Schoolioolio

¡Hola!

I had my first couple of days solo-teaching last week and it went pretty well. I will be working with seven different classes at different levels/grades. Some classes I meet with three times a week and some classes I only see once a week. Each class has at least eight students and it will be my job to focus mainly on speaking and listening exercises. I really like the fact that once students are in the third/junior year of high school they got to focus on either medicine, tourism, or another area of interest (I forget the other options). Two of the classes I will be working with are English classes designed for tourism purposes. One of my co-teachers (I have two) helped to write the 4th year (cuarto) textbook, which is more of a in-depth, historical guide to the Magallanes region of Chile! This means that I can design fun, interactive lessons which have my students taking me on tours around town...for free....haha! I am meeting more and more students with the most interesting knick names, such as 'beaver,' 'bad angel,' 'grandpa,' and 'little crazy girl.' The knick names are all pretty accurate.....especially the last one.....if I ever decide to go back and teach in the United States I will have a pretty easy time after these next four months! The students are all pretty respectful and truly want to learn and improve their English. My first time meeting with with each class was pretty simple. I asked everyone to make name tags for me and write down their full names (they have 4-ex. María Elena Villega Muñoz), their interests, and why they want to learn English so that I can design lessons that they will find interesting. I was very pleased and taken aback at how well and sincere they were in their responses. One student wrote me a short story breaking down what a sentimental young man he is......which I don't if I fully believe because part of his email address is 'team alcoholicos'.....Friday afternoon proved to be very educational. I got to know more of my students and I had them teach me more naughty words and expression.

jugar a la pelota-to play around with a soccer ball (like juggling the ball)
estar arriba de la pelota-to be tipsy (halfway to 'drunktown')

Thank you for the lesson, 'little crazy girl.'

When I asked to work at the secondary level, I forgot that the legal drinking level in Chile is 18. According to my Chilean sister Gabi, the eighteen year-olds all hang out at the same discoteca and many pubs don't let anyone under 21 in (thank goodness).

I fully intended to write more tonight but I am going to put myself to bed early. I was carrying my dried laundry to my room (the laundry drying room is on the second floor, mine is on the first) and slipped down the last four stairs, smacking my back and butt pretty hard. I am going to have huge bruises. I should have been more careful and not worn my bedroom slippers to walk down the polished wood stairs...oops. I should have also been more careful because I always get bruises in three's....I already had one on my scalp from attempting to do an elaborate dance move on the floor Friday night and smacking my head on the wall (don't ask). I am writing this post with a bag of frozen corn on my back and 5 advils (two of them are advil pm...ooooooh) in my belly. Since you can't watch TV online here, I have had to download movies from itunes...so I am going to watch the movie I rented (which took 22 hours to download).

Note to the women:
Do not watch Pride and Prejudice (Keira Knightly version) more than once a week.....I have become a disgusting hopeless romantic and can now feel my heart aching for my true love before I go to bed (¿¿¿¿Dónde está mi Señor Darcy????) I even downloaded the soundtrack to the movie on itunes today....I know, it's a new personal low, but it is also the most beautiful, romantic music I have ever heard.

Alright, time for bed.

¡Besos y abrazos!

Keeley

Pictures: the main entrance of my school and the stoplight skate park near my house