mi escuela nueva, colegio república croacia (jueves, 14 octubre)

A good majority of the kids in my new school are immigrants from Perú and Bolivia, which are really poor countries. The kids there have a lot of problems. Some of their parents are split up, some have a parent in prison, and some of them live in a place for kids who have both parents in jail or whose parents have abused them. Many of them have parents or older siblings who use drugs, are in gangs, or have experienced a lot of domestic violence. Part of me is reminded of my job in the US where I used to work, and I´m super excited to have the chance to be a part of these kids´lives.

I really like it here so far. The other teachers in my school are super nice and they are glad I´m there. They don´t care what I look like...in fact, they told me NOT to dress up, because these kids are from poor families and the school wants teachers to wear normal clothes (aka t-shirts and jeans) because if the teachers dress up too nicely it makes the kids feel bad and ashamed. They said I can leave all my earrings in, and they don´t care about the tattoos, because they want the kids to know that appearance doesn´t make a person successful or moral, and these kids need to learn that people can be themselves and still respect that.

My new host teacher is sooo nice. Her name is Patricia, and her husband is from India, and they have two daughters. She said if I want to take a few days off work now and then to travel, she doesn´t mind, and that I should enjoy my time here. Patricia also respects the fact that I´m vegan because she is used to cooking vegetarian meals for her husband. She even said she would prepare my lunches and bring them to school with her! I could not have asked for a nicer host teacher.

I will miss the choir program a lot, but there is a choir here too. The choir director is named Omar and he´s glad I´m here because Republica Croacia´s funds are low, and he has to teach band, choir, AND all the PE classes.

At first I thought it was kind of weird to be switching schools again, especially since I only have slightly more than a month left. However, after I came to República Croacia today for the first time, I was once again reminded of the fact that everything happens for a reason. The kids I met today seemed super excited to have me here, and although they do seem rowdy, overall they seem like a good group of kids. I can´t wait to get to know them and work with them more. It´s going to be a fun month.

written by  Sara Florecita on October 14, 2010 from Iquique, Chile
from the travel blog: año de dos inviernos (Chile 2010)
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