Journals
Thursday,Jan 19 2006, 06:49:42 PMRoosters and Computers
Today i woke up to a rooster in my courtyard… announcing the day. Were this to be only a morning occurrence I would welcome it and consider its announcement… but this rooster crows every 20 minutes of every day. I therefore contemplated turning over and sleeping the morning away…until I realized that I had a computer class to teach at 8 a.m. I savored my cup of coffee and banana, stood to watch the activity below me at the hospital and soccer field, and made my way to the library. It’s the last day for the morning class, finishing up 4 weeks of class learning the basics of Microsoft Windows, Word, and Excel. They are finishing their end of term “projects” and I run into Richard and Emanuel on the way, asking them whether they have their poem or story written out to type. They anxiously pull it out of their pockets, proud of what they had authored. During class a couple of younger kids come in, wanting to play with the puzzles and trucks in the library… over the past month these classes are a gathering place for those enrolled and otherwise, playing, laughing, and making a mess of the books I try to neatly order every night. There are always a couple of kids who want to check books out, so they sign the log and as usual, bring them back two days later.
The computer classes are comprised of 24 students, children and adults alike, some professors and some kids vacationing here from Santa Cruz city. This week many of them are in the campo (countryside) planting potatoes and cultivating onions, so they’ll have to come after the course is over… of course now that I have started teaching, there are 24 more that would like to enroll. I never thought of teaching computer classes, and I have had my share of frustrating days when I cannot seem to articulate well or when the students don’t remember to they have to double click, sitting there waiting for something to miraculously open. But those moments fade away during days like today where they came in, sat down, and barely asked me one question as they typed their final projects. They inserted images of hearts, stars, flashy borders, and pictures of Pucará. And now, sitting at the computer and printing out their projects I see the effort put into these classes. The poems are about their pueblo, the surrounding sites and the views overlooking the valley; there are stories about love, about the rich and the poor.
I found this first teaching task rather daunting, never remembering myself how I was taught to use a computer. But slowly I stepped away and let them figure it out- if I figured it out some years ago, surely they don’t need me to hang over their shoulders. Parents come in during class and observe, making sure their child came to class and surely a little curious themselves as to what this art of computing is all about.
The other day Delfa came to me wanting me to type something for her. She is enrolled in the class, but since this was an important document she wanted to make sure it was done correctly… even though her Spanish is incomparable to mine. I agreed to do it and we met at the library. She wanted to pay me for the 15 minutes it took to type a paragraph, but I would have none of it- instead accepting payment in the form of some succulent plums she has growing in her backyard.
Rain is looming over the mountains and the breeze is picking up. I am just waiting for it to start pouring down, secretly praying it will hold out until the next class is over, as my laundry is still out on the line. The rain here is enchanting and miserable at the same time. After a couple dry days I look at thunder clouds and think to myself that I wouldn’t mind spending the afternoon curled up with a cup of tea and Cannery Row. But after 2 days of deluge- which turn the streets of Pucará (and then your house) into a mud pit- I begin to grow crazy with each continuing hour. Of course it does, and as long as you keep those sunny, hot days in mind (and a pile of literature handy), it passes. Like everything, it passes. And so, the computer classes come to an end. We learned how to use lists, bullets, and numeration the other day, and as the night class let out, I trudged up the street saying goodbye to Marbin and Hayler… Marbin turns around and says, “Nos vemos viñeta (bullet), chao numeración”, and then doubles over laughing. Secretly I hope that they remember where they first learned to use a computer, even if I am only used in reference as a bullet point on their long list of achievements.
Wednesday,Jan 4 2006, 01:50:32 PMFelicidades! Happy New Year! Bonne Année!
Christmas and New Year´s have passed and for me it was the best of both worlds....Christmas Eve in Pucará was spent making empanadas, galletas, and cuñapes and decorating the manger scene in a several houses around town. Gray and rainy, the satellite phone lost connection sometime mid-afternoon, and the line of people desperately attempting to use the phone (myself included!) slowly dwindled, resigning to the fact that it would just have to wait until tomorrow (or two weeks from now) to be fixed. I went to an evangelical service at 7 just as a storm ...
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Saturday,Nov 26 2005, 01:51:10 PMFirst days of Paradise!
November 18, 2005
An old man whistling down the way, walking into the sunset from his long day in the fields… a dog hobbling along the cobblestone, rushing to find dinner at his owner’s door… children laughing, screeching while playing hide and seek in the plaza… roosters continually announcing the day and now dusk… these are the sights and sounds felt as I sit outside after my third day in Pucará. Today was the last day of school so the entire town went down to the school for the Pedagogic Fair. For days before students were painting ...
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Monday,Nov 7 2005, 09:03:25 PMPucará... first time
October 29, 2005
Pucará appeared to me as a speck clinging onto a hillside, hidden between the lush mountains of Santa Cruz and the fertile valley of the Rio Mizque. I arrived by bus with my counterpart, Iver, around 11 o’clock… I met his family and they hardly exchanged two words to each other. This is the second day I have known Iver and conversing with him is one of the most difficult tasks I have had here in Bolivia. He is an intelligent high school professor and president of the governmental group of Pucará- yet is incredibly short on ...
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Monday,Nov 7 2005, 09:02:16 PMPucará, Santa Cruz
October 18, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
I woke up this morning to a despedido, or goodbye to the daughter of my Doña who was here with her family from Buenos Aires. They left at 4 in the morning and after saying goodbye to them I went back to bed for a bit. Now I am drinking Toddy (the Brazilian equivalent to Ovaltine…) and sitting in my room, anxious to start my day.
I found out I am going to Pucara starting mid-November. The site looks amazing. Small town of 1,500 people upon a hilltop… Apparently there is an ample water supply as it lies ...
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