I told myself that I was NOT going to practice english with ANYONE because I am here to speak the native language and I have no experience teaching and there fore have no business claiming I can help people learn english. I am here to teach business and speak spanish. I also didn't want to hinder my spanish progression by speaking too much english, selfish I know. Well turns out I have a weak spot for youth. A teacher in my large public school approached me one day and asked if I would practice speaking english with a group of students she had formed. These students have one main goal, which is to attend a university out side Nicaragua and preferably in the U.S. How could I say no? I was hesitant at first, but when I met the kids who are all around 16-18 I knew this wouldn't be our last encounter. Then and there I made it more of a personal goal to teach these kids more about life outside Nica and make this experience more of a cultural exchange.
Tonight I walked the ten minutes from my public school with Raquel (the teacher) to her house to meet up with the 6 students and chat at a rather advanced level of english. I could tell that the students were excited and before I could ask why they claimed they had a surprise for me. While Raquel set up a TV the students proclaimed that they had done a ton of research on Arizona and wanted to present to me in english what they had learned about my state. I have to say I was very flattered they took the time to research my home state. I watched as images of hamburgers, cardinals jerseys, and the grand canyon flashed across the screen. I was thoroughly impressed with the work they had done. Those of you who know Tucson also know how big Tubac is and believe me I got the whole run down of the history there. Of course I had to explain about the whole cowboy and indian thing we got goin on. I was trying my hardest not to laugh when super models posing in Steve Nash's jersey popped up. It was a great opportunity to share American culture with these kids and in turn I felt like we accomplished more than just speaking english, but the cultural exchange I was aiming for. I was told by the students that people in Arizona are the nicest people in the U.S., not sure what their source was, but I believe it! Apparently it's just part of our culture.
I'm not exactly sure what hit me, but I was touched. That's the first time that someone here had taken a genuine interest in knowing more about me and where I come from. Of course tons of questions about Arizona followed along with Pizza and a huge debate about whether Real Madrid or Barcelona is the best soccer team. I found myself having a really good time talking to the kids about their likes and dislikes about life in Nicaragua. We discussed their personal goals and how they plan to achieve them. I realized how much I really love working with youth in my day to day job as well. There is something about talking to a untarnished mind with big dreams. They look to you as though you know everything and hold the key to the rest of the world outside Nicaragua. All I really want to do here is have a positive impact and there is no doubt in my mind that my time spent with the youth in Nicaragua will be my largest footprint.
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