Oh yea... and work

I have been meeting a lot of people in the community, which I think is fairly easy being the only gringa in a small town. I have a good relationship with the doctors I work with and some of the nurses in the health center. I attend their meeting once a month to talk about the pregnant women in the community and the challenges they are facing. I also go on all the “salidas” to the communities. My community is the “urban head” of our municipality so we have the doctors and the health center. The other communities have health posts and have a nursing staff but do not have the lab or doctors. So they arrange one day a month (ONE DAY!) to go out to the communities with the lab staff to do exams and blood work etc. I go with them on all the salidas to give charlas because more people are there. I have been giving charlas on HIV/AIDS, STD’s, the importance of women getting PAP smears, Dengue etc. So far this is basically the only work I have been doing while I organize charlas for the schools and get used to living in the town. I am worried that the majority of my work will slowly disappear as there is an awesome NGO that works in Rio San Juan, CEPS or Moviesex. They do all the same work I do and give the same charlas but they do it much better being that they are Nicaraguan, speak fluent Spanish and have movies to go along with everything. The woman that gives the charlas is awesome! She is super funny and outgoing and everyone pays attention when she speaks. They are supposed to be coming to more of our salidas and when they are there I don’t give charlas because they give 2-3 charlas and do an awesome job! So usually I help by passing out pamphlets and condoms etc.

Yesterday was my first time giving charlas in the school. I have tried to set up times before but the first time I was super sick and the second time they cancelled school for whatever reason. Yesterday I gave a charla to first grade in the morning on the importance of personal hygiene (washing your hands, clipping your nails, wearing clean clothes, brushing your teeth etc.) It went well but they have a TON of energy and it was hard to really get through things. They also didn’t fully understand my directions on a dynamica (game/ interactive activity) I wanted to do with them but hey it was my first charla. I gave another one to first year students in the afternoon (our equivalent to freshmen but they are about 12ish). I gave them a charla on respect and self-esteem. Again it went okay but my dynamica didn’t work out as planned. It is hard to give charlas in the schools because not all the teachers look at it as a time to educate and help me, some look at it as a time to do something else or take a break so its hard to keep a class in line at times. It is especially hard because school is so relaxed here…. it is totally normal to walk out of class or walk around and be talking to someone else. So to me (with my cultural background) it is super rude and obnoxious but it is normal here. I also notice it in meeting with the health center, people will be on their phones or texting and its no big deal. Definitely would not fly in the states.

I am planning to start my youth group now after some time of being hassled by the kids to start. I have been hesitant because my Spanish is good but not great and it is intimidating to try to run a club stumbling over your words. I am planning to have a meeting tomorrow night with only a few kids in the town that are the most active to see what they want out of club. What ideas they have for the town, charlas they want to hear/give, activities they want etc. I also have plans to make them run the youth group for the younger kids since Peace Corps is about sustainability they need to run it when I leave.  Hopefully the meeting goes well and the kids are honest with me about what they want in the club and what I can do with them.