1 more week to go...
Hey all....
I'm at the RLC (Regional Language Center) computer lab at the University of Belize...and this guy is singing OFF-key while listening to his spanish music through some headphones. HA! :) I look at the person next to me..and she makes a weird face. :) It's funny..but a little annoying... Can't concentrate on my entry.
Anyway...I must continue.
So primary school is almost done! Yahoo, too that too. I don't usually teach because I get "fraid" that I make a quiet classroom, a caotic(?) classroom. Anyway, I was asked to watch over Mrs. Lewis's classroom (Std 4 = grade 6). The teach assured me that they would be fine because they had lots of work to do. Weeeeelll....I get in the class, and immediately they say that they don't know how to do the work. I had 2 options....answer their plea for help, or just tell them "Too bad, work quietly til the bell rings". Hum..,you know i'm a softy..so i try to help them. Hum...not such a good move..becuase really they just wanted an opening for them to talk and make fun of eachother. I tried to explain to them how to work out the math problem..but to no avail, they were too loud for my little lungs. A parent finally came to relieve me. To make a long story short, the parent quieted the students enough for me to explain the formula. Surprisingly, some of the kids actually GOT IT!!! Wow, so that's how a teacher feels to be rewarded. So even though I got the usual classroom craziness, to have one or 2 kids actually understand why I explained the proportions as I did....was worth it.:) yaye, for me! :)
Besides that, I'm just now starting on setting up our 1st school library. I'm getting a lot of on the job training here in Peace Corp! MOre good news....we recently opened our computer lab for our school (consisting of 6 refurbished computers)....And just 4 days ago, the Ministry of Education donated to our school 9 monitors, 4 CPUs, 4 scanners, 5 surge protectors, and 4 printers. This is HUGE for us :) A parent started off this project..and our computer lab is becoming a reality. See...it's true...if you build it...they will come. :)
So I have one more week before coming home for Christmas!! yahhoooooooooo! I'm getting excited now. I'm gonna start packing TONIGHT. Well, i have a bunch of things that I would like to take home that I don't really need for the rest of my time here (i.e. a hammock, journals, cds, pictures, books, etc.) That's just to make my move back to Cali in the summer a little more lighter :)
I have to say my time here has turned around a bit since I moved to Belize. :) I have made 2 really good Belizean friends. One of them even has family in Pomona, California. Anyway, my friend, Emma, was saying that I should come back to Belize for New Years Eve!..they're gonna a big "Bash" (party) at her house. :) That's soo cool. But my plane ticket is set..and i'm gonna be coming back to Belize Jan 4. No worries.....I told them to save me some lobster and cow foot soup for when I get back! HA!
Well, I better go.
I'll write more soon...otherwise I'll see you guys in Cali!! :) I have lots of pictures to share with you too. :)
take care.....Cherry
I'm at the RLC (Regional Language Center) computer lab at the University of Belize...and this guy is singing OFF-key while listening to his spanish music through some headphones. HA! :) I look at the person next to me..and she makes a weird face. :) It's funny..but a little annoying... Can't concentrate on my entry.
Anyway...I must continue.
So primary school is almost done! Yahoo, too that too. I don't usually teach because I get "fraid" that I make a quiet classroom, a caotic(?) classroom. Anyway, I was asked to watch over Mrs. Lewis's classroom (Std 4 = grade 6). The teach assured me that they would be fine because they had lots of work to do. Weeeeelll....I get in the class, and immediately they say that they don't know how to do the work. I had 2 options....answer their plea for help, or just tell them "Too bad, work quietly til the bell rings". Hum..,you know i'm a softy..so i try to help them. Hum...not such a good move..becuase really they just wanted an opening for them to talk and make fun of eachother. I tried to explain to them how to work out the math problem..but to no avail, they were too loud for my little lungs. A parent finally came to relieve me. To make a long story short, the parent quieted the students enough for me to explain the formula. Surprisingly, some of the kids actually GOT IT!!! Wow, so that's how a teacher feels to be rewarded. So even though I got the usual classroom craziness, to have one or 2 kids actually understand why I explained the proportions as I did....was worth it.:) yaye, for me! :)
Besides that, I'm just now starting on setting up our 1st school library. I'm getting a lot of on the job training here in Peace Corp! MOre good news....we recently opened our computer lab for our school (consisting of 6 refurbished computers)....And just 4 days ago, the Ministry of Education donated to our school 9 monitors, 4 CPUs, 4 scanners, 5 surge protectors, and 4 printers. This is HUGE for us :) A parent started off this project..and our computer lab is becoming a reality. See...it's true...if you build it...they will come. :)
So I have one more week before coming home for Christmas!! yahhoooooooooo! I'm getting excited now. I'm gonna start packing TONIGHT. Well, i have a bunch of things that I would like to take home that I don't really need for the rest of my time here (i.e. a hammock, journals, cds, pictures, books, etc.) That's just to make my move back to Cali in the summer a little more lighter :)
I have to say my time here has turned around a bit since I moved to Belize. :) I have made 2 really good Belizean friends. One of them even has family in Pomona, California. Anyway, my friend, Emma, was saying that I should come back to Belize for New Years Eve!..they're gonna a big "Bash" (party) at her house. :) That's soo cool. But my plane ticket is set..and i'm gonna be coming back to Belize Jan 4. No worries.....I told them to save me some lobster and cow foot soup for when I get back! HA!
Well, I better go.
I'll write more soon...otherwise I'll see you guys in Cali!! :) I have lots of pictures to share with you too. :)
take care.....Cherry