Weirdness of the Week - Another Opportunity to Practice Quick Transitions

I would not say making transitions is one of my natural strengths, but I'm working on it.  In this life I lead at the moment, I am being presented with constant opportunities to practice making these transitions more skillfully and smoothly.

I have only worked at my new job as a receptionist at the yoga studio for about a month... when they tell me today that they've hired a new girl who also teaches yoga and is a raw chef.  She arrives from Canada this week and my last day will be Friday.  I was just getting used to everything and I really like the girls who work there.  It's crazy how one day you don't have a job... the next day you do.  Then, one day you don't.  I know I've talked about this same thing many times, but it still amazes me.

Then, when I got home... I checked my email.  The director of the HS had emailed the English teachers to tell us that she didn't need us to come anymore.  So, I guess today was my last day at the HS.  Talk about a lack of closure.... I didn't even know it was my last day.  How fitting, though.  If I think about it, it really shouldn't be surprising.  It goes along with all of the other random endings I have experienced.

I guess since I'm not of this culture and never fully will be, I'll make my own form of closure - in the form of a reflection.  One of my really sweet students at the HS came today - of her own will - to finish watching the movie, Divergent.  After class she says, "Teacher.  Photo."  Then, we hug and she asks me "Teacher, will you return the other year? I hope so."  :]  I'd say this was a good last day.  I'll take that as closure.

And... through all of this practice, I am getting better at trusting myself and trusting the universe to support me in whatever adventure that is presented next.

Because, even though many branches have felt like they were breaking under me, I have always been able to fly. Besides, if I'd had stayed on one tree all the time, I'd never have experienced all of this beauty. 

Weirdness of the Week - Dogs and the Ropa Americana

Walking home from the high school, I see a lot of things.  I guess for that matter, walking anywhere I see a lot of things. 

Yesterday there was a dog laying in the middle of a major road as if it was in its bed.  It had no concern of being run over.  The most unusual part, though, was that I stood there and watched at least ten cars drive by.  Each one of them calmly drove around the dog.  Only the ninth car beeped, to which the dog had no reply. 

You can also see the scary homeless guy in the background - he's the only one who scares me.

Then, later in the day, I was on the bus when a woman and her kids got on.  Apparently, their dog would have also liked to come.  She started telling it to go home as she climbed the stairs of the bus.  It didn't leave.  Then, she proceeded to yell out the window that the dog needed to go home.  It is still odd to me that dogs have the independence to go wherever they want during the day.  I've always had this image in my head of dogs getting together and going to the beach, returning to their houses for dinner. 

Another funny occurrence on the bus yesterday was that a woman was wearing a UofA t-shirt.  I'm sure that she bought it at the Ropa Americana - a second hand clothing store that comes from donations out of the US, I believe.  Anyway, I decided to tell her that her shirt was from my university.  I mean, if I had a shirt from someone's university, I'd think it was cool if they told me.  I don't think she seemed that excited, but who knows.... maybe it was the story of the day when she ate dinner with her family that night. 

My sketchy spy picture of the lady in the UA shirt.... and my banana

Maybe culmination isn't a thing here...

As I was walking home from the high school today, I realized something; maybe culmination isn't a thing here.  I mean, first - there was no performance of my theatre group in Cocal.  Now, I don't think that my improv troupe will perform because the theatre keeps taking our dates and renting them out to paying shows.

But that's not all...

There's also not really a sense of culmination in the school system.  At least not the way I'm used to. 
The way it works is that there are three trimesters and each one has two exams.  The last trimester is just like any other.  The last exam is just over that material covered in the last part of the course. 

On top of that, if the student earned 90's in each trimester up to this point... they "eximir" the last exam, meaning they don't have to take it at all.  That would make sense to me if it was a cumulative final, but it isn't.  It's just another ordinary test that some people get to skip. 

Then, after all of this is over - the students who have below a 70 have to take a sort of cumulative final to prove that they can pass.  Then, there are more steps after that... which I still don't understand.... I think it involves taking another test in February to pass.  I'll let you know if I ever learn about this step.  I hope I don't have to.

Anyway, my point is that everything sort of just gradually or not so gradually ends.... but it doesn't seem to have a definitive end.  We still have a whole week of school after this one and I hear that kids just don't come anymore (like they gradually drop out). Even so, we are supposed to continue teaching.  That is so weird to me!  Why isn't there just a last day for everyone? 

It has been so deeply engrained in my teaching to have culminating projects where learners can use all that they have learned... or to have final exams that show the overall knowledge gained.  I wonder if that's just a different viewpoint than they have here.

How interesting, though, how this idea is reflected in so many different aspects of life.  

Cannibal Chickens

One of the grossest things I've seen at 6:30 in the morning is cannibal chickens.  There is something really disturbing about watching chickens fight over the raw chicken scraps that someone threw out their kitchen window. 

Another gross thing that I see at 6:30 in the morning is the butcher men carrying whole entire pig carcasses over their shoulders as they walk into the carneceria. 

Good thing I don't eat breakfast until after my first class....