Monday 24 December 2007
Saturday 22 December 2007
Tuesday 11 December 2007
Glasses and Company
I'm sitting in my classroom with 11 minutes left of my 30 minute lunchbreak. I'm eating my very cosmopolitan pasta, pesto and olives out of my tupperware container looking at the mess around me... Carpet covered in polysterene bits, my desk piled with books to mark, xmas cards to write, poems to display.... It's 86 degrees outside, and only occaisionally a slight breeze floats through the room. My throat hurts and it looks like I'm about to come down with a nasty bug.
End of term on Friday, thank goodness. But before then we've got cards, decorations, reindeers and Christmas crackers to make, plus habitat models to finish, carol singing, xmas show, xmas fair, dinner tonight at Chayo's grandma's, kids party after school on Thursday and drinks out with colleagues, secret santa presents to buy, staff xmas lunch....
But the exciting news is that last night POLLY and ELLY arrived!! They'll be here till New Year and we're going to have a few days at a posh beach place which sounds great.
And yes... I now wear glasses... Strange new experience...
End of term on Friday, thank goodness. But before then we've got cards, decorations, reindeers and Christmas crackers to make, plus habitat models to finish, carol singing, xmas show, xmas fair, dinner tonight at Chayo's grandma's, kids party after school on Thursday and drinks out with colleagues, secret santa presents to buy, staff xmas lunch....
But the exciting news is that last night POLLY and ELLY arrived!! They'll be here till New Year and we're going to have a few days at a posh beach place which sounds great.
And yes... I now wear glasses... Strange new experience...
Sunday 2 December 2007
81 degrees
The xmas decorations seem strange to me in the suffocating heat of San Salvador. Chayo doesn't care and bugs me everyday with "Is it Christmas tomorrow Mum?".
It's Sunday, I'm in my classroom, surrounded by piles of books which need marking. If I get on I might have time for a swim later.
Was woken up early this morning by cockrels crowing and kids shouting. I'd stayed the night in Dimas, the small village about an hour away from the capital, where I used to live and really it's the El Salvador that I love. I've realised that it's 10 years this December since I first went there. It's amazing to see the kids grow up and the community change. There's now running water in every house, a paved plaza, and even internet and flushable toilets!
Soon Marisol will graduate as a teacher, supported by the Eductaion for the Future fund that we set up. When she gets a job she will give a proportion of her salary back to the fund to help other young people in the village go to university.
http://www.educationforthefuture.blogspot.com
It's Sunday, I'm in my classroom, surrounded by piles of books which need marking. If I get on I might have time for a swim later.
Was woken up early this morning by cockrels crowing and kids shouting. I'd stayed the night in Dimas, the small village about an hour away from the capital, where I used to live and really it's the El Salvador that I love. I've realised that it's 10 years this December since I first went there. It's amazing to see the kids grow up and the community change. There's now running water in every house, a paved plaza, and even internet and flushable toilets!
Soon Marisol will graduate as a teacher, supported by the Eductaion for the Future fund that we set up. When she gets a job she will give a proportion of her salary back to the fund to help other young people in the village go to university.
http://www.educationforthefuture.blogspot.com
Thursday 1 November 2007
Los Angeles!!!!
Can't believe I'm here...
Holiday... yippee!!
First impressions:
big, hilly, lots of cars, good food, sunglasses, tattoos, sunny, cool breeze...
lots to do...
Holiday... yippee!!
First impressions:
big, hilly, lots of cars, good food, sunglasses, tattoos, sunny, cool breeze...
lots to do...
Friday 26 October 2007
Funerals
I've been to two in the past four months.
Ruby the the beautiful little four year old taken away suddenly by a brain tumour.
And now Alejandro.
At both, the terrible sight of parents mourning a lost child.
The photo exhibition of Alejandro really hit me hard. Huge prints and projections of the beautiful guy with the beautiful hair. My head is full of the images still. And of his brother, standing there at the graveside, dark glasses and wearing Alejandro's trademark black trilby.
There was also a whole political dimension to his funeral.
His dad, Mauricio Funes, is the FMLN presidential candidate for 2009, and widely regarded as the first realistic chance that the FMLN has had. Alejandro had been planning to come back to El Salvador in June 2008 to work on his dad's electoral campaign (when he would have graduated from his photography and film degree).
Ruby the the beautiful little four year old taken away suddenly by a brain tumour.
And now Alejandro.
At both, the terrible sight of parents mourning a lost child.
The photo exhibition of Alejandro really hit me hard. Huge prints and projections of the beautiful guy with the beautiful hair. My head is full of the images still. And of his brother, standing there at the graveside, dark glasses and wearing Alejandro's trademark black trilby.
There was also a whole political dimension to his funeral.
His dad, Mauricio Funes, is the FMLN presidential candidate for 2009, and widely regarded as the first realistic chance that the FMLN has had. Alejandro had been planning to come back to El Salvador in June 2008 to work on his dad's electoral campaign (when he would have graduated from his photography and film degree).
Tuesday 23 October 2007
Alejandro
Some of you will remember Alejandro from SuperPakitoChac - the Latin Rock band from El Salvador who toured England a couple of years ago.
Alejandro, the free spirit. The beautiful one with the dreadlocks.
Tragically on October 10th he died in Paris after being assaulted.
27 years old.
My strongest memory of him is at Chayo's 2nd birthday party. Alejandro with a huge smile playing the keyboards. Chayo on his knee joining in, laughing, wearing one of Alejandro's crazy hats.
Alejandro, the free spirit. The beautiful one with the dreadlocks.
Tragically on October 10th he died in Paris after being assaulted.
27 years old.
My strongest memory of him is at Chayo's 2nd birthday party. Alejandro with a huge smile playing the keyboards. Chayo on his knee joining in, laughing, wearing one of Alejandro's crazy hats.
Sunday 21 October 2007
Chayo's Assembly
So Chayo learnt his lines to be one of the narrators in his class assembly:'Every day around the world children are laughing and crying, eating and sleeping, playing and learning'.
But Mum "you can't eat while you're asleep" he said to me again and again.
Sunday 7 October 2007
Birthday Bhajis
Well I've managed to celebrate my birthday pretty well. The kids at school were very sweet and gave me lots of cards and pressies, then dinner with work colleagues at Asia Grill in posh Multiplaza shopping mall on Friday night. Next morning yoga class and massage (preceded by a flat tyre and nice man who changed it for me...), then lunch out at La Ventana with my Salvadorean family Vilma, Paty, Aleida and Osiris. Spinach crepes and tiramisu... wow! Then flowers and card from Chayo, followed by very lovely and relaxing dinner at some friends. Onion bhajis, sag aloo, aubergine curry - my favourites and completely unheard of in El Salvador. Plus homemade birthday cake!!!
Sunday 23 September 2007
This Crazy Country (1)
Driving to school the other day on the very busy dual carriageway I suddenly noticed that the road looked wet. Yet, it hadn't been raining, and the pavement was dry...
A few police, and a few crashed cars. 'What's going on?' I thought, as suddenly my wheels started to slip and my car began to skid across the road. I somehow managed to make it safely to school by crawling along the next half mile, watching cars skid and slide. The police stood looking.
It turned out that at 6am that morning a truck had left a lethal trail of oil for 40 miles along one of the main roads in El Salvador. When he was finally stopped by the police he did a runner.
Lots of crashes. And it seems that, at no point was the road closed.
A few police, and a few crashed cars. 'What's going on?' I thought, as suddenly my wheels started to slip and my car began to skid across the road. I somehow managed to make it safely to school by crawling along the next half mile, watching cars skid and slide. The police stood looking.
It turned out that at 6am that morning a truck had left a lethal trail of oil for 40 miles along one of the main roads in El Salvador. When he was finally stopped by the police he did a runner.
Lots of crashes. And it seems that, at no point was the road closed.
Monday 17 September 2007
Some of the things I'm getting used to...
eating pupusas regularly
not drinking water from the tap
sleeping under a mosquito net
that we only have running water in the morning
ants... of all sizes... everywhere... in the garden, in the kitchen...
seeing volcanoes
eating papaya and watermelon, plus huiskil, lorocco and pipianes
that drivers hardly ever use their indicators, and if they are they've probably left it on by mistake
that there's huge holes in the road at frequent intervals, bloody scary when you're driving along at 60mph
seeing street children 5 mins from my house, sniffing glue and sleeping on the pavement
armed guards everywhere including outside our local icecream shop and at the gate of our street
doing my private yoga / pilates class twice a week
not running as much as I want to
having 24 kids in my class
that most of my students' families have maids and drivers
that every time I go to visit my friends in the countryside someone else has gone to the USA (illegally)
not drinking water from the tap
sleeping under a mosquito net
that we only have running water in the morning
ants... of all sizes... everywhere... in the garden, in the kitchen...
seeing volcanoes
eating papaya and watermelon, plus huiskil, lorocco and pipianes
that drivers hardly ever use their indicators, and if they are they've probably left it on by mistake
that there's huge holes in the road at frequent intervals, bloody scary when you're driving along at 60mph
seeing street children 5 mins from my house, sniffing glue and sleeping on the pavement
armed guards everywhere including outside our local icecream shop and at the gate of our street
doing my private yoga / pilates class twice a week
not running as much as I want to
having 24 kids in my class
that most of my students' families have maids and drivers
that every time I go to visit my friends in the countryside someone else has gone to the USA (illegally)
Tuesday 11 September 2007
Early Mornings
Yeah it’s been a while since I’ve written. Done a million blogs in my head but not many free seconds recently…
So, what’ve I been up to? Well here’s an idea of my daily routine…
5am each morning my alarm goes off. It’s still dark outside. I turn it off quick hoping Chayo will sleep a little longer. I force my body out of bed. Into the shower - cold shower. (Yeah, hot water’s not that common here.) I brace myself, then take the plunge. At least it wakes me up. Downstairs I put the water on to heat to bath Chayo.
6am it’s almost light and we’re out of the house on our way. Chayo eating breakfast in the back of the car. I like the drive in. The roads are clear and sometimes it’s misty and the volcano looks great.
6.15 we’re at school. Chayo finishes his breakfast in my classroom while I check my school email and get things ready for the busy day ahead.
7am Chayo in his class and me with mine. This week we're all learning Rivers, Bones, Newspaper reports, Adding money... and a few songs that I'm squeezing in.
Th kids leave at 1.30 but I don’t finish till 3pm. Most days I drive home with Chayo whose tired and grouchy after his long day. Some days I work late and have a run at about 5pm when the sun is less intense.
Home. Sort tea, handwash Chayo’s uniform, then stories and bed for him by 6.30pm. Sort packed lunches for the next day and collapse in to bed, by 9pm if I can.
Kinda tiring... but good.
So, what’ve I been up to? Well here’s an idea of my daily routine…
5am each morning my alarm goes off. It’s still dark outside. I turn it off quick hoping Chayo will sleep a little longer. I force my body out of bed. Into the shower - cold shower. (Yeah, hot water’s not that common here.) I brace myself, then take the plunge. At least it wakes me up. Downstairs I put the water on to heat to bath Chayo.
6am it’s almost light and we’re out of the house on our way. Chayo eating breakfast in the back of the car. I like the drive in. The roads are clear and sometimes it’s misty and the volcano looks great.
6.15 we’re at school. Chayo finishes his breakfast in my classroom while I check my school email and get things ready for the busy day ahead.
7am Chayo in his class and me with mine. This week we're all learning Rivers, Bones, Newspaper reports, Adding money... and a few songs that I'm squeezing in.
Th kids leave at 1.30 but I don’t finish till 3pm. Most days I drive home with Chayo whose tired and grouchy after his long day. Some days I work late and have a run at about 5pm when the sun is less intense.
Home. Sort tea, handwash Chayo’s uniform, then stories and bed for him by 6.30pm. Sort packed lunches for the next day and collapse in to bed, by 9pm if I can.
Kinda tiring... but good.
Sunday 19 August 2007
My own classroom
The keyring still said Alicia on it, but it was mine.
Room 24.
I opened the door slowly and walked in. Tables covered in dust sheets, a globe (great), fans on the ceiling, teacher’s desk in the corner… I went over and sat down. At my desk.
‘Wow... This is my desk’ I said to myself. ‘My classroom’.
I sat for a while in a daze looking around and around. A big smile on my face and forcing myself to breathe. I felt simultaneously excited and terrified.
Panic as I counted in my head. Only three days to change this place from a dusty packed up room to a lively, attractive classroom. I felt like I’d forgotten everything I knew about teaching.
‘Let’s see if the computer works’, I said to myself. It did. And the internet, and the printer and even iTunes!
Grabbed some CDs from the car and got to work. Within half an hour I was happily knee deep in papers, my head full of possible seating arrangements and display ideas.
Room 24.
I opened the door slowly and walked in. Tables covered in dust sheets, a globe (great), fans on the ceiling, teacher’s desk in the corner… I went over and sat down. At my desk.
‘Wow... This is my desk’ I said to myself. ‘My classroom’.
I sat for a while in a daze looking around and around. A big smile on my face and forcing myself to breathe. I felt simultaneously excited and terrified.
Panic as I counted in my head. Only three days to change this place from a dusty packed up room to a lively, attractive classroom. I felt like I’d forgotten everything I knew about teaching.
‘Let’s see if the computer works’, I said to myself. It did. And the internet, and the printer and even iTunes!
Grabbed some CDs from the car and got to work. Within half an hour I was happily knee deep in papers, my head full of possible seating arrangements and display ideas.
Chasing Cars
I feel like I’ve spent most of the last 2 weeks looking for a car.
I ended up going down “carros traidos” route – cars brought down to El Salvador from the USA… There aren’t that many other options here.
So I trailed the city under the scorching sun, going from one auto-lote to another. It’s pretty big business here and the way it works is kind of interesting:
1. There are alot of car crashes in the USA.
2. Cars are written off (too expensive to repair).
3. Salvadorean entrepreneurs buy them cheaply.
4. They bring them to El Salvador.
5. Once in El Salvador cars are repaired and often resprayed.
6. Salvadorean number plates are sorted for them.
7. Cars then get put on the market.
So, the first thing you do, when you see a car you fancy, is ask which bit of the car was hit or damaged when it crashed… and then you go from there.
In the end, after test driving quite a few that weren’t quite right, it turned out that Yesy’s neighbour “brings cars”.
And he had a 2002 silver Kia Sportage.
At last I got my car.
(Yeah, I’d never heard of Kia either before coming here… Korean apparently, which brings the price down – Salvadoreans tend to want Nissans or Toyotas. Actually she’s kind of posh and a bit big. I feel strange and somewhere between a poser and a fraud… But, safer then I would in a little car, and glad of the air conditioning, which not only keeps us cool but avoids the having to put the window up at every single traffic light hassle, and also pleasantly cuts me off from the mayhem outside.)
I ended up going down “carros traidos” route – cars brought down to El Salvador from the USA… There aren’t that many other options here.
So I trailed the city under the scorching sun, going from one auto-lote to another. It’s pretty big business here and the way it works is kind of interesting:
1. There are alot of car crashes in the USA.
2. Cars are written off (too expensive to repair).
3. Salvadorean entrepreneurs buy them cheaply.
4. They bring them to El Salvador.
5. Once in El Salvador cars are repaired and often resprayed.
6. Salvadorean number plates are sorted for them.
7. Cars then get put on the market.
So, the first thing you do, when you see a car you fancy, is ask which bit of the car was hit or damaged when it crashed… and then you go from there.
In the end, after test driving quite a few that weren’t quite right, it turned out that Yesy’s neighbour “brings cars”.
And he had a 2002 silver Kia Sportage.
At last I got my car.
(Yeah, I’d never heard of Kia either before coming here… Korean apparently, which brings the price down – Salvadoreans tend to want Nissans or Toyotas. Actually she’s kind of posh and a bit big. I feel strange and somewhere between a poser and a fraud… But, safer then I would in a little car, and glad of the air conditioning, which not only keeps us cool but avoids the having to put the window up at every single traffic light hassle, and also pleasantly cuts me off from the mayhem outside.)
Sunday 12 August 2007
Rain
I love the sound of the rain here. Most nights it wakes me up, sometimes with quite a start as it beats down on the roof above me. The noise is incredible. Sometimes huge crashes of thunder too. I’m always amazed that Chayo doesn’t wake up. I lie there, listening, enjoying the coolness of the night and the need to pull the sheet over me, a pleasant change from the stifling heat and constant sweat.
Today was very unusual – grey, rainy and cloudy. It was wonderful. Respite from the fierce, scorching sun and the endless glasses of water to keep us hydrated. A world away from Manchester, where we woke each day hoping for sun, sick of day after day of rain and grey skies.
Context is everything.
Today was very unusual – grey, rainy and cloudy. It was wonderful. Respite from the fierce, scorching sun and the endless glasses of water to keep us hydrated. A world away from Manchester, where we woke each day hoping for sun, sick of day after day of rain and grey skies.
Context is everything.
Saturday 11 August 2007
Chayo's question
The other day I went to the most fantastic shop in 'downtown' San Salvador. It's called the Tienda Morena and is plastic paradise. I bought plastic crates, plastic boxes, plastic colander, salad bowls, veg rack, washing up bowl, buckets... everything you need for setting up a new house... and of course a whole load of plastic toys for Chayo.
Back at the house: me happily putting stuff into my boxes and crates and trying to rub off the large permanent pen black 0.45 or 0.60 written on each item (I later discovered that nail varnish remover does the trick)... and Chayo happily playing with swords, magnetic letters, super hero figures and spidermen, he decided to ask me to read him what it said on each toy, including all the others that his Salvadorean aunty and grandma had bought him since getting here... 'Made in China' I said again and again... and again...
'Mum' he said, 'Why is everything here made in China?'
Back at the house: me happily putting stuff into my boxes and crates and trying to rub off the large permanent pen black 0.45 or 0.60 written on each item (I later discovered that nail varnish remover does the trick)... and Chayo happily playing with swords, magnetic letters, super hero figures and spidermen, he decided to ask me to read him what it said on each toy, including all the others that his Salvadorean aunty and grandma had bought him since getting here... 'Made in China' I said again and again... and again...
'Mum' he said, 'Why is everything here made in China?'
Monday 6 August 2007
Fast Food in Central America
Bliss... Good coffee, wireless access, fancy play area to keep Chayo amused, yummy breakfasts... Yes... 'Pollo Campero' is definitely going to become one of my San Salvador haunts...
Things are going pretty well. We've been here 5 days now and are slowly recovering from the ordeal of the flight. Actually the flights themselves were ok, but 4 hours of queues, security checks and lost bags in Houston were pretty tough...
Our house is lovely. We've got a little garden with swings and a slide, tropical flowers, papaya and banana trees. From the window we can see the volcano and more trees: almond, mango, lime, orange and coconut...
Mosquitoes tho, and Chayo lots of bites despite sleeping under mosquito nets and covering him with insect repellent in the day. So yesterday we got to work... I borrowed a drill and we spent the day putting up fans on the walls, netting on the windows, mopping the floors with bleach, and putting 'mosquito poison' in all the puddles near the house... Hopefully that'll help.
Things are going pretty well. We've been here 5 days now and are slowly recovering from the ordeal of the flight. Actually the flights themselves were ok, but 4 hours of queues, security checks and lost bags in Houston were pretty tough...
Our house is lovely. We've got a little garden with swings and a slide, tropical flowers, papaya and banana trees. From the window we can see the volcano and more trees: almond, mango, lime, orange and coconut...
Mosquitoes tho, and Chayo lots of bites despite sleeping under mosquito nets and covering him with insect repellent in the day. So yesterday we got to work... I borrowed a drill and we spent the day putting up fans on the walls, netting on the windows, mopping the floors with bleach, and putting 'mosquito poison' in all the puddles near the house... Hopefully that'll help.
Monday 18 June 2007
4 days to go...
i'm so relaxed... only 4 more days to go and then FREEDOM... teacher training finished! HOORAY...
these last few weeks have been crazy - up at 6am each day and working late into the night. into school by 7am and feeling like a bad mother.. hardly seeing my own little one - too busy trying to be a good teacher...
the kids are breaking my heart though...drawing me pictures and writing me messages:
YOU ARE A BRILIANT TEACHA
PLEASE DONT LEAV MISS PAIGE
FANKYOU FOR TICHIN ME HOW TO RITE A LETTER
yeah it makes it all worth it
i'm knackered but it's cool, and yeah depite all the shit i do wanna be a teacher (well for a while...)
these last few weeks have been crazy - up at 6am each day and working late into the night. into school by 7am and feeling like a bad mother.. hardly seeing my own little one - too busy trying to be a good teacher...
the kids are breaking my heart though...drawing me pictures and writing me messages:
YOU ARE A BRILIANT TEACHA
PLEASE DONT LEAV MISS PAIGE
FANKYOU FOR TICHIN ME HOW TO RITE A LETTER
yeah it makes it all worth it
i'm knackered but it's cool, and yeah depite all the shit i do wanna be a teacher (well for a while...)
Monday 19 February 2007
Me blogging? Hmm...
My day...
upset friend, been dumped
canteen coffee
library peace, whispers, books
quick trip via google earth... Granada and El Salvador
work meeting
walk in the park
essay notes
5k run
phone call 'mummy when are you coming home? I want you to come home now...'
college friends: cooking, tea, talk, work
home: hugs, pyjamas, stories
upset friend, been dumped
canteen coffee
library peace, whispers, books
quick trip via google earth... Granada and El Salvador
work meeting
walk in the park
essay notes
5k run
phone call 'mummy when are you coming home? I want you to come home now...'
college friends: cooking, tea, talk, work
home: hugs, pyjamas, stories
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