Spontaneity

Monday, March 30, 2009

Ah the end of March. Spring break is almost upon us and then it’s just a short run to the end of the year.

Wednesday we have a day for Parent-Teacher conferences. Hopefully I will have some time to organize my room and get some plans made for the week we return from break. I don’t want to have to come back and work on Sunday!

Last weekend worked out really well though; Al’s brother came to visit last week. We went out to dinner Friday night with Al, Mary, Bruce (brother), and Will (nephew) at the Calle de Hambre (Street of Hunger). We have been there before to eat, but this time we hung out at the Cervezeria (beer store) and checked out all the bootleg movie shops. We window shopped and perused the dining establishments until we found the one we liked.

Calle de Hambre is a rather unique experience and definitely not for the faint of stomach. It is actually two roads that have makeshift buildings along both sides of them. They were more so when we first arrived; now they have taken on more permanent status. There are actually walls and roofs and tables and everything. One needs to be careful as it is easy to eat at the wrong place or dine on the wrong cuisine. It is always a bevy of activity in the evenings and late into the night. We have tried to have lunch there, but most of the spots don’t open until five or later.

We found a great little Bar-B-Que joint. There was a window that allowed us to see right into the kitchen. That was the selling point for me. We ate our fill, then had some ice cream and then wandered on home.

Saturday found us heading to the beach to meet them again. Valencia was bright, sunny, and hot, whereas the beach was gray, windy, and cold. The waves were huge! I tried to body surf but ended up eating a lot of sand so I opted for cold beer and conversation instead.

Sunday we got a call at 9:30 inviting us to breakfast with Soren and Gaby. After that we sped off to the Valencia Aquarium. There we saw jaguars, pumas, tortoises, snakes, spiders, and lots of birds. There was even a dolphin show! They use fresh water dolphins from the Orinoco. It was great fun and Zachary finally got to see one up close. They were extremely difficult to pick out when we were in the Delta, so this worked really well.

The day got hot so we went to the pool and had some pizza. I was tired when we arrived home, but I had a good time. It was a fun way to spend the weekend; spontaneously.

Now it is bedtime. I have a ton of work to do this week. I have several outgoing packages to prepare. Now is the time to send out mail! This time next week I will be in Panama!

MJR

Day By Day

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Not really an exciting week, but a productive one.

Relations have been strained in the Richards/Niebanck household. It’s a real bitch to live, work, play, eat, breathe, etc with the same people all the time. I love my family to death, but sometimes they just drive me nuts. We have been actively working on this problem and have made some real progress. In fact the last month or so have been great. The last two weeks are a different story altogether.

Part of my problem is the lack of male friends. There are a few fellows I get along with pretty well, but we don’t go out and do a whole lot together. What do guys do when they go out anyway? We don’t really go to movies together and I’m not a big sports fan so that doesn’t leave a lot of options here in the land of no pubs.

Carrie has managed to find some outlets; she dances twice a week and goes out with the ladies every so often. There are several single women here which makes it a little easier to go out. To some degree I’m just crying in my Wheaties and need to knock it off, but sometimes it gets kinda depressing.

On the bright side; I received one of my textbooks this week! It rocks to get mail. Most of it is junk, just like at home, but every so often something arrives that is super cool. I love mail order for that. I go to Amazon, order a CD or something and six weeks later it’s in my hands. That is if all goes well with the mail. If it goes poorly, I could wait forever. I’m still waiting for my economic stimulus check.

I am taking an online course in Children’s Literature. It is a precursor to my plan to get my school librarian’s certificate. It feels good to have something to do that is working towards a bigger goal. I really enjoy the subject matter so that helps too. As an added bonus, CIC agreed to pay for the online course as a professional development opportunity. So it’s free! I only have to present material to the staff later and maybe do a workshop at the next VANAS conference. A small price to pay…

We had our talent show on Thursday. Several of my students performed. It was fun to realize that I had interacted with every performer under the age of ten. I was impressed with the quality of the acts. Next year we shall try to convince the little man to do something.

Speaking of the little man; he approached us one day this week and posed this question: “What were you guys doing when I got into Mama’s tummy?” I wasn’t 100% sure how I should answer that one so I told him we were shopping for TV’s. That answer will probably scar him for life and I’ll hear about it again and again for the next ten years, but I just didn’t have the courage to tell him the truth. Maybe when he’s a little older.

This week is the faculty auction and the elementary spring concert. That should make things go by quickly. Only two more weeks until I go to Panama; I can hardly wait.

MJR

Water, Water...Nowhere

Saturday, March 14, 2009

My cold is still hanging on. In fact I have passed it on to Carrie and Zachary. That really is just the icing on the cake.

Monday went along fine until the water stopped working. It seems that the pump was broken and needed parts. The pump takes the water from the ground floor where it enters the building and pushes it up to the roof. From there, gravity distributes it to the rest of the building. Dishes were stacked in the sink and the bathroom doors were left closed at all times. We had to go down to the parking lot and carry buckets upstairs to flush the toilets, etc. It was exhausting, but we were assured it would be fixed in no time. We went out for dinner.

Tuesday; still no water. In the evening we went to a great concert of a band called Café Tacuba. We had a sushi dinner, then went to the show. We attended with some friends and had a fabulous time. It was awesome to go out as a couple and leave the kid behind. It was a late night, adding even more challenge to a waterless Wednesday.

In the morning we headed up to the locker rooms at school to get a shower, but that is not the best way to begin one’s day. I was truly beat when I arrived home that evening to discover there was still no water. The Conserje (building super) assured us it would be fixed that night. We went out for dinner again.

Fortunately he wasn’t lying. By ten o’clock we had water once more. We flushed the toilets ten or twelve times, did the dishes, and started the laundry. I think I would rather do without electricity than water. Water is so necessary for so many things; I can shower, do laundry, and prepare dinner without electricity, but all of those things are pretty much impossible without water. Doing without helps me feel more grateful for what I have.

Staying upbeat at work is becoming more and more challenging. I work hard with my kids, but the organizational structure and the administration of my school is a shambles. I have been commandeered for a committee and I dread every minute of it. I do not feel that my opinion is valued and I get the idea that change will never happen. I have to look at the 7 a.m. meetings as tests; can I keep my mouth shut for thirty or forty minutes at a time? Alas, I don’t think so; Trouble, here I come!

The ides of March are upon us. In four weeks I will be in Panama. I have to stay focused on my time away from Valencia. I can’t believe we have committed to another year here. What were we thinking?

MJR

Back to the Grind

Sunday, March 08, 2009

This week lasted forever. I forgot how hard it is to work a full week after having only one day off. Everyone was ready for the weekend.

So it’s just back to life. No big trips, no special occasions, just work, eat, and sleep. I have a cold. That makes it a bit tougher to feel motivated, but we have so little time left until the end of the year that I have to keep going.

We have had some gatherings with friends and Tuesday we’re going to a concert so things aren’t completely mundane. There is also the president of this beautiful country who keeps life exciting.

It feels slightly tense here. The collapse of Stanford Bank has sent serious ripples through the community. The president has taken over rice production and expressed surprise over the fact that Venezuela could be affected by the downturn. He has proven once again how out of touch with reality he really is. He has also promised a crackdown on the opposition media outlets, ensuring that his will be the only message available. I am not sure I see a lot of hope for this place. It’s too bad because there is so much to offer here; there is no reason for all of this poverty and waste. We are busy planning our future…somewhere else.

I am looking forward to some live music. I have never heard of the band, but their YouTube stuff sounds pretty good. Frankly, I’d be happy to go see Barry Manilow in concert at this point! We’ll be going with our “non-teacher” friends. Two of them are the parents of one of my students. I’m sure it will be challenging to go to work Wednesday morning, but what the hell, right?

I am definitely ready to be done with this school year. My boss is driving me nuts. I hope I can make it through one more year without telling her exactly what I think. Those of you who know me well will understand just how difficult that may be. There are benefits to staying and I have to stay focused on those things or I am going to go ape. I did learn that the other fellow who teaches third grade is heading back to Oregon at the end of this year. That is a bonus. Although he is a nice guy, he’s not a big team player. I have hope that my new co-worker will be more forthcoming and easier to work with.

Not much more to tell, really.

MJR

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Is it March already?

We’re finally back to working regularly. That’s good, except we had to have school yesterday to make up for some of the time we lost. I thought when I became a teacher that I had given up working on Saturdays, but apparently not.

Last weekend was Carnaval; we took a great trip to the mountains. That would be the Andes. We ventured out to a town called Sanare with some friends of ours. They are the parents of one of Zachary’s schoolmates. He is Danish and she is Nicaraguan. We did the whole thing by the seat of our pants. We had never been to this village before or the national park next to it. We confirmed that there was room at a nearby inn, but we went there sight unseen.

Despite the fact that it was pink, the hotel was pretty nice. We checked in and headed out for lunch and an afternoon in the park. It was the first time we have encountered naturalists here. We went to a trail to take a small hike and were greeted by some volunteers. They told us about the Andean bears that live there and introduced us to some of the flora. One of them guided us along the trail, talking about frogs and the forest while he did. At the end was a waterfall that turned out to be a dam. We played in the water for a while and then headed on back. There was a big green field where we kicked the ball around and listened to the birds. It was quite pleasant.

On our way back to the hotel we were detained by a parade through Sanare. We stopped and enjoyed the dancing, floats, and costumes. We wandered around, getting stared at as we did. We actually stayed in a little town next to Sanare called Palo Verde. We arrived there well after dark to discover that the restaurant was closed. The only food available was from the hot dog stand across the street. We sat outside with our meal and enjoyed each other’s company.

Monday found us stopping by the botanical gardens. This is a beautiful spot about two hours from our house. It’s a shame that it’s not closer as we would go there more often. We strolled through the gardens dodging sprinklers and enjoying the flowers. We also got to listen to the howler monkeys and watch them jump from tree to tree. We ate at the café and then headed home.

We had a good time. I was a little worried at first, traveling with folks we don’t really know that well, but it turned out great. It feels good to meet folks outside of work. As much as I enjoy their company, it gets tiring working and playing with the same people all of the time.

Now we’re back to the grind, counting the days until spring break. After that it’s a smooth slide to summer.

MJR