Wow! Time has flown by since we first arrived at the home of Maria Elena Baeza, and now we are already winding down! I remember being so worried about moving from high school Spanish to the Second grade in Mexico, but now it seems fairly natural. I have yet to overcome how chatty our Mexican students are, but it has definitley taught me a lesson in patience. You can never expect the whole class to pick up on instructions the first time (really at any level, but I have been taught this day in and day out here). I have also learned that young children are rarely the same one day to the next!
In high school, I could generally expect the same attitude day in and day out, but it seems as if the "problem" of the day rotates! There is so much to learn about younger children.
I have truly been enjoying observing how children learn in a second language. It is hard to imagine, even as a second-language learner and speaker myself, to know so much English at such a young age and to have almost 60% of your instructions given in English. It simply amazes me to watch how they soak up anything that I introduce that is not "textbook" English. I enjoy seeing words I have introduced to them, such as "pigpen", appear in their journals. This has taught me so much about how difficult and how rewarding it can be to teach others a new language. I believe that this has helped to instill in me the importance of teaching in practically all Spanish in my future classroom.
Otherwise, Elyse and I have had some interesting adventures! Not that I expected anything less! We have had many chances to simply go and spend time in places where Mexicans go to vacation and where Mexicans go to shop and relax. I think that when we "experience" Mexican culture, it is often through very American places. Instead of travelling to Puerto Vallarta, which is very American these days, we are going to Rincon de Guayabitos, where we hope to observe and experience a more "Mexican" vacation. This weekend we will be traveling to Guanajuato, which has continutally been compared to one of my favorite towns in Spain- Toledo. I am very excited to visit a city with a lot of history and culture!