More random things to write about. I guess this could fall under the "things that amuse me" blog, but it's too much work to figure out how to...do what my sister says I need to do to keep the same topic together. :)
* First off for today, everything in Guatemala is "something-ito," "-ito" being a diminutive. I repeat, EVERYTHING is ______-ito in Guatemala: host family's son Carlos = Carlitos; frijoles (beans) = frijolitos; queso (cheese) = quesito; ahora (now) = ahorita;.... The list could seriously continue for the length of the Spanish dictionary, minus verbs.
* I'm not much one to enjoy being stared at, but it's kind of unavoidable here. Staring, staring, staring all the time. Amusing? Well, maybe not.
* Our house isn't very thick, so we can hear the neighbors as if they live in the house, and at night when all the stray cats are out, since the roof is metal and the sound carries, it sounds like we have ladrones, or thieves, jumping on our roof all night. That part is kind of amusing, just because you tend to forget about the cats until one thuds onto the roof and you jump until you remember that it's just a cat and not a person. At least, you hope it's not a person. :)
* I heard somewhere once that people eat an average of 7 spiders in there lifetime. Now I'm not one to necessarily believe that, since... well, how can you collect that information? But if it is true, I'm thinking that number must be much higher for people living in Guatemala. I wouldn't recommend visiting if you're not into dogs or spiders. :)
In other news, the second week of school has been survived, and I'm about to start the 3rd. :) Still kinda like it down here, so apparently it can't be too bad!
Whoever reads this, have a good week ahead, and we'll see when I update this again.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
First week, etc.
So, the first week has been survived. Only….35 weeks left? I guess I haven’t calculated. Nor do I intend to. (I counted down the weeks til finals most of my semesters in college, but I don’t need to here. :) It’s somebody else taking the finals this time. I just gotta write ‘em.)
Hmmm… I’m playing opera on my computer now (Batti, batti) and it apparently attracted the cat who is now outside my window meowing… I ought to investigate further and see if the song works on other cats…
Back to the first week: unremarkable. In a good way, though. Ask me about it if you have any questions. Otherwise, not that exciting.
The weekend, though! Wow! I went hiking. With… people who are in shape. I’m still laughing at myself for thinking that I really wanted to invite myself on that trip. It was actually quite good -- beautiful views, and good company. And fortunately I’ve already completely forgotten the feelings of “almost dying” from over-exertion combined with lack of oxygen (we’re at over 7,000 feet) and the sense of not being able to go on yet knowing that I must, both having been replaced by a great sense of the accomplishment of SURVIVAL! :D It was a great time, when it was over! A couple other girls at the school and I are going to start an out-of-shape-hikers league, coached by a very patient gym teacher, and we will conquer the world, I think. :) Either way, we’ll see.
In other news, I’m happy to say that no Guatemalan has yet tempted me to consider staying in Guatemala longer than previously anticipated! History to that comment: I told Mom one day before leaving that it might be dangerous for me to go to Guatemala, since I’m a sucker for brown eyes. However, people here are very short, and…well, they must just have MHC (major histocompatibility complex) genes that are too similar to mine because I’m just not tempted. (If you’re not sure what I mean by this comment, do a little research on pheromones and human male/female attraction.) (And remember always to take my ramblings with a grain of salt.)
No hay mucho más que es interesante. I’m having trouble sometimes between the English, Spanish, and French. It goes back to language not really being about specific words meaning specific things, but being more of specific sounds that communicate specific concepts that are running through the mind. So I’m finding more and more lately that while I’m trying to speak either Spanish or French, the concept I want to communicate isn’t necessarily in any specific language in my mind, so that when I say that concept out loud in either language, I do not realize if I say phrases in the opposite language of that in which I’m trying to communicate… Clear as mud, right? See, language is a habit, which is another thing throwing me off: I’ve now gotten used to saying things like, “It’s..” or “There are…” or “…, too” or “and” in Spanish, so they just fly out of my mouth automatically in Spanish whether I’m speaking Spanish or French, but other things like “One can/could…” or filler words, like “well…, in fact…, actually…,” etc. I don’t know in Spanish, so I’m still in the habit of saying them in French they will automatically creep into my Spanish sentences with a very Spanish accent without my even realizing that I’ve said them until I get a funny look.
I do highly encourage all of you, though, to undertake the intellectual challenge of learning many languages, though: just do it better than I’ve been doing! Learning a language might even hold off the Alzheimer’s you’ll get when you’re old!
Anyway, I’m off now to get some work done! Adios! Au revoir! Tootle-oo!
Hmmm… I’m playing opera on my computer now (Batti, batti) and it apparently attracted the cat who is now outside my window meowing… I ought to investigate further and see if the song works on other cats…
Back to the first week: unremarkable. In a good way, though. Ask me about it if you have any questions. Otherwise, not that exciting.
The weekend, though! Wow! I went hiking. With… people who are in shape. I’m still laughing at myself for thinking that I really wanted to invite myself on that trip. It was actually quite good -- beautiful views, and good company. And fortunately I’ve already completely forgotten the feelings of “almost dying” from over-exertion combined with lack of oxygen (we’re at over 7,000 feet) and the sense of not being able to go on yet knowing that I must, both having been replaced by a great sense of the accomplishment of SURVIVAL! :D It was a great time, when it was over! A couple other girls at the school and I are going to start an out-of-shape-hikers league, coached by a very patient gym teacher, and we will conquer the world, I think. :) Either way, we’ll see.
In other news, I’m happy to say that no Guatemalan has yet tempted me to consider staying in Guatemala longer than previously anticipated! History to that comment: I told Mom one day before leaving that it might be dangerous for me to go to Guatemala, since I’m a sucker for brown eyes. However, people here are very short, and…well, they must just have MHC (major histocompatibility complex) genes that are too similar to mine because I’m just not tempted. (If you’re not sure what I mean by this comment, do a little research on pheromones and human male/female attraction.) (And remember always to take my ramblings with a grain of salt.)
No hay mucho más que es interesante. I’m having trouble sometimes between the English, Spanish, and French. It goes back to language not really being about specific words meaning specific things, but being more of specific sounds that communicate specific concepts that are running through the mind. So I’m finding more and more lately that while I’m trying to speak either Spanish or French, the concept I want to communicate isn’t necessarily in any specific language in my mind, so that when I say that concept out loud in either language, I do not realize if I say phrases in the opposite language of that in which I’m trying to communicate… Clear as mud, right? See, language is a habit, which is another thing throwing me off: I’ve now gotten used to saying things like, “It’s..” or “There are…” or “…, too” or “and” in Spanish, so they just fly out of my mouth automatically in Spanish whether I’m speaking Spanish or French, but other things like “One can/could…” or filler words, like “well…, in fact…, actually…,” etc. I don’t know in Spanish, so I’m still in the habit of saying them in French they will automatically creep into my Spanish sentences with a very Spanish accent without my even realizing that I’ve said them until I get a funny look.
I do highly encourage all of you, though, to undertake the intellectual challenge of learning many languages, though: just do it better than I’ve been doing! Learning a language might even hold off the Alzheimer’s you’ll get when you’re old!
Anyway, I’m off now to get some work done! Adios! Au revoir! Tootle-oo!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
My umbrella's wet, but so am I...
It rains here in Xela. Everybody is surprised by how little it has rained this summer, though. I'm kinda grateful for that, because... I like rain, but I don't like getting wet that much, and it takes quite a while for stuff to dry here, even when it´s not raining.
I´ve finished with the two weeks of orientation, and tomorrow, CLASSES!! Scary.... I´ll feel much better once I kind of get the hang of things, like how exactly to prepare what to teach, how long to talk/lecture, what homework to give... I just hope that until I get the hang of things, I can prepare everything I want to prepare and still have a little time leftover to study Spanish and explore a little.
I started with Spanish classes right away when I got here, and I´ve arranged to meet with my teacher (who lives near the school where I work) two times a week, until I feel like I have more of a schedule, and I might add more classes. This is a pretty cheap place to live and to study Spanish, so if any of you want to come on down... :) Just take safety precautions. And don´t be dumb.
So the school! The new teachers (both the ones who haven´t worked at the school before, and the ones who have no teaching experience) started Orientation the 3rd of August. Everybody else came the 10th. The school is a small Christian school that was started in 1961 for children of missionaries, but it has since been opened up to others, and now the student population is 85% Guatemalan. They do not accept more than 15 students per class. The city of Xela (pronounced ´shay-la) is pretty much all stone and concrete, but the school is on a very green hill that overlooks Xela, and it´s really nice. Thankfully I work at the top of the hill, and I do not need to climb it if I don´t want to. :) Estoy contenta, or "I´m happy."
I will be teaching physics, biology, chemistry, and global science as my "core courses," the ones that everyone has to take, and I´ll teach French as an elective. :) I can´t wait to giggle to myself over the pronunciations... Although when I was in France, I very much enjoyed listening to people speak French who´s first language was Spanish. Most of the time, I like that more than French people speaking French, because the ....spanophones? espanophones? pronounce every syllable, unlike the French. My class sizes are 3, 6, 13, and 15 students (not respectively). It should be an interesting experience! I hope I do well.
As for people I work with, it seems like it´ll be a great year. We are mostly younger than 30, but there are people of all ages around. We come from all over the States, but there´s a concentration of people from Texas and Oklahoma. The school´s director is from Texas, which explains the heavy recruitment in the area. :) A few of the teachers and staff members are permanent residents of Guatemala.
I can´t think of anything else that might be interesting to know... Well, I guess I really want a scooter! They look fun! And fast. THe shower water gets heated as it´s coming out of the shower head, so water pressure is not strong. My host family doesn´t think I really mean it when I say I don´t really want to eat bread for every single meal. It´s an unknown concept, not to eat bread. I have eaten many more potato- and wheat-based carbohydrate products here than corn-based, contrary to what I thought would be the case... All the lights in my host house are....not incandescent... A little dim-ish, but do-able. I get looked at and stared at a lot, and I don´t really like it, but hey, what can you do. Just not come, I guess. :) All in all, I do really like it here. I love the family that I´m staying with, and I am looking forward to finding out what God has in store for this year. Right now... "HA!!!! Joke´s on you, God!" is all that´s coming to mind, for sending me on a fool´s errand to try to teach science and French. On verra, on verra: We´ll see, in French. (Oy, that´s another thing -- I can´t speak Spanish because French keeps popping out of my mouth unexpectedly, AND I can´t speak French, because Spanish has started to replace it! My mouth is so confused.)
Anyway, if you have anymore questions, let me know! For now, hasta luego! See ya later!
I´ve finished with the two weeks of orientation, and tomorrow, CLASSES!! Scary.... I´ll feel much better once I kind of get the hang of things, like how exactly to prepare what to teach, how long to talk/lecture, what homework to give... I just hope that until I get the hang of things, I can prepare everything I want to prepare and still have a little time leftover to study Spanish and explore a little.
I started with Spanish classes right away when I got here, and I´ve arranged to meet with my teacher (who lives near the school where I work) two times a week, until I feel like I have more of a schedule, and I might add more classes. This is a pretty cheap place to live and to study Spanish, so if any of you want to come on down... :) Just take safety precautions. And don´t be dumb.
So the school! The new teachers (both the ones who haven´t worked at the school before, and the ones who have no teaching experience) started Orientation the 3rd of August. Everybody else came the 10th. The school is a small Christian school that was started in 1961 for children of missionaries, but it has since been opened up to others, and now the student population is 85% Guatemalan. They do not accept more than 15 students per class. The city of Xela (pronounced ´shay-la) is pretty much all stone and concrete, but the school is on a very green hill that overlooks Xela, and it´s really nice. Thankfully I work at the top of the hill, and I do not need to climb it if I don´t want to. :) Estoy contenta, or "I´m happy."
I will be teaching physics, biology, chemistry, and global science as my "core courses," the ones that everyone has to take, and I´ll teach French as an elective. :) I can´t wait to giggle to myself over the pronunciations... Although when I was in France, I very much enjoyed listening to people speak French who´s first language was Spanish. Most of the time, I like that more than French people speaking French, because the ....spanophones? espanophones? pronounce every syllable, unlike the French. My class sizes are 3, 6, 13, and 15 students (not respectively). It should be an interesting experience! I hope I do well.
As for people I work with, it seems like it´ll be a great year. We are mostly younger than 30, but there are people of all ages around. We come from all over the States, but there´s a concentration of people from Texas and Oklahoma. The school´s director is from Texas, which explains the heavy recruitment in the area. :) A few of the teachers and staff members are permanent residents of Guatemala.
I can´t think of anything else that might be interesting to know... Well, I guess I really want a scooter! They look fun! And fast. THe shower water gets heated as it´s coming out of the shower head, so water pressure is not strong. My host family doesn´t think I really mean it when I say I don´t really want to eat bread for every single meal. It´s an unknown concept, not to eat bread. I have eaten many more potato- and wheat-based carbohydrate products here than corn-based, contrary to what I thought would be the case... All the lights in my host house are....not incandescent... A little dim-ish, but do-able. I get looked at and stared at a lot, and I don´t really like it, but hey, what can you do. Just not come, I guess. :) All in all, I do really like it here. I love the family that I´m staying with, and I am looking forward to finding out what God has in store for this year. Right now... "HA!!!! Joke´s on you, God!" is all that´s coming to mind, for sending me on a fool´s errand to try to teach science and French. On verra, on verra: We´ll see, in French. (Oy, that´s another thing -- I can´t speak Spanish because French keeps popping out of my mouth unexpectedly, AND I can´t speak French, because Spanish has started to replace it! My mouth is so confused.)
Anyway, if you have anymore questions, let me know! For now, hasta luego! See ya later!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Things that amuse me about Guatemala...
I'll probably keep updating this particular post as the year goes on -- I mean, I will find plenty more things amusing before the year is up, but here is a start:
* Pedestrians have no right of way. Ever. The only rule is, "Don't get hit!"
* The sidewalks are very tall in this country, sometimes about a foot and a half off the ground. I think this is because if they weren't, the drivers would drive on them as well, and then there really would be no place to walk.
* Guatemala is a great place to go if bananas are your favorite fruit.
* They don't drink cold milk. It is always warmed first. Well, I'm not sure they drink milk. So far I've only had it with cereal.
* In Guatemala, driving is best done if the tint on your windows is so dark that no one can see in, and you can't see out.
* Pedestrians have no right of way. Ever. The only rule is, "Don't get hit!"
* The sidewalks are very tall in this country, sometimes about a foot and a half off the ground. I think this is because if they weren't, the drivers would drive on them as well, and then there really would be no place to walk.
* Guatemala is a great place to go if bananas are your favorite fruit.
* They don't drink cold milk. It is always warmed first. Well, I'm not sure they drink milk. So far I've only had it with cereal.
* In Guatemala, driving is best done if the tint on your windows is so dark that no one can see in, and you can't see out.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Here!
Hello!
A quick beginning blog... Quick, because I should work on planning my life as a teacher! Drawers and cabinets to explore, things to arrange, etc.
I am here, and I love it! I mean, who wouldn't wanna stay in a country where you're told, "Estas linda!" ("You're pretty!") after traveling with no sleep for 36 hours! It has been a HUGE blessing so far to be here with IAS, the Inter-American School, because they picked me up from the airport, had cell phones for us right away, have taken us on tours, are teaching us about public transportation here, and are taking care of lots of stuff that I had to figure out on my own when I studied in France. It is totally worth not flushing toilet paper, not being close to home where everything's familiar... I can't think of bad things right now. I like it here. And I love the family I'm staying with. They are very, very nice and helpful. The Spanish is...slowly improving. :)
Anyway, off to work. I'll try to explain more about the school and stuff later, and I supposed I'll try to post a blog at least once a month.
A quick beginning blog... Quick, because I should work on planning my life as a teacher! Drawers and cabinets to explore, things to arrange, etc.
I am here, and I love it! I mean, who wouldn't wanna stay in a country where you're told, "Estas linda!" ("You're pretty!") after traveling with no sleep for 36 hours! It has been a HUGE blessing so far to be here with IAS, the Inter-American School, because they picked me up from the airport, had cell phones for us right away, have taken us on tours, are teaching us about public transportation here, and are taking care of lots of stuff that I had to figure out on my own when I studied in France. It is totally worth not flushing toilet paper, not being close to home where everything's familiar... I can't think of bad things right now. I like it here. And I love the family I'm staying with. They are very, very nice and helpful. The Spanish is...slowly improving. :)
Anyway, off to work. I'll try to explain more about the school and stuff later, and I supposed I'll try to post a blog at least once a month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)