Teaching and crazy celebrations!

Hola, Buenas Tardes, o yea lovely spanish!  Sadly that is still about the limit of it! Just finished my second day of teaching on my own in spanish. Phew! Both days went well but my morning class were crazy today. The boys wouldnt stop hitting each other and they were all determind to learn nothing, which Im pretty sure they managed to do. Still they have a spelling test tomorrow, I tried very hard to scare them with chat about an examination tomorrow but they were not impressed at all in the morning class! Think i got the afternoon class a little scared...!

Boys messing around!

The words that summarise it most are demanding and exhausting.  There are a few great moments, I love doing the times tables with them in a big group or when they finally figure it out and are like no seno i can do it go away! Yesterday I had both my classes writing a diary of their weekends. Some interesting revelations, almost all the kids worked with their parents. One girl wrote "i went to bed at 9pm, i share my bed with my 4 sisters, i got up at 6am to work with my mum." Its not really surprising they all look very sleepy eyed on a Monday morning! As soon as the kids have done anything, quite often they have only copied down the date or the title they demand attention to show me everything. Its nice being so in demand but a little wearing! I have one new girl in the morning who barely leaves my side all lesson.  Considering the backgrounds of the kids, the intense poverty, many look a little gaunt or have no shoes/holes in their shoes and often grubby clothes and/or faces, the lack of food and sleep and big families it is not surprising that so many play up or crave attention. 

Bryan!

A couple of the kids are adorable for different reasons.  I have a little boy, bryan who is minature although age 9 he never wants to do anything but is really fun when he tries to through a tantrum and i just laugh and tiggle him. Anther girl, who wants to be a doctor was in tears yesterday when the times tables overwhelmed her! Their little personalities certainly make for an interesting day.

Enough school ramble. General updates....the sunflowers have gone from my house, Christinas! Whoop, i left the house on Sunday at 12pm, sunflowers there. Spent day in Antigua chilling with other volunteers, watching films, eating etc got back at 9pm....the house has turned red! Everywhere there were sunflowers there are now red poinsettias. I think kitsh is the word. The christmas decorations are everywhere, all red and mental. Have not been sick at all for past week which has been great, less mealtime banter about estomago.

Christina's front room

Weird festivals....they love celebrations, parades, processions, festivals and fireworks here. Almost everyday either in Antigua or Itzapa, where the school is the roads are blocked for some weird celebration dont think what the celebration is is important. Today there is a big Mexican Christmas celebration in all the towns, involving the church and processions and lots of fireworks. O kid let a firework off in my classsroom today....didnt i say the morning class were a handful!! Last week there was a Burning of the Devil thing, in Antigua that involved building a guy faulkes type thing with a devil on top in the middle of 2 petrol stations then putting crowds right around it and the fire engines at the back. There was nearly a riot when the devil took more than 15 minutes and a lot of extra fuels to collapse. Very amusing for sceptical onlooking gringos who were eyeing up the petrol stations nervously!

Cute kids

Doreen, Richard and Amy

Early kids lined up outside school in the morning

Girls in traditional indigenous dress

Kate and Nathan

New Decorations at Christina's

One of my naughty boys!