Paraguay Day 6 – A Game of Ninja

Today is day 6 in Isla Pucu. Today was also the second day that we were split into our three groups.  I was in a group with Michelle, Martese, Will, Julia, Jess and Ashton.  My group’s topic was recycling. When talking about recycling, most of the kids were familiar with the topic, so we were going over it some more.  The activities about recycling were easy for the students, though they would get a couple of answers wrong in the recycling trivia, so we would have to tell them the correct answer and explain why.  When we were talking to the students they were very engaged in what we were talking about, especially when Ashton started to show them how they could re-use items to make things like a checkers and chess set, a wallet, a plastic bag holder, and a glass cup from the two pieces of a glass bottles.  Some of the things she was showing them were very new to me, and I never knew how to make this stuff before.

When we were with the morning group, Jess and Ashton did most of the talking, but in the afternoon everyone else in the group talked and it was funny because when we didn’t know how to say or pronounce something, the students would either help us or correct us.  When we were done with the activities, we hung the recycling signs we made the day before and the teacher told the students where to put the recycling bins we had painted.  When we asked them what games they wanted to play, the all screamed, “Ninja!” and they already knew how to play (from past LearnServe groups), even though we hadn’t taught them yet.  The game of ninja spread very fast.  I wish I could do the day again, but now I’m on my way home to play Jenga with my host family.

Adrienne J., Columbia Heights Education Campus