So I'm sitting on my bed, having just DEVOURED some yummy beef slices and a zucchini concoction I never would've touched normally. But I did, and it was good. If I haven't mentioned this before, my host mom is a cook, and although I've only been here for a week, I have yet to try anything of hers that I haven't really loved. And she cooks with lots of stuff I normally avoid. So yea. She's cool.
Speaking of - I've been here for a week! It's funny, today we were talking about how it feels like we've been here forever. Do you know how when you go somewhere that is so completely different from the norm, it's like a time warp and you just kind of feel like you've been there forever? I hope that made sense :) I'm absolutely loving my time here so far.
The trip to Uruguay today was perfect. We all needed to do something besides just work/school. We met at 7:45 and took the taxi to the Buquebus, our ship to Uruguay! Alas, Stacy overslept and missed our ship, but she took another one and actually made it faster! I was really dreading the ride, as the image in my mind was that of the rinkydink ferry that took us around the Statue of Liberty. But no, this was more like a cruise, and certainly better than an airplane. For a 3-hour ride, it wasn't bad at all. We did have to go through customs to board, where an officer tried to recruit us to train his "famous" singer with English pronunciation. When we declined, he remarked on how we "refused to mingle with natives" and brushed us along.
Our "deal" also included a skinny jamon/queso sandwich (crustless, yummmm), aqua, y barra de cereal. We were in the "turista" class. At the front of the boat were the "primera clase" and their seats were cool because they faced windows that opened to the front of the boat. It reminded me of an Imax, where it seems like everything is rushing towards you. We also walked outside, where Rebe and I tried to take a "titanic" pose, but rather blocked each other out. Hasil was a good sport though, and attempted to capture the moment. It was super windy/cold outside, but I was holding up pretty well in my pretty red peacoat debut outing and Spanish scarf (gift from Sarahlu!). We all dozed for a while, but were awakened by an intense singer on the lower deck. He entertained for a while, and words will not do justice. I took a video, which I will let you guys know when I have it uploaded. The guy was intense.
We arrived, and a bus transported us to town. We had free time for a few hours, so we walked around. Since it's Sunday, we found an open market, and I purchased a beautiful amethyst rosary (I have a rosary collection from around the world, btw). Add Uruguay to the list!
So why go to Uruguay? Well, one, it's another country to add to the list. Two, Colonia is on the "historic sites of the world" list, or what have you. We meandered through town, and I'm pretty sure the trees lining the street were deciduous. It was beautiful and completely Fall. It was a nice break from the craziness of the city, where I almost get run over every day, to be in a place with no stoplights, where the cars stop for pedestrians.
It was so peaceful. I was really thinking it would be a wonderful place to vacation. The beachy atmosphere reminded me of California, the small shops and cobblestone hilly roads reminded me of Italy, and there was even a little U.S. throughout the trees. I REALLY liked it.
We meandered to a lovely restaurant called "El Drugstore." No lie, that's the name. But it was really cool in that the kitchen was open, so you could watch the cooks. They use Uruguayan peso, but most everyone accepted Argentine pesos and US dollars. We could tell it thrived on tourism. I got panqueque de dulce de leche, which was basically a crepe. SOOOO yummy!
We then got our tour, which I understood for the most part. It began with a bus ride to the old bull ring, and then ended in walking. There were some fascinating facts, like how the Portugese built their streets facing the river, so they could always see approaching people and it helped to channel the wind. They also built the Church at the highest point in the city. So when the Spanish took over, they built a plaza, but it is one of the only ones (maybe the only one) without a Church. The guide also took us down some roads that had 90% the same stones that were laid by the Portugese. As well, the house exteriors down these roads had not been changed.
After the tour, we had more free time. We went up a lighthouse, which was really neat, but SUPER windy. From Uruguay, you can see the outline of Buenos Aires. We walked into some random shops, and I found out that everyone has stones in their shops because Uruguay, up in the North, is a big rock country. Cool. Ended up at a cafe, where I tried a Patricia, aka la cerveza de Uruguay. It was good!
Headed back to the boat, and began the ride back. Spent a lot of time laughing with Rebe and Stacy about random happenings that had befallen us since arriving. Mainly at Stacy's stories. Hasil is also quite hilarious.
Finally made it home, finished some homework, and am now going to crash. A lovely day - I recommend Colonia, Uruguay to anyone. I would love to be a recluse there, no lie, it was wonderful. I'll upload some pictures tomorrow or something.
Week 2 - here I come!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Experiencias en la Iglesia
Rebe and I went to mass tonight and celebrated "PentecostEs" in Spanish. so wonderful.
It's hard to capture the majestic beauty that older churches have. Maybe I'll get a picture of it next week so you can see. We showed up around 6:40 for mass at 7 and were surprised that only about 6 people were there. So we sat down, and looked through our pamphlets. I had completely forgotten that it was Pentecost and was so excited to be reminded of that by the Church's handout!
Earlier, while sipping coffee in a lovely cafe, I had asked Rebe if the church response was "Alambre" She laughed as she said "wire?" So we found out there that I was thinking "alabamos." Another beautiful thing about the Catholic Church is that no matter where you go, you know the structure. Within that, obviously, the content changes, but just knowing the outline makes everything so much smoother! Rebe and I were asked to say the responsorial psalms. We declined, although I think that would be neat if in 12 weeks I was confident enough to do that. The Church began to really fill up right at 7, and mass began at 7:10. It cracked me up that people were still walking in at 7:20, at which time the Church was packed.
I don't even know where to start. The mass was flooded with stimuli. Here are some quick points:
1) Castellano. I know they say the "ll" and "y" funny. What I'm still working out is the rhythm of the accent (reminiscent of Italy) and another quirk. As they were reading the Second reading, I figured it out! The "s" is typically pronounced if a vowel follows, and is kept silent if a consonant follows. How very French!
So while I should try to pronounce everything correctly, in mi deseo ser porteNa, I'm going to begin to skip certain "s".
2) Organs. I have never appreciated the organ. I always thought it was because I was biased by my love for the piano. And yet, tonight, I heard the organ as it should be heard. Like most older churches, the organ was located on the second floor, in the back of the church. As the music flooded the church and everyone's voices united, I was struck by the beauty of the moment. A new appreciation was born.
3) Los dones. A vocabulary word, if you will. Referring to qualities, gifts, characteristics, talents. Of course, what a gift Pentecost brings. And I love hearing how all of the apostles begin talking in different tongues. My love of languages, and privilege to study Spanish and French, is such a gift. You guys have no idea how cool it was --- I was listening these readings in Spanish, and I was understanding them! I can't wait to see how God uses my gifts to help me transform the world around me. I just get all bubbly inside! And don't even get me started on the Spanish language. It's beautiful.
We can't, and shouldn't, all love international travel or languages. The airplanes would always be overpacked if this was the case, and I would never get to go anywhere. But man, if each of us could take what we love, and run with it, and I mean REALLY pursue it and let the Holy Spirit work in our hearts and our lives...without worrying about societal expectations or all of the "what ifs" that will always exist, oh MAN do you know how many crazy awesome things would happen?
I don't know exactly why I'm in Buenos Aires. I can't possibly. I mean, I know I'm here to get TEFL-certified and to improve my Spanish. I know I should be searching for law/grade schools, but I'm not. But I believe that the components of this summer will contribute to something greater and more fulfilling than I could imagine in my future. I just have to trust, and within that trust, make decisions and take action.
A yummmm quote to finish my more.....reflective, if you will permit it.......blog -
It's hard to capture the majestic beauty that older churches have. Maybe I'll get a picture of it next week so you can see. We showed up around 6:40 for mass at 7 and were surprised that only about 6 people were there. So we sat down, and looked through our pamphlets. I had completely forgotten that it was Pentecost and was so excited to be reminded of that by the Church's handout!
Earlier, while sipping coffee in a lovely cafe, I had asked Rebe if the church response was "Alambre" She laughed as she said "wire?" So we found out there that I was thinking "alabamos." Another beautiful thing about the Catholic Church is that no matter where you go, you know the structure. Within that, obviously, the content changes, but just knowing the outline makes everything so much smoother! Rebe and I were asked to say the responsorial psalms. We declined, although I think that would be neat if in 12 weeks I was confident enough to do that. The Church began to really fill up right at 7, and mass began at 7:10. It cracked me up that people were still walking in at 7:20, at which time the Church was packed.
I don't even know where to start. The mass was flooded with stimuli. Here are some quick points:
1) Castellano. I know they say the "ll" and "y" funny. What I'm still working out is the rhythm of the accent (reminiscent of Italy) and another quirk. As they were reading the Second reading, I figured it out! The "s" is typically pronounced if a vowel follows, and is kept silent if a consonant follows. How very French!
So while I should try to pronounce everything correctly, in mi deseo ser porteNa, I'm going to begin to skip certain "s".
2) Organs. I have never appreciated the organ. I always thought it was because I was biased by my love for the piano. And yet, tonight, I heard the organ as it should be heard. Like most older churches, the organ was located on the second floor, in the back of the church. As the music flooded the church and everyone's voices united, I was struck by the beauty of the moment. A new appreciation was born.
3) Los dones. A vocabulary word, if you will. Referring to qualities, gifts, characteristics, talents. Of course, what a gift Pentecost brings. And I love hearing how all of the apostles begin talking in different tongues. My love of languages, and privilege to study Spanish and French, is such a gift. You guys have no idea how cool it was --- I was listening these readings in Spanish, and I was understanding them! I can't wait to see how God uses my gifts to help me transform the world around me. I just get all bubbly inside! And don't even get me started on the Spanish language. It's beautiful.
We can't, and shouldn't, all love international travel or languages. The airplanes would always be overpacked if this was the case, and I would never get to go anywhere. But man, if each of us could take what we love, and run with it, and I mean REALLY pursue it and let the Holy Spirit work in our hearts and our lives...without worrying about societal expectations or all of the "what ifs" that will always exist, oh MAN do you know how many crazy awesome things would happen?
I don't know exactly why I'm in Buenos Aires. I can't possibly. I mean, I know I'm here to get TEFL-certified and to improve my Spanish. I know I should be searching for law/grade schools, but I'm not. But I believe that the components of this summer will contribute to something greater and more fulfilling than I could imagine in my future. I just have to trust, and within that trust, make decisions and take action.
A yummmm quote to finish my more.....reflective, if you will permit it.......blog -
Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that
because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that
because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Friday Fun
Yay Friday!!
Slept in, got up, had some more galletitas (yummy little cookies), and went with the jeans & tshirt combo. Feelin' good. And only wore a light jacket - it wasn't too cold!
In class, we started by comparing notes on how our classes went. Everyone seemed for the most part relieved. Then Eammon gave some general notes that he felt the entire class could use before our classes tonight. It was funny, because at various points you could notice everyone twitching a little as he hit on something they remembered doing.
My part was when he mentioned being "over-praising" ...aka telling everyone good job and not offering constructive feedback, and giving the students "options to participate". Those were the two points when I was like, oh, yea, that was me.
So we talked about asking good questions (not "do you understand") and about reading comprehension. It was really interesting, and this is my shoutout to the Writing Center: I feel confident asking questions and making sure they're not yes/no - thanks Margarette! I also think those interrogative skills have just improved loads b/c of working there. Asked Eammon to look at my lesson plans for tonight (grammar is harder; teaching "to be going to") and he had.....well, let's just say he had a lot to say. So I had a busy afternoon.
But first, we breaked, and Angie, Alison, and I headed to lunch. We picked a random cafe, and I had a hamburger. Yum. They know how to cook here (yes, mild jab at France) and it was really good. Almost a little more similar to meatloaf. Didn't get drinks, so we just loaded up back at the center. Hilarious convo about dating/proposals/marriage, but too lengthy for here.
Headed back, and worked on my lesson, trying to add time. Headed back to the house, after hearing a story about how a girl got pickpocketed yesterday. She had a zippy bag, just like me, and crossed Santa Fe (which I cross everyday). She felt someone take out her wallet, but when she turned around, there was just a gaggle of people. A good reminder to keep my purse in front of me!
Got some advice from Martin about how to present my lesson, then headed back to the Center. I only had two students, but Eammon pulled 3 from the advanced class, so I had five. For the two intermediate, the lesson was at the correct level, but for the 3 upper, it was easy. It was fun though, and my only concern was that my whiteboard drawing was messy. Next time I will be more structured. I prefer upper-levels because it's easier to explain and you can actually have a conversation. The lesson lasted the entire hour because they kept asking questions and we hit a few tangents.
On the way out, one of the advanced guys happened to be walking the same way as me, so we chatted for a while. He must've been 60, but his English was really good. I also tried to get some good ideas for what to teach the Advanced class next week. My basic impression is that they want to practice talking and to be challenged. K, so topical seems to be the appropriate choice.
Came back, and helped Martin move out...sad day. I've lost my conversation partner. Then ate a rushed dinner, changed, and headed out with the Roadies to a club.
BTW - third near-death experience with a bus. So the streets here are mainly one way. So a bus stopped, and I thought the light had changed (this street didn't have a pedestrian light). So I begin to step out, then around the bus whips ANOTHER bus going at full speed. I JUMP back, perhaps let lose an expletive, and the guy next to me is like, "ehhhh cuidate." So tip 1934, the buses pass each other, when one stops (at its bus stop, not at the light). You may think I'm exaggerating, but I kid not. Those things are terrifying, huge, and fast.
This is a pic of Rebe, Hasil, and me at the club. Apparently one of the guys knew the band at this club. Well, we showed up around 10:30. Guess what, nightlife starts around 2 a.m. So with about 15 people, we comprise the warm bodies of the place. Get a drink, and am just hanging out, chatting with people. Then the band starts, and they're pretty good. They played some of their songs, and then some classics, so all in all it was a fun hodgepodge of singing, dancing, swaying, and general raucousness. Of course, I HAD to get a picture with the drummer after the show ;) Got a
cab home, and was in bed around 2:45. I'm going to have to work up to this whole stay out until the sun rises business.
Today I've just been lazing around, spending waaaaaaaaaaay too much time trying to buy a ticket to Uruguay tomorrow, reading med school essays, and generally just chilling. About to go search out a church with Rebe (expecting little to no difficulty in finding a Catholic church, no?). Hopefully we'll make the Saturday mass!
Besos!
Slept in, got up, had some more galletitas (yummy little cookies), and went with the jeans & tshirt combo. Feelin' good. And only wore a light jacket - it wasn't too cold!
In class, we started by comparing notes on how our classes went. Everyone seemed for the most part relieved. Then Eammon gave some general notes that he felt the entire class could use before our classes tonight. It was funny, because at various points you could notice everyone twitching a little as he hit on something they remembered doing.
My part was when he mentioned being "over-praising" ...aka telling everyone good job and not offering constructive feedback, and giving the students "options to participate". Those were the two points when I was like, oh, yea, that was me.
So we talked about asking good questions (not "do you understand") and about reading comprehension. It was really interesting, and this is my shoutout to the Writing Center: I feel confident asking questions and making sure they're not yes/no - thanks Margarette! I also think those interrogative skills have just improved loads b/c of working there. Asked Eammon to look at my lesson plans for tonight (grammar is harder; teaching "to be going to") and he had.....well, let's just say he had a lot to say. So I had a busy afternoon.
But first, we breaked, and Angie, Alison, and I headed to lunch. We picked a random cafe, and I had a hamburger. Yum. They know how to cook here (yes, mild jab at France) and it was really good. Almost a little more similar to meatloaf. Didn't get drinks, so we just loaded up back at the center. Hilarious convo about dating/proposals/marriage, but too lengthy for here.
Headed back, and worked on my lesson, trying to add time. Headed back to the house, after hearing a story about how a girl got pickpocketed yesterday. She had a zippy bag, just like me, and crossed Santa Fe (which I cross everyday). She felt someone take out her wallet, but when she turned around, there was just a gaggle of people. A good reminder to keep my purse in front of me!
Got some advice from Martin about how to present my lesson, then headed back to the Center. I only had two students, but Eammon pulled 3 from the advanced class, so I had five. For the two intermediate, the lesson was at the correct level, but for the 3 upper, it was easy. It was fun though, and my only concern was that my whiteboard drawing was messy. Next time I will be more structured. I prefer upper-levels because it's easier to explain and you can actually have a conversation. The lesson lasted the entire hour because they kept asking questions and we hit a few tangents.
On the way out, one of the advanced guys happened to be walking the same way as me, so we chatted for a while. He must've been 60, but his English was really good. I also tried to get some good ideas for what to teach the Advanced class next week. My basic impression is that they want to practice talking and to be challenged. K, so topical seems to be the appropriate choice.
Came back, and helped Martin move out...sad day. I've lost my conversation partner. Then ate a rushed dinner, changed, and headed out with the Roadies to a club.
BTW - third near-death experience with a bus. So the streets here are mainly one way. So a bus stopped, and I thought the light had changed (this street didn't have a pedestrian light). So I begin to step out, then around the bus whips ANOTHER bus going at full speed. I JUMP back, perhaps let lose an expletive, and the guy next to me is like, "ehhhh cuidate." So tip 1934, the buses pass each other, when one stops (at its bus stop, not at the light). You may think I'm exaggerating, but I kid not. Those things are terrifying, huge, and fast.
This is a pic of Rebe, Hasil, and me at the club. Apparently one of the guys knew the band at this club. Well, we showed up around 10:30. Guess what, nightlife starts around 2 a.m. So with about 15 people, we comprise the warm bodies of the place. Get a drink, and am just hanging out, chatting with people. Then the band starts, and they're pretty good. They played some of their songs, and then some classics, so all in all it was a fun hodgepodge of singing, dancing, swaying, and general raucousness. Of course, I HAD to get a picture with the drummer after the show ;) Got a
cab home, and was in bed around 2:45. I'm going to have to work up to this whole stay out until the sun rises business.Today I've just been lazing around, spending waaaaaaaaaaay too much time trying to buy a ticket to Uruguay tomorrow, reading med school essays, and generally just chilling. About to go search out a church with Rebe (expecting little to no difficulty in finding a Catholic church, no?). Hopefully we'll make the Saturday mass!
Besos!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
I TAUGHT MY FIRST CLASS!!!
I come to you with sweaty armpits and a big smile :)
But I have to start from the beginning. The morning started a little slower. I was realllllly lagging and tired for some reason. I didn't have a cup of coffee - eek, I hope I'm not already addicted!
Made it to school, thinking about my lesson for tonight. Sat through class, was really tired. Sometimes I think he drags on our group work b/c since we're half the size, we'll finish way early if not. Everyone was a little nervous. Got out for lunch, and stuck around, printed out my stuff. Eammon said he thought my exercises might be a little too difficult, but in my head I was thinking, pues, just means it'll take up more time! I was really nervous about the time limit. He told us we could bail at 45 if needed.
I headed home, and proceeded to heat up leftovers from Deli Natural. Not sure if I procrastinated after lunch b/c I was tired or nervous. Rewrote my lesson, and added a picture response piece, and some word games (Foreshadowing: thank my stars I did that).
Martin and I chatted, and although he his own English class tonight, he said he would tell everyone to go to our classes tomorrow night! I also have to do a one-to-one interview, where I see what a non-native English speaker wants to learn and I prepare 6 lesson plans for them. I'm hopefully going to use Martin. haha, the final goal will be: Get to New York!
Headed back to the Center, and the jittery nerves started. Aka stomach in throat. But I arrived, met the night worker receptionist, who was really cheeky, found out I had five students, and tried to relaxed. Then all of a sudden I was in (turns out I had 8 students). I introduced myself, then fumbled through asking them for introductions.
Here's the Play-by-Play:
First was a guy about my age, whose English was poor, but he was eager. Then a really shy girl about my age who I could barely hear. Then two lovely, smiling, articulate women (around 45?), then another quieter woman (45?). There was a couple that spoke quite well for the beginning class (maybe late 30s?). Finally, hidden in the corner, a lady, most likely in her 60s, who spoke English very well. Whew, intros done. They all can pronounce "Hello, my name is...". Not too bad!
And then I tripped and knocked over the whiteboard.
EMBARASS.
Thankfully the young guy helped me pick it up, and I just laughed nervously as my face burned brightly. We got started with the vocab, which they picked up quite easily. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. I wasn't sure what to do about a few students who wouldn't repeat the words. Good question for Eammon tomorrow. It was great, because I couldn't speak Spanish, but there was one lady who also said the word in Spanish when she figured it out, so I knew when they got it correctly.
Drizzling was a class favorite.
Write as Eammon came in to observe, we began the written exercise. So he sat there for the first five minutes while they filled in the worksheet, and I tried to sit and chill, but mentally was like "ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." And at this point I could feel the heat from my face.
We went through it, and I rushed it a bit I think, but for the most part it went well. Then they each wrote a paragraph about weather somewhere, which I had difficulty explaining the task b/c I let myself get nervous. But we got through that. They read their paragraphs Superbly!
My favorite part was playing word games with the vocab. Then, around 650, I was finished, so I gave them a bonus word: rainbow :)
And then I told them I was done b/c I didn't want to stretch it and lose momentum. So we talked about me for a few minutes, and once I left the room I talked to a few of them in Spanish for a bit. They were all thankful, and their feedback makes me think they definitely got something out of it!
So I walked back on Cloud Nine. And was cold. With sweaty armpits.
Now I'm working on tomorrow's lesson plan: less exciting: and waiting for dinner!
Thanks for all the love about my first lesson!!!
Besos!
p.s. For those who are interested - Outfit was carefully selected:
*Black pants and shoes & grey sweater - makes me look more professional, as well as Argentines like dark, black outfits
*Black socks with hersheys - to remind myself to not take myself to seriously
*Hair straight and down, but with headband to keep bangs from being a bother
*Hippo necklace - for good luck!
But I have to start from the beginning. The morning started a little slower. I was realllllly lagging and tired for some reason. I didn't have a cup of coffee - eek, I hope I'm not already addicted!
Made it to school, thinking about my lesson for tonight. Sat through class, was really tired. Sometimes I think he drags on our group work b/c since we're half the size, we'll finish way early if not. Everyone was a little nervous. Got out for lunch, and stuck around, printed out my stuff. Eammon said he thought my exercises might be a little too difficult, but in my head I was thinking, pues, just means it'll take up more time! I was really nervous about the time limit. He told us we could bail at 45 if needed.
I headed home, and proceeded to heat up leftovers from Deli Natural. Not sure if I procrastinated after lunch b/c I was tired or nervous. Rewrote my lesson, and added a picture response piece, and some word games (Foreshadowing: thank my stars I did that).
Martin and I chatted, and although he his own English class tonight, he said he would tell everyone to go to our classes tomorrow night! I also have to do a one-to-one interview, where I see what a non-native English speaker wants to learn and I prepare 6 lesson plans for them. I'm hopefully going to use Martin. haha, the final goal will be: Get to New York!
Headed back to the Center, and the jittery nerves started. Aka stomach in throat. But I arrived, met the night worker receptionist, who was really cheeky, found out I had five students, and tried to relaxed. Then all of a sudden I was in (turns out I had 8 students). I introduced myself, then fumbled through asking them for introductions.
Here's the Play-by-Play:
First was a guy about my age, whose English was poor, but he was eager. Then a really shy girl about my age who I could barely hear. Then two lovely, smiling, articulate women (around 45?), then another quieter woman (45?). There was a couple that spoke quite well for the beginning class (maybe late 30s?). Finally, hidden in the corner, a lady, most likely in her 60s, who spoke English very well. Whew, intros done. They all can pronounce "Hello, my name is...". Not too bad!
And then I tripped and knocked over the whiteboard.
EMBARASS.
Thankfully the young guy helped me pick it up, and I just laughed nervously as my face burned brightly. We got started with the vocab, which they picked up quite easily. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. I wasn't sure what to do about a few students who wouldn't repeat the words. Good question for Eammon tomorrow. It was great, because I couldn't speak Spanish, but there was one lady who also said the word in Spanish when she figured it out, so I knew when they got it correctly.
Drizzling was a class favorite.
Write as Eammon came in to observe, we began the written exercise. So he sat there for the first five minutes while they filled in the worksheet, and I tried to sit and chill, but mentally was like "ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." And at this point I could feel the heat from my face.
We went through it, and I rushed it a bit I think, but for the most part it went well. Then they each wrote a paragraph about weather somewhere, which I had difficulty explaining the task b/c I let myself get nervous. But we got through that. They read their paragraphs Superbly!
My favorite part was playing word games with the vocab. Then, around 650, I was finished, so I gave them a bonus word: rainbow :)
And then I told them I was done b/c I didn't want to stretch it and lose momentum. So we talked about me for a few minutes, and once I left the room I talked to a few of them in Spanish for a bit. They were all thankful, and their feedback makes me think they definitely got something out of it!
So I walked back on Cloud Nine. And was cold. With sweaty armpits.
Now I'm working on tomorrow's lesson plan: less exciting: and waiting for dinner!
Thanks for all the love about my first lesson!!!
Besos!
p.s. For those who are interested - Outfit was carefully selected:
*Black pants and shoes & grey sweater - makes me look more professional, as well as Argentines like dark, black outfits
*Black socks with hersheys - to remind myself to not take myself to seriously
*Hair straight and down, but with headband to keep bangs from being a bother
*Hippo necklace - for good luck!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Public Transportation v. Lara.......PT - 2
I need to type quickly, because again I have procrastinated. I have "A Dios Le Pido" in my head. Yay Juanes
This morning started off(7:45)really relaxed. I made myself some coffee, then settled down to type my lesson plans. When Maria Laura returned, she brought me some yummy fresh bread from across the street. We chatted for a bit - which it's good that she's talking with me now. I think she gets tired of having to speak slow though.
Headed to school, where we discussed how to deal with problems in the classroom, as well as how to balance teaching with being authoritarian. Ugh. I was cringing the whole time; I have a problem being the "tough guy", as experiences have shown. One plus of teaching adults on Thurs. is that they want to be there!
SRA WILSON shoutout!! So as 3 days have passed, I have constantly thought of her in class as we discuss various methods. And when I think about how I will teach, I hope to emulate her. Today, we were discussing grammar, and he was asking if we liked grammar rules when learning new languages. I said, "YEA!" and he was like, huh? And I explained how Sra. Wilson made it catchy. For ex. SER/ESTAR. we learned COP (characteristic, origin, profession) for ser, and HELPP (health, emotion, location, and present progressive) for estar. That trick still gets me through my conversations! Not to mention the irregular commands to the bell tune. Yes, her enthusiasm lives on.
Right before breaking for lunch, we had to prepare an outline of how we would present the "present simple" to a class. You think it's simple, then you try to do it and you're like, uhhhhh. Grammar lessons are hard to effectively present.
Haha, lunch story is good. Angie (Pennsylvanian college student) and I couldn't find the restaurant we were looking for, so we ducked into one. Turns out it was fairly nice. She was brave and ordered the hamburguesas (in France I thought I ordered one and got grossness). I ordered the "torta del dia", because when I had Maria Laura's torta (como quiche) I really liked it. Pues, I'm convinced that TORTA DEL DIA = leftovers from last night. It was a HUGE serving of chicken, squash? and some other sketch additions that I decided to just suck it up and eat. My second bite produced a bone half the length of my finger. My fifth bite the same. After that, I steered away from the chicken. We didn't order any drinks b/c we can get them for free at the center, but the camerero had mercy on us and brought us some water (sin gas!) for free. I had a bite of Angie's hamburgers, and they were AMAZING! We could've just split one plate. As it was $5 for lunch wasn't bad; my helping was enormous. Haha, when we went to leave, we asked for a to-go box. He seriously laughed at us and said they didn't have them. Well, I was fine with leaving my concoction, but Angie's burger and fries were seriously good! ..........So with as much class as possible, we wrapped them in a napkin and walked out laughing. We felt so sketchy; it was hilarious! Oh, and then we almost got clipped on the corner by a car. They're so freakin' fast!
Back at the Center, we received feedback on our lessons. With a little tweaking, including writing my intro phar. with the Simpsons as the theme, mine passed muster in terms of overall idea. Then we left, and Angie and I went to the Disco. Aka the grocery store. I wanted bread and some kind of addition to make sandwiches during lunch, but alas, nothing struck me. I did get some knock-off brand of Nutella, some granolas, some little breads that I had with coffee at a cafe, some yogurt, and two HUGE bottles of water. One for the house, one for school. Also ran into Rebe there, which was amusing. P.S. To use a credit card, you ALWAYS have to show your i.d.
So I'm walking back, which my house is 5 minutes away. And I'm still at the stage of taking in my surroundings. Especially the people. I've decided that if I look really weird, I'll have a better chance of fitting in. Oh, and I need to go back to brown hair...darker than normal actually. But anywho, I digress, just like this, I'm following people onto the main crowded street of Santa Fe. Then the guy in front of me STARTS. RUNNING.
I look to my left, and see a MASSIVE TWOSTORY BUS gunning right for me. I DIDNT KNOW I COULD RUN THAT FAST WITH A BACKPACK. My heart was in my throat. Apparently the ppl started walking without the go sign, and I was just going with the flow. The public transportation is the dangerous part of Argentina, verdad.
Came back around 5, fully prepared to knock out my lesson plans. Pues, I started talking to Lulu about her day, etc. Her English is MUCH better than my Spanish...and she's 8! Then Martin came by, and I swear he's my twin! We started chatting about various cosas; I got in a good hour and a half practicing Spanish while talking about politics, differences between U.S./Argentina, life goals, music etc. When he said, I'm a citizen of the world (in Spanish, claro), I freaked, because I've definitely written that on a few applications. Haha, of course, every other sentence almost tied to New York. We were talking about music. He brought up a Puerto Rican artist, which I then found out the guy sings about New York and it all made sense. He knows I like country, and all of a sudden he was singing songs from "O Brother Where Art Thou"....aka his perception of country. Slash apparently George Clooney is very popular. I just died laughing because he was singing "Man of Constant Sorrow", "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby", etc. Oh man, it was great!
Then Lulu came by, and I practiced my weather lesson on her, trying to succintly describe various weather conditions without any Spanish. She was a great sport. Then we had dinner, which we all ate together around 9:15! It was some mix of meats and vegetables on top of rice. I had another experience of biting down on something unedible, and I quietly snuck it into my napkin. Dinner was tiring because Maria Laura and Martin were talking at full speed, and I could barely keep up. The hour was mainly spent with me zoning in and out of the discussion. It's exhausting.
Now, I am going to stay off the Internet and finish my lesson plan. I teach from 6-7 tomorrow...wish me luck!
Besos!!
This morning started off(7:45)really relaxed. I made myself some coffee, then settled down to type my lesson plans. When Maria Laura returned, she brought me some yummy fresh bread from across the street. We chatted for a bit - which it's good that she's talking with me now. I think she gets tired of having to speak slow though.
Headed to school, where we discussed how to deal with problems in the classroom, as well as how to balance teaching with being authoritarian. Ugh. I was cringing the whole time; I have a problem being the "tough guy", as experiences have shown. One plus of teaching adults on Thurs. is that they want to be there!
SRA WILSON shoutout!! So as 3 days have passed, I have constantly thought of her in class as we discuss various methods. And when I think about how I will teach, I hope to emulate her. Today, we were discussing grammar, and he was asking if we liked grammar rules when learning new languages. I said, "YEA!" and he was like, huh? And I explained how Sra. Wilson made it catchy. For ex. SER/ESTAR. we learned COP (characteristic, origin, profession) for ser, and HELPP (health, emotion, location, and present progressive) for estar. That trick still gets me through my conversations! Not to mention the irregular commands to the bell tune. Yes, her enthusiasm lives on.
Right before breaking for lunch, we had to prepare an outline of how we would present the "present simple" to a class. You think it's simple, then you try to do it and you're like, uhhhhh. Grammar lessons are hard to effectively present.
Haha, lunch story is good. Angie (Pennsylvanian college student) and I couldn't find the restaurant we were looking for, so we ducked into one. Turns out it was fairly nice. She was brave and ordered the hamburguesas (in France I thought I ordered one and got grossness). I ordered the "torta del dia", because when I had Maria Laura's torta (como quiche) I really liked it. Pues, I'm convinced that TORTA DEL DIA = leftovers from last night. It was a HUGE serving of chicken, squash? and some other sketch additions that I decided to just suck it up and eat. My second bite produced a bone half the length of my finger. My fifth bite the same. After that, I steered away from the chicken. We didn't order any drinks b/c we can get them for free at the center, but the camerero had mercy on us and brought us some water (sin gas!) for free. I had a bite of Angie's hamburgers, and they were AMAZING! We could've just split one plate. As it was $5 for lunch wasn't bad; my helping was enormous. Haha, when we went to leave, we asked for a to-go box. He seriously laughed at us and said they didn't have them. Well, I was fine with leaving my concoction, but Angie's burger and fries were seriously good! ..........So with as much class as possible, we wrapped them in a napkin and walked out laughing. We felt so sketchy; it was hilarious! Oh, and then we almost got clipped on the corner by a car. They're so freakin' fast!
Back at the Center, we received feedback on our lessons. With a little tweaking, including writing my intro phar. with the Simpsons as the theme, mine passed muster in terms of overall idea. Then we left, and Angie and I went to the Disco. Aka the grocery store. I wanted bread and some kind of addition to make sandwiches during lunch, but alas, nothing struck me. I did get some knock-off brand of Nutella, some granolas, some little breads that I had with coffee at a cafe, some yogurt, and two HUGE bottles of water. One for the house, one for school. Also ran into Rebe there, which was amusing. P.S. To use a credit card, you ALWAYS have to show your i.d.
So I'm walking back, which my house is 5 minutes away. And I'm still at the stage of taking in my surroundings. Especially the people. I've decided that if I look really weird, I'll have a better chance of fitting in. Oh, and I need to go back to brown hair...darker than normal actually. But anywho, I digress, just like this, I'm following people onto the main crowded street of Santa Fe. Then the guy in front of me STARTS. RUNNING.
I look to my left, and see a MASSIVE TWOSTORY BUS gunning right for me. I DIDNT KNOW I COULD RUN THAT FAST WITH A BACKPACK. My heart was in my throat. Apparently the ppl started walking without the go sign, and I was just going with the flow. The public transportation is the dangerous part of Argentina, verdad.
Came back around 5, fully prepared to knock out my lesson plans. Pues, I started talking to Lulu about her day, etc. Her English is MUCH better than my Spanish...and she's 8! Then Martin came by, and I swear he's my twin! We started chatting about various cosas; I got in a good hour and a half practicing Spanish while talking about politics, differences between U.S./Argentina, life goals, music etc. When he said, I'm a citizen of the world (in Spanish, claro), I freaked, because I've definitely written that on a few applications. Haha, of course, every other sentence almost tied to New York. We were talking about music. He brought up a Puerto Rican artist, which I then found out the guy sings about New York and it all made sense. He knows I like country, and all of a sudden he was singing songs from "O Brother Where Art Thou"....aka his perception of country. Slash apparently George Clooney is very popular. I just died laughing because he was singing "Man of Constant Sorrow", "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby", etc. Oh man, it was great!
Then Lulu came by, and I practiced my weather lesson on her, trying to succintly describe various weather conditions without any Spanish. She was a great sport. Then we had dinner, which we all ate together around 9:15! It was some mix of meats and vegetables on top of rice. I had another experience of biting down on something unedible, and I quietly snuck it into my napkin. Dinner was tiring because Maria Laura and Martin were talking at full speed, and I could barely keep up. The hour was mainly spent with me zoning in and out of the discussion. It's exhausting.
Now, I am going to stay off the Internet and finish my lesson plan. I teach from 6-7 tomorrow...wish me luck!
Besos!!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Gracias
p.s. I'm totally just procrastinating my lesson plans right now. I have general ideas, but they need some serious fleshing out.
p.p.s. I know it's long, but I can type faster than I can write, and this is serving as my journal tambien. So just don't read it if you think it's too long or boring.
So woke up this morning around 8:30. I LOVE waking up to city noises. Oddly, it's YUM. Maria Laura (ugh, still haven't found a good name for her) made me some tostada and cafe. I added sugar y leche to the cafe and dulce con leche to the tostada, and YUMMMMMMM. [dulce con leche is to argentina what nutella is to France...sans chocolate] Oh, and apparently Maria loves peanut butter, haha. She didn't believe that I don't like ketchup.
Headed to school without drama, and we arrived and began class. He gives us lots of spots of group time, where he leaves the room, which gives us the opportunity to chill out at intervals. We discussed the necessity of lesson plans, what consitutes a lesson plan, class structure, teacher talking time v. student talking time, group time, etc. He kept reminding us that there's a difference between talking in English and learning English, and that not everything is necessarily effective. I tend to be the questioner in class (yea, that kid who questions everything), which I attribute to the fact that I"m still in college? So I asked, do most people tend to have "effective" first lessons? (referring to this Thursday). His response:
"You just want to get through the first lesson."
So I laughed, because what else can you do? For lunch, we stopped at a empanada and pizzeria. I got 2 empanadas de carne, y uno de jamon y queso. ME GUSTA MUCHOOOOOOO las empanadas de carne. It was messy, and warm, and yummmm. Pues, that's the other thing. The weather got chilly today.
Went back to the center, and began to plan my lessons. 2 1/2 hours, 4 trips to the prof, and 4 revisions later, I had a game plan. The easy description is: beginner class - weather vocabulary; intermediate class - future tense (will v. be going to). Apparentely we can assume the beginners have a bit of knowledge. He said my beginner class is "doable", which means not exciting, but I should pass. We can speak NO Spanish in class, which means vocab is a little harder to explain. But I think that with pictures it is doable. Plus, I'm trying to use sentence examples with lots of cognates. ;)
For my intermediate class, he totally called me out on not being able to succintly explain the differences between using "will" and "be going to". Pues, tengo 2 dias para aprender. This one needs more work, because it won't take up an hour. He said if a lesson totally bombs, we just have to last 45 minutes. Ugh.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
After leaving the center, I headed home. I was going to meet up with Stacy and Rebe to go to "ARTE BA", a neat art show in town. But apparentely our program director's email didn't reach me, and our phones got screwy, and I didn't want to take the subte (subway) by myself for the first time. And during rush hour. So I was frustrated, and had resigned myself to staying home allll night. But then the program coordinator called, and she told me to take a taxi. Pues, then I explained everything to Martin, and he saved the day. He decided to come with, and he showed me how to use the subte y comprO mi billete. Everyone was crammed like sardines b/c it was rush hour. I kept my hands in my pockets to avoid pickpocketers. We made it up there, about an hour late to the frustration of my program director, and I got my ticket. Martin was going to buy one, but the line was WAYYYYYYYYY long, and he had English class in an hour. So he left, after carefully explaining how I could get home, entrusting me with his Guia "T" (which is the equivalent of a SUPER detailed map of the town), and making me promise to call, no matter when, if I had any problems. Reminds me of Aggie courtesy. He's like a big brother, and I would have had a MUCH harder time these past days without him.
It's cool too, because he really wants to learn English (como yo con el espanol), and so we'll have fun conversations about whatever, just practicing sentences with each other. Language learning at its best! I'll miss having him around in a few days.
Stacy and Rebe found me at the art show. We walked around for a bit. Some of the displays were crazy, como the mattress house you could jump around in, and the hanging sculpture made of film. My favorite was the elephant (whoop!)
Then we left, and walked for FOREVER!!! (como una hora) searching for Palermo Soho, asking directions twice, and finally finding the plaza italia. We were all a little tired and bleh, so we sat down at a nice cafe, and ordered drinks. Yo tenia un irlandes. It was good. Los cafes aca no usan azucar. Tenia que usar como tres paquetes. And they had different rates for drinks for day or night, and we thought it was night (it was 7 p.m.) but in Argentina la noche begins at 8 p.m. Haha, this city is so crazy. When we left, around 8:15, the place still hadn't begun to fill for dinner.
Rebe y yo took a taxi home, making sure to only speak in Spanish so he wouldn't cheat us. I made it home just before 9 (dinner time in Argentina) and JUST MISSED getting to eat pollo y papas con Maria y Lulu. I guess they eat a little earlier since she's only 8. But Lulu sat and talked with me while I ate, and I got to practice some Spanish. I can understand her until she gets excited, then she talks to fast.
K, now I need to do my lesson plans. But I'm also happily giving thanks for being reminded to lose my expectations and enjoy what Argentina is offering me, for people who are willing to go out of their way to help me, for being pushed outside of my comfort zone and acting independently, and for simply LOVING communicating in Spanish and gaining confidence con cada palabra.
Besos!
p.p.s. I know it's long, but I can type faster than I can write, and this is serving as my journal tambien. So just don't read it if you think it's too long or boring.
So woke up this morning around 8:30. I LOVE waking up to city noises. Oddly, it's YUM. Maria Laura (ugh, still haven't found a good name for her) made me some tostada and cafe. I added sugar y leche to the cafe and dulce con leche to the tostada, and YUMMMMMMM. [dulce con leche is to argentina what nutella is to France...sans chocolate] Oh, and apparently Maria loves peanut butter, haha. She didn't believe that I don't like ketchup.
Headed to school without drama, and we arrived and began class. He gives us lots of spots of group time, where he leaves the room, which gives us the opportunity to chill out at intervals. We discussed the necessity of lesson plans, what consitutes a lesson plan, class structure, teacher talking time v. student talking time, group time, etc. He kept reminding us that there's a difference between talking in English and learning English, and that not everything is necessarily effective. I tend to be the questioner in class (yea, that kid who questions everything), which I attribute to the fact that I"m still in college? So I asked, do most people tend to have "effective" first lessons? (referring to this Thursday). His response:
"You just want to get through the first lesson."
So I laughed, because what else can you do? For lunch, we stopped at a empanada and pizzeria. I got 2 empanadas de carne, y uno de jamon y queso. ME GUSTA MUCHOOOOOOO las empanadas de carne. It was messy, and warm, and yummmm. Pues, that's the other thing. The weather got chilly today.
Went back to the center, and began to plan my lessons. 2 1/2 hours, 4 trips to the prof, and 4 revisions later, I had a game plan. The easy description is: beginner class - weather vocabulary; intermediate class - future tense (will v. be going to). Apparentely we can assume the beginners have a bit of knowledge. He said my beginner class is "doable", which means not exciting, but I should pass. We can speak NO Spanish in class, which means vocab is a little harder to explain. But I think that with pictures it is doable. Plus, I'm trying to use sentence examples with lots of cognates. ;)
For my intermediate class, he totally called me out on not being able to succintly explain the differences between using "will" and "be going to". Pues, tengo 2 dias para aprender. This one needs more work, because it won't take up an hour. He said if a lesson totally bombs, we just have to last 45 minutes. Ugh.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
After leaving the center, I headed home. I was going to meet up with Stacy and Rebe to go to "ARTE BA", a neat art show in town. But apparentely our program director's email didn't reach me, and our phones got screwy, and I didn't want to take the subte (subway) by myself for the first time. And during rush hour. So I was frustrated, and had resigned myself to staying home allll night. But then the program coordinator called, and she told me to take a taxi. Pues, then I explained everything to Martin, and he saved the day. He decided to come with, and he showed me how to use the subte y comprO mi billete. Everyone was crammed like sardines b/c it was rush hour. I kept my hands in my pockets to avoid pickpocketers. We made it up there, about an hour late to the frustration of my program director, and I got my ticket. Martin was going to buy one, but the line was WAYYYYYYYYY long, and he had English class in an hour. So he left, after carefully explaining how I could get home, entrusting me with his Guia "T" (which is the equivalent of a SUPER detailed map of the town), and making me promise to call, no matter when, if I had any problems. Reminds me of Aggie courtesy. He's like a big brother, and I would have had a MUCH harder time these past days without him.
It's cool too, because he really wants to learn English (como yo con el espanol), and so we'll have fun conversations about whatever, just practicing sentences with each other. Language learning at its best! I'll miss having him around in a few days.
Stacy and Rebe found me at the art show. We walked around for a bit. Some of the displays were crazy, como the mattress house you could jump around in, and the hanging sculpture made of film. My favorite was the elephant (whoop!)Then we left, and walked for FOREVER!!! (como una hora) searching for Palermo Soho, asking directions twice, and finally finding the plaza italia. We were all a little tired and bleh, so we sat down at a nice cafe, and ordered drinks. Yo tenia un irlandes. It was good. Los cafes aca no usan azucar. Tenia que usar como tres paquetes. And they had different rates for drinks for day or night, and we thought it was night (it was 7 p.m.) but in Argentina la noche begins at 8 p.m. Haha, this city is so crazy. When we left, around 8:15, the place still hadn't begun to fill for dinner.
Rebe y yo took a taxi home, making sure to only speak in Spanish so he wouldn't cheat us. I made it home just before 9 (dinner time in Argentina) and JUST MISSED getting to eat pollo y papas con Maria y Lulu. I guess they eat a little earlier since she's only 8. But Lulu sat and talked with me while I ate, and I got to practice some Spanish. I can understand her until she gets excited, then she talks to fast.
K, now I need to do my lesson plans. But I'm also happily giving thanks for being reminded to lose my expectations and enjoy what Argentina is offering me, for people who are willing to go out of their way to help me, for being pushed outside of my comfort zone and acting independently, and for simply LOVING communicating in Spanish and gaining confidence con cada palabra.
Besos!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Teaching on Thursday!
That's right....I teach my first class on Thursday! Ohhhhhhhh man.
But let me start from the beginning. I set two alarms for 8:30 this morning. Good thinking, because my computer one didn't go off. So I got up, got dressed, and headed out (just a little later than my planned time). Even though we had walked the path yesterday, I was nervous. I stopped at a street corner, and for some idiotic reason, decided to cross even though the light was definitely NOT saying go. But I somehow convinced myself that I hadn't remembered correctly, and I was really nervous about standing there unnecessarily and looking like a foreigner.
Well.....when you step incorrectly into the street and a taxi honks at you as it almost hits you....EVERYONE stares. My face turned so red, but I just kept walking. At the next street, I waited for the correct signal.
Since today was a National Holiday (equivalent of the U.S. 4th of July), no one was working. Oh yea, except my class. Our teacher is from Ireland. He's really chill and will be fun to learn from. There are 7 of us in the class, and only one other is a U.S. college student (Pennsylvania). The rest are older (probably late 20's, early 30's) and range from bartenders from Ireland to elementary teachers from London, to serious world travelers. I felt really boring when I introduced myself as a student. These people really exemplify the idea of living a life on the move, or whatever you want to call it. I think I value structure too much to be able to live that haphazardly in terms of a job, but it is an interesting way of life.
Since we are in class all day, I'm glad that the group seems really nice. [Aside: We ate lunch at a nice deli, albeit with a security guard at the door. I had something like a panini, with salad, and an iced tea that was wonderfully sweetened]. Only two have previously taught, so most everyone freaked when he said we would have our first class on Thursday. ACK! Apparently they advertise around the area that a free class is being taught by native speakers, and they bring in about 6-10 (but sometimes just 1 or 2) people. Apparently native English speakers are in high demand (good for me!). So I'm teaching an hour Beginner class on Thursday, and an Intermediate on Friday. The only downer is that means no 3-day weekend trips. I'm currently brainstorming lesson plans, so if you have any great ideas, let me know! Although, we have to formulate them tomorrow, so you would need to respond quickly. I like how Sarah put it though. Instead of freaking out about my first class for 4 weeks, I get to get through it in 4 days. Less stress on my part.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````
So after class I hung out with Rebe at her place, and met some other Roadies (what they call the people in their program]. Then I got a card for my phone, and Rebe, Stacy, and I got capuchinos at a cute cafe. We sat under a covered terraced, watched the people, and chatted as the rain poured down.
Since then, I haven't done much. I did borrow a Spanish book from Lulu (Los cuentos de Beedle el Bardo by JK Rowling). I will probably try to go to bed soon b/c I think we're finally going out tomorrow. Oh, and I need to start taking pictures. I'm going to hopefully begin manana. Chau!
But let me start from the beginning. I set two alarms for 8:30 this morning. Good thinking, because my computer one didn't go off. So I got up, got dressed, and headed out (just a little later than my planned time). Even though we had walked the path yesterday, I was nervous. I stopped at a street corner, and for some idiotic reason, decided to cross even though the light was definitely NOT saying go. But I somehow convinced myself that I hadn't remembered correctly, and I was really nervous about standing there unnecessarily and looking like a foreigner.
Well.....when you step incorrectly into the street and a taxi honks at you as it almost hits you....EVERYONE stares. My face turned so red, but I just kept walking. At the next street, I waited for the correct signal.
Since today was a National Holiday (equivalent of the U.S. 4th of July), no one was working. Oh yea, except my class. Our teacher is from Ireland. He's really chill and will be fun to learn from. There are 7 of us in the class, and only one other is a U.S. college student (Pennsylvania). The rest are older (probably late 20's, early 30's) and range from bartenders from Ireland to elementary teachers from London, to serious world travelers. I felt really boring when I introduced myself as a student. These people really exemplify the idea of living a life on the move, or whatever you want to call it. I think I value structure too much to be able to live that haphazardly in terms of a job, but it is an interesting way of life.
Since we are in class all day, I'm glad that the group seems really nice. [Aside: We ate lunch at a nice deli, albeit with a security guard at the door. I had something like a panini, with salad, and an iced tea that was wonderfully sweetened]. Only two have previously taught, so most everyone freaked when he said we would have our first class on Thursday. ACK! Apparently they advertise around the area that a free class is being taught by native speakers, and they bring in about 6-10 (but sometimes just 1 or 2) people. Apparently native English speakers are in high demand (good for me!). So I'm teaching an hour Beginner class on Thursday, and an Intermediate on Friday. The only downer is that means no 3-day weekend trips. I'm currently brainstorming lesson plans, so if you have any great ideas, let me know! Although, we have to formulate them tomorrow, so you would need to respond quickly. I like how Sarah put it though. Instead of freaking out about my first class for 4 weeks, I get to get through it in 4 days. Less stress on my part.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````
So after class I hung out with Rebe at her place, and met some other Roadies (what they call the people in their program]. Then I got a card for my phone, and Rebe, Stacy, and I got capuchinos at a cute cafe. We sat under a covered terraced, watched the people, and chatted as the rain poured down.
Since then, I haven't done much. I did borrow a Spanish book from Lulu (Los cuentos de Beedle el Bardo by JK Rowling). I will probably try to go to bed soon b/c I think we're finally going out tomorrow. Oh, and I need to start taking pictures. I'm going to hopefully begin manana. Chau!
Thoughts on my first day
Yesterday was really chill. They stuck us in a taxi from the airport, and I was sitting up front. After a few minutes of awkward silence, and an internal battle over whether or not I would speak, I worked up the nerve to ask him what he recommended in Buenos Aires. He seemed to not understand me at first, and I looked back at Rebe, who gave me an encouraging thumbs up. After a minute though, he responded. What he said, I may never know. I got pieces, and I think he was referring to some historical site.
So, I switched the topic to futbol, because I know (thanks to my conversation with Mario last week) that Argentina has a competitive team. Well, that was quite successful. From there, the conversation last for a while, then we just got quiet and observed the town. I had my first encounter with the Argentinean accent. He said "Yo llevo", but I heard "zzsho" (not even sure how to write it) "zschevo" and was like HUH? But I'm now trying really hard to imitate it.
Upon arrival, I found out that my address, which said --number, degree sign, number-- is actually distinguishing the floor and room number. Good thing the taxi driver told me that before I got out, because I wouldve been completely stranded. But he thankfully helped me to the door and pushed all the necessary buttons.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````
Martin, a family friend who is here for a few days, helped me get my luggage up and get settled. We tried for AN HOUR to get wifi without avail, only to settle on the cable. I was doing good with my Spanish, and he and my host tia said I sounded good. Lulu, the 8yrold daughter, was still to shy to hang out.
After checking in with the world, Martin helped me find where my class was today, and then we walked around learning about the area. He is from Argentina, and is here to learn English and then hopefully move to New York. We had a fun interchange of English and Spanish. I got really hung up on words like "calle" and "yo" and had fun butchering those.
I got back, slept, woke up to an empty house, ate some yummy torta (quiche) that my tia made me, got everything ready, and then fell asleep to the sounds of the city outside my window, which included a baby crying, cars, an ambulance, and general raucous noises. Thankfully, I was tired and passed out.
So, I switched the topic to futbol, because I know (thanks to my conversation with Mario last week) that Argentina has a competitive team. Well, that was quite successful. From there, the conversation last for a while, then we just got quiet and observed the town. I had my first encounter with the Argentinean accent. He said "Yo llevo", but I heard "zzsho" (not even sure how to write it) "zschevo" and was like HUH? But I'm now trying really hard to imitate it.
Upon arrival, I found out that my address, which said --number, degree sign, number-- is actually distinguishing the floor and room number. Good thing the taxi driver told me that before I got out, because I wouldve been completely stranded. But he thankfully helped me to the door and pushed all the necessary buttons.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````
Martin, a family friend who is here for a few days, helped me get my luggage up and get settled. We tried for AN HOUR to get wifi without avail, only to settle on the cable. I was doing good with my Spanish, and he and my host tia said I sounded good. Lulu, the 8yrold daughter, was still to shy to hang out.
After checking in with the world, Martin helped me find where my class was today, and then we walked around learning about the area. He is from Argentina, and is here to learn English and then hopefully move to New York. We had a fun interchange of English and Spanish. I got really hung up on words like "calle" and "yo" and had fun butchering those.
I got back, slept, woke up to an empty house, ate some yummy torta (quiche) that my tia made me, got everything ready, and then fell asleep to the sounds of the city outside my window, which included a baby crying, cars, an ambulance, and general raucous noises. Thankfully, I was tired and passed out.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Estoy Aqui!
I'm currently sitting in my brightly colored orange room, so excited to be here! The hardest thing so far was getting my internet set up (an hour ordeal, but it works now!). When we arrived at the airport we had to wear masks...Rebeca got a funny picture of us. I'm exhausted. Hopefully I'll sleep soon, but I still want to walk around!
I have my first day of classes tomorrow, even though it's a national holiday. Wish me luck!
I have my first day of classes tomorrow, even though it's a national holiday. Wish me luck!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Two days away!!
My flight leaves Saturday night, and in an effort to procrastinate writing an essay, I thought I would update my blog (still SUPER stoked that I'm a blogger)! Went shopping with my mom yesterday, which to our amazement we were efficient and got everything we needed off "the list" (Except a raincoat. We did find one, but decided we would just X it from the list and save some moolah). Shoes were the hardest to find, face makeup was the most fun, and Target will always impress me by just producing exactly what I need, every time. Oh, and my host mom is a caterer, so I got her a cute red, white, and blue half-apron. I still need to make a final Walmart run for various oddities (including chocolate chip granola bars), but the big things should be taken care of.
My clothes have all been tossed in the general direction of my suitcase, but there is no semblance of order. I'm going to wait for my friend Megan to show some tough love tomorrow in terms of what gets packed and how many green items stay. Hopefully before she leaves I'll have a rejuvenated red hair color with spunky layers and two fully loaded suitcases.
It's funny. Getting ready to go abroad almost seems to equal getting remodeled. I don't want to have to worry about things like hair cuts, shoe heels breaking etc. when I arrive, so I take care of it here. In doing so, I end up presenting a cleaner Lara to Argentina than the U.S. ever gets to see. Maybe this is why I love international travel. ;)
Two days away!!!
My clothes have all been tossed in the general direction of my suitcase, but there is no semblance of order. I'm going to wait for my friend Megan to show some tough love tomorrow in terms of what gets packed and how many green items stay. Hopefully before she leaves I'll have a rejuvenated red hair color with spunky layers and two fully loaded suitcases.
It's funny. Getting ready to go abroad almost seems to equal getting remodeled. I don't want to have to worry about things like hair cuts, shoe heels breaking etc. when I arrive, so I take care of it here. In doing so, I end up presenting a cleaner Lara to Argentina than the U.S. ever gets to see. Maybe this is why I love international travel. ;)
Two days away!!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Pues...Let's get it started!
This time next week, I will be in Buenos Aires, Argentina, living with a host family (my host mom is a caterer - whoop!) for 12 weeks. I will be getting my TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and then hopefully teaching English! This is my fourth time abroad, after France, Italy, and Mexico. This will be my first time to go independently though (although it turns out I already know about 3 people who will be down there).
I am excited beyond words to see what this summer holds for me, and I am really hoping to get a sense of direction about myself.
Will I actually be able to make my body cooperate with the tango dance steps? Is teaching my dream? How important is personal hygiene on weekend trips? How will I celebrate events like the 4th of July and my 21st birthday in a foreign country? Can I effectively balance all of the fun of the 3rd-largest city in the world with a real commitment to teaching? How much "chill-wear" can I get away with in such a fashion-conscious city? Can I speak like a gaucho after 12 weeks?
Thoughts about this, but probably more about all of the crazy fun I am sure I will encounter, will hopefully be posted here on a semi-frequent basis. I mean, I like to write, and this will save having to explain things multiple times. Oh, and add me on Skype! (laralu2010)
Pues...Let's get it started!
I am excited beyond words to see what this summer holds for me, and I am really hoping to get a sense of direction about myself.
Will I actually be able to make my body cooperate with the tango dance steps? Is teaching my dream? How important is personal hygiene on weekend trips? How will I celebrate events like the 4th of July and my 21st birthday in a foreign country? Can I effectively balance all of the fun of the 3rd-largest city in the world with a real commitment to teaching? How much "chill-wear" can I get away with in such a fashion-conscious city? Can I speak like a gaucho after 12 weeks?
Does living abroad and *insert whatever I will be doing* really give me
the fulfillment I think it will?
Thoughts about this, but probably more about all of the crazy fun I am sure I will encounter, will hopefully be posted here on a semi-frequent basis. I mean, I like to write, and this will save having to explain things multiple times. Oh, and add me on Skype! (laralu2010)
Pues...Let's get it started!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)