Ahh I made it! Finally. That was probably the longest day of my life! When I got to Madrid I had about 3 hours to kill before my train to Santiago so one of the girls I met on the plane, Cynthia, and I got lunch in Madrid. It was nice to meet someone doing the same program with the same apprehension and nervousness that I had at the time. After a 7 hour plane ride, I still had a 7 hour train ride to Santiago which went by very, very slowly. However, when I arrived, the first person I saw was Anita (my principal) with flowers and my host parents, Julio and Belen. They were soo welcoming. When we got to the apartment, I was welcomed by the three cutest little girls you could ever meet. Agueda is the oldest and she is the most talkative followed closely by Valentina. Celsa is the 8 month old and she is just the happiest baby I have ever seen.
As of right now, I just finished up my first day at the school I am teaching at -- The education system here is so different. Strikes occur pretty regularly which is not something I'm used to in the US. I went into a classroom today and I ended up teaching the children about the solar system and the names of the planets in English. The kids are great. They were so interested in someone from the United States. Alot of the girls hovered around me during Recess asking me questions about Justin Bieber and Robert Pattenson.
One of the things that is hard for me to grasp is that not all children can eat. You would think that the government knows how many students there are at a school, but the government says only a certain number of children can each lunch--and if the school is over that particular number than some kids go without lunch. .
I do feel better today than I did yesterday. Being around children and watching those 'Ah Ha!' moments is so rewarding. I have a feeling that I will be doing a lot of teaching in these classes since most of the teachers do not really have any lesson plans at all. Anyway, I need a nap now so I will keep you posted as more interesting things happen :)
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