I don't know think it's an official mark but a month and a half in a foreign country is about the time where you stop being a tourist and start seeing more of the way local people truly experience life. When you first arrive there is so much going on that it was really just a big whirlwind of new things to see, hear, and smell. After a few weeks things become more familiar, and then going from the mark of one month to two, the "newness" of things begins to wear off. I think that's partially why I haven't kept up my blog very well. At first new things were happening so frequently that I felt like there was always something interesting to report. Now I feel like I've gotten used to things and it's not as exciting as it used to be. However, it's still an entirely different experience than I've ever had before and part of the whole process is going from the early phase, to in-between, and then the end. Part of it has also been that I feel like I've hit a bit of a rut with my work here. To be honest, some weeks have felt monotonous where I feel like not much progress is being made, and the same problems keep happening. For example, in pretty much every zone, just about every class has attendance issues. First, just getting the students to come to class on time is a struggle all itself. But second, we've had repeated classes with only about half the students who actually show up. As far as the tardiness is concerned, I think it's something that as long as we push, we will still run into problems because that's just the way things are here. "On time" is merely a suggestion, and this is not just a problem with the younger students. It makes it really hard to plan a full lesson, when sometimes only one or two students come to class on time. We've tried the 15 minute rule, where anyone who comes 15 minutes late or more, cannot enter the classroom. Unfortunately, those students then get behind and then sometimes just lose interest in coming to class. With the issue of missing students, we can attribute most of the reasons why to the beginning of a new school year. Students are in school all week long, a standard 6 hour school day. Then they have to attend English class shortly after they get home from their school day. However, the English classes are only once per week, therefore not demanding very much of their time. I've adjusted one of my class because it overlapped with the time that a few students were on their way home from school. It's made a difference, but still more students miss class than before the school year began. There is confusion over whether the students are motivated and truly want to learn English or they are attending because their parents want them to. It's difficult to decide what's more important, because many times parents know what's best and ought to demonstrate authority. But if there are students who go and do not pay attention because they are not interested, it feels like a waste of time. I hate to say that but it's true. That's how it can feel to me. Especially because I run into kids and families on the street who ask about being admitted into English classes. When the parent asks, they usually point to their child who appears eager and ready to learn. So that's where I'm at with everything. I've been feeling bad about it because I didn't know if I should really go ahead and post about it out of fear that it would seem like I'm not enjoying myself. Because that is not the case. The time I do have with the students who come, is very special. I'm loving my women's class on Saturday's. It's so great to be able to teach them phrases and have them conversing with one another that same evening. I do also enjoy singing songs and coloring with the group of young students I have on Monday's and Friday's. Another reality that I have to consider is that this organization is still very young. We are not quite 2 years old, so there is still a lot of trial and error taking place. This was communicated during orientation and that suggestions are always welcome.
Now switching gears to current news. Sooo because I've been in a bit of a frustrated slump, I go through times where I feel like there's not much joy to be found around me. Being at home can be very solitary, which sounds odd in a small house of 7 people, but it happens. Yet it's amazing how opening up and sharing your feelings with God, helps to reveal joy around you. I told Him that I hate going to see the kids when I feel 'blah' because I don't give them the energy that I really want to. I don't feel like my goofy, fun-loving self. But after talking with God, my day with the kids on Friday was just great. The title of this post is "giggling..." because I don't think I've ever heard anything that adorable before. During playtime, we usually play futbol (can't say soccer here, it feels weird!) or another group game. However, we were down a ball, so we brought out the long jump rope and took turns. Two kids that I don't think I've ever witnessed jumping rope decided to participate and they had me laughing so hard. During each of their times to jump, they were giggling like it was the most fun, joyous thing that they have ever done in their lives. They giggled like jumping rope was more thrilling than any game they've ever experienced and it made me so happy it just about brought tears to my eyes. It was the most heartwarming thing I've witnessed in a while. One of the kids I simply adore for his happy nature and bouncy, contagious energy. His name is Jean Carlo, yup that's right, he's Peruvian. He always runs up and gives me a big hug and then holds my hand when we walk outside to play. I thanked God in that moment for giving me such a precious reminder that joy can be found all around me. On Monday, we get to take that group to the zoo. I'm looking forward to it; it should be fun to see how they react to a trip to see the animals. I'm also curious to see what all a Peruvian zoo entails.
Tonight at home we celebrated the worldwide Earth Hour and ceased to use electricity for one hour. At first it felt a bit strange to all of a sudden shut off the lights and sit there in the dark. However, we turned it into a fun bonding experience with a game of hide n' seek. It was pretty comical because there's not an abundance of really good hiding spots, minus under the beds. But beneath the mattresses and bed frames lie all sorts of things that I'd rather not uncover. I was pretty happy with the turnout, everyone participated. Usually I'm ridiculed for being such a "gamer" and have to plead with others to get them to play a game. But without lights or technology (aka being glued to our laptops), we took a trip down memory lane and pretended to be carefree kids as we scurried around in the dark.
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