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.

6 weeks is just not enough time!

I am in love! This country and the people are teaching me so many lessons about myself and the world daily that I just do not want to leave in 2 weeks time. If I could stay and teach at Sir Samuel Baker for the next year I would. I love the staff at the school. They are hilarious and seem to have really welcomed me into their lives. Already they are talking about how they will miss me and cannot even remember their lives without me – I feel the exact same way. I’m just starting to develop bonds with my 150+ students and would love to stick around and see them progress even further. They work so hard to impress me with their abilities and I just know that we could really kick butt together if I were to stay. The beauty of living here is the balance. I can plan and work my butt off in the classroom but then I come home and the pace of life is much slower – there is more time to reflect and to enjoy friends and to appreciate the little things. I want to take this back with me but fear that I will get swept up into the normal fast pace that my life follows back in the States. Someone, in September when I am stressed out, please remind me I said this.

I think next steps are grad school and then hopefully working on education policy internationally. It is fascinating and there is so much work to be done. I’m not an expert but I can certainly see myself spending the rest of my life trying to become one.