I can't tell you the last time that I went through a whole day without feeling the least bit stressed, rushed, worried or anxious. That is the life we live in the U.S. We get angry in traffic, because there are a million other things we "should" be doing; we feel bad laying on the couch and resting, because there's a list waiting for us on the refrigerator; when someone has a question on the street, it is an inconvenience to stand and talk to them. Yes, this is a huge overgeneralization, nevertheless, that is the general culture from what I come.
Now I am not going to lie and tell you that here there is never any stress or rushing around, but I am definitely growing accustomed to the "Pura Vida." When it took an hour and a half to get home tonight from my job due to traffic, for some reason, I was still so peaceful. When I am supposed to have a meeting at 11:00 and it doesn't begin until 11:25, I don't take it as an insult, but rather accept that things happen, people are late... "Pura Vida." I am in love with this place.
So the last two days have been amazing. Tuesdays and Thursdays I am working at Los Cuadros, the slum about an hour away from where I am staying. Because it is a very violent area, and I am afraid of offending people, I have yet to take any photos, but don't worry, I will sneak one when I get a chance. But I will tell you this much, in class yesterday I sat next to a girl who is 16 years old and NINE AND A HALF months pregnant. Due to a lack of nutrition in the area, all the adolescents and teens look years younger than they really are, therefore she looks like an entirely too pregnant 13-14 year old girl. She is learning English in hopes that she can earn a couple of dollars more to provide for she and her child, nevertheless, she is so kind and smiley. I've got a soft spot for that one.
Though we have yet to do any formal teaching yet and have just been helping teachers and working in small groups, yesterday we were told that we would be teaching the children how to write a sentence on Tuesday. After one little girl calling out yesterday (in Spanish), "teacher, teacher, she has bad handwriting," thinking I couldn't understand, I am a little nervous... but I know it will be fine - especially with a 6'11 dude by my side :) What worries me most is that in Latin American countries, they believe in embarrassing the students. Therefore if anyone is late, we have to embarrass them; if someone doesn't do their homework, we must embarrass them. Here, embarrassment equals learning. And coming from a world where embarrassing is forbidden and growing up the child who more often than not wanted to crawl under my desk and cry, that is going to be very hard for me. Other than that, I know it will be great. They are eager to learn and so much smarter than I anticipated; I finally understand what my teachers meant all those years when they told me how rewarding it was when their students finally understood.
Wednesdays and Fridays are extremely different from Los Quadros. The neighborhood, El Triangulo, is further outside of the city and built out of scraps from the landfill... It is down in a hole by the "highway" and you literally feel like you are standing in a pile of trash. The smell is nearly unbearable; the houses look like Jordan could knock them over just by flicking them, and ironically, many of the "homes" have huge Sky satellite dishes on their roofs.The picture is from the window of the building in which we teach English. This building was donated to the community in order for the kids to have a safe place to go in order to stay out of trouble. The building is made of cinder blocks and is very simple, however, it is relatively nice, too, with plastered walls inside, and two stories. Someone from the neighborhood rents the bottom floor and runs a bakery. It is incredible. Three teens from the neighborhood made fresh bread and walk around the community selling it every day. It's an amazing thing for the community, as well as for the three teens who have been given the opportunity to learn a skill as well as make a little bit of money. The upstairs is where our classes are. There are 15 students in the class and they are from 17-30. It is an entirely different experience here. Unlike the children, these English Language Learners understand the value of speaking English in a country whose primary profit is tourism. They are extremely hard working and excited to spend time with us and learn with us. And at the same time, we are all more or less at the same age/stage in life. Though I know their world is unbelievably different than mine, there is a connection being built after just two days due to the fact that we are - more or less - peers. There are two girls, Jenifer and Estefanie, and one boy, Miguel, who I have already taken under my wing. Jenifer is 18, shy and beautiful; Estefanie is 20 and has a three year old child at home; Miguel is 18 and is so smart, kind and humble. They are the three that run the bakery, and they are the three that melt my heart.
As I was walking out today with Jordan, I was thinking about how dangerous I have been told this area can be, and how grateful I am that I have a giant by me at all times. And then I stopped, and thought about the children who live in there, and the young girls who are powerless in the machismo culture. There is nowhere to run or hide... no safety or security for the powerless. If I can help touch the heart of one of these young adults or children, perhaps they will be able to do the same for someone else, and maybe one day, there will be a chain reaction that saves these beautiful people from such a toxic place.
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
Mother Teresa
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