Exciting Week!
So!
- I started teaching this week. I've never taught adults before, especially not ones who are significantly older than me. And I've also never taught in a situation where I don't have a language to fall back on in which I can explain things. But new and challenging things are good! There's not a curriculum written, though there are some print materials. So I'm gleaning from the internet and my experiences teaching Spanish and learning French, and trying to plan as much as I can but also following students' interest during class. Seems to be working okay. What's nice is that while I don't speak Arabic, Amharic, or Tigrinia (the language mostly spoken in Eritrea, were many of the refugees in Israel are from), there are enough people in the class who do that they can explain things to each other when it's just not working in English. And there's one guy who speaks French! He seemed reassured/amused when I explained (in my not-very-good French) that no really, learning the names of letters in another language, when you're used to calling them something else, is REALLY HARD.
- Operation: 'Don't be such a shut-in' is coming along nicely! There was a going-away dinner for some people last night at an Eritrean restaurant, and I tagged along. Got to eat so much injera (yeasty flat bread amazingness, for the unenlightened). And really spicy shiro (vegetable puree stew stuff). So good. (And used my right hand, so as not to offend, and managed not to drop things! *left-handed*) And I talked to people and such, and managed to discover that another one of the volunteers, who goes to uni in Texas and is actually israeli, grew up literally a block away from me. Small world. Well. Not really, but there's not so many Jews, and once you've further narrowed it down by a few categories, we really do kind of all know each other. (I mean, not really. But kind of.)
- Taking to people there led to going out dancing! To a club! Or bar. Club-bar. Whatever. I felt kind of silly because I still had my huge bag and computer and such, since I'd come from work, but another dude had a backpack full of expensive camera equipment. So we danced together in that sort of awkward-because-I'm-carrying-a-ton way. :D This was all Much Fun except when I dropped my coat into a puddle of beer. Sigh. Washed it last night, and then got up early this morning and took it to the laundry place to dry.
- Had to get up early because I met eumelia for breakfast! And then we proceeded to talk for about 4 hours. Politics and feminism and fandom and it was AWESOME because she's Made of Win, and ridiculously intelligent and articulate. I'm so used to having to hide (or at least not know if I need to hide) how queer/feminist/leftist I am, and it was so great to hang out with someone who is just as much so, if not more. Also she's adorable. *fangirls*
And now I'm going to take a nap!
- I started teaching this week. I've never taught adults before, especially not ones who are significantly older than me. And I've also never taught in a situation where I don't have a language to fall back on in which I can explain things. But new and challenging things are good! There's not a curriculum written, though there are some print materials. So I'm gleaning from the internet and my experiences teaching Spanish and learning French, and trying to plan as much as I can but also following students' interest during class. Seems to be working okay. What's nice is that while I don't speak Arabic, Amharic, or Tigrinia (the language mostly spoken in Eritrea, were many of the refugees in Israel are from), there are enough people in the class who do that they can explain things to each other when it's just not working in English. And there's one guy who speaks French! He seemed reassured/amused when I explained (in my not-very-good French) that no really, learning the names of letters in another language, when you're used to calling them something else, is REALLY HARD.
- Operation: 'Don't be such a shut-in' is coming along nicely! There was a going-away dinner for some people last night at an Eritrean restaurant, and I tagged along. Got to eat so much injera (yeasty flat bread amazingness, for the unenlightened). And really spicy shiro (vegetable puree stew stuff). So good. (And used my right hand, so as not to offend, and managed not to drop things! *left-handed*) And I talked to people and such, and managed to discover that another one of the volunteers, who goes to uni in Texas and is actually israeli, grew up literally a block away from me. Small world. Well. Not really, but there's not so many Jews, and once you've further narrowed it down by a few categories, we really do kind of all know each other. (I mean, not really. But kind of.)
- Taking to people there led to going out dancing! To a club! Or bar. Club-bar. Whatever. I felt kind of silly because I still had my huge bag and computer and such, since I'd come from work, but another dude had a backpack full of expensive camera equipment. So we danced together in that sort of awkward-because-I'm-carrying-a-ton way. :D This was all Much Fun except when I dropped my coat into a puddle of beer. Sigh. Washed it last night, and then got up early this morning and took it to the laundry place to dry.
- Had to get up early because I met eumelia for breakfast! And then we proceeded to talk for about 4 hours. Politics and feminism and fandom and it was AWESOME because she's Made of Win, and ridiculously intelligent and articulate. I'm so used to having to hide (or at least not know if I need to hide) how queer/feminist/leftist I am, and it was so great to hang out with someone who is just as much so, if not more. Also she's adorable. *fangirls*
And now I'm going to take a nap!