What were your favorite songs? - 5 December

A mix of Marketa Irglova, Ray Lamontagne, The Swell Season, Dawes, Los Enanitos Verdes, Soda Stereo, Silvio Rodriguez, Guardabarranco, and Illapu have kept me sane throughout the year.  And Adele is pretty great, too.

5.  Vuelvo para vivir - Illapu
4.  Si buscabas - Guardabarranco
3.  Falling slowly - The Swell Season
2.  Crossroads - Marketa Irglova
1.  Casa abierta - Guardabarranco

What was the best book you read? - 4 December

This has been a year of re-reading favorites, mostly.  It's not easy to find books in English, so the ones I do have are those that bring me the most comfort.  I've read a lot of David Sedaris, always good for a laugh.  My friend Katie left me A Game of Thrones when she came to visit in June, and I devoured it.  I re-read Eat, Pray, Love, not necessarily for the plot, nor the eating part, though I love food ... but because there are some great lines in there that I really appreciate.  However, the best book award goes to Isabelle Allende's Of Love and Shadows.  Couldn't put it down.  Then picked it back up again because it was so good.

Where did you visit this year? - 3 December

The better question might be, where didn't I visit this year?  

Various places and beaches within El Salvador, as well as Copan, Honduras, Antigua, Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala, Tapachula, Mexico, and San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.  And just about all points in between.

What was the most delicious meal you ate? - 2 December

Thanksgiving was pretty great.  Grandma's cranberry salad always makes my tummy happy.  But this year has been full of beans.  Black beans, white beans, garbanzos, red beans, kidney beans, red large kidney-ish Mexican beans, and lentils (they're bean-like).  My favorite meal here in El Salvador, besides of course pupusas and curtido, is quite simple:  one or two eggs, sunny-side up with salt and pepper, some plain whole beans, plantains if they're available, fresh white cheese, and a toasted tortilla or two.  Knocks the socks off a sandwich or a bowl of cereal any evening.

When were you most grateful? - 1 December

I should begin by thanking Dana Cassell and Callie Surber for these navel-gazing prompts.  It's good to reflect, and I feel good when I reflect, so maybe after this month of prompts, I would like to prompt them to write an entire YEAR of prompts ... Hmm, what say ye?

I been grateful for many moments this year, but I think I have to say I am most grateful for the time I've been able to spend with the family in Alegria where I helped build a house in April.  I told them I'd come back to visit, and they didn't believe me, because that's what everyone says who comes from the North to help build homes.  Less than a month later, I kept my word, and they have been so welcoming to me, sharing what a US citizen aka person from the Global North would say is too much ... I am planning to spend Christmas with them this year, and am very excited.  I know it will be a wonderful and humbling experience.  I am grateful for you, Manuel, Sonia, Orlando, Jenny, and Austin.

**A note about these posts:  I should have started December first, so I'll date within the title the date when I should have answered ... until I finally catch up to the current prompt.  Just FYI.

derailed.

I was on a decent writing track.  And then the train was derailed.  Classes, lesson plans, meetings, rehearsals, trips, and other errands got in the way of my writing discipline.  Although I wouldn't really say it was much of a discipline in the first place; more like a way to inform all of you what I've been up to.  Of course, there's Facebook, and since most of you are connected there as well, what's the point of keeping a blog if I can post photos and little snippets of information there?  But I think blogs do have a point.  Here, I can post, perhaps, more private thoughts, that I don't want ALL nine-hundred and forty-six of my "friends" on Facebook to read on their Newsfeeds.

At any rate, I owe you, readers, yet another apology for falling behind.  I need an outlet, and I think this medium will serve me well.  I hope to get some photos up this weekend of things I've done and places I've been since August, and then I want to start a writing ritual that I've seen on a few friends' blogs.  Until next time.

always learning.

One post a month ain't bad, right?  Quick update:  Still working on residency.  Documents are in the mail or waiting for me in the post office, still need to get a criminal background check from the Salvadoran National Police, and do a few other things.  However, still on track to meet the September deadline.  

As of mid-June, I've been teaching full-time.  This means, folks, that instead of being the fun volunteer who showed up twice a month for "English Lab" and played super-cool Coldplay and Beatles songs, I am now responsible for classroom behavior, homework, grades, lesson plans, more grades, and feeling the huge weight that I must produce something ... the "product" in this case being students who are able to speak, or at least pronounce, English, and who will be well-equipped for whoever fills the even-popular English Teacher Spot next year.  And, forgive me, folks, but I am frustrated as hell.  Because I was once the fun friendly gringa who came to do exciting activities, who became a friend rather than a teacher, in this more formal role I feel I am failing.  I never once took an education class, let alone an English education class or a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages class.  I feel completely lost.  I don't have a book because the previous teacher didn't make the kids buy one (he relied on stapled packets instead) and it's too late in the year for me to ask them to buy a book.  

I don't want to be selfish, but I didn't come to El Salvador to be a teacher.  I came to help, to offer my services to others in education, other English teachers, but to be a full-fledged TEACHER of CHILDREN ... I did not sign up for that.  I know a huge part of living in Latin America is learning to be flexible, but I also believe there is a point at which one must speak up and speak out.  The old teacher came back to work with just the 10th and 11th grade students, and I still have 7th through 9th.  15 hours of class time shrank to 9, but it's still a lot.  

I feel like my skills are much more useful elsewhere.  I don't want to do a disservice to the students or the school by not knowing what the hell I'm doing, but the last few times I've brought this up in conversation, folks say Oh but you're doing a wonderful job!  It doesn't matter that you don't have the methodology or the training to be a formal teacher ... you speak English so that's a huge help!  Yes, folks, I was born speaking English.  It is my first language.  But I was not born teaching it.

When I go home in November to visit (yes, that's right, I'll be stateside for a few weeks) I am going to take an afternoon and write down some goals for the next year.  And I am going to make some conditions.  Not just for me, but for the next BVSer down the road, if and when someone decides they have an interest in Emmanuel Baptist Church.  Condition number one:  Church membership is all fine and dandy, and at first helps someone to feel part of a community, but serving on committees or constant participation in worship is a bit much.  Let's back off a little.  Condition number two:  Unless otherwise stated by the volunteer, said volunteer will help with English classes.  Said volunteer will not be expected to take on an entirely different role in which he or she has no training.  Condition number three:  I can't think of a third but I'm sure I'll come up with something.  Writing these out sounds really selfish, but there have to be boundaries.  I am finding myself "working" nearly 6 days a week, plus participation every Sunday in worship as part of the worship band ... In orientation BVS staff told us to get involved.  I think I got myself over-involved, and now feel like there's no way out without damaging relationships.  However, I feel like some time at home with my family will be a good time to deepen these reflections, and a point at which I can say "These are the things that are working really well for me, and these are the things that are not."

On the upside, I spent 2 hours today singing with some friends just for fun.  We're going to learn some songs, brush up on some we already know, and go out into the world and see if anyone wants to listen to us ... I am really excited!  We'll see what comes of it.  If we decide to name ourselves, I'll let you know ... Our repertoire, besides several songs by Guardabarranco, Mercedes Sosa, and others, include Imagine by John Lennon and three songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival.  Music really is the international language.  It was such a relaxing time.  And we're doing it again tomorrow.  

Hopefully I'll have some photos soon from things I've done over the last month or so.  For now, though, time to get some shut-eye before I have to set foot in a classroom again.