¿y ahora qué?: Not even a full week yet

Only four days in and I feel like it's been a lifetime! Everyday is full of activities and I'm still getting used to the way of life here. I'm loving it though, which is good since this is home for the next 6 months. The hardest things so far have been not knowing my way around very well, handling unruly children in the classroom, and accepting the way that animals live here. As far as traveling around the town we walk or take moto's or combi's. The moto's are little motorized carts with a roof and combi's are small buses and some are more like vans. It's just like getting familiarized with any public transportation system, you have to learn the routes but the thing here is that there aren't any maps to learn. You just have to get used to what to look for and make sure to get off at the right place. I know it will only be a matter of a few weeks before it all makes sense. Oh and if you've been to a third world or developing country, you know what traffic is like -- crazy, unorganized, better watch out or they WILL run you over! So needless to say, it's quite an adventure. Most of the time the kids are well-behaved, but there are sometimes the one or two in every class that get everyone else off course. This morning there was one boy who had a bird (yes a bird, and yes alive) in his book bag in class. So he proceeds to take the bird out during class, which I thought was good for the bird, but bad for class. While he's holding the poor little bird it manages to escape and is hopping all around the room trying to get away. Of course the boy is chasing it and the other kids are chasing him. As this is going on, I'm using all the Spanish command words I can think of in an attempt to get the kids back to their seats. (I was also rooting for the terrified bird, hoping it would be able to get away.) But much to my dismay, the boy finally caught the bird and once again has it clenched in his tiny hand. When the bird then decided to bite the boy, I just didn't have much sympathy. The poor thing was fighting for its life! I knew I couldn't really do much because as far as the boy was concerned, it was his pet because he paid for it. Arguing over setting the bird free would have only escalated the problem further. At the end of the class I had a talk with him about treating animals nicely, although I think it went in one ear and out the other =/. It's a difficult thing to cope with, the treatment of animals here. In the states where animals are commonly pets and not wandering the streets, they become more humanized in a way. Here dogs are everywhere (not neutered), freely roaming, fulfilling their inner animal instincts to be free. But it comes with a cost because traffic definitely does not stop for animals. Sadly I had to witness this the other day. I saw a dog get run over by a moto, but luckily was able to limp away. It was just in time because the combi I was in would have hit it run it over next. Just awful! These are just a few things that are going to take a little while to get used to. On the upside, I really enjoy my purpose for being here, and I am looking forward to watching the progress of the students in my classes. Today I got to work with students in a school high up on the mountain, about 30 minutes away from where I'm living. It was their first English lesson so we started with ABC's and colors. Thus far they were the most well-behaved as a group, so I eagerly anticipate teaching their class again next week. During the walk back down the mountain to get to the nearest combi stop, I thought a lot about how much we take for granted back at home. These kids were perfectly happy with what few sheets of paper they had and the crayons they got to color with for a short while. Overall, everyone in the community has been very friendly and generally wave as you pass by. I still have many pictures to take, but for now I've included a few of the house where I'm living.