Hello, world... Just checking in...
I'm getting ready to leave Spain and head to Belgium for a week and I am very excited! I will be in Ghent for about a week if you'd like to Google the area. From my understanding, it's about 30 minutes from Brussels. I'm very excited!! I'll be sure to take notes so it feels like you're there, too! :)
I had to go talk to the headmaster today. His name is Juan. I wasn't sure if I would include this part in my entry, but it only seems fair to maintain honesty with everyone. I was as nervous as if I were a little kid getting sent to the principals office, which is exactly the case except the 'little kid' part. Isabel told me he wanted to talk to me about reapplying for a second year. I cannot help but be nervous about these kinds of things, haha. Eventually, I was able to catch him alone in his office. He closed the door and had me sit down (so 'official' and nerve-racking!). One of my first concerns was the language barrier. I hoped that I'd be ok in understanding what he wanted to discuss. I understood. And what I heard wasn't exactly what I was expecting. He proceeded to tell me that he was the one that made the final decision about whether or not the school would accept me for a second year and he wanted to discuss things with me. Then, he told me that, in the beginning, some of the teachers didn't think I was doing a good job. He said that they were concerned with my participation, etc. (Heart continuing to pound...) He continued by telling me that he's spoken with everyone since then and recently and that I have improved and that there is not any problems and he will sign off on a positive review. I confessed my lack of confidence when it comes to speaking Spanish and that I needed to practice more. I did a lot of listening. There wasn't much conversation to be had. I understand way more Spanish that I am confident in speaking. I walked out thanking him and a bit relieved to have that over with. They will now give me the recommendation letter that I need for my application process. I'm not going to go into some big defense of the beginning of this adventure, but I will say that it hurt quite a bit to hear that, by their definition, I wasn't doing a good job. I don't like to fail at things. I know teaching is not on my resume and it probably isn't going to be something I do for the long-haul. It was a whole new venture in my life and I genuinely felt like I was doing a good job. And a big issue with me is that if I need to be doing something to improve myself, I would like to be told about it at the time so I can make changes. If I don't know I'm doing something wrong, I can't fix it. To be honest, I feel like I do less now than I did in the beginning. Regardless, there isn't anything I can do about the past, I just have to work on the future and improve myself from here. It's good to know that I have improved and that I am liked enough to be welcomed back for a second year (IF the application stuff goes through and goes well). Like I said, it hurt to hear something like that, but I suppose I have to take criticism and use it to become better. Anyway, I vowed to be honest about this experience and I'm not going to break that promise.
Moving on... HaHa... I was out on my patio taking the laundry off the line on Sunday and I heard one of the most awful sounds I have ever heard! This paragraph my not be for the faint of heart (this would include me if it didn't happen to me). I heard the slaughterring of a sheep. Very, very vividly. It was unbelievably awful. I could hear the pounding of whatever it was the butcher (not an officially licensed butcher, of course) was using to beat the hell out of the sheep. And with every stroke of the beating, I could hear the sheep screaming. I kind of stood frozen for a moment, but then immediately went inside because I couldn't bear to hear it. I could still hear the sheep screaming from inside my house, so I put a movie on... loudly. The awful sound is still very vivid in my mind and I hate it! I'm not dumb, I know slaughterring exists and I eat meat, but I did not appreciate the obviously inhumane ways of handling the slaughter. I'm sure there could have been a quicker way to put that sheep out of its misery. I'm quite sure there are similar places in the states and everywhere, but I don't have to hear it. Now, I have this nervous fear to go outside to do my laundry. I will, most likely, have the iPod in my ears on on loud anytime I go outside now, haha. Sorry if that was too much for some readers. I tried to warn you, but I bet you read it anyway, didn't you? Sorry. I needed to vent.
I've picked up a class at the school on Wednesdays. I have started going to the 6th grade English class. I asked to pick it up primarily because I wanted to be a little more prepared for our English clubs on Mondays and Wednesdays. Speaking of the 6th grade club, it's been interesting. They are a rowdy bunch of kids and it's very difficult to reel them in. They don't listen well... at all. I really like the older kids just because they are able to have more of a conversation with us and understand more. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the little ones, too. They are an open book and just soak up everything. They, too, can get a bit rowdy, of course, but they are easier to manage. Anyway, I really like the older kids, I just wish the class went much smoother than it does. We've introduced a point system and have set a goal for each person to reach. If they reach (individually) a certain number of points, then Joanne and I have promised to give them a party at the end of May. I suppose it's a form of bribery, haha, but it seems to be working in the sense that they are doing their work in class with at least a little bit of effort, haha. It's frustrating as hell sometimes, but I'm glad we took it on. It's definitely made them more comfortable with us and I do appreciate that.
Well, I'm going to close this entry. You'll hear from me one more time before I leave. I'm working on another entry that's dear to my heart. I hope this finds you all well!!
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