Introduction

An Introduction of Sorts
Howdy. My name's Mike and I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) with the United States Peace Corps, serving in an Afro-Colombian community on the North Atlantic coast of Colombia. For my primary project I am working with English teachers in a public high school focusing on co-planning and co-teaching English classes to students from 6th to 11th grade. This blog is to share my experiences and the culture here on "The Coast" as I enter my second year of service.


Disclaimer! Disclaimer!
The views, perspectives, opinions, observations, etc contained in this blog are solely my own and do not reflect any position or stance of the Peace Corps or the United States government; I alone am responsible for the content of this blog. Got it?


The Naming of the Blog
Arriving to school for the high school part of the day (the afternoon), it's standard practice to greet the other teachers before any actual teaching or planning. This usually involves saying Hi, asking how the other person is doing, asking about the weekend if it is the start of the week, inquiring about weekend plans if it's a Thursday or Friday, and so forth.

Dairo is a science teacher at my school. When I ask him how he is, he usually responds with a typical "costeño" phrase "Ahí, por la orilla" meaning "There, by the shore" before often elaborating "como el pez pequeño para que no le coman los peces grandes" or in English "like the little fish so the big fish don't eat him."

I find this an appropriate response that resonates with me and, since I also live on an island with a bay as my backyard, an appropriate name for a blog documenting my time here on the coast. If you need to find me I'll be "there, by the shore."