Tech Week and Oliver in Coronado!

So last Wednesday started our tech week which meant that we had meetings on Wednesday with our APCD to talk about what would happen and prepare for going into the schools, then Thursday we coordinated a bus to take us all into La Chorrera to our schools by 7. Turns out we didn’t have to be there until 8, typical haha, so we chilled in front of a tienda (little grocery store – imagine a large gas station store) until we could meet with our teachers. At 8 we met the directora (aka principal) of the school, then were given a tour by the head of the English department. I was in a colegio which is a secondary school that includes grades 7-12.

When you start 10^th grade you have to choose a specialty – kind of like college majors. The school where I was working had a concentration in business and language arts/social sciences (called letres, I can’t quite find a good translation), so English is very important for these students. However, that doesn’t mean that they realize that or are very advanced. The teacher that I worked with on Thursday gave us the impression that the students were at a very low level and that they wouldn’t understand very much at all. We didn’t get to experience the reality of it until Tuesday. Friday most teachers weren’t in my school because they had finished their lesson plans, so none of us went to the school – though we did go into La Chorrera for a meeting and to go to the grocery store.

Saturday all of the trainees met to plan for the next couple of weeks, then I did some chores around the house (started packing and did some laundry). I also cooked dinner for my family! I made chicken with a balsamic vinegar, olive oil and basil marinade/sauce and pasta salad with corn, peas and tomatoes with a balsamic vinegar sauce as well. I originally wanted to make BBQ chicken, but sauces are the most expensive thing here, so I decided to use the balsamic vinegar twice. I thought it was really tasty! My host mom liked it a fair bit, and my host brother loved it, but my host dad didn’t like it at all haha. Apparently cold pasta is NOT a thing here in Panama and it was a bit too strange for him haha. Oh well, at least some people liked it!

Lastly, on Sunday I went to a beach to visit a friend from college! Oliver moved down here after we graduated just to take a break before he goes to law school, so I got to hang out with him and his girlfriend for the day! It was really nice to see a familiar face – like a little taste of home. We just hung out at the beach, at a pool, then at his girlfriend’s house for the afternoon. It was like a mini vacation for me! haha

Monday brought the first day of school and it was a typical first day where not much is done, but it was nice to meet the teacher I would be working with for the two days and see the students. My profesora (teacher) teaches 5 groups of 10^th grade students. Tuesday (today) I actually got to see classes in action though which was fun. I ended up teaching/leading about half of the first class, and most of the second – which was actually a two period block. So getting the first teaching stuff under my belt was good! Calmed some of my fears about teaching too, which was good. (Kate Burks, if you're reading this, I was thinking about you a ton and almost called you for advice! We'll talk soon.)

Since it was the first real day of classes, we just reviewed greetings, goodbyes, and some personal information. I also used the Beatle’s song “Hello, goodbye” and got them to sing through the first verse! Learning more lesson-planning tips every day. It was a great look into the realities of Panamanian schools.

Tomorrow we travel to meet our counterparts (teachers from our school) and then on to our sites on Friday! I’m excited to finally see it and meet the people I’ll be living and working with for the next two years! Then we only have a few more days in our training community before going back into the city for a few days, then moving to our sites permanently the weekend of the 17^th! These couple of months have really gone quickly.

I won’t have much access to internet over the next week or so, probably, but expect to hear a report from me after the 8^th!