Frantic Sunday

I left for work this morning, Sunday, just a little past eight, and already the streets were bustling with people and the subway was just as crowded as a weekday morning. I'm starting to learn that weekends are not the traditional relaxing two days that most Westerners associate it with. Many of the children at the center I work at have already spent time studying in their schools before I see them on Saturdays and Sundays for English school. Many of the local teachers and TAs have asked me about my experience taking SATs and getting into school and are amazed how easy it is compared to their school system. They have only one opportunity to take the exam that will classify their social and economic standing for their entire lives. It makes me feel so lucky to have as many opportunities that I have had to mess up and try again.

I taught a six-year-old class today. I am picking up a unit on telling time that their last teacher had began before he left. I practiced counting to twelve and moving the hands around on one of the clocks. EF has five puppets that they use in their preschool program. There is Roddy, a little boy and his animal friends: Mel the bird (she's a girl because she has a pink scarf); Kev the frog; Vic, the hedgehog (the kids never, ever remember that one); and Ben the bear. We had to watch a little video about Mel having a birthday party, but he broke his clock while hanging up a picture and was freaked out because he didn't know what time his friends were going to come over.

I watched a few of my mentor teacher's classes and spent time looking through the materials the school has. Saturday and Sundays are almost ten hour work days and no one ever leaves on breaks. I got quite a few of my questions answered today, though.

I went into the shopping mall near the school to try to find something to bring back to the hotel for dinner. There was a Papa John's pizza shop and I got a salad to go. It was nice to find part of a menu in English. Finding food here by myself is so hard. I long for the days were I could read the nutrition and ingredient labels already, but it is all a part of the adventure!

Tomorrow I sign my apartment contract... I just hope that I remember how to get there!