I can't believe we're 2/3 of the way through the school year already! 2nd trimester exams are in a couple weeks, then just 2 months and school's over. Granted, then I have another few weeks of summer school/VBS to teach, before getting to meet my niece and see my nephew again (oh, and all the rest of my family and friends), but it's starting to sink in that the end is in sight. Which has the lovely effect of making me really excited and sad all at the same time. :)
I love teaching the younger classes. Part of this is because they're who I have more experience with, but also because they're more respectful and willing to learn. Plus, they're just adorable. :) But my favorite part was when I started teaching 4to a week ago (9 years old, or so) and the students told me that we needed to start the day with a prayer. Great, I thought, they're already in that habit, awesome! Then, they about put me into tears, when they said that they wanted to pray, in English, and several volunteered for it! I love listening to them try to talk in English, but it was even more incredible when they pray in English. Definitely cool! :) Of course, there's still days when I'm tempted to pull all my hair out in frustration, usually because they can't figure out how to close their mouth. The worst part is, it's not on purpose, it's not something they're thinking of, so it's harder for them to stop and it's so distracting!
My older kids are about ready to drive me crazy. I've discovered that teaching junior high and high school isn't my gifting so much. :) That and, either I remember it completely differently than it really was, or my classmates and I were saints, because I don't remember too much whining and groaning when we were given assignments. Sure, every once in awhile, or as a joke, but we'd be complaining as we pulled out our papers to work. Here, they seriously whine at least double what the little ones do! At times I feel like the kindergarteners and 1st graders are more mature! It doesn't help that I've yet to discover the word whine in Spanish, I've never heard anyone use it or talk about that tone of voice, or anything. In English, it's everywhere, but in Spanish, it either doesn't exist or is very uncommon. Well, it doesn't exist as a word, the action definitely does! I'm so used to telling my kids that they have to use a regular voice, that whining doesn't work with me, but, without the word in Spanish, it's much harder! You can kind of translate it as quejarse, which is the same as complain, but whine and complain are totally different!!!!! (well, at least they SOUND different) :)
But, with all the frustrations I have with behavior, it's all worth it when former students come up and hug me and tell me they miss me (even some of the high schoolers have been known to do that) or when I hear them pray in English, or give a speech in English. Or, I have days like last Friday. My high school class had been practicing a couple plays in English and I'd talked with the 3ro teacher about them. So, Friday, I brought my high schoolers to my 3ro class and the high schoolers put on their play. The 3ro kids loved it so much that they wanted to see it again! The teens were willing, so they put it on again. It was awesome to watch the faces of the little kids as they saw these big teens playing Little Red Riding Hood in English. :) Afterwards, back in the high school classroom, I asked them how they felt. They loved it too! The ones that hadn't gotten to perform in front of the little kids were asking when it would be their turn, a huge switch from before, when no one wanted to perform for the little kids! :)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Ironic
As I was making cookies this morning, I got to thinking about the differences between cookie making in Oregon and cooking making in Macas, which led to the lovely rabbit trail of ironies in my life.
~I live where chocolate is grown, but yet the only chocolate I can find is either as processed as the most fake stuff in the States or homemade and really bitter. And the only way people make chocolate here is either the powder for hot chocolate or chocolate bars. Living in a chocolate producing country does not mean more chocolate chips!
~I, who loves to have the windows open whenever it's above 45 or 50 degrees, now lives where the temperature would seem to indicate that I could have the windows open year round, all day long, but yet I rarely open them. Of course, this probably has more to do with not letting bugs and dust in, but still, it seems strange.
~I love to go barefoot everywhere, I've been known to wander around in my parents field barefoot (although only the mowed parts, I have no desire to meet a snake, even nonpoisenous, or a stickerbush barefoot), but here, where it's much warmer and people traditionally went barefoot, I wear shoes. It might have something to do with the dust and bugs, but who knows. :)
~Here, in a place with no fast food, aside from street stands, I probably eat more "fast food" than I did in Oregon. Well, most of that is food I make, but it's still not meals like I used to make.
~Seattle's about 4-5 hours from Salem and I've only been there probably 4 or 5 times in my life, because it's so far away, but yet, I think nothing of taking the bus 8-12 hours from Macas for a weekend, to visit friends.
~Friends and students don't quite know what to do with me, because for the most part, they know more about US pop culture (movies, music, etc) than I do! Of course, that happened in the States, too, but it's even funnier here.
~I feel like I speak more English in Macas, than I did in Salem. I've still learned more Spanish and become more fluent, because the Spanish I speak here is with a wider variety of people, but still, it's less than in Salem (or so it seems).
~I think I have more friends my age in Ecuador, than I do in Salem. Of course, I have "a few" more family members in Oregon! And friends of other ages, too. :)
~In high school I used to wear shorts (granted with a sweatshirt) once the thermometer hit 60. Now, I'm shivering in jeans and a coat if it even gets close to 70 or less. Next year will be interesting!
~This weekend in Carnaval, Ecuador's version of Mardi Gras, so we have a 4 day weekend. Instead of going and hanging out with friends, I'm staying at home, making cookies, cleaning and looking for materials for class online. What happened to being lazy on vacation?!
~It's easier to find the ingredients to bake healthy food in the States, even though most things here are made from scratch. Almost nothing is made with whole wheat or real butter, it's all white flour and margarine. I guess, though, I could change the way I eat and eat a lot of meat, since that's fresh and plentiful here and soups, etc are all made with totally natural ingredients. :)
I'm sure there's more, but these are the things that stuck out to me. :) (I seriously need to do stuff where I can take pictures, I'm slacking for sure on that!)
~I live where chocolate is grown, but yet the only chocolate I can find is either as processed as the most fake stuff in the States or homemade and really bitter. And the only way people make chocolate here is either the powder for hot chocolate or chocolate bars. Living in a chocolate producing country does not mean more chocolate chips!
~I, who loves to have the windows open whenever it's above 45 or 50 degrees, now lives where the temperature would seem to indicate that I could have the windows open year round, all day long, but yet I rarely open them. Of course, this probably has more to do with not letting bugs and dust in, but still, it seems strange.
~I love to go barefoot everywhere, I've been known to wander around in my parents field barefoot (although only the mowed parts, I have no desire to meet a snake, even nonpoisenous, or a stickerbush barefoot), but here, where it's much warmer and people traditionally went barefoot, I wear shoes. It might have something to do with the dust and bugs, but who knows. :)
~Here, in a place with no fast food, aside from street stands, I probably eat more "fast food" than I did in Oregon. Well, most of that is food I make, but it's still not meals like I used to make.
~Seattle's about 4-5 hours from Salem and I've only been there probably 4 or 5 times in my life, because it's so far away, but yet, I think nothing of taking the bus 8-12 hours from Macas for a weekend, to visit friends.
~Friends and students don't quite know what to do with me, because for the most part, they know more about US pop culture (movies, music, etc) than I do! Of course, that happened in the States, too, but it's even funnier here.
~I feel like I speak more English in Macas, than I did in Salem. I've still learned more Spanish and become more fluent, because the Spanish I speak here is with a wider variety of people, but still, it's less than in Salem (or so it seems).
~I think I have more friends my age in Ecuador, than I do in Salem. Of course, I have "a few" more family members in Oregon! And friends of other ages, too. :)
~In high school I used to wear shorts (granted with a sweatshirt) once the thermometer hit 60. Now, I'm shivering in jeans and a coat if it even gets close to 70 or less. Next year will be interesting!
~This weekend in Carnaval, Ecuador's version of Mardi Gras, so we have a 4 day weekend. Instead of going and hanging out with friends, I'm staying at home, making cookies, cleaning and looking for materials for class online. What happened to being lazy on vacation?!
~It's easier to find the ingredients to bake healthy food in the States, even though most things here are made from scratch. Almost nothing is made with whole wheat or real butter, it's all white flour and margarine. I guess, though, I could change the way I eat and eat a lot of meat, since that's fresh and plentiful here and soups, etc are all made with totally natural ingredients. :)
I'm sure there's more, but these are the things that stuck out to me. :) (I seriously need to do stuff where I can take pictures, I'm slacking for sure on that!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)