espérame, espérame...

Week 3 consisted of waiting, waiting and a little more waiting. I got a full dose of "it'll happen when it happens" while making the transition to the Latina apartment. I was initially told I would move last Tuesday; I packed up, just in case, but fully aware that was unlikely. Tuesday came and went, as did Wednesday and Thursday. I did, however, make a little progress on Thursday: the company delivered the furniture for my room. They brought a bed, bedside table, AC unit, and a TV (not sure why the TV). Unfortunately, they didn't bring a mattress, only a bed frame, so the move would have to be postponed yet again. Finally, on Friday I made plans to move at 11. I didn't end up actually moving until around 4. The mattress was delivered at 6. But finally I'm here. My suitcases are empty, my drawers are full, my closet is lined with shoes and my bedside table is stacked with books and scattered with photos of all of you.

It's difficult to sleep through the night here; we live on Via Porras, a heavily trafficked street day and night. Panamanian drivers aren't quite as crazy as those in India, but for the most part they don't follow traffic laws and are not shy with their horns. The privately-owned buses, colloquially known as Diablos Rojos, rumble by with lights flashing and music playing trying to attract passengers, while simultaneously interrupting my slumber. The buses are only $0.25, but are known for pickpockets, and because they are privately-owned and compete for passengers, are also quite dangerous.

My job is starting to pick up a little but I won't be all that busy until Access school-year program starts in April. I'm teaching my first lesson on Friday to the Written Communication 3 class. They have been working on descriptive paragraphs and I am going to introduce essay writing. I'm also helping in Grammar, Written Communication 2 and Speech. I hope to create an interactive, creative environment for these students to explore English-speaking countries (not just the U.S.) and increase their own English skills.

Access Summer Camp is going to happen! This will be my first shot to really start fulfilling one of my Fulbright goals: connecting with young people via English language, US culture and sports. The camp is 2 short weeks away, and I'm counting down the days to departure! It will be in Cermeño, Capria which is about an hour from the city. There are 2 camp sessions, each 2.5 days long. I will be presenting on US culture--I haven't yet decided on a specific topic, so if you have any ideas appropriate for 10th and 11th grade ESL students please post comments! They will hear other presentations on health and fitness, entrepreneurship, conversation and literature, and safety and values. It wouldn't be summer camp without some extracurriculars, so they'll also have the opportunity to (attempt to) beat me in basketball, watch movies and play games. I can't wait to start making a difference in the lives of young students.

Until the Access school-year program gets started, I'm planning on filling in my time around classes by helping at CELI (Center for English Language Immersion) which is Christine's huge project. They have had to jump through some hoops recently and the center's opening has been postponed, but once it's up and running I'm confident she'll have plenty for me to do. I'm also starting Spanish lessons this week. I'll be working with Noris, a retired journalist who has promised to teach me everything Panama.

Hopefully you can sense the difference in attitude between this post and the previous post. Having a home is a huge sense of relief. I'm meeting more people, getting adjusted to the way of life, and finally starting the work that brought me here: English language instruction and cultural exchange.

Cuídate.