Me and the view!
My family is Argentine and I have been to Argentina before. Thus, much of what I've experienced hasn't been as much paradigm shifting as it has been slipping into a long overdue hot bath. I've enjoyed the empanadas(meat pies) and copious amounts of Yerba Maté(an Argentine caffeinated tea). Maté is a drink you pass around in a group. Sip, sip, give, si? It's social by its nature. We've talked about families, work, travel life and more all over Maté. Drawing(copying as in I do what he tells me) with my host brother Pedro, music with Pablo my host dad who loves Abba and Keith Urban in the same breath, studying English with my host sister Vicky and beginning to understand why English makes so little sense to second language learners.
On that note when you're in a foreign country you listen to your music with new ears. While I like the music and sing along so much of the lyrics are bad English and nonsense. My host sister asked me the definition of a four letter word because of a song she heard. My host dad listens to Sinatra, Billie Holliday and such. I'm learning just what a marked difference there is between that and current music. Learning English from modern music would be very hard I'd think
My host dad dancing with two of his kids.
At Southern Cross I have observed or co taught 7th, 9th, 10, 11 and 12th grade history classes. I also saw a 2nd, 3rd and Catholic and Protestant religion classes. It's very interesting to observe the universally more relaxed atmosphere and the levels of it. Teachers here have the "when it's time for work we work and when it's time for play we play" idea down to a science. Students are attentive when they need to be and teachers especially in the upper grades are more relaxed than we are. Students played on their phones, did each others hair, drew glue smiley faces. In 7th grade though the teacher kept a tighter rein as you might expect. Across the board the relaxed atmosphere lent itself to better and more free flowing discussion. Kids are much more willing to dive into the discussion and participate. See the above pool metaphor. It's this relaxed approach in contrast to my own often hyper focused need for control and management that interests me. The teachers do a good job of facilitating the conversation rather than leading which I could take a page from. The students still learn what they need to and respond intelligently and have a wide ranging discussion. I wonder where the middle ground is between the two schools of thought. Part of how the problem of constant connectiveness is helped here and not at home is the wifi is throttled significantly. It's too slow to do much so students try less. Whereas in the states I can feel like the technology police. I'm interested to find out where the middle ground is.
Singing in a Protestant religion class
With a colleague I am working on a presentation about human rights in the United States starting with 1776 through the Civil War and Civil Rights to Women's Rights to the LGBT movement and Ferguson and Baltimore. We present this lesson to several classes next week. I'm excited about it.
To wrap up(thanks for sticking with me) this has been been an amazing week full of learning, growing, flexibility, wonderful asado and great company.
A view of el Asado(party!)!
Ciao!
Ryan
PS - my Santiago scent memory will be toast for breakfast. Very comforting!
PPS Today I grieve for those who've died in Orlando and those left to grieve this senseless event. "Every man's death diminishes me. Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee" - John Donne
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