First Week

I have officially been in Corinto for one week! I´m learning more and more about my agency and the work that we do, and hopefully this week I´ll get a more concrete schedule. This past week I have been tagging along with other workers for Asohjuv (the acronym people use for my agency) and learning the ropes. So far I have observed/taught two English classes, observed one German class, helped with a presentation to middle school students about self-esteem, and helped with two "comedors". Comedor occurs 3 times a week, and it´s when a few Asohjuv volunteers go to a nearby house to cook a meal for school children- usually about 10 or so. I´m still learning a lot about how the organization works, and I´m sure there will be much to learn in the coming week!

I´ve only been working about 15-20 hours a week, so I have a lot of free time. I´ve been riding my bike a lot, and going to the beach almost everyday,which I enjoy. I also spend a lot of time at home either, reading, watching TV with my family, or chatting with Sara, my host sister, and playing with the dogs. On Saturday I went to visit Tess, another Amigos volunteer in a nearby city, which was very convenient because my host sister studies there on Saturdays. We had a great day of talking about our week, walking around the town, and experiencing the luxury of the fancy grocery store that had air conditioning. It was great to know that we´re going through a similar experience, and we hope to see each other each weekend, which I´m looking forward to! That night my host sister and I went to the circus, which was fun, but definitely different than American circuses. Instead of physical comedy, and acts such as the trapeze and tightrope, there were mostly skits that involved a lot of talking. Because of this, I only understood bits and pieces, but it was still quite enjoyable.

I am so excited to really start working my agency and get to know my host family more, but I´ve realized that this is not going to be an easy experience. I know it will be immensely rewarding in ways that I can´t forsee, but it´s definitely going to push me out of my comfort zone.

The beach, about a 15 minute walk from my house

A panorama of my room, which I share with Sara

Part of my first English lesson. I was told to write a bit about myself and all the kids copied it down and repeated it out loud

Two of the other volunteers at my agrncy

The circus, complete with ostriches!

My adorable host nephew and dog!