I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Even here there are decorations for Christmas! I was so surprised, when I went to the supermarket there was nativity scene. Everyone was lined up to take pictures with it.
Well, life this past month has been a little crazy. I am now officially a university professor. Before going, I heard all these horrible stories, from previous teachers and the administration at the school, about how these students were awful, they were rude and hard to control, and that they were super "weak" in English. So, needless to say, I was terrified my first day. But I went in, set some rules, (think I scared them a little), and class was fine. I haven't had any trouble with them. I think the Father is there keeping them calm. I am hoping to make "friends" with some of them. They are very close to my age.
We went on vacation to the mountains this past weekend for a teacher's conference with all the teachers from our organization. It was a very beautiful place. It made me think of home and how much I really miss it. I miss green, lakes, cold rain, and fresh wet air. I am definitely a cold weather person!
Oh, and we also got to ride an elephant! She was 40 years old and still carrying people! She was a sweet thing with a big sweet tooth for sugarcane!
We got to be surprise guests at a local primary school. They were doing a promotional for their English program and we got to be the real life English speakers! There were over 1,000 elementary students sitting on little plastic stools in the courtyard. Quite the experience. Students were invited on stage to demonstrate their English skills. This school has smartboards in all their classrooms! We will start teaching here in January. I can't even use a smartphone...I really don't think they should trust me with a whole board.
Some funny stories:
I wanted to surprise my teammate at work with a cake on her birthday. I got my boss in on it. She was giddier than a school girl! We went out with her in the morning and she kept giving little smiles to me, nudging me, etc. Then when we got the cake that night she made me hide in the backroom, only to come running in squealing, "She is here!!" She made my teammate relight and blow out the candles three times in order to get good pictures!