one week in.

Well, it’s already been a week. What felt like an eternity the first time I was here, has gone by in the blink of an eye. I have adjusted so well that I forget I was home…and yet I was. Being home for break was crazy, I barely had a moment to breathe, stressed by culture shock and people to see. I loved being in Flagstaff, the snow, the pines, the friends and family, but it made me realize that I made a good decision this year. I’m so excited to go to NAU (in person) next year but I’m not in any rush just yet to return home. I’ve grown and changed a lot and it was so weird to be thrust back into a place where it felt time had stood still, and for a few weeks, I too, felt reverted back to the past. I imagine this is how everyone feels after being away and coming home after a long while, but it seemed to me, seems to me, that so much has happened for me, I just forget that it’s because it’s so new, not that it’s soo different.

This week, I resumed my teaching. I have the conversational level. I’m really trying to keep things intense and we hit the ground running. The first day we discussed Capital Punishment, we read an article from the NY times, and watched the news on the Tucson Tragedy coverage. We argued who deserves death and who awards it. The following day, we learned different types of propaganda and after so, made posters, one group in favor of Death Penalty and the other against. We shared posters before playing Taboo. (they hate this game by the way). Finally, we talked about heroism on Thursday, tying in more of the news from Arizona, heroic acts outlined in Obama’s speech at the University of Arizona (part of which we watched and analyzed), as well as what it means to be a hero. We took surveys the first day and one of my students is studying to be a chef. He wants more cooking vocabulary. So we made Hero Recipes. We listed ingredients of a hero and then wrote down directions. Again, dividing into two groups and making big posters to be presented to the class. It was a really good week, but I have nothing to do in the mornings now that I’m not doing Spanish school. That’ll all change when I start my online NAU classes this week however. I’m really looking forward to them. I’m taking Intro to Politics, Intro to Sociology, Extreme Weather, English (freshman course I think), and Spanish 202. It’s a lot of online I suppose but it’ll give me something to do. Tomorrow we’re getting internet at the house, although I’ve found this wireless source in my room from one of the neighbors. But sometimes it’s there and other times not. Hmmm. That’s all the news I have as of now.

Glad to be back in the 90 degree weather, snow is only so nice for so long. I also skyped my family tonight via my brother’s ipod touch. Technology is crazy.