4 students, and for some reason Mitchel & Laisha's teacher didn't bring them as planned, but the teachers from Stella Maris came and said they plan to keep coming. Ryan, a 6yo from Paraiso came w/ his tutor and got over his extreme shyness by the end, playing happily with Christopher. I'm hopeful that Mitchel and Laisha will come next wk, my last week here!
Yesterday we had the day off and Nancy thought to take the girls to a new pool w/ a water slide. We had a grand time splashing, learning to swim (Sulmi was bravely venturing into the deep end by the end of the afternoon), sliding, and using the underwater camera I intended for snorkeling but never got to use. Today Nancy's class took a field trip to Mary Hill, intending to get the Deaf kids together, but all of my other students were sick or absent today! Very unfortunate, but the kids had a good time anyway I think, and Lupita got to talk to Elodia (who came with) about the possibility of teaching for at least a term in Stella Maris next year to learn about Deaf Ed.
Pues, the "last time" series of events has begun, and I will much miss the people I have met here. To close out the semester, I'm making DVDs of the kids signing things they've learned this semester, so that's my big project of the week. I feel like I have learned more here than I can presently articulate; I've been in so many environments here that I had no or very little previous experience with that every day was an excercise in asombro (Spanish for amazement/eye-opening/awe). I feel like I've been marinated in a new perspective and it's going to take me a little while to distill the concrete lessons from it all, beyond the generalized feeling that I really had no idea what I was "getting myself into" when I got here, but that my many frustrations about my own limitations as well as the little joys of small triumphs and great joys of some new relationships have amounted to invaluable learning.
God bless anyone who is still reading:).
Can't wait to see you.
The title here is what we always say about Sulmi around her bedtime, but it's true of my last couple wks here as well.
Last wk we took a field trip to the zoo w/ Lupita's class (Christopher), and they invited Mitchel and Laisha along too. So much fun! It was April the Tapir's (Belize's national animal) 25th birthday and the zoo had a party for her. "My" students made fast friends which great to see. Mitchel was beside himself w/ excitement over all the animals. I loved spending the day w/ them.
Evelin is adjusting great! We were worried when she got seriously homesick the first wk, but since then she's been fine. Her language skills have literally exploded; Nancy and I are asking ourselves if she always knew this much and we just missed it or if she's an incredibely fast learner. Probably some of both. We knew she was smart and not being met at her potential in her previous environment, but we're now realizing just how smart she really is. I'm so grateful to see her in a learning environment where she can really thrive.
Last wkend I went to Chetumal, Mexico again w/ Elodia. Got my visa renewed, ate a nice lunch at the beach, and checked out the Maya museum. I was stunned by the differences in consumer culture when you cross the border into Chetumal: so convenient, so tempting, so overwhelming. I enjoyed seeing a little bit more of the town tho and feeling like I can say I've been to Mexico with just slightly more credibility (it still seems strange to me to think of having "been to" a whole country after only getting to see a little piece of it.)
Last Friday for Girl's Night there were no hearing siblings in attendance and the sweet mischevious 2yo daughter of one of the women slept through the whole thing. It was a nice change of pace and, while I really like interpreting Girl's Night, it was a good change of pace to feel like more of a participant.
Ah! How could I forget-- I went to Belize City this week and visited the Deaf school; so much fun! I knew several of the kids from a past field trip, so I got to chat w/ them, interview one of the teachers, and get a better idea for what life is like for Stella Maris Deaf Academy students. And then on Wednesday, the long-planned, often-delayed workshop for all of Corozal's Deaf students materialized in Mary Hill! We only had 4 students, and for some reason Mitchel & Laisha's teacher didn't bring them as planned, but the teachers from Stella Maris came and said they plan to keep coming. Ryan, a 6yo from Paraiso came w/ his tutor and got over his extreme shyness by the end, playing happily with Christopher. I'm hopeful that Mitchel and Laisha will come next wk, my last week here!
Yesterday we had the day off and Nancy thought to take the girls to a new pool w/ a water slide. We had a grand time splashing, learning to swim (Sulmi was bravely venturing into the deep end by the end of the afternoon), sliding, and using the underwater camera I intended for snorkeling but never got to use. Today Nancy's class took a field trip to Mary Hill, intending to get the Deaf kids together, but all of my other students were sick or absent today! Very unfortunate, but the kids had a good time anyway I think, and Lupita got to talk to Elodia (who came with) about the possibility of teaching for at least a term in Stella Maris next year to learn about Deaf Ed.
Pues, the "last time" series of events has begun, and I will much miss the people I have met here. To close out the semester, I'm making DVDs of the kids signing things they've learned this semester, so that's my big project of the week. I feel like I have learned more here than I can presently articulate; I've been in so many environments here that I had no or very little previous experience with that every day was an excercise in asombro (Spanish for amazement/eye-opening/awe). I feel like I've been marinated in a new perspective and it's going to take me a little while to distill the concrete lessons from it all, beyond the generalized feeling that I really had no idea what I was "getting myself into" when I got here, but that my many frustrations about my own limitations as well as the little joys of small triumphs and great joys of some new relationships have amounted to invaluable learning.
God bless anyone who is still reading:).
Can't wait to see you.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Channel 3 News
I was on the news today! As Lisa, a new volunteer from Kentucky said today, "Well, that's a first; I've never been on TV in a foreign country before." A local station came to do a story on Mary Hill's Special Ed center, and interviewed all of us. They just asked me what some challenges were and I said mostly isolation of Deaf students and little access to sign language, and emphasized that Deaf children can learn as fast as any other child if they have good language models. It was really cute footage of the kids working the garden too. Fun fun!
Tonite was a great night w/ the girls. Evelyn had a hard day on Wednesday, really hoomesick, but tonite she and Kristel and Sulmi were playing and laughing. Last nite Kristel and Sulmi spent about 1.5 playing with towels-- who knew a towel could become so many different things?? Definite burst of creative energy.
So next week, I'm going to the zoo w/ the Mary Hill kids on Wednesday and Mitchel & Laisha are invited to come along too, so I hope that happens.
Time for bed now, sleep well.
Tonite was a great night w/ the girls. Evelyn had a hard day on Wednesday, really hoomesick, but tonite she and Kristel and Sulmi were playing and laughing. Last nite Kristel and Sulmi spent about 1.5 playing with towels-- who knew a towel could become so many different things?? Definite burst of creative energy.
So next week, I'm going to the zoo w/ the Mary Hill kids on Wednesday and Mitchel & Laisha are invited to come along too, so I hope that happens.
Time for bed now, sleep well.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Evelin's here!
Been a blogger delinquent lately. Consider it making up for all my extra-long previous posts.
Major update is-- Evelin moved in with us this week!!!
Crazy how quickly things can change. Elodia and I went on Saturday to talk to her parents about a plan for her after I leave, and I was expecting them to *maybe* let her start coming to Orange Walk with me on Mondays and/or Fridays, just to try it out. Lo and behold, they were okay with the idea of her coming to stay at Nancy's during the week and going home on weekends, like Sulmi does, and they were ready to start Monday!
Elodia and I were stunned and elated. It was so great to see her in a classroom environment where she's learning all day, can communicate w/ all of her classmates and her teacher, and has friends she already knows from church. I hope she makes it through the homesickness and really thrives here.
In regards to Mitchel and Laisha, I'm starting "classes" with their older sisters after school. We'll only have 4 before I leave, but it's something. They are doing a good job lately of helping Mitchel w/ his homework, and Melissa, the 16yo, says she wants to become a teacher, possibly of Deaf students.
Christopher and Carlos are continuing to work on the Spelling Bee, and Ana-- the 15yo Deaf girl that was supposed to come back to school after Easter, just showed up today! Right after Evelin has left, unfortunately, but it will be good to have her there.
Someday before I leave (it keeps getting postponed) teachers from the school for the Deaf in Belize City are supposed to come and start teaching the Deaf students in Corozal one afternoon a week. I hope to meet them before I leave. Today a boy from Paraiso, a town just north of where I work on Wed & Thurs, came to visit the school. He is a 7yo Deaf boy, the only Deaf student at his school w/ no interpreter. His mom's doing a good job of teaching him signs and reading at home, but it was hard to know how much he is missing.
So that is the latest. It has been both hard and good to be here for an extra month. There's never enough time to do all the things one wishes could be done. Looking forward to seeing all of you sometime in the near-ish future.
Hope all is well wherever you are.
Paz
ps. Rock Chalk!! KU won the Final Four and I got to see the game, woot!! The girls cheered with me using loofahs as pompoms:D.
Major update is-- Evelin moved in with us this week!!!
Crazy how quickly things can change. Elodia and I went on Saturday to talk to her parents about a plan for her after I leave, and I was expecting them to *maybe* let her start coming to Orange Walk with me on Mondays and/or Fridays, just to try it out. Lo and behold, they were okay with the idea of her coming to stay at Nancy's during the week and going home on weekends, like Sulmi does, and they were ready to start Monday!
Elodia and I were stunned and elated. It was so great to see her in a classroom environment where she's learning all day, can communicate w/ all of her classmates and her teacher, and has friends she already knows from church. I hope she makes it through the homesickness and really thrives here.
In regards to Mitchel and Laisha, I'm starting "classes" with their older sisters after school. We'll only have 4 before I leave, but it's something. They are doing a good job lately of helping Mitchel w/ his homework, and Melissa, the 16yo, says she wants to become a teacher, possibly of Deaf students.
Christopher and Carlos are continuing to work on the Spelling Bee, and Ana-- the 15yo Deaf girl that was supposed to come back to school after Easter, just showed up today! Right after Evelin has left, unfortunately, but it will be good to have her there.
Someday before I leave (it keeps getting postponed) teachers from the school for the Deaf in Belize City are supposed to come and start teaching the Deaf students in Corozal one afternoon a week. I hope to meet them before I leave. Today a boy from Paraiso, a town just north of where I work on Wed & Thurs, came to visit the school. He is a 7yo Deaf boy, the only Deaf student at his school w/ no interpreter. His mom's doing a good job of teaching him signs and reading at home, but it was hard to know how much he is missing.
So that is the latest. It has been both hard and good to be here for an extra month. There's never enough time to do all the things one wishes could be done. Looking forward to seeing all of you sometime in the near-ish future.
Hope all is well wherever you are.
Paz
ps. Rock Chalk!! KU won the Final Four and I got to see the game, woot!! The girls cheered with me using loofahs as pompoms:D.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Across borders and back again: A Too Long Account Embarked Upon Due to a Novel's Voice
Pues, we decided cave tubing was a bit too pricey, headed off for Guatemala on Thursday, and were so glad we did! It was a little mind-bending to cross just a few feet from one side of the border to the other, and be in such completely different territory. English dissolved, Kriol disappeared, currency shifted into a 7:1 exchange rate (on the US $) with a pretty name (Quetzales), women in Quecha clothing materialized at myriad little stops that sold traditional crafts--- it was a wondrous thing indeed. (Incidentally, I have recently been steeped in a book set in the 1800s, so pay no mind to the occasional archaic verbiage that seems to be seeping from there into my musings).
We braved the drizzling rain to wait for a bus, despite numerous predictions (by taxi drivers:)) that there would be no buses today, Holy Thursday and we simply must take a cab. Our microbus did appear, however, and we bumped along with our ever-increasing numbers (the rows had seats that folded down into the aisles to maximize the space completely; just when we seemed totally full, someone else would climb aboard and find a space between two shoulders) all the way to El Remate. We had a great (even moreso b/c it was so cheap!) lunch as we looked out over the lake and enjoyed being immersed again in Spanish.
Then it was off to Tikal, the "Capital of the Mayan World"-- and it was as impressive as any world capital should be! (even if overgrown by the jungle, but I like to think that only amplified its grandeur). I confess I was expecting "just another Mayan ruin," but I couldn't have been more wrong. Tikal is a whole city lying under the jungle, nestled in a national park full of trails and sights to be seen. We hiked around for several hours, impressed by the mystery, largesse, and sheer abundance of the ruins, and startled and delighted by all the wildlife: coatimundi (cousin to the racoon), toucans, wild turkey with iridescence like peacocks, buzzards, spider monkeys crashing thru the treetops, the guttural territory calls of howler monkeys, parrots twirling over the whole landscape as we sat at the crest of the tallest temple and took in the scene. Not to mention the Ceiba! Guatemala's national tree and such a strange, gigantic, gorgeous thing, with roots that, as Adam said, seemed to have started growing before the tree reached the ground, as if someone planted it suspended over the Earth and the roots grew down to meet it. Sparse bleached branches splashed with vegetation like sea urchins, and dotted with the flash and song of parrots and toucans.
Slightly apparent I was (we were) a little enraptured?
But the park did close in the evening and we found our escort (coincidentally the same friendly chauffeur who had brought us) to take us to the small island town of Flores (really it's a peninsula). We found food and a room with a sweet hostess, at Hotel El Faisan, housed over a craft shop. We walked around town a bit in the evening, then called it a night. We were lazy the next day and slept in (I am still fighting a cold and find myself easily tired), then were excited to discover that there was a cave not far from Flores that would be easy to go explore. So we got to see our caves after all! I forget the name of it, but it was set way back from the road, through a village, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and we spent a couple hours traversing its innards. If we had had a more reliable flashlight (the one we borrowed was prone to flicker just as we discovered that what we thought was a wall actually gave way to a crevice we could slip through and find a whole of expanse of rocky room behind), we would have ventured deeper, but nonetheless we satisfied our sense of adventure for the day I think.
We walked back to Flores just in time to see the preparation for the Good Friday processions. Streets were blocked off so groups from different neighborhoods, parishes, or schools could set about preparing their offering of street art. The results were impressive! Paintings made of colored sawdust and flower petals, sometimes palm leaves, materialized on the pavement. We stopped to ask one group how long they had been working-- "Since 2am today. It will be done in time for the procession at 5."
We made our way to the central plaza and watched three floats be carried out of the church. It was the procession of the Holy Burial; the statue of Jesus atop a silken bed that suggested a boat was the first to emerge from the sanctuary, carried on the shoulders of some 20 men. Just as I remembered from my Easter in Spain, their slow small steps set him rocking slightly back and forth and I couldn't help swaying to the same rhythm as I watched. Next came Mary, carried by the women of the church, who braved the weight and the cobblestone streets wearing smiling faces and high heels! Mary Magdelane was hoisted down the steps and around the plaza by the young women in the congregation, who passed their responsibility onto their elder sisters once they crossed with the procession into the main street. Finally came John the Baptist, a small float carried by just four young men, one at each corner. Leading the way for the whole endeavor were the alter boys and girls, 5 of them I think, dressed in white robes with red sashes, swirling along in their clouds of incense to sanctify the way for all that followed. And I have forgotten the band! They came right after Jesus' pallbearers, keeping time with the drum, or providing a song. Adam and I followed with the crowd who accompanied the procession. I hurried ahead at one point, wanting to see what would become of the intricate sawdust Jesus around the corner when the street congregation came upon it. The procession paused at its border, took it in, then continued on in its rocking, shuffling steps, smudging the Christ's face and carrying the colored dust out onto the stones further ahead in the path. At some point, the long extension cord was plugged in to the generator that brought up the rear of the twilight parade, and Jesus' boat was set aglow.
Adam and I contemplated and appreciated being fringe participants in this ritual for a while, then went to satify our hunger. Raquelita-- I had my first parrillada! That is, impressive amounts of grilled meat, Argentine style. Surely not as good as the "real thing," but delicious nonetheless, especially when accompanied by a heaping plate of sweet fresh fruit.
To end our evening of extravagant displays (in both nature and ceremony), our next stop was to the circus! A whole family performed acrobatics, juggling, slapstick humor, and other physical feats for us. My favorite part was watching the littlest member in training-- the youngest boy, about 5yo, trusted his brothers and his own daring to be thrown from one trapeze to the other, and then jump back to the empty swing on his own before swinging onto the platform where his big brothers caught him again. The audience applauded for him the loudest.
This morning I left Adam in the beautiful little town by the lake where he will start an intensive Spanish program on Monday. I had a peaceful bus ride back to Orange Walk, immersed mostly in the passing countryside and also the imaginary landscape of Nantucket and Kentucky, where the protoganist of my book spins her memoir and apparently effects also the tone of this blog. I have just met Nancy's friend Debbie who is here to visit for the week. We will go to San Pedro on Wednesday and lounge about some more before starting school again. I am thinking often of my classmates who finish their internships very soon, and hope you all are enjoying the closing of one thing and the return to the familiar before the beginning of many many more. I am thinking also of my family; my dad's father is in Hospice House and not doing well. It seems strange that I will stay here while classmates and family gather together. But I am also hopeful that my staying will mean that my time here was more worthy of the students I work with.
Now I must quit my rambling and get back to the normalcies of this region of my familiar-yet-still-new life---- cooking dinner. Tomorrow I drop back into Orange Walk routine for a bit and go to pick up Evelyn for church. Nancy says she was thrilled to have Sulmi and Kristel at her birthday party and had little interest in the rest of her classmates (from her other school). Maybe her parents will see how happy she is with Deaf peers and think again about sending her to Nancy's class. I can only hope.
I'm off now,
Much love.
We braved the drizzling rain to wait for a bus, despite numerous predictions (by taxi drivers:)) that there would be no buses today, Holy Thursday and we simply must take a cab. Our microbus did appear, however, and we bumped along with our ever-increasing numbers (the rows had seats that folded down into the aisles to maximize the space completely; just when we seemed totally full, someone else would climb aboard and find a space between two shoulders) all the way to El Remate. We had a great (even moreso b/c it was so cheap!) lunch as we looked out over the lake and enjoyed being immersed again in Spanish.
Then it was off to Tikal, the "Capital of the Mayan World"-- and it was as impressive as any world capital should be! (even if overgrown by the jungle, but I like to think that only amplified its grandeur). I confess I was expecting "just another Mayan ruin," but I couldn't have been more wrong. Tikal is a whole city lying under the jungle, nestled in a national park full of trails and sights to be seen. We hiked around for several hours, impressed by the mystery, largesse, and sheer abundance of the ruins, and startled and delighted by all the wildlife: coatimundi (cousin to the racoon), toucans, wild turkey with iridescence like peacocks, buzzards, spider monkeys crashing thru the treetops, the guttural territory calls of howler monkeys, parrots twirling over the whole landscape as we sat at the crest of the tallest temple and took in the scene. Not to mention the Ceiba! Guatemala's national tree and such a strange, gigantic, gorgeous thing, with roots that, as Adam said, seemed to have started growing before the tree reached the ground, as if someone planted it suspended over the Earth and the roots grew down to meet it. Sparse bleached branches splashed with vegetation like sea urchins, and dotted with the flash and song of parrots and toucans.
Slightly apparent I was (we were) a little enraptured?
But the park did close in the evening and we found our escort (coincidentally the same friendly chauffeur who had brought us) to take us to the small island town of Flores (really it's a peninsula). We found food and a room with a sweet hostess, at Hotel El Faisan, housed over a craft shop. We walked around town a bit in the evening, then called it a night. We were lazy the next day and slept in (I am still fighting a cold and find myself easily tired), then were excited to discover that there was a cave not far from Flores that would be easy to go explore. So we got to see our caves after all! I forget the name of it, but it was set way back from the road, through a village, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and we spent a couple hours traversing its innards. If we had had a more reliable flashlight (the one we borrowed was prone to flicker just as we discovered that what we thought was a wall actually gave way to a crevice we could slip through and find a whole of expanse of rocky room behind), we would have ventured deeper, but nonetheless we satisfied our sense of adventure for the day I think.
We walked back to Flores just in time to see the preparation for the Good Friday processions. Streets were blocked off so groups from different neighborhoods, parishes, or schools could set about preparing their offering of street art. The results were impressive! Paintings made of colored sawdust and flower petals, sometimes palm leaves, materialized on the pavement. We stopped to ask one group how long they had been working-- "Since 2am today. It will be done in time for the procession at 5."
We made our way to the central plaza and watched three floats be carried out of the church. It was the procession of the Holy Burial; the statue of Jesus atop a silken bed that suggested a boat was the first to emerge from the sanctuary, carried on the shoulders of some 20 men. Just as I remembered from my Easter in Spain, their slow small steps set him rocking slightly back and forth and I couldn't help swaying to the same rhythm as I watched. Next came Mary, carried by the women of the church, who braved the weight and the cobblestone streets wearing smiling faces and high heels! Mary Magdelane was hoisted down the steps and around the plaza by the young women in the congregation, who passed their responsibility onto their elder sisters once they crossed with the procession into the main street. Finally came John the Baptist, a small float carried by just four young men, one at each corner. Leading the way for the whole endeavor were the alter boys and girls, 5 of them I think, dressed in white robes with red sashes, swirling along in their clouds of incense to sanctify the way for all that followed. And I have forgotten the band! They came right after Jesus' pallbearers, keeping time with the drum, or providing a song. Adam and I followed with the crowd who accompanied the procession. I hurried ahead at one point, wanting to see what would become of the intricate sawdust Jesus around the corner when the street congregation came upon it. The procession paused at its border, took it in, then continued on in its rocking, shuffling steps, smudging the Christ's face and carrying the colored dust out onto the stones further ahead in the path. At some point, the long extension cord was plugged in to the generator that brought up the rear of the twilight parade, and Jesus' boat was set aglow.
Adam and I contemplated and appreciated being fringe participants in this ritual for a while, then went to satify our hunger. Raquelita-- I had my first parrillada! That is, impressive amounts of grilled meat, Argentine style. Surely not as good as the "real thing," but delicious nonetheless, especially when accompanied by a heaping plate of sweet fresh fruit.
To end our evening of extravagant displays (in both nature and ceremony), our next stop was to the circus! A whole family performed acrobatics, juggling, slapstick humor, and other physical feats for us. My favorite part was watching the littlest member in training-- the youngest boy, about 5yo, trusted his brothers and his own daring to be thrown from one trapeze to the other, and then jump back to the empty swing on his own before swinging onto the platform where his big brothers caught him again. The audience applauded for him the loudest.
This morning I left Adam in the beautiful little town by the lake where he will start an intensive Spanish program on Monday. I had a peaceful bus ride back to Orange Walk, immersed mostly in the passing countryside and also the imaginary landscape of Nantucket and Kentucky, where the protoganist of my book spins her memoir and apparently effects also the tone of this blog. I have just met Nancy's friend Debbie who is here to visit for the week. We will go to San Pedro on Wednesday and lounge about some more before starting school again. I am thinking often of my classmates who finish their internships very soon, and hope you all are enjoying the closing of one thing and the return to the familiar before the beginning of many many more. I am thinking also of my family; my dad's father is in Hospice House and not doing well. It seems strange that I will stay here while classmates and family gather together. But I am also hopeful that my staying will mean that my time here was more worthy of the students I work with.
Now I must quit my rambling and get back to the normalcies of this region of my familiar-yet-still-new life---- cooking dinner. Tomorrow I drop back into Orange Walk routine for a bit and go to pick up Evelyn for church. Nancy says she was thrilled to have Sulmi and Kristel at her birthday party and had little interest in the rest of her classmates (from her other school). Maybe her parents will see how happy she is with Deaf peers and think again about sending her to Nancy's class. I can only hope.
I'm off now,
Much love.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
News from Cayo
Currently slogging thru a crawling internet connection, so I hope it posts.
Adam and I are currently in San Ignacio, enjoyin the breeze. Don't know what I said in my last post, but our planned tour of 4-sights-in-one-day-for-one-low-price fell thru on Saturday, so we went to Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in the morning with Nancy and enjoyed the birds and local culture, not to mention a fantastic meal.
In the afternoon we went to Belize City, met Chris Deshield's family and were graciously invited to join his parents and their friends for dinner. The Mexican ambassador to Belize and his wife (who has worked in all kinds of interesting fields but is currently renewing her vet's license at the Desheild's clinic) joined us for Japanese food. I helped Miriam make sushi--yum! We had a great time meeting them, and got a fascinating peak into Belizean politics along the way. Plus, I realized you have the same laugh as your dad, Chris:)
Sunday we headed for Caye Caulker (an island) and kayaked in the evening, then had to bail the next day when our snorkeling trip got canceled due to high winds. It was really sad not to get to snorkel, and it was sposed to stay windy all week, so we just had to give up on it. But, it was a beautiful, relaxing place; we ate good food, walked sandy beaches, and got to eat a fresh coconut.
In the evening, since our island stay was cut a little short, we opted for the Howler Monkey Reserve, where we got to see Howler monkeys in the wild on a community reserver (as in, the land is all still owned by local residents who have agreed to abide by certain land use rules in order to preserve the habitat for the monkeys. Very cool. The local founder of the idea was our guide). The monkeys ate out of our hands! We went on a night hike and then a canoe trip down the river the next day, before heading to the Belize Zoo and checking out all the local fauna. So many interesting creatures in the world!
We arrived in San Ignacio last nite and have been hanging out here today. Trying to decide if we're going to go caving tomorrow or go on to Guatemala.
Hasta luego--- we're off to dinner now. I think we're going to cook something ourselves, and then maybe go up to the lookout point Elodia took me too last month.
Saludos!
Adam and I are currently in San Ignacio, enjoyin the breeze. Don't know what I said in my last post, but our planned tour of 4-sights-in-one-day-for-one-low-price fell thru on Saturday, so we went to Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in the morning with Nancy and enjoyed the birds and local culture, not to mention a fantastic meal.
In the afternoon we went to Belize City, met Chris Deshield's family and were graciously invited to join his parents and their friends for dinner. The Mexican ambassador to Belize and his wife (who has worked in all kinds of interesting fields but is currently renewing her vet's license at the Desheild's clinic) joined us for Japanese food. I helped Miriam make sushi--yum! We had a great time meeting them, and got a fascinating peak into Belizean politics along the way. Plus, I realized you have the same laugh as your dad, Chris:)
Sunday we headed for Caye Caulker (an island) and kayaked in the evening, then had to bail the next day when our snorkeling trip got canceled due to high winds. It was really sad not to get to snorkel, and it was sposed to stay windy all week, so we just had to give up on it. But, it was a beautiful, relaxing place; we ate good food, walked sandy beaches, and got to eat a fresh coconut.
In the evening, since our island stay was cut a little short, we opted for the Howler Monkey Reserve, where we got to see Howler monkeys in the wild on a community reserver (as in, the land is all still owned by local residents who have agreed to abide by certain land use rules in order to preserve the habitat for the monkeys. Very cool. The local founder of the idea was our guide). The monkeys ate out of our hands! We went on a night hike and then a canoe trip down the river the next day, before heading to the Belize Zoo and checking out all the local fauna. So many interesting creatures in the world!
We arrived in San Ignacio last nite and have been hanging out here today. Trying to decide if we're going to go caving tomorrow or go on to Guatemala.
Hasta luego--- we're off to dinner now. I think we're going to cook something ourselves, and then maybe go up to the lookout point Elodia took me too last month.
Saludos!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Vacation!
Adam got here Thursday night and we ate dinner at a cozy restaraunt by the river, caught up some, and worked out a plan for our week of travel.
Friday morning I interpreted a meeting of all the teachers at Nancy's school with the Anglican priest who came to minister to them and harangue them a little for letting the Orange Walk parish become really lax. He was a very interesting character, for sure. In the afternoon I packed and finished up some stuff for school, then we went to meet Rubia and Elodia at Elodia's house. We tried to go to an orchid garden too, but it was closed. The owner was nice enough to show us some of the flowers he keeps in his yard though. Overall, it was a low-key day. We ate dinner w/ Elodia and I tried to switch into speaking English with her.
This morning we headed to Crooked Tree, a wildlife sanctuary, and met a really nice guide who showed us the birds and told us about Crooked Tree Village life. Afterwards she showed us to this really non-descript little restaraunt w/ 2 menu options--- and the food was excellent!
Now Adam and I are in Belize City, hanging out at the Deshield household. We walked around downtown for a bit when we got off the bus, and might meet up with a really nice Japanese Volunteer (like the Peace Corps) I met this week who lives in San Narciso but is in the city this weekend. Alternatively, we'll relax here, which sounds appealing too. Tomorrow we'll head to Caye Caulker to snorkel.
Safe travels wherever your daily routes take you!
Friday morning I interpreted a meeting of all the teachers at Nancy's school with the Anglican priest who came to minister to them and harangue them a little for letting the Orange Walk parish become really lax. He was a very interesting character, for sure. In the afternoon I packed and finished up some stuff for school, then we went to meet Rubia and Elodia at Elodia's house. We tried to go to an orchid garden too, but it was closed. The owner was nice enough to show us some of the flowers he keeps in his yard though. Overall, it was a low-key day. We ate dinner w/ Elodia and I tried to switch into speaking English with her.
This morning we headed to Crooked Tree, a wildlife sanctuary, and met a really nice guide who showed us the birds and told us about Crooked Tree Village life. Afterwards she showed us to this really non-descript little restaraunt w/ 2 menu options--- and the food was excellent!
Now Adam and I are in Belize City, hanging out at the Deshield household. We walked around downtown for a bit when we got off the bus, and might meet up with a really nice Japanese Volunteer (like the Peace Corps) I met this week who lives in San Narciso but is in the city this weekend. Alternatively, we'll relax here, which sounds appealing too. Tomorrow we'll head to Caye Caulker to snorkel.
Safe travels wherever your daily routes take you!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Here and there
Pues, I'm Back in Belize for anyone not in the loop:)
It was good to be home and see the familia. Hard to leave too. I definitely felt like I had a little space/time whiplash. Once I got back to the kids though, it felt good to be with them.
There's lots I could say, which makes me feel like not saying much:P.
Basically, it's been a good week. Evelyn's learning more spelling words; Carlos isn't; Christopher's dad left this week for his 8mo stint as a cruise-ship worker so his support system just caved; Mitchel and Leisha have obviously been practicing their numbers, letters, and family names b/c their older sister has been helping them at home which is *awesome* and unexpected; Evelyn got to come to church on Sunday cuz I went and picked her up on the bus and it was heartening to see her get to play with Sulmi, Kristel, Ginelli, Luis, and co (I kept her in OW for a couple hrs after church so she could play for a while before going home); I went to lunch at Rubia's on Saturday for her 24th bday..; ..after going to Saturday School in the morning, which is essentially all day Deaf Camp/Bible Study run by Old Order Menno Missionaries from the Cayo Deaf institute. Oh, and I got accepted in the internship I applied for in DC for this summer!
So lots goin on; so glad I'm staying til May cuz it's all going so fast and it seems like I'm just starting to get in a rhythm w/ the kids (i'm trying to making semi-lesson plans these days) so it would feel crazy to be leaving after only one more week with them. We have 2 weeks of Easter vacation starting Friday, and Adam gets here Thursday night! We're gonna travel for a week around Belize, then he's staying in Guatemala for language school. We get to meet the Deshields, too!:) After that, I'm hanging out w/ Nancy and her friend Deb who's coming to visit.
That's the update. Hope all is well w/ you.
It was good to be home and see the familia. Hard to leave too. I definitely felt like I had a little space/time whiplash. Once I got back to the kids though, it felt good to be with them.
There's lots I could say, which makes me feel like not saying much:P.
Basically, it's been a good week. Evelyn's learning more spelling words; Carlos isn't; Christopher's dad left this week for his 8mo stint as a cruise-ship worker so his support system just caved; Mitchel and Leisha have obviously been practicing their numbers, letters, and family names b/c their older sister has been helping them at home which is *awesome* and unexpected; Evelyn got to come to church on Sunday cuz I went and picked her up on the bus and it was heartening to see her get to play with Sulmi, Kristel, Ginelli, Luis, and co (I kept her in OW for a couple hrs after church so she could play for a while before going home); I went to lunch at Rubia's on Saturday for her 24th bday..; ..after going to Saturday School in the morning, which is essentially all day Deaf Camp/Bible Study run by Old Order Menno Missionaries from the Cayo Deaf institute. Oh, and I got accepted in the internship I applied for in DC for this summer!
So lots goin on; so glad I'm staying til May cuz it's all going so fast and it seems like I'm just starting to get in a rhythm w/ the kids (i'm trying to making semi-lesson plans these days) so it would feel crazy to be leaving after only one more week with them. We have 2 weeks of Easter vacation starting Friday, and Adam gets here Thursday night! We're gonna travel for a week around Belize, then he's staying in Guatemala for language school. We get to meet the Deshields, too!:) After that, I'm hanging out w/ Nancy and her friend Deb who's coming to visit.
That's the update. Hope all is well w/ you.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
I'm writing this from Kansas
Things are feeling more hopeful w/ the students. I reorganized the Spelling Words list so we're learning the shortest ones first instead of learning them alphabetically, and Evelyn whipped out the 4-6 letter words. I'm hopeful we can practice enough to get her through at least a couple rounds of the Spelling Bee.
Also hopeful-- it's looking like I'm going to be able to stay here through mid April. I'm still waiting to hear from a couple people about how that would best work out, but the prospect makes me a lot more motivated to go to the schools. When I thought I only had 3 visits left w/ Mitchel & Leisha, it seemed almost futile to go at all. I have hope/motivation now that I can organize something w/ some kind of continuity for the rest of my time w/ the kids. Also, it looks like the Special. Ed. Coordinator is going to get all the Deaf students from other schools together once a week, but she's bringing in a teacher from Belize to work with them (and the teachers, hopefully). Finally, Evelyn's parents said they were cool w/ me coming to get Evelyn (via bus) on Sunday mornings and bring her to church at Nancy's.
And now: to explain the title of this post. My mom called me at 11am yesterday morning to tell me that my grandfather was in intensive care and I should think about trying to come home sometime in the next couple weeks. With my school schedl, this week looked like best option, and going on a weekend seemed like the best way to avoid missing lots of classes w/ the kids, so the next thing I knew I was looking at flight options, booking a standby reservation for that afternoon, and was on a plane by 4pm! What's more surreal is that I was seated in the same row as 2 GC students I know!! They were headed back from their spring break. Flying into Dallas was super mind boggling; I just kept thinking, "Wow, I did not plan to be in the US when I got up this morning...." It feels a little like I fell through some hole in the time/space continuum and got dropped in my bed at home somehow. Airplanes move much faster than is natural for human consciousness I think....
Anyway, I will probably fly back on Wednesday. It was good to go to church this morning, and to see my grandpa and family this afternoon. He should be able to go home tomorrow or the next day, and either Home Health or Hospice should be able to help my grandma there. He was tired but smiling and joking this afternoon. I don't know how long someone can hold out w/ liver failure, but I'm glad I'm here now.
I should get back to the busy-ness of deciding how best to use my short time here.
Take care.
Also hopeful-- it's looking like I'm going to be able to stay here through mid April. I'm still waiting to hear from a couple people about how that would best work out, but the prospect makes me a lot more motivated to go to the schools. When I thought I only had 3 visits left w/ Mitchel & Leisha, it seemed almost futile to go at all. I have hope/motivation now that I can organize something w/ some kind of continuity for the rest of my time w/ the kids. Also, it looks like the Special. Ed. Coordinator is going to get all the Deaf students from other schools together once a week, but she's bringing in a teacher from Belize to work with them (and the teachers, hopefully). Finally, Evelyn's parents said they were cool w/ me coming to get Evelyn (via bus) on Sunday mornings and bring her to church at Nancy's.
And now: to explain the title of this post. My mom called me at 11am yesterday morning to tell me that my grandfather was in intensive care and I should think about trying to come home sometime in the next couple weeks. With my school schedl, this week looked like best option, and going on a weekend seemed like the best way to avoid missing lots of classes w/ the kids, so the next thing I knew I was looking at flight options, booking a standby reservation for that afternoon, and was on a plane by 4pm! What's more surreal is that I was seated in the same row as 2 GC students I know!! They were headed back from their spring break. Flying into Dallas was super mind boggling; I just kept thinking, "Wow, I did not plan to be in the US when I got up this morning...." It feels a little like I fell through some hole in the time/space continuum and got dropped in my bed at home somehow. Airplanes move much faster than is natural for human consciousness I think....
Anyway, I will probably fly back on Wednesday. It was good to go to church this morning, and to see my grandpa and family this afternoon. He should be able to go home tomorrow or the next day, and either Home Health or Hospice should be able to help my grandma there. He was tired but smiling and joking this afternoon. I don't know how long someone can hold out w/ liver failure, but I'm glad I'm here now.
I should get back to the busy-ness of deciding how best to use my short time here.
Take care.
Friday, February 22, 2008
On the bright side
Today was better. I like being in Nancy's class, even when the boys are rambunctious as they were today. Still looking for purpose/hope for my time with the non-St. Peter's students, but I'm finding the good moments. Looking forward to Girl's Night this evening.
Recent Favorites
--Longer conversations with Evelyn
--Baby geckos!
--Watching lunar eclipse with Sulmi and Nancy on the roof
--Watching the sunrise on my way to my morning bus
--Bike riding around. (Nancy loaned me her bike:) )
--Doni, the sweet cat
--Collectively complaining about Queen Hiss, aka Scratch, aka “Sunshine” (ha) and her amusingly bad attitude
--Taking a field trip w/ Elodia & fam to Shipyard, the Old Order Mennonite settlement. It looks just like Indiana! (well, except for the palm trees and papayas)
--Taking a walking tour of Orange Walk w/ Nancy’s class, so we could take pictures and make a “Sights of Orange Walk” book
--1.5 hour lunch breaks
--Spending part of my lunch break today by the river, dangling my legs over the edge and resting my feet on a couple of lily pads
Recent Favorites
--Longer conversations with Evelyn
--Baby geckos!
--Watching lunar eclipse with Sulmi and Nancy on the roof
--Watching the sunrise on my way to my morning bus
--Bike riding around. (Nancy loaned me her bike:) )
--Doni, the sweet cat
--Collectively complaining about Queen Hiss, aka Scratch, aka “Sunshine” (ha) and her amusingly bad attitude
--Taking a field trip w/ Elodia & fam to Shipyard, the Old Order Mennonite settlement. It looks just like Indiana! (well, except for the palm trees and papayas)
--Taking a walking tour of Orange Walk w/ Nancy’s class, so we could take pictures and make a “Sights of Orange Walk” book
--1.5 hour lunch breaks
--Spending part of my lunch break today by the river, dangling my legs over the edge and resting my feet on a couple of lily pads
Warming up words & simmering down chances
Feb 21
Today was awesome and awful.
Awesome because Evelyn chatted with me all day long! Our morning ride to school was proceeding uneventfully as usual (as in, little communication), when we passed the ocean and I asked her, expecting maybe a nod or a shy smile, “Have you swam in the ocean before?” Instead, I got, “I’ve gone swimming, but never in the ocean. One time I went to Miss Marshal’s and we swam in a pool and I had a suitcase and I spent the night. And Sulmi and I slept in one room, and Hipolito and Alejandro in another room, and Miss Marshall and Katie in another room.” This was by far the best swimming story I’ve ever heard!:D I was so surprised by her sudden torrent of words, but I tried not to show it. I asked as many pool-related questions as I could think of and we kept it up all the way to school, even venturing on to other topics. Woohoo!
Awful because here I am, gaining Evelyn’s trust and bringing her into a new environment she’s loving, but I’m only going to see her 10 more times and after that she’s back to square one. Today I brought a calendar and explained to the kids that I’m leaving in 7 weeks (2 of which are vacation). Carlos understood that I was leaving in April, but asked if was coming back in May. No? So I’m coming back after the summer, when school starts, right? Ayayay.
Then we started practicing for the National Deaf Spelling Bee, which is a huge deal I haven’t blogged about yet because it’s kind of a long story. Basically, the kids participate in an annual spelling bee, which is one of the main things I’m supposed to be helping Evelyn and Carlos prepare for. Except the words this year are nearly unattainably difficult for the kids. The organizer, who does not have a background in elementary ed, thought the words were too easy last year, even tho it took the kids 4 months to learn them. Also, a lot of the signs themselves aren’t even ones the kids know, so they have to memorize a new sign before they can even start trying to memorize the spelling, and a lot of the signs from the model on the DVD are just wrong (They have a book of the words and definitions, and a DVD of the signs. They will see the sign and then fingerspell the word at the Spelling Bee). I don’t mean wrong in the sense that I’m being uppity about “my way” of signing, it’s that she signs things incorrectly. For an English example, it’s one thing to say “lift” instead of “elevator,” but you can’t say “laft” or “alleviator” if the thing you are describing is a people-moving mechanical box. So now we have to teach the kids the wrong signs, b/c they have to be able to recognize at the competition, and that’s really frustrating when you’re working with kids who don’t have that large of a sign vocabulary anyway. We’re talking 300 words-- It seems like an impossible task considering that they only get to practice with me about 3 hours a week, and when I leave they’ll be almost totally on their own. They get discouraged b/c it’s so difficult, and I get discouraged because I won’t be here to see them through it (and even if I were, they’re at a severe disadvantage compared to other Deaf students in Deaf classes who will practice everyday and already know the signs at least). It makes it hard not to be defeatist about the whole thing.
To keep the boulder cruising along through my mood, none of the other kids from the other schools came today b/c the principal decided ther'es not room for them at Mary Hill (there would have been 13 extra kids, not 7!). That was a relief in some ways (I’m not ready to be a teacher) and tragic in others cuz it means the kids don’t get extra help, and I also think I have ended up in the middle of some district conflicts about this issue.
To cap it all off, Evelyn’s dad said it’s too far for her to come to Orange Walk, even for just one day a week, so my small hope that my time with her wouldn’t be a total loss (if I could at least help her transition into a long-term better environment) was dashed for the time being. And it occurred to me that even if I did convince her parents to send her to OW, it would still leave Christopher & Carlos and Mitchel & Leisha with no one to sign with.
Heavy-hearted sigh.
New Vocab
Shrimp (crustacean): 2h p-facing I, pinkies wiggle. We’re going to have shrimp for dinner. (Who knew they were grey gelatinous-lookin things before you cook ‘em?)
Today was awesome and awful.
Awesome because Evelyn chatted with me all day long! Our morning ride to school was proceeding uneventfully as usual (as in, little communication), when we passed the ocean and I asked her, expecting maybe a nod or a shy smile, “Have you swam in the ocean before?” Instead, I got, “I’ve gone swimming, but never in the ocean. One time I went to Miss Marshal’s and we swam in a pool and I had a suitcase and I spent the night. And Sulmi and I slept in one room, and Hipolito and Alejandro in another room, and Miss Marshall and Katie in another room.” This was by far the best swimming story I’ve ever heard!:D I was so surprised by her sudden torrent of words, but I tried not to show it. I asked as many pool-related questions as I could think of and we kept it up all the way to school, even venturing on to other topics. Woohoo!
Awful because here I am, gaining Evelyn’s trust and bringing her into a new environment she’s loving, but I’m only going to see her 10 more times and after that she’s back to square one. Today I brought a calendar and explained to the kids that I’m leaving in 7 weeks (2 of which are vacation). Carlos understood that I was leaving in April, but asked if was coming back in May. No? So I’m coming back after the summer, when school starts, right? Ayayay.
Then we started practicing for the National Deaf Spelling Bee, which is a huge deal I haven’t blogged about yet because it’s kind of a long story. Basically, the kids participate in an annual spelling bee, which is one of the main things I’m supposed to be helping Evelyn and Carlos prepare for. Except the words this year are nearly unattainably difficult for the kids. The organizer, who does not have a background in elementary ed, thought the words were too easy last year, even tho it took the kids 4 months to learn them. Also, a lot of the signs themselves aren’t even ones the kids know, so they have to memorize a new sign before they can even start trying to memorize the spelling, and a lot of the signs from the model on the DVD are just wrong (They have a book of the words and definitions, and a DVD of the signs. They will see the sign and then fingerspell the word at the Spelling Bee). I don’t mean wrong in the sense that I’m being uppity about “my way” of signing, it’s that she signs things incorrectly. For an English example, it’s one thing to say “lift” instead of “elevator,” but you can’t say “laft” or “alleviator” if the thing you are describing is a people-moving mechanical box. So now we have to teach the kids the wrong signs, b/c they have to be able to recognize at the competition, and that’s really frustrating when you’re working with kids who don’t have that large of a sign vocabulary anyway. We’re talking 300 words-- It seems like an impossible task considering that they only get to practice with me about 3 hours a week, and when I leave they’ll be almost totally on their own. They get discouraged b/c it’s so difficult, and I get discouraged because I won’t be here to see them through it (and even if I were, they’re at a severe disadvantage compared to other Deaf students in Deaf classes who will practice everyday and already know the signs at least). It makes it hard not to be defeatist about the whole thing.
To keep the boulder cruising along through my mood, none of the other kids from the other schools came today b/c the principal decided ther'es not room for them at Mary Hill (there would have been 13 extra kids, not 7!). That was a relief in some ways (I’m not ready to be a teacher) and tragic in others cuz it means the kids don’t get extra help, and I also think I have ended up in the middle of some district conflicts about this issue.
To cap it all off, Evelyn’s dad said it’s too far for her to come to Orange Walk, even for just one day a week, so my small hope that my time with her wouldn’t be a total loss (if I could at least help her transition into a long-term better environment) was dashed for the time being. And it occurred to me that even if I did convince her parents to send her to OW, it would still leave Christopher & Carlos and Mitchel & Leisha with no one to sign with.
Heavy-hearted sigh.
New Vocab
Shrimp (crustacean): 2h p-facing I, pinkies wiggle. We’re going to have shrimp for dinner. (Who knew they were grey gelatinous-lookin things before you cook ‘em?)
When interpreting's not nearly enough
Feb 20
Today I went with Evelyn and her mom to the psychologist. It seemed like mostly a waste of time. Well, that's an overstatement; Evelyn's mom felt better I think, but Evelyn’s painfully shy so we were back to mere head nodding from her. The psychologist couldn’t communicate with her at all, and I couldn’t understand if she was understanding me or her mom. It definitely made me think twice about the reliability of interpreted therapy. How is the doctor to know if the patient is uncomfortable with the topic being discussed, or just uncomfortable with the interpreter, for example? Ironically enough considering my profession, in my ideal world there would be almost no need for interpreters.
In any case, the psychologist told Evelyn’s mom (Mrs Che) the same thing Elodia had told her, which was that Evelyn’s never going to get better as long as she remains in an overly stressful environment (eg, her current school). She encouraged Mrs. Che either to send her full time to Mary Hill or Orange Walk, or send someone with Evelyn to her current school. Mrs. Che said Evy’s older brother who signs well had thought about doing that. I tried to encourage them to send her to Orange Walk with me, even if it’s just Fri &/or Monday, b/c even tho she’s better off at Mary Hill emotionally-speaking, as far as language goes it’s the same mostly-isolated situation. Carlos, the hard-of-hearing boy, only comes to Lupita’s class when I’m there, Christopher has CP and doesn’t converse much, and the teachers and other students know just a few signs. Mrs. Che seemed to think Evy’s brother could bring her into Orange Walk one day a week, so I’m hopeful we might be able to ease her into Nancy’s class, where she’d have friends and Nancy!
I’m getting increasingly stressed out about what I can/cannot do for the kids/teachers for the short time I’m here. Nancy was talking tonight about how it’s really not very effective to come in and out like this with kids, which I have said too. I feel really pulled (apart). On the one hand, it seems so unfair to them, and to me, to put us together just long enough for us to get attached, but not long enough for me to actually change anything for them. They end up abandoned, and I end up hopeless. I try to tell myself that on the other hand, it’s not fair of me to refuse to come at all just b/c I know it will hurt to leave, when without me here they wouldn’t have had any ASL. I have a hard time convincing myself of the last part tho, b/c after I leave they still won’t have any ASL. We said maybe I could focus on the teachers, trying to teach them as much ASL as possible, but I can’t do it during their class while they’re teaching; staying after for an hour doesn’t accomplish much; and I really can’t spend more time than that without totally burning out. My days are already pretty long.
I don’t know how many Deaf kids from other schools are going to show up tomorrow. I cross my fingers that Miss Lupita, Miss Sheba, and I can figure something out.
Today I went with Evelyn and her mom to the psychologist. It seemed like mostly a waste of time. Well, that's an overstatement; Evelyn's mom felt better I think, but Evelyn’s painfully shy so we were back to mere head nodding from her. The psychologist couldn’t communicate with her at all, and I couldn’t understand if she was understanding me or her mom. It definitely made me think twice about the reliability of interpreted therapy. How is the doctor to know if the patient is uncomfortable with the topic being discussed, or just uncomfortable with the interpreter, for example? Ironically enough considering my profession, in my ideal world there would be almost no need for interpreters.
In any case, the psychologist told Evelyn’s mom (Mrs Che) the same thing Elodia had told her, which was that Evelyn’s never going to get better as long as she remains in an overly stressful environment (eg, her current school). She encouraged Mrs. Che either to send her full time to Mary Hill or Orange Walk, or send someone with Evelyn to her current school. Mrs. Che said Evy’s older brother who signs well had thought about doing that. I tried to encourage them to send her to Orange Walk with me, even if it’s just Fri &/or Monday, b/c even tho she’s better off at Mary Hill emotionally-speaking, as far as language goes it’s the same mostly-isolated situation. Carlos, the hard-of-hearing boy, only comes to Lupita’s class when I’m there, Christopher has CP and doesn’t converse much, and the teachers and other students know just a few signs. Mrs. Che seemed to think Evy’s brother could bring her into Orange Walk one day a week, so I’m hopeful we might be able to ease her into Nancy’s class, where she’d have friends and Nancy!
I’m getting increasingly stressed out about what I can/cannot do for the kids/teachers for the short time I’m here. Nancy was talking tonight about how it’s really not very effective to come in and out like this with kids, which I have said too. I feel really pulled (apart). On the one hand, it seems so unfair to them, and to me, to put us together just long enough for us to get attached, but not long enough for me to actually change anything for them. They end up abandoned, and I end up hopeless. I try to tell myself that on the other hand, it’s not fair of me to refuse to come at all just b/c I know it will hurt to leave, when without me here they wouldn’t have had any ASL. I have a hard time convincing myself of the last part tho, b/c after I leave they still won’t have any ASL. We said maybe I could focus on the teachers, trying to teach them as much ASL as possible, but I can’t do it during their class while they’re teaching; staying after for an hour doesn’t accomplish much; and I really can’t spend more time than that without totally burning out. My days are already pretty long.
I don’t know how many Deaf kids from other schools are going to show up tomorrow. I cross my fingers that Miss Lupita, Miss Sheba, and I can figure something out.
Who’s Who Again? What’s What?
I figured the names and places would be pretty hard to keep up with, so here's the run-down for future reference.
A glossary:
--Nancy Marshall: my host. Deaf teacher of the Deaf and leader of Jesus Deaf Church. From PA
--Angelica: Deaf 20yo teaching assistant in Nancy’s class
--Sulmi: 9yo little host sister. One of Nancy’s students who lives here during the week and goes home on wkends
--Kristel: 10yo neighbor, Nancy’s student, Sulmi’s friend
--Luis, Edgar, Hipolito, Alejandro, Ginelli, Misael, JP: the rest of Nancy’s students
--Elodia: Special Education Coordinator with the Dept of Education. Introduced me to Deaf students who aren’t at Nancy’s school
--Mitchel & Leisha: Deaf 7yo boy & 5yo girl (brother and sister). Mitchel attends San Narciso school. Mainstreamed w/o an interpreter. Leisha doesn’t go to school yet, but comes to school with Mitchel when I’m there
--Nadia: 25yo Deaf woman. Mitchel & Leisha’s sister. Has a 4mo old baby girl.
--Rubia: Elodia’s friend, a soon-to-be physical therapist. Mitchel & Leisha’s cousin. I eat lunch at her house when I’m at San Narciso.
--Miss Maria: Mitchel’s teacher at San Narciso school. Previously taught Evelyn.
--Evelyn: 10yo Deaf girl who is mainstreamed w/o an interpreter in Cristo Rey school. She commutes with me 2 days a week to Mary Hill school to study with other Deaf students
--Christopher: 9yo Deaf boy with mild Cerebral Palsy who is in Mary Hill school’s Special Ed class
--Carlos: 10yo hard-of-hearing boy who is mainstreamed w/o an interpreter at Mary Hill school. He joins me, Christopher, and Evelyn two days a week in the Special Ed class
--Miss Lupita: Mary Hill’s Special Ed teacher
--Miss Sheba: Mary Hill’s Special Ed teaching assisstant
--Other Jesus Deaf Church members: Alva (21), Yaniry & son (30), Yelitza & baby (24), Sherwin (21), Delina (16), Anita (26), Rufino (30+), Leidy (17), Mario (20), Elton (19), Juan (21), Diego (25)
Where I’m At, What I’m Doing There
[times include hours in transit]:
M: 8.30am-3pm St. Peter’s School (Nancy’s all-Deaf class). Evening: Cook dinner
T: 7am-5pm San Narciso School (Mitchel & Leisha during the day. Teaching a lil ASL to Miss Maria after classes)
W/R: 6.30am-5.30pm Mary Hill School (Carlos, Evelyn, Christopher during the day. Teaching a lil ASL to Miss Lupita and Miss Sheba after classes)
F: 8.30am-3pm St. Peter’s School.
6pm-8pm Girl’s Night Bible study at Nancy’s house
Sat: Free Day/Homework Day. Cook dinner. (Miss Lupita might start coming Saturdays for ASL lessons)
Sun: 10am-1pm Deaf church and lunch
6-7.30pm Spanish church
A glossary:
--Nancy Marshall: my host. Deaf teacher of the Deaf and leader of Jesus Deaf Church. From PA
--Angelica: Deaf 20yo teaching assistant in Nancy’s class
--Sulmi: 9yo little host sister. One of Nancy’s students who lives here during the week and goes home on wkends
--Kristel: 10yo neighbor, Nancy’s student, Sulmi’s friend
--Luis, Edgar, Hipolito, Alejandro, Ginelli, Misael, JP: the rest of Nancy’s students
--Elodia: Special Education Coordinator with the Dept of Education. Introduced me to Deaf students who aren’t at Nancy’s school
--Mitchel & Leisha: Deaf 7yo boy & 5yo girl (brother and sister). Mitchel attends San Narciso school. Mainstreamed w/o an interpreter. Leisha doesn’t go to school yet, but comes to school with Mitchel when I’m there
--Nadia: 25yo Deaf woman. Mitchel & Leisha’s sister. Has a 4mo old baby girl.
--Rubia: Elodia’s friend, a soon-to-be physical therapist. Mitchel & Leisha’s cousin. I eat lunch at her house when I’m at San Narciso.
--Miss Maria: Mitchel’s teacher at San Narciso school. Previously taught Evelyn.
--Evelyn: 10yo Deaf girl who is mainstreamed w/o an interpreter in Cristo Rey school. She commutes with me 2 days a week to Mary Hill school to study with other Deaf students
--Christopher: 9yo Deaf boy with mild Cerebral Palsy who is in Mary Hill school’s Special Ed class
--Carlos: 10yo hard-of-hearing boy who is mainstreamed w/o an interpreter at Mary Hill school. He joins me, Christopher, and Evelyn two days a week in the Special Ed class
--Miss Lupita: Mary Hill’s Special Ed teacher
--Miss Sheba: Mary Hill’s Special Ed teaching assisstant
--Other Jesus Deaf Church members: Alva (21), Yaniry & son (30), Yelitza & baby (24), Sherwin (21), Delina (16), Anita (26), Rufino (30+), Leidy (17), Mario (20), Elton (19), Juan (21), Diego (25)
Where I’m At, What I’m Doing There
[times include hours in transit]:
M: 8.30am-3pm St. Peter’s School (Nancy’s all-Deaf class). Evening: Cook dinner
T: 7am-5pm San Narciso School (Mitchel & Leisha during the day. Teaching a lil ASL to Miss Maria after classes)
W/R: 6.30am-5.30pm Mary Hill School (Carlos, Evelyn, Christopher during the day. Teaching a lil ASL to Miss Lupita and Miss Sheba after classes)
F: 8.30am-3pm St. Peter’s School.
6pm-8pm Girl’s Night Bible study at Nancy’s house
Sat: Free Day/Homework Day. Cook dinner. (Miss Lupita might start coming Saturdays for ASL lessons)
Sun: 10am-1pm Deaf church and lunch
6-7.30pm Spanish church
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Recent Favorites
Favorites:
--Neighbor's roosters that strut around the yard
--Evelyn’s giggle when we put on rubber boots to work in the school garden
--The school garden
--Drifting in the river in Cayo, just back-floating
--Walking the mile to M & L’s school in the sunshine
--Leisha remembering the sign for ‘turkey’ that I only showed her once last week
--Turkeys strutting in the yard, with turkey chicks scuttling along behind
--Leisha’s collapse into my lap today. Tired girl after lunch.
--Mitchel’s enthusiasm for the picture dictionary
--Leisha the photographer (she learned how to take pictures with my camera and didn’t want to give it back)
--Nadia’s baby who grins when you sign to her (Nadia is Mitchel & Leisha’s sister)
--All the students who peer through the window at me at school. White people are weird!:)
--A slight sunburn
--City buses that are mostly old schoolbuses
--Watching American Idol with Nancy. Yes, I’ve been sucked in...
--Discovering a new vegetable (Nancy introduced me to Chaya, like spinach but with a lot more nutrients)
--Rejoicing with Nancy that “our” stray starving dog is looking healthier and happier. We’ve named her Flaquita
--Neighbor's roosters that strut around the yard
--Evelyn’s giggle when we put on rubber boots to work in the school garden
--The school garden
--Drifting in the river in Cayo, just back-floating
--Walking the mile to M & L’s school in the sunshine
--Leisha remembering the sign for ‘turkey’ that I only showed her once last week
--Turkeys strutting in the yard, with turkey chicks scuttling along behind
--Leisha’s collapse into my lap today. Tired girl after lunch.
--Mitchel’s enthusiasm for the picture dictionary
--Leisha the photographer (she learned how to take pictures with my camera and didn’t want to give it back)
--Nadia’s baby who grins when you sign to her (Nadia is Mitchel & Leisha’s sister)
--All the students who peer through the window at me at school. White people are weird!:)
--A slight sunburn
--City buses that are mostly old schoolbuses
--Watching American Idol with Nancy. Yes, I’ve been sucked in...
--Discovering a new vegetable (Nancy introduced me to Chaya, like spinach but with a lot more nutrients)
--Rejoicing with Nancy that “our” stray starving dog is looking healthier and happier. We’ve named her Flaquita
Kids & Cayo
I don’t have much time for blogging these days but here’s the short version:
Last week was my first week with “my” students at other schools. Mitchel and Leisha are so unbelievably lovable and eager to learn. Evelyn seemed to settle into her change of environment well. By the second day she was laughing and playing with the other kids and initiating conversation with me, which was gratifying to see because I was worried about how she’d take to the change in routine. Lupita (Christopher's, Ana's, Carlos', and now Evelyn’s teacher) does not know as much ASL as I’d originally thought so that was a little disappointing. I don’t fault her for it at all; she made the time to attend Nancy’s classes and wants to learn; she just doesn’t have much exposure or anyone to practice with so it’s hard to keep it up. I’m doing mini-classes with her and Miss Sheba (teaching assistant) when classes get out.
Friday was Valentine’s Fair all day at Nancy’s school and I got to run the face-painting booth:D. I loved it, and the kids were really excited about it. I got my first little sunburn that day too, but considering how cold I hear it’s been in the midwest lately, I wasn’t complaining!
Friday afternoon Elodia invited me to spend the weekend in Cayo district (district=state) 3 hrs south of here. Elodia and her son Edgar and I went and had a really relaxing time. It was a beautiful place, just as I’ve been told. Mountainous and green. We swam in the river, slept in, lounged around the house, watched a couple movies, visited their relatives, stopped in at the San Ignacio annual fair (small rides and game booths), drove to the high point of the city at night and looked over the valley to see all the city lights, and went to visit Mayan temples (now ruins) with a spectacular view from the top. I also got a few mini-Kriol lessons from Edgar and got to chat a lot with Elodia.
Monday was back to school and I was glad to see everyone again since I’d missed them on Sunday. Tuesday I spent with Leisha & Mitchel again. Mitchel’s teacher is great; she really wants to learn and has incorporated signs into her lessons since last week. Mitchel’s still really behind b/c he didn’t come to school til this year, but it’s a start. (It doesn’t help that she has 31 kids in her class!) I love working with them. Leisha is precocious and funny, and Mitchel is so sweet, and good w/ his sister. They were both excited about the manual alphabet cards I gave them and were quizzing each other and me on them. I tried to convince their parents to send them on the bus to church on Sunday, so we’ll see how that goes. I would love to get to see them more than once a week.
Big news of the week is that Miss Pech, the woman with Elodia’s job in my other school district (Corozal-- really it’s another state), has arranged for several other Deaf students in the district to come to school 2 days a week with me. Eek! I might have 7 students at the same time all the sudden, which essentially means I become the teacher for a Deaf class, just as Nancy is. I might have help from Lupita if she can (while also teaching the special ed students), but I’m pretty nervous about it all. The details aren’t completely clear yet and I let Miss Pech know that I would love to have all the Deaf students together but I’m not sure I’m the one for the job right now. She's already talked to the parents though, so we shall see who I have on Thursday. Today I’m going with Evelyn and her mom for her appointment with the psychologist. I have the morning off until then which is I why I had some time to blog (and do laundry, and send e-mails inquiring about my future. Still don't know if I have the internship in DC yet).
Ayayay. When I don’t blog for a week, even the short version is long!
My great love for all who read it in its entirety.
Thinking of you all often, ciao ciao
Last week was my first week with “my” students at other schools. Mitchel and Leisha are so unbelievably lovable and eager to learn. Evelyn seemed to settle into her change of environment well. By the second day she was laughing and playing with the other kids and initiating conversation with me, which was gratifying to see because I was worried about how she’d take to the change in routine. Lupita (Christopher's, Ana's, Carlos', and now Evelyn’s teacher) does not know as much ASL as I’d originally thought so that was a little disappointing. I don’t fault her for it at all; she made the time to attend Nancy’s classes and wants to learn; she just doesn’t have much exposure or anyone to practice with so it’s hard to keep it up. I’m doing mini-classes with her and Miss Sheba (teaching assistant) when classes get out.
Friday was Valentine’s Fair all day at Nancy’s school and I got to run the face-painting booth:D. I loved it, and the kids were really excited about it. I got my first little sunburn that day too, but considering how cold I hear it’s been in the midwest lately, I wasn’t complaining!
Friday afternoon Elodia invited me to spend the weekend in Cayo district (district=state) 3 hrs south of here. Elodia and her son Edgar and I went and had a really relaxing time. It was a beautiful place, just as I’ve been told. Mountainous and green. We swam in the river, slept in, lounged around the house, watched a couple movies, visited their relatives, stopped in at the San Ignacio annual fair (small rides and game booths), drove to the high point of the city at night and looked over the valley to see all the city lights, and went to visit Mayan temples (now ruins) with a spectacular view from the top. I also got a few mini-Kriol lessons from Edgar and got to chat a lot with Elodia.
Monday was back to school and I was glad to see everyone again since I’d missed them on Sunday. Tuesday I spent with Leisha & Mitchel again. Mitchel’s teacher is great; she really wants to learn and has incorporated signs into her lessons since last week. Mitchel’s still really behind b/c he didn’t come to school til this year, but it’s a start. (It doesn’t help that she has 31 kids in her class!) I love working with them. Leisha is precocious and funny, and Mitchel is so sweet, and good w/ his sister. They were both excited about the manual alphabet cards I gave them and were quizzing each other and me on them. I tried to convince their parents to send them on the bus to church on Sunday, so we’ll see how that goes. I would love to get to see them more than once a week.
Big news of the week is that Miss Pech, the woman with Elodia’s job in my other school district (Corozal-- really it’s another state), has arranged for several other Deaf students in the district to come to school 2 days a week with me. Eek! I might have 7 students at the same time all the sudden, which essentially means I become the teacher for a Deaf class, just as Nancy is. I might have help from Lupita if she can (while also teaching the special ed students), but I’m pretty nervous about it all. The details aren’t completely clear yet and I let Miss Pech know that I would love to have all the Deaf students together but I’m not sure I’m the one for the job right now. She's already talked to the parents though, so we shall see who I have on Thursday. Today I’m going with Evelyn and her mom for her appointment with the psychologist. I have the morning off until then which is I why I had some time to blog (and do laundry, and send e-mails inquiring about my future. Still don't know if I have the internship in DC yet).
Ayayay. When I don’t blog for a week, even the short version is long!
My great love for all who read it in its entirety.
Thinking of you all often, ciao ciao
Friday, February 8, 2008
Summary Post
Hola hola!
Pues, I've been having some internet connectivity/time issues lately, so I haven't been able to do the necessary file swapping/cutting & pasting/publishing necessary to keep my blog up to date. I finally posted today, but it's a lot to read.
Thus, find the short version of a big week below (see posts on the right for the full versions). Also notice that I gave up trying to publish in descending order because it was archiving the posts weird. So you kinda gotta work your way backwards.
Summary:
Last week Elodia took me to meet the Deaf students I'll be working with in another school district. I'm looking forward to getting started next week.
Nancy's supervisors from Virginia Mennonite Missions were here this week (Gloria and Galen Lehman), which was a fun time. On Monday, Nancy taught and I went w/ the Lemans to take a boat to the Mayan ruins not too far from here, as well as to do some bird spotting. (List of sights seen posted separately).
Tuesday the three of them went to San Pedro for a bit of a retreat, and I got the chance to go w/ Nancy's class on a field trip to Belize City as a sub of sorts. Wednesday I also subbed in Nancy's room (it was a half day), and it was a fun adventure.
Thursday was Election Day so there was no school. Nancy and I took Gloria and Galen to the airport, and then lounged around the house. And today was We Won the Election Day so everyone was rallying, and there was no school either. So what did we do today? Why, went to Mexico of course:). Woohoo, new country! It was a great time. We didn't do touristy stuff and it was a quick trip across the border but it was a really relaxing afternoon. Elton, one of the older guys from the Deaf church (well, I think he goes to the Jehovah Witness church now, but anyway) came with us, which was fun.
And now it's time for Girl's Night, so I'm off.
Oh, we made a stop at Office Depot and got a mic for the computer, as well as a new printer for Nancy, so Skyping is a possibility now.
Hope all is well, much love!
Pues, I've been having some internet connectivity/time issues lately, so I haven't been able to do the necessary file swapping/cutting & pasting/publishing necessary to keep my blog up to date. I finally posted today, but it's a lot to read.
Thus, find the short version of a big week below (see posts on the right for the full versions). Also notice that I gave up trying to publish in descending order because it was archiving the posts weird. So you kinda gotta work your way backwards.
Summary:
Last week Elodia took me to meet the Deaf students I'll be working with in another school district. I'm looking forward to getting started next week.
Nancy's supervisors from Virginia Mennonite Missions were here this week (Gloria and Galen Lehman), which was a fun time. On Monday, Nancy taught and I went w/ the Lemans to take a boat to the Mayan ruins not too far from here, as well as to do some bird spotting. (List of sights seen posted separately).
Tuesday the three of them went to San Pedro for a bit of a retreat, and I got the chance to go w/ Nancy's class on a field trip to Belize City as a sub of sorts. Wednesday I also subbed in Nancy's room (it was a half day), and it was a fun adventure.
Thursday was Election Day so there was no school. Nancy and I took Gloria and Galen to the airport, and then lounged around the house. And today was We Won the Election Day so everyone was rallying, and there was no school either. So what did we do today? Why, went to Mexico of course:). Woohoo, new country! It was a great time. We didn't do touristy stuff and it was a quick trip across the border but it was a really relaxing afternoon. Elton, one of the older guys from the Deaf church (well, I think he goes to the Jehovah Witness church now, but anyway) came with us, which was fun.
And now it's time for Girl's Night, so I'm off.
Oh, we made a stop at Office Depot and got a mic for the computer, as well as a new printer for Nancy, so Skyping is a possibility now.
Hope all is well, much love!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Blue & Red
Feb 7
The kids were a little more wily yesterday morning, but it still went fine. For my fellow ASLrs, we played the Elephant Game in the afternoon and that was fun. Political fervor was mounting, as people were marching and wearing their party colors. Red for UDP and blue for PUP (the incumbent). Sulmi went home today instead of Friday this week b/c we don’t have school Thursday and probably no Friday either. It was fun to hang out with her in the evening, though I think she missed Nancy. She asked me several times when she’d be back:). It’s her birthday Friday, the big 9!, so we’ll probably celebrate sometime next week.
Gloria and Galen left this morning, and Nancy and I hung out the rest of the afternoon.
It rained all morning, which we decided was probably lucky b/c it meant fewer people were marching for their party in the wet streets. We’re watching the election coverage now and should know by tomorrow morning who won. It has seemed really peaceful so far, which is a blessing b/c there had been some threats on PUP officials. Now it’s a waiting game.
And speaking of politics, I watched the CNN coverage of Super Tuesday in the States the other day, and I’ve decided I don’t care if it’s Hillary or Obama, I just want someone to get the nomination so this contest can be over. I don’t even like watching a whole football game b/c they take so long-- how am I supposed to wait for the winner for months? This campaign has already been going on for like a year!
That’s all for me. Time for homework.
The kids were a little more wily yesterday morning, but it still went fine. For my fellow ASLrs, we played the Elephant Game in the afternoon and that was fun. Political fervor was mounting, as people were marching and wearing their party colors. Red for UDP and blue for PUP (the incumbent). Sulmi went home today instead of Friday this week b/c we don’t have school Thursday and probably no Friday either. It was fun to hang out with her in the evening, though I think she missed Nancy. She asked me several times when she’d be back:). It’s her birthday Friday, the big 9!, so we’ll probably celebrate sometime next week.
Gloria and Galen left this morning, and Nancy and I hung out the rest of the afternoon.
It rained all morning, which we decided was probably lucky b/c it meant fewer people were marching for their party in the wet streets. We’re watching the election coverage now and should know by tomorrow morning who won. It has seemed really peaceful so far, which is a blessing b/c there had been some threats on PUP officials. Now it’s a waiting game.
And speaking of politics, I watched the CNN coverage of Super Tuesday in the States the other day, and I’ve decided I don’t care if it’s Hillary or Obama, I just want someone to get the nomination so this contest can be over. I don’t even like watching a whole football game b/c they take so long-- how am I supposed to wait for the winner for months? This campaign has already been going on for like a year!
That’s all for me. Time for homework.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Shrove Tuesday Field Trip
Feb 5
Today went much better than I feared! I had 6 students for the day, but 3 moms came on the field trip which helped considerably, especially since one of them was Luis’ mom and the other boys often get into it with him. Alejandro, our other little hyper one with the most charming of smiles and the most formidable of pouts, behaved very well too. My prayers were answered in that tomorrow is only a half day, which actually means some of the kids have to leave at 10.30 to catch their afternoon bus home, and I won’t have class in the afternoon when the kids have the hardest time behaving. We’ll see how it goes.
Our field trip today was to Belize City for a gathering of all the special ed classes from 4 area schools. It was so fun to watch the kids with the other Deaf classes! They were super excited. The older kids have met each other before so it was a happy reunion. Edgar especially was very content to meet a couple Deaf girls his age (he’s very 14) :). Misael was absolutely fascinated with everything. It might have been his first time to Belize City, so seeing the big boats and the ocean when we drove in was totally enthralling.
The physical set-up was far from ideal for interpreting, but we made do. Basically, the kids couldn’t see me and changing that would have taken a big effort, so I decided not to do something that would make me look like the Let-me-show-you-how-it’s-done American. Plus, the kids were happy just to chat with each other anyway. I figured talking with Deaf friends they don’t see often was a better educational experience than barely being able to get an interpretation from me, right? So it was a lesson in knowing my limitations and trying to remember the goal of the environment.
I also got to meet two more of the Deaf guys from Orange Walk that I hadn’t yet met. Elton (who attends the Jehovah’s Witness church now) and Marcel go to Post-Primary school in Belize City, but rode the bus back with us to Orange Walk. Everyone got home safely and happily I think; then I spent an hour waiting with Alejandro for his bus. When he got tired of thumb wars and try-to-slap-my-hand, and kept singing LONG TIME...LOOOONG TIME!, I gave him my cell phone to play with. Camera and calculator were a hit-- woot for technology.
Now Sulmi’s doing her homework and I’m updating my blog.
Elections for Prime Minister are on Thursday, which means no school, and a big party Thursday night or Friday. Should be interesting.
New Vocab Hold it (bathroom)/ Deal with it/ Wait it out: PATIENT. I asked the kids if they needed to use the bathroom before we left. Several signed PATIENT (“I can wait.”)
BELMOPAN: p-L B over heart, m= WOOD (like sawing heart)
Today went much better than I feared! I had 6 students for the day, but 3 moms came on the field trip which helped considerably, especially since one of them was Luis’ mom and the other boys often get into it with him. Alejandro, our other little hyper one with the most charming of smiles and the most formidable of pouts, behaved very well too. My prayers were answered in that tomorrow is only a half day, which actually means some of the kids have to leave at 10.30 to catch their afternoon bus home, and I won’t have class in the afternoon when the kids have the hardest time behaving. We’ll see how it goes.
Our field trip today was to Belize City for a gathering of all the special ed classes from 4 area schools. It was so fun to watch the kids with the other Deaf classes! They were super excited. The older kids have met each other before so it was a happy reunion. Edgar especially was very content to meet a couple Deaf girls his age (he’s very 14) :). Misael was absolutely fascinated with everything. It might have been his first time to Belize City, so seeing the big boats and the ocean when we drove in was totally enthralling.
The physical set-up was far from ideal for interpreting, but we made do. Basically, the kids couldn’t see me and changing that would have taken a big effort, so I decided not to do something that would make me look like the Let-me-show-you-how-it’s-done American. Plus, the kids were happy just to chat with each other anyway. I figured talking with Deaf friends they don’t see often was a better educational experience than barely being able to get an interpretation from me, right? So it was a lesson in knowing my limitations and trying to remember the goal of the environment.
I also got to meet two more of the Deaf guys from Orange Walk that I hadn’t yet met. Elton (who attends the Jehovah’s Witness church now) and Marcel go to Post-Primary school in Belize City, but rode the bus back with us to Orange Walk. Everyone got home safely and happily I think; then I spent an hour waiting with Alejandro for his bus. When he got tired of thumb wars and try-to-slap-my-hand, and kept singing LONG TIME...LOOOONG TIME!, I gave him my cell phone to play with. Camera and calculator were a hit-- woot for technology.
Now Sulmi’s doing her homework and I’m updating my blog.
Elections for Prime Minister are on Thursday, which means no school, and a big party Thursday night or Friday. Should be interesting.
New Vocab Hold it (bathroom)/ Deal with it/ Wait it out: PATIENT. I asked the kids if they needed to use the bathroom before we left. Several signed PATIENT (“I can wait.”)
BELMOPAN: p-L B over heart, m= WOOD (like sawing heart)
Monday, February 4, 2008
Sights Seen
Feb 4
Lamanai(n) today.
‘Twas a glorious visit. Lamanai is the site of an ancient Mayan city, about an hour’s boat ride from OW. Galen, Gloria, and I caught the pontoon-style boat (I think? My boat terminology is a little fuzzy-- well, it was a covered speedboat) about 9am. I had a request to log the wildlife I observed, so you can find that list below. The guides’ ability to spot animals while we zipped along at 35mph was pretty impressive indeed. Loose quotes of his are also included in the list. It was a gorgeous, relaxing, edifying day.
Animal, Vegetable, & Man-made:
(the spelling might be a bit creative at times)
•1 Green Kingfisher
•1 Great Kisskidy
•1 Purple Gallinew
•1 Lilly Trotter/Jesus Bird/ “Bird of the 90’s”-- “This bird is very liberal. When they mate, the female lays the eggs, then goes off with other males while the father stays on the nest. The female is bigger and bulkier than the male, so if he gets out of line, she just kicks his butt and that’s the end of that.”
•5 Crocodiles (small freshwater species). Includes 1 baby crocodile, aw! “The biggest ones are named after our prime ministers.”
•Many vultures
•1 Great Ringed Kingfisher
•“There are 573 different kinds of birds in Belize, 150 are migratory.”
•[Inner monologue: This is beautiful! Are we killing the river life w/ our boat exhaust?]
•5+ Iguanas. Some of the green species, some of the spiny species. The green species males have bright orange crests and black stripes and are fearfully beautiful
-----“The green species of iguana are also known as Bamboo Chicken. So we have two kinds of chicken here in Belize.” In other words, the green iguanas are tasty, like chicken. They’re protected in the parks, but for some communities, they are a delicacy.
•8 Probiscus bats
-----“See the dark spots on the bark of that tree? That’s not bark, those are the smallest species of bats in the world.” Then the boat got too close and the bark turned into fuzzy little lumps and flew away. They were each only about 3 inches long.
•Provision Tree. Bright pink and white flowers that can be boiled and mixed w/ sugar for making a medicinal drink for high cholesterol or anemia.
-----“Mixed right, it tastes just like Olvateen. No, really.”
-----“I don’t want to get too close to the tree though, because we have jumping vipers. No-- really.”
• Rum distilleries. Owned by the Cuello brothers from Corozal,
•Right next to the Luna Resort, owned by a Texan man. The resort doubles as an addiction recovery center. Did I mention it's right next to the distilleries?
-----Hm...
• 5 captive howler and spider monkeys, in a small enclosure at the edge of the rehab center. Sad.
•Bullet Trees. “Belize’s hardest wood. You can’t use nails in it because they just bend.”
-----81% of Belize’s area is natural vegetation, and 41% of that is in protected lands (parks) or land that cannot be logged or developed w/o a permit. The government is working at sustainable logging.
•1 Common Night Jar
----- This is a nocturnal bird about 5 inches long that was sleeping, completely still, on a branch about 20 feet up from the river. How in the world the guide saw it, I have no idea
•Great Egret
•Tri-color Heron
•Bear-throated Heron
•Black- collared Hawk
•Jabaroo Stork (the biggest stork in the world I think. 5 feet tall)
This is when we arrived at Lamanai(n). I put the N in parentheses b/c everyone knows it as "Lamanai", but this is due to a historical misunderstanding. The Spanish heard "Lamanai" when they encountered the Maya people, but that means "insect". Lamanain means crocodile, and the city has many monuments or artifacts that reference crocodiles, not mere bugs.
Anyway, we ate a good lunch, then walked through the jungle a bit and saw...
•Howler monkeys (in the wild where they belong). A whole family of them, but they were not howling today
•Rubber trees. Not used for commercial purposes
Then we arrived at the first excavated temple. Most temples in Belize are grown over by now, but they are pretty much everywhere in the jungle. Our guide said that at the Maya civilization’s high point, there were an est. 1.5 million people living in what is now Belize (currently there are about 300,000). Lamanai was a settlement of about 50-60,000 people.
We saw the Jaguar Temple (someday I’ll figure out how to publish pictures), and the High Temple, which we climbed. As one member of our tour group said, “80 steps-- one for each of my 80 years”! We climbed to the top and there was a gorgeous 360º view of the countryside.
We also got some Mayan history lessons. There are 22,000 Maya people still living in Belize, so the myth of their extinction should not be believed. Of course the culture has adapted & changed, but the people and many traditions remain.
Theories of what caused the Mayan decline, according to our guide, include:
--Ecological changes
--Natural disasters
--Warfare
--Sickness brought by the Spanish
-- And, our guide’s own personal theory-- Ingenious use of the rubber trees and phallic statues(e.g. molds) for effective family planning
It was about time to go, so back in the boat we went, for a faster ride, but nonetheless we saw...
•4 Great Blue Heron
•Sugar factory and sugar barges
•Black-necked Stilts (They stand on one leg like flamingos, but they’re white and small)
•Greenback Heron
•Mennonites!
------“This is Shipyard, a Mennonite settlement. They arrived in Belize in the 1850s. About 1,200 live here, and we have 10,000 countrywide. They are responsible for nearly all of the eggs sold in Belize today. We have these Mennonites here who only use horse and cart, then another group who use a few machines with engines, like tractors, but they try to keep to their traditional ways. There are also progressive Mennonites that live in town, dress like you and me, marry locally, etc. Some are so liberal, in fact, that years ago they were even caught making dope! But the problem here in Shipyard is inbreeding; they marry too close. So, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all! They all look the same.” Ha! The Lehmans and I were pretty amused at having Mennos on the list of attractions alongside the birds and crocodiles.
•Anhinga/Snake Bird
------It’s a bird w/ an S-shaped neck that doesn’t have the oils most birds do to help them dry out, so after it dives it has to stand w/ its wings open to dry off. We saw it spread out on a branch. Beautiful
•Grackel
Back to the house, to have dinner with Pastor Chon, of the Belizian Evangelical Mennonite Conference (our Spanish-speaking church), and to interpret a meeting between him, Galen, Gloria & Nancy.
Fun day, now I must go to bed! Subbing tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Lamanai(n) today.
‘Twas a glorious visit. Lamanai is the site of an ancient Mayan city, about an hour’s boat ride from OW. Galen, Gloria, and I caught the pontoon-style boat (I think? My boat terminology is a little fuzzy-- well, it was a covered speedboat) about 9am. I had a request to log the wildlife I observed, so you can find that list below. The guides’ ability to spot animals while we zipped along at 35mph was pretty impressive indeed. Loose quotes of his are also included in the list. It was a gorgeous, relaxing, edifying day.
Animal, Vegetable, & Man-made:
(the spelling might be a bit creative at times)
•1 Green Kingfisher
•1 Great Kisskidy
•1 Purple Gallinew
•1 Lilly Trotter/Jesus Bird/ “Bird of the 90’s”-- “This bird is very liberal. When they mate, the female lays the eggs, then goes off with other males while the father stays on the nest. The female is bigger and bulkier than the male, so if he gets out of line, she just kicks his butt and that’s the end of that.”
•5 Crocodiles (small freshwater species). Includes 1 baby crocodile, aw! “The biggest ones are named after our prime ministers.”
•Many vultures
•1 Great Ringed Kingfisher
•“There are 573 different kinds of birds in Belize, 150 are migratory.”
•[Inner monologue: This is beautiful! Are we killing the river life w/ our boat exhaust?]
•5+ Iguanas. Some of the green species, some of the spiny species. The green species males have bright orange crests and black stripes and are fearfully beautiful
-----“The green species of iguana are also known as Bamboo Chicken. So we have two kinds of chicken here in Belize.” In other words, the green iguanas are tasty, like chicken. They’re protected in the parks, but for some communities, they are a delicacy.
•8 Probiscus bats
-----“See the dark spots on the bark of that tree? That’s not bark, those are the smallest species of bats in the world.” Then the boat got too close and the bark turned into fuzzy little lumps and flew away. They were each only about 3 inches long.
•Provision Tree. Bright pink and white flowers that can be boiled and mixed w/ sugar for making a medicinal drink for high cholesterol or anemia.
-----“Mixed right, it tastes just like Olvateen. No, really.”
-----“I don’t want to get too close to the tree though, because we have jumping vipers. No-- really.”
• Rum distilleries. Owned by the Cuello brothers from Corozal,
•Right next to the Luna Resort, owned by a Texan man. The resort doubles as an addiction recovery center. Did I mention it's right next to the distilleries?
-----Hm...
• 5 captive howler and spider monkeys, in a small enclosure at the edge of the rehab center. Sad.
•Bullet Trees. “Belize’s hardest wood. You can’t use nails in it because they just bend.”
-----81% of Belize’s area is natural vegetation, and 41% of that is in protected lands (parks) or land that cannot be logged or developed w/o a permit. The government is working at sustainable logging.
•1 Common Night Jar
----- This is a nocturnal bird about 5 inches long that was sleeping, completely still, on a branch about 20 feet up from the river. How in the world the guide saw it, I have no idea
•Great Egret
•Tri-color Heron
•Bear-throated Heron
•Black- collared Hawk
•Jabaroo Stork (the biggest stork in the world I think. 5 feet tall)
This is when we arrived at Lamanai(n). I put the N in parentheses b/c everyone knows it as "Lamanai", but this is due to a historical misunderstanding. The Spanish heard "Lamanai" when they encountered the Maya people, but that means "insect". Lamanain means crocodile, and the city has many monuments or artifacts that reference crocodiles, not mere bugs.
Anyway, we ate a good lunch, then walked through the jungle a bit and saw...
•Howler monkeys (in the wild where they belong). A whole family of them, but they were not howling today
•Rubber trees. Not used for commercial purposes
Then we arrived at the first excavated temple. Most temples in Belize are grown over by now, but they are pretty much everywhere in the jungle. Our guide said that at the Maya civilization’s high point, there were an est. 1.5 million people living in what is now Belize (currently there are about 300,000). Lamanai was a settlement of about 50-60,000 people.
We saw the Jaguar Temple (someday I’ll figure out how to publish pictures), and the High Temple, which we climbed. As one member of our tour group said, “80 steps-- one for each of my 80 years”! We climbed to the top and there was a gorgeous 360º view of the countryside.
We also got some Mayan history lessons. There are 22,000 Maya people still living in Belize, so the myth of their extinction should not be believed. Of course the culture has adapted & changed, but the people and many traditions remain.
Theories of what caused the Mayan decline, according to our guide, include:
--Ecological changes
--Natural disasters
--Warfare
--Sickness brought by the Spanish
-- And, our guide’s own personal theory-- Ingenious use of the rubber trees and phallic statues(e.g. molds) for effective family planning
It was about time to go, so back in the boat we went, for a faster ride, but nonetheless we saw...
•4 Great Blue Heron
•Sugar factory and sugar barges
•Black-necked Stilts (They stand on one leg like flamingos, but they’re white and small)
•Greenback Heron
•Mennonites!
------“This is Shipyard, a Mennonite settlement. They arrived in Belize in the 1850s. About 1,200 live here, and we have 10,000 countrywide. They are responsible for nearly all of the eggs sold in Belize today. We have these Mennonites here who only use horse and cart, then another group who use a few machines with engines, like tractors, but they try to keep to their traditional ways. There are also progressive Mennonites that live in town, dress like you and me, marry locally, etc. Some are so liberal, in fact, that years ago they were even caught making dope! But the problem here in Shipyard is inbreeding; they marry too close. So, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all! They all look the same.” Ha! The Lehmans and I were pretty amused at having Mennos on the list of attractions alongside the birds and crocodiles.
•Anhinga/Snake Bird
------It’s a bird w/ an S-shaped neck that doesn’t have the oils most birds do to help them dry out, so after it dives it has to stand w/ its wings open to dry off. We saw it spread out on a branch. Beautiful
•Grackel
Back to the house, to have dinner with Pastor Chon, of the Belizian Evangelical Mennonite Conference (our Spanish-speaking church), and to interpret a meeting between him, Galen, Gloria & Nancy.
Fun day, now I must go to bed! Subbing tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Day of Rest (?)
Feb 3
Deaf church-- woot! 25 people came, including Nancy’s supervisors (Galen and Gloria Lehman, for those playing the Menno game). I interpreted into Spanish & English (I switched back and forth) for hearing siblings and a hard of hearing man, Alejandro, who has apparently seen Nancy pick people up before, so he was waiting at a corner and asked to come to church. He’s from Orange Walk, but has just been back for 3 months after living in Las Vegas for 5 years. He’s also Hipolito’s cousin; he was fun to chat with. I also met Mario, a Deaf man I had heard about but hadn’t had the chance to meet yet. It was a special service in that Galen and Gloria were here, and lots of ppl came, and Nancy was preaching on making difficult choices-- serious life changes such as choosing faith or not. One woman who has struggled a lot with addiction responded to Nancy’s sermon by saying she was ready to change her life. It was a touching moment. After church, I got to talk with Mario and Angelica during the dropping off process. God bless Nancy for her chauffeuring-- she spends about 6-8 hours on the road every Sunday, picking people up in the morning and then dropping them off in the afternoon. It’s always enjoyable to see people’s families for a few moments, but I do admire her fortitude on some of the bumpier roads. We got back just in time to grab dinner and then go to the Spanish-speaking church that sponsors Nancy’s ministry. Galen and Gloria and I went to the service while Nancy worked on lesson plans. Then it was back home to relax for a bit, play Go Fish with Kristel and the Lehmans, and just generally be worn out. Tomorrow we’re off for a field trip!
New Vocab
Brakes: (Mario) STOP. I’m a mechanic; I fix brakes, wheels, etc.
Wheels: p-L/o W, m=circular
Rebellious/spoiled/bratty: COMMUNIST w/ R i/s of x. (Angelica/Alva). He never does what he’s told. He’s kind of a brat.
Dangriga: D sq (Mario). I’ve been to Cayo, Toledo, Dangriga, etc.
Bad behavior/Surprising behavior: STUBBORN (all the kids). Angelica-- He never does what he’s told. He’s STUBBORN. Edgar-- Miss Marshall acted like she was dancing during that story! STUBBORN.
Formal/Fancy: STUCK UP (Edgar & Luis). You look fancy in that picture w/ the fancy dress.
Deaf church-- woot! 25 people came, including Nancy’s supervisors (Galen and Gloria Lehman, for those playing the Menno game). I interpreted into Spanish & English (I switched back and forth) for hearing siblings and a hard of hearing man, Alejandro, who has apparently seen Nancy pick people up before, so he was waiting at a corner and asked to come to church. He’s from Orange Walk, but has just been back for 3 months after living in Las Vegas for 5 years. He’s also Hipolito’s cousin; he was fun to chat with. I also met Mario, a Deaf man I had heard about but hadn’t had the chance to meet yet. It was a special service in that Galen and Gloria were here, and lots of ppl came, and Nancy was preaching on making difficult choices-- serious life changes such as choosing faith or not. One woman who has struggled a lot with addiction responded to Nancy’s sermon by saying she was ready to change her life. It was a touching moment. After church, I got to talk with Mario and Angelica during the dropping off process. God bless Nancy for her chauffeuring-- she spends about 6-8 hours on the road every Sunday, picking people up in the morning and then dropping them off in the afternoon. It’s always enjoyable to see people’s families for a few moments, but I do admire her fortitude on some of the bumpier roads. We got back just in time to grab dinner and then go to the Spanish-speaking church that sponsors Nancy’s ministry. Galen and Gloria and I went to the service while Nancy worked on lesson plans. Then it was back home to relax for a bit, play Go Fish with Kristel and the Lehmans, and just generally be worn out. Tomorrow we’re off for a field trip!
New Vocab
Brakes: (Mario) STOP. I’m a mechanic; I fix brakes, wheels, etc.
Wheels: p-L/o W, m=circular
Rebellious/spoiled/bratty: COMMUNIST w/ R i/s of x. (Angelica/Alva). He never does what he’s told. He’s kind of a brat.
Dangriga: D sq (Mario). I’ve been to Cayo, Toledo, Dangriga, etc.
Bad behavior/Surprising behavior: STUBBORN (all the kids). Angelica-- He never does what he’s told. He’s STUBBORN. Edgar-- Miss Marshall acted like she was dancing during that story! STUBBORN.
Formal/Fancy: STUCK UP (Edgar & Luis). You look fancy in that picture w/ the fancy dress.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Twodays
Feb 2
We had girls nite again last nite, and I really enjoyed it. We read Psalm 147, a praise psalm, and it was a good time for remembering gratitude. It’s also just fun to get to know the women who come a little better. Angelica’s hearing sister and Yelizta’s hard of hearing sister who doesn’t really sign both came tonight too. I ended up interpreting into English for them most of the evening. It was a good experience on a personal and linguistic level. Personally, it was cool to have the two women be involved in the group. At first I was a little worried that my interpreting would throw off the experience for the Deaf women there by interrupting the flow of conversation, but I asked Nancy about it and she said she was glad the two hearing/ hard of hearing girls got to participate. Yelitza too said she was grateful her sister could engage in conversation with the group, so that was a gratifying interpreting moment. The reason I love interpreting is because I feel like being bi/trilingual is a skill I’ve been privileged enough to get to develop that I can now offer in order to contribute to the strengthening of connections between people, and when that happens it’s a really awesome thing to see.
Strictly in regards to internship-experience, it was great practice in interactive interpreting (as opposed to interpreting a lecture, for example). Negotiating turn-taking was tricky, as I tried to find the right moment to sign what one of the girls had just spoken, while everyone else was moving on with the conversation. It was a comfortable environment where almost everyone knew each other though, so they were all very patient with me and I thought it went well. I think I really like that type of interpreting (conversational b/t both languages), rather than only going one direction. It's cool to interpret in a situation that allows interaction b/t participants. En fin, to end the night, we broke out a photo album from last year and everyone “introduced” me to all the church members I haven’t yet met. Looking forward to meeting them in person.
To summarize today in two sentences, it was a busy but low-key day getting ready for Nancy’s supervisors to arrive. Kristel stayed this weekend with us (Sulmi is back at her own house for the weekend), so we hung out too. Tomorrow is church day, and then my kinda crazy week begins. Teachers, please be sending your fortifying thoughts my way:).
Warmth to you all!
New Vocab
106.fool/trick: (v) p-in pinch nose. Alejandro’s trying to trick his friends by telling them the wrong answer.
107.Argentina: Lh p-in C by shoulder, Rh p-in claw by abs, Rh strums. Argentina had a big soccer game today. River vs. Boca.
108.Mario: =Myron
We had girls nite again last nite, and I really enjoyed it. We read Psalm 147, a praise psalm, and it was a good time for remembering gratitude. It’s also just fun to get to know the women who come a little better. Angelica’s hearing sister and Yelizta’s hard of hearing sister who doesn’t really sign both came tonight too. I ended up interpreting into English for them most of the evening. It was a good experience on a personal and linguistic level. Personally, it was cool to have the two women be involved in the group. At first I was a little worried that my interpreting would throw off the experience for the Deaf women there by interrupting the flow of conversation, but I asked Nancy about it and she said she was glad the two hearing/ hard of hearing girls got to participate. Yelitza too said she was grateful her sister could engage in conversation with the group, so that was a gratifying interpreting moment. The reason I love interpreting is because I feel like being bi/trilingual is a skill I’ve been privileged enough to get to develop that I can now offer in order to contribute to the strengthening of connections between people, and when that happens it’s a really awesome thing to see.
Strictly in regards to internship-experience, it was great practice in interactive interpreting (as opposed to interpreting a lecture, for example). Negotiating turn-taking was tricky, as I tried to find the right moment to sign what one of the girls had just spoken, while everyone else was moving on with the conversation. It was a comfortable environment where almost everyone knew each other though, so they were all very patient with me and I thought it went well. I think I really like that type of interpreting (conversational b/t both languages), rather than only going one direction. It's cool to interpret in a situation that allows interaction b/t participants. En fin, to end the night, we broke out a photo album from last year and everyone “introduced” me to all the church members I haven’t yet met. Looking forward to meeting them in person.
To summarize today in two sentences, it was a busy but low-key day getting ready for Nancy’s supervisors to arrive. Kristel stayed this weekend with us (Sulmi is back at her own house for the weekend), so we hung out too. Tomorrow is church day, and then my kinda crazy week begins. Teachers, please be sending your fortifying thoughts my way:).
Warmth to you all!
New Vocab
106.fool/trick: (v) p-in pinch nose. Alejandro’s trying to trick his friends by telling them the wrong answer.
107.Argentina: Lh p-in C by shoulder, Rh p-in claw by abs, Rh strums. Argentina had a big soccer game today. River vs. Boca.
108.Mario: =Myron
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A few favorites
Jan 31, part II
I’m trying not to let the honeymoon period in a new place get the best of me, but I have to say that there are so many things to appreciate about this environment...
Just a few of my favorites:
The people (Nancy, Elodia, Rubia, the kids, Deaf church members)
Getting a laugh from any of the kids
When the kids play w/ signs
Joking with Nancy at Spanish church
Kriol accents-- [For any English speakers who have previously been discouraged, take heart! Your accent would not stand out quite as much if you learned Spanish here; they don’t trill the R’s!:)]
Espanglishiol (mix of Eng, Span, & Kriol that I hear. People switch in and out in fascinating ways.)
I saw the ocean today!! The bus to Corozal takes me right past it. Gorgeous!!!
The weather, ahhhhh
The pride in different cultures & languages
Limes! Lime on everything (well, that might just be me, but it’s pretty popular. Yum)
The rooster next door who wakes me up in the morning, and prances around during the day
The stray starving dog that Nancy took pity on, who now wags her tail when Nancy comes home and gives her some food, before she runs away again
I could keep going. Maybe I’ll start off all my posts with the favorite thing of the day.
New Vocab:
91.torta: sandwich. Hast traido una torta para comer?
92.keik: cake. Que dicen para “cake” entonces? --Le decimos keik no mas
93.Evelyn: E at mouth
94.Michel: M on forehead, fingers moved up and down
95.Leisha: L at corner of eye
96.Naida: N at corner of eye
97.milpa (farming): grow many differen kinds of foods in small plots of the same land, Often for subsistence farming, but also for sale.
98.panga: canoa. Se puede ir en panga hasta Mejico a comprar cosas de contrabando
99.guero: white person. A veces los ninos parece gueritos al nacer, pero luego la piel se hace mas moreno.
100.Christopher: C at forehead
101.Carlos: C flicks shoulder
102.Ana: thumb of A follows eyebrow
103.pepito: seed. Quiere pepito?
104.grenacho: tostado sin carne. Estoy comiendo grenacho. No, no es tostado, porque no lleva carne.
105.shhh: for getting someone’s attention, not for hushing. (Kids at Evelyn’s school)
I’m trying not to let the honeymoon period in a new place get the best of me, but I have to say that there are so many things to appreciate about this environment...
Just a few of my favorites:
The people (Nancy, Elodia, Rubia, the kids, Deaf church members)
Getting a laugh from any of the kids
When the kids play w/ signs
Joking with Nancy at Spanish church
Kriol accents-- [For any English speakers who have previously been discouraged, take heart! Your accent would not stand out quite as much if you learned Spanish here; they don’t trill the R’s!:)]
Espanglishiol (mix of Eng, Span, & Kriol that I hear. People switch in and out in fascinating ways.)
I saw the ocean today!! The bus to Corozal takes me right past it. Gorgeous!!!
The weather, ahhhhh
The pride in different cultures & languages
Limes! Lime on everything (well, that might just be me, but it’s pretty popular. Yum)
The rooster next door who wakes me up in the morning, and prances around during the day
The stray starving dog that Nancy took pity on, who now wags her tail when Nancy comes home and gives her some food, before she runs away again
I could keep going. Maybe I’ll start off all my posts with the favorite thing of the day.
New Vocab:
91.torta: sandwich. Hast traido una torta para comer?
92.keik: cake. Que dicen para “cake” entonces? --Le decimos keik no mas
93.Evelyn: E at mouth
94.Michel: M on forehead, fingers moved up and down
95.Leisha: L at corner of eye
96.Naida: N at corner of eye
97.milpa (farming): grow many differen kinds of foods in small plots of the same land, Often for subsistence farming, but also for sale.
98.panga: canoa. Se puede ir en panga hasta Mejico a comprar cosas de contrabando
99.guero: white person. A veces los ninos parece gueritos al nacer, pero luego la piel se hace mas moreno.
100.Christopher: C at forehead
101.Carlos: C flicks shoulder
102.Ana: thumb of A follows eyebrow
103.pepito: seed. Quiere pepito?
104.grenacho: tostado sin carne. Estoy comiendo grenacho. No, no es tostado, porque no lleva carne.
105.shhh: for getting someone’s attention, not for hushing. (Kids at Evelyn’s school)
Meeting "my" students
Jan 31
I think I am going to learn a lot about how Special Ed works in Belize. I’m already getting some perspective by traveling with Elodia, seeing her talk to the teachers, and doing assessments with her. I feel privileged this semester to be working with two incredibly dedicated women who are great teachers (and great examples for me). Today, Elodia took me to meet the students, teachers, and principals that I will be working with.
First, I met Evelyn, a Deaf girl who is mainstreamed with no interpreter, and no one to teach her sign language. She does math well, but spends the rest of the day copying things off the board that she may or may not understand. My heart broke for her. I left one of the Signing Illustrated textbooks (which First Menno donated--thanks!) with her teacher so he can learn and teach her too, but he has a multi-grade class of like 40 students so I don’t know where he’ll find the time.
After spending the morning with Evelyn at Cristo Rey Elementary, Elodia and I went to Mary Hill, where there are 3 Deaf children. At this school, one of the teachers has tried hard to learn to sign (Nancy was her teacher), and is doing quite well with the kids- Carlos (12), Ana (15), and Christopher (10?). It was great to be in that environment where they get a lot of support, espcially after coming from Evelyn’s school, where everyone has the best intentions but she’s the only Deaf student and there’s just no one available to focus on her language needs.
We ended the day by stopping by San Narciso Elementary, where I met Mitchel (7) and Leisha (4), a Deaf brother and sister. Their cousin Rubia is a good friend of Elodia’s, so I met their mom and older Deaf sister Nadia (25) as well. Elodia and I hashed things over for a while on the way back to Orange Walk and we're hoping Evelyn’s parents might be able to bring her to Mary Hill with the 3 other Deaf students for school 2 days a week. That way I all 4 kids get more language exposure from me and each other, and Miss Lupita (the teacher who is signing with her students already) can give Evelyn the educational support she needs that I have no experience in. Since Lupita is eager to learn, hopefully I could maximize my short time in Belize and support her ASL efforts so that the kids keep benefiting even after my internship's over. I’m really here for such a short time...
In any case, I think I’ll spend one day a week at San Narciso with the teacher there, and Nadia said she’d come in and help teach the kids too, which would be excellent. I’m learning a lot about how to work in an educational team, and how to offer the linguistic knowledge I have in a way that’s helpful without overstepping my knowledge-base as someone who has never taken an education class. Elodia, for example, is really good at firmly but empathetically conveying to parents how important it is that their children come to school, even when things are not easy for them because of various disabilities, and she is willing to go an extra 5 miles for each student to try to get them what they need to be successful in school. Nancy is the same way-- driving 3 hrs every morning to pick up Deaf church members, giving workshops and doing home visits for families with Deaf children, being a little bit Mom, a little bit Teacher, a little bit Pastor, a little bit..whatever else someone needs at the moment. She’s another great role model for me of someone who knows how to meet a person where s/he is and go from there (a lot like Myron and his constant stream of Deaf-culture-impaired students:) ). This is definitely a place where you feel both like the task at hand is too big to take on, and also that with the necessary skills/equipment you could make a significant difference in the lives of many of the students.
I think I am going to learn a lot about how Special Ed works in Belize. I’m already getting some perspective by traveling with Elodia, seeing her talk to the teachers, and doing assessments with her. I feel privileged this semester to be working with two incredibly dedicated women who are great teachers (and great examples for me). Today, Elodia took me to meet the students, teachers, and principals that I will be working with.
First, I met Evelyn, a Deaf girl who is mainstreamed with no interpreter, and no one to teach her sign language. She does math well, but spends the rest of the day copying things off the board that she may or may not understand. My heart broke for her. I left one of the Signing Illustrated textbooks (which First Menno donated--thanks!) with her teacher so he can learn and teach her too, but he has a multi-grade class of like 40 students so I don’t know where he’ll find the time.
After spending the morning with Evelyn at Cristo Rey Elementary, Elodia and I went to Mary Hill, where there are 3 Deaf children. At this school, one of the teachers has tried hard to learn to sign (Nancy was her teacher), and is doing quite well with the kids- Carlos (12), Ana (15), and Christopher (10?). It was great to be in that environment where they get a lot of support, espcially after coming from Evelyn’s school, where everyone has the best intentions but she’s the only Deaf student and there’s just no one available to focus on her language needs.
We ended the day by stopping by San Narciso Elementary, where I met Mitchel (7) and Leisha (4), a Deaf brother and sister. Their cousin Rubia is a good friend of Elodia’s, so I met their mom and older Deaf sister Nadia (25) as well. Elodia and I hashed things over for a while on the way back to Orange Walk and we're hoping Evelyn’s parents might be able to bring her to Mary Hill with the 3 other Deaf students for school 2 days a week. That way I all 4 kids get more language exposure from me and each other, and Miss Lupita (the teacher who is signing with her students already) can give Evelyn the educational support she needs that I have no experience in. Since Lupita is eager to learn, hopefully I could maximize my short time in Belize and support her ASL efforts so that the kids keep benefiting even after my internship's over. I’m really here for such a short time...
In any case, I think I’ll spend one day a week at San Narciso with the teacher there, and Nadia said she’d come in and help teach the kids too, which would be excellent. I’m learning a lot about how to work in an educational team, and how to offer the linguistic knowledge I have in a way that’s helpful without overstepping my knowledge-base as someone who has never taken an education class. Elodia, for example, is really good at firmly but empathetically conveying to parents how important it is that their children come to school, even when things are not easy for them because of various disabilities, and she is willing to go an extra 5 miles for each student to try to get them what they need to be successful in school. Nancy is the same way-- driving 3 hrs every morning to pick up Deaf church members, giving workshops and doing home visits for families with Deaf children, being a little bit Mom, a little bit Teacher, a little bit Pastor, a little bit..whatever else someone needs at the moment. She’s another great role model for me of someone who knows how to meet a person where s/he is and go from there (a lot like Myron and his constant stream of Deaf-culture-impaired students:) ). This is definitely a place where you feel both like the task at hand is too big to take on, and also that with the necessary skills/equipment you could make a significant difference in the lives of many of the students.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Been a Big Week, continued
To continue with breaking news: Dj got a job in DC this week and is not coming to visit. I’m excited for her and disappointed for me, but it’s okay because coordinating travel might have been a complicated task anyway it seems. Adam got accepted into the WOOOF-Belize program (www.wooof.org), and will be in Teakettle at some point in the coming months, which, thankfully, is at least a 10hr bus ride away. I say thankfully b/c a) it’s a really cool opportunity for him, b) it will be really nice to be able to share Belize stories with someone when I get back to the States and c) at the same time I’m glad it’s a little far away b/c if I had a close friend nearby it would be tempting to go and visit often and that’s not why I’m here.
Nancy’s supervisors are coming this Saturday and I will travel with them on Monday to Lamanai, a Mayan community. Then Tuesday I will go with Nancy’s class to Belize City for the Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) ceremony at the Anglican church there (Nancy’s school, St. Peter’s, is Anglican.) Nancy and her supervisors are going to the beach that day b/c the supervisors want to travel a little (and Nancy could probably use a little R&R). She graciously invited me along, but she also thought I might like to go with the kids instead, and I had to agree that it was an opportunity I shouldn’t miss. Skipping the beach this time also means that I have the opportunity to substitute teach in Nancy’s class on Wednesday-- eek!!! She said she will plan an easy day for me but I am definitely praying for Pentecost or something to endow me with a sudden burst of her teacher-super-powers, b/c I have very little experience with effective classroom management. I’m good with kids who listen to me, but I'm not sure I know how to pull them back if they don’t. I'm planning to pay extra close until then to Nancy's deft methods. We shall see...! I’m looking forward to it, but I’m scared too:).
One perk of this arrangement, is that I’ll also be babysitting Sulmi for one night, 2 days, and she has to be one of the highlights of living here. She has the most enchanting laugh when something strikes her as funny.
Wish me luck!
Nancy’s supervisors are coming this Saturday and I will travel with them on Monday to Lamanai, a Mayan community. Then Tuesday I will go with Nancy’s class to Belize City for the Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) ceremony at the Anglican church there (Nancy’s school, St. Peter’s, is Anglican.) Nancy and her supervisors are going to the beach that day b/c the supervisors want to travel a little (and Nancy could probably use a little R&R). She graciously invited me along, but she also thought I might like to go with the kids instead, and I had to agree that it was an opportunity I shouldn’t miss. Skipping the beach this time also means that I have the opportunity to substitute teach in Nancy’s class on Wednesday-- eek!!! She said she will plan an easy day for me but I am definitely praying for Pentecost or something to endow me with a sudden burst of her teacher-super-powers, b/c I have very little experience with effective classroom management. I’m good with kids who listen to me, but I'm not sure I know how to pull them back if they don’t. I'm planning to pay extra close until then to Nancy's deft methods. We shall see...! I’m looking forward to it, but I’m scared too:).
One perk of this arrangement, is that I’ll also be babysitting Sulmi for one night, 2 days, and she has to be one of the highlights of living here. She has the most enchanting laugh when something strikes her as funny.
Wish me luck!
Been a Big Week!
Feb 1
I'll try to summarize!
Last Friday was my first Girl's Nite, and allow me correct a previous error-- I think I said there was no one in church over 15, and I have no idea where I came up with that. I don't know if there's anyone over 30, but there are lots of 20-somethings, and some teens, and some younger kids. It's a nice mix, and Nancy is the fearless leader of them all, working towards discipleship with them so they can take leadership roles.
Saturday was a day of down time, and I had entirely too much time to think about things because I wasn't doing homework (which I'm proud to say I'm actually keeping up on fairly well!). It was a bit of a homesick day, but that dissipated when the week picked up again on Sunday and just kept right on charging along.
Sunday was my first time at Deaf church. First I went with Nancy for the 3hr extravaganza of picking people up and meeting their families. It was great to have an idea about where the church members live, and I liked meeting their siblings and parents. I also met one of the older boys that attends the service, Sherwin. Three hearing siblings of Hipolito came to church too, so interpreted for them in Spanish while Nancy told the story of Paul and Silas' time in prison.
Sunday night, after dropping everyone back off at home, Nancy and I went to the Spanish-speaking Mennonite church that sponsors her Deaf ministry. I interpreted the service from Spanish to ASL, but there was an American couple there who may not have spoken fluent Spanish, so Pastor Chon translated for himself, going back and forth from Span/Eng. This means the sermon was twice as long:). After a while, it was probably a little boring for both of us to get the same message twice (altho my interpreting might have been better the 2nd time), so we ended up joking around mostly, and occasionally tuning back in to the message. It was a fun evening, and an example for me of the difference between interpreting in a strict "client-interpreter" relationship, versus interpreting/conversing with a friend. It seemed like a more natural relationship than interpreting assignments where both parties don't know each other.
I'll try to summarize!
Last Friday was my first Girl's Nite, and allow me correct a previous error-- I think I said there was no one in church over 15, and I have no idea where I came up with that. I don't know if there's anyone over 30, but there are lots of 20-somethings, and some teens, and some younger kids. It's a nice mix, and Nancy is the fearless leader of them all, working towards discipleship with them so they can take leadership roles.
Saturday was a day of down time, and I had entirely too much time to think about things because I wasn't doing homework (which I'm proud to say I'm actually keeping up on fairly well!). It was a bit of a homesick day, but that dissipated when the week picked up again on Sunday and just kept right on charging along.
Sunday was my first time at Deaf church. First I went with Nancy for the 3hr extravaganza of picking people up and meeting their families. It was great to have an idea about where the church members live, and I liked meeting their siblings and parents. I also met one of the older boys that attends the service, Sherwin. Three hearing siblings of Hipolito came to church too, so interpreted for them in Spanish while Nancy told the story of Paul and Silas' time in prison.
Sunday night, after dropping everyone back off at home, Nancy and I went to the Spanish-speaking Mennonite church that sponsors her Deaf ministry. I interpreted the service from Spanish to ASL, but there was an American couple there who may not have spoken fluent Spanish, so Pastor Chon translated for himself, going back and forth from Span/Eng. This means the sermon was twice as long:). After a while, it was probably a little boring for both of us to get the same message twice (altho my interpreting might have been better the 2nd time), so we ended up joking around mostly, and occasionally tuning back in to the message. It was a fun evening, and an example for me of the difference between interpreting in a strict "client-interpreter" relationship, versus interpreting/conversing with a friend. It seemed like a more natural relationship than interpreting assignments where both parties don't know each other.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
In case your people want to call my people
My phone is up and running.
For Stateside callers, the number is
011.501.668.5135
I'm on Central time, and I try to go to bed by 10.30-11pm at the latest these days (esp cuz I'll be getting up at 5 most Tues, Wed, Thursdays), so catch me before then if you like.
For the motivated and frugal, you could also call and set up a Skype date.
My schedule-ish you might ask?
M, F: 8am-3pm School
TWR: 6 or 7am -4pm School
Sat: Free
Sun: 9.30am-12pm Deaf Church & Lunch,
6pm-8.30pm Spanish church
I am trying to keep to my original plan of staying out of contact for at least the first two weeks, so I won't be checking my e-mail again until this weekend(ish).
Much love!
For Stateside callers, the number is
011.501.668.5135
I'm on Central time, and I try to go to bed by 10.30-11pm at the latest these days (esp cuz I'll be getting up at 5 most Tues, Wed, Thursdays), so catch me before then if you like.
For the motivated and frugal, you could also call and set up a Skype date.
My schedule-ish you might ask?
M, F: 8am-3pm School
TWR: 6 or 7am -4pm School
Sat: Free
Sun: 9.30am-12pm Deaf Church & Lunch,
6pm-8.30pm Spanish church
I am trying to keep to my original plan of staying out of contact for at least the first two weeks, so I won't be checking my e-mail again until this weekend(ish).
Much love!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Weekending
Jan 26
Oops! Well, I don’t know where I came up with my numbers, but I have better facts after tonite. The church has plenty of people over the age of 15. There are several women age 20-26 who I met last nite (as well as several 20-something men who I haven’t met yet.) I enjoyed getting to know the women a little better. Alva is about 3 months pregnant, smart, and fun to talk to. She has a tough story though. One of the women that came tonite, Yaniry, never received much formal education or got to be around many other deaf people/signers, so her signing vocabulary is smaller. It was a great lesson to watch Nancy and the other women translate from printed English to signed English, to ASL, and beyond. Alva might make a great CDI (Certified Deaf Interpreter), tho I think she might make Yaniry feel slower than she is sometimes by continuing to explain even after Yaniry has probably gotten it. I can’t necessarily tell though. In any case, at one point it was my turn to read/sign a Bible verse, the one about how the sick need a doctor, not the healthy, and I did a decent job of expanding on the idea in a clear/gestural way I think. Then Nancy took the parable and instantly translated it into an example of ....ah, what’s it called? The linguistic term for when ASL uses a list to illustrate a concept? Well, that-- it was an example worthy of our Say It Like They Mean It textbook:) Great to see. I also got to do a little interpreting because Angelica’s and Yelitzia’s lil (hearing) sisters came too, and they don’t really sign. Mostly they chatted w/ each other, but occasionally they asked me what was going on and I caught them up.
I worked out for a little bit this afternoon, watched While You Were Sleeping on TV, and finished the part of The Poisonwood Bible I have to read for my independent study class. I’m feeling a little better than I did this morning (Saturdays are my down-time days when I tend to get a little melancholy). Tomorrow will be a long day—animo!
New vocab
77.Chamaco/a: (Hipolito’s brothers) kid. Vamos a recoger la mujer y el chamaco. Y el chamaquito?
78.Denila: D, p-in on cheek, m=GIRL
79.listing: (Belize, Sherwin)-- start w/ pinkie and work up, i/s of index and work down. Naming people who live nearby
81.judge/juez: 2h p-d B, ftips back, m=stairs on either side of head
82.COMPASSION: TOUCH-heart (Rh), Lh UNDERSTAND
83.SHARK (2): B p-L on forehead// or Lh p-d Rh p-o B splits Lh, both hands move zigzag. Nancy giving vocab for the week.
84.canoe: canoa
85.cabbage: (hombre del mercado) repollo
86.recio: strong, loud, hard
Oops! Well, I don’t know where I came up with my numbers, but I have better facts after tonite. The church has plenty of people over the age of 15. There are several women age 20-26 who I met last nite (as well as several 20-something men who I haven’t met yet.) I enjoyed getting to know the women a little better. Alva is about 3 months pregnant, smart, and fun to talk to. She has a tough story though. One of the women that came tonite, Yaniry, never received much formal education or got to be around many other deaf people/signers, so her signing vocabulary is smaller. It was a great lesson to watch Nancy and the other women translate from printed English to signed English, to ASL, and beyond. Alva might make a great CDI (Certified Deaf Interpreter), tho I think she might make Yaniry feel slower than she is sometimes by continuing to explain even after Yaniry has probably gotten it. I can’t necessarily tell though. In any case, at one point it was my turn to read/sign a Bible verse, the one about how the sick need a doctor, not the healthy, and I did a decent job of expanding on the idea in a clear/gestural way I think. Then Nancy took the parable and instantly translated it into an example of ....ah, what’s it called? The linguistic term for when ASL uses a list to illustrate a concept? Well, that-- it was an example worthy of our Say It Like They Mean It textbook:) Great to see. I also got to do a little interpreting because Angelica’s and Yelitzia’s lil (hearing) sisters came too, and they don’t really sign. Mostly they chatted w/ each other, but occasionally they asked me what was going on and I caught them up.
I worked out for a little bit this afternoon, watched While You Were Sleeping on TV, and finished the part of The Poisonwood Bible I have to read for my independent study class. I’m feeling a little better than I did this morning (Saturdays are my down-time days when I tend to get a little melancholy). Tomorrow will be a long day—animo!
New vocab
77.Chamaco/a: (Hipolito’s brothers) kid. Vamos a recoger la mujer y el chamaco. Y el chamaquito?
78.Denila: D, p-in on cheek, m=GIRL
79.listing: (Belize, Sherwin)-- start w/ pinkie and work up, i/s of index and work down. Naming people who live nearby
81.judge/juez: 2h p-d B, ftips back, m=stairs on either side of head
82.COMPASSION: TOUCH-heart (Rh), Lh UNDERSTAND
83.SHARK (2): B p-L on forehead// or Lh p-d Rh p-o B splits Lh, both hands move zigzag. Nancy giving vocab for the week.
84.canoe: canoa
85.cabbage: (hombre del mercado) repollo
86.recio: strong, loud, hard
Friday, January 25, 2008
Beyond Orange Walk
Jan 25, 2008
Today was my first day with Elodia. I really like her; she’s completely overworked but clearly cares deeply about the kids. I also met Carmelita, a student at Trial Farm whose bone conduction hearing aid recently broke. Her right ear is fine, but her left year is closed over, so she’s been having surgeries to reconstruct it. They don’t know if she’ll need a hearing aid or not once the surgeries are completed. Elodia invited her to compete in the Deaf Spelling Bee that’s coming up in May, but she wasn’t interested. I’m sure she gets along pretty well in school and doesn’t see herself as Deaf. I helped Elodia do assessments on 8 students with possible learning disabilities. They are all in Standard 6 (=8th grade), which is the last year of required education, so they should be going on to highschool next year (if they can afford it), but all the students we tested today were functioning way below grade level. Elodia conducted the reading comprehension tests and I did the ‘Point to the picture that completes the pattern’ section. The kids were really nice, and I was certainly a novelty:). I heard one “hay una gringa!” when I walked in, and lots of kids were coming past the windows that looked into the classroom where Elodia and I were meeting with the students. Most of the white people in town are tourists (except one man who’s always drunk, wandering around town; Nancy figures he lost his passport or something and got stuck here who-knows-how-long-ago because he’s too out of it to figure out his way home), so having me at the school was pretty interesting. I also got to speak lots of Spanish, which was great. I’ll be with Elodia most Tues, Wed, & Thurs, and at Nancy’s school on Mon & Fri. Elodia also invited me to travel to a remote community called Indian Church to visit Mayan ruins sometimes. I’m looking forward to that. I had to smile when she said that the church “esta lejisimo” (super far), about 4 hours away:). Lejisimo is always relative, si? Then again, Nancy said at least an hour of that is pretty bumpy, so maybe I’ll be thinking it’s lejisimo too.
Bueno, tonight we have Girl’s Night at Nancy’s, a Bible study for any girls at church. I know I always emphasize using the word "women" instead of girls, but I actually mean girls in this case, b/c there are no church members over the age of 15. Lately I've been thinking more about what it means for any white North American to be doing mission work in another country. While I still don’t think anyone can separate themselves from some of the perceptions they bring as white North Americans, I am more struck now by the importance of being Deaf in a Deaf ministry, regardless of the country. Nancy, for example, is committed to developing Deaf leadership in the church and the community as much as she can, encouraging Deaf and hearing alike to realize how much Deaf people are really capable of. In contrast, some of the other missions in the area (there is a Canadian group and a Jehovah's Witness group) have been here for years and have shown zero interest in involving the Deaf people they work with in church leadership. So, in this context my perspective shifts some, from "missionaries shouldn’t 'colonize' the Deaf” (true) to “the Deaf should have as much access to church as anyone else so they can make their own decisions about religion” (also true).
Just some musings I've had of late.
Ok, I'm off to see about activating my phone here now. I should have a Belizian phone number by tomorrow.
& Can I just say that it’s totally beautiful out today? It must be about 80F. Ahhhh.....
New Vocab
63. línea atrevasada: horizontal line
64. hard-headed/takes a while to learn: (alva) Cl-shell (p-facing Cs make circle)- m=OPEN Cs (shell cracking), put Cs on head, OH, UNDERSTAND. She’s stubborn, it takes a lot of work to explain thing so she understands
65. USA (Belize): (all the kids) AIRPLANE. You’re from the US? Your mom and dad are in the US?
66. broccoli (Angelica): TREE GREEN. Alva’s picky. She doesn’t like raw broccoli.
67. black/creole (person/skin): Rh p-d B rubs p-d L forearm
68. Bible: (Alva), LAW, marked w/ B. The Bible says Matthew left everything to follow Jesus. (Nancy clarified that this is the Jehovah Witness sign for Bible)
69. bean: Rh x tap++ Lh p-d index. Tostadas have beans, lime, cheese, & tortillas.
70. lime: p-L L, thumb touch chin, m/nms= SOUR
71. Christian (Belize): Lh p-R 1, Rh p-d 1, make cross in front of heart, Rh in front, pushes both hands onto heart. Does being a Christian mean we are perfect? We don’t need Jesus help anymore? No, of course not.
72. gangsta rap: (Alva) G on heart, flicks up-- #RAP. I like watching gangsta rap on TV, but Nancy and my mom don’t like it.
73. Yelitzia: p-o W signs GIRL
74. Y.......: Y at R nostril (where her mole is)
Anyone know the Spanish word for ¨pattern¨?
Today was my first day with Elodia. I really like her; she’s completely overworked but clearly cares deeply about the kids. I also met Carmelita, a student at Trial Farm whose bone conduction hearing aid recently broke. Her right ear is fine, but her left year is closed over, so she’s been having surgeries to reconstruct it. They don’t know if she’ll need a hearing aid or not once the surgeries are completed. Elodia invited her to compete in the Deaf Spelling Bee that’s coming up in May, but she wasn’t interested. I’m sure she gets along pretty well in school and doesn’t see herself as Deaf. I helped Elodia do assessments on 8 students with possible learning disabilities. They are all in Standard 6 (=8th grade), which is the last year of required education, so they should be going on to highschool next year (if they can afford it), but all the students we tested today were functioning way below grade level. Elodia conducted the reading comprehension tests and I did the ‘Point to the picture that completes the pattern’ section. The kids were really nice, and I was certainly a novelty:). I heard one “hay una gringa!” when I walked in, and lots of kids were coming past the windows that looked into the classroom where Elodia and I were meeting with the students. Most of the white people in town are tourists (except one man who’s always drunk, wandering around town; Nancy figures he lost his passport or something and got stuck here who-knows-how-long-ago because he’s too out of it to figure out his way home), so having me at the school was pretty interesting. I also got to speak lots of Spanish, which was great. I’ll be with Elodia most Tues, Wed, & Thurs, and at Nancy’s school on Mon & Fri. Elodia also invited me to travel to a remote community called Indian Church to visit Mayan ruins sometimes. I’m looking forward to that. I had to smile when she said that the church “esta lejisimo” (super far), about 4 hours away:). Lejisimo is always relative, si? Then again, Nancy said at least an hour of that is pretty bumpy, so maybe I’ll be thinking it’s lejisimo too.
Bueno, tonight we have Girl’s Night at Nancy’s, a Bible study for any girls at church. I know I always emphasize using the word "women" instead of girls, but I actually mean girls in this case, b/c there are no church members over the age of 15. Lately I've been thinking more about what it means for any white North American to be doing mission work in another country. While I still don’t think anyone can separate themselves from some of the perceptions they bring as white North Americans, I am more struck now by the importance of being Deaf in a Deaf ministry, regardless of the country. Nancy, for example, is committed to developing Deaf leadership in the church and the community as much as she can, encouraging Deaf and hearing alike to realize how much Deaf people are really capable of. In contrast, some of the other missions in the area (there is a Canadian group and a Jehovah's Witness group) have been here for years and have shown zero interest in involving the Deaf people they work with in church leadership. So, in this context my perspective shifts some, from "missionaries shouldn’t 'colonize' the Deaf” (true) to “the Deaf should have as much access to church as anyone else so they can make their own decisions about religion” (also true).
Just some musings I've had of late.
Ok, I'm off to see about activating my phone here now. I should have a Belizian phone number by tomorrow.
& Can I just say that it’s totally beautiful out today? It must be about 80F. Ahhhh.....
New Vocab
63. línea atrevasada: horizontal line
64. hard-headed/takes a while to learn: (alva) Cl-shell (p-facing Cs make circle)- m=OPEN Cs (shell cracking), put Cs on head, OH, UNDERSTAND. She’s stubborn, it takes a lot of work to explain thing so she understands
65. USA (Belize): (all the kids) AIRPLANE. You’re from the US? Your mom and dad are in the US?
66. broccoli (Angelica): TREE GREEN. Alva’s picky. She doesn’t like raw broccoli.
67. black/creole (person/skin): Rh p-d B rubs p-d L forearm
68. Bible: (Alva), LAW, marked w/ B. The Bible says Matthew left everything to follow Jesus. (Nancy clarified that this is the Jehovah Witness sign for Bible)
69. bean: Rh x tap++ Lh p-d index. Tostadas have beans, lime, cheese, & tortillas.
70. lime: p-L L, thumb touch chin, m/nms= SOUR
71. Christian (Belize): Lh p-R 1, Rh p-d 1, make cross in front of heart, Rh in front, pushes both hands onto heart. Does being a Christian mean we are perfect? We don’t need Jesus help anymore? No, of course not.
72. gangsta rap: (Alva) G on heart, flicks up-- #RAP. I like watching gangsta rap on TV, but Nancy and my mom don’t like it.
73. Yelitzia: p-o W signs GIRL
74. Y.......: Y at R nostril (where her mole is)
Anyone know the Spanish word for ¨pattern¨?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
4 Languages, Peanutbutter & Sunshine: What else could I need?
Jan 24--
I have a feeling my journaling’s going to taper off dramatically once I start working at my other schools but I’ll keep it up for now. Today was a good day-- tiring, but good. Practiced fluency/literacy tests w/ the kids, met the student who was absent yesterday-- Misael, who is quite possibly the cutest child I have ever seen. That makes 10 students total in the class, 7 boys and 3 girls, ranging from 6yo to 14yo. Yesterday I got to brush up on my math while I helped the older boys w/ their homework. The years each student has been in school doesn’t really correspond to her/his age, so it’s definitely an interesting environment. Nancy manages it all really well and it’s awesome to get to see a really good Deaf teacher with Deaf students-- today I got to see a great rendition of the Little Red Hen and Dr. Seuss’ Bartholomew and the Oobleck. It’s great to see the kids interacting with the story, copying signs, asking questions, etc-- something they wouldn’t get to do much with a hearing teacher. Anyway-- after school I got lost in town for a bit before heading home. When someone I had passed already asked if I was lost though, I said No, just out for a walk. I found my way eventually and got some exercise out of it too. It was fun to check out what’s in town anyway. I found a beautiful river/lake where I’ll probably take my lunch sometimes, and lots of little shops. I’m realizing I had painted a picture in my head that was a lot more rustic; from what Nancy had told me, I thought I’d be roughing it a lot more. Not so! We have lukewarm water, not cold, and it’s so hot here, who’d want hot water? There are little convenience stores everywhere where you can get just about anything you need (including a Montana Glacier Park t-shirt, ha), people are friendly, I’m not lonely because I get to hang out with Nancy or the kids, the town is small enough to be walkable but big enough to have interesting places to see, my house and room are really nice, and we might soon have internet at home. Plus it’s warm, sunny, cuadralingual+ (English, Spanish, Kriole, ASL), and I get to feel a little self-righteous whenever I see the tourists come through w/ their safari hats and backpacks, because, after all I live here;). (I realize I much prefer living in a place than touring it, whenever possible).
As I was saying..I eventually found the house on my own and immediately crashed for a much-needed nap. All you teacher people, my long-standing admiration of your energy is confirmed. I’m wiped out after a day w/ the kids, fun as they are.
In the evening, Sulmi and Kristel and I played on my computer. They got a huge kick out of the PhotoBooth program on my Mac. It takes all kinds of distorted, fun-house-type pictures that had us all cracking up. Then we were off to Elodia’s house. She’s the district liaison for special education, and I’ll be working with her about 3 days a week. Tomorrow I’m spending the day with her doing assessments of 14 kids in Trial Farm, a small community right next to Orange Walk. Next week we’ll figure out exactly how/when I’ll be working with the kids she serves in the different districts. It could be pretty overwhelming, but I hope I can make a small contribution to the kids’ education in the short time I’m here. I did get a little boost to my signing self-esteem today from Nancy-- she said I understand her students’ signing better than she thought I might-- Yay!:)
To summarize, it’s certainly been interesting so far, but I’m really enjoying it. I miss everyone bastante, but I’m so busy all day with school and then work for my GC Internship class that I don’t have too much time to think about it. Hopefully I’ll get a real handle on the rhythm of things here next week.
Have a great weekend!
Much love.
-- Oh, I almost forgot; we have 2 cats in the house! One is as big a pain as our Plilf in Goshen, but the other one is super sweet. (I have to say it’s pretty nice to be in a new culture but still have some US-cultural comforts since I’m living w/ Nancy-- she’s a great host/bridge person, and keeps pets & peanut butter in the house even tho that’s strange here. Lucky me:) )
New vocab:
50.MISAEL: p-d M brushes back at eyebrow
51.HEN: 3, p-L on chin. Little Red Hen story.
52.YESTERDAY (Belize): marked w/ Y. Yesterday we read 3 little pigs.
53.DONUT: m= CLASS, marked w/ D. Mystery of the missing donut story.
54.DINOSAUR (2): p-o, ftips up D moves fwd/ 2h p-in, knuckles down S, plod fwd. Reading book to Misael, The Big Dinosaur
55.SPICEY: p-d Bent B, ftips L, waves front of mouth. These tamales aren’t spicey.
56.EAT (Belize): =SPICEY, but ftips face mouth. Eat first, then shower (to Sulmi).
57.IGUANA: p-in S at throat, opens to open C. We always stop here by the road and count the iguanas.
58.TATTLE: COMMENT, point to person, nms=th. I don’t to hear you tattle on everyone else, just sit quietly and pay attention.
59.LIQUID: POUR, marked w/ L. Give examples of solid, liquid, and gas
60.SOLID: HARD. “
61.GAS: #GAS “
62.SMOKE/STEAM: Cl-4, ftips-d, swirl up from Lh. Must describe kind first, eg WATER HOT/FIRE
I have a feeling my journaling’s going to taper off dramatically once I start working at my other schools but I’ll keep it up for now. Today was a good day-- tiring, but good. Practiced fluency/literacy tests w/ the kids, met the student who was absent yesterday-- Misael, who is quite possibly the cutest child I have ever seen. That makes 10 students total in the class, 7 boys and 3 girls, ranging from 6yo to 14yo. Yesterday I got to brush up on my math while I helped the older boys w/ their homework. The years each student has been in school doesn’t really correspond to her/his age, so it’s definitely an interesting environment. Nancy manages it all really well and it’s awesome to get to see a really good Deaf teacher with Deaf students-- today I got to see a great rendition of the Little Red Hen and Dr. Seuss’ Bartholomew and the Oobleck. It’s great to see the kids interacting with the story, copying signs, asking questions, etc-- something they wouldn’t get to do much with a hearing teacher. Anyway-- after school I got lost in town for a bit before heading home. When someone I had passed already asked if I was lost though, I said No, just out for a walk. I found my way eventually and got some exercise out of it too. It was fun to check out what’s in town anyway. I found a beautiful river/lake where I’ll probably take my lunch sometimes, and lots of little shops. I’m realizing I had painted a picture in my head that was a lot more rustic; from what Nancy had told me, I thought I’d be roughing it a lot more. Not so! We have lukewarm water, not cold, and it’s so hot here, who’d want hot water? There are little convenience stores everywhere where you can get just about anything you need (including a Montana Glacier Park t-shirt, ha), people are friendly, I’m not lonely because I get to hang out with Nancy or the kids, the town is small enough to be walkable but big enough to have interesting places to see, my house and room are really nice, and we might soon have internet at home. Plus it’s warm, sunny, cuadralingual+ (English, Spanish, Kriole, ASL), and I get to feel a little self-righteous whenever I see the tourists come through w/ their safari hats and backpacks, because, after all I live here;). (I realize I much prefer living in a place than touring it, whenever possible).
As I was saying..I eventually found the house on my own and immediately crashed for a much-needed nap. All you teacher people, my long-standing admiration of your energy is confirmed. I’m wiped out after a day w/ the kids, fun as they are.
In the evening, Sulmi and Kristel and I played on my computer. They got a huge kick out of the PhotoBooth program on my Mac. It takes all kinds of distorted, fun-house-type pictures that had us all cracking up. Then we were off to Elodia’s house. She’s the district liaison for special education, and I’ll be working with her about 3 days a week. Tomorrow I’m spending the day with her doing assessments of 14 kids in Trial Farm, a small community right next to Orange Walk. Next week we’ll figure out exactly how/when I’ll be working with the kids she serves in the different districts. It could be pretty overwhelming, but I hope I can make a small contribution to the kids’ education in the short time I’m here. I did get a little boost to my signing self-esteem today from Nancy-- she said I understand her students’ signing better than she thought I might-- Yay!:)
To summarize, it’s certainly been interesting so far, but I’m really enjoying it. I miss everyone bastante, but I’m so busy all day with school and then work for my GC Internship class that I don’t have too much time to think about it. Hopefully I’ll get a real handle on the rhythm of things here next week.
Have a great weekend!
Much love.
-- Oh, I almost forgot; we have 2 cats in the house! One is as big a pain as our Plilf in Goshen, but the other one is super sweet. (I have to say it’s pretty nice to be in a new culture but still have some US-cultural comforts since I’m living w/ Nancy-- she’s a great host/bridge person, and keeps pets & peanut butter in the house even tho that’s strange here. Lucky me:) )
New vocab:
50.MISAEL: p-d M brushes back at eyebrow
51.HEN: 3, p-L on chin. Little Red Hen story.
52.YESTERDAY (Belize): marked w/ Y. Yesterday we read 3 little pigs.
53.DONUT: m= CLASS, marked w/ D. Mystery of the missing donut story.
54.DINOSAUR (2): p-o, ftips up D moves fwd/ 2h p-in, knuckles down S, plod fwd. Reading book to Misael, The Big Dinosaur
55.SPICEY: p-d Bent B, ftips L, waves front of mouth. These tamales aren’t spicey.
56.EAT (Belize): =SPICEY, but ftips face mouth. Eat first, then shower (to Sulmi).
57.IGUANA: p-in S at throat, opens to open C. We always stop here by the road and count the iguanas.
58.TATTLE: COMMENT, point to person, nms=th. I don’t to hear you tattle on everyone else, just sit quietly and pay attention.
59.LIQUID: POUR, marked w/ L. Give examples of solid, liquid, and gas
60.SOLID: HARD. “
61.GAS: #GAS “
62.SMOKE/STEAM: Cl-4, ftips-d, swirl up from Lh. Must describe kind first, eg WATER HOT/FIRE
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Why are these posts so long??
Note of explanation:
Since my internet access is intermittent at best and it's easiest to post everything in one place, this blog is also doubling/(tripling) as the journal I have to keep for Sheila, our GC professor & internship coordinator, and the list of new vocabulary I have to keep for Myron, our GC ASL professor.
Everyone knows how to skim, right?:)
Paz y amor amigos.
Since my internet access is intermittent at best and it's easiest to post everything in one place, this blog is also doubling/(tripling) as the journal I have to keep for Sheila, our GC professor & internship coordinator, and the list of new vocabulary I have to keep for Myron, our GC ASL professor.
Everyone knows how to skim, right?:)
Paz y amor amigos.
Little bit mo', a little bit mo'...
Jan 23
First day at school! I had fun today. I watched Nancy tell the 3 Little Pigs story, then the kids acted it out. They were a little reserved, but it was cool to observe a literacy lesson. It was a great example for me of how great it is for the kids to have a Deaf teacher. I got to participate in another literacy/language fluency lesson, when the kids came and signed a passage with me. It was interesting to see them learning a second language, connecting signs they know with the English words, or learning new signs even. I understand the word-for-sign method for learning new English words; it was just hard for me to hold back from talking about what the paragraph as a whole meant. I’m sure they do that type of activity at other times, so I’d just like to ask Nancy more about the language learning process. It’s always hard for me to see people struggling with another language; clearly learning a 2nd language is not easy! Here were kids I can see sign well and communicate well most of the time (some are newer signers than others), but they struggle to write unguided sentences in their second language (English). I figure it’s a lot like trying to learn to write Mandarin without any mneumonic devices (as in, being able to connect characters to sounds you hear as a way to help you remember the characters), just straight up memorization of characters and sequence. Granted, millions of Deaf people do it every day; my respect for the effort that takes is deep. It was really cute to read some of the cards the kids made for Angelic tho: “I love Angelica. You deaf. I deaf. You friend. I respect.” :)
I interpreted the PTA meeting in the afternoon. I was pretty wiped out really after school all day, and I was hoping for a nap in the afternoon so I’d be more useful, but I hadn’t figured out how to walk home yet (I rode with Nancy in her van to get to school) and I wanted to see some of the town anyway. I did my best, but I definitely struggled some too. It was a bilingual meeting, so at least I got to interpret everything twice, and get better the 2nd time. Nancy was very patient and supportive during and after. I was thinking about how it’s a different kind of relationship to have your mentor and your “client” be the same person. Nancy was giving me some background information or feedback as I was interpreting, which was really helpful as I tried to understand people’s relationships & roles (and accents). I know it’s not “textbook” interpreting, but it seems like a great way to start working on my interpreting skills. How nice to have the person I’m interpreting for be able/willing to critique my interpretation, even tho that means having to split her attention between what I’m saying and how I’m saying it. One of the differences b/t doing my internship in Belize vs. with an agency is going to be about throwing out formal “interpreter role” dynamics, and I’m excited about the broader skills I’ll hopefully get to develop here as a result. I know I’ll have more responsibilities and relationships with the people I’m working with, and I’m excited about that. Nervous sometimes too about not having the skill base people might need/expect me to, but excited. Nancy and I are getting along well, which feels great. It’s always a little nerve-wracking to go into a situation where you’re going to be living & working with someone you don’t know, or in Nancy’s case, inviting a stranger into her home and classroom. I hope I’m putting her more at ease, as she does the same for me. I feel like I have a little ground to make up, or prove myself on, so I’ve been trying to convey my sincere gratitude to her for this opportunity, as well as my desire to be useful here, rather than an added worry. I think this is coming across b/c she has said she seems pleased that I’m easy to feed, don’t stay up super late, like helping out with the kids at school, enjoy visiting Deaf community members, and readily accept the cultural advice she gives. Hopefully her misgivings are dissolving at the same time mine are-- I’ve felt nothing but welcome here. Nancy’s friendly and open with everyone and I think we have a lot in common. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better continuing to develop a comfortable relationship.
p.s. Sulmi’s adorable. I’m really glad she lives here for lots of reasons, one of them being because she reminds Nancy and I to sign instead of falling into talking, and Nancy obviously signs differently to a Deaf child than to me, which is fun for me to see. Did I mention Sulmi’s laugh is one of my favorite things ever?
New vocab:
20. SEAL (V, like a container): flat on on mouth. We need to seal all the containers b/c of ants.
21. TORTILLA: RH presses fingers of Lh p-up B. We’ll have tortillas for dinner. Sulmi’s fav.
22. BRAG/GOT IT DOWN/BEEN THERE DONE THAT: EXPERIENCE, but claw-hs.
23. LUIS: L on heart
24. SAIR: S by ear
25. Hipolito: H-pd flap front of forehead
26. GOAL (n, soccer goal): p-facing 1s. Reading exercise. Kick a soccer goal.
27. GRAY: G on cheek, m=GIRL . Rain comes from gray, black, and white clouds.
28. LUMBER: TREE, marked w/ L. 3 Little Pigs. Man comes carrying lumber.
29. PIG: p-d B taps under chin. 3 Little Pigs
30. COMMIT: p-facing C from pecs out. Parents need to commit to learn sign. It’s hard.
31. ERASER: (from Luis). Look at my eraser? It’s an eyeball.
32. EDGAR: P-in E front of eyes
33. ALEJANDRO: A at temple
34. GINELLI: G signs CURL
35. JP: JP at temple
36. ANGELICA: A, thumb brushes shoulder
37. RHINO: (from JP) p-L I on nose. Pointed to picture in book and signed.
38. MULTIPLY: FIGURE OUT (m=once). Help them do problems. 34 x 12, etc
39. CAYO (district): p-up C, m=snow mobile. South, in Cayo district, there’s no Deaf church
40. MAYA: =KOREA, hands to shoulders tho
41. DOLPHIN: p-d CL-1 make jumping out of water motion. Sentence ideas: go boating and take pictures of dolphins
42. ARREST: 2h, p-d 5, Lh close to pd-S, Rh twist close to p-up S on Lh wrist. If your children are truant, the cops can arrest you
43. PRIZE: #prize
44. RAFFLE: describe or fs
45. GATE: 2h p-in 4s, fingertips touching e/o (ftips not pointing up), Rh m=OPEN
46. TERM (of school): =VIDEOTAPE, Rh=T. School has 3 terms, with exams during 1st and 3rd.
47. LOCK (Belize, per Ava): =CONNECT, 25hs
48. SHOP( Belize, small kiosk-type business): CREDIT CARD. School has little shop now that helps with revenue.
49. FOLD/FAIL/COLLAPSE: Rh // TREE, hs=S, Rh falls on Lh forearm (m=DAY, more abrupt). If the church weren’t here, the school would cease to exist.
First day at school! I had fun today. I watched Nancy tell the 3 Little Pigs story, then the kids acted it out. They were a little reserved, but it was cool to observe a literacy lesson. It was a great example for me of how great it is for the kids to have a Deaf teacher. I got to participate in another literacy/language fluency lesson, when the kids came and signed a passage with me. It was interesting to see them learning a second language, connecting signs they know with the English words, or learning new signs even. I understand the word-for-sign method for learning new English words; it was just hard for me to hold back from talking about what the paragraph as a whole meant. I’m sure they do that type of activity at other times, so I’d just like to ask Nancy more about the language learning process. It’s always hard for me to see people struggling with another language; clearly learning a 2nd language is not easy! Here were kids I can see sign well and communicate well most of the time (some are newer signers than others), but they struggle to write unguided sentences in their second language (English). I figure it’s a lot like trying to learn to write Mandarin without any mneumonic devices (as in, being able to connect characters to sounds you hear as a way to help you remember the characters), just straight up memorization of characters and sequence. Granted, millions of Deaf people do it every day; my respect for the effort that takes is deep. It was really cute to read some of the cards the kids made for Angelic tho: “I love Angelica. You deaf. I deaf. You friend. I respect.” :)
I interpreted the PTA meeting in the afternoon. I was pretty wiped out really after school all day, and I was hoping for a nap in the afternoon so I’d be more useful, but I hadn’t figured out how to walk home yet (I rode with Nancy in her van to get to school) and I wanted to see some of the town anyway. I did my best, but I definitely struggled some too. It was a bilingual meeting, so at least I got to interpret everything twice, and get better the 2nd time. Nancy was very patient and supportive during and after. I was thinking about how it’s a different kind of relationship to have your mentor and your “client” be the same person. Nancy was giving me some background information or feedback as I was interpreting, which was really helpful as I tried to understand people’s relationships & roles (and accents). I know it’s not “textbook” interpreting, but it seems like a great way to start working on my interpreting skills. How nice to have the person I’m interpreting for be able/willing to critique my interpretation, even tho that means having to split her attention between what I’m saying and how I’m saying it. One of the differences b/t doing my internship in Belize vs. with an agency is going to be about throwing out formal “interpreter role” dynamics, and I’m excited about the broader skills I’ll hopefully get to develop here as a result. I know I’ll have more responsibilities and relationships with the people I’m working with, and I’m excited about that. Nervous sometimes too about not having the skill base people might need/expect me to, but excited. Nancy and I are getting along well, which feels great. It’s always a little nerve-wracking to go into a situation where you’re going to be living & working with someone you don’t know, or in Nancy’s case, inviting a stranger into her home and classroom. I hope I’m putting her more at ease, as she does the same for me. I feel like I have a little ground to make up, or prove myself on, so I’ve been trying to convey my sincere gratitude to her for this opportunity, as well as my desire to be useful here, rather than an added worry. I think this is coming across b/c she has said she seems pleased that I’m easy to feed, don’t stay up super late, like helping out with the kids at school, enjoy visiting Deaf community members, and readily accept the cultural advice she gives. Hopefully her misgivings are dissolving at the same time mine are-- I’ve felt nothing but welcome here. Nancy’s friendly and open with everyone and I think we have a lot in common. I’m looking forward to getting to know her better continuing to develop a comfortable relationship.
p.s. Sulmi’s adorable. I’m really glad she lives here for lots of reasons, one of them being because she reminds Nancy and I to sign instead of falling into talking, and Nancy obviously signs differently to a Deaf child than to me, which is fun for me to see. Did I mention Sulmi’s laugh is one of my favorite things ever?
New vocab:
20. SEAL (V, like a container): flat on on mouth. We need to seal all the containers b/c of ants.
21. TORTILLA: RH presses fingers of Lh p-up B. We’ll have tortillas for dinner. Sulmi’s fav.
22. BRAG/GOT IT DOWN/BEEN THERE DONE THAT: EXPERIENCE, but claw-hs.
23. LUIS: L on heart
24. SAIR: S by ear
25. Hipolito: H-pd flap front of forehead
26. GOAL (n, soccer goal): p-facing 1s. Reading exercise. Kick a soccer goal.
27. GRAY: G on cheek, m=GIRL . Rain comes from gray, black, and white clouds.
28. LUMBER: TREE, marked w/ L. 3 Little Pigs. Man comes carrying lumber.
29. PIG: p-d B taps under chin. 3 Little Pigs
30. COMMIT: p-facing C from pecs out. Parents need to commit to learn sign. It’s hard.
31. ERASER: (from Luis). Look at my eraser? It’s an eyeball.
32. EDGAR: P-in E front of eyes
33. ALEJANDRO: A at temple
34. GINELLI: G signs CURL
35. JP: JP at temple
36. ANGELICA: A, thumb brushes shoulder
37. RHINO: (from JP) p-L I on nose. Pointed to picture in book and signed.
38. MULTIPLY: FIGURE OUT (m=once). Help them do problems. 34 x 12, etc
39. CAYO (district): p-up C, m=snow mobile. South, in Cayo district, there’s no Deaf church
40. MAYA: =KOREA, hands to shoulders tho
41. DOLPHIN: p-d CL-1 make jumping out of water motion. Sentence ideas: go boating and take pictures of dolphins
42. ARREST: 2h, p-d 5, Lh close to pd-S, Rh twist close to p-up S on Lh wrist. If your children are truant, the cops can arrest you
43. PRIZE: #prize
44. RAFFLE: describe or fs
45. GATE: 2h p-in 4s, fingertips touching e/o (ftips not pointing up), Rh m=OPEN
46. TERM (of school): =VIDEOTAPE, Rh=T. School has 3 terms, with exams during 1st and 3rd.
47. LOCK (Belize, per Ava): =CONNECT, 25hs
48. SHOP( Belize, small kiosk-type business): CREDIT CARD. School has little shop now that helps with revenue.
49. FOLD/FAIL/COLLAPSE: Rh // TREE, hs=S, Rh falls on Lh forearm (m=DAY, more abrupt). If the church weren’t here, the school would cease to exist.
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