Introducing Taylor, Our Summer Intern!

Hello everyone,

My name is Taylor Stephens and I will be serving as an intern for Visedal in Nicaragua this summer. I would like to use this first blog to share a little about myself and my background, and some of my goals for the summer.

Waiting for lunch with Nadiuska in December 2012.

I am currently a rising senior at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where I am majoring in Government with a History minor. Around campus, I am actively involved with the admissions office through the tour guide program and with my social fraternity. Throughout my time at college, I have gained valuable experience in international service during trips to Haiti with a group of my peers and Nicaragua with Visedal. Last summer, I had the opportunity to intern in Washington D.C. for Civic Enterprises, a bipartisan consulting firm specializing in education and social mobility. I am also currently in the process of developing an honors thesis, to be completed during my senior year on the unintended market consequences of certain types of non-governmental aid organization intervention. While I strongly believe in the positive implications of the work of Visedal, I will use some of my free time in Nicaragua to explore instances in which other forms of aid intervention has stunted, or sometimes reversed, economic, and social development.

While working with the Visedal scholars on the winter trip, they indicated they would love to learn more about English, technology and community service during my internship this summer. During my stay, I am hoping to work on two projects that incorporate all three of these interests. The first project will allow the scholars to write, direct and edit videos they will make for their sponsors, which I believe will help allow for greater communication and collaboration between sponsors and scholars in the future. The second project will allow the older kids to learn more about community service and what makes a project successful.  The older scholars will then develop a project that can either be completed towards the end of my stay or on the winter trip this upcoming December. I look forward to serving as a resource as the scholars explore their interests within these two projects, and will keep all of you up to date as we progress.

I would also like to take time to thank all of the people and groups that have made this trip possible. First, I would like to thank my family for all of their love and support. I would like to thank the Charles Center at the College of William & Mary for encouraging me to intertwine my honors thesis with my desire to serve with Visedal, and Ben Boone for introducing me to Dylan and the work of Visedal. I would also like to thank all of our friends and family, and especially my church family at St. James Lutheran Church in Coopersburg for all of their support. Lastly, I would like to thank Daniel Schutrum-Boward and Esmir Calderon for serving as awesome resources as I prepare for my internship experience. I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua to work with these incredible kids, for an organization I believe is making sustainable long-term improvements in a community, all with the love and support of so many people.

Until next time,

Taylor

Taylor Stephens

intern.visedal@gmail.com

learning to cook

Seems that is our topic of conversation these days. I am a horrible cook, and the kids think it’s funny. Actually, they are more surprised. Surprised that rice can cook in a microwave in just 3 minutes. So many have offered me lessons so I can finally learn! I spent one afternoon over at Kevin’s house in Dimitrov as his mom, Guillermina, gave me a few pointers. That is, as I was trying to learn and hear over the pouring rain hitting the tin roof, sounding like bowling balls were coming down upon us. I haven’t had the chance to try it out yet, but I think I will be able to do it! A few other kids also offered to give me lessons, so we’ll see how things go this upcoming week…

Sonia and Ninoska graduated! They have completed their basic sewing course and the second level will begin next week. They were so excited to show me everything they made in class, and were both beyond proud of their diplomas. I’m excited to see what they learn in level 2!

(the sewing class)

This past weekend I took a few of the younger kids from Camilo Ortega to Catarina. We were able to swim for a few hours and see an incredible view of a lake at a tourist spot nearby. They were full of energy the whole day only to finally crash on the way home. J

As Halloween passed, I had a lot of questions from the kids regarding the holiday. They were confused, surprised and just wanted to know more about it! So at one of the local malls, they had a costume contest, which I was able to take Manuel, David and Kevin to. It was a contest for not only kids but animals too! They were mesmerized by all the costumes and events going on for the holiday.

(posing with ...???)

This next week I will be working on getting the kids involved in Vida Joven, Young Life here in Managua. I have been meeting up with leaders in the area and they are excited to help! Excited for new things and the kids’ involvement!

-Katlyn

The beginning

Where to begin? I’m just shy of a month here in Managua and so much has happened. Little by little I have been meeting all the kids along with their cousins, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents and so on. So far, I have just been trying to really get to know the families, create relationships with the kids and gain their trust. It’s been interesting. It’s been hard. There have been ups and downs. But every day gets better and better. The kids and I have been going to the park, the movies, walking around the local malls, grabbing a bite to eat, exploring the markets, and just sitting and talking together. I have also begun a few English classes with some of the kids, those who take interest and want to learn!

This week has been a bit different. Dona Silvia, the grandmother of several VISEDAL children, has been in the hospital for a few days and was operated on Monday. Everything went well! I spent the day with the family at the hospital just waiting to hear updates. We are now praying for her recovery in these next few days.

Tuesday, I accompanied Sonia and Ninoska to the Mercado Oriental. They will graduate on Friday and needed to get the necessary material to make a shirt and skirt. What an experience that was. The market is packed full of vendors, in tight spaces, with people squeezing their way in and out of the stores. They sell everything from meat to shoes. What a fun experience!

These next few days will be full of meeting teachers and seeing how the kids are doing in school as the end of the year is soon approaching. Sonia and Ninoska graduate on Friday so be expecting pictures soon! Keep a look out for weekly updates!

-Katlyn

We’ve added a staff member, allowing us to meet more of the children’s needs

We’re very excited to have new Program Coordinator Katlyn McConnell join our team. Based on her experience and character, we know that she will provide wonderful support to the VISEDAL children.

Katlyn has a strong passion for service and extensive experience volunteering in Latin America. She spent a year providing family and community support services in Honduras, and she's volunteered every year for the last 11 years in several different villages in Nicaragua. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 2010 with a degree in International Studies and Spanish.

Adding Katlyn to our staff allows us to increase our offerings to the children. With Katlyn now working alongside current Program Coordinator Esmir Calderon, we’ve added the following elements to our support:

• Increased relational support and mentoring—With two program coordinators, we can spend more time developing positive, encouraging relationships with our children.
• Supplemental English lessons—We now offer consistent English lessons to reinforce what our children are learning in school and further their skills.
• Spiritual development opportunities—We now provide children with the option of attending Bible studies to strengthen their faith.

With our expanded offerings, we’re working toward our goal of providing comprehensive support and encouragement for our children. Katlyn and Esmir will continue to identify additional areas in which the children require support, and we’ll work to address them together. 

-Dylan

English Lessons This Week (11th, 12th, and 13th of July)

Monday’s class in Tipitapa was excellent! Unfortunately, Belen was out with her mom, so she couldn't make it. Aura and Everth remembered a lot of the material we had covered in the previous class. Reviewing was a breeze and we were able to move onto new material in no time at all. They both took notes and, by the end of the class, they were able to practice using some of the new vocabulary and phrases without looking at their notes! Hennessy had a great time coloring and playing with my camera.

Tuesday’s class, Winny’s class, was pretty great. Sadly, Winny came home a little late, but she caught up very quickly. I noticed that she has been taking very thorough notes. She is still a little shy about speaking English, because she doesn't think she can pronounce the words correctly. After I pointed out that I frequently sound like a “doofus” when I speak Spanish, she warmed up a little. Winny is definitely a very bright girl.

Wednesday’s class was quite difficult. I only had about half of the Camilo Ortega group. Ninoska, Sonia, Carlos, Leonardo, and Stephanie were the only ones who attended. Sonia clearly did not want to participate and was a bit of a distraction to the other students. She stayed for about half the class before I asked her to leave. The mothers also created a bit of a disturbance, towards the end of the class, by chatting right next to where we were setup. Leonardo, Carlos, Ninoska, and Stephanie did an amazing job at focusing and not letting any of the surrounding commotion distract them too much. Ninoska’s sudden urge to participate and her ability to retain a large amount of information in a short amount of time surprised me. Carlos already knew many English phrases and was eager to learn more.

Although this week did consist of a few trying moments, I enjoyed spending time with everyone. Watching the students that chose to participate demonstrate what they've learned is truly a delight.

English Lesson and Camilo Ortega Field Trip

Wednesday’s class went very smoothly! Despite a few students opting out of participating in the class, it was still a success. Those that did participate did an excellent job. Glenda, Isaac, Leonardo, Stephanie (Kimberly), Kati, and a friend of Stephanie all showed an interest in learning. Nadiuska, Didier, and BradDylan did some coloring and perused the pages of a few Hooked on Phonics (similar to Dick and Jane) books. They all took a short, oral quiz at the end of the class and received candy in exchange for their hard work.

Thursday, I accompanied the Camilo Ortega students on their field trip to the volcano in Masaya and Catarina. Around 9:00AM, a school of a little over a few hundred students crammed into a total of seven yellow school buses. Ninoska appointed herself as my tour guide throughout the trip. She stayed by my side and made sure everything went smoothly for me. We all did a little exploring by the volcano and I was introduced to some of their classmates and friends. On our way down from the top, we stopped at the museum. They all enjoyed looking at the dead insects and stuffed wildlife. Later, we crammed back into the buses and went to Catarina, where the kids got to do some swimming and relaxing by the mountainside. Overall, it was a very relaxing trip! I’m enjoying everyday here!

Daniel's First English Lesson

Below is an update from Daniel Schutrum-Boward, our Summer Intern, who just taught his first English lesson yesterday. Check back for updates from Daniel throughout July!

Yesterday’s class, held at Sylvia’s home, was truly a success! Everth, Aura, and Belen all did an excellent job demonstrating what they have already learned in previous classes and that they are all eager to learn more. We reviewed basic phrases and delved into a few more difficult subjects. Hennessy and two friends spent the class time coloring and observing the older students.

On another note, Nicaragua has been very good to me so far! I took a little journey to Granada Sunday and toured the market. I’ve also been exploring the area around the hostel. I look forward to reuniting with the rest of the VISEDAL kids over the next couple of days!

Here are some updates from Daniel on the children he's taught so far:

Aura: Aura did pretty well. Her pronunciation seems to be pretty good. She took notes.
Belen: It took Belen a little time to get warmed up. She had a little trouble with pronunciation. She took notes.
Everth: Everth did very well. It seems like he already had a pretty sturdy foundation. He struggled a little with pronunciation. He took some notes.
Winny: Overall, Winny did very well. I could tell that she could understand and was absorbing the information but she became very shy when I would call on her. She took notes.