We need to be reminded of this everyday (El Mejor Discurso Jamás Hecho)

                            I have been at a loss for words recently. It has probably shown in my absence but I haven't felt too inspired these days. I apologize for the inconvenience but I feel like I have too many frustrations and I need to reflect before I speak. I saw this and it helped me put things in perspective during this chaotic and transitional time. Enjoy and may it inspire.....

Kids gone wild

I know, I'm a bad blogger. I haven't not been updating my blog lately and to be honest, its because I'm too busy. Every day I think of a new blog post but by the time I come home I'm exhausted and have to put it off for another day.
Nevertheless, things have been fantastic. The kids I teach and the women I work with are so kind, generous, grateful and loving. Even though I struggle, everyday is truly a blessing.

That being said, I thought I would share some of my crazy moments with you. As you may imagine, teaching ESL to 25 kids ranging from 4-12 is not an easy task. An even harder task is getting them all to sit still for more than 5 minutes. Sometimes I get frustrated but most of the time they are just so cute so all I can do is laugh.
In the neighborhood where I work, women do not have time to watch their kids 24/7 like we obsessively do in the US. That is not to say they are bad parents, they are amazing, but its pretty humorous what happens when they do turn their back for a minute. Remember when you were told all the things kids should not be doing, well I've basically caught my kids doing all of the above and then some. In my personal experience I have witnessed and caught my students doing the following:

• Beating each other with sticks. Yes, I know that doesn't seem like much, but after I took the sticks away from them I realized they had rusty nails all over them. Lucky for all of us, no one was harmed.
• Playing with matches. When I caught them huddled in a corner playing with these I had to laugh because it was so wrong. How many parenting books specifically advise against this, I thought?
• Running with scissors. If only this happened once. This happens on a daily basis and although I try to keep the scissors away from them, they always find sneaky ways to get them back into their cute little hands.
• Playing in garbage. The shelter I work at is pretty big and is equipped with a small farm, two classrooms, a garden and a huge garbage pile. The kids are most fascinated with the garbage pile and like to climb all over it. I spend more time than I'm proud to admit picking the children out of the trash and diverting their attention to the nice grassy yard.
• Eating glue. Now, they are not eating glue to get addicted, they just like to put absolutely anything that looks appealing in their mouths. After glue eating wouldn't stop, I had to take it all away, so they moved on to sucking on markers. I have lectured them several times about not putting things in their mouths but I think it just encourages them more.

 These are just a couple examples of the kids-gone-wild incidents I encounter daily. Even though I am paranoid about their safety, I must laugh at how funny it can be. They really are the best kids in the world and they use their imagination to have as much fun with the limited resources around them. No matter how much trouble they get into or how dirty they are I still give each of them a hug and kiss and tell them I love them. I think that is all that matters anyway.

Calling all techies...use your powers to educate the world!

                  These are the stepping stones to better education!

So, I realized when I came to Peru to volunteer for a womens shelter that I was in way over my head. I agreed to design a website for the shelter and this is definitely new territory for me. However, I quickly realized that since I was raised in the Western world, I am privy to so much more knowledge about technology and computers than most other cultures. Technology is a new subject that continues to change and innovate and even though I have trouble keeping up, I enjoying learning as much as I can.
So, where am I going with this?
Aside from the fact that local organizations here in Peru (and probably other parts of the world) crave internet attention, there is a need to teach it in schools as well. I teach an ESL class to kids and when I asked them what their favorite subject was, most of them responded, "technology" with great enthusiasm. This started to get me thinking, what if the privileged techies of the Western world could share their in depth knowledge with these children. I'm sure they would be enthusiastic to learn as much as they can, just as they are enthusiastic about learning in general. Children here who realize that education is a privilege do not take it for granted and they anxious to take advantage of all of it if they can.
So, here I am with a simple idea and a need for great support. I want to create a techies without borders organization, group, forum, or whatever to unite techies who have a passion for teaching and want to give back to others as well. Materials and resources might be scarce but the knowledge they have to share will make up for those shortages. I cannot call myself a techie but I do know many who take pride in that name. How about using your geeky talents for good?
The benefits are bringing the world closer together and showing others how to harness the power of technology and the internet are insurmountable.
This great idea only has great potential if people are willing to get together and figure out the best way to teach the new developing generations how to use technology for good. We can all benefit from this, so jump on board!

They want to read, so give them your old English kids books!

The most amazing thing about working with kids is their eagerness to learn, and the kids I teach in Lima do not take it for granted.
I spent the extra cash to buy them a couple kids picture books in English, and they absolutely love them! This got me to thinking that there are so many kids books I have in storage I really should have brought them down with me and donated them to these kids.
They really want to learn English, and what is a better way than donating your unwanted English books!
I will be living in Lima until July 6th so please send me your books. All you have to do is pay for shipping and you get to help these students learn. I know they will appreciate these books more then you can imagine, so help make it easier for them to learn English.

PLEASE SEND ME BOOKS!
My address is:
Avenida Arequipa 3152
San Isidro
Lima, 27
Peru

                   "Send me your books, I want to learn English, por favor!"

Bienvenidos a mi class de ingles

Ok, I realize that last post was quite depressing but I'm not trying to sugar coat what I'm doing. I also took some time to understand that suffering is internal and if we want to make things better we have to absorb the pain and turn it into love. As corny as that sounds I believe it to be true and plan to use that in my future expeditions throughout life.
That being said, I want to shift the focus to something more uplifting like where I work. If I didn't mention it before I am working in a poor (but culturally rich) neighborhood of Lima called Chorrillos. There an amazing woman named Nelly who started the organization in 1986 in her home. Coming from domestic abuse herself she realized that she did not want the same for other Peruvian women. With hard work and no formal education she was able to transform her small womens shelter into a safe home for women, a school for children and women of the community, and a chocolate company that makes chocolates and teaches women how to be financially independent through learning business and selling chocolates. I am so inspired by Nelly and her ambition. What she is doing is very progressive and I don't think there is another organization like hers in Lima.

With that being said, let's take a couple minutes to see the remarkable place that is called, Mama Victoria.

Welcome to my English class...would you like to take a tour?

How does one translate pain and suffering?

Forgive me as I write this I'm still half in a state of shock, and the other have is having trouble writing in English.
I never really told people about this, but a while back I agreed to helping The Forgotten International, put together their book, Living on a Dollar a Day. Currently, I'm helping the producer and journalist gather stories and translate testimonials about the hardships people go through everyday just to survive. I will get the privilege of working with a Pulitzer prize-winner photo journalist, but after the thing's I saw yesterday, I'm having trouble seeing the excitement in anything besides breathing.

I'm not sure how to describe where I went yesterday or what I saw, but I feel that it's important to write down these thing as a therapeutic outlet, rather then letting them get to me at times when I need to remain strong for my own sake and the sake of those I'm interviewing. In a nutshell, As we drove around the outskirts of Lima, Peru I saw the pain-stricken faces of poverty and domestic abuse at its absolute worse.

I walked through a small shack strewn with garbage as a family of one father and four kids sorts through the trash to recycle in order do make a dollar to feed themselves. They told me stories of how they went hungry and how their house is falling down on top of them, but they don't have time to fix it because one minute spent not sorting through trash to recycle means possibly another day of not eating. I looked into the eyes of 4 beautiful and inquisitive children who all gathered around a dusty dirty corner to shake my hand and kiss my cheek. They looked at me as I was there to save them, but I know I couldn't do what they so desperately wanted...another chance at life. All I could do was hear their story, translate it to the producer and promise to return in order to take pictures and compensate them for their time. 
Figuring out the best way to pay these people for these stories is the most complicated part. Food on the table for a week might do, and money isn't always the best solution because many times it leads to buying alcohol just to numb the pain for a little while longer. This is the hardest part because as much as I wanted to rip off the own shirt off my back and give it to someone else, I know that I have to be professional.
As we continued to visit other slums the dark reality of how bad it really gets sunk in. We talked to mothers whose abusers and children stood in front of us, dead pan and unemotional to these womens heart-breaking stories of violence and abuse. As I left one house we confronted one of the abusive husbands and thanked him for his time. We did this for the sole reason that we did not want him to go back and beat his wife for telling such a graphic story of his violence against her.
One woman grabbed my hand and told me of all her physical suffering so I went to the car to at least grab her some Advil for the pain she couldn't afford to treat. Blind and crippled she clutched my hand and held it tight with tears in hear eyes and begged me to help her.  This sent me over the edge. I quickly explained to her children that she has to take the medication with food and I ran out the door sobbing uncontrollably. The producer understood that I was being told things I couldn't possibly translate because....how does one properly translate the pain and suffering these people are going through?

I finished the rest of my day at the womens shelter/school where I taught my ESL class. These children also come from psychologically and physically abusive family situations. The mothers either fled with their children and are living in extreme poverty, or are still living with their abusers. However, the innocence of these children is not lost yet. Mama Victoria's founder, Nelly, who was once a victim of domestic violence herself, will not let this happen. She believes that through education we can change these childrens futures so they understand that with love we can conquer all obstacles. Nelly's strength and drive puts me back together and I manage to interview her without a tear in my eye.
As we left the school we drove Nelly back to her house and she held my hand, knowing that I had seen some things that day I was not used to. As I got out of the car to drop Nelly off  she looked at me and said she loved me like a daughter and she was so happy I was volunteering at Mama Victoria. I told her I loved her too and shed another mountain of tears.
As I laid down from a long day I cringed at my comfortable room and all the material possessions I got to call my own. How could I could I ever justify wanting anything new again after the things I had seen? Moreover, how could the forces that be tolerate the pain and suffering of so many, just so they could have another beach house or a fancy dress shirt that will be tossed out when next season's trends come?
When I look at how eager these kids and mothers want to learn English for a shot at a better future, I am truly humbled. However, I can't help but think about the bankers, accountants, lawyers, and politicians just up North who are finding yet another excuse to swindle another bonus, even if it means putting a family out of their home. These thoughts have consumed me before and I realized you can't not focus on the things that are tearing apart the world, you need to focus on the people that are desperately helping to put the pieces back together. I am not saying in any way, shape or form that I am one of these people, but I do believe I am in good company.

How to teach 25 children and 5 adults in one ESL class

                                                This is the classroom

If anyone has been in this situation please don't regard this post as a how-to manual. I'm just trying to write down my challenges so they don't eat me alive.
In the past two weeks that I have been teaching ESL  I have been overwhelmed with emotion. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to give back a small token of my, English as a first language knowledge, and the pupils I teach do not take that for granted. However, my pupils range from age 3 to age 35. This is quite the opportunity, to say the least.
No, that's not a typo. I am currently teaching ESL classes in a small nursery school classroom and it's utter mayhem. Everyone is eager to learn but no one is on the same level.
I realize I have a challenge and even as I type I'm trying to figure out how to best execute my future classes. Here is my problem in a nutshell:

The children arrive Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 3pm. The older ones (ages 7-12) first go to their tutor who helps them with their homework. This means that I get the toddlers first. Half of the toddlers are 3 and 4 and don't even know how to write their own names. The other half are 5-7 and they understand the basics of writing but are still learning the basics of reading and spelling.
My first part of the class is trying to keep the kids interested and usually this involves a lot of repetition and a promise that if they are good, they will get to hear me sing a song. This patience does not last long and I find myself having to run around the garden scooping kids up and shoving them back into the classroom (gently of course).
When the older kids finish their studies their mothers usually accompany them into the nursery and everyone is really ready to learn. I write a long list of vocabulary on the board and the kids and mothers ask me questions about definitions, grammar and the common use of these verbs and nouns. While this is going on I have desperate pleas from the toddlers to go play outside and of course they want me to accompany them. "La Ronda, miss!" is what they exclaim and the game they want me to play, I still haven't figured out. From what I've observed it's kind of like ring-around-the-rose but the kids who are not holding hands get to bash into the others and try and break up the circle.
I'm so humbled by the women and children who are hanging on to my every word and desperately trying to listen to my pronunciation but the toddlers are too young to understand are aggressive. If it were not for the millions of hugs and kisses they bestow upon me every day, I might have snapped by now.
But I persevere.
My current plan of action is too buy a lot of markers for the little ones and try to keep them occupied drawing while I teach the vocabulary and grammar lessons to the older ones.
Everyone is so respectful of me and so grateful for what I'm doing I know I will get through this, and everyday, no matter what, I leave smiling.
My own sanity is not what I'm worried about, it's really all about the women and children who have taken time out of their busy day to hear me teach. I want to leave with the hope that these women and children will have a much better grasp of the English language and hopefully be able to use it to their advantage in the future.
Well....here's hoping!

Volunteering at Mama Victoria...it begins!

I started my first day at Mama Victoria on Tuesday, May 3rd and I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I realized from the beginning I would have a lot of independence to do what I want and at first I was nervous about that. However, after a couple days, I started to enjoy my independence. I was given some really vague outlines to work with and I will outline them here:

1. They want me to teach English three days a week to the children who range from age 3-13. This has been a challenge trying to organize a curriculum that can try to suit all their needs and keep all their attention. 
2. They have a nice garden that is in need of some maintainence. I mentioned that I had worked in gardens before (i.e. my mother's garden) but they asked me to try and maintain it for them and possibly find some ways to make it better. So far I have only pollinated the corn plants and picked vegetables that were ready to be picked but hopefully I will be able to make their garden more sustainable for the future.
3. Mama Victoria is run by a wonderful woman named Nelly who doesn't speak any English and is not very versed in the ways of technology. Her organization has a sub-par facebook page and a blog that they have been using as a website, but I want to make a full-functioning, bi-lingual website for them. This will also be a challenge for me because I want to create the website to best fit the needs of the organization. Communicating this will be interesting especially because no one speaks English at the organization.

My Spanish has really been improving because I'm working in a poor neighborhood in Lima, called Chorrillos, where no one speaks English. I also have 25 kids screaming at me in Spanish so this has also forced my Spanish into overdrive. I hope in a couple weeks I will be way more proficient at speaking and hopefully the kids will be able to communicate some words in English with me as well.

I spent Friday teaching the kids English and then helping put on an information session for the women who go to the organization for support and shelter. We made them sandwiches and served them soda as Nelly explained her mission statement. Nelly believes that every woman and child has a right to a free education and a safe and happy home to live in. Because many women face oppression and violence in their communities Nelly's mission is to empower these women so they can be better off themselves and in turn be better mother's to their children.

I have been really moved by Nelly and her amazing work. She started this organization 6 years ago with one small classroom and it has now grown into two classrooms, three bedrooms and two kitchens, a garden and small farm with chickens, ducks, and a guinea pig (not a pet). The shelter still does not have running water witch is definitely a set back, but they make up for it with love and effort.

I'm having the time of my life and will have more to update everyone as events materialize.

Stepping into unknown territory

So I'm living in Lima for the next two months and while I'm living here I will be working at a womens shelter (named Mama Victoria) in Chorrillos (a poorer district of Lima) helping teach women and children English, and also helping out in their garden.
The only problem is...I'm not very experienced in the garden. However, I love a challenge, so I decided to research online some ways to help their garden grow. The first thing I did was walk around their garden and observe what they already have growing. I noticed they have some corn growing so I went online to find a video that helps explain how to pollinate the corn so it can continue growing and making more corn.
I found this hilarious video and I thought I would share it with you. I'm not sure why I think its so funny, but hopefully you enjoy it to.
Hopefully this technique helps Mama Victoria's garden!

First Impressions of Lima

Before I left to embark on a two month internship volunteering at a womens shelter in Lima, Peru I was warned by many of my peers that Lima well...sucked.
I never really got a straight answer from any of these peers as to why Lima was so horrible and I really want to do know now, because after spending some time here, I absolutely love it.

I don't even know where to begin.
My best friend described it as a cultural and geographical mix between Barcelona and San Francisco and I couldn't agree more. Lima is very temperate year-round, it never gets that cold or hot. The coast has a bit of a San Francisco feel to it, since they are both on the Pacific, that makes sense to me. However, the urban landscapes are very Spanish, Lima used to be the Spanish capital of the Americas, yet the Peruvians have not lost their Indigenous roots. The essence of Colonial Spain is of course all around but the Peruvians have made it their own by adding their own culture to the Spanish foundation.

You will find local cuisine all around you and it is delicious to say the least. They grow so many different types of corn and potatoes I can't even keep count and what they do with them will make any mouth water.
Oh, and the people, don't get me started on how nice they are. I feel a bit jaded because in the U.S. if someone you don't know is really friendly and just wants to get to know you, you automatically become skeptical. But here, it's common for Peruvians to be very curious about where you are from and what your country is like. They are very animated and not judgmental. They are very kind and welcoming and I have had nothing but positive experiences so far. Needless to say, I do speak Spanish, and I might be having a different experience because of that.
Nevertheless, here's to all the nay-sayers of Lima, what on Earth were you thinking?
This place is amazing!