Sunday, September 2, 2007
Dia di Limpa Skola (pics go with this post)
OK, well we had the Dia di Limpa Skola project yesterday, and all I can say is, it was one of, if not THE best day of my life…no shit.
There were problems, to be sure. For instance, the school director, who I saw just 2 days ago, went to Portugal on vacation, which wouldn’t have been a terrible problem, except that he had the keys to all the rooms. Also, a couple kids dug a hole about he size of a grave and when I asked them what it was for, they told me that we were going to put the trash in it and burn it all, then cover up the hole. (Environmentalists will be happy to hear that other arrangements were made.) There was also a shortage of water for drinking and cleaning, no plates, spoons or cups, not enough cleaning supplies to go around, general disarray and chaos, some spilled paint, a few cuts and bruises, and a lot of standing around.
However, plenty of things went right as well. Yesterday we had 57 kids show up, we filled 14 huge bags full of trash, fixed 6 windows, painted 6 doors (and a mural on the wall of the school!), swept and mopped 8 class rooms, fixed 3 door locks, had lunch, put on 2 skits about drugs, had a children’s batuku group perform, made announcements and thank you’s, and to top it all off, the kids wrote and sang a song for all of the Peace Corps volunteers living in Txa di Tanki. The chorus went, “Korpo di Paz, nu ka ta skesi di nhos!” = “Peace Corps we will never forget you.” Two of the volunteers that live in Txa di Tanki were crying. I was one of them. Finally, and most importantly, the kids, with virtually no help from me, all signed their names to a paper and had someone write a letter to the kamera, and to Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education, thanking them for the supplies, and requesting free English classes in Txa di Tanki. I showed the letters and list to my training director, and nearly broke into tears.
Other than this sort of quantitative stuff, I’m not really sure how to describe what happened in that village yesterday. Windows were repaired and trash was picked up, but there was something else going on as well…this really deep, almost overwhelming sense of community pride and involvement…of giving and sharing, and I was literally, overjoyed to have had a hand in bringing it about. Smiles and Laughter All Day Long. These kids were EXCITED to be doing all this hard work, EXCITED that their local government had sent them some paint and some trash bags, EXCITED that their school was getting a makeover. At one point, I had to take the paintbrushes and hammers away from the group that was painting the doors and fixing windows, as they wouldn’t stop working when the play was getting ready to start. And as far as the festa afterwards…fahgeddaboudit! Riotous laughter during the play, booming rounds of applause for the little batuku girls, people paying attention while others were speaking, everyone sharing all of the food…it was just amazing. It was a whole day of work and fun, all centered on the kids and the school. I don’t know what anyone else thinks of when they think of “the Peace Corps experience,” but yesterday was it for me…everything I came here for, and more. I’ll never forget it, and if I can have 2 more days just like it over the next 2 years, I’ll be satisfied. I know I’ve only been here a short while, but it feels like I’ve been doing this kind of work all my life, and it’s difficult for me to imagine doing anything else.
Pictures of the day to follow soon.
There were problems, to be sure. For instance, the school director, who I saw just 2 days ago, went to Portugal on vacation, which wouldn’t have been a terrible problem, except that he had the keys to all the rooms. Also, a couple kids dug a hole about he size of a grave and when I asked them what it was for, they told me that we were going to put the trash in it and burn it all, then cover up the hole. (Environmentalists will be happy to hear that other arrangements were made.) There was also a shortage of water for drinking and cleaning, no plates, spoons or cups, not enough cleaning supplies to go around, general disarray and chaos, some spilled paint, a few cuts and bruises, and a lot of standing around.
However, plenty of things went right as well. Yesterday we had 57 kids show up, we filled 14 huge bags full of trash, fixed 6 windows, painted 6 doors (and a mural on the wall of the school!), swept and mopped 8 class rooms, fixed 3 door locks, had lunch, put on 2 skits about drugs, had a children’s batuku group perform, made announcements and thank you’s, and to top it all off, the kids wrote and sang a song for all of the Peace Corps volunteers living in Txa di Tanki. The chorus went, “Korpo di Paz, nu ka ta skesi di nhos!” = “Peace Corps we will never forget you.” Two of the volunteers that live in Txa di Tanki were crying. I was one of them. Finally, and most importantly, the kids, with virtually no help from me, all signed their names to a paper and had someone write a letter to the kamera, and to Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education, thanking them for the supplies, and requesting free English classes in Txa di Tanki. I showed the letters and list to my training director, and nearly broke into tears.
Other than this sort of quantitative stuff, I’m not really sure how to describe what happened in that village yesterday. Windows were repaired and trash was picked up, but there was something else going on as well…this really deep, almost overwhelming sense of community pride and involvement…of giving and sharing, and I was literally, overjoyed to have had a hand in bringing it about. Smiles and Laughter All Day Long. These kids were EXCITED to be doing all this hard work, EXCITED that their local government had sent them some paint and some trash bags, EXCITED that their school was getting a makeover. At one point, I had to take the paintbrushes and hammers away from the group that was painting the doors and fixing windows, as they wouldn’t stop working when the play was getting ready to start. And as far as the festa afterwards…fahgeddaboudit! Riotous laughter during the play, booming rounds of applause for the little batuku girls, people paying attention while others were speaking, everyone sharing all of the food…it was just amazing. It was a whole day of work and fun, all centered on the kids and the school. I don’t know what anyone else thinks of when they think of “the Peace Corps experience,” but yesterday was it for me…everything I came here for, and more. I’ll never forget it, and if I can have 2 more days just like it over the next 2 years, I’ll be satisfied. I know I’ve only been here a short while, but it feels like I’ve been doing this kind of work all my life, and it’s difficult for me to imagine doing anything else.
Pictures of the day to follow soon.
Read this before looking at the pics below!!!
Hi guys. Just wanted to give you all a quick update. It’s been a very hectic week as I’ve been busily preparing for my “Dia di Limpa Skola” project in Txa di Tanki. I’ve made Portuguese avisos (flyers), invitations for kids, families, other volunteers on this island and also Peace Corps staff, drafted letters (also in Portuguese) requesting supplies, assistance and money to the kamera (City Hall) in Assomada, the Ministero di Educaҫãὀ and an Environmental NGO (non-government-organization) called Ambente. All have promised me some form of aid, but most of it has yet to arrive, and the project is tomorrow. So far, the only things I’ve managed to secure for sure are 3 buckets of paint, 2 paintbrushes, 3 mops, 3 sponges and a big bucket.
The kids in town are also going to do a batuku performance, and the group that did the play for the festa in town is going to do a 15 minute short play about drug use. To top it all off, everyone is bringing snacks and drinks to have a little party after its all over. Although I know how I want everything to go, I am having a hard time visualizing what will actually happen tomorrow. I’ll be sure to let you know though.
What else? This week we talked with the budget guy and he’s a REAL jackass. Peace Corps, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to pay us 4 times a year. (I’m really wishing I’d have taken some sort of budgeting class in college right now, and I’m sure my family is shitting golden bricks as they read this and envision me going hungry for the next two and half months.) Included in that quarterly payment will be ¼ of all work-related travel allowances, emergency money etc. that we will receive for the fiscal year, even though we don’t know when, where or how often we’ll ever need to travel, which makes a HUGE difference. (For instance, if we need to travel to Fogo for training or medical purposes, that costs about 24,000$00, whereas a trip to Santiago would cost about 12,000$00, but we don’t know ahead of time where we’d need to go.) Lastly, he told us that everyone gets the same amount for their “settling in allowance,” which is the money (about $100 USD) they give us to buy everything we need for our house…bed, bedding, pots, pans, cups, spoons, knives, desk, chairs, cleaning supplies, etc. Thing that made me want to shoot the damn messenger though, is that there are only 3 of us (myself included) that will be living alone, and that are moving into completely new sites where there has never been a Peace Corps volunteer. Everyone else is moving into an established, ready-to-go Peace Corps house with furniture, kitchen stuff, roommates, beds etc. So they’ll have a house and an allowance for fun, travel or luxury (internet, chocolate), and the three of us will be sleeping on the floor and cooking rice in cups. I know it’s the Peace Corps and all, and I realize I’m bitching about money amidst a country full of people who have none, but c’mon. How about a little love for the few of us that are going to be out in the sticks?
And as long as I’m bitching, also this week we’ve been getting what Peace Corps is calling “Emergency Sanpadjudu” kriolu lessons. On Santo Antao, the island I’ll be living on for the next two years, they speak a different version of Kriolu than the one I’ve been learning and have worked so hard to become nearly fluent in. It’s not something you could equate to understanding a Boston accent versus a South Carolina accent, as the difference here is actually a dialect. For instance, in the Badiu kriolu that I’ve learned…
Modi ki bu sta? Modi ki bu txoma? Modi ki bu ta fla?
Becomes, in Sanpadjudu kriolu…
Oi manera, tu dret? Manera ke’b nom? Manera ke’k’bo te’dze?
So, although there are definitely some similarities, I feel like I’m basically starting from scratch, which definitely sucks. Peace Corps has yet to give us a good explanation as to why they are only giving us one week (one hour a day) of “emergency” sanpadjudu, but I think it has something to do with the gross inefficiency, lack of attention to detail, and piss poor planning. I’ve been told by my host family not to worry, because all the people on my new island will still be able to understand me…I just won’t be able to understand them. Anyways, as soon as I get there, I plan on arranging a new family to teach me how to talk, how to behave properly (it’s improper to stretch, sit cross-legged or touch anyone with your left hand here for instance), where and how to get mail, where to take trash, how to find a car to the nearest town etc.
Essentially, the home-stay, language acquisition, cultural integration etc. that I’ve had for the last 2 months has been a practice run for the REAL immersion that I’ll go through beginning next week, except this time I’m on my own. Time to see what I’m really made of I guess.
Anyways, basically I’ve been running around like mad, and jdan kumenza ku sodade di nha vizinho y familha (I’m already starting to miss my neighbors and host family), I don’t have anything to read (in English), I’ve had a cold for about three days, and I’m a little bit scared that tomorrow I’ll be standing around the school with three buckets of paint all by myself. So, a bit of a rough patch, but I’m still having the time of my life, and wouldn’t trade this for anything. I am living on an beautiful desert island in the middle of the ocean after all.
I hope all is well with everyone. Although I wouldn’t really know, as I think the novelty of my adventure must have worn off, and there are rarely any new e-mails or Blog comments waiting for me anymore. (Guilt Trip) If anyone has or is planning to send a card, letter, book or care package (Guilt Trip), I’ll have my new address in a week or so. I should also be given a cell phone by Peace Corps, as apparently I’ll be the “Safety and Security Coordinator” (no idea what that job entails) for the other volunteers on Santo Antao, and a cell phone comes with that gig, although God knows what it would cost to call me on it. Anyways, information to follow shortly.
Y’all take good care of each other.
The kids in town are also going to do a batuku performance, and the group that did the play for the festa in town is going to do a 15 minute short play about drug use. To top it all off, everyone is bringing snacks and drinks to have a little party after its all over. Although I know how I want everything to go, I am having a hard time visualizing what will actually happen tomorrow. I’ll be sure to let you know though.
What else? This week we talked with the budget guy and he’s a REAL jackass. Peace Corps, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to pay us 4 times a year. (I’m really wishing I’d have taken some sort of budgeting class in college right now, and I’m sure my family is shitting golden bricks as they read this and envision me going hungry for the next two and half months.) Included in that quarterly payment will be ¼ of all work-related travel allowances, emergency money etc. that we will receive for the fiscal year, even though we don’t know when, where or how often we’ll ever need to travel, which makes a HUGE difference. (For instance, if we need to travel to Fogo for training or medical purposes, that costs about 24,000$00, whereas a trip to Santiago would cost about 12,000$00, but we don’t know ahead of time where we’d need to go.) Lastly, he told us that everyone gets the same amount for their “settling in allowance,” which is the money (about $100 USD) they give us to buy everything we need for our house…bed, bedding, pots, pans, cups, spoons, knives, desk, chairs, cleaning supplies, etc. Thing that made me want to shoot the damn messenger though, is that there are only 3 of us (myself included) that will be living alone, and that are moving into completely new sites where there has never been a Peace Corps volunteer. Everyone else is moving into an established, ready-to-go Peace Corps house with furniture, kitchen stuff, roommates, beds etc. So they’ll have a house and an allowance for fun, travel or luxury (internet, chocolate), and the three of us will be sleeping on the floor and cooking rice in cups. I know it’s the Peace Corps and all, and I realize I’m bitching about money amidst a country full of people who have none, but c’mon. How about a little love for the few of us that are going to be out in the sticks?
And as long as I’m bitching, also this week we’ve been getting what Peace Corps is calling “Emergency Sanpadjudu” kriolu lessons. On Santo Antao, the island I’ll be living on for the next two years, they speak a different version of Kriolu than the one I’ve been learning and have worked so hard to become nearly fluent in. It’s not something you could equate to understanding a Boston accent versus a South Carolina accent, as the difference here is actually a dialect. For instance, in the Badiu kriolu that I’ve learned…
Modi ki bu sta? Modi ki bu txoma? Modi ki bu ta fla?
Becomes, in Sanpadjudu kriolu…
Oi manera, tu dret? Manera ke’b nom? Manera ke’k’bo te’dze?
So, although there are definitely some similarities, I feel like I’m basically starting from scratch, which definitely sucks. Peace Corps has yet to give us a good explanation as to why they are only giving us one week (one hour a day) of “emergency” sanpadjudu, but I think it has something to do with the gross inefficiency, lack of attention to detail, and piss poor planning. I’ve been told by my host family not to worry, because all the people on my new island will still be able to understand me…I just won’t be able to understand them. Anyways, as soon as I get there, I plan on arranging a new family to teach me how to talk, how to behave properly (it’s improper to stretch, sit cross-legged or touch anyone with your left hand here for instance), where and how to get mail, where to take trash, how to find a car to the nearest town etc.
Essentially, the home-stay, language acquisition, cultural integration etc. that I’ve had for the last 2 months has been a practice run for the REAL immersion that I’ll go through beginning next week, except this time I’m on my own. Time to see what I’m really made of I guess.
Anyways, basically I’ve been running around like mad, and jdan kumenza ku sodade di nha vizinho y familha (I’m already starting to miss my neighbors and host family), I don’t have anything to read (in English), I’ve had a cold for about three days, and I’m a little bit scared that tomorrow I’ll be standing around the school with three buckets of paint all by myself. So, a bit of a rough patch, but I’m still having the time of my life, and wouldn’t trade this for anything. I am living on an beautiful desert island in the middle of the ocean after all.
I hope all is well with everyone. Although I wouldn’t really know, as I think the novelty of my adventure must have worn off, and there are rarely any new e-mails or Blog comments waiting for me anymore. (Guilt Trip) If anyone has or is planning to send a card, letter, book or care package (Guilt Trip), I’ll have my new address in a week or so. I should also be given a cell phone by Peace Corps, as apparently I’ll be the “Safety and Security Coordinator” (no idea what that job entails) for the other volunteers on Santo Antao, and a cell phone comes with that gig, although God knows what it would cost to call me on it. Anyways, information to follow shortly.
Y’all take good care of each other.
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