I need to write something. No excuses.
I have been absent these past few (more than a few... sorry) weeks for very good reason I'll have you know. My life has been completely consumed by my job--- teaching 3rd, 4th and 5th graders English as a second language and also teaching them Language Arts. The difficulties I've found in this task can be listed as such:
1) To understand Language Arts, you have to understand the language that the teacher is speaking while teaching it to you (english....some of my kids don't really speak it... at all)
2) None of these grades have previous curriculum made for them... so Zoe now must act as experienced/studied curriculum writer as well as teacher of made-up curriculum. Keep in mind I've never taught anything, English was always my least favorite subject in school, and i've never studied teaching
3) the school is completely disorganized and students still have not received some of their books
4) one grade would be hard enough, 3 is just downright difficult.
The great things about my job/life in general:
1) I make enough money (if they pay me) so to live a comfortable life here (although i have no time to go out and spend it...)
2) the staff is extremely friendly and very understanding
3) the satisfaction of watching a student understand and demonstrate even the simplest concept (ABC order or how to answer a question in a complete sentence) is simply incredible.
4) I have the most amazing roommate, Lizz, who cooks for me and gives the best moral support through home-made cafe-mochas and chai tea. It is coincidentally her birthday today (hence, Lizzmas) and we will be celebrating tonight with a dinner with some of her CASA friends (the language program she is studying in currently).
5) the Job, however difficult it may be, is getting easier... or atleast I'm learning how to manage it in a better way. Although I'm yet to get enough sleep during the week, I'm slowly catching up to the point where I can now work ahead (producing weekly outlines and worksheets before the day before...)
6) I get to relearn all the interesting things about the English language... did you know that there is a rule for when you pronounce c as "ss" and c as "K"... NEITHER DID I! that's way the word facade should always have the cedille thing on it, because in english you don't pronounce c followed by a as an "s"... it should sound like "fakade"... oh my.
7) I'm finally learning how to spell. I now finally know how to spell beginning, syllable, and disappear without second guessing (is that sad... yes it is).
But yes, this is my life right now... learning English in Cairo. Who knew? Hopefully November will bring a new chapter and Lizz and I will finally find some time to get out. I'm hoping to start up Arabic lessons again, because as it stands I rarely am practicing my language, although my listening/understanding of Egyptian Arabic is getting a lot better... i know that my spoken and MSA is disappearing rapidly (note the spelling of disappearing... ha).
As for Cairo itself. Well its finally cooled off. Now the high is in the lower-80's and nights are nice and cool. Yesterday we had a whopping 3 seconds of rain. I wake up with the sun, which is nice. I get to ride a school bus that's overpacked with kindergarden kids that sometimes sit on my lap....othertimes they complain about the fact that I put their backpack in the wrong spot... ultimately they brighten up my day though.
ps. kids are tough. I'm learning how to not take them seriously.
here's a pic of lizz and i.
