Sharing the Dream

9 June 2006

If these first few days are any sort of indication of what the next month and a half will be like, my time here is going to fly by. I´ve really enjoyed going to school each day even though I wake up sometime between 5:30 and 6 am each day. I´m back in Santiago by 1 nearly everyday. Typically, I´ll eat, take a nap and then do some preparation work for the next day.

Yesterday, school was let out right after recess because there was a soccer game and a basketball game for all the teachers to participate in. I don´t think I´d call it a school district, but all the schools in and around Santiago Atitlan are participating in activities leading up to June 22 for “Dia de los Maestros.” Typically the women play basketball and the men play soccer but I wanted to watch the soccer game so I went with the guys. Next Friday, I´ll play (or attempt to play) basketball with the other girls. The teams are arranged by area of the school so the guys from San Antonio Chacaya (where I am) and around there won their game yesterday. They easily beat their opponent 5-0.

There were a lot of kids watching the game as well and a few of them talked to me and asked me why I was there and where I taught. They were all 8, 9, or 10 years old except there was one little girl (a sister) that was about 4. They were all so cute but it was a bit sad because some of them were barefoot or had clearly outgrown their shoes-their toes were hanging out the end. Most of them left before it started raining again but there were two that I shared my raincoat with. We just leaned up against the wall and put the coat over our heads. Pretty soon, they took off to get some peanuts that were being sold.

Today, after recess, the kids had P.E. We walked about 15 minutes to a soccer field where the younger kids could learn stretches and such and the older kids played soccer. We played girls versus boys; sadly, the girls lost. We´ll get our revenge next week.

The kids are starting to warm up to me. Some little girls (and boys too) hang on my arms or try to drag me somewhere else. Today, it was really cool. Some of the kids were trying to impress me and were telling me their colors in English. Of course, they´re still convinced that “blue” is “blu-ay” but it makes sense to them because they´re simply sounding it out. English is way more complicated than Spanish to learn but I think everyone knows that.

As far as the rest of the teaching goes, English is going pretty well. I have plans to play BINGO next week with the kids and maybe Memory as well. I had the first and second graders do an art project for me on notecards. The first graders colored in outlines that I drew and the second graders drew their own pictures using only the color I told them and then I wrote the colors in English and Spanish. I´m going to hang them up in the classrooms because, honestly, who doesn´t like having their artwork shown off?

Math is bit tougher. I´m doing okay with the third graders, but I don´t think the second graders understand Spanish enough for me to teach them, no matter how basic the subtraction.

I´m even teaching the other maestros some English on the pickup rides home. Wednesday, they kept asking me “What is …in English?” I´d tell them and then often ask what it was in Tzutuhil. They´d tell me and I´d just stare back blankly because about 75% of the time I couldn´t repeat it if my life depended on it. I´m trying though.

Theresa

go to June 14