I have finished my second week of work now, and I'm still getting adjusted, but I am enjoying it. My first day of work I thought I was just going to sign my contract etc., but then after showing me around the school and explaining different rules and other things to me, they took me to the grade 3 classroom and were like "you should have lunch with them so you can get to know them." And then it was recess, and a teacher told me that I was supposed to be supervising the schoolyard right then. And then that afternoon I ended up in the grade 4 classroom, and the administrators gave me the exams that the kids were supposed to be taking that week, and asked me to hand them out. And then I just had to wing the rest of the day. All this, on the little sleep I got on my overnight bus the night before. Pretty hectic.
All the other teachers are super nice and helpful though. Each class has 2 teachers; 1 Spanish and 1 English, and they get 3 hours of instruction in each language every day. The English teacher for grades 5 and 6 is from a farm in Georgia, and has been at the school for about a year now. He has kind of taken me under his wing and has been helping me navigate this school. The other English teacher for grades 1 and 2 is Mexican and also super helpful. All the other teachers are all very nice, but have very limited English. The director and assistant director also do not speak English. Although my Spanish is proficient, and I do want to practice more to improve it, not being able to communicate with ease with my supervisors can be frustrating.
After a week of work, I was pretty tired, but also excited, as I got to move out of the hostel! I still have not found an apartment, but I moved in with the son of some family friends from Cuernavaca. Atli goes to university in DF, so has an apartment here, and is letting me stay with him until I can find my own place. When I moved in, he was out of town for the weekend so I got the whole place to myself which was nice. While the hostel was great for meeting people, and had such lovely staff, it was really frustrating in the mornings when I woke up at 6am, not being able to turn on any lights, or make any noise, as the other people in my room had gone to bed just a few hours before I was getting up. Saturday after moving all my stuff, I just vegged out on the couch and marathonned through the final season of Breaking Bad. It was really nice to be able to just chill out and have my own space for the first time in 3 weeks. Sunday I went to La Merced and filled a backpack and shopping bag with fresh fruits and veggies for approx. $10. Also so stoked to be able to cook. The hostel kitchen only had a hotplate with an on/off switch, and I was getting kind of sick of tacos for every meal.
All the other teachers are super nice and helpful though. Each class has 2 teachers; 1 Spanish and 1 English, and they get 3 hours of instruction in each language every day. The English teacher for grades 5 and 6 is from a farm in Georgia, and has been at the school for about a year now. He has kind of taken me under his wing and has been helping me navigate this school. The other English teacher for grades 1 and 2 is Mexican and also super helpful. All the other teachers are all very nice, but have very limited English. The director and assistant director also do not speak English. Although my Spanish is proficient, and I do want to practice more to improve it, not being able to communicate with ease with my supervisors can be frustrating.
After a week of work, I was pretty tired, but also excited, as I got to move out of the hostel! I still have not found an apartment, but I moved in with the son of some family friends from Cuernavaca. Atli goes to university in DF, so has an apartment here, and is letting me stay with him until I can find my own place. When I moved in, he was out of town for the weekend so I got the whole place to myself which was nice. While the hostel was great for meeting people, and had such lovely staff, it was really frustrating in the mornings when I woke up at 6am, not being able to turn on any lights, or make any noise, as the other people in my room had gone to bed just a few hours before I was getting up. Saturday after moving all my stuff, I just vegged out on the couch and marathonned through the final season of Breaking Bad. It was really nice to be able to just chill out and have my own space for the first time in 3 weeks. Sunday I went to La Merced and filled a backpack and shopping bag with fresh fruits and veggies for approx. $10. Also so stoked to be able to cook. The hostel kitchen only had a hotplate with an on/off switch, and I was getting kind of sick of tacos for every meal.
This past week I was getting more into the swing of working. It has been nice to not be living out of a locker anymore. Everyday after school I've been apartment hunting, but no luck so far. I want somewhere safe to walk alone at night, walking distance to a Metro, and affordable...and it seems like getting all 3 is near impossible. But I'm sure I'll find something soon. Everyone at school knows I'm looking and they have all made it their missions to help me find a place. Mexicans are so nice!
While I am enjoying the job, the kids here are crazy. Compared to Canada, there's no respect for the classroom or teacher...the second I turn my back, they're running out of their seats, and they're constantly talking. The other day 2 boys were literally fighting in my classroom! I was shocked. I'm hoping though that with some more time here I will be able to gain their respect. Thursday was a fieldtrip to the theatre which I was originally super stoked for. But then when we got there I found out that it was an interactive educational children's musical. What a torturous 90 minutes.
The worst part about my new job though, is that I have to wear a hideous nun's dress over top of my clothes at school. So ugly. Also, so funny--last week it dropped to 10 degrees, which admittedly is chilly, but one of the other teachers was teaching in a parka. And all the kids were wearing their gloves and hats inside the classroom. I'm ALWAYS cold in Canada, and even I found this a bit ridiculous. On the metro there are billboards warning people to bundle up in the winter season. Because 14 degrees necessitates winter clothing. Aside from this, I think I'm finally starting to blend in a little; the other day a Mexican dude asked me for directions on the Metro, and I could actually give them to him! I'm like a real Mexican now! Friday I got my paycheque which was exciting! (less exciting after I found out I have to pay taxes, despite making practically nothing...) And made plans to go to Guanajuato for the long weekend with it.
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