Monday, November 20, 2006

First day at school

Today I started working at the school. We left the hotel (I'm still in the hotel, that is like the operations center of the NGO, and I think only tomorrow I will move to a family's house) at 8:00 and a van picked the volunteers and drove us to the school. The school is outside the city, in a very poor neighborhood, like a "favela". All the people there ia very poor and there's only one teacher fo 25 students. There are 2 different rooms. In the basement stay the younger children (first, second and third grade) and up the older children. As the teacher can't be in both rooms at the same time she's usually with the older and the volunteers stay with the younger children, also because all the other volunteers can't speak fluently spanish. So, today I stayed watching how the teacher did it with the older students. She was teaching mathematics (the metric system) and I helped her. For the first experience I think I could that the children took attention of what I was saying. That room has 8 children and they all seem very nice. Tomorrow the teacher will not show up (as far as someone told me that is very usual) so I will be in charge of that class, but I know already what I will do: First some language excercises, then some maths and finally I will explain what democracy is :) (of course the teacher gave these orientations).
We were in the class and suddenly I heart the glasses and the walls shaking... it was a hearthquake and we left the room and went outside. It was the second hearthquake I have felt in all my life. It didn't seem very strong but when we come outside we saw clouds of dusty all around the vulcano (El Misti - an impressive vulcano) in front of us. It had 5 degrees in the Richter scale. Earthquakes are very usual here.
On mondays there's only school in the morning so we came back at 13:30.
Soon I will put here some pictures, I promisse!

1 comment:

Miguel Moreira said...

Hi mate! Well done! I'm sure that teaching children is a pleasant experience. Within a few days, you will have lovely stories to tell. In our mother land, life runs as always had run. The weather is fine, the Christmas is arriving (at least the sales will rise for sure) and in football, the next Champions League round is there! At least people will have something to discuss in job! J Lolls….



About the earthquake, I believe that you must have been puzzled with what was going on. But, as it is known, those kind of seismological phenomenons are common on those lands…..so…..don't worry…."our father in heaven, hallowed be your name….."…pray to God can be reasonable option.



"Como diz o teu irmão, vê lá se não andas aí feito tonto! lolllllllllll"



ciao