Teaching and spiders

I've been somewhat reticent as of late, regarding this blog.  I swear, it's only partially my fault.  For about two weeks we haven't had any internet access.  That, and I also started teaching 3 weeks ago, which has kept me more than a little occupied.  In fact, that's exactly what I want to write about today.

This is not the first time I've taught.  I taught math in New Zealand, I taught "life" in New York, now I'm teaching English in Colombia.  In truth, it's not a whole lot different, except that right now I have 6 classes of English level 1, almost 120 students, and an actual amount of information I'm responsible for conveying to those students.  It keeps me on my toes, to say the least.

I enjoy the endeavor.  Time in the classroom seems to disappear.  One moment I'm checking attendance, the next I'm welcoming a new group of students and wondering how two hours have already passed.  I feel a little crazy, in truth, like I'm living in the twilight zone.  Twenty minutes pass for me, and two hours (well, I hope it's only two) for everybody else.

This side of the classroom is very different.  We've had three weeks of class, and there are about ten remaining.  My feeling, we've ALREADY had THREE WEEKS of class?  And there is ONLY TEN LEFT???  I used to sit on the other side of the room and wonder how there could possibly still be ten weeks left of class.  The semester seemed interminable.  Now I find myself presenting material at what feels like breakneck speed to make sure everything gets done, and I wonder at the idea that we will somehow fit it all in.  An interesting perspective, this side of the classroom.

Aside from the classroom, I find my Spanish progressing a little here and there, though certainly not in leaps and bounds.  I understand more now than I did when I first arrived, but it doesn't always feel that way.  Indeed, I hadn't really thought I understood more at all, until somebody I knew from Bogota happened to be in Yopal the other day.   I realized how much easier our conversation is here than it had been there.  Progress, but slow.

This place continues to enchant me, as well.  The sky is different from what I'm used to, but beautiful all the same.  There is no North Star, and I haven't been able to spot the Big Dipper, but Vega is still easy to find and Orion makes his appearance every night, albeit in a place I'm not used to looking.  This place is very dark when the lights are off, and the stardust scattered across the sky reminds me of Montana.

Last weekend Brother Martín took me for a ride around the farm on horseback.  It was blazing hot, but very interesting.  The students here study agronomical engineering, so the fields are small, practical application laboratories.  Most of the farm, however, is not tended by the students.  Rather, very little is cultivated at all.  The area is wild and used as range for the cattle kept here and tended by ranchers employed by the University.  Jungle, meadow, streams and swamps govern an area roamed by free range stock.  At one point we came across a small herd of horses that clearly weren't wild, but which I don't guess feel a saddle very often.  They came to greet us, but kept a healthy distance, as well.

One thing I'm struggling with a little here is bugs.  Spiders and mosquitoes, in particular, but occasionally others as well.  To try to keep the number of mosquitoes in my room to a minimum I've made a point of not killing spiders - the web-making kind, anyway, and that's all fine and well.  But.

Yesterday morning my foot had the unfortunate experience of finding a different kind of spider in my shoe.  With it's legs spread out, it barely would have fit in the palm of my hand, and it clearly doesn't make webs.  I didn't know what it was, at first, but it didn't belong in my shoe.  I took my foot out (before I ever even got the shoe all the way on) and shook it upside down.  Well, I saw something come out, but couldn't tell what it was.  Then I looked all around and couldn't find it, so I figured it probably had been a large spider and had run away.  Well, I was half right.  Often one to learn practical lessons a little slower than I ought, I proceeded to put my shoes on.  My left foot then encountered the same spider, because as soon as it hit the ground, without my even getting a look at it, it managed to flee INTO MY OTHER SHOE!  Well, eventually that problem got taken care of, but this morning I found the exact same variety of spider clinging to my shower curtain.  I haven't motivated myself to study for the GRE yet, but I have at least made good use of the book.

Anyway, I have plenty more to write, as always, but think that's probably enough for the moment.  I need to finish writing some exams.

Feel free to leave comments or send me an e-mail.

Alex