Not So Wongderful (TM: Bewley)

Today began better than yesterday; Yuri and I both got up on time! I definitely got ready much faster than she (so fast that I went on down to breakfast), but we made it to the first session with time to spare. The first session was separated, meaning only the Americans were together with an alum in order to learn about teaching/living in Mexico. After that, we had a great session about crossing cultures. That has kinda been the theme the whole week, but it was very hands on and it was a straight-forward comparison between our behaviors versus the rest of the world’s. We got to give input as well as hear from other countries. It was very neat even though it had had the potential to be quite awful.
Lunch was good- Chinese cuisine. Yuri, Shania, and I had realized early in the morning that there was much to talk about and little time left, so we decided to have a working lunch. During this time, they explained the structure of the English Teaching Department of the whole city as well as lists of phone numbers of their friends, family, and colleagues. This was very helpful. They also gave me more options for what I could do. Apparently, after telling me I must be at Yuri’s school yesterday, Maggie got more information and changed her mind a bit. So they told me of some options, and then we were planning on talking to Maggie again before I left.
I feel obligated, though dedicated is a better word, to Yuri’s school. I am interested in working there, though it will not be the most convenient job. Many of the options they gave me included teaching a half day (yes, a half of a half day) at her school and then another option. The most appealing one to me was 8-10:30 at Yuri’s school, then a teaching block at a Kindergarten. This will be the first year for a Kindergarten program in Culiacan. Because of that, there will be a need for teacher training. An additional “teaching load” I may take on is that of training teachers. They seem to think I’m so very qualified, namely because I’m a native speaker. I would love nothing more than to get this K program underway. And I would definitely love being a part of it in the actual classroom.
After lunch, I went to make sure my suitcases were near completion in their packing state so I could just walk out after our afternoon sessions.
The afternoon session with the alum was more about living situations when you’re renting from someone and living alone in the dwelling place. Knowing about bills and such was not applicable to me since I will be paying Mabel directly. They also mentioned things about taxes and power of attorney which Mom of course had already taken care of.
We had a 15 minute stretch break to meet back over at the other hotel in our country groups, so I ran over there in order to print off my receipts from my flight and my super shuttle that would be picking me up at 5:25 to take me to the airport so I could be paid back.
When I left the lab, I saw my Mexicanas and asked them if we could talk to Maggie then since I was leaving.
Basically, what it boils down to is that they’re going to want me to do lots of things. Their intention is good; they want to share the native speaker with as many children and teachers as possible. The important thing to remember is that I am committed only to Yuri’s school. I must be there when she would’ve been there and if there are other opportunities I want to take advantage of, I should.
So we had that talk, we ran into the meeting for which we were 30 minutes late, I signed some forms they were missing from my file, and ran back to the hotel. I said my goodbyes, told Yuri about our possible house for them (!), and got to the lobby to wait.
Yuri waited with me. I was really upset to be missing the Celebration of Cultures dinner from 6-9. I did not know what all it would mean when I booked my flight, nor did I realize I’d have to ride almost 2 hours to the airport.
Now, it’s 9:30, and my 9:25 flight with a 10:30 arrival in Nashville is now a 10:30 flight with an 11:20 arrival in Nashville. Basically, I could’ve seen a good hour or two of the Cultures. I’m so annoyed. I wish I had just made my flight for tomorrow. If I could turn back time…
Tomorrow, I have to look at two housing choices for Yuri, get my house in order in case she’s spending the weekend with me, pick her up from the airport, have a Preview Day at school, have a potluck dinner with the teachers, and have a smile on my face the whole time, after having been deprived of sleep since last Friday and stuffed with information all week and delayed an HOUR while missing a very cool dinner.
Ugh.
Think happy thoughts. I’m out of them.
Well, here’s maybe one..I got all my lists (post-its, scratch notes on books, schedules, and other lists) combined into one list in my legal pad for each issue. I feel organized and ready to tackle the 18 days until I leave!