Wow! This is really happening isn't it?????

I have a completed grant, created by Denise, Tina and myself, and an acceptance letter stating that OUR grant was chosen! We are official "fellows" now, and ready to begin our adventure. We have three plane tickets which will take us from our safe little homes in Oklahoma and deposit us in Puerto Escondido Mexico on July 10th, where we will stay until Aug 1st. We have reservations at Casamar for a two bedroom apartment that we will call home for 22 days. Or should I say, call "Casa".
I have little to NO Spanish speaking ability under my belt despite two years of taking Spanish. It mingles with the German i took and creates mush that no one understands. Sprechen si Espanol? We will be taking two hours of Spanish daily once we get there, but i do not kid myself that between that and the flashcard app on my Itouch that I will be able to communicate without getting anything in return aside from laughter and blank stares. This should make shopping at the local market..... interesting to say the least. I do like a good barter.... guess i should brush up on my number naming ability and download a pesos conversion app for sure! I am Extremely excited yet.... nervous to be putting myself in this situation. We are going in not knowing what to expect, planning only to take Spanish, volunteer in the community, shop the markets and learn how to cook, and to participate in Puerto Escondido's environment to our fullest capacity. I expect to be lost, frustrated, scarred, embarrassed, empowered, thrilled, suntanned, bartering in another language, cleaning fresh fish for dinner, eating an abundance of mangoes, missing Ice, learning, challenged, and feeling totally out of place! I imagine that is EXACTLY how our immigrant Family's here at Marshall feel when they first come to the US, move to Oklahoma, to the apartments two blocks from the school, and how those little ones feel when they first set foot in our American, English speaking classrooms. Lost, and Alone. Part of me wishes that i DID know Spanish, or had at least retained what i tried to learn years ago..... but part of me is glad that my mind is foggy since i think it will install in me a greater empathy for the students that surround me.
Check out where we are staying! http://www.casamarmexico.com/about.html
We are in the Alcatraz Suite.
And this is the school that we will be attending! http://www.puertoschool.com/

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