Feliz Día Internacional de la Mujer

Happy international women’s day! In a society that is incredibly chauvinistic and degrades females like you wouldn’t believe, it was wonderful to see such a beautiful celebration of women’s day at my work yesterday. The whole Project worked together all day to set up and facilitate the women’s day celebration in the Cancha (outdoor basketball court/ park type of thing) right next to the Project. Roughly 300-400 people from the neighborhood showed up to watch folkloric dance and receive information on women’s health and women’s rights. I saw at least a dozen of my students at the event with their families, and I would say that males made up about 10% of the audience, which is a phenomenal success given that men in El Recreo rarely make an appearance at anything. The presence of SO MANY PEOPLE at a celebration for women was very powerful, as women in El Recreo generally do not have jobs but raise a flock of children, do laundry all day by hand, cook every meal, and are generally abused physically and/or emotionally by their husbands/ fathers of their children. This was a wonderful way for the Barrio to say in unison that it considers women to be valuable and deserving of basic rights. I was also very hopeful that my students and many other kids from the Barrio were present, and I think that exposure to such a celebration can counteract the negative perception of women that children in El Recreo learn from their fathers, brothers, and friends. To me this celebration was the epitome of successful grassroots organization, as a community center of the people and for the people rallied the community around a very important cause. It made me happy to be a part of such a wonderful project.

The celebration was somewhat bittersweet for two reasons. First, almost all of the women present had one or two kids in their arms and two or three more running around…no fathers, neighbors, or babysitters to help them care for their children. So while we celebrated women, it was very evident that the women of El Recreo are still carrying an unreasonable burden. Second, towards the end of the celebration and at the peak of attendance, the police raided a house on the corner maybe 30 yards away from the main stage. I had heard a lot about this house which is known for drug dealing and violence…two of my former students (they dropped out) live in this house, and were playing at the celebration when their house was raided. A white van pulled in front of the house, slid open the side door, and 5 or 6 police jumped out and ran in the front door. The white van pulled away and two more pickups full of police pulled up and they entered the house as well. I felt nothing but sadness…not fear or confusion or anger, just sad at the fact that violence was being met with violence, that my former students had to watch 15 cops forcefully raid their home, and that insult to injury was being added to a neighborhood that already suffers from poverty and violence. At least half of the audience ran over to watch the scene, which was also depressing. Yet despite the visible signs of poverty throughout the event, the celebration was very successful and quite inspiring.

Work at the Project has been tough, as I continue to struggle with classroom control and discipline. I met with the director of the Project yesterday and vented my frustrations about my ineffectiveness as a teacher, my excessive yelling and anger at my worst students, my inability to be an effective member of a team of teachers, and my difficulties with language barriers and culture shock. She reaffirmed my pedagogical abilities, offered advice and assistance regarding discipline and classroom control, and was overwhelmingly understanding at my lack of energy and participation in staff meetings due to my frustrations trying to understand Spanish. We’ll see how it goes on Monday, but I feel more confident now more than ever in my ability to achieve my own threefold goal of 1) being a source of love, encouragement, and stability in the lives of my students, 2) realizing effective and creative ways to teach and expand the minds of my students, and 3) developing friendships with and learning from my coworkers.

On a tangent, Projecto Generando Vida and I as a teacher are always in need of great Spanish children’s books (for the neighborhood kids as well), any teaching resources pertaining to Math or Spanish that are either in Spanish or not bound by language (ex: basic word searches, a Math game called 24, fun Math flash cards, etc.), and any ideas or resources for children’s activities and games that are wholesome and encourage cooperation and working together. I encourage anyone to send stuff that feels especially moved to do so (Michael Marchesini,c-o Jesuit Volunteers International, Apdo LM 161, Managua, Nicaragua, Central America…mail takes around 2 weeks to get here and is safe as long as there is no poorly hidden cash or technology items still in their packaging). My afternoon class is more formal and I teach a lot of Math (addition, lots of subtraction and multiplication, and some division) and Spanish (simple reading, writing, and spelling). My morning class is quite informal and we do a lot of story reading, cooperative games and activities (day camp type stuff), drawing, Sudoku, mazes, etc. So any formal teaching resources or creative ideas/resources for activities or anything creative and mildly education is welcome! And if you happen to be putting together a package, I love pictures of you, of mountains, and of Seattle! My housemates and I also enjoy peanut butter and American junk food.

Regarding vacation, retreats, and relaxation, last weekend the six of us took a four day weekend and went to Miraflor in Northern Nicaragua to do a rejuvenating retreat. We were up in the mountains, felt the sensation of being cold for the first time in a long time (it’s getting increasingly and ridiculously hot in Managua every day), spent a lot of time enjoying the peacefulness and beauty of nature, and did some great personal reflections and sharing with one another. In one week Semana Santa (holy week) begins, which equals nine days off from work! I’m thrilled to rest, travel, and maybe climb a volcano.

Hope you are all doing great, congratulations to all the women who are reading this (it’s your international day!), and thanks as always for reading.

Peace and Love,

Michael Marchesini