Frustration

I haven't written for the past couple of days because I come back from teaching completely exhausted. During the car ride out to the village of Chuchuqui, we talk and giggle, but on the way back, we simply stare out the windows at the passing mountains. In addition to the usual frustration of teaching things that are already so familiar to you that you've forgotten how to explain them (like how to say hello), there are so many more that I never would have expected.

First, language barriers. For some kids, spanish isn't a first language. They speak an indigenous language and often slip into it during class. Imagine if all those kids giggling at you in class were giggling while speaking a language you don't understand, leaving you free to imagine countless jokes as possibilities. Also, speaking of language problems, it is nearly impossible to command the respect of the students when they know you can't speak Spanish with absolute precision. They giggle at each mistake I make.

Second, pronunciation. Even though much of the curriculum is devoted to teaching usual language class things, from vocabulary to verb conjugations, none of that matters when the kids can't master pronunciation. Some of the sounds in English, like the "g" in girl and the "h" that is actually pronounced, are completely foreign to these kids. And even with endless repetition, it still doesn't seem to stick.

Maybe it doesn't stick because they've never been told how to study. They come in each day and it's as if we need to build everything from the ground up again. We give them homework and advice on how to learn new vocabulary (say the words out loud to memorize them), but it hasn't seem to sink in.

And then there is the vergüenza. The kids are too ashamed to say that they don't understand or need help or couldn't hear.

Oh. And there's this group of guys that hangs around the school and whistles at me. Actually, being white here means that when you walk on the street, men will whistle at you and say "hello."

I'll be headed back tomorrow. That's all I got.