Setting up shop in Bogota

I cannot believe it has only been four days since I arrived - my brain is on fire (constantly translating things from Spanish to English and English to Spanish!) and I've been going non-stop.

On Monday morning I began teaching. My schedule is different each day. Some days I have no classes, some days I have a little over three hours of classes. The students are adorable, incredibly organized and eager to learn. As with all 6th and 7th graders, some of them are a bit hyper and many of them need you to spell out every detail for them - they are not yet comfortable making decisions on their own (Kate, do what's the title? Kate, do we need to copy the instructions? Kate, can I throw this out? Kate.. Kate... Kate..) And yes, at my school teachers go by their first names - I LOVE it.

The school seems to be a really great school. The students have a lot of independence - even as middle schoolers - but they seem to be able to handle it very well. They are punctual and respectful. The staff is also so kind. Many teachers do not speak English and so I am getting a lot of practice and learning new words and phrases each day. My department head has been by my side working every day - helping me get my keys, my supplies, complete paperwork, prepare my scope & sequence, etc. It is a lot of extra work for him but he does not let it show that I am inconveniencing him.

Today I had no classes, so I was given the day to get all my errands done so that my paperwork could be completed. One of the staff members met me at 7:30 am and was with me until 5 pm running errands all around the city. Again - the hospitality is unbelieveable. It would have been nearly impossible for me to get everything done today without her. I should note, she speaks no English. So I survived an entire day in Spanish. It was tough in the beginning but she taught we a lot and we even found ourselves laughing a few times at our jokes. It was great fun. So what did I have to do? First I had to get a medical exam. Then I needed to find out my blood type so I had to go to lab to get my blood taken. (Turns out I'm A+ if anyone's curious) :) Next we had to go to two banks - one to make a payment for my tarjeta de extranjera (kind of like a green card) and one to open a bank account. I then had to get photos made and finally (before lunch) I went and applied for my tarjeta de extranjera. I am now official in the eyes of Colombia because I have my own I.D. number. Hooray.

After lunch Melida and I looked at several apartments and I am happy to announce that I have found one! They were all pretty nice but I will be living in a home with a mother and her daughter who is in college. I have my own bedroom and bathroom and then share the kitchen and other living spaces. It is in a gated community that is absolutely beautiful and is in a more residential area in the northern part of the city. They have two dogs (pugs - so cute!) and the mother is very crafty - she makes jewelry, knits, bakes, etc. She also owns a farm in the mountains outside of Bogota and goes there every weekend. She has told me that I can join her whenever I would like - SWEET!!!!

So a very successful day and successful few days. I will be living in the hotel until August 31 and will move into my new place on Thursday, September 1. As is probably pretty apparent - I am extremely happy and cannot wait to see how things continue to play out.