Mancora06
Trip Start
Sep 08, 2006
1
Trip End
Sep 22, 2006
Mancora, North Peru, Peru
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Imagine turning up at a school on a Monday afternoon, after 17 hrs on a bus and the teachers aren't expecting you. As a kid how cool would that be? As a volunteer to teach English, it was hilarious. Benjamin, the deputy head found out I was arriving on Friday, and he introduced me to the head of English, who was more shocked than I to hear the news of why I was there. Then I met another volunteer from another organization who was equally shocked to see me. And she'd been here teaching English to the juniors for 3 months. But I have to say, it's the way it is and just go with the flow. It's too much to be any other way.
So welcome to Mancora. A beach resort on the Pan-American Highway. And it is literally a street with a big huge beautiful beach that goes on for more miles than I can see. And here, they surf. I think they're born with a board on the feet.
So what to do on my first night in town. Go to the circus. Naturally. A traveling circus and it had everything. First the Lama that bowed to the audience. Oh yes, we were sitting on wooden planks, wedged into scaffolding. Health and safety would have had a heart attack, but we all loved it. So here I am with the other volunteers, plus some other travelers we've bumped into, eating sugar candy floss, legs dangling beneath the ground and the lama nodding and winking at us. "Where's the monkey" I ask, and out he comes. Jumping all over the place, dressed in a red uniform with cap. Honest. Jumping loops, hoops, chairs the works. So we couldn't have the dancing dog next...oh yes. I suppose I can see why these things are now banned. But it was a throwback in time for sure. Trapeze artist with kids and clown. But could we have tigers or lions....oh yes. Five great big tigers. Don't even ask where they came from, but I'm sure there were a few less stray dogs the next day in town. 5 soles to come in, that's all we had to pay, that's less than 10p and tigers don't eat tins of cat food. But hey, they roared and jumped and threw swipes at the trainer. Move Over cirque de sol!!! And even with my limited Spanish, the clowns were excellent
So back to school. First day of the first week and all I can think of is HELP!! As I walk through the gates. I actually signed up to do this!
In the afternoons the school has 398 kids from 11-16 years of age and 15 teachers. In the mornings it's the junior school with roughly the same layout, but the kids go from 6 or 7 to 11. They all have a uniform, stand to attention to the national anthem, played by the children, say a daily prayer and are then addressed by the headmaster. Who, by the way, looks like an ex WWF wrestler. The kids love him, but he can growl, so the discipline is excellent. The children stand up when you walk into the class and call you teacher. It helps the nerves. Off we go!!
Day one. Some of the girls call me guapo. Great !! Nice compliment. I just think of Sting and the problems he had at school! Then I'm helping on sentences and giving suggestions. One kid says "his brother study's at home". I suggest the bedroom as a better example. He looks at me and suggests the floor. This isn't the western world. Most families are living in shacks and the floors are the beach. Ok, floor it is. Next one: "My dad keeps all is money in a money box". Right. "My parents change all their money in April" ok .....this stems from the rampant inflation from 5yrs ago. People put there money into dollars or euros now. In Lima there are street traders with jackets just like the stock exchange, trading in currency all day! Anyhow, this one killed me from an eleven year old .."my dad has a lot of beer" really now." my dad drinks a lot of beer"...ok getting the picture
Day two. I was with Giant Haystacks, aka the headmaster and he wants the voluntary organizations to keep sending English teachers but councilors too and trained psychologists for the kids.....and after what I'd seen, he's spot on. Sometimes, I see kids just crying in class or fast asleep as they have to work in the evening and school is the only place where they can sleep. Sometimes when teaching them, there are some that just need attention and I can see why, that to them there is no point to learning English when life is so poor already. But this is the beautiful challenge of being here. Like the clowns in the circus, I'm clowning away, learning with laughter and lots of interaction .it can help...it has to.
Day Three and Ruth the English teacher, who doesn't speak that much English, infact not a lot at all, was asking for my help on words , irregular plural nouns. I thought the word "bitch" and "bitches", was a little strong when referring to a prostitute and didn't fancy drilling the kids in the pronunciation of the word to tell the truth. "Witches, beaches and this one...bitches!!" Doesn't quite work!
That morning I was with the eight to eleven year olds, teaching parts of the body .you know, the old, heads, shoulders, knees and toes and found myself doing colour of eyes and hair. Examples of this are difficult to find here. All black hair and dark eyes. Gave up teaching blond!!! But in my next class, I had "that" class. Very hard work and the teacher kept walking out for a fag, great help there, showing the kids what he thinks. So I have to eventually shout silence. They stop and sit bolt up right. And just at that critical point, the old man comes running back in, with his metre wooden ruler and thinks he knows who was being naughty and bloody hits the kid...the wrong one too. I wish I could have done something but I was gob smaked. It doesn't work, is counter productive and left me wanting to put him in a chair and hit him. And that doesn't help or work either. Next time, I think I'll just break his ruler.
Day four and back to correcting sentences. This one is a classic. Present continuous examples" the teachers were drinking beer for the birthday of a friend"...they really don't miss a trick at all. That and "rich uncles in Lima" "washing my sisters baby" .it's a real eye opener
Day Eight and I think I'm learning, but there's so much more to know!!! I get the children to sing the alphabet to twinkle twinkle little star. Thank the lord there isn't a video of this for you to see!!. Then we do a little competition to colour in the words for colours. The First correct five can have a cake. Oh dear. What a mistake. Twenty five children left over begin begging for a cake too. Bribery doesn't always work. Or having games between boys and girls to circle words, numbers, colours etc. Simple, effective and great fun, except when some girls get too competitive and for the one girl who made a mistake, she got punched and hit on her way back to the desk!! But they watch you like a hawk. So looking for the next word on the board, I realize they're watching my eyes. Hello Ian, wake up. Sharp as razors and as cute as baby lions. Dangerous too!!
Day nine. I feel like a stick of chalk dust
Day ten .Where is the football. I brought two match footballs from Wolverhampton Wanderers for the school. Gave them to Giant Haystacks on day two and haven't seen sight or sound of them since. It has been explained to me that things of value will just be sold off. Other volunteers give donations to the teachers they trust rather than the right person as it doesn't seem to appear again. So, I'm asking for a school photo to send back to Wolves, and the deputy I hope is on the search for two brand new leather footballs!!
The day before I've forgotten. To add some spice to the singing of the alphabet to "Twinkle Twinkle little star" when I get to "Z" , I say "Z" . "Zed's dead baby , Zed's dead". For fans of Pulp Fiction, I say no more. But the kids repeat it back to me, we laugh and laugh some more. So, the next class when I get to "Y" I sing out "why why why, Delia" and they sing back, though they've never heard of Tom Jones!!! Hope the school inspectors aren't watching!
Day, I've forgotten. Cakes for the winners and a biscuit for those taking part. Think I'm learning eh? Don't leave the cakes for the next class on the floor. Why, because I went to get them out in the second class to find they'd gone. They have Quick hands as well as sharp eyesight.
Day 1324 it's 35'c now, in the morning at eight o'clock. I'm running round a class, doing bingo and get roped into doing the games hour with the kids. Volleyball, football, skipping, running games. I'm ten pounds lighter, sweating more than a formula one driver. But loving every minute of it.
My Birthday. I have a class of 9 year olds sing happy birthday to me. Then they all jump on me and hug me and I'm going "don't cry now. Keep that stiff upper British lip from trembling". But what beauty.
And the classes continue. I'm waiting on a photo of the footballs still. Drinking gallons of water. The local cake shop loves me. I never knew I could sing or be a fool as I do in these classes. And at six, I walk home to a sunset and crash out. To the teachers out there, I salute you. To my English teachers...what language did I learn?
Day 1289 With the seniors in the afternoon, and whilst Ruth is explaining English in Spanish and I'm lost trying to work out what she's saying, I start reading my preparation for the next class only to hear the click of a camera. I look up to see a group of girls giggling as the one puts the camera back in her bag. Sweet and very embarrassed!!!
Day 3421 We find the footballs in the headmaster's cupboard. I know they have a value, but nothing compared to watching the kids faces as we blew them up ready for PE. PE eh, what a memory. So, two fresh footballs, courtesy of the GREATEST TEAM IN THE LAND; WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (and for any ManU fans out there, I'll just say 1-0) and of we play. The faces on these children are beyond description let alone the shrieks of enjoyment as I continue to boot the balls in the air, and we have a game of football. They have proper balls that bounce and are the real thing. After ten minutes under the sun, I'm exhausted and opt for goal and let them run around!! Wise choice me thinks. A BIG THANKS TO BARBARA AT WOLVES and the team there for donating the footballs. I'll never be able to fully describe the enjoyment it has given these children
And back go the balls into the headmaster's locker, scuffed and used as they should be. Roll on next PE
And now, I'm off to sleep . Catch you all soon .
Much Love
Ian
Comments
Ian you are the man!
Keep up the good work... you make it all seem worthwhile!
It's really good.
Love your blog, sweetie! (Never thought I'd say that)xxxxxxxxOOOOOOOOOOOOxxxxxxxxx
Why didn't I think of this?
At 52 years old I'm making my first ever journey south of the equator.
Late developer or what?
Love the blog.