Flexibility is the key to survival in some situations...and for the last three months (wow its almost been three months) the words flexibility has been used daily.
At the moment I am wide awake
after drinking coffee way
too late in the evening...
and then I remembered my log in password to my blog and through the caffeine high I read through the Arabic on the screen and found the language tab (caffeine truly does help in language learning) and was able to change it all back over to English....and now where to begin...
School...Is in full swing. I am in charge of teaching art, sports, and an elective class to the primary grades, as well as teaching in the Kindergarten when I am not in the other classes. Art... has been a slight challenge because supplies in Jordan are not as easily found as they are in the States. But we have had fun in the class and the children are very artistic. We have done cartoons, paper mosaics, tape letters, the color wheel, and thank you cards...we put in an order for some supplies so we will remain flexible and wait to see what will happen. Sports...after almost a month of shipwreck, running games, and no no yes (ie duck duck goose) we finally were given some soccer balls and the children have divided themselves between the two rival teams - Barcelona and Madrid. This has made for some serious play time and some rather unpleasant fights between some of the boys. Elective class...this is one of my favorite classes...we have done everything from filling the hallways with singing to making Noah's ark out of cookies and nutella....we had our first test in that class the children did it in both English and Arabic and did very well. Kindergarten...the little people are so much fun to work with...but it is a lot of work my hat is off to Nori (one of the American teachers) and the other teachers who work full time in KG...it is an immersion KG in hopes that the children will have a firm foundation in the English language.
Life...beyond the school...I have totally enjoyed living in this city...because Arabic is a must here...In Amman almost everyone spoke English therefore the need for the language learning was much lower...however, here in this city I must use Arabic. This has caused many bouts of laughter with the neighbors as I have been trying to make a point of sitting with them almost every night...below us is Feras and his family. They sit on the porch smoking hubbly bubbly and are very good at slowing down when I have the look of "I have no idea what you are saying" written all over my face...This was also the family that I played soccer with them and their friends inside the house and then we were told to go out and finish the game. downstairs to the left is Sima and her family...this family is amazing...I can go to their house almost at any time and eat with them...sit and join in discussions and work on my Arabic...Sima is my age and is determined to learn English and I enjoy tutoring her several times a week. Rami and his twin sister and their family live across the hall from us. I am in the process of getting to know them better as well as the new neighbors that live above us. It is awesome that we are living in the building. Not only because we live less than 1 minute away from the school...but also because of the families living all around us...we are surrounded by family and it makes living here very enjoyable. Outside the home I have had the awesome opportunity to teach at a partner center here in this city. I began classes tonight and have at the moment 4 students in my class, which is good for my because I can focus more attention on each of them individually...it will be a six week compact course. The people who work at the center are a lot of fun to be working with. Also I have made several friends from the family meeting and have begun tutoring a family of five girls in English in exchange for Arabic lessons. I also am planning on beginning to tutor the workers and teachers at the school in an after school tutoring program for them.....
I have begun to see the English language as a gift from God...
I didn't decide to be born in America,
I didn't choose my birthplace..it is a privilege to be able to speak English
and with the responsibility of the language I find great pleasure in being
able to freely give it away...
because it was never my own in the first place...
I have also had several opportunities to go to Amman and take time to rest with one of the most amazing families there...working with my Jordanian dad on Saturdays and cooking with my Jordanian mom...sharing a room with my Jordanian sister and sharing the woes of the work force with my Jordanian brother have all been a great source of relief both mentally and physically for me.
The Team...I have been amazingly blessed to be surrounded by some great friends...each of them have a very different personality but we all fit together very well...we have been through a lot together and I am sure we will go through a lot more together.
I believe the coffee is now wearing off...this novel like catch up is just a glimpse into what life is like here in this city....it is exciting to wake up every day knowing that an adventure lies ahead of me...and I never know who I will meet or what could happen...experiences like drinking tea with some Egyptians on the sidewalk...talking to an Aunty on the street who thought I was half Jordanian...sitting with the teachers in their homes and learning who they really are beyond the teacher of first, second or third grade...playing with a child and watching them laugh at my Arabic...getting kissed a million times a day...sitting in a bakery and listening to the story of the cook...running into students on the streets...chatting with a princess...and making cinnamon rolls...you never know what will happen next...and always creating time to make new friends.
At the moment I am wide awake
after drinking coffee way
too late in the evening...
and then I remembered my log in password to my blog and through the caffeine high I read through the Arabic on the screen and found the language tab (caffeine truly does help in language learning) and was able to change it all back over to English....and now where to begin...
School...Is in full swing. I am in charge of teaching art, sports, and an elective class to the primary grades, as well as teaching in the Kindergarten when I am not in the other classes. Art... has been a slight challenge because supplies in Jordan are not as easily found as they are in the States. But we have had fun in the class and the children are very artistic. We have done cartoons, paper mosaics, tape letters, the color wheel, and thank you cards...we put in an order for some supplies so we will remain flexible and wait to see what will happen. Sports...after almost a month of shipwreck, running games, and no no yes (ie duck duck goose) we finally were given some soccer balls and the children have divided themselves between the two rival teams - Barcelona and Madrid. This has made for some serious play time and some rather unpleasant fights between some of the boys. Elective class...this is one of my favorite classes...we have done everything from filling the hallways with singing to making Noah's ark out of cookies and nutella....we had our first test in that class the children did it in both English and Arabic and did very well. Kindergarten...the little people are so much fun to work with...but it is a lot of work my hat is off to Nori (one of the American teachers) and the other teachers who work full time in KG...it is an immersion KG in hopes that the children will have a firm foundation in the English language.
Life...beyond the school...I have totally enjoyed living in this city...because Arabic is a must here...In Amman almost everyone spoke English therefore the need for the language learning was much lower...however, here in this city I must use Arabic. This has caused many bouts of laughter with the neighbors as I have been trying to make a point of sitting with them almost every night...below us is Feras and his family. They sit on the porch smoking hubbly bubbly and are very good at slowing down when I have the look of "I have no idea what you are saying" written all over my face...This was also the family that I played soccer with them and their friends inside the house and then we were told to go out and finish the game. downstairs to the left is Sima and her family...this family is amazing...I can go to their house almost at any time and eat with them...sit and join in discussions and work on my Arabic...Sima is my age and is determined to learn English and I enjoy tutoring her several times a week. Rami and his twin sister and their family live across the hall from us. I am in the process of getting to know them better as well as the new neighbors that live above us. It is awesome that we are living in the building. Not only because we live less than 1 minute away from the school...but also because of the families living all around us...we are surrounded by family and it makes living here very enjoyable. Outside the home I have had the awesome opportunity to teach at a partner center here in this city. I began classes tonight and have at the moment 4 students in my class, which is good for my because I can focus more attention on each of them individually...it will be a six week compact course. The people who work at the center are a lot of fun to be working with. Also I have made several friends from the family meeting and have begun tutoring a family of five girls in English in exchange for Arabic lessons. I also am planning on beginning to tutor the workers and teachers at the school in an after school tutoring program for them.....
I have begun to see the English language as a gift from God...
I didn't decide to be born in America,
I didn't choose my birthplace..it is a privilege to be able to speak English
and with the responsibility of the language I find great pleasure in being
able to freely give it away...
because it was never my own in the first place...
I have also had several opportunities to go to Amman and take time to rest with one of the most amazing families there...working with my Jordanian dad on Saturdays and cooking with my Jordanian mom...sharing a room with my Jordanian sister and sharing the woes of the work force with my Jordanian brother have all been a great source of relief both mentally and physically for me.
The Team...I have been amazingly blessed to be surrounded by some great friends...each of them have a very different personality but we all fit together very well...we have been through a lot together and I am sure we will go through a lot more together.
I believe the coffee is now wearing off...this novel like catch up is just a glimpse into what life is like here in this city....it is exciting to wake up every day knowing that an adventure lies ahead of me...and I never know who I will meet or what could happen...experiences like drinking tea with some Egyptians on the sidewalk...talking to an Aunty on the street who thought I was half Jordanian...sitting with the teachers in their homes and learning who they really are beyond the teacher of first, second or third grade...playing with a child and watching them laugh at my Arabic...getting kissed a million times a day...sitting in a bakery and listening to the story of the cook...running into students on the streets...chatting with a princess...and making cinnamon rolls...you never know what will happen next...and always creating time to make new friends.
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