Pictures....and all the Stories next time!

English Class Ads & Taganga

Work, Work, Work!

6/2 Thursday: I honestly can’t remember… more meetings?

6/3 Friday: After recovering from the flu, I became ill with a nasty stomach virus. Every five minutes, I ran from bed to the bathroom. Not even Pepto Bismol could ease the pain. The stomach virus continued for almost a week, until now.

6/4 Saturday: On Saturday, I had another workshop with the girls at a neighboring private university.  However, I couldn’t enter because I was wearing shorts. I found myself in the same situation the week before at the secondary school. A few establishments don’t approve of women in shorts. Long skirts and pants are considered more appropriate for school settings. Our theme for the workshop was Leadership in the City. I began the first presentation with a series of questions for the girls: 1)What is the most important characteristic for a leader? Why? 2)Who are leaders in Santa Marta and Colombia? Why? 3)How do you act as a leader? At the end, I asked the girls which question they considered to be the most difficult to answer. Their response: the second question. I emphasized that the purpose of our workshops is to build future leaders in the girls, so that they can set an example for the generations to come. That night, I went out with Eder and some other friends. Before heading to downtown, Eder showed me the oldest church in Colombia (different than the oldest Cathedral) and we spent some time hanging out in his beautiful home. Afterwards, we went to a bar in downtown called Crabs. Crabs plays classic rock and blues, and there is a billiards table for all to enjoy. I felt comforted by the familiar environment. Afterwards, we danced the night away at a club, and ended our adventure with a swim in the ocean.

6/5 Sunday: We went to a beautiful series of beaches called Taganga. The beaches are nestles within the mountains. Gorgeous! To walk to the different beaches, you have to trek through the mountain sides.  We spent the day swimming in the ocean, competing to see who could hold their breath for the longest underwater, tanning, eating mangos and bread, and enjoying a day outdoors. That night, I showered all the sand off and slept very well.

6/6 Monday: In the morning, I headed over to the hotel, Santa Mar, to host a show for a University event. Essentially, the event was a series of informational talks and fun presentations for students who had just completed their first semester at the U.  On my way to the bus stop, I saw THE CUTEST baby donkey in a cart being led by the mother donkey. Anywho, at the hotel, I met up with fellow AIESECERs. We practiced for our show: an American Idol performance but with a dance competition, instead of singing. I acted as the host, like Ryan Seacrest, with a mic and everything! We also had a panel of judges, like Simon, Paula, and Randy. We had 6 couples compete with with different dances from Colombia and the United States. We all had a lot of fun, and, as always, I was impressed by the diverse dancing skills of Colombians! Afterwards, we hung out at an @ers house. That night, I met up with a neighbor named Jorge. He is awesome! For a week or so, I have been giving him informal, unstructured English lessons in the evening. He is a perfect example of the kindness and open-mindedness of Colombia.

6/7 Tuesday: I had my first morning English class at the University! The class lasts for three weeks, 5 days a week, 2 hours a day. And the price is equivalent to only $25. Incredibly inexpensive! However, I will receive no pay. The first day, I wasn’t sure what to expect. My goal: evaluate the level of English in the class. I had my students answer some evaluation questions. Overall, the level of the class is intermediate, but there are a few very basic levels and a few relatively advanced. I mostly cater to the intermediate level, with some more individual attention to those of basic and advanced.

6/8 Wednesday: Second class! We practiced describing the physical appearance and personality of other people. At the end of class, we sang a song by Hilary Duff that included a diverse set of descriptions in the lyrics. The class was a bunch of fun! That afternoon, I met with Angela, a fellow trainee from Switzerland. We decided we would teach a large English class of 42 students together, instead of splitting the group into two smaller classes. I enjoy working with her! It is nice to spend time with another trainee with whom I can identify. That evening, I went to ping pong practice with Esteban. I had a ton of fun playing again. I hadn’t played since they removed the ping pong table from the dorms 4 or so months ago. I could use some practice!

6/9 Thursday: Third class! We discussed student life, academics, and other items related to the University. In class, we focus on vocabulary and design many verbal presentations.  That night, I went to the cinema to see X-Men…all in Spanish. I understood everything! I enjoyed relaxing in the theater. Afterwards, we grabbed some ice cream at McDonalds. Yummm! Here, McDonalds is expensive in relation to other food options, and the portions are much smaller than those of the U.S. In fact, in general, portions are smaller! Especially of drinks, the thing I crave most in all this heat.

6/10 Friday: Final class for the week! We discussed vocabulary about the design of homes and all of the different rooms in a house. I showed a video of MTV Cribs as one of the activities hehe That night, I went again to the rock music, American bar, Crabs. We played billiards, drank some exotic and yummy non-alcoholic mixers, and I taught my friends the card game Kemps. Afterwards, we met up with a big group and went to a dance club. I had fun, but I am not a dancing Colombian machine. I am always one of the first people to be tired or want to change activities. Yes, I enjoy dancing, but in moderation. Colombian dances require so much energy!

6/11 Saturday: This morning, we had a workshop with the girls about Life Plans and respect for public goods (littering, street rules, etc.) Next Saturday, we will have a day full of games and fun to end the sessions for summer break. There was also a workshop in the afternoon for the girls of 11^th grade, but I felt very tired and ill today, so I stayed at home to rest. This has been a long week full of work and sickness, so I need some time to rest and reenergize.  Tomorrow is another full day…

MISC.

Litter is everywhere in this city. Saw a man peeing on the sidewalk and wall. The people lack respect for public goods.

There are street crossing lights for people. The light is a green figure that begins by walking and steadily becomes faster until the figure is running. Love it!

People are curious about the differences between British English and American English. Also, my fake Texas accent.

Young girls ask me about Justin Beiber XD

I saw Gossip Girl in Spanish on the television. OMG!

The shower water only has one setting: cold. But here, the cold water is absolutely refreshing!

I have seen many poodles and other tiny fluffy dogs on the streets. The image is odd to me because those types of dogs are SO pampered in the U.S.

Infrastructure. Many streets don’t have names. There are no street signs. People know directions by landmarks, not streets. Also, many streets have dangerous holes and cracks, flooding issues, or are dirt roads and not concrete.

Threaded bracelets (manillas) are very popular here as gifts and memories. Everyone seems to have at least a few on their wrist! So far, I have one from my friend Jorge J

Sorry for such a delay! 

Always,

Cassie

Some of last week...

5/30 Monday –I began my day with a sore throat. Gradually, I lost my voice. However, I still managed to complete a lot of work. I created an excel sheet to document ALL of my expenditures. I also plan to guard my money very carefully, to count my change after every transaction. Afterwards, I documented all of the meetings and activities of the last week involving work for the Foundation. I also began to plan my English classes. Essentially, I will focus on vocabulary for certain practical situations/themes: banks, hospitals, schools, transportation, food, etc. I will also teach basic verb conjugations and prepositions. I will spend a significant amount of time on practicing pronunciation, one of the most difficult facets of the English language for native Spanish speakers. A reason why the pronunciation is so difficult is because English emphasizes the hard sounds of consonants. In Spanish, the majority of words end in a vowel or soft sound.  Later in the day, I met with Gloria, a member of ICX to discuss the quality of my exchange so far. She seems very cool! She has traveled to and lived in many different countries, including Peru, Argentina, Italy, and Switzerland (I just can’t remember specifically which others!). In the future, I hope to be as cultured in experience as she is. As we discussed @, travel, life, romance, partying, we enjoyed some wonderful smoothies. My favorite aspect of the food here is the FRUIT. Fresh, pure, exotic, and flavorful! I could just eat and drink fruit for every meal :D That evening, I met the head director of the Foundation for the first time. Her name is Greici. Super cool! She is a fellow @er who recently returned from her exchange in Brazil. She is beautiful, kind, intelligent, everything you could hope for in a boss. Apparently, she has also acted in a Colombian soap opera. Badass!

5/31 Tuesday - I couldn’t sleep. So far, I have endured two nights without rest, and my other nights are marked by vivid, stimulating dreams. I woke up feeling even more ill, and they continued, I became aware of my fever, migraine, and full body aches. Nevertheless, I went to the high school for my classes with the girls. It is difficult to follow all that is said in the philosophy and ethics courses. However, the activities and conversations that I do understand are fascinating. They are discussing very critical and abstract concepts, such as the creating and purpose of man and gender roles of society. The high school is all-female, so there is an overlying spirit of feminism, which I respect and admire. I enjoy my English class the most, with students in the 9^th grade. They are super cute, kind and talkative. I am also able to genuinely contribute assistance in the class to the professor and students. I read conversations and vocabulary out loud for them to repeat and practice pronunciation. Only when teaching English, have I realized the difficult of the language. Honestly, I prefer the sound of Spanish, but English is so necessary for business and communication in today’s world! After classes, I returned home, ate, and passed out in bed. I woke in the sweat of fever, and then slept some more. My adoptive mother gave me some tea, water, and hot sugar cane juice, alongside bread and medicine to sooth my illness. She told me that I have a virus/flood as a result of the climate change. Apparently, it is quite common. So, I spent night sick and resting.

Funny times: During English class, Duvan attempted to make a pun with the words t-shirt and teacher. He super failed XD

I also had an interesting thought during breakfast… as I watched flies about the home (very common), I thought about how animals require no passports to travel from country to country, continent to continent. I wonder if the animals can sense a difference in culture alongside climate….

Speaking of animals… I found a worm inside my avocado during dinner, and my adoptive mother says, “Don’t worry, it’s more fiber,” and she laughed. (Fortunately, I didn’t actually have to eat it!)

Other thoughts….

A peace core project just recently began here in Santa Marta. The focus is to assist professors in teaching English to the community. English = the most valuable verbal export in the world. The @ members ask to practice English with me, which I am always more than happy to do. At times, I am too exhausted to speak Spanish coherently. Especially at the end of a long day, I lack the willpower, especially to listen and discern. It is far more difficult to listen than to speak! Exciting news: A friend recommended me to privately tutor a university student in English. So, I might have another source of money! We’ll see…

On the topic of languages, the three other interns can speak at least three languages, one can speak five. I am very impressed! USA needs to emphasize the importance of foreign language starting in elementary school. Seriously. The US needs more cultural awareness outside of its own borders! However, I do appreciate the diversity of my country. The culture of the US is indeed the culture of the world. As one of the most diverse countries in the world (if not THE MOST diverse), there are hundreds of languages, foods, and holidays from every country in the globe.

When I return to the U.S., I also hope to embark on more domestic travels. There are a few Colombians who I have met that have seen New York, Miami, San Francisco, etc., cities that I, as a US resident, have never seen. What a shame! I must change that J

6/1 Wednesday – Woke up feeling much healthier! I am determined to fully recover by tomorrow. Today, we hosted an event in the plaza of the university to advertise the English courses during vacations in June. Our goal: 3 classes (English, German, Spanish) with 15 students in each. The other interns and I played music from our respective countries and presented photos and info in our languages. I also walked around campus with Duvan, both of us in Gangster University of Houston baseball caps. He set the beat, and I rapped in English about the summer courses. We passed out a ton of interest forms. Also, because I brought no items from the US (no flag, no pamphlets, etc.), I dressed up as the flag in red, white and blue, and created a presentation of visuals and info in the computer.  Today, we received the information of many interested students. I am excited! I discovered that several @ers are talented Harmonica and chess players. How kool! Also, we played thumb wars, rock/paper/scissors (though it is a tad different here), and that violent, unnamed slapping game lol  I returned home for lunch, and I watched the price is right with a Colombian host and the prices in pesos. I’m not quite as talented at guessing the price in other currencies, but I hope to improve my skill.  That evening, I headed over to the U for ping pong practice, but I discovered it had been canceled due to the rain. On my way back home, I ran into some @ers. We hung out at a local panadería (drinks, bread, deserts), and drank some gaseosa (soda). Afterwards, I went with Cristian to drink coffee at the famous Juan Valdez Café. Essentially, Juan Valdez is the Starbucks of Colombia. It tasted incredibly delicious! He taught me about differences in coffees and mangos.

Pañuelo de papel – tissue paper

La Gripa – flu

La Virosis –  virus

Oso de peluche – teddy bear

El té – tea

La Panela – sugar cane

El/La Nativo/a  - native speaker

La visita – period/menstruation, literally it means the visit (from mother nature)

Carrefour – a huge store like Walmart

Casilda – another new nickname 

Las Graduaciones de @ y el Colegio Laura Vicuña