Feliz dia de amor y amistad!

(Yesterday was el dia de amor y amistad: the day for love and friendship!)

So much has happened in the past month, and I certainly haven’t been keeping up to date..

Teaching has been keeping me busy, but I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. (I’m mostly teaching Spanish and English for Primero Ciclo: 7th, Segundo Ciclo: 8th, Primero Bachillerato: 10th, and Segundo Bachillerato: 11th).

Before the students came we were told that we would have to start from scratch with the younger students. I didn’t believe it until I saw their work. Not using capital letters in the right places, never using periods, and misspelling a lot of basic words. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but so many are eager to learn that I’m not too worried.

With the older students I’m having them practice writing (and not just summarizing but expressing their opinions effectively). It sounds like it could be pretty complex, but I’m hoping that they’ll grasp the basic ideas to form a basis.

One of the biggest challenges has been getting the students to think critically and apply what they’ve learned instead of relying on rote memorization. Fostering those skills will take time, so it’s been a frustrating process without any immediate results. (On top of this, the classes are pretty shy and they revert to giggles when someone is called on.) Differences in the educational approach are mostly cultural and finding the balance between the two cultures has been tricky. (It’s easier to rely on what I’m used to…) Hopefully ways to intertwine the two approaches will become clearer as we continue.

I’ve recently become the unofficial librarian. Our library certainly isn’t comparable to a high school library in the States, but it serves its purpose. All of the books are locked away behind glass doors so the students have to ask permission to borrow a book and then sign it out. There are mostly reference books for the teachers, but I’ve enjoyed directing the students through the books that we have for them. It’s a nice way to get to know the girls and encourage them to read age-appropriate books. The majority like to read but just don’t have a whole lot of practice. (A few days after I was given this new responsibility I lost the only set of keys (!) but luckily they were found later the next day. Phew!)

We’ve had some really wonderful times here already: Last weekend we accompanied the priest to an aldea mass in the country -what a beautiful service! We’ve had our share of dinner guests and luckily have been invited over to dinner with our neighbors. The cook at the center came over one Sunday with her son to exchange recipes and cook for a bit. We cheered for our neighbor at one of his football games. Ate fried tortillas and guacamole while we watched the Super Bowl (in Spanish). And unfortunately got some amoebas at Valley of the Angels but quickly recovered.

In the future I hope to do a better job of keeping everyone updated : ) Good night!