Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Catch up post: the job
Ever since class started here I've been sure to make it clear to both my instructor and the General Manager (one of the owners) here that I was interested in a position at Maximo in Costa Rica. I quickly found out that the CR Maximo is MUCHMUCH smaller than Cusco. I was kinda bummed, but was confident that I would find a teaching job somewhere as there are plenty of language schools in CR.
Right around the first of the month I sent my resume to the GM here to forward on to CR. The next day our instructor tells me that the GM in CR (another owner) called asking about TEFL students because they need a teacher. I was super pumped! So a couple days go by and I don't hear anything so I decide to send my resume and an email directly to the GM in CR to express interest in the job. I receive a reply, almost immediately asking if I can do a skype interview that day.
Later that evening I get the call on skype. I'm expecting a 20-30 minute conversation focusing primarily on how my TEFL class is going and if I have any other teaching experience. 30 minutes into the call we're still talking about my last job, and teaching hasn't even come up. He's also asked me about my Spanish skills and had me talk to him in Spanish for a few minutes.... even though Spanish is strictly forbidden in the classroom. Finally he asks, "So, are you looking for a teaching job, where you will have weekends free and can just kind of relax and enjoy CR? Or would you be interested in something more demanding." A bit taken a back, I reply, "well, I guess that would depend on the job." He then sends me a PDF with the job description for the Director of the National Program and Academics. After picking my jaw up off the ground I tell him that I would definitely be interested in this position.
We continue to speak for about another hour. He emphasizes that the hours are looooong and weekends are often involved. He expresses concern about how my family in CR will handle me working the long hours, asks about my family back home and the likelihood that in a few months I'll be home sick and ready to leave, asks about what happens if my house doesn't and all kinds of other things that he could never ask in the states. Finally, he says that he thinks this is all good and he would like me to talk to the GM here in Peru. I said that was fine and he replied, "You know where his office is right? He's ready for you now." YIKES!
So I hop up and head down for another 30-40 minute interview that seemed to go quite well. I had been told that there would be a 3rd interview with the GM from CR's wife (the 3rd owner) and that it would be in Spanish, and obviously via Skype or the phone. My Spanish is decent, but I HATE Spanish conversations on the phone, so I was pretty nervous.
The next week, I had my interview and actually thought I did alright. And then the waiting started. When I heard from the GM in CR I was told that they were going to check my references, but also send me an offer letter. The next day we talked again and I officially accepted the job. The offer letter spelled out some benefits that hadn't even been mentioned, like a cell phone and service, and reimbursement for my return trip to CR.
He also had me switch my ticket to a couple days later so that I could stay here and train with the directors here for a bit. So I started training this morning and will continue to the end of the week, flying home on Saturday. Today went well and I'm really excited about the job. Many other things have happened in the past week or so as well.... but those will need to wait for another post.
BIG GIRL JOB IN COSTA RICA!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Labels: Costa Rica, Cusco, Maximo, Peru
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Teaching.... not so bad.
So, yesterday was my second mini lesson. It was way better than the first one. This was a vocabulary lesson, and we got to pick the topic. I decided it was time for my Peruvian friends to learn about football.... American style. I only had 20 minutes, so I was limited to about 4-5 words. I assumed they knew NOTHING about football, so we went super simple: helmet, shoulder pads, field, football and the possibility of also needing to teach "to protect" (but it turned out they knew that one already - which was what I was hoping for).
I was the last one in our group to go and since we observe everyone else, I had heard one of the students mention that he liked to play soccer. This was the perfect lead in for me. As we've been taught, I wrote my name and our objective "Football Vocabulary" on the board. Before I even finished writing "vocabulary," the same student was saying, "Wait! Football like soccer, or football like you watch in the United States?" (The student happens to be one of the security guards at the school and knows us all, so I had to give him a hard time.) "I'm talking about real football." Lots of laughing and poking fun ensued.
The lesson went great! All the stuff that I sucked at last time, I pretty much fixed this time, a couple slip ups, but HUGELY improved. Pretty much nothing but praise from the teacher this time. She, of course, still gave me a couple things to work on, but from the teaching technique aspect... I totally rocked it!!! YAY!!!!!!!! (of course, it's easy to be awesome when you're teaching football).
Today we went back to grammar! I'm living on the glory of yesterday's lesson because I'm terrified of Friday's lesson. Yes.... I have to teach grammar!! I haven't picked my subject yet, but I'm leaning towards comparative and superlative adjectives. I also have a grammar paper due on Friday, which might be more terrifying than teaching grammar. On the plus side, tomorrow is the last day we are working on grammar in class. I think after that we move on to using games to teach... MUCH better than grammar. Thursday we meet with the teacher we will be teaching for next week.
Monday starts our practical teaching week and we will be teaching real, paying, clients. We basically just take over one of the classes that is currently being taught at Maximo. So we have the same students, at the same time, everyday for one week. Our teacher will be there (not the person who usually teaches the class, but our TEFL instructor), but strictly for observation. We picked our classes today, and I'll be teaching Basico 2 (this is month 2 of the basic level, so while the ages of the students will be 16 year and up, they are all language babies.) I'm really excited. This is actually the level I wanted and the regular teacher is someone I observed last week. I thought he did a great job and I'm sure he'll be helpful in our meeting on Thursday. He just finished TEFL a couple months ago here, so he knows exactly what they will be looking for in observations.
Also, I ran into the Security Guard Student several times today and I'm slowly explaining important terms like quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end, and because he is confused about how the average person plays football - two-hand touch and flag football. He likes to give me a hard time about liking "United States Football" so while he was giving my a hard time I decided he need to learn another new word, and told him he was a "hott mess". HEHE!!! I crack myself up!!
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Photo Blog: Machu Picchu
Breakfast menu on the train. Train travel is the way to go!!
Creepy crawler I noticed climbing a wall.
Return trip train snack!!
Labels: Machu Picchu, Peru
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Quechu-what?!?!
Super awesome day of class!!! Most of it was just standard class time, but after lunch, the tables were turned. Most people in the class speak some Spanish, some of us more than others. All of keep wondering what it is like that VERY first day when a student walks into an English class. They know NOTHING, and we're not allowed to use Spanish to help them. How does that work? Today we found, but from the student's perspective.
This afternoon we had about a one hour Quechua lesson. Quechua is a native language used in some areas of Peru. (Many of the people we met last weekend in Lake Titicaca spoke Quechua). That was certainly a fascinating hour!! I didn't learn Spanish using the same method we use to teach English, so this was truly a new experience. The teacher came in and just started speaking Quechua. I had no idea what he was saying! Couldn't really tell where one word stopped and the other started, but he seemed excited to teach us! Within the hour he had us asking one another "What's your name?" "Where are you from?" and "How are you?" AND RESPONDING!! Now.. I don't really remember any of it, but I could probably go back to my notes and get some words flowing. It was SO much fun and very insightful! I'm glad there is little to no chance that I will teach a beginner class anytime soon, but it was really interesting to get a feel for what the students feel like on that first day. WOW!!!
Random Cusco facts
I started this blog a week or two after I got to Cusco. I´ve continued to add to it regularly and decided that since I´ve been gone for over a week now, it is probably time to post.
2. Have only seen 2 cats since my arrival.
3. You can buy DVDs (not exactly legal copies) for about a buck a piece on the "black market" - not nearly as scandalous as you think.
4. Sometimes you find a random chicken roaming the street.
5. Taxi's don't always have the nice little identifying "taxi" light on the roof.
6. Taxi's are not all the same color.
7. Taxi's do not have meters. Anywhere within the central area of Cusco (both the school and my house fall within this area) is supposed to be 2.50 Soles (this is written S/. 2.50 and is pronounced two-soles-fifty, which I find funny. This is just under $1) though sometimes the drivers try to get more. If you are going somewhere else, you just ask the driver what it will cost, and sometimes that rate is negotiable.
8. Sometimes they just turn off the water supply. On more than one occasion now, this has led to a conversation with housemates (keeping in mind we'd known each other a week!) in which one stated, "I guess if someone needs to take a dump, we should just dedicate a toilet for that."
9. Fireworks are ALWAYS appropriate. 4am on a Tuesday? Perfect!!!! 1am on Thursday? Why not!?!?
10. The sewer system lacks bit here. Toilet paper is NEVER thrown in to the toilet, but rather in the trash can!!!
11. Speaking of toilet paper... think more along the lines of very thin sandpaper...NOT Charmine.
12. Napkins are apparently very expensive here, as most restaurants have the paper napkins that are typically folded in 4ths, except you only get 1/4 of the napkin. I'm not sure if they are sold like this, or if they cut them, either way, super annoying.
13. Toilet seats, I'm pretty sure, cost more than diamonds. We have them at home and school, but most public bathrooms do not.
14. Few streets are paved.
15. Children of all ages walk the streets at all hours selling things like gum and handmade crafts.
16. One night, I saw a boy who couldn't have been more than 10 years old, walking down the street with a 40 in each hand.
17. The kids who run around on the streets selling stuff will ask you where you're from and then tell you the capitol and name of the president (or prime minister or whatever your country happens to have). I don't really know what they hope to accomplish by this.
18. You can buy a full meal for around $2-3. And that´s for a decent restaurant that you can be fairly certain you won´t get sick from. If you like to live dangerously, you can also find full meals for around a buck.
19. Cuy is one of the typical foods eaten in Cusco. If you own a guinea pig as a pet, I suggest you don´t look up the meaning of cuy. In one of the cathedrals there is a painting of the last supper in which cuy is being served.
20. You should never EVER pay for a rum and coke (cuba libre) at a club (discotech). If you do, you´re just dumb.
21. If you enjoy good beer, Cusco is not for you.
22. If you enjoy good wine, with rare exceptions, you should avoid Peruvian wines.
23. Cusco is swarming with gringos, yet Cusquenians rarely speak English. I only find this interesting, because here (in Costa Rica) the moment someone realizes you´re a gringo, they only want to speak to you in English (even if they only know 5 words).
24. In Cusco, they love their coca. Coca is a plant. They use it to make tea, put it in food, and even just chew on the leaves. It´s said to have all kinds of great medicinal qualities (I´m pretty sure they believe it will cure everything). It´s also what cocaine is made out of.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Island Hopping!
I feel like I just crammed a weeks worth of experience into 2 days! Such a great weekend! At 9:30pm on Friday night a car came to pick up me and a couple other people in the house to take us to the bus station. We met up with the other 6 people from Maximo that were taking the trip, hopped on the bus and settled in for a six and half hour overnight bus ride to Puno. We arrived at about 4:30am and were greeted by rain and cold (note the mittens and hat I have on in later pictures). We were shuttled to hotel where we had about 3 more hours to sleep and grab breakfast (typical Peruvian breakfast of coffee and bread) before hopping on a bus for a short ride to the dock.
At the dock, our group of 9 and about 15-20 others climbed aboard a slow moving boat with a bilingual (actually, he spoke some French too) guide and starting heading to the islands. It was still pouring down rain when we started out and the guide suggested we alter the itinerary a bit, but lucky for us it clear up and we were able to make our first stop, as originally planned, to the floating reed islands of the Uru people.
Greeted by the Uru people as the boat comes in.
Adorableness!
This is what the islands are made of. We stepped off the the boat and onto a "ground" made of reeds that must constantly be replenished.
Reed house
Tiny homemade representations of island life. House on the left is the family house. The middle structure is where they cook when it's raining, the house on the right is the "suegra's" (mother-in-law's) house. And the little thing in the front is where they normally cook.
Uru people selling their hand made goods to our group
These guys were just hanging out on the island.
Large reed boat coming in to take people for a ride.
Another set of reed islands across from where we docked.
Reed houses
Adorableness!
Smaller reed boat coming in to take us on a ride.
On our little reed boat, ready for a loop around the islands.
The woman who took us on our reed boat ride.
Reed boat ride photo op!
Adorableness!
Saying goodbye to the reed islands!
Next we were off to Amatani, where we met our home-stay families. Most of us were greeted by the mother of the house. (In a conversation with the mother in our house, I found out that most of the men spend about 6 months out of the year working in factories in Lima because they just can't make enough money on the island. Farming and selling their handmade goods to tourists are their only means of income). We (myself and AussieChef - from my class) had about a 20-30 minute uphill hike in which we huffed and puffed the whole way, while the mother nearly sprinted up with an 8 month old baby strapped to her back.
Map of the island
When we arrived at the house (which I, sadly, did not have time to take pictures of) she made us lunch, DELICIOUS quinoa soup with all kinds of fresh, local, veggies and herbs that I couldn't identify, along with some cabbage salad, rice, and trout. (Yes, I ate the trout and actually rather enjoyed it). After lunch her husband (who will head to Lima in March) walked us up to the community center where some of the group played a little "futbol" with people who were there with a different tour group, and a few locals.
Adorableness!
Once we were all there, we started the trek up to the highest point on Amatani island to watch the sunset. Sadly, it was VERY cloudy, so the sunset wasn't actually visible, but the trip up and the hang out time at the top made for some great photo op time.
The next morning we had breakfast and then jumped back on the boat to head to Taquile island. It had poured all night and was still coming down pretty hard when we got on the boat. To say the water was choppy would be a huge understatement. The boat rocked in every direction for the entire hour it took us to get to the other island. I've never been sea sick before and managed to hold it together, but others weren't so lucky. By the time the boat docked we were all grateful to be on solid ground. We hiked to top where we had lunch, more trout, not as good as the stuff in the home-stay, and then climbed the over 500 treacherous steps back down to the boat.
The Dentist (here with Maximo on a volunteer trip working in a clinic) strikes a pose in one of the many stone arches on the way to the top.
If I remember correctly, the land right behind me is actually Bolivia.
We made our way back down and met our families who fed us dinner and then helped us get into traditional clothing for to head to a fiesta.
SalsaGirl and the Officer's Wife in traditional clothing
AussieChef
The Dentist and The CrazyBrit
The band
AussieChef tears up the dance floor with our host dad.
Adorableness! This is actually the 6 year old from the house I stayed at. She was SUPER cute and fascinated by my hat, my nose-ring, and my flashlight. Seriously wanted to bring her home with me.
Locals. The woman who is standing next to the woman who is sitting is the mom from the house I stayed in.
Me and the adorableness from my house.
The next morning we had breakfast and then jumped back on the boat to head to Taquile island. It had poured all night and was still coming down pretty hard when we got on the boat. To say the water was choppy would be a huge understatement. The boat rocked in every direction for the entire hour it took us to get to the other island. I've never been sea sick before and managed to hold it together, but others weren't so lucky. By the time the boat docked we were all grateful to be on solid ground. We hiked to top where we had lunch, more trout, not as good as the stuff in the home-stay, and then climbed the over 500 treacherous steps back down to the boat.
At the top of Tequile getting ready to climb down.
The trip finished up with a 3 hour boat ride back to Puno. Luckily the water had calmed and I actually spent most of the trip sleeping and reading on the roof of the boat. We killed time eating and having a few drinks (I tried Peruvian wine! - not bad - fruitier than anticipated) before getting on the overnight bus back to Cusco.
Today I slept in, had breakfast, watched "Love and Other Drugs" took a LOOOONG piping hot shower and blogged. Now it's off to watch other people teach.
Labels: Amantani, Lake Titicaca, Peru, reed islands, Taquile, Uru