Mola (one month to go!)

Right now, I am sitting at a Starbucks during my teaching break, sipping on a hot cider and listening to elevator music. Gonna miss this.

As the title foretold, we've got about one month until I officially ship out. On either March 18th or morning of the 19th, 120 people are flying from all around the country to DC for STAGING!!! We will be receiving/organizing our plane tickets 2 weeks prior to that date.

IE>>

March 1-10th, receive plane ticket!
March 18-19th, fly to DC!
March 19th, Staging and heading to Casablanca!

Once in Casablanca, we are finagling over to Rabat for our two month language and cultural intensive program until we are sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers!

So exciting.

Despite all the ridiculousness I have witnessed while subbing over the past five months, I'm going to miss these kids. At times they can be insufferable, stubborn, and just plain rude. Yet, they've taught me more about what kind of teacher--and person-- I want to be than sitting in a classroom could ever do.

Plus, I've pretty much mastered the various glares.

"You did NOT just do that"
"Pick that up"
"Detention!"
"Say please, please" (also=manners??)
"You get a Bling Buck!" (Bling Bucks are what the scholars use to purchase additional school supplies. They are dealt out as rewards for exceptional behavior)

....

Last week, I went to a Batizado (t=pronounced "ch") with my Capoeira group. A Batizado is a ceremony that can be translated as "baptism". Around the world, Batizado's occur at different times. Depending on the cord level, you may not be an active participant until your teacher says you are ready.

The more inexperienced capoerista fights against a mestre (master) or someone with a much higher cord level. It is like baptism by fire. At a lower level, one fights until they are tripped--last time, the guy I played against tripped me, picked me up over his shoulder, and carried me over to get my next cord level. The tripping signifies the humility-- and humiliation-- necessary to join a higher rank. Not only do you get a cord, but also have a greater responsibility to pass on the knowledge and teachings that were given to you.

"With great power (of knowledge) comes great responsibility (to pass it on)"

This time around, I didn't get as much time on the floor. However, I did get a nickname!

Part of (most) Batizado ceremonies is receiving a nickname by your peers. Historically, it was illegal to practice Capoeira, and the punishment for being found practicing the sport was vicious. To maintain secrecy, the capoeiristas gave each other nicknames-- usually from a particular trait or characteristic of the person--to protect one another from persecution. This tradition is continued today, usually during the Batizado ceremony.

... and I finally got a nickname!

Mola. It means "spring".

:)

Teaching (4 months to go)

It has been three months of teaching in two/three different capacities. I may be due a reflection or two at this point.

1. Substitute teacher at a single school. You may be asking yourself, but wait. Don't substitute teachers usually circulate within a school district? How does it work?

I am what you call an internal-sub. Because I only work at one school, I have the benefits of better understanding the discipline system and the methods behind the madness consistent throughout the school. If a teacher has planned a personal day ahead of time, they may e-mail the principal or me directly to ask if I have the time to substitute. If it's the principal, he either texts me or writes an e-mail--depending on the length of time preceding the request. Often I have gotten called at 6:30 in the morning because a teacher wakes up and feels terrible. Once I had to drive over around noon since a teacher went home sick.

Because of this tremendous opportunity, I have been able to teach 6th-12th grade across all subjects--Special Education, Intervention, Math, Science, English, and Foreign Language classes, specifically.

I haven't subbed for a history class yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

2. Volunteer English teacher at a refugee employment-education store. For 12 weeks, a class of between 18-30 refugees study Retail and Janitorial skills; through this experience, they learn English related to the job, and spend some time developing Employment skills as well.

I love these guys. They're amazing. I basically go here to get inspired (and my employee's discount--25% off)

3. Baby-sitting. Cu-u-u-u-ute. I have a few families, and I get to play with kids--professionally!

My favorite part: reading bedtime stories. One of the favorites is a book called "The Sun" which is about-- you guessed it--the sun. When the kid tries to touch the sun, he pulls back his finger and says "ouch! That burns!". Adorable.

6 months to go (Safari Thrift)

What's goin' on, everybody?

6 months to go, one week down...

I start the internship at the African Community Center on Monday, and I'll be working on developing the English Language curriculum for the thrift store. Now, this thrift store is a special thrift store, because the main employees are the students who are accessing job training skills. Over a 12 week period, between 20-25 students have 3 main curricula:
1) Janitorial 2) Retail and 3) English language

The students are broken up into 3 groups by language skill and retail experience, and not only does the language training cater towards job growth, but the students gain the practical experience of running the store. The money from the purchases at the store go back into the program, and means that the training can continue for the next session.

This program is specifically for new immigrants that may have trouble assimilating or are simply recommended by case workers.

I'm excited by the opportunity to work and learn with some amazing people over the next six months. Hopefully the experiences I gain with writing curricula, cultural exchange, and developing professional relationships can be applied to my future Youth Development position in Morocco.

My personal goal while working at the ACC is to cement my elevator speech--you know, the 30 second snippet about yourself that is extremely useful in all sorts of situations.

Onto EMS quiz 2 and ASL paper. Wooo.