Well folks, we are down to double digits in the countdown! I love watching the number go down each night as I type it into the title box. The only thing I have to figure out now, is how I'm going to do a tracker for when I come back in January. Will I just keep track of the days that I've been here or what? I'd like to have a cumulative number, but also enjoy counting down the days until I come home for my breaks. Thoughts? Suggestions? Te pareces? (What do you think?)
Today was my first day teaching at school and let me tell you how taken aback I was at the lack of classroom management some teachers have/the behavior of the students. My first class was segundo curso (2nd level) and they were talkative. They talk the entire time you talk. Guess we will have to establish some ground rules. But I didn't want to do it today since we're not separating the kids until next week. Because I won't be able to deal with the kids if they treat me like that. But I can guarantee you that they won't :) The 5th and 6th level classes were much better. It's hard for them to talk in English all the time and of course their abilities are all over the board. I am supposed to talk to them only in English, but that is impossible. Especially when I am trying to teach them correct English. Today, the kids kept saying, "I go to the beach," when they were supposed to be telling me what they did over the summer. The problem is, their English teachers also speak like this. So, I had to ask them in spanish, if they would say "Me voy a la playa" or "Fui a la playa". Once I got them to understand that they also needed to use past tense, they understood.
For breakfast, I drank a colacao (chocolate milk) and had some type of chocolate snack thing. Not sure what it was and it kind of had a weird taste. As I was leaving today, some of the teachers asked me if I would type up a list of commonly used phrases that we use in school, so they can learn how to say them in English. This is a nice little project for me, because I will also have to teach the other teachers how to pronounce things correctly!
In the metro today, I realized that I need to buy some type of shoulder bag to use instead of my backpack. Ever since I saw the robbery in the metro, I've been apprehensive about wearing my backpack. And I'm sure people love me in the mornings on the overcrowded metro because I have the backpack on my back. There's too many people to put it on the floor, so I really don't have a choice. They can get over it! But anyways, having a "teacher bag" would help me trememdously. I no longer schlep all my books to school, because I only use them at home when I am reading them. What kills me is that I have about ten teacher bags at home, sitting in my closet.
Speaking of my closet, I was skyping with my parents tonight. First thing I notice is that my mother is wearing one of my shirts. Every day she emails me, saying something like, "I'm thinking about you today because I have on your necklace," or something to that effect. The woman has inherited a whole new wardrobe. How thoughtful of her to think of me. She's like a kid in a candy store with my closet. It's like having your own in-house shopping mall. So if anyone sees my mother out in public and she's wearing a really cute outfit, chance are, she's wearing something from my closet :) Lucky for me, my shoes are too big (in size and in height) for her foot. I would kill to have some of my shoes right now....Speaking of shoes, I looked down at my feet and they look awful. I know my feet are mad at me. And hey, if I were them, I'd be mad at me too. I may have to find a place to get a pedicure on Friday. I'm afraid if I don't get one, I won't have any feet left to walk on. Yes, it's that bad. I have the battle wounds to prove it. They come in the form of blisters, scabs, and calluses. All different colors too. It's like I have the United Nations and the Rainbow Coalition on my two feet :)
I'm getting really frustrated with my spanish class. My teacher is very picky and wants us to write in a formal tone all the time. I realize it's only going to help me in the long run, but it's really making me question my spanish language abilities, even though I know I am proficient in Spanish. It's really bugging me and hurting my spirit :(
On a happy note, I got to watch bits of the US Open last night. So proud of Nadal for winning. This has been quite the year for Spain in sports! Maybe I won't have to purchase that premium account after all....
Quote of the Day: "If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again." -the late Aaliyah
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