2008.06.05: June 5, 2008: Headlines: COS - Nicaragua: Humor: Florida Times-Union: Avi Richman writes: Today marks day 22 of my Peace Corps service in Nicaragua and I am proud to report that my first class of the creative entrepreneurship course that I will teach during my time here went exceptionally well if you disregard the fact that I used a permanent marker to write on the marker board
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2008.06.05: June 5, 2008: Headlines: COS - Nicaragua: Humor: Florida Times-Union: Avi Richman writes: Today marks day 22 of my Peace Corps service in Nicaragua and I am proud to report that my first class of the creative entrepreneurship course that I will teach during my time here went exceptionally well if you disregard the fact that I used a permanent marker to write on the marker board
Avi Richman writes: Today marks day 22 of my Peace Corps service in Nicaragua and I am proud to report that my first class of the creative entrepreneurship course that I will teach during my time here went exceptionally well if you disregard the fact that I used a permanent marker to write on the marker board
I currently write to you from Masatepe, Nicaragua, a city of 12,000 people famous for its wooden furniture and rocking chairs. I was placed in the advanced Spanish group, meaning that my first three weeks here have been a bit more frenetic than those of my counterparts in other training towns and Spanish levels. Aside from teaching class, I have formed a youth group with the goal of capacity building and community development and had three meetings, met with the vice mayor and police chief to introduce myself and discuss community needs, completed surveys of the small business environment, and participated in Masatepe's version of the Running of the Bulls.
Avi Richman writes: Today marks day 22 of my Peace Corps service in Nicaragua and I am proud to report that my first class of the creative entrepreneurship course that I will teach during my time here went exceptionally well if you disregard the fact that I used a permanent marker to write on the marker board
An adrenaline-pumping welcome to Nicaragua
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By AVI RICHMAN, My Mandarin Sun
Walking into the classroom, they all stood attentively before I politely asked them to sit down. I began to arrange my posters on the board and tried to ignore the 35 unfamiliar 15- to 18-year-old faces staring in my direction. I had already practiced my lesson, titled "Creativity," three times and just hoped that everything would go smoothly. Not only was this my first time ever teaching in a classroom setting, but I was going to do it all in Spanish! Plus, I had only arrived in Nicaragua 14 days ago!
I was terrified and excited at the same moment with all that adrenaline pumping through my veins, and I began my Nicaraguan teaching career with these simple phrases: "Buenas tardes alumnos. Como estan ustedes? Me llamo Avi." Good afternoon students. How are you all doing? My name is Avi.
Today marks day 22 of my Peace Corps service in Nicaragua. I am proud to report that my first class of the creative entrepreneurship course that I will teach during my time here went exceptionally well if you disregard the fact that I used a permanent marker to write on the marker board. I am also proud to report that I have since taught a second one that did not go quite as smoothly, but I know it will get better.
The first three weeks in Nicaragua since my arrival on May 7 have been absolutely exhilarating as I have tried to adjust to my new life and just soak it all in. Immediately after arriving, I, along with the other 38 members of my Peace Corps group, Nica 47, spent an intense four days in a Managua hotel learning about what we were in store for over the next 27 months. During these packed days, our Spanish level was assessed, multiple shots and vaccinations were given, and information was flowing. The nighttime was spent poolside, forming friendships over a few cold beverages.
And as quickly as Nica 47 convened in Washington, D.C., just six days prior, we were all split up into pods of four and shipped off to our training towns where we would spend the next three months living with host families, learning Nicaraguan culture, and gaining the skills necessary for the following two years.
I currently write to you from Masatepe, Nicaragua, a city of 12,000 people famous for its wooden furniture and rocking chairs. I was placed in the advanced Spanish group, meaning that my first three weeks here have been a bit more frenetic than those of my counterparts in other training towns and Spanish levels. Aside from teaching class, I have formed a youth group with the goal of capacity building and community development and had three meetings, met with the vice mayor and police chief to introduce myself and discuss community needs, completed surveys of the small business environment, and participated in Masatepe's version of the Running of the Bulls.
I would be remiss not to mention that this and more was all accomplished while spending three days per week in technical/information sessions aimed to inform us about security and medical issues in Nicaragua and teach us various skills such as how to start a community bank and manage the traditional gender roles present here. In the meantime, I have been busy spending time with my adorable host family and figuring out how to get around my community.
Mandarin resident Avi Richman is spending 27 months as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua. While there he is writing articles for the Mandarin Sun describing his experiences.
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Headlines: June, 2008; Peace Corps Nicaragua; Directory of Nicaragua RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Nicaragua RPCVs; Humor
When this story was posted in July 2008, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| Dodd vows to filibuster Surveillance Act Senator Chris Dodd vowed to filibuster the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that would grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that helped this administration violate the civil liberties of Americans. "It is time to say: No more. No more trampling on our Constitution. No more excusing those who violate the rule of law. These are fundamental, basic, eternal principles. They have been around, some of them, for as long as the Magna Carta. They are enduring. What they are not is temporary. And what we do not do in a time where our country is at risk is abandon them." |
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Story Source: Florida Times-Union
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Nicaragua; Humor
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