Time Flies

I can't believe it's already the middle of October! This week, I'll complete week ten with my kiddos. I have parent/teacher conferences tomorrow, and we have an in-service on Friday, so I only have them for three days this week.

Many challenges have arisen, but I'm finding ways to solve them. This morning, we had a class meeting about how to use kind words if someone is bothering you. I busted out "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," and I think some of them actually understood what I was getting at.

It's really fun to watch them learn. I've almost corrected away their double negative use. They edited and "published" actual paragraphs, formatted on the computer and everything (it was such a test of patience to get 21 eight- and nine-year-olds to format a paper in Word). They can subtract across zero. They know the difference between incomplete and complete metamorphosis. They understand that a rural area does not mean a poor area.

I'm really trying to encourage more creativity, and I luckily have the freedom to (for the most part) do what I want with unlimited-ish resources. After lunch, we color mandalas to settle down. They created small Blot Books to jot down and illustrate ideas. I need to get some songs going because I have a few who are so auditory. One in particular absolutely MUST be making some kind of noise at all times.

I also decided to take on the extra challenge of starting a master's degree. The school flies in professors from Framingham in Massachusetts, and we also get a scholarship for the program. I'm really glad I started it, as I've already completed one of the nine required courses (Curriculum Theory and Practice). Each course goes for two weeks, 3:30-6:30 during the week and 8:00-4:00 on Saturdays. It's a lot, but it's doable. In the fall of 2014, I'll complete a master's of International Teaching. Sweet.

El Salvador is still wonderful. I like my friends, I like my job. I don't have to do laundry or clean.There are bugs everywhere, including a new colony of ants in our kitchen, but oh well. Rainy season is almost over, and it's going to be endless, perfect weather.

We are going to Costa del Sol for Thanksgiving.

I will try to update more often.

Cumplimos un mes!

I've made it through two weeks of school with my 20 kiddos; week three starts tomorrow. They're really interesting, smart kids, and I'm having a blast getting to know them. I'm also really enjoying the 1.5 hour planning period I have in the middle of the day while they're at Spanish. It's just unreal and totally unheard of in the States.

We also celebrated our one-month of living in ES last Thursday. In honor of this milestone, I've decided to list some things to remember while in El Salvador:

1. Always carry an umbrella.
2. Check your cup for ants before reusing it.
3. Agree on the price of every taxi ride before getting into the car (this is always negotiable).
4. 2 pupusas are probably enough.
5. It's okay not to refrigerate eggs, but you should wash the shells.
6. If an invitation says 5:00, no one will show up until at least 6:30.
7. Might as well get a beer...it's the same price as water.
8. Never underestimate the amount of time it's going to take to get somewhere on a road that's not paved, no matter how short the distance.

More on school soon!

BACK ON TRACK

OOH look I've gutted my blog. Relevant posts/things I like remain.

In my (way too long) absence from the blog-o-sphere, I have successfully obtained my Texas Bilingual Generalist EC-6 and ESL teaching certificate to add to my Oxford Seminars one. This qualifies me to go to things like this:

YAHOO

Which I will be doing. In February.

No attending schools from Buenos Aires, but I'm pretty open to South America in general. LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

ESL Update

Since this was supposed to be my ESL blog, maybe I should update about something ESL-related.

Sooo I got a job teaching at Berlitz here in Austin, which in case you don't know is a big ol' language school in pretty much every major city of the world. Including, you guessed it, Buenos Aires. Hooray! I see a transfer in my future.

Training starts next Monday, and the job is very very part-time, but I'm excited nonetheless. In the meantime, I'm back tutoring, etc. for the Aztex/Orlando City since someone finally realized that they fired the only person who can speak to the Colombian.

So Ronald and I have been studying for the TOEFL about 4 days a week along with running errands as he doesn't have a car - he is a really hard worker and is improving a lot. It feels good to actually be able to see/hear/read his progress and to know that I helped him accomplish that. I'm not sure when he'll actually be ready for the TOEFL, but considering he got here in April, he's doing very well.

Some highlights: Listening to him sing every word to "Bottoms Up" when it comes on the radio is really great. Also, today he asked me what "tryna" means. Like, wrote it out and everything. This kind of makes me sad for the speakers of the English language now that I think about it, but it made me laugh. It must be so hard to learn English. Jeez.

The other day we ate at Casa Colombia, my favorite favorite restaurant in Austin, and he walked in like he owned the place. He also somehow managed to dance while eating. Fantastic.

Anyway, that is fun.

I've been selling some jewelry and things on my Etsy site, which is periplogifts.etsy.com in case you missed it. Buy some jewelry because I am poor!

I was also accepted to the teaching certification program I applied to, and that starts in January. Yay! Moving forward with teaching is making me feel good because I know it's what I'm supposed to be doing with my life.

Boyfriend finally got things straightened out with his school, and he got his tools today after he, his dad, and I spent a lot of time on a three-way call to the immigration office. Turns out his school is crazy and he had already given them everything they needed, but they didn't realize it. Anyway, he has his auto tools and is on the job hunt. Hopefully we will both find something else soon.

In other news...I LOVE THE WEATHER! Thank you, Texas! My plants are still alive. Emmanuel bought me a Nochebuena the other day, and it is beautiful. It looks great on the balcony. Yay!

Cer ti fied.

So this past weekend, I drove home from ACL at 3:30 in the morning to complete my final weekend of training and receive a certificate of completion from the Oxford Seminars TESOL/TESL/TEFL program. "What does this mean?" you ask.

I ask myself the same question.

But you know, there was a reason (or multiple reasons) why I chose this particular certification.

I thought about just doing it online for half the price, but then I'd be...doing it online. And how credible is that, really? I also considered another Houston course, which was less expensive but was more hours of credit. Hm. Then I looked at where it was being held, and it ended up that it was in a hotel somewhere. That just seems slightly sketchy to me. The only one remaining was the Oxford course - only 60 hours, but it was also held at a reputable university and offered free job placement assistance upon completion.

Just in case anyone looking to get into the TESOL business runs across this, I'll tell you how the class ended up being. First of all, my classmates (9 others) were all very smart and genuinely nice. Our teacher was also very intelligent and had a lot of experience teaching abroad. I felt comfortable in the setting and with all the people.

The class ended up being, as the Oxford Seminars title suggests, more of a seminar than an actual instruction course. We spent our time discussing how to behave abroad, what to expect as far a job offers, the kinds of things to stay away from, etc. We talked briefly about learning styles and how to teach (book info), but it was mostly common sense or, as my teacher put it, "something we were going to learn anyway." Many times, our conversations devolved into rather morbid topics about the state of the world, but I usually felt we were discussing things worth discussing. We had to give two practice lessons, one alone (10 minutes) and one with a partner (30 minutes), and we were evaluated by the teacher and our peers. We also got a crash course on English grammar.

Basically, I learned that we'll probably have to teach from a book, which will outline the lessons for us. I also learned that unless you're a complete dumbass or are not ready to move your life to another country, you'll probably be okay and learn everything you need to know as you go.

In the end, I'm really glad I chose to go through Oxford Seminars. It might not be as many hours as some courses, but it was actually pretty fun and did a lot to prepare me mentally. I had a great teacher who told it like it is and gave us a ton of helpful information and resources. I had great classmates who were kind and supportive of everyone. I really do feel like I'm ready to begin looking for my future job. I sent an email to the teacher placement service to tell them I'm ready to start; my top three countries of choice are: Argentina, Peru, and Mexico.

Wish me luck! :)

Step 2.5

Thanks to the incredible generosity of my parents, the step between 2 and 3 is complete, and I am registered for a TEFL certification program:

Dear Vanessa Cooper,

Thank you for registering with Oxford Seminars. We are pleased to confirm that you have successfully enrolled in the TESOL/TEFL certification course #9556, being held on Sept. 19, 20, 26, 27, Oct. 3, 4 in Houston (University of St. Thomas).

Hooray! It seems far away but I'm sure it'll be here before I know it.

So close, yet so far.

Woohoo, teh blog is revamped with new layout. And now,

THINGS STANDING IN THE WAY OF GRADUATION:

1. Thesis
-Introduction
-Conclusion
-Edits (WHERE ARE MY ADVISERS?!)
-Formatting
-Bio
-Table of Contents
-Binding
-Signatures (AGAIN, WHERE ARE MY ADVISERS?!)

2. Cine paper

3. Corridos project

4. Human Sexuality exam

5. Cine final

6. Corridos final

In that order. That's it. Six things. We are on the home stretch, people.

Update on progress soon.