CA15- Bahía de Jiquilisco, ICAPO

Prieta (Pacific green turtle) was the cabin I stayed in for the week.  All the rooms are named after different turtles found in the Pacific ocean.

In the afternoon we went to school so that they could fulfill their duties of teaching English.  Since I wasn't required to fulfill such duties I used the time to explore the school, talking with teachers and students.

So this is what students do when no teacher is present...

When I first arrived the teacher told me students were on a break and that they would be back in 10 minutes.  I asked if I could wait and watch the lesson because she was going to teach science.  After ten minutes the teacher left, and she never came back.  Students were doing nothing and after a while, and complaining profusely that the teacher never taught them anything, they brought me their science textbook and I started quizzing them.  I am not sure if their story was accurate, but they sure didn't seem to know anything.  They thought that the sound of lightening is made when two clouds crash into each other.  

I had a lot of work to do.  

I taught science for at least a half hour before they asked me to teach math.

Today's experience really makes me want to travel within Latin America teaching science and math (there are enough English teachers!).  

To be fair, the teacher did eventually come back, after school was out...

Later that day we went to the clinic to help clean up.  The vice-president of El Salvador is coming tomorrow for an inauguration of the clinic which opened earlier this year.  

We cleaned some, but mostly we made decorations.

Don Olvidio (the night watchman), Sophie, Melissa, and Noi played cards.  It is a great way to pass time since there is no TV and practically no internet.  I learned two new games, 4 reyes and presidente, both are equally fun.  And I taught the game of speed which was a huge hit.

I have never seen anyone as happy to play cards as Don Olvidio.  I guess because he is so good at winning.  

It was hard to get used to playing cards in Spanish because they deal and play in the opposite direction.  I got used to it after a while but it took days.

 Turtles lay their eggs at night.  So the night time high tide is when ICAPO receives phone calls.  When a turtle lays their eggs ICAPO goes and collects them, and collects data about the turtle, and gives it numbered plates if the turtle does not have a number.  

Now I just have to wait to be woken up in the middle of the night...