The Nitty Gritty

For those of you (like my parents, for example), who just don't get enough of Puerto Cabezas and the life here from my blog, I recommend you check out Lee's blog at leecaragua.blogspot.com. He's got lots of good stuff on there.

Also, here's a breakdown of my weekly schedule, in case you wonder how exactly I spend my time here:

MONDAY:

8-12: wash my sheets and/or towels (Note: all washing is done by hand in a concrete sink and washing board combination called a pila). They get pretty dirty pretty quickly, especially during dry season when there's so much dust in the air. Prep time (includes creating materials, like translating children's books, making lesson plans, grading assignments, reviewing lesson plans, organizing stuff, taking notes on tutees, doing any extraneous household errands)
12-1: lunch
1-3: co-teach Grade 5A, 5B, and 6 religion classes at Escuela Maureen Courtney (EMC)
3:30-5:00 faculty meeting and prayer at Colegio del Niño Jesús (CNJ)
6:30ish: community dinner, business meeting, and meditation
Evening: boil drinking water, tidy up the kitchen

TUESDAY

8:15-10:15 tutoring at EMC
10:15-11:30 prep time, nap time
11:30-12:20 lunch
12:30 arrive at Niño Jesús to go over religion lesson plan with religion teacher there.
1:00-1:40 co-teach Grade 4 religion at EMC. They can be pills, so I often fall back on teaching them songs in English, Spanish, and Miskitu.
1:40-3:00 Fifth year religion class at CNJ
3:15-5:00 dance practice
7:00 Miskito lesson with Simon
Evening: boil water, tidy up kitchen

WEDNESDAY

8:15-8:55 tutoring at EMC
8:55-9:35 religion class for kids with developmental delays. We play lots of games when I'm in charge.
9:35-10:15 tutoring
10:30- 1:00: nap, prep, lunch
1:00-2:20 coteach afternoon special needs class, 5B religion
2:20-3:00 tutoring at EMC
3:15-5:00 dance practice

(On Tuesday and Wednesday, I'm also on call from 4:00-4:30 for the counseling teacher, in case she wants to divide up the class for talking about sexuality and whatnot. It doesn't happen that often.)

5:30-6:30 cook dinner
6:30 community dinner, Bible study
Evening: boil water, tidy kitchen

THURSDAY

Morning: same as Monday. Wash laundry instead of towels and sheets.

Afternoon:
1:00-1:40 Grade 4 Religion, EMC.
1:40-2:20 Chill with the workshop teachers at EMC
2:20-3:00 Grade 6 Religion, EMC
3:20-4:40 Third year Religion, CNJ. This is the only class I always teach solo.

Evening:
Miskito lesson with Simon
boil water, tidy kitchen

FRIDAY
6:30 community yoga
8:15-10:15 tutoring, EMC
10:15-12:00 prep, nap, lunch
12:20-3:00 First year A and B religion class
3:15-5:00 dance practice
6:00ish community dinner
Evening boil water, tidy kitchen

SATURDAY

grocery shopping in the market
laundry
2:00 Go to the convent to take advantage of the faster Internet connection Skype with parents and watch a TV show illegally via the Web (I'd do it legally, but none of the legal sites work outside the US)
5:00 I either attend the young adults meeting at the Creole Moravian Church or go to reflection with the Agnesian sisters
boil water

SUNDAY

12:30 lunch at the house of Susannah, a friend of ours and the sister of the director at EMC. Her whole family comes.

clean the bathroom
cook beans for the week
boil water

Along with cooking beans, boiling water, and cleaning the bathroom, I am also responsible for making sure there's cooked rice in the fridge, so if anyone's in a rush they can quickly heat up some beans and rice for a meal.

Compared to my life pre-Puerto, I spend less time at work and more time doing household chores.

Aside from these activities, there are always people stopping by to hang out. I occasionally go out to the discotech, and we have dance shows every other week or so.

And...that's my life. If I could make "exhaustion" or "ennui" possible reactions just for this blog post, I most surely would.