First Days

I have arrived!  After an easy flight, I met Sister Jean Gabriel at the airport and we had just enough time to drive to her house and drop off my luggage before going to Centro Buen Pastor for the 4 pm Sunday Mass.  At Mass, I was able to see all of my friends from Barrio Las Flores.  Following the service, they held a special 15th birthday party celebration for Emelin, a member of the community who I know well and who will be one of my students this year.  I was very lucky to get here in time for that party and to be able to witness such a special event in the lives of the kids who grow up here.

The kids from Centro Buen Pastor celebrating Emelin (in the middle with the crown) 

on her 15th Birthday

Today, I went to an orphanage outside of the city with Sister Jean Gabriel to discuss two children in the community that she is trying to place in a better situation.  For the next month, she will be working with the social worker from the orphanage and the government to try to have the children put in the orphanage instead of living with their elderly, sick, and very poor grandparents who no longer have the capacity to raise them.  It is not an easy thing, and, again, I am fortunate to witness how the system works for children like them and how it often does not work for them, but I count my blessings that I am only an observer.

This afternoon, some of my students and I set up my classroom at Centro Buen Pastor.  From 2:30-4:00 I will be working with 3 students who are struggling academically in a special study skills and tutoring session.  Then from 4:00-5:00 I will teach English to young people in the community who are interested.  So far, it seems I will have many high school students in the class, but I hope other community members join as well.

Tomorrow morning I am meeting with the Director of San Esteban to figure out my schedule working there in the mornings.  Then I will start my classes at Centro Buen Pastor in the afternoon.  Wednesday will be my first full day of work, and I will start figuring out the public transportation system to get to the schools from Sister Jean Gabriel's house when our schedules don't line up.  Luckily, when our schedules are aligned, I get to take advantage of her chauffeur.

My bedroom

My classroom at Centro Buen Pastor 

(we're bringing the white board and my desk in tomorrow)

The food is delicious, the people have been wonderful, my Spanish is quickly coming back to me, and my room at Sister Jean Gabriel's is very comfortable.  The only problem so far is the heat!  It is hot!  And humid!  Luckily, that will start to get better as the fall progresses, though it will never get cool.