I am officially two and a half weeks into living in Bolivia and two weeks into working in Bolivia and still feel I am adjusting well! I have been sick about two times now and am now eating an average of two meals per day, which is enough for me (I normally eat lightly in the states, anyway.). I´ve picked up some Brittish/ Scottish intonations with certain words because of the medium-to-heavy accents my colleagues have with certain sounds and phrases, but I just take that as part of the fun.
Writing on a keyboard intended for Spanish typers is becoming second nature and purchasing fruit and other small items from the women with stands along the street is certainly something that I´m used to seeing and doing. Overall, La Paz is becoming managable--from taking and collecting laundry from the lavandería to finding the minibus to get myself from point a to point b if I need a ride outside of the general area I normally walk. Just like Morgantown, things have a way of getting smaller as they become known to you, which is a nice homecoming, I think.
At the Instutito Exclusivo, I currently have seven preps and am expected to gain more because I am full time, but that´s perfectly fine because the professioanl support here is phenominal and I have plenty of time during the day to plan ahead for classes and do some additional brainstorming and research. I am also participating in "Teacher Training" which has two factions: grammar and pedogogy, which is also wonderful. I LOVE receiving intensive grammar training because I really haven`t had training similar to this since I was around 11 or 12 years old (middle school) and even then, we couldn´t go into this kind of depth because I would´ve tuned it out. The trainings are one-on-one and incredibly thorough... It´s nice to feel challenged like this. I can go home mentally exhausted, which I appreciate because I also have time to absorb the material and work with it on my own (optional) outside of training. Sure, trainings take a little longer this way, but I certainly think they´re more effective in these roughly two-hour sessions rather than the typical American four-to-eight-hour training days (not to mention, three to five of these long days in a row). I feel much more knowledgable AND have time (and the desire) to work with the material on my own!
Otherwise, the students here are great. I am currently teaching seven young learners (ages 7 to 13) and three adult learners (currently their ages range from mid-20s to mid-40s. My largest class is with three of the kids and I have two skype classes. I have two classes that involve two learners at a time and the rest are individual lessons, so this is excellent practice for really becoming aware of the specific needs of learners as individuals and how to facilitate the curriculum in a way that will benefit them. With some of the groups, the ages become difficult to manage within the same class (for example, a (shy) 7- and a(n) (outgoing) 10-year-old are learning together, which can be tricky, but definitely a welcome challenge for me). I am able to design the curriculum however I´d like and resources are provided for me. My only current contemplation is how to get more novels or children´s books (written in English) to the school, so the students can work with materials other than articles from the internet or the textbooks provided by the institute--thankfully, they´re open to request and conversation about these materials, though!
I have yet to take a picture of the school, but when I do, I will upload it to this post. It is a four-story building with computers and whiteboards. The room aesthetics range from small with no windows to collaborative rooms with windows and anything in between (not a huge range, I know, but the rooms are very bright!). There are no decorations on the walls, though, because the rooms are not designated to any specific teacher--you schedule for a room when you have class, since classes can be scheduled any time for any duration from 8am to 9pm. It´s certainly a nice change of pace, but I have to admit that I do miss the endearing chaos of larger classes just a little bit.
If I´ve left anything out, please ask me about it! I´m more than eager to share and discuss details of the school or difference in experiences.
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