First Day of Class!

Well, I´m halfway through the first day of classes. I had one intermediate class at two in the afternoon and then a four hour break until my first basic class at seven in the evening. My last class is another intermediate class from eight thirty until ten o´clock at night. Tuesday I have another intermediate class at two and that´s it. Wednesday I have a new basic class and my fifth and final class, which is an intermediate class.

I was pretty nervous for my first class but it went really well and I feel a lot better about stepping into the other classrooms. My students were hesitant at first but got into it as the class went along. I only had four students in that class, even though there is supposed to be fourteen in the class. Similar to the United States and the first day of classes where no one shows up.

I teach blocks of students that are all in the same program. For example, my first class were all computer engineering students and my next class is graphic design students. I think I have some publishing students and one other program that I´ll be teaching English to. Either way, it went really well and I hope to be able to prepare some fun classes as the semester progresses.

I am all moved in with my family now and it´s nice to have my own room. My room is tinier than when I lived in Costa Rica but that´s okay. I have all my stuff unpacked and was able to find my credit card and drivers license but need to get my card unblocked so I can use it.

My family is really nice and I went out salsa and merengue dancing with my homestay sister and some of her friends and we came home all sweaty at like, five-thirty in the morning. It´s nice that I don´t have to work until two in the afternoon everyday. Hopefully I can get into some sort of excercise rythm because I feel like I´m getting pretty out of shape, but who´s to say? At least I´m close enough to the school to walk every day until it starts raining heavily. It´s still pretty hot but that should change in the next month or so.

My friend Jane with whom I studied and traveled with in Costa Rica is down here in Santiago trying to find work. Ironically, we went out for some beers and a movie and while we were dringking she enquired about work and might have gotten a job working in a bar right next to where I teach at Mall Plaza Vespucio! Hopefully when this year is done if I want to stay I´ll be able to find work fairly quickly. Who knows? I might have to start working in a restaurant again down here, but I doubt that. My years worth of teaching experience and native language skills should be able to secure a job in the rich part of Santiago to the northeast.

Well, that´s all for now. I have to get ready for class. I need to burn some pictures to cds so I can take some of my family and where I live. I will talk to everybody later!