As I was looking at my "agenda" this past week, I was thinking....wow....look at how busy life has gotten here....and I love it all. Check it out....The typical BA life as an English teacher, Spanish student, and social butterfly....
Monday, May 11th
10:45- Meet a student, Max, at a cafe for class. Decide to go to a different cafe this past week to mix things up. He is an advanced student.
12:00-12:00- Walk about ten blocks to next class.
1230-200- Teach group class of three students. Beginner English speakers.
230-400- Come home, eat, catch up on emails and freelance writing.
500-600- Class with Patricia in another cafe.
615-645- Hop on bus to head back to San Telmo, my area of the city.
700-800- Teach Alberto. We do class at his house which is down the street from me. Very beginner English.
800-845- Run home to get ready.
900- Head to a formal dinner that my student Max invited me to.
1000pm- 200 am- Eat food and try to speak Spanish. (dinner is late here.....obviously)
Tuesday, 12th
900- Wake up and work on freelance writing project.
12-200-Teach group class downtown
230-330- Priavate class with Juan right down the street from previous class.
330- Juan tells me that his father wants to start taking English class, great....go and meet him to talk.....who is the office over. Argentines are very close to there families in all things that they do.
430- Private class in Palermo. A different area of the city.
700-830- Yoga. My closest friends here have a yoga studio down the street from where I live.
930-100 am- Going away dinner party for Sophie.
Wednesday May 13th
1030- 1200- Private class
100-230- Group class
Run errands plan for Alberto's class, this week is object pronouns ( I really am not that technical of a teacher but sometimes you have to be)
700-830- Private class.
900-1200- write then sleep early!
Thursday, May 14th
700 AM- Wake up. Walk around dazed while getting ready.
800-930- Teach
1000-1130 Spanish class (sometimes when I can....I get the classes for free because I teach english for this same institute)
1200-200- Teach group classes
230-330- Teach Juan.
Write in the free time for freelance porject.
700-815- Yoga
900-1200- Dinner party at Chandani's.
Friday, May 15th
800-930- Teach
1000-1200- Spanish class
1200-100- Teach group classes
100- 230- Teach group classes
400-500- Teach my favorite student Carlos, to end the week.....
who knows....
Dinner
Saturday-
200-300 pm- Teach my youngest student who speaks three languages already.
400- Grocery shop in China town.
Dinner
900- Go see Ramiro in his play that is opening this weekend!
Sunday (last sunday)
Woke up and went to a cafe.
Lunch with friends.
Walked around the fair that is every Sunday in my neighborhood with Jaoquin.
Dinner at Meghans.
Prepare for class on Monday.
Start the week with a smile.....
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Aprendiendo Spanish while teaching Ingles…a time me feel little-ita loca!!! Pero….me love it!
To learn another language while teaching your own native language can prove to be a rather challenging task….but as they say in Argentina, “vale la pena”. This literally means, “worth the sorrow” and it is simply implying, “it’s worth it!”. I don’t think there is a better way to give patience, enthusiasm, encouragement, focus, and understanding to my students, than being in the same position myself…learning another language!
There are some days where I may attend Spanish class early in the morning and then head down the street to one of my students offices and feel so out of it because my head is in Spanish and then I need to be an articulate teacher…wait, let me explain….
Here in Argentina I teach English to business men and women (yes ladies….Argentine business men ☺ in downtown Buenos Aires. My other students are private students that I have found by advertising myself as an English teacher on some websites down here that are very similar to Craigslist. I almost have a full schedule of private students and I absolutely love it. What an amazing cultural exchange. Teaching them English, while they tell me about Argentina. On top of that…people from Argentina have the best sense of humor, are so friendly, intelligent, and a pleasure to teach. One of my students, Ramiro, is a lawyer here and I think all we do in the hour and half of class that I teach…is laugh. Don’t worry, I am teaching them but definitely having a laugh in the process. Sometimes I feel bad for taking money at the end of class because it was so enjoyable. Ramiro and many other students I have are advanced English speakers but I also have others that hardly speak at all. Sometimes, I meet Alberto, a beginner speaker, at the end of my long day and have to concentrate so hard, focus, have patience and energy for him. But I can do that because he wants to learn so bad! He will tell me in Spanish that he doesn’t understand because in his language the sentences are constructed so different. In which I respond, “I know…but you must think of these two languages as exactly that…two separate languages”. I knew I would like teaching English, but I truly enjoy this more than a lot of things I have done. I want them to learn and am grateful they want me to teach them.
To go from one language to the next is challenging, and teaching English has of course, slowed down my Spanish language advancement….alot. But as I said before, it is worth it and I have time here in Argentina. My head consists of thoughts in Spanish and English, and then when I do speak English I find myself saying things like, “in this moment….”, for that is how you express “right now” in Spanish. It’s fascinating because you start interpreting things in a totally different way and seeing life in a different manner.
I have no idea why learning a language became a main focus so late in life (ok..I am still young, I know) what I mean is….I LOVE learning another language. For it is not only about the language, it is about another way of thinking and really diving into the culture. For the culture is the way they think, and they way the think is through their language. The idea that I will ever get there I mean REALLY get there and speak fluent Spanish is like a far off fog….but I can do it.
Here in Buenos Aires, in this International mecca, the majority of people I know from Europe, Argentina, and other parts of the world speak at LEAST two languages. It is amazing. I understand that English is the main language you need to know, but I strongly believe that the USA needs to pick up the emphases on learning a second language. I know my kids will be starting young…that is for sure.
Anyone that knows me is aware of my ancy and adventurous nature. In the sense that, when I feel like I am NOT learning or growing….well, I don’t like it.
Folks, when learning another language and teaching various people from another country….there is always something to learn and grow in. O, and I think it helps also that I live in a magical place such as Buenos Aires. My thoughts on this city and country are for another blog-post for I am about to meet a friend and speak some Spanish…..need to warm up that muscle.
Paz.
There are some days where I may attend Spanish class early in the morning and then head down the street to one of my students offices and feel so out of it because my head is in Spanish and then I need to be an articulate teacher…wait, let me explain….
Here in Argentina I teach English to business men and women (yes ladies….Argentine business men ☺ in downtown Buenos Aires. My other students are private students that I have found by advertising myself as an English teacher on some websites down here that are very similar to Craigslist. I almost have a full schedule of private students and I absolutely love it. What an amazing cultural exchange. Teaching them English, while they tell me about Argentina. On top of that…people from Argentina have the best sense of humor, are so friendly, intelligent, and a pleasure to teach. One of my students, Ramiro, is a lawyer here and I think all we do in the hour and half of class that I teach…is laugh. Don’t worry, I am teaching them but definitely having a laugh in the process. Sometimes I feel bad for taking money at the end of class because it was so enjoyable. Ramiro and many other students I have are advanced English speakers but I also have others that hardly speak at all. Sometimes, I meet Alberto, a beginner speaker, at the end of my long day and have to concentrate so hard, focus, have patience and energy for him. But I can do that because he wants to learn so bad! He will tell me in Spanish that he doesn’t understand because in his language the sentences are constructed so different. In which I respond, “I know…but you must think of these two languages as exactly that…two separate languages”. I knew I would like teaching English, but I truly enjoy this more than a lot of things I have done. I want them to learn and am grateful they want me to teach them.
To go from one language to the next is challenging, and teaching English has of course, slowed down my Spanish language advancement….alot. But as I said before, it is worth it and I have time here in Argentina. My head consists of thoughts in Spanish and English, and then when I do speak English I find myself saying things like, “in this moment….”, for that is how you express “right now” in Spanish. It’s fascinating because you start interpreting things in a totally different way and seeing life in a different manner.
I have no idea why learning a language became a main focus so late in life (ok..I am still young, I know) what I mean is….I LOVE learning another language. For it is not only about the language, it is about another way of thinking and really diving into the culture. For the culture is the way they think, and they way the think is through their language. The idea that I will ever get there I mean REALLY get there and speak fluent Spanish is like a far off fog….but I can do it.
Here in Buenos Aires, in this International mecca, the majority of people I know from Europe, Argentina, and other parts of the world speak at LEAST two languages. It is amazing. I understand that English is the main language you need to know, but I strongly believe that the USA needs to pick up the emphases on learning a second language. I know my kids will be starting young…that is for sure.
Anyone that knows me is aware of my ancy and adventurous nature. In the sense that, when I feel like I am NOT learning or growing….well, I don’t like it.
Folks, when learning another language and teaching various people from another country….there is always something to learn and grow in. O, and I think it helps also that I live in a magical place such as Buenos Aires. My thoughts on this city and country are for another blog-post for I am about to meet a friend and speak some Spanish…..need to warm up that muscle.
Paz.
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