Ok folks, this one’s going to be kind of random. Nothing
major to report, but I’ll update you on what I’ve been up to…
Back when we were still looking for apartments I witnessed
one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen.
I had some time to kill between the errands I ran and the appointment we
had so I went to the mall by the bus station.
It’s a really small mall so I was done looking in all the stores in
about a half hour. I sat down on a
bench, pulled out my planner and started jotting some things down. I was mostly just staring at the pages and
pretending like I was writing down some really important stuff so that people
walking by didn’t think I was just sitting in the mall by myself like a
weirdo…even if that’s exactly what I was doing. After a few minutes a man came
down and sat right next to me on a bench that was already kind of crowded, but
people’s idea of personal space here is not really the same as it as at home so
I didn’t think anything of it. He pulled
out a cup of coconut flavored yogurt and started eating it. Ok, pretty normal except he did something
that really grossed me out. So you know
sometimes yoghurt, sour cream, French onion dip and other things of that nature
can develop a liquid on the top before you mix it up? Well whereas most people would mix it up
before eating it, he drank it. Eww. That
kind of think really turns my stomach.
Then as soon as he was done with that cup he opened another and did the
same thing. I still didn’t think
anything of since two yoghurts as a snack isn’t farfetched. But then he had a third…and a fourth. All coconut flavored. I also noticed he was crossing and uncrossing
his legs, fidgeting with his pant leg, and looking at his watch a lot. So, I deduced that this man has OCD and he must
have some sort of compulsive yoghurt eating ritual. But it doesn’t end there. After finishing 5 yoghurts, he threw all the
empty cups into one of the potted plants next to the bench! As much as I wanted
to stay and see what happened next, I had to leave to go see that
apartment. After we finished with the
appointment (that was the one with the used car salesmen lady, epic fail), Mary
wanted to go to the supermarket that’s in the bottom level of the mall I was
just at. You’ll never believe who was still
sitting there…the yoghurt guy! I
couldn’t believe it; I almost busted out laughing. He was still eating yoghurt and there were
empty yoghurt cups in three of the potted plants in the mall. Soooo weird.
Ok enough about the yoghurt guy.
Now that I’ve been back at work a few weeks and can give you
guys a break down. My first day back was so fun because everyone was really
excited to see me. The kids went berserk
when I went into their classrooms. All
the teachers welcomed me back with huge grins and open arms. It felt amazing! Last year at my school, there were two other
language assistants, so three in total.
This year I’m riding solo. This
has its advantages and disadvantages.
I’m making better connections with my teachers than I did last year
because, well, I don’t really have a choice.
If I don’t talk to them, I don’t talk to anyone. However, I’m much busier now because they
want me in every classroom once a week.
I’m technically not doing more work, but it seems like it. Here are some stats to put things in
perspective. Last year I worked with
three different teachers and I saw 14 classes a week. This year, I’m working with seven different
teachers and I’m seeing 20 classes every week, which totals just under 500
students. Needless to say I’m a little
overwhelmed, but imagine what it would be like if this was my first
year…yikes. I’m working really hard to
learn all the kids’ names. I obviously
know some from last year, but it’s still really hard especially when half of
the kids are named some variation of Jose or Maria. It’s really fun so far though. It’s a totally
different ball game because I’m not the new girl anymore. I’m still the foreigner that doesn’t talk
that much and looks like a deer in headlights sometimes, but everyone treats me
like one of the group and I feel really good about this year. Some funny moments I’ve had so far… I was in
a 4th grade class and they were taking turns introducing themselves
by saying their name and age. After
hearing about 15 of his classmates say “My name is______. I’m nine years old,” he says, “My name is
Carlos. I’m nine seven o’clock.” What?!?
Now, I’ve heard some bizarre things in English, but I was so caught off guard
by this that I started laughing and couldn’t stop. It was so random. I felt really bad, but the kid was a good
sport about it, I mean he knew what he said right away. Another funny moment, for any of you that
didn’t see me post this on my facebook. I was with a group of 11-year-olds practicing
conversation in a small classroom, and after doing all of the usual
introductions (ya know, what’s your name, how old are you, etc.) I asked them,
“Ok, what do you guys want to talk about; what are you guys studying in
class?” One of the boys said with a
totally straight face, “We are studying sexual reproduction, and also
Halloween.” My response: “Ok, Halloween it is.” There was no way I was going to discuss sex
with a group of Spanish adolescents.
Overall though, I’m having a blast already. There are some new young teachers that I’m
getting along with great in addition to the ones I already know from last year. Consider yourselves warned, don’t be
surprised if you see me on an episode of Locked Up Abroad for kidnapping some
of my students. They are just so
cute!
Here's a picture of most of my teachers and me at the Feria of Santiponce:
Here's a picture of most of my teachers and me at the Feria of Santiponce:
I’ve also started up my after school tutoring. This is one of my favorite things about
working here. I get to know some of my
students and their parents really well plus I make A LOT of extra money. Also, the kids that are in extra English
classes are typically kids who really want to learn and really like English, so
the classes are really fun. Also, I have
total control over what I do instead worrying about what the other teacher is
doing. That’s one of the more challenging things about working with so many
different teachers this year. They all
have their own routines and styles of teaching and I have to adapt to each
one. I could go to three different first
grade classes taught by three different teachers and although the subject
matter is the same, the class is completely different. Right now I’m having way too much fun
planning things for Halloween. I’m going
to dress as a black cat (boring, I know, but I’m on a budget here!) and I’m
going to make a bunch of desserts (pictures to follow of course). While I was coloring pictures and decorating
the apartment my roommate Mary said to me, “It’s moments like this when I wonder
if you should be an elementary school teacher…”
She didn’t really mean anything by it, but it kind of threw me through a
loop. As if I wasn’t already deep in my
quarter life crisis, let’s add another idea to the mix. Maybe she’s right? We’ll see!!
I don't have many pictures to go with this post, so I'll give ya some that my roommate Milena took of me. I like to call her paparazzi because not only is she always taking pictures, documenting things, she will snap them right in your face and when you're not looking. It makes for some pretty great pictures and I love that she does it!
She came out and snapped a picture of me eating cereal in my sweet Spongebob shirt, so I started laughing and attempted to look away...then she took this one.
On our way out downtown one night. Great view!
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