First Week of School...For real this time

And so the craziest week there ever was has come to and end. My program director left to set up another project this week, so I held down the fort. Let me try to at least give you a glimpse of all that happened:

Monday:
Triunfo.
First official day of school, according to the teachers, even though it should have happened the week before. The teachers don't actually teach, because they have waited until today to figure out thigns like the daily schedule, and parents are coming in to register their children. A dog pees in the classroom of 1 and 2 and I get to clean it up. Milagros and Alonso are back, which makes me want to cry from happiness, as they were two of my favs from last time. Alonso was the pick-pocket from last year, and the teaches have decided to call him by his given name, Sebastian, to give him a fresh start (much like with Pabel). It is IMPOSSIBLE to remember to call him Sebastian. He's grown about a foot and is excited to be in first grade. Georgina-Milgros was asking about you and pointed to some photos of the two of us on the wall. At Maldonado, I'm told that a huge fight breaks out between two students who had previously been expelled and then let in again by Ruth. What a surprise that they're misbehaving! After school I run around like crazy getting various photocopies done, checking up on volunteers who weren't feeling well and on the new arrivals that are currently in Spanish class for the week.

Tuesday:
Maldonado.
Ruth doesn't show up, and Ediluz leaves early to bring Ruth the documents that she forgot. I force Ediluz to stay long enough to give us something to teach the children (mind you this is the second day for many of the volunteers at Maldonado, some of whom don't speak much Spanish). We have to call the police on a number of very drunk men outside the school. At Triundo Gilda is sick and the vols have to teach 3 and 4 with no preparation. After all this, have to drag myself to Spanish class.

Wednesday:
Triunfo.
We're still teaching 3 and 4 due to a sick teacher, and now Marisol (who teaches 5 and 6) has a very ill father, so she isn't coming in either. We teach on the fly. Thank goodness for the great new textbooks that we recently bought, so I ran up to a local copy shop to make some copies so that we could do some reading comprehension. After school, to the market.

Thursday:
Triunfo:
Still no teachers. I run back and forth between classrooms, teaching and reprimanding in various places.

Friday:
Maldonado:
First I have to go to the airport at 5 am to pick up a new vol.
Some workmen have come to paint the classroom, re-tile the floor, and put up a proper kitchen so the cook no longer has to cook INSIDE the classroom. The teachers try to convince us to take all the kids outside to do PE for 2-3 hours, to which I put down my foot. We help to clear an enourmous pile of rubble in the back of 5 and 6 that the men will use to put up the kitchen. Not a whole lot of learning happens. I spent all afternoon trying to decipher lists of school supplies that we are buying for all of our students in secondary school. The lists are ridiculous: One red notebook with 96 pages with squares. Etc.

Saturday: Early morning trip to the market and to buy a pane of glass for a broken window at one of the schools. Various logistical projects and applying for jobs for next year (will someone PLEASE ask me for an interview?)

Sunday:
Orientation, Spanish homework, job apps, and getting to bed early for another 5 am airport pickup before school on Monday.

Done.

PS I take no credit for the photos, a volunteer who actually knows something about photography took them. Look how gorgeous my kids are!