Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Weekend with Gonzolo and Family

I managed to find a professor at UTEQ who I originally meet in 2008. He is not an English teacher but teaches in another department. I also saw him in 2010 when I was here. At that time, he took me to his son Gonzolo's kindergarten graduation and then out to lunch, where I met his wife and other two children, Leo and Diego. So when I found him in his office during the week, he asked me if I had plans for the weekend. I told him " not yet" so then he asked me about going to a family gathering with him on Saturday. I agreed, so on Saturday afternoon, he picked me up at the hotel.

First, he drove to his house to get his wife and children. He lives in a nice neighborhood and has a modest house that was recently remodeled. His wife Lucy works too so they are quite busy. The children go to a bilingual school which teaches English, so his children could speak to me in English. Now, the children's ages are 8, 6, and 3. It was while I was at the house that I learned that we were all going to a family reunion.






It was a short drive to the reunion. This is a reunion the family has every year with Gonzolo's fraternal side of the family. We were one of the first family's to arrive but soon the rented hall was almost full. Maybe about 200 people. I was introduced to many people, like Gonzolo's parents, sisters and and uncles. All were very nice. All brought food, so it was like a potluck. I especially like the shrimp cocktail and spicy marinated pork. I did worry that the food might make me sick but that never happened. My other concern was the alcohol. I tried to drink very little but all kinds of drinks offered, especially tequila. I didn't want to be sick and hungover. haha! Later they sang songs-Karaoke-some amazing singers. Everyone seemed to get along and it was quite enjoyable..



The next day, the family took me to Pena de Bernal. This is the third largest monolith in the world. It was about one hour drive to Bernal. The town is small but full of little shops and easy to walk around. It was good to get some exercise and the weather was great, as usual. The hike up the mountain is quite a challenge and I only made it about halfway up. The path is not that steep but the surface is very uneven and some places it is like mountain climbing almost. Lots of people were climbing that day with us too. It was a good experience and I thought my legs might be sore the next day, but I felt fine.



Some volunteers have been sick in our group but so far I have avoided the malady, thank heavens. University students have been great, with a wide range of speaking ability. The teachers we are working with at the university are very happy to have us in there rooms too, so it has been a great experience. I would gladly recommend this city for vacation and travel. It is safe and very friendly..
In a few days, I will be home again. I hope the sun will be shinning in Portland. :)







Saturday, February 16, 2013

First week of teaching

This week has been chocked full of activities with teaching and everyday has a slightly different schedule, which keeps you on your toes. Some days start at 7 am with class, others at 9 am. On Wednesday, we went to a new univeristy which has just been built. UTEQ, a school I have been to twice before, seems familiar as I recognize many of the teachers and know the layout of the buildings. The students are new but seem the same as previous times. Some of the teachers remember me too which is nice as they have had a many volunteer teams here. One teacher at the school has lived in Portland and Alaska, but I have yet to meet her.
Generally, because we are such a large group of volunteers, about 4 of us go with the teacher to the English class. Then the teacher divides the class into four small groups, and assigns each volunteer one group. So generally, I am working with about 4 to 5 students during that hour. The students level of English can range from basic beginning to intermediate. Most are shy to begin with but it doesn't take long for them to relax and then they begin to try to converse. These students are getting an accosiate degree after two years and will work in manufacturing. Most all students are eager to practice their English and appreciate of having volunteers in the room. Some groups I have had twice now so I am getting to know them better. There are about 5000 students at the school and each student will take 5 terms of English out of 6 terms for two years.





In the evening, the group of us go out to dinner. It is always a challenge to find a restaurant that can accommodate us all. This city has many restaurants and the historic colonial area is easy to walk around but we are constantly lost or walking in circles. hehe! So far, we have always tried to eat ethnic and local. The other day, we ate polzole which is very popular with the locals. We have eaten enchiladas and tamales too. I think I might be eating too much and not getting enough exercise. hehe!






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Queretaro

I left Portland on Saturday, Feb. 9 for two weeks in Queretaro Mexico with Global Volunteers. My flight out of Portland was on time, landing in Houston for a connecting flight to Queretaro. United Airlines only allowed 45 minutes between flights which is great IF the flight is on time and you can manuever the maze of Bush Int'l in Houston. I worried that it would not be enoough time, so as I got off the first flight, I immediately ask about the second flight and where to go. United didn't really give me much help, just pointed me in the direction of the gate. So, I tried not to walk fast, talking moving walkways where I could. I did have to go ride the shuttle to another terminal first but then I saw the sign for the gate. I thought I was home free. But the distance to the gate was quite far. As I arrived at the gate, they were already boarding but at least I made it. On this flight, I thought it was strange that the airlines person spoke no Spanish.



I am staying at the Hotel Hildago, a very nice colonial hotel in the central part of the city. I am here with Global Volunteers to teach English for two weeks. I have been here twice before so it is nice to reacquiant with some of the teachers as before, and even some of the hotel staff. This team of volunteers is large-twenty two - my largest team ever. I know about 5 of the volunteers from previous GV programs, like Vietnam, Italy, and China. Also, I know the program leader so this makes it all easier. The weather here is ideal. During the day it probably gets to about 85 and at night I need a blanket to sleep. Sunny all day and everyday so far.


To get to the school, we all ride in a large university bus. The ride to the school is about 30 minutes on the outskirts of the town. Queretaro has a population of about 2 million, with 5 Walmarts, a Costco, and Sam's Club. I haven't been to these stores but I have seen some of them on the bus ride. At the school, the English teachers seemed thrilled to have volunteers in the room. Because there is a lot of volunteers, each teacher has about 4 volunteers then we each work with a small group of about 4-6 students. Pretty ideal and this may spoil me for other programs in the future. Hehe!


This is like a community college where students get an associate degree. It is possble to get a BA or BS but few do. Most try to get a job after two years. The students all have to take 5 terms of English and finish the two years after 6 terms. Even with 5 terms of English, most can't converse in English. In working with my students, they all seemed pleased to listen to me, but frequently, they didn't understand or had to have me repeat, which is fine. Some freely admitted to me that English was there most difficult subject but still tried very hard to speak to me. Generally , the regular teacher gave me free rein to talk to them about anything and everything. They were all so honest and open so it was very refreshing. Most of my students have been young men, only one group had a majority of women.


So far, I have only taught two days and 5 hours per day, but still fairly warn out at the end of the day. We eat out as a group every night. It is a challenge for us to find a restaurant that can accommodate such a large group. But so far, we are finding plenty of good food.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad