Hi Readers
Not a whole lot more to report over last week. It went by in a total blur and now somehow it is Saturday already and I am about to start a brand new week in Monte Plata.
The highlight probably was visiting with the business volunteers at a really sweet hotel. I now know the cry of the peacock, and probably the only thing I like less is the crowing of a rooster. It sounds like a baby yowling while its feet are being burned off. Not like I know that particular sound from experience, but if one had to imagine the noise, that would be about it.
There were also cows, horses, geese, and a donkey around the hotel. Very amusing, but that is how Monte Plata is. Think South Dakota. Farm, Farm, Farm, Town. Farm. Farm. (Hotel) Farm. I enjoyed seeing everyone again from the other group. It was a great reunion, even if it came at the price of having to listen to a full day of very serious and rather depressing topics, like sexual assault and how to handle someone breaking their neck on Pico Duarte.
My poor brain hates Saturdays because they are my Speak Only in Spanish Days, as are Sundays. Unfortunately, I am just going to have to get used to them because in three weeks every day will be Speak Only in Spanish day. For two years. It's a bit like being told, here's a lake, start swimming, good, now cross the English channel.
My only consolation is at least I can communicate. Oftentimes for formal things like the workshop my group is giving to the teachers on Monday, I need to have and memorize a speech so I can say the words correctly and in the right tense, but once I have written and corrected that speech, and had somebody with more Spanish look at it, then all is well. Here it is a Spanish professor, in my community I'll just ask my Dona or my Key Community Contact to take a look at it. Good way of sharing ideas as well, since we are always supposed to do that. In the even more Peace Corps build local capacity style, I would not even speak more than a few words, my Key Community Contact would handle the rest. Hehehe.
On Monday, I will be giving a portion of a formal presentation on how to design, communicate, and use effective classroom rules. My portion is communicating the rules. For the purpose of this activity, and since none of the teachers will know me, I am compositing every teacher I have ever seen communicate rules into me. And describing "my" experiences in Spanish. For reasons like this I really hope that I get the post that has been hinted at for me. I won't be expected, at least as much, to come in and teach teachers how to teach because I really have no qualifications to come in and teach a teacher how to teach.
And if a teacher asks me for help in how to teach, since that will not be my primary role, I won't lose nearly as much face if I come out right away and say sure, I'm not a teacher in the United States, but I worked in a school and I at least saw a lot of teaching practices there.
I know people are probably wondering what I keep hinting at, and I have told a few people, but I am refraining from making any grand announcements before I know for certain, in case it is totally different, because then I will have fewer people I need to correct. Besides, I am scared of getting my hopes up for this particular project. I want it that badly, but as long as I keep it rather quiet, and keep reminding myself that it is only a hint that I practically begged my boss to give to me, then I will be less disappointed if I get something else. But I have a feeling it will be mine. After all, passion counts for almost everything in a volunteer and I can feel my passion for this assignment already, and the ways to make it happen, so there is no reason for me not to be assigned there. And my boss knows how much I want it. I was too eager to control my body language that afternoon. Haha. Dancing in place. I was so happy.
Trust me, it is hard to keep this quiet. But it will be much better if I make the announcement all at once.
Tonight is a Chica Night. The girls are all over, including their Swiss friend, and one of my volunteer friends is coming over. Should be enjoyable. I'll post again soon, my pack.
The Dominican Wolf
Not a whole lot more to report over last week. It went by in a total blur and now somehow it is Saturday already and I am about to start a brand new week in Monte Plata.
The highlight probably was visiting with the business volunteers at a really sweet hotel. I now know the cry of the peacock, and probably the only thing I like less is the crowing of a rooster. It sounds like a baby yowling while its feet are being burned off. Not like I know that particular sound from experience, but if one had to imagine the noise, that would be about it.
There were also cows, horses, geese, and a donkey around the hotel. Very amusing, but that is how Monte Plata is. Think South Dakota. Farm, Farm, Farm, Town. Farm. Farm. (Hotel) Farm. I enjoyed seeing everyone again from the other group. It was a great reunion, even if it came at the price of having to listen to a full day of very serious and rather depressing topics, like sexual assault and how to handle someone breaking their neck on Pico Duarte.
My poor brain hates Saturdays because they are my Speak Only in Spanish Days, as are Sundays. Unfortunately, I am just going to have to get used to them because in three weeks every day will be Speak Only in Spanish day. For two years. It's a bit like being told, here's a lake, start swimming, good, now cross the English channel.
My only consolation is at least I can communicate. Oftentimes for formal things like the workshop my group is giving to the teachers on Monday, I need to have and memorize a speech so I can say the words correctly and in the right tense, but once I have written and corrected that speech, and had somebody with more Spanish look at it, then all is well. Here it is a Spanish professor, in my community I'll just ask my Dona or my Key Community Contact to take a look at it. Good way of sharing ideas as well, since we are always supposed to do that. In the even more Peace Corps build local capacity style, I would not even speak more than a few words, my Key Community Contact would handle the rest. Hehehe.
On Monday, I will be giving a portion of a formal presentation on how to design, communicate, and use effective classroom rules. My portion is communicating the rules. For the purpose of this activity, and since none of the teachers will know me, I am compositing every teacher I have ever seen communicate rules into me. And describing "my" experiences in Spanish. For reasons like this I really hope that I get the post that has been hinted at for me. I won't be expected, at least as much, to come in and teach teachers how to teach because I really have no qualifications to come in and teach a teacher how to teach.
And if a teacher asks me for help in how to teach, since that will not be my primary role, I won't lose nearly as much face if I come out right away and say sure, I'm not a teacher in the United States, but I worked in a school and I at least saw a lot of teaching practices there.
I know people are probably wondering what I keep hinting at, and I have told a few people, but I am refraining from making any grand announcements before I know for certain, in case it is totally different, because then I will have fewer people I need to correct. Besides, I am scared of getting my hopes up for this particular project. I want it that badly, but as long as I keep it rather quiet, and keep reminding myself that it is only a hint that I practically begged my boss to give to me, then I will be less disappointed if I get something else. But I have a feeling it will be mine. After all, passion counts for almost everything in a volunteer and I can feel my passion for this assignment already, and the ways to make it happen, so there is no reason for me not to be assigned there. And my boss knows how much I want it. I was too eager to control my body language that afternoon. Haha. Dancing in place. I was so happy.
Trust me, it is hard to keep this quiet. But it will be much better if I make the announcement all at once.
Tonight is a Chica Night. The girls are all over, including their Swiss friend, and one of my volunteer friends is coming over. Should be enjoyable. I'll post again soon, my pack.
The Dominican Wolf
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