My first day of school

I was going to get up early today to get some things done, but decided against it since it was my first day. I wanted a chance to see when my roommates get up, give myself time to get ready in case we all got up at the same time and make sure I’m not late on my first day. My room really doesn’t have any natural light, so even though it was time to get up it seemed so dark and early. Plus, none of my roommates got up when I did. I stopped at the panadería (bakery) on my way to school to grab something to eat during recreo (recess) since I didn’t have time to eat breakfast.

I was scheduled at Ruiz Jimenez today. I got to school around 10:15. The school is a locked campus, so I tried ringing to bell but no one answered. I tried again a few minutes later after checking to make sure the other gate wasn’t open. I’m always afraid in simple situations like this that I’m doing something stupid. I was at the door, that was locked, and there was a button to call the school or the cafeteria…pretty self-explanatory, right? Yep, it is. But I’m always afraid (especially when they didn’t answer) that I’m doing something wrong, standing outside the door alone looking like a lost idiot. The second time I buzzed they let me in.  The rest of the building is locked to, with the exception being the main building. The preschool kids are with the 1^st and 2^nd grade in one building, 3^rd and 4^th in another, and 5^th and 6^th in another. The buildings stay locked and you need a key to get in and out of each one. They want to make sure the kids don’t leave (they would if we weren’t careful…little troublemakers).

I met the secretary, who pointed me towards who I think is the director and then the secretary took me up to Irene (my coordinator). I stayed with her all day. I introduced myself to the kids in each class, showed them where I lived on a map that I brought and let them ask me questions. They always seem to want to know how old I am (which is always followed by “que joven!” How young!) and if I have a boyfriend or am married. Throughout the day I went to the 6^th grade class, then 3^rd grade, then there was recess, which was followed up by the 5^th A class and 5^th B. There is typically only one class of each grade, but there were too many 5^th graders to keep them in one class. They have them divided by their overall ability level. The kids who struggle a little more are together, and the kids who tend to have better grades in the other so they can focus on what each class needs.

We also made name tags. Last year it took me FOREVER to learn the kids’ names and realistically if I went back I probably couldn’t tell you what the kids’ names are anymore. So, this year I decided to make a proactive effort from the beginning to learn the kids’ names. It’s especially complicated this year since I’m at 2 schools and have twice as many kids and only see each class every 2 weeks.

Irene also told me today that I will be working at the high school on Wednesdays, which I didn’t realize. I didn’t work with high schoolers last year so that will be an interesting, new experience.

After school I called Eda to see if she wanted to get lunch. I met up with her, another auxiliar named Rebecca and Anna (an auxiliar from Chicago) near the Universidad Popular. Rebecca went home and the 3 of us sat at a café terrace and grabbed refrescos, water and bocadillos (sandwiches on baguettes). We sat and chatted for a while and then tried to go to a chino store (a store that has just about everything you could need, for cheap…reminds me of a dollar store), but it was closed and we all headed home. Me and Anna are on the search for a full-length mirror, but they seem almost none existent here.

I stopped at a couple stores to get some things I needed…band-aids, a lightbulb…push pins…soap…all the not-so-fun getting settled expenses. After that I called Chris to get some clarification on the Spanish courses for foreigners at the University of Jaén. He said that yes, these courses are free for auxiliares. Yay! Tomorrow I have to go to the university and take the placement test.

Kristin called me and asked if I wanted to go with her to a café nearby and use the internet. I ran home to get my computer and drop my stuff off, then met with her and a café close to the cathedral. I had a strawberry milkshake and chatted with her a bit, reminiscing the past weekend and griping over all the pain in the ass paperwork it takes to get here (all the visa stuff).  

I stopped off at another store that Kristin told me about and got a blanket. I have one but it’s pretty heavy for right now. It’s still summery and hot here. When I got home I chatted with Antonia (one of my Spanish roommates) and made a sandwich for dinner. I watched some TV while I tried to get connected to the internet from the park. I want to get internet in our apartment but it sounds like the internet companies want year-long contracts. There may be one company that doesn’t require a year-long commitment, but I still have to check it out.