January, pt. 2

So, Monday the 17th (eek I'm behind) started all of the 14 week classes - students who are working toward degrees of some sort so some level of English fluency is a requirement. (The classes that started the week before - Institute classes - are mostly adults who are taking English classes because they want to. Usually, these students are more motivated, but don't learn quite as quickly for whatever reason.) I was originally supposed to be starting 2 classes that week, but it turns out there weren't enough people enrolling in the night class that I was supposed to teach (as well as a few others) so the class was dropped. Translation: I am short 8 hours. Frustration.

Anyway, Monday started my Level 1 Diplomado class (students who are working toward the CR equivalent of an Associate's Degree). This 8-hr class meets 3 days a week: 2 hours on Monday and Thursday mornings and 4 hours on Tuesday mornings. Depending on the traffic, it sometimes sucks coming in to work for only two hours, but I do enjoy the length of the class, and think it's good for the students to have English three days a week rather than just two. Besides, planning for a two hour class is so much nicer than planning four hours. This group, so far, has been pretty great. They have a good positive energy to them despite the class being at 8am. I like teaching the beginner levels because you can play a lot more vocabulary games, but at the same time, I don't like it because I have to talk a lot more than I do with the more advanced levels.

The rest of the week went fine, I picked up some extra hours on Friday administering proficiency exams, where students try to take really ridiculously hard and impractical standardized tests to get out of taking certain level classes. Needless to say, only a few students pass these tests. It was a long, but super easy day.

Saturday (Jan. 22) night I met up with Kerensa and Jenny Sunshine (the fabulous hostess of the Rubik's Cube themed birthday party in December) for a couple drinks downtown San Jose. Thankfully, all three of us were utterly exhausted from the week's events, and Sunshine had to wake up bright and early to teach a yoga class the next morning, so after a couple drinks we called it a night pretty early. These two women are, simply put, just lovely. Such good company.

The next morning I woke up late, had brunch, and made my way over to Zach's apartment to watch the Bears game. After the first half, we relocated to a (fairly American) bar down the street to watch the rest of the Bears and then the Jets/Steelers game with a few other friends. What was originally going to be a fairly small group turned into a huge modge-podge of coworkers, roommates, significant others, random acquaintances, friends and family members. There ended up being close to 15 of us, and I had only met 3 or 4 before that day. Despite the Bears loss dashing an end to our Superbowl dreams (not to mention having to watch a Superbowl where I want both teams to lose), it was a great night. Good times, good company.

Monday got off to a rough start. After my class ended at 10am, I spent two hours creating a PowerPoint for my night class on a work computer. Just as I plugged my USB drive into the computer, it turned itself off. If this had been any other computer, it would have been fine. But since it was one from school, it automatically erases everything. I lost everything. I rushed home to re-make the thing only to have it not work when I was in class. It was brutal. I felt completely defeated... by PowerPoint of all things. I have always hated PowerPoint. I hate it even more now, but unfortunately have to use it for just about everything, especially since we are no longer allowed to make copies for our students. Yeah. Teachers can't make copies anymore, because we made too many the first two weeks of school. Instead, we have to have our students pay to pick up copies from the copier ("book store") at school. Apparently, this is just how it's done in CR. As a student you pay for your own copies. Makes sense, but I also think it makes more sense to budget copies in to their tuition in the first place. Like airlines with baggage. You'd think that would be covered in the initial cost, but nooooooo. Sorry, I'm done.

Anywayyyyy, the rest of the week went fine and I even got to sub for some extra hours (thank you Kerensa!) Thursday night (the 27th). On Friday, the 28th, I finally got off my lazy butt and started running again. I ran around my neighborhood on Friday and stumbled upon a track where I ran on Saturday as well. Saturday night was low-key: Kerensa and I got together at her place and watched a movie and went to bed pathetically, but blissfully, early. Sunday was a disaster, as you well know. Though a couple positives did come of it. It turns out that Saray and I both have been wanting to move for a little while now, but figured the other wouldn't be up for it. Sunday's debacle prompted a much needed conversation about moving to a safer area. We were hoping to get out of here right away, but since we just paid rent, we will be here for the rest of the month. Hopefully we will be able to find something and be out of here soon enough.

The other positive is that Monday (Jan. 31) after my morning class and before my evening class I broke down and joined a gym. While it is a little pricey with my current salary, it is well worth it for my safety and sanity. Among the numerous things I love about having a gym membership for the first time in my life: since I'm paying for it I'm way more motivated to work out; I'm not going to get jumped while running on a treadmill; and I don't get sexually harassed there, meaning that while I certainly get looked at, the guys at the gym keep their nasty comments to themselves. I'm hoping this is something I can keep doing.

What happened Sunday is certainly affecting me more than I would like. I am angry and generally more paranoid and scared all the time. I take taxis home in broad daylight because I am terrified of strange men, teenage boys in particular. This is an expensive habit. Especially since a number of the taxis I have taken in the past couple days have been less than honest in charging me. Not to mention the effect all this anxiety is having on my body. I'm exhausted. It will pass soon enough, I know. But I think I'm allowed to be a Negative Nancy for a couple days given the week I've had.

Despite my negativity, this week has been fine, and gone by rather quickly. Tuesday night Kerensa and I decided to go out after work to a bar a little north of the center of Heredia. Great place with a nice outdoor space. I started an extra five hours of tutorials this week, which is helping the paycheck situation. I am still waiting for more hours to come. Apparently Politecnico is getting a contract with Bank of America to teach their employees English, and this girl is supposed to be getting a class. Hooray. BoA came to Politecnico today and it looks like they are looking to start in the next couple weeks. I also was able to sub this morning for one of my coworkers who is off on her visa run. It was a nice, quick 2 hour class followed by some free lunch. Yay for money and free food.


On an interesting note: I have a deaf student in my Monday/Tuesday/Thursday morning class. I have never had a student with something as severe as a hearing-impairment, so it has been an interesting change for me as a teacher. He started last week. He doesn't get any sign support or anything like that and I clearly don't know how to sign a thing (though I would like to learn at some point...). Instead, he reads lips. Rather well, actually. He seems to be one of my better students, and so far it seems as though he is following along just fine. I think it helps that since I am a visual learner myself, I tend to use a lot of visual aids in my class. I go through white board markers like crazy. Anyway, so far it has been fine, and I am looking forward to see what kind of progress he makes throughout the term.

Yesterday I went to the gym after class and came home to Laura and Jose Mario hanging out in my apartment. Saray was still at work. Honestly, I could not have been more happy to have other people around. Then my downstairs neighbor and a couple of her friends from school decided they needed to practice their instruments (drums and a xylophone type thing) for a couple hours. SO obnoxious. My kids are never playing instruments. The rest of the night I spent baking chocolate chip cookies and hanging out with Saray, Laura, Jose Mario and Felix.

For those of you who don't know, my parents are amazing. Seriously. I have the best parents ever. Special thanks to them and everyone else who has sent me love in response to Sunday's events. You are all wonderful, and I could not be more grateful to have you in my life.

On a random note: At the gym today there was a guy with a skull tattoo on his leg. Inside of the skull where the brain would be was a fetus. Its umbilical cord was attached to the eye. Figure that one out.