so things have been going pretty well this week - not sick thats good!!!
i got paid for a bunch of tutoring hours, so i feel like i have some cash and can save a little more of my actual paycheck. one of the administrator's at the school asked if i would come to her house to give her an hour of english conversation lessons - so i did that wednesday and asked the other people i tutor for if they could pick me up at her house instead. she lives in the same development as them, so i think it was more convenient.
but it was really cool going to her house because, first of all it is absolutely gorgeous. i mean nicer than homes i have seen in the states. she lives in a sort of complex with her house connected to her parents house and her sister's house as well. it was so beautiful. they have a pool and a jacuzzi... pretty sweet. enormous and extravagant rooms filled with art and furniture. really nice.
so i tutored isabel for an hour - we just talked politics. i had the stevie song prepared for her as well, but she kinda pushed that aside and had a bunch of questions she wanted to ask me... i was happy with that, cause i love talking about obama :) then i went to tutor mauricio. he is 12, so i started by finding out if there was a girl he like. of course there was. he would NOT tell me her name, but he described her to me which i thought was a very good exercise. then we read an article about gas shortages after the hurricanes in the southeast. he is so smart, i love it. i mean i can literally see when he has a moment of learning, it's so refreshing and honestly rewarding.
and their driver juan is really really nice. he only speaks spanish, so i get to practice speaking with him and he gives me good tips about torreon and the surrounding cities and things.
today we had our spanish class, which was fun. but also ugh. it is an hour class and there are 11 people in it, so i don't like that. i mean i like everyone in the class, i just wish it was either longer or there was another section of the class so we could split up. i just feel like its too many people who want and need to practice speaking with too little of a timeframe to do it.
also we had a faculty meeting on wednesday and sometime last week i had talked to the principal about how it's really hard to meet new people, when the school is constantly cautioning us of all the dangers in torreon (newly arriving with the drugs moving closer to here) and that we shouldn't go to "unsafe" places. but truthfully, we have no idea what is or isn't safe or where to go to meet reputible people. i asked if she could arrange some sort of tour of the city so we could become more aquainted with it and if they could facilitate in us meeting more mexicans.
SO at the meeting, the administrators came up with 2 things. they are setting up a program where they ask families of colegio ingles to invite a teacher or two to dinner at their house. this way we can interact with more of a family and with authentic mexcian culture. i was super happy about that. AND they are doing a bus tour and dinner 2 or 3 fridays from this week. i am super excited about that. i thanked them soooo much today, because i honestly feel like everything i ask of them they try to do their absolute best to acommodate me. i asked for tutoring and got it, i asked for tour of torreon and we're getting it, i ask for meetings with parents and i get them, i ask for anything i feel and i get it.
it's interesting because i know there are a lot of things that are different here than they would be in the states, teaching wise, and i sometimes get frustrated. i have been getting more and more used to it though. the other teachers i feel are having a little tougher of a time with it. i feel like i have had experiences with plenty of materials and little administrative support and i much rather forego the materials. and truthfully - for a "developing country" i think they have a lot more than i initially expected... so i'm good with that. anyway i NEVER get emails anymore, whats up with you all!!! it's not even the holiday season yet. tell me what's going in in YOUR life, cause i am missing everyone... love to hear from you!!!!
i got paid for a bunch of tutoring hours, so i feel like i have some cash and can save a little more of my actual paycheck. one of the administrator's at the school asked if i would come to her house to give her an hour of english conversation lessons - so i did that wednesday and asked the other people i tutor for if they could pick me up at her house instead. she lives in the same development as them, so i think it was more convenient.
but it was really cool going to her house because, first of all it is absolutely gorgeous. i mean nicer than homes i have seen in the states. she lives in a sort of complex with her house connected to her parents house and her sister's house as well. it was so beautiful. they have a pool and a jacuzzi... pretty sweet. enormous and extravagant rooms filled with art and furniture. really nice.
so i tutored isabel for an hour - we just talked politics. i had the stevie song prepared for her as well, but she kinda pushed that aside and had a bunch of questions she wanted to ask me... i was happy with that, cause i love talking about obama :) then i went to tutor mauricio. he is 12, so i started by finding out if there was a girl he like. of course there was. he would NOT tell me her name, but he described her to me which i thought was a very good exercise. then we read an article about gas shortages after the hurricanes in the southeast. he is so smart, i love it. i mean i can literally see when he has a moment of learning, it's so refreshing and honestly rewarding.
and their driver juan is really really nice. he only speaks spanish, so i get to practice speaking with him and he gives me good tips about torreon and the surrounding cities and things.
today we had our spanish class, which was fun. but also ugh. it is an hour class and there are 11 people in it, so i don't like that. i mean i like everyone in the class, i just wish it was either longer or there was another section of the class so we could split up. i just feel like its too many people who want and need to practice speaking with too little of a timeframe to do it.
also we had a faculty meeting on wednesday and sometime last week i had talked to the principal about how it's really hard to meet new people, when the school is constantly cautioning us of all the dangers in torreon (newly arriving with the drugs moving closer to here) and that we shouldn't go to "unsafe" places. but truthfully, we have no idea what is or isn't safe or where to go to meet reputible people. i asked if she could arrange some sort of tour of the city so we could become more aquainted with it and if they could facilitate in us meeting more mexicans.
SO at the meeting, the administrators came up with 2 things. they are setting up a program where they ask families of colegio ingles to invite a teacher or two to dinner at their house. this way we can interact with more of a family and with authentic mexcian culture. i was super happy about that. AND they are doing a bus tour and dinner 2 or 3 fridays from this week. i am super excited about that. i thanked them soooo much today, because i honestly feel like everything i ask of them they try to do their absolute best to acommodate me. i asked for tutoring and got it, i asked for tour of torreon and we're getting it, i ask for meetings with parents and i get them, i ask for anything i feel and i get it.
it's interesting because i know there are a lot of things that are different here than they would be in the states, teaching wise, and i sometimes get frustrated. i have been getting more and more used to it though. the other teachers i feel are having a little tougher of a time with it. i feel like i have had experiences with plenty of materials and little administrative support and i much rather forego the materials. and truthfully - for a "developing country" i think they have a lot more than i initially expected... so i'm good with that. anyway i NEVER get emails anymore, whats up with you all!!! it's not even the holiday season yet. tell me what's going in in YOUR life, cause i am missing everyone... love to hear from you!!!!
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