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Published: October 29th 2008
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Right, so it has been over a week since you’ve heard anything from me. It has been a week of frustrations and struggles and epiphanies. In short, it has been a typical hump week. That’s right, this week was the middle of my time here in Oaxaca and, being in the middle I was in a funk.
The purpose of this trip was to experience teaching in a new culture with a new language to challenge me and my instruction methods. The school I was placed in is a Montessori elementary schools' grade 3 class. At first it was an amazingly overwhelming experience because of the language barrier and new culture. By language barrier I mean that my Spanish is still very rough and neither the students nor the teacher speak English. My Spanish took a huge jump in terms of my ability to understand others, especially kid mumbles, but my spoken is still on the furiously slow track. So, after a week of sitting in a very hard chair, observing, writing and observing some more, I was bored to the point of tears. Some people, meaning well, asked why I hadn’t attempted to interact with the kids. I was
open gate
from In & Out series at recess and before and after school, and even a little during class, but here is the kicker: it is a self paced classroom. This means that the students work diligently all day long on the work that is listed on the board. If they don’t finish that work they must take it home as homework and as a teacher I felt wrong distracting them. There are no lessons for me to observe, no teaching to take notes of or even get involved in. This coupled with the language barrier made for very boring six hour days. Yes, six long hours of sitting on a very numb bum and trying to converse in my third language of rapid kid-Mexican. Something had to give and last week I made sure it did.
So as of last Friday I have two schools for my practicum. The new school is another small private school called Prepratoria Univas and is a high school level program. My new schedule is Univas for two classes each morning five days a week and Montessori for two classes each afternoon four days a week (most of which are the ESL classes I was already teaching there). The
English level at Univas is, on the whole, higher then Montessori, so it should turn out to be a varied experience. I was also able to teach my first lessons at Montessori on Friday and Monday and those really renewed my energy. I truely am happiest when I am in teacher mode. Both lessons were on Halloween and we made Jack-o-lanterns, masks and went trick-or-treating to the office and a few of the other classrooms. I made a poster of Halloween images that I had on my laptop and I have to say, Anna, the disco ball was a big hit.
Mixed in with the up and down of the week were my mixed emotions surrounding the realisation that I only have four more weeks here. I haven’t really felt that I have been able to take time in order to just ‘be’ in Oaxaca and I had a bit of a panic moment realising I would soon be leaving. It is hard to describe the culture here, the fact that there is always something happening. This city is always humming. On any given afternoon one can wander down to the central area and stumble upon dancing of all
sorts, music, parades, car races, outdoor church services, concerts and just general partying in the zocalo with balloons and street acts.
With those emotions in mind I made an extra effort this weekend to get out and enjoy just being in this amazing place. I went out dancing on Saturday night and on Sunday I wandered the quiet streets, taking pictures and then sat in a café writing post cards, reading my new book and gorging myself on fresh o.j. and guacamole. Later I met up with my friend Lila for a walk and dinner in the zocalo.
This week I am feeling renewed and relieved and ready to make the most of the next weeks. I am promising myself this: I will no longer use tiredness as an excuse and will stop wingeing about the frustrations I am having with the program. So, if you are talking to me and I start complaining, stop me quick and say “suck it up princess!”
Love and kisses
S
Black and White and Dusty
This place is full of old photographs
Snapshots in black and white fill my frame
Shadows, corners, sunlight, moonlight
Crevices filled with dirt create the wrinkles of character
Curves, angles, shapes, outlines
Old silver print comes alive and shimmers in the heat
Photography dreams
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