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
Friday, February 22, 2008
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 360ยบ 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 360ยบ 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
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