Today, we toured another school in Cartagena entitled Fe Y Alegrias LAS GAVIOTAS, where we were welcomed by the principal, teachers, and students. We toured the campus, and my two colleagues, Jen and Sherri, both presented mini-lessons to the wonderful students there.
Then, we were off to the Centro for lunch.
Background: Even though my cohort colleagues knew me only for a week, they had expressed worry about me--because I was neither hungry nor thirsty. My colleague, Jen, kept hounding me about eating--and expressed on more than one occasion that I might be dehydrated. I thought she was wrong....until...I left my iPad in the cab. I had made copies for my planned afternoon presentation, but those fell out of the folder. The cab driver behind us kept honking his horn, and I still was unable to find the precise number of pesos for the taxi driver. I paid my fee, grabbed my folder, and jumped out of the car, resisting the urge to physically show my displeasure to the impatient driver behind us.
Fifteen minutes later, when I stumbled off the sidewalk berm onto the street--and nearly getting my head rammed with a car mirror--I realized I had left my iPad. To retrieve it would be futile--so I ordered a Limonade de Coco and a water and then another water--and I drank my sorrows away for truly I had become dehydrated and could no longer afford the cheap route of not drinking water. Personally, I would rather suffer than pay $2 for a bottle of H2O, but that frugality had cost me a $300 iPad. Live and Learn. Sadly, all the pictures I had taken earlier that morning had not been moved to iCloud.
GYM CLASS from HELL
Picture this--because I lost all mine--a PE coach crashes into the lounge, points to me and says, "You, Rambo," and then points to my colleague, John, "You, Rocky--Come with me!" I, still following the TGC protocol, was wearing a long sleeve dress shirt, tie, and dress pants, while my colleague wore khaki pants and a short sleeve dress shirt. And, 7th grade PE class began...in the heat and 90% humidity of the morning.
The coach lined us up into two teams for a relay race, where we had to run down the basketball court, pick up a soccer ball from the center of an old tire, and then pass it to the next person in line. John and I were situated 4th in line, and, of course, both of us received the soccer ball at the same time. I felt sure I could best John, who is in his mid-50s, but I was wrong. Utilizing every muscle in my body, I tied John--and accidentally took out one of the smaller 7th graders in the process. My bad.
Afterwards, John and I took turns playing goalie as the kids showcased their fancy footwork. My colleague excelled in this, clearly embarrassing my feeble attempts to block. He later told me that he played goalie in college soccer.
At the end of the hour long class, both of us were drenched in sweat, both of us looked tired and worn, but both of us smiled wildly--because that hour rejuvenated our spirits, especially since in PE, knowing verbal language was unnecessary. Now, when I mentioned that my favorite pop group was InSync (I lied), I was the true winner. It seems that seventh graders everywhere love this boy band.
So, I have no pictures of today due to the lost iPad--but I have memories I will cherish for a lifetime.
Then, we were off to the Centro for lunch.
Background: Even though my cohort colleagues knew me only for a week, they had expressed worry about me--because I was neither hungry nor thirsty. My colleague, Jen, kept hounding me about eating--and expressed on more than one occasion that I might be dehydrated. I thought she was wrong....until...I left my iPad in the cab. I had made copies for my planned afternoon presentation, but those fell out of the folder. The cab driver behind us kept honking his horn, and I still was unable to find the precise number of pesos for the taxi driver. I paid my fee, grabbed my folder, and jumped out of the car, resisting the urge to physically show my displeasure to the impatient driver behind us.
Fifteen minutes later, when I stumbled off the sidewalk berm onto the street--and nearly getting my head rammed with a car mirror--I realized I had left my iPad. To retrieve it would be futile--so I ordered a Limonade de Coco and a water and then another water--and I drank my sorrows away for truly I had become dehydrated and could no longer afford the cheap route of not drinking water. Personally, I would rather suffer than pay $2 for a bottle of H2O, but that frugality had cost me a $300 iPad. Live and Learn. Sadly, all the pictures I had taken earlier that morning had not been moved to iCloud.
GYM CLASS from HELL
Picture this--because I lost all mine--a PE coach crashes into the lounge, points to me and says, "You, Rambo," and then points to my colleague, John, "You, Rocky--Come with me!" I, still following the TGC protocol, was wearing a long sleeve dress shirt, tie, and dress pants, while my colleague wore khaki pants and a short sleeve dress shirt. And, 7th grade PE class began...in the heat and 90% humidity of the morning.
The coach lined us up into two teams for a relay race, where we had to run down the basketball court, pick up a soccer ball from the center of an old tire, and then pass it to the next person in line. John and I were situated 4th in line, and, of course, both of us received the soccer ball at the same time. I felt sure I could best John, who is in his mid-50s, but I was wrong. Utilizing every muscle in my body, I tied John--and accidentally took out one of the smaller 7th graders in the process. My bad.
Afterwards, John and I took turns playing goalie as the kids showcased their fancy footwork. My colleague excelled in this, clearly embarrassing my feeble attempts to block. He later told me that he played goalie in college soccer.
At the end of the hour long class, both of us were drenched in sweat, both of us looked tired and worn, but both of us smiled wildly--because that hour rejuvenated our spirits, especially since in PE, knowing verbal language was unnecessary. Now, when I mentioned that my favorite pop group was InSync (I lied), I was the true winner. It seems that seventh graders everywhere love this boy band.
So, I have no pictures of today due to the lost iPad--but I have memories I will cherish for a lifetime.