Wow. It's been a while since I've posted... and looking back I suddenly realized that perhaps I came across as a negative nancy in the last post. I didn't mean to be. Perhaps I shouldn't have written immediately after spending eight years trying to buy a printer in Exito.
That said, let's explore the bright side. There is in fact much of it to explore.
Everything is going well. Steve and I are really settling into a healthy routine. We are up at 5:30 in the morning to catch the bus at 6:30 and usually home at 4:00. We have been going to the gym three to four times a week, less now that I am taking a pilates class and doing swim aerobics. Don't laugh-- it's hard. I find myself on the brink of collapse every Thursday and Saturday. And it's all Oscar's (the trainer's) fault. I'm doing lunges across the pool, swimming ten laps at a time, thinking that any moment I will sink to the bottom and stay there, and if I even think about pausing, he's magically there yelling "ánimo" or calling me "floja".
But it's a healthy humiliation.
I am starting to adjust better to the school. It is SO different. There are lots of things I miss about Lakewood, especially the staff and students. Here there is camaraderie with the staff outside of school, but there is no teacher's lounge and therefore I rarely see other teachers during the school day. And the students are completely different. It is in no way a bad thing... just different. It is difficult to capture their interest in English literature. They enjoy learning new vocabulary and even grammar, but when it comes to the actual texts it is difficult to convince them of their relevance. I am gradually adjusting my approach and the results are beginning to change. It is like starting over as a teacher from scratch. Even though it's hard work, it's good for me.
Amazingly, my surprise AP class is turning out to be a very rewarding experience. It's also a lot of work, but the students are completely diligent and invested. It's a joy to teach them.
The community we live in is awesome. We feel completely safe and welcome. Our apartment has been remodeled but our building is old and it is not a tourist hot-spot. We are getting to know our neighbors. On our floor there is a woman who sells soda, cookies, and beer out of her apartment. We stopped by to get some coke (COCA COLA) for Steve and upon entering, I was immediately swept away by the beautiful paintings completely covering the walls of the whole apartment. They are honestly magical.
To my surprise Teresa (our seventy-something- year-old neighbor) is the artist. She happily took us into another room, also covered with paintings, and began to tell us of her accomplishments. One day she was selling paintings on the street and a man approached her and asked her if she had more. She took him to his apartment to show him all her paintings. He was incredibly impressed and asked to purchase a very large one. Little did she know he was the President of the European Union. That painting is now hanging in the EU headquarters in Holland. She was also commissioned to paint a mural for the Gabriel Garcia Marquez movie "Love in the Time of Cholera". She has a certificate from the city of Cartagena recognizing all of her accomplishments. It's amazing. And to think... our little old neighbor who sells soda and cookies. She's an incredible person.
The pictures above are a few views of the streets in Centro (the old city of Cartagena-- where we live).
No-longer-negative-Nancy-over-and-out.
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