Update #8

Update #8

In this issue

• Directors update

• School update

• Construction progress

• New collaboration

• Adelante needs

Directors Update: Hello friends and family of Adelante. Well, now going on 80 some odd days here in Nicaragua and I'm settling in quite nicely. This week I bought a stove… finally. Now I can really call my house a home. I think this weekend I'll christen the house by having a few friends and family over for dinner… after I buy some pots of course. I'm keeping busy preparing the daily classroom activities as well as planning for more long term class assignments. In my spare time I've been following the Euro Cup (which is disappointingly unpopular here). Soccer is definitely not the sport of choice here but rather, it is baseball. But wherever I go, people are nice enough to change the channel for me. They usually are the ones that get a show when they see how I react in the games. They spend the game watching me while I watch the game. I'm sure for them it's quite hilarious. Ha ha.

As always I miss my friends and family back home too much to describe but knowing that I'll be back in November for a visit gets me through the homesickness… even though that seems like a lifetime away.

School Update: I'm happy to report that classes now are taking place on site. Well...sort of. The classes are in my house, but not yet in the classrooms. I purchased a large whiteboard, chairs, and long conference style tables. The entry space of my house really is almost perfect for a classroom. It would be nice if it was a little bit bigger but it really does the trick for now. This is week two of the first public course that I have offered and I'm happy to say that I have 12 students that are coming four days a week. So far, the course has been going well, people seem to be enjoying the class and learning a lot. I have found students through various people that I know and as well as randomly. Today, for example, when I bought the stove for my house, the young lady who was helping me expressed interest in taking the course when the next one opened. This is not an isolated incident; in fact that is how I have met quite a few people for the course. For the next session I plan to offer a course in the morning as well as in the afternoon.

Construction Progress: We have recently completed phase one of the house construction. Phase one, a student bathroom, was completed this week and turned out really well. The construction workers put up the 3 walls, made the door, put the floor and ceramic tile in, and installed the toilet and sink in less than a week, and to my surprise a tad under budget at that! Phase two, repositioning and repairing the roof over the projected classroom space will take place very soon, pending funding.

New Collaboration: As I mentioned in the last update, Polly and Myra took a trip down here to visit me and the school. Because of their visit they have both decided to fundraise on their own in an effort to encourage young children to stay in school. Their tentative plan is to raise enough money to provide three schools with enough schools supplies for every child, as well as a little extra for a small construction project on the playground. Their project, called "Vecinos", meaning neighbors, will be a collaborative effort with me and Adelante. I will help prepare things on the ground here in Nicaragua and help decide on schools who will receive the aid, while they do the fundraising work. I'm very pleased and excited that they have decided to make this a priority in their lives, as I'm sure hundreds and soon thousands will directly benefit from their efforts. Thank you Polly and Myra!

Adelante Needs: I continue to need Spanish/English dictionaries as many students do not have them here. I offer them to the students for use during the class and they come in very handy. Please, if anyone has one lying around the house, or would like to go to Half Price Books and pick up a couple I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you everyone for your continued support and feel free to send anything to this address:

Mateo Garibaldi

Del Texaco Guido 2 cuadras al sur, ½ abajo

Leon, Nicaragua

Central America

Next Update July 10th