Professora Wilcox

Hello, allow me to introduce myself. Miss Wilcox, Spanish Teacher.

This school year I've taken on many different roles as a substitute teacher. I've taught every grade Pre-K3 through freshman. I've taught library, art and, music. 

Today was different. Today was the first time I've been a Spanish Teacher.  Now I wasn't just teaching Spanish, I was teaching in Spanish. I have to admit it felt pretty great. :)

Okay, confession time. I wasn't completely by myself.  The (real) Spanish teacher was still in the classroom, but she'd injured her back and was in a lot of pain.  The first class I couldn't do much. It takes a bit of warming up before my brain switches to Spanish. By the last class of the day, I'd seen the same lesson twice already and had gotten my warm up in talking to students in smaller groups. When the last class came in I asked the teacher if she wanted my to take it.  She let me and I went for it.

Today, the first and second grade classes learned the j and g sounds.  Our practice words were; gemelos, girasol, jefe, and jirafa. I even learned something new about Spanish myself.  In Spanish, the letter g changes sounds depending on which vowel it is with.  When g is with an e or an i it makes the equivalent to the English h. However, when g is with a, o, and u it sounds like the English g. For example, gato, gomas, and gustar.

Hopefully, for her sake, our Spanish teacher can return to school on Wednesday without any back pain. I told her, however, if she's not I can manage the classes--just don't count on me being fully fluent by then :P

Semester 2

I've been back in the DR for just over a week after a wonderful Christmas break in the States. It was wonderful to be back in the States after nearly 7 months here in the DR. Here are a few of my highlights:
--seeing family: parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles
--decorating my parents' house for Christmas
--2% Milk,
--seeing friends
--Thrifting with friends
--snow

Family: Goofing off with my new webcam

So glad there was snow for me to enjoy

A few lowlights are
--not getting to see certain friends
--not going downtown Chicago
--and not going ice skating
Those last two had been planned for weeks, but once I got to IL we quickly realized that the weather was just too cold for such a trip to be in enjoyable.

New Year's Eve with the friends I did get to see
and the one's I'd hoped to go to Chicago with.

Now that I'm back in the DR it's has been nice to start getting back into a routine (even though I miss getting to see my little brother everyday!)  Here's a few things I've enjoyed since getting back:
--a laptop, finally! It's so nice to have a real computer again after my broke last Spring. Writing this blog is sooo much easier and you get pictures now :)
--I have stuff--I hadn't exactly planned on living and working here when I packed in May.  While it was definitely worth going without some things last semester, it feels a bit more like real life to have my own personal things again. My pillow, bedding (I'm so thankful for this; it's much cooler here now), work clothes--teaching work, not messy work (I'd brought plenty of those for my internship), dishes, decorations, and more.  All stuff I didn't need or was provide for me during my internship.
--my roof.  I love love love my rooftop.  Its beautiful--great view looking down on the city, mountains all around. It's a great place for afternoon devos or chatting with friends while watching the stars.

View from my roof: Sun bursting through the clouds

Until next Tuesday!! PS--I didn't proofread this.