April 14, 2013 Day 1

After arriving at Hotel Hamacas at 12:30am we were all tired and ready for a couple hours of sleep but nonetheless we were excited to be in Nicaragua finally. After talking with the volunteers from last year’s trip I was even more excited to go than before. Since being here and being so close to meeting the kids my excitement has tripled. Today was the first day at Escuela Especial and it was a hard working but worth the work kind-of day. We left the hotel at around 7:30 and arrived at the school around 8. We started cleaning right away and Max and I were assigned to clean a court-yard. It was hot, sweaty and dirty and sometimes I felt like not doing it but then I remember who and why I am doing it for and every bad feeling goes away. It took about an hour to an hour and a half to clean the entire courtyard which was filthy and had glass and barbwire scattered all over. After finishing picking up the trash we went to clean and scrub the preschool’s tables and chairs which were caked with mud but we were happy to clean them knowing how happy the kids would be when they saw their new clean desks. I was then assigned to clean a classroom which consisted of removing all the desks, chairs and tables cleaning them then, scrubbing windows, walls, sweeping the floor, mopping the floor, and eventually moving all the furniture back into the room which was only about 5 minutes after mopping because of the heat. At the school today we met Aleyda and Jose who are two of the translators we will be using. They were so sweet and so helpful they stayed with us at the school until we left and were there before we got there. Tomorrow we will meet the other two translators also. Somewhere in-between 8 and 2 we took a break to eat lunch and then resumed the cleaning tasks afterwards. I was assigned to another classroom with Nicole but this one had a bathroom which was gross to clean and no one wanted to but it had to be done for the kids. Every room, window, chair, table, pot, pan, knife and bathroom was scrubbed clean. Sometimes all you wanted to do was stop and go somewhere with AC and a glass of water, the heat; the dirt and the work was getting to all of us but we finally got to tour the school and find out where we would be working. Most students were assigned to a classroom with the disability they had written an essay on which meant I was in a deaf classroom. I was assigned to the 4^th grade deaf classroom with Mirna and Merano as their teachers. I am overwhelmed with excitement but nervous at the same time. I know it will all work out fine tomorrow but I am worried about signing with the kids and trying to understand them because all I want to do is understand and connect with the kids but I’m worried I won’t be able help with my full ability because of the silence barrier. But I know everything will turn out ok and I will be able to help the kids and connect. After our tour we were done for the day. It was 2 and we were all so exhausted that the ride home was silent. After reflecting on my day I looked back and realized that so many times throughout the day you just want to say it’s too hot or it’s not fun but then you remember why you're cleaning and who it’s for and your doubts are gone because you want those kids to have the best possible environment to learn and grow in and you to be a part of making it better. Today I gained a new perspective on the meaning of “dirty” and “clean” and the value of school. You may walk into a gas station bathroom and think this place is a dump but these kids go to school in places dirtier than a gas station bathroom and you want to stop and take a break \, but then you think about those kids and how they deserve to be in a clean place and it makes you want to stay out in the heat for 6 hours cleaning and scrubbing every last inch of the school. I’m looking forward to meeting the kids tomorrow, gaining new perspectives and growing as a person because of what these kids and lessons can teach me.