Only having been around for the beginning of the previous week, week 5 was a lot of change. As soon as I got back, the veteran PDs had either left or were leaving shortly after I returned. It felt good to settle back into my routine but very strange that the house was emptying out more and more.
I started out the week with my first public school English classes without the help of old PDs. I don't think I'll ever stop being apprehensive about public school, mostly because it's so hit or miss. But I can already see how rewarding it is to have relationships with these kids. At first, it was hard to get them to listen (because I'm sure they don't really want to learn about pronouns on a Monday when they could be outside) but after we started them on an individual activity and could engage with them, it went much better. They definitely found strength in numbers, and interacting with them broke down some walls and hopefully started to form a better relationship (albeit very slowly).
With PDs starting to filter out throughout the week, the house got quieter, emptier, and for me a bit somber. These people had been gracious enough to help us make one of the most important transitions of our lives despite all that they had going on, and despite their upcoming transitions to their next steps after Nicaragua.
I think the true ending phase of the transition, the end of the full circle came on Wednesday. After a morning in the clinic, I head to Chiquilistagua Public School to help teach girls health. One hour of clarifying sex myths later, we were all walking back out to the carreterra for the walk back to the house when I saw some of my English students who greeted me with "Hola Profe" (short for profesora). I asked them how they were and told them I'd see them the next week before heading home. I was slightly shocked at their friendliness and couldn't hide my smile for the whole walk home.
I'm not naïve. I know those kids will continue to challenge me and surprise me throughout my year. But it was their very brief acceptance of me and acknowledgement of my role that made me come to terms that the transition was now complete. We had been given all the information and guidance we could possibly get from our predecessors, and we'll continue the work they so exquisitely carried out for the past year.
To top off our week of new-found independence, we went on our first trip as a group to Laguna del Apoyo, a volcano crater lake between Managua and Granada. It was a great way to end the week. There are lots of hostels around the laguna, we went to one called Paradiso (their website here) which had plenty of amenities and a very nice beach. We swam, ate and relaxed all day before heading back on the last bus. It seemed as though we had covered all our bases as a group of things we could now do on our own thanks to the help of the veteran PDs. Driving, running programs, travelling, kitchen duty, and the list goes on. So a huge shoutout to Brooke, Nicole, Gavin, Ethan, Zolo, Steph, Heather, and Kanen for all their help and dealing with our incessant questions.
Another realization this week I had was that along with me, my friends have started their transitions at home (some have been transitioned longer than others). There's Zoe (forgive the lack of umlaut) who's been living in New Orleans since the end of June and starts her exciting new job in the beginning of September, Casey, who just moved to Virginia to start her new job, Stephanie who also just moved to Virginia for grad school (officially a Wahoo!), Nessa who's living in her own (shared) house in Buffalo and working hard, Leslie who has been nonstop travelling this summer and my sisters, one of whom is getting married soon and one of whom moved not too long ago!
All these people (and more) have been on my mind during this week as my new life here begins to feel more natural and more exciting with every new adventure. So this post is to all those that helped me get here and to all those that have equally exciting new steps already happening or just around the corner. As veteran PD Gavin wrote on the whiteboard in the house before his departure (still not erased btw), may we cherish each other and cherish our time, because it goes by so fast.
Laguna del Apoyo
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