So that Wednesday I went into school to firm up my schedule for the new quarter, expecting (as discussed) that I would have a level 3 class all to myself… but when I got to the university to talk with my boss, I realized that that was not the case… I was pretty bummed out at first, I had been really looking forward to conducting my own class based on a more rigorous and department-wide curriculum… Alas. Turns out that because they’ve hired several new teachers, there just wasn’t room for me to have a class if all the other teachers were going to maintain their hours.
So instead, I will be conducting speaking activities in 5 groups a day, 4 days a week, for a total of about 400 different students, at varying levels (meaning more preparation). I think as the quarter progresses, small changes can be made, but that’s basically it. At first that bummed me out, too, because I had wanted to keep some hours flexible for other things that might come up, but. I am also a little nervous about planning in terms of pinning down the various teachers with whom I will be working throughout the week to find out exactly how they want me to help…
This weekend was chill; I was in bed sicky face on Friday, then on Saturday Victoria and Memo and Bruno (a friend of Memo’s) came to visit, we went to the market, got some nummies, and then Victoria and I hung out for the rest of the day. We spent a lot of time on the tiny grassy area in front of my house… way better than inside my frigid house… That night my neighbor Francisco invited us out with a few of his friends to La Cantina de los Remedios, for food and mariachi… it was a blast!
Today (Monday) was the first day of class, I was with 3 different teachers for a total of 5 groups, some mid-level and others TOEFL-level… my activities took up most of the class time, but they were dynamic and I had lots of energy, so I think the students enjoyed their first days. :P I was also exhausted after 5 classes in a row…
Next week we ETAs have a conference in Mexico City with the ETAs from Venezuela and Colombia as well, which should be a blast! Each of us has to do a presentation about certain aspects of our experiences in our respective countries, and though they’re short, we’re all expecting to learn a lot. I’m also excited because my friend Anna that I met in Chile will be here as a Colombia ETA… it will be good to catch up with her and meet some other like-minded folks. More on that as it gets closer…
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Vacay!
Upon return to Mexico, life sped right back up…
I got to my house from the Mexico City airport around 3:30 pm on Friday the 2nd and left at 4:30 back for Mexico City, to the bus station, to visit my friend Brandon in Acapulco… I got there around 12:30 and went directly to a restaurant where Brandon was with a few friends… we were out until pretty late (or really early, depending).
The next day we spent by the beach, checking out bus tickets for our next destination, Puerto Escondido, another beach getaway in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, about 7 hours south of Acapulco. We boarded that bus at 3:30 the next morning, arriving in Puerto Escondido around 11. We figured out that arriving to our ideal destination to visit our friend Peter, San Cristóbal de las Casas in the southernmost state of Chiapas would be impossible, unfortunately, so we decided to head back up into central Mexico to Oaxaca City… another 8 or so hours, leaving at 11 that night. Confusing, I know. Us too. That was not our favorite bus ride; unfortunately the bus driver felt the need to drive as if he were driving in a video game… but oh well. We got to Oaxaca City safe and sound, if a bit sleep-deprived, and found ourselves a hostel in which we spent a few good hours napping.
When we woke up, we found ourselves joined in the hostel dorm room by 2 Germans and 1 Mexican, traveling together… Lizzy, Alonso and Anselm. They were super nice, and invited us to tour the city with them and go to Monte Albán the next day—we obviously took them up on it. :P They knew the city pretty well, and we had a blast hanging out with them. English was the lingua franca, which made it fun to listen to their idioms and communication styles…
Monte Albán was cool; it was a Zapotec/Mixtec site that also maintained strong ties with Teotihuacán... we didn't have a guide, but it was fun climbing the little pyramids and looking out over the whole site; the ball court was cool too...
Our favorite finds in Oaxaca City, apart from the gorgeous churches and beautiful handicrafts, were a gelato stand and a health food café called Guaraná. They had some incredible fruit juices and snacks…
Brandon and I both had to get back for some pre-school starting meetings, etc., so we said goodbye to Oaxaca and our new friends on Tuesday afternoon, and we headed back to Mexico City… we ended up staying with a fellow Fulbrighter that night, and heading back to our homes on Wednesday morning…
I got to my house from the Mexico City airport around 3:30 pm on Friday the 2nd and left at 4:30 back for Mexico City, to the bus station, to visit my friend Brandon in Acapulco… I got there around 12:30 and went directly to a restaurant where Brandon was with a few friends… we were out until pretty late (or really early, depending).
The next day we spent by the beach, checking out bus tickets for our next destination, Puerto Escondido, another beach getaway in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, about 7 hours south of Acapulco. We boarded that bus at 3:30 the next morning, arriving in Puerto Escondido around 11. We figured out that arriving to our ideal destination to visit our friend Peter, San Cristóbal de las Casas in the southernmost state of Chiapas would be impossible, unfortunately, so we decided to head back up into central Mexico to Oaxaca City… another 8 or so hours, leaving at 11 that night. Confusing, I know. Us too. That was not our favorite bus ride; unfortunately the bus driver felt the need to drive as if he were driving in a video game… but oh well. We got to Oaxaca City safe and sound, if a bit sleep-deprived, and found ourselves a hostel in which we spent a few good hours napping.
When we woke up, we found ourselves joined in the hostel dorm room by 2 Germans and 1 Mexican, traveling together… Lizzy, Alonso and Anselm. They were super nice, and invited us to tour the city with them and go to Monte Albán the next day—we obviously took them up on it. :P They knew the city pretty well, and we had a blast hanging out with them. English was the lingua franca, which made it fun to listen to their idioms and communication styles…
Monte Albán was cool; it was a Zapotec/Mixtec site that also maintained strong ties with Teotihuacán... we didn't have a guide, but it was fun climbing the little pyramids and looking out over the whole site; the ball court was cool too...
Our favorite finds in Oaxaca City, apart from the gorgeous churches and beautiful handicrafts, were a gelato stand and a health food café called Guaraná. They had some incredible fruit juices and snacks…
Brandon and I both had to get back for some pre-school starting meetings, etc., so we said goodbye to Oaxaca and our new friends on Tuesday afternoon, and we headed back to Mexico City… we ended up staying with a fellow Fulbrighter that night, and heading back to our homes on Wednesday morning…
Thursday, January 8, 2009
2009!
New Year's Resolution: be better about blogging.
Now that that's out of the way. Back in Mexico after a wonderful Christmas break at home! We had Grandma and Grandpa in from Arizona, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Clay in from California, and surprise guest Great Aunt Beverly from Wisconsin! We (I) almost ruined the surprise more than once, but it was all worth it to see Grandpa and Aunt Bev's reunion! ;)
We played lots of Sheepshead, lots of Settlers of Catan, ate lots of good (and familiar) food, and generally had a lovely time. It's so nice to have family around, yet since we get together so little throughout the year, it also makes us value the time we DO get to spend together... It was good to see a few friends, also, and be around some wonderful, loving people for a solid 2 weeks. ☺
Now that that's out of the way. Back in Mexico after a wonderful Christmas break at home! We had Grandma and Grandpa in from Arizona, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Clay in from California, and surprise guest Great Aunt Beverly from Wisconsin! We (I) almost ruined the surprise more than once, but it was all worth it to see Grandpa and Aunt Bev's reunion! ;)
We played lots of Sheepshead, lots of Settlers of Catan, ate lots of good (and familiar) food, and generally had a lovely time. It's so nice to have family around, yet since we get together so little throughout the year, it also makes us value the time we DO get to spend together... It was good to see a few friends, also, and be around some wonderful, loving people for a solid 2 weeks. ☺
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