When I first arrived I thought it would be amazing to get a
small time job to support myself so I can choose to stay longer if that was my
wish. The main goal for my
being here is to find balance: job and hobby, serious and playful, yoga and
dancing, without and within.. I could go on forever but its really not that
exciting to read a list of polar opposites. But, this is what I came here to achieve, bringing every
aspect of my being together and use it at the same time rather than heavily
weighing on one and then the other and see-sawing back and forth time and time
again. So, job it was. I met a man named Julian who runs an
English/Spanish Institute and told me that I can work for him beginning
February. It was so amazing to
think before I came I had a job lined up, friends lined up, etc. (none of which remain today.. well,
maybe one friend) But it was the
plan I needed to give me the push to start. From there things began to unfold. Julian regretfully let me know that as of February 1st
they no longer needed teachers because of the terrible deflation of tourists
which led to loss of employment for many locals which in turn made it difficult
for any tourists to convince themselves that they still “needed” to take
English classes. So I felt
deflated. I asked Julian if he
could recommend any other place that may be seeking assistance of any kind and
he gave me the name and number of a friend of his that was running a school in
cusco. Cut to 3 days later I was
sitting outside the apartment of Francisco sipping some tea (before I moved
into my beautiful new apartment!) and a man and his 4 y/o daughter walked by
speaking English. I motioned to
them and they stopped and we spoke for awhile about his wife who was here for a
year working on an anthropology grant and he was going to begin teaching at an
elementary school. He told me they
may be looking for teachers and gave me the information. The next day I called the contact of
Lawrence and we made a date for the following day to meet and discuss the
position. As it turns out, both
numbers I received from both people who knew nothing of each other were for the
same exact school. That Friday I
went for a trial run to show them what I got and spent 30 minutes with five 9
year olds playing “head, shoulders, knees and toes” (I think I had more fun then them!) Tuesday afternoon Patria called me to
tell me I had the job if I wanted it.
The job: the
school is called Ausangate Bilingual School. It is part of the International Baccalaureate Organization
(IBO) which basically means that the school uses constructivism as a way of
learning, they build their own learning.
“The constructive methodology puts the student in the role of
protagonist which demands that we orient educational experiences towards not
what one teaches, rather to how one learns.” They have also adopted the Multiple Intelligence Theory
(which I learn in social work school! So I was so excited to see this!) which
offers a wider approach to discussion and analysis. “According to Gardner, there are 8 distinct types of
intelligences that do not operate in isolation, rather they are combined to fit
into distinct tasks” These
include: logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic,
naturalist, intrapersonal and interpersonal.
I would be teaching 1st graders. Every grade has about 40 students that
are divided into 2 classes. Each
class has half a day with a Spanish speaking teacher and half the day with an
English-speaking teacher. As their
English teacher I will also be teaching them mathematics and movement to better
comprehend language. Even better,
I begin this Monday and I will be trained how to teach (I know, its only 2
weeks, but over here, people volunteer teach with no structure, guidelines,
lesson plans or experience.. so this is miles better!)
And that is when it really hit. The previous entry is obviously linked to this one because I
was just lost. I had to commit
through July and they wanted me to commit until December (we all KNOW that is
NOT happening). I was panicking
about what I should do. I spoke
with a few people who just kept saying.. things happen here in cusco that you
do not have control of. One minute
you think you are going east and after multiple harsh winds and rain storms you
end up being redirected, for the better, without even having to comprehend what
is happening. “Just let it come to
you, you already know the answer” they kept saying. But still, I was trying to think it through and make it
happen. And then, when I stopped
trying to bullet point the pros and cons of staying and going I realized what
had been happening. I thought
about everything that was naturally unfolding for me and how all these
incidences were clear statements telling me to stay, for now. The same day I was offered the job, the
drum instructor I had been seeking out for 3 weeks called to set up our first
class, the apartment which I am staying in and feeling completely lonely
because of its massiveness and 3 rooms was suddenly going to be occupied by 3
guys from the states (ill talk about that another time), the Ticos at the
vegetarian joint passed me on the street and told me they were going to take me
to the market and teach me how to buy food and the cook it, my salsa/swing
teacher asked me to help him teach another couple how to dance for their
wedding and has been taking me dancing every night (he also helped me go to a
“real” doctor to take care of my cough), I found a 10 sole massage (that’s a
massage for only 3.33 AND I had two women working on me at once!) and I found
someone who carves wood for a living and who may be willing to teach me in
time. Everything I have been
wanting to do is happening, including finding a job where I can work with
children. So what was my
problem?? Why couldn’t I just say
yes? What was holding me back from
being exactly where I had only dreamed of being while sitting in my apartment
just 2 months earlier with no friends, no apartment, no job, no experience in
this country. I had nothing and
only dreamed of what I can do and where I can be. And now, like the secret, every single thing that I had
hoped for is floating right above my head waiting for me to grab it. I literally remember sitting in my
yellow antique chair staring outside my window to the 2 trees in my backyard in
Brooklyn and creating my future.
My future is now my present.
So, I didn’t really see how I had any other choice but to take the job
and stay. And as soon as I did,
all fear mellowed out and I am now able to actually move forward and start
living here. For some reason I
tend to find comfort in the complete and utter disarray of discomfort in
limbo. I don’t want to be in limbo
anymore. I think “I should stay”.
