The magnitude of small.

Frankie Vallie and the 4 seasons are pumping through my headphones and I have just got halfway through the morning garden work, it looks to be all the makings of a good day. That said, something happened recently that I thought significant enough to deem worth sharing. 1. One of my local Peace Corps friends invited me to start giving classes at one of the local posh uni's in the capital. I was invited under the guise of being an 'expert' in the field of conversation. The idea of that makes me laugh just a wee bit! The notable part happened yesterday after we were through teaching class. I was at the point of leaving my esteemed colleague because she is of the chatty nature and I couldn't get her out the door. So I walked out, and when she caught up a half a kilometer later she gave me a steady chewing out for bad manners. - I was in a hurry in my defense. Her way of repaying my kindness was awesome though. When we got on the public bus (this is where the magic happens) she recognized the money taker as one of her highschool students that was going up the isle and said to her "you must the most beautiful cobradora (money taker) in Nicaragua!" The young lady smiled and then when we tried to pay she kindly wagged her finger and said 'no, uds. no pagan" ...you guys don't pay. Then a few minutes later on a bus that had about 80 plus people she managed to get two seats for both of us. The bus fee would have been the equivalent of about 40 cents american, and had we been forced to stand the whole way it would only have been about 25 minutes. Insignificant numbers you might say, and you would be right. But not paying NEVER happens. In fact all to often it goes the other way in that the folk in the transport related business look how to squeeze anything extra out of you that they can. 2. Later that day. So last week on friday a teacher from one of the English speaking institutions that we partner with asked if I could come help out with her English class. My standard practice on Saturday afternoons is to try and disappear from human interaction, but my ability to say 'NO' is not terribly honed as of recently. So I went. It was a level one English class which means that basic conversation is another 6 months away. Crap! But on the other side of things, the students at this particular institution are by far the most eager to learn that I have met in all of my years of teaching. They make it a pleasure to be in the classroom. So I went and the teacher briefed me on the topic and then walked out. And the students and I proceeded to get to know one another for the next hour over a lot of pantomiming and simple phrases in the present simple. And then I got an offer of a gift! One of the guys that was there with his wife was a pottery artist. He said "I'm from San Juan de Oriente and I want to make you a pot." That particular town is Nicaragua's pottery town. I said sure and he asked me what animal I would like painted on it. I told him a green humming bird would be pretty fantastic and he assured me that by next class when I came that it would be ready. Dang him! I had just got roped in by his freaking kindness to not being able to disappear for another saturday afternoon! So yesterday I went again and the second I walked in the guy says "oye profe, heres the pot" It's a vase and it's about 6 inches tall and the guy made it. Made... I mean he took a lump of clay, put it on a potters wheel, spun it in to shape, carved two humming birds on it and some flowers on it, painted them all, and then cooked it in his kiln. I will be showing up prompt and punctual with a smile on my face next saturday after!