First Class Success

We finally began the computer course today. It was a huge success! Mothers and kids lined the hallway, waiting anxiously for the clock to read 2pm. We opened up the doors and brought the kids in one by one, taking down all of their information. Nineteen kids sat around the plastic tables. Some excited, others a little nervous.

As I picked up one of the green little laptops eyes grew wide and smiles appeared on all the faces. Nervousness washed away and excitement built. They were quick to learn how to open and turn on the laptops. Most of today was spent building mouse skills, learning how to click, and also how to create new projects and to save them. All of the kids did quite well. By the end of the day one of the kids discovered the games on the computer, and proceeded to teach everyone else. That is exactly what we are hoping to see. Not kids playing games, but kids learning new skills and then sharing those skills with others. All in all, it was a great start to the program. We are excited to continue!

Transporte Publico

Daniel and I decided to take a trip to Managua to visit a family that we know pretty well. Not a big deal, considering we had done so many times before, but never on public transportation. We have a bus station about four blocks east of our apartment. A quick walk down the street and we found ourselves amidst all the bustle. Engines roared, people shouted, and we were quickly ushered in a sixteen passenger van. We were heading to Managua but we didn't know where we where the van would take us exactly.

On the way out of town the van made a few stops to pick up extra passengers. Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty! By the time we left Granada, the van was packed way beyond capacity. No one seemed to take note, except for the two gringos.

Once we entered the city, the skies opened up and poured. We hoped a cab across town. Five dollars for two people and about 10 miles, not a bad fare. With all the rain though, the streets turned into gushing rivers. There were times when the taxi seemed to float through the intersections. We finally splashed and floated right in to our destination.

The family that we were visiting wanted to take us to a parque bonito, beautiful park, so we headed for another bus stop. In Managua, there doesn't seem to be any way to distinguish between the buses. One could be heading to the mall, another to the market, and another straight out of the city. I asked the dad how we would know which bus was ours, but he only laugh and said that he had been living there for a long time. So, we followed along blinding, enjoying every moment of the packed bus. The fare was only two cordoba, about five cents.

The park was indeed beautiful but the rain just kept coming, so we didn't explore much at all. Everyone was soaked to the bone and the day light was fading fast in all the cloud cover. It was time to find our way home. So we hopped the next bus. To our surprise, we barely fit inside the doors. Each seat had at least two people, sometimes three, and the aisles were packed solid from front to back. At one point I felt Daniel literally pushing me over. I turned to see what was causing all the commotion. A lady in her mid forties was forcing her way down the aisle. Daniel was blocking her path, so it was quite obvious that she just had to push right on through him. She initiated a wave that traveled to the back of the bus and then returned to the front. Only after the wave did she side step Daniel, push through me, and shove her way through the rest of the crowd. Our stop arrived soon after. When in Nicaragua... The pushing ensued, and we exited the bus.

The final leg of our journey was back on the microbus. The number of passengers quickly blew our previous record of twenty completely away. Grand total, sitting and standing and hanging out the windows, checked in at 31 one passengers. Thirty-one! We all got to know one another very well.

Final thoughts on public transportation: Cheap and slow, but if you have the time, a really fun way to travel. I look forward to future endeavors.

Lesson Planning

The laptops are finally ready to go! If we work out all the details, Daniel and I will begin teaching our course next week. The days are not yet finalized, probably four classes a week, each class about 2 hours long. I think it will take somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes to teach each new lesson. We will then give the kids several challenges to work on. Once complete, they will have a chance to create some of their own projects.

That is the frame work, but today we will be doing some serious lesson planning. And so we are walking out the door to enjoy the liberty of the Euro Café.

Little Green Monsters

For the past week, Daniel Whitney and I have been working on the XO's, as they are called. Little green computers designed to withstand the harshest of conditions. Feel free to check out the website if you would like more info. Our current goal is to wipe them clean and install the latest operating systems. It is quite a chore. I have had to learn an enormous amount of technical info about these particular systems and the way they work. Little surprises around every turn! After a few days of intense heat and several setbacks, we are almost prepared to teach a computer course. We are trying to combat helplessness with this course. The idea is to show the kids that they don't have to work out in the cane fields or pick coffee to earn a living. We are giving the kids a chance to see that they can develop a new set of skills. The only problem now is that we do not have any children or schools lined up. Such is life in Nicaragua!

Granada!

We have a pretty sweet apartment here in Granada. It is our base for the computer course that we will be teaching. It is the only house on the entire block that has a heavily gated porch. Three locks on the front door, bars on every window, even the courtyard has bars, keeping us locked away from the outside world. Despite all of the security, it is a pretty neat place. I would say that this one of the nicest apartments that I have had in a couple of years.

We also rented bikes for the duration of our stay in Granada. Not of the motor variety, that I would have preferred, but nice enough. Only six speeds, and some brakes that by design do not work. But they make our treks across town virtually painless. Although, I don't think official bike hand signals mean anything to the casual Nicaraguan driver.

Graduation

Graduation was last night. I have been teacher at Chop Point for the same duration that these seniors have been in high school. It was a whole lot of sweet with a touch of bitter. I'm going to miss them. I'm going to miss all of the students and staff. I'm leaving a part of me behind. As I'm wrapping up this chapter of my life, I find myself to be quite reflective. I apologize for being a bit emo. I am seeing how I have an impact on so many of these kids. My presence here has certainly been blessed by God. I know that He has led me here at the right time, if only for a season. And He is now moving me on. I'm glad for my time here. I'm glad for the intertwining of lives. Above all I'm glad that I can remember Chop Point as a place full of love and joy.