so i have time before class today, and i figure, hey, why not go use the computers again? so here i am. just gonna share with you some of the cultural things i have noticed since ive been here. i wrote some down last night, since i had no computer, and the tvs were not working either! heres what i remember:
1. everyone says ´buenas´(means good) when walking past another person. i hear it about 293874345 times per day.
2. dinner is not a family occassion. lunch is more so, but still not like we have family dinner in the states. most people come home from work to eat lunch, even though it´s just an hour. its not like a siesta where everything shuts down, but it is a good break in the day. no one really goes out to restaurants either. there are a couple but its not a common thing to go do.
3. central mountain and eastern time here is called either colombia chile time, or peru time.
4. studying is a family occassion. everyone studies together, all the time--theres not really much else to do.
5. people wear comfy clothes in the house, but will put on makeup and get dressed up even for a five minute outting--no being seen in sweatpants! i dont like this.
6. EVERYTHING is fried. everything.
7. panama hats really are everywhere. so are ámerican clothes resale stores.´everyone wants the latest fashions in the US. jeans, for example, will sell for around 3 dollars. my host sister was wearing childrens place clothes the other day, no joke. i even recognized the skirt. no escaping that store!
8. no one is racist. but almost everyone is culturally ignorant. no one thinks less of different colors or ethnicities, but no one asks about it either. it is just assumed that everyone has the samereligion. in fact, many asians have immigrated here, and a large percentage of the community stems from asian roots.
9.no one says goodbye on the telephone. when theyre done talking, they just hang up.
10. chickens are wandering the streets everywhere!
11. theres a naked girl in almost every newspaper everyday. the fam says thats the only way the newspapers sell--the media definitely means something different here (but im still trying to figure out how exactly important news travels)
12. so many people own parrots! we have 2 baby perrititas.
13. people dont really exercise here. its pretty much unheard of. and people also eat a ton of fried stuff. and theyre skinny (mas o menos)--im still trying to figure this one out.
14. hammocks hammocks hammocks everywhere! i love it!
15. ´resfrado´is a national drink. its shaved ice, with malt, and other flavorings. its SO good. people push around carts selling it on the streets all day. costs about 30 cents.
ill keep adding to this list as more things come up for sure!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
day thirteen.
i wont have a computer again until thurday... my host dad took the laptop to the farm with him (and he goes to the farm mon thru thurs)
planning to go the beach with other volunteers on wed, because all the kids have off of school that day for the inaugeration of their new president.
camera is in the shop, theyre looking to see if it can be fixed
for some reason the english teacher is no longer teaching at the kindergarden i was at. woke up this morning and found out when my host mom told me. she said he could no longer be paid, and theres no more time for english classes. im going to see if i can still go sometimes, because those kids were just so darn cute... and obviously this is a situation in which i can help. but for now i am just at the primary school in the afternoons.
longer update to come on thurs, promise!
planning to go the beach with other volunteers on wed, because all the kids have off of school that day for the inaugeration of their new president.
camera is in the shop, theyre looking to see if it can be fixed
for some reason the english teacher is no longer teaching at the kindergarden i was at. woke up this morning and found out when my host mom told me. she said he could no longer be paid, and theres no more time for english classes. im going to see if i can still go sometimes, because those kids were just so darn cute... and obviously this is a situation in which i can help. but for now i am just at the primary school in the afternoons.
longer update to come on thurs, promise!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
days eleven and twelve- a weekend with the host fam.
i had a very good, yet very hard weekend.
on saturday morning i learned the actual meaning of island time, or panama time, by many experiences. when my host fam means early, they mean a little later, and when they say ´now´they mean in an hour or so. and so when they told me to wake up early, i was ready to go by about 830. anddd, we were on our way right around 3 o´clock! the drive to the farm was very long. when they said one hour, it actually meant three hours. hopefully ill get this special timing down soon. on the way, we kept making lots of stops. i think my host dad was paying all of his farm workers, cuz there was a lot of money involved. finally we made it to the farm around 630 or so. the house itself was very empty. a bedroom, a kitchen with a george forman-like grill and a toaster, and an empty room that could be a living room. little lizards were running around all over the place. and if i thought the mosquitoes were bad here, they weren´t.
we went for a drive around the town, so that i could see the people who live there. the farm itself is HUGE. probably about 2000 acres, not kidding. when you think of a ton of rolling hills and empty greenness in panama, this is where we were--right in the middle of it. it was so gorgeous. they own about 700 cows, a bunch of horses, chickens, and other farm animals. they produce milk and meat on this farm, and only a couple of fruits and grains for the workers themselves to eat, not to sell. a couple blocks off the farm we reached the coast, and saw this little fishing town. my family knew all the people in the town--probably about 200 people at the most. and the houses were were incredible, in a way that they were so simple that they were too simple. i dont know if i would have been able to live in something like that. but everyone was so happy, playing baseball and sharing bicycles. pictures of this town to come. we went back, made some dinner, then just went to bed. no lights = bed very early.
woke up around 630 this morning to the sounds of roosters, cows and other farm animals. i was already well rested by that time, so i got up and watched the farmers milk the cows. didnt do it myself, but i got close enough that it was good enough for me. then i went for a short horseback ride, and walked around the farm some with the host siblings (of course we only covered a very small portion of what the land is). we came back for breakfast around 830, and then just hung aorund the house some. we were playing UNO, or at least an idea of what the game is since the kids are young and like to make rules of course, and thennnn kids being kids, broke my camera. this definitely put a downer on my day. big time. like, big time. i am going to chitre, the big town about an hour away, to see if i can get it fixed. i am hoping and praying big time.
we then got in the car and drove around the farm land. i saw so many cows! i have some good pcitures with them (well, i dont personally have them due to the earlier events, but my host fam took some pictures that they will pass on to me) they were soo cute! and then my host dad said proudly: and these are to kill! ohh, yummm.
we drove to a nearby beach, and it was so gorgeous. there were hammocks all over the place and the sand was very white. but of course, to go with my camera mood, it was kind of cold and started to rain after a half hour. we went under a covering, where everyone was trying to hide from the rain. and tehre i met three american girls who are here in panama doing some team building exercises at the schools. so, i talked with them for a while and it was nice to speak some english. made my mood perhaps a tad bit better. but then the rain would not let up, and so we decided to just head home. teh car ride was not short, to say the least. but anywyas, im back and ...so here i am. nothing is open on sundays and so i have to wait until tomorrow to find out about my camera. im just gonna watch tv for therest of the day, im guessing. the kids are studying (the younger one is learning about malaria, actually). perhaps i should plan some more lessons as well.
on saturday morning i learned the actual meaning of island time, or panama time, by many experiences. when my host fam means early, they mean a little later, and when they say ´now´they mean in an hour or so. and so when they told me to wake up early, i was ready to go by about 830. anddd, we were on our way right around 3 o´clock! the drive to the farm was very long. when they said one hour, it actually meant three hours. hopefully ill get this special timing down soon. on the way, we kept making lots of stops. i think my host dad was paying all of his farm workers, cuz there was a lot of money involved. finally we made it to the farm around 630 or so. the house itself was very empty. a bedroom, a kitchen with a george forman-like grill and a toaster, and an empty room that could be a living room. little lizards were running around all over the place. and if i thought the mosquitoes were bad here, they weren´t.
we went for a drive around the town, so that i could see the people who live there. the farm itself is HUGE. probably about 2000 acres, not kidding. when you think of a ton of rolling hills and empty greenness in panama, this is where we were--right in the middle of it. it was so gorgeous. they own about 700 cows, a bunch of horses, chickens, and other farm animals. they produce milk and meat on this farm, and only a couple of fruits and grains for the workers themselves to eat, not to sell. a couple blocks off the farm we reached the coast, and saw this little fishing town. my family knew all the people in the town--probably about 200 people at the most. and the houses were were incredible, in a way that they were so simple that they were too simple. i dont know if i would have been able to live in something like that. but everyone was so happy, playing baseball and sharing bicycles. pictures of this town to come. we went back, made some dinner, then just went to bed. no lights = bed very early.
woke up around 630 this morning to the sounds of roosters, cows and other farm animals. i was already well rested by that time, so i got up and watched the farmers milk the cows. didnt do it myself, but i got close enough that it was good enough for me. then i went for a short horseback ride, and walked around the farm some with the host siblings (of course we only covered a very small portion of what the land is). we came back for breakfast around 830, and then just hung aorund the house some. we were playing UNO, or at least an idea of what the game is since the kids are young and like to make rules of course, and thennnn kids being kids, broke my camera. this definitely put a downer on my day. big time. like, big time. i am going to chitre, the big town about an hour away, to see if i can get it fixed. i am hoping and praying big time.
we then got in the car and drove around the farm land. i saw so many cows! i have some good pcitures with them (well, i dont personally have them due to the earlier events, but my host fam took some pictures that they will pass on to me) they were soo cute! and then my host dad said proudly: and these are to kill! ohh, yummm.
we drove to a nearby beach, and it was so gorgeous. there were hammocks all over the place and the sand was very white. but of course, to go with my camera mood, it was kind of cold and started to rain after a half hour. we went under a covering, where everyone was trying to hide from the rain. and tehre i met three american girls who are here in panama doing some team building exercises at the schools. so, i talked with them for a while and it was nice to speak some english. made my mood perhaps a tad bit better. but then the rain would not let up, and so we decided to just head home. teh car ride was not short, to say the least. but anywyas, im back and ...so here i am. nothing is open on sundays and so i have to wait until tomorrow to find out about my camera. im just gonna watch tv for therest of the day, im guessing. the kids are studying (the younger one is learning about malaria, actually). perhaps i should plan some more lessons as well.
Friday, June 26, 2009
day ten.
im in the double digit days!
i just finished eating dinner. had mashed potatoes, veggies, and corn. sounds pretty american, huh. my host mom is just the best, and i saw that she bought a vegetarian cooking book. she was looking through it and asking me everything i wanted. and now she and my host dad are out buying the foods for it. how nice!!! i´ve never felt bad about being a vegetarian before now!
i went to yet another new school to teach today, this time for older kids. they were aged up to eighteen. and i went with activities for the intermediate level, and i was very surprised to find how little english they knew even after all these years of english... since kindergarden! they couldnt even answer how old they were. so we started there--we threw a ball around, asking each other questions. some classes liked it, others didnt. i also showed them pictures of me and my friends and family to learn that vocab, and they just loved the photos. they saw all of you! again, i was disappointed that their english teacher knew very little english as well, and this was one of the better schools of the area. they asked me to come back as often as i can! im starting to have too many schools though!
this school was about forty minutes from where i live in las tablas. its in the middle of the country, only surrounded by trees and hills and we were in the clouds. everyone was horseback-riding to get around. i just loved the bus rides to and from classes. this is what i had imagined panama to be... so gorgeous, yet simple at the same time. kids have to travel just as long to get to school, and they have to go that far everyday!
after classes i met up with two other volunteers. our plan had been to go to another town, but the timing with the buses did not work out, so we just walked around the downtown area of las tablas, and talked in parque central. it was nice to speak english for a while. one of the girls lives in a house with a bucket shower and a bathroom only slightly covered by a cloth. man am i lucky! the downtown area of las tablas is very small. when i heard that i was coming to an actual city, i thought tehre would be things to do. but no. there are a couple small convenience type stores, some ´fondos,´or small restaurants, the church and not much more. but i was happy to finally experience live outside of my little suburb area.
my host fam just told me that tomorrow we are leaving for their farm! tomorrow i am going horseback riding on their horses, helping with the farm (they think i can do it), and sleeping there for the night. on sunday morning we are travelling by boat to a small island that is nearby to go to the beach and in cable cars! not sure what i expect the farm to be like... they said there are a lot of crabs?! that´s all i know. guess i´ll just see how it goes!
oh, and michael jackson?! who woulda thought... he is ALL over the news here. i expected that in the US... but man, in this little country of panama? they absolutely loved him here. the kids were singing thriller all day.
i just finished eating dinner. had mashed potatoes, veggies, and corn. sounds pretty american, huh. my host mom is just the best, and i saw that she bought a vegetarian cooking book. she was looking through it and asking me everything i wanted. and now she and my host dad are out buying the foods for it. how nice!!! i´ve never felt bad about being a vegetarian before now!
i went to yet another new school to teach today, this time for older kids. they were aged up to eighteen. and i went with activities for the intermediate level, and i was very surprised to find how little english they knew even after all these years of english... since kindergarden! they couldnt even answer how old they were. so we started there--we threw a ball around, asking each other questions. some classes liked it, others didnt. i also showed them pictures of me and my friends and family to learn that vocab, and they just loved the photos. they saw all of you! again, i was disappointed that their english teacher knew very little english as well, and this was one of the better schools of the area. they asked me to come back as often as i can! im starting to have too many schools though!
this school was about forty minutes from where i live in las tablas. its in the middle of the country, only surrounded by trees and hills and we were in the clouds. everyone was horseback-riding to get around. i just loved the bus rides to and from classes. this is what i had imagined panama to be... so gorgeous, yet simple at the same time. kids have to travel just as long to get to school, and they have to go that far everyday!
after classes i met up with two other volunteers. our plan had been to go to another town, but the timing with the buses did not work out, so we just walked around the downtown area of las tablas, and talked in parque central. it was nice to speak english for a while. one of the girls lives in a house with a bucket shower and a bathroom only slightly covered by a cloth. man am i lucky! the downtown area of las tablas is very small. when i heard that i was coming to an actual city, i thought tehre would be things to do. but no. there are a couple small convenience type stores, some ´fondos,´or small restaurants, the church and not much more. but i was happy to finally experience live outside of my little suburb area.
my host fam just told me that tomorrow we are leaving for their farm! tomorrow i am going horseback riding on their horses, helping with the farm (they think i can do it), and sleeping there for the night. on sunday morning we are travelling by boat to a small island that is nearby to go to the beach and in cable cars! not sure what i expect the farm to be like... they said there are a lot of crabs?! that´s all i know. guess i´ll just see how it goes!
oh, and michael jackson?! who woulda thought... he is ALL over the news here. i expected that in the US... but man, in this little country of panama? they absolutely loved him here. the kids were singing thriller all day.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
day nine.
turns out, we did not go to chiriqui. my host mom found out that she has an important meeting tomorrow. so she said she is taking me to the beach on saturday.
not much to update... life today was pretty relaxed. a lot of the kids didnt have school today. i dont really know why... something about a teaching being sick i guess. so i didnt teach the second half of the day. went to the kindergarden, and was done for the day at 10:30. i came back to the house and played a lot of cards with my host siblings. i helped cook. and i bonded with the servant slash maid we have here. (i had to type the word slash because the keyboard here is very confusing and i cannot figure out how to type that symbol) the maid slash nanny slash servant is nineteen... younger than me, married, and doesnt know any english, so it was really hard to bond. turns out, she just loved learning about facebook. who woulda thought. i walked around the neighborhood with the siblings. my house is in a suburb-like location, of course on a much smaller scale. the houses are really nice, and it is super safe around here. but there is nothing to do unless you go into the downtown of las tablas... and even then its just a couple of markets, one bar, and a central park.
tomorrow i am going to a new school, because there are no english classes in my normal schools on fridays. im going to the high school, so the kids will be much older. the kids are in their last levels of english, and so i will see what their english turns out to be. im expecting to mostly shadow the english teacher and answer questions about the united states. should be good tho. the older kids will be able to talk to me much more than the younger ones... maybe ill find out some good juice about the town here.
after that, im gonna go meet up with the other volunteers that are within a half hour of me. we´re gonna walk around the town of pedasi, so ill get to see another area.
not much to update... life today was pretty relaxed. a lot of the kids didnt have school today. i dont really know why... something about a teaching being sick i guess. so i didnt teach the second half of the day. went to the kindergarden, and was done for the day at 10:30. i came back to the house and played a lot of cards with my host siblings. i helped cook. and i bonded with the servant slash maid we have here. (i had to type the word slash because the keyboard here is very confusing and i cannot figure out how to type that symbol) the maid slash nanny slash servant is nineteen... younger than me, married, and doesnt know any english, so it was really hard to bond. turns out, she just loved learning about facebook. who woulda thought. i walked around the neighborhood with the siblings. my house is in a suburb-like location, of course on a much smaller scale. the houses are really nice, and it is super safe around here. but there is nothing to do unless you go into the downtown of las tablas... and even then its just a couple of markets, one bar, and a central park.
tomorrow i am going to a new school, because there are no english classes in my normal schools on fridays. im going to the high school, so the kids will be much older. the kids are in their last levels of english, and so i will see what their english turns out to be. im expecting to mostly shadow the english teacher and answer questions about the united states. should be good tho. the older kids will be able to talk to me much more than the younger ones... maybe ill find out some good juice about the town here.
after that, im gonna go meet up with the other volunteers that are within a half hour of me. we´re gonna walk around the town of pedasi, so ill get to see another area.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
day eight.
so my host mom wouldnt let me go teach at both schools today, she said i would get sick soon if i keep teaching so many classes! it was a pretty funny conversation, with me saying i should go, her saying i shouldnt, and the constant spanish and english mistakes, but in the end, i slept in this morning, and only taught from twelve to six with the third and fourth graders.
i cant get over how crazy the kids are about the teachers. i cannot walk two steps without a kid saying ´hola teacher!´´hi teacher,´or ´maestra emily´and about 100 hugs and kisses. i think i avoided me teachers when i saw them in the hallway. perhaps i didnt exactly avoid them, but i definitely did not kiss them! its a nice feeling though. they are really liking the things i brought from home. markers and crayons dont really exist here. everyone has colored pencils, but i have even MORE colors... who could have imagined how fun those could be. stickers are a huge hit as well, as i expected.
after classes, my host fam took me to meet the grandparents, or my host dads dad. he is a famous singer here in panama. he sings typical panamanian music, and he draws about 4000 people each week,which is really a huge number considering this country has about 3.5 million people total. 4000 would be at least all of chicago in proportional terms. and let me tell you, their house...AMAZING! it was HUGE and had hammocks all over the place. and the kitchen was outside, but it was covered in this antibug stuff so there were no bugs. and there was a library filled with gorgeous old books. and a garden with a fountain. and so much more... all in panamanian style of course, making it even more wonderful to me. like an exotic resort, except the owners are actual people who want to make me dinner and gave me avocadoes! they are taking me to a concert (which they are calling a baile slash dance) and i am so excited.
so i came home for dinner and get this... what was waiting for me to eat for dinner?? none other than the infamous McDONALDS. wow. they were so excited to give it to me. (um, ew). i had a salad. oh well. i havent eaten mcd´s in more than a year, but im just saying panamanian mcdonalds doesnt count, right?
so THEN my host mom just told me that TOMORROW we are leaving for chiriqui! its supposed to be a really nice place. i thought we would leave friday after class, but apparently she ha dalready told me that it is tomorrow, and i just didnt catch that detail. so im done teaching for the week i suppose. i feel really bad about that, but cant let down the host fam, now can i. they are going just to bring me and show me their house there. (remember, i am definitely NOT roughing it). i am super excited to go.
other than that, im just roughin the mosquito bites. but its ok, becuase i am laying in hammocks while i do so.
i cant get over how crazy the kids are about the teachers. i cannot walk two steps without a kid saying ´hola teacher!´´hi teacher,´or ´maestra emily´and about 100 hugs and kisses. i think i avoided me teachers when i saw them in the hallway. perhaps i didnt exactly avoid them, but i definitely did not kiss them! its a nice feeling though. they are really liking the things i brought from home. markers and crayons dont really exist here. everyone has colored pencils, but i have even MORE colors... who could have imagined how fun those could be. stickers are a huge hit as well, as i expected.
after classes, my host fam took me to meet the grandparents, or my host dads dad. he is a famous singer here in panama. he sings typical panamanian music, and he draws about 4000 people each week,which is really a huge number considering this country has about 3.5 million people total. 4000 would be at least all of chicago in proportional terms. and let me tell you, their house...AMAZING! it was HUGE and had hammocks all over the place. and the kitchen was outside, but it was covered in this antibug stuff so there were no bugs. and there was a library filled with gorgeous old books. and a garden with a fountain. and so much more... all in panamanian style of course, making it even more wonderful to me. like an exotic resort, except the owners are actual people who want to make me dinner and gave me avocadoes! they are taking me to a concert (which they are calling a baile slash dance) and i am so excited.
so i came home for dinner and get this... what was waiting for me to eat for dinner?? none other than the infamous McDONALDS. wow. they were so excited to give it to me. (um, ew). i had a salad. oh well. i havent eaten mcd´s in more than a year, but im just saying panamanian mcdonalds doesnt count, right?
so THEN my host mom just told me that TOMORROW we are leaving for chiriqui! its supposed to be a really nice place. i thought we would leave friday after class, but apparently she ha dalready told me that it is tomorrow, and i just didnt catch that detail. so im done teaching for the week i suppose. i feel really bad about that, but cant let down the host fam, now can i. they are going just to bring me and show me their house there. (remember, i am definitely NOT roughing it). i am super excited to go.
other than that, im just roughin the mosquito bites. but its ok, becuase i am laying in hammocks while i do so.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
day seven.
taught 4 classes of kindergardeners this morning. we did a fun game with a stuffed animal bear (in order to learn the word ´bear.´mainly because it was the only stuffed animal i could find. then say sang a song... i think i sang it about 5 times in each of the four classes. and it has about 15 words to it. then we played with some different colored toys in order to learn the primary colors. i played simon says with the three commands: stand up, sit down, be quiet. and we sang the first four words of head, shoulders, knees and toes (meaning we learned those exact four body parts. after writing all this out, it actually sounds like we got stuff done in class! the kids are so quiet and shy around me, since i am new and all, and so it takes a long time for them to warm up and to get things going. i have about 40 min with each class. it went a lot better today than yesterday, so im thinking each day will get better as well.
i walked aorund the downtown area after kindergarden let out. i got a chitchi (i dont really know exactly what its called, but thats what i hear when it comes out of the panamanians mouths). went back home, at lunch with my host fam. and as many of you will be so happy to hear, this is when i BROKE MY VEGETARIANISM!! (at least for the first time purposefully). i ate vegetable soup. but it had chicken broth. i didnt have the heart to tell my host mom that it was not vegetarian because she had made vegetable soup especially for me since i dont eat meat in it. i felt ok, just a little mentally ill i think. but im already over it.
i went to my next school (where i teach grades three and four) and did 5 classes there. these kids are a lot older, and so i taught them some new vocabulary, did some dancing, singing, and games. im starting easier, and then im gonna toughen up and drill some ingles into them. we´re starting the letters of the alphabet on monday- im giving them til then, because they dont even know the alphabet yet.
ive learned that school really is important here. as much as we think the educational system is not as important in other countries, the families here really take pride in their knowledge. right this moment i am listening to my host mom drill my host sister in the multiplication tables. my host brother is studying religion, and so the mom is drilling about g-ds creation as well. but im the one who helped them with their english homework today!
anyways, yet again i am too exhausted to do anything cool tonight. some of the teachers (who are in their twenties so its not too weird, i promise) said they would take me to town and show me what its like. im hoping ill have the energy tomorrow. im only teaching early morning kindergarden mondays and tuesdays, and so i get to sleep in tomorrow. should be good.
IMPORTANT INFO: i think i fixed the blog so that everyone can comment!!! if you still cant then tell me again, but we should be good to go!
hasta manana mis amigos!
i walked aorund the downtown area after kindergarden let out. i got a chitchi (i dont really know exactly what its called, but thats what i hear when it comes out of the panamanians mouths). went back home, at lunch with my host fam. and as many of you will be so happy to hear, this is when i BROKE MY VEGETARIANISM!! (at least for the first time purposefully). i ate vegetable soup. but it had chicken broth. i didnt have the heart to tell my host mom that it was not vegetarian because she had made vegetable soup especially for me since i dont eat meat in it. i felt ok, just a little mentally ill i think. but im already over it.
i went to my next school (where i teach grades three and four) and did 5 classes there. these kids are a lot older, and so i taught them some new vocabulary, did some dancing, singing, and games. im starting easier, and then im gonna toughen up and drill some ingles into them. we´re starting the letters of the alphabet on monday- im giving them til then, because they dont even know the alphabet yet.
ive learned that school really is important here. as much as we think the educational system is not as important in other countries, the families here really take pride in their knowledge. right this moment i am listening to my host mom drill my host sister in the multiplication tables. my host brother is studying religion, and so the mom is drilling about g-ds creation as well. but im the one who helped them with their english homework today!
anyways, yet again i am too exhausted to do anything cool tonight. some of the teachers (who are in their twenties so its not too weird, i promise) said they would take me to town and show me what its like. im hoping ill have the energy tomorrow. im only teaching early morning kindergarden mondays and tuesdays, and so i get to sleep in tomorrow. should be good.
IMPORTANT INFO: i think i fixed the blog so that everyone can comment!!! if you still cant then tell me again, but we should be good to go!
hasta manana mis amigos!
Monday, June 22, 2009
day six, el primer dia de escuela
hola todos,
this is weird typing in english, since i have not really spoken any this whole day.
so the first day went down like this:
i arrived at school at 7.50 am, and had kindergardeners to teach. i realized how hard it is to teach kids a language without the kids being able to read anything. they also dont understand my accent and why im so different! they didnt know what los estados unidos is, and so they were just very confused. of course they were still cute. i was helping another english teacher who moves between the classrooms, kind of like how we have art and music class. i taught from around eight to ten or so, and then had a very long break until 1230. i was waiting for my host mom to come pick me up for lunch then, and so i could not leave early. now i know i will take a taxi home right after those classes because the 50 cents or a dollar for the ride is definitely worth a 2 hour nap.
then around 1230 i went to the primary schools, and was paired with a very awesome english teacher tehre. she had some lessons already planned for today, and so i basically just watched and helped with pronunciation. but she is very excited for me to bring new activities around as well. she said when she is done with this unit, i can teach the next one. the kids were so adorable. my name to them is 'teacher emily' and they can barely say the name emily (it really is a hard pronunciation!) and its adorable. by the end of the day every kid in the school knew me, and when i walked out at 545 (yes, i taught from 8am until 545 day... at least i get my 2 hour break from here on out) all of the 400 kids at the school knew my name and everyone surrounded me. that was clearly a very fun moment. my host sister was in the last class i taught, and she was so adorable, and it was fun to finally really know one of the kids in my class.
the kids treat teachers very respectfully. whenever i dropped something, or had to get a piece of paper or chalk for example, the kids would pick up everything for me and bring it to me. there were 2 kids at the end of every class that would carry my backpack and other materials to my next class so that i didnt have to carry it. and they stood when the teachers entered the room.
the day did go pretty smoothly, but im hoping ill get to make more of an impact on the kids once i start learning tehir names and what their backgrounds are. the other teachers are so nice to me, and all eager to talk about the US and english words.
so, we'll see how tomorrow goes... right now i am just so exhausted!
this is weird typing in english, since i have not really spoken any this whole day.
so the first day went down like this:
i arrived at school at 7.50 am, and had kindergardeners to teach. i realized how hard it is to teach kids a language without the kids being able to read anything. they also dont understand my accent and why im so different! they didnt know what los estados unidos is, and so they were just very confused. of course they were still cute. i was helping another english teacher who moves between the classrooms, kind of like how we have art and music class. i taught from around eight to ten or so, and then had a very long break until 1230. i was waiting for my host mom to come pick me up for lunch then, and so i could not leave early. now i know i will take a taxi home right after those classes because the 50 cents or a dollar for the ride is definitely worth a 2 hour nap.
then around 1230 i went to the primary schools, and was paired with a very awesome english teacher tehre. she had some lessons already planned for today, and so i basically just watched and helped with pronunciation. but she is very excited for me to bring new activities around as well. she said when she is done with this unit, i can teach the next one. the kids were so adorable. my name to them is 'teacher emily' and they can barely say the name emily (it really is a hard pronunciation!) and its adorable. by the end of the day every kid in the school knew me, and when i walked out at 545 (yes, i taught from 8am until 545 day... at least i get my 2 hour break from here on out) all of the 400 kids at the school knew my name and everyone surrounded me. that was clearly a very fun moment. my host sister was in the last class i taught, and she was so adorable, and it was fun to finally really know one of the kids in my class.
the kids treat teachers very respectfully. whenever i dropped something, or had to get a piece of paper or chalk for example, the kids would pick up everything for me and bring it to me. there were 2 kids at the end of every class that would carry my backpack and other materials to my next class so that i didnt have to carry it. and they stood when the teachers entered the room.
the day did go pretty smoothly, but im hoping ill get to make more of an impact on the kids once i start learning tehir names and what their backgrounds are. the other teachers are so nice to me, and all eager to talk about the US and english words.
so, we'll see how tomorrow goes... right now i am just so exhausted!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
day five, arrived in las tablas con mi familia
WOW DID I LUCK OUT WITH MY HOST FAM! THEY ARE AMAZING!
to say the least, i definitely will not be roughing it. i am sitting at their kitchen table using their laptop to write this post right now. i was laying in their backyard hammock before. and they are fluent in english (well not the kids, but thats good so at least i can practice my spanish!) i have myown room. with a tv. and a fan. the dads dad is a famous singer here. the mom is director of all the english programs in my town. just amazing.
we just ate dinner, and the mom (linette) made me a vegetarian sandwich, cooked carrots, tortillo de queso y pineapple. de-lic-ious.
during dinner, they just told me they are going to take me to my vacation home this weekend. they showed me pictures, and it looks GORGEOUS.
tomorrow i start teachiong--this is definitely the scary part. i dont know how that will go at all, but im hoping for the best.
to say the least, i definitely will not be roughing it. i am sitting at their kitchen table using their laptop to write this post right now. i was laying in their backyard hammock before. and they are fluent in english (well not the kids, but thats good so at least i can practice my spanish!) i have myown room. with a tv. and a fan. the dads dad is a famous singer here. the mom is director of all the english programs in my town. just amazing.
we just ate dinner, and the mom (linette) made me a vegetarian sandwich, cooked carrots, tortillo de queso y pineapple. de-lic-ious.
during dinner, they just told me they are going to take me to my vacation home this weekend. they showed me pictures, and it looks GORGEOUS.
tomorrow i start teachiong--this is definitely the scary part. i dont know how that will go at all, but im hoping for the best.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
days three and four- the end of orientation in panama city
hey everyone
just got to take a shower...FINALLY! panamacity decided to turn off all water from like 7am until 10 pm, so no one could shower, use the bathroom, wash hands, drink anything but bottled water... i honestly think the city got even more smelly. but we´re all good now. im clean and feel a lot better, even if the showers are cold.
YESTERDAY:
went to the panama canal and saw a boat pass. it was cool. definitely everything you would expect... some locks, some boats, some slow movement. but now i can say i saw it, so awesome!
then went to the islands created by dirt from the panama canal. three others and i rode a four person bicycle, and got some funny photos. saw a gorgeous tree.
THEN we attempted very hard to go see the bahai temple. our driver, eduardo, took the five of us who wanted to go and dropped us off at this place. it was definitely not as impressive as the bahai temple in chicago, and was not too too pretty. they wouldnt let us inside either! they said you have to be a member... which i found very wrong. i didnt see any bahai symbols anywhere... so we called eduardo to drive us back. i was very disappointed. then in the car he gave us pamphlets all about jesus being the savior. turns out, he brought us to a mormon church. not the bahai temple at all. i was so upset! so i have yet to see the temple.
went to a jewish temple for shabbat services... and guess what?? it was EXACTLY the same as services at home, except it was spanish instead of english. but the hebrew and the decor and the inside of of synagogue was the same and i felt so at home. everyone was so friendly and i got phone numbers to call in case i need help. iso nice to go, and the family i went with was SO nice!
we went out clubbing at night with lorena and her friends. danced a lot, and now my legs are sore.
TODAY:
we just walked aorund town some more and caught up on sleep. but i am still exhausted.
tonight we went to a dinner show. it was a really nice place, saw some old panamanian dances and songs and typical customs.
somewhat sad im leaving panama city, i think theres more i could do here, but im definitely excited to just see what my life is going to be like for the next 6 weeks,and get myself organized and on schedule.
we are leaving for our host families tomorrow morning at 7 am, should get there around 1-- long bus ride-
i have soooooo many mosquito bites!!!!
i dont know when i will have internet next, i will explore my town as soon as i can, i hear its somewhat larger than other small panamanian towns, but ill find out soon!
just got to take a shower...FINALLY! panamacity decided to turn off all water from like 7am until 10 pm, so no one could shower, use the bathroom, wash hands, drink anything but bottled water... i honestly think the city got even more smelly. but we´re all good now. im clean and feel a lot better, even if the showers are cold.
YESTERDAY:
went to the panama canal and saw a boat pass. it was cool. definitely everything you would expect... some locks, some boats, some slow movement. but now i can say i saw it, so awesome!
then went to the islands created by dirt from the panama canal. three others and i rode a four person bicycle, and got some funny photos. saw a gorgeous tree.
THEN we attempted very hard to go see the bahai temple. our driver, eduardo, took the five of us who wanted to go and dropped us off at this place. it was definitely not as impressive as the bahai temple in chicago, and was not too too pretty. they wouldnt let us inside either! they said you have to be a member... which i found very wrong. i didnt see any bahai symbols anywhere... so we called eduardo to drive us back. i was very disappointed. then in the car he gave us pamphlets all about jesus being the savior. turns out, he brought us to a mormon church. not the bahai temple at all. i was so upset! so i have yet to see the temple.
went to a jewish temple for shabbat services... and guess what?? it was EXACTLY the same as services at home, except it was spanish instead of english. but the hebrew and the decor and the inside of of synagogue was the same and i felt so at home. everyone was so friendly and i got phone numbers to call in case i need help. iso nice to go, and the family i went with was SO nice!
we went out clubbing at night with lorena and her friends. danced a lot, and now my legs are sore.
TODAY:
we just walked aorund town some more and caught up on sleep. but i am still exhausted.
tonight we went to a dinner show. it was a really nice place, saw some old panamanian dances and songs and typical customs.
somewhat sad im leaving panama city, i think theres more i could do here, but im definitely excited to just see what my life is going to be like for the next 6 weeks,and get myself organized and on schedule.
we are leaving for our host families tomorrow morning at 7 am, should get there around 1-- long bus ride-
i have soooooo many mosquito bites!!!!
i dont know when i will have internet next, i will explore my town as soon as i can, i hear its somewhat larger than other small panamanian towns, but ill find out soon!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
day two.
quick update:
still havent eaten meat... may happen soon though. panamanians sure definitely do love their meat.
went to the fish market this morning. everyones grilling the fish for dinner. also went to the vegetable/fruit market. im eating my goodies from there.
panamanians are super friendly. overly friendly.
went to casco viejo today... old city part of panama city. walked around and went to a museum.
tomorrow is a BIG DAY! going to the panama canal in the morning, then going to the mall/market, then i requested a trip to the bahai temple, then parque central stop, then im going to shabbat services at the one of the three temples here in panama. the country coordinator of our trip is half jewish, believe it or not, and so her dad is going to take me (and the one other jewish girl here with me) to services with him, then the coordinator/leaders are taking us on a night on the town. should be a good time... reactions of all later.
my spanish is already mejor! its great.
posts have to be quick here, only one computer at the hostel- longer/better update when i can!
still havent eaten meat... may happen soon though. panamanians sure definitely do love their meat.
went to the fish market this morning. everyones grilling the fish for dinner. also went to the vegetable/fruit market. im eating my goodies from there.
panamanians are super friendly. overly friendly.
went to casco viejo today... old city part of panama city. walked around and went to a museum.
tomorrow is a BIG DAY! going to the panama canal in the morning, then going to the mall/market, then i requested a trip to the bahai temple, then parque central stop, then im going to shabbat services at the one of the three temples here in panama. the country coordinator of our trip is half jewish, believe it or not, and so her dad is going to take me (and the one other jewish girl here with me) to services with him, then the coordinator/leaders are taking us on a night on the town. should be a good time... reactions of all later.
my spanish is already mejor! its great.
posts have to be quick here, only one computer at the hostel- longer/better update when i can!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
day one.
ok, so first problem with panama¨ the keyboards... hence the apostrophes and not a colon. but other than that, everything´s good. algo muy confuso esta occuriendo con mi blog. so i have made this new one. follow this one! its the panaMANIA! blog... kudos to laurie for hte name.
so, i am here. in the hostel. it`s expensive for a hostel, but has a flat screen tv, and i guess it´s a good transition into the more ´hardcore´ life i´ll be living soon enough. people are nice. food is not so nice. hot weather is nice. humidity- not so nice.
about to go eat dinner, still dont know much about my teaching situation. we´re getting information slowly but surely. sounds exciting though... leave for LAS TABLAS in the los santos region this sunday. until then, just hanging here at the hostel in panama city. going to a fish market at 6 AM IN THE MORNING TOMORROW... (¿not so nice?) we´ll see. i think there are some exciting things planned for hte next few days.
din time. let´s hope theres something vegetarian!
so, i am here. in the hostel. it`s expensive for a hostel, but has a flat screen tv, and i guess it´s a good transition into the more ´hardcore´ life i´ll be living soon enough. people are nice. food is not so nice. hot weather is nice. humidity- not so nice.
about to go eat dinner, still dont know much about my teaching situation. we´re getting information slowly but surely. sounds exciting though... leave for LAS TABLAS in the los santos region this sunday. until then, just hanging here at the hostel in panama city. going to a fish market at 6 AM IN THE MORNING TOMORROW... (¿not so nice?) we´ll see. i think there are some exciting things planned for hte next few days.
din time. let´s hope theres something vegetarian!
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