Here’s a little glimpse into my first week of Mexican immersion and the CELTA course:
Food: Lots of fresh tropical fruit and fruit juice; tacos, quesadillas, rice; fried plantains and beans for breakfast; cactus soup, to name a few!
Life: kiss on the cheek for hello and goodbye; shrines to Guadalupe on every corner; Friday night “fiesta” with my host sister (=lots of drunk high schoolers=not my cup of tea); late meals; warm and affectionate people; learning the way on metros, buses, taxis; TRAFFIC.
Language: picking up on some Mexican slang: qué padre=cool; chavo/chava=guy/girl; órale/ándale=I don’t know, but they work in about every situation; qué onda=what’s up?; qué bárbaro=that’s crazy!
Classes: long hours, lots of lesson plans and assignments; learning a TON; enjoying teaching my lessons; learning the personalities of our students; starting to think in a British accent!
Other highlights of the week include time with new and old friends: Friday night with a new friend Jaaziel, Sunday lunch with the Sassers, and this Wednesday I’m having lunch with the other Maki, who Christina and I met on our last trip here.
Also, I discovered that one of the guys in my class is a Christian—that’s been so encouraging because between class and my homestay I’m not really around believers. He’s planning on coming to church with me next week.
Well, that’s a little look at the last week. It was a bit tough at times, but I’m getting more and more settled here and making friends helps a lot. And God is so good—he knows that I need to be stretched in order to depend on him more!
