Getting Back To Portland

Monday morning I got a call from one of my favorite volunteers, Jose. It turned out he and his girlfriend, Magee were coming through Moca the next day on their way to the capital. Since I was headed that way as well, I couldn't resist catching the same bus as them and passing the three-hour trip catching up on the dwindling months of their service and trading bits of Peace Corps chisme (gossip). When we arrived at the Peace Corps office, it was full of October 2009 Volunteers who were in town for their COS (close of service) conference. Among those not COSing was Katie, a volunteer at the beginning of her second year, who was dealing with a security incident. She was getting her room at the Bella Epoca reimbursed and, per an agreement they have with the Peace Corps, she could fill the room's other bed for just 300 pesos (about $9 American), an offer she graciously extended to me.

Fellow volunteer Dave peruses my movie collection in the sala of my new apartment

After a pleasant night spent visiting with Katie and some reminiscent short-timers from the COS group, I rose early and made my way to the office where I was met by Wilson. Wilson gives volunteers rides to and from the airport at a great discount and he more than lived up to the glowing reviews given by everyone I talked to. I didn't notice as the half-hour drive flew by on account of his interesting stories and veritable charm. At the airport I was pleased to find that my visa excused me from paying the twenty-dollar tourist tax. I arrived at my gate with time to spare. Two flights and eleven sleepless hours later, I found myself at midnight in Portland.

Class Session Win

A couple of weeks ago, when I announced my Manejo Basico (basic computer use) class, the response was not exactly overwhelming. Of the sixty-plus scouts who had come for weekly activities that drizzly Saturday, only one had asked to have his name added to the sign-up sheet. But as the days went by and I generated buzz among the regulars at the computer lab, the eight slots slowly began to fill. By the time I was about to give the class yesterday, I was a little worried that I would have to turn some kids away. But absenteeism and group mentality came to the rescue; while only about half of those people enrolled actually showed up, the open seats were filled by scouts who happened to be present and decided that they wanted to be included.

The class presented an interesting set of challenges. Students ranged in age from 20 to 9. Some were adepted at installing software and browsing the web, while other struggled to type and use a mouse. One had the audacity to get on Facebook a mere minute and a half into class in a lab the size of a small bedroom. Luckily, I had installed a piece of software that allowed me to disable his computer while I made an example of him. He became my assistant. Since the lab lacks a projector, I used every monitor to display my slides simultaneously. The students took turns reading from them and answering critical thinking questions about the subject matter: hardware, software, data, bits, bytes, input devices, output devices, and so on.

In the coming week, I will have to work on how I will address some of the issues I encountered which include slow computers, students talking over one another, and especially how to establish a closed environment. Kids kept coming up an knocking on the door to the lab which is usually a public place. I even had them opening the windows and sticking their hands through to greet my students. In the end, however, I think the students enjoyed themselves. After half an hour of computer basics, we switched gears and I had them use a typing program they like as a reward for paying attention to the presentation and participation. When our time together was finished, they didn't want to leave. They even told me they want to meet more frequently, so now the class is Tuesdays and Thursdays! Win!