Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day
Some things we are loving these days...
Lydia: old friends (you know who you are); new friends (Juliana, Laura, Tatiana, Angie, Gabriela, Camilla); books; passionfruit; colorful leggings; Ziggity; gymnastics; homeroom teacher; mythology; gef; book packages; rainforests; friendliness of Colombians; La Hamburgesaria
Andy: hockey gear; friends (old and new: Andreas, Pinzon, Miguel, Chritian, Monico); sports; strawberries; ludicas; Piscilago; Wii; Ajiaco; new bedroom loft; micro-futbol; Crepes and Waffles
Abby: Christmas, birthdays, Elizabeth and Neil; gymnastics; Happys; movies; friends (old and new: Luisa, Juli, Maria Anjelica) jumprope; Escondidas; limeade; ice cubes; Cam Jansen; Wikky ropes.
Jenny: finding quiet spaces to walk; bluegrass music; hot showers; mangoes; facebook; tennis; watching TV in bed; sharing food with friends; soccer practice; an amazing Spanish tutor; Colombian hot chocolate; family.
Aaron: spring weather; spanish lessons; directtv (mainly european soccer); olympics, compensar; limeade; anticipation of new friends; my play list; Jen's oatmeal bread; fresh fruit and veggies; family; Abby's boldness
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Fifth/Sixth Month in Colombia
This will probably be my last "list post." While we are still learning so much, it has been harder to record the little things, like we did in the initial months spent here in Colombia. We will try to continue to share new understandings as they come to us, but not on a monthly basis. Here are a few from the last couple months.
It is perfectly acceptable for older people to cut in line.
Dance is absolutely integral, and is found at all parties and as an essential part of the school day.
It is more acceptable to come to a meeting late than to leave early.
The U.S. has had a profound affect on cultural norms here. In the coastal regions where the US Navy is very present, popular baby names were "onedollar" "barack" and "usnavy."
It is really rude to not offer to share food. You always share what you have.
The role of the "administrator" in a business or organization is much broader, and includes making key decisions and planning for the organization.
It is pretty normal to see little foot socks worn with sandals. Interesting.
We have witnessed a great deal of public affection between parents and children. Very common.
Colombians love metaphors, and use them often (which we like).
People eat a snack mid-morning, around 11. For that reason, it is called "Onces." The evening meal is often a light snack, and not until 8:00.
It is NOT common to work through lunch. In our offices, this is considered a very "gringo" thing to do. Almuerzo is a time to stop working, go somewhere, visit with friends, and take your time to eat.
Adults raise their hands to talk during meetings.
Organizations tend to have a more cooperative structure to them.
Someone told us to give Andy a teaspoon to gasoline to combat his car-sickness. They were very insistent that it worked.
Colombians have mandated paternity leave, and three months of paid maternity leave.
It is not generally acceptable to return something to a store. For that reason, before you leave, they take everything out of the package, check it in front of you, go over all the parts/materials, and make sure you see them do it. It took me an hour to buy a phone.
It is not common to wear a wedding ring.
It is very common to commit adultery.
When paying for something, you must put the money in the person's hand directly. Do not put money down on the counter for them to pick up. It is considered very rude.
It is perfectly acceptable for older people to cut in line.
Dance is absolutely integral, and is found at all parties and as an essential part of the school day.
It is more acceptable to come to a meeting late than to leave early.
The U.S. has had a profound affect on cultural norms here. In the coastal regions where the US Navy is very present, popular baby names were "onedollar" "barack" and "usnavy."
It is really rude to not offer to share food. You always share what you have.
The role of the "administrator" in a business or organization is much broader, and includes making key decisions and planning for the organization.
It is pretty normal to see little foot socks worn with sandals. Interesting.
We have witnessed a great deal of public affection between parents and children. Very common.
Colombians love metaphors, and use them often (which we like).
People eat a snack mid-morning, around 11. For that reason, it is called "Onces." The evening meal is often a light snack, and not until 8:00.
It is NOT common to work through lunch. In our offices, this is considered a very "gringo" thing to do. Almuerzo is a time to stop working, go somewhere, visit with friends, and take your time to eat.
Adults raise their hands to talk during meetings.
Organizations tend to have a more cooperative structure to them.
Someone told us to give Andy a teaspoon to gasoline to combat his car-sickness. They were very insistent that it worked.
Colombians have mandated paternity leave, and three months of paid maternity leave.
It is not generally acceptable to return something to a store. For that reason, before you leave, they take everything out of the package, check it in front of you, go over all the parts/materials, and make sure you see them do it. It took me an hour to buy a phone.
It is not common to wear a wedding ring.
It is very common to commit adultery.
When paying for something, you must put the money in the person's hand directly. Do not put money down on the counter for them to pick up. It is considered very rude.
School Update #2
Aaron and I had the privilege of attending parent-teacher conferences this last week. We enjoyed visiting with each of their teachers, and seeing how they have progressed after two bimesters at Liceo Boston.
Lydia is enjoying the 6th grade, and it seems to be a better match for her than the initial placement she had in 5th grade. He teachers are kind, and they say that she works hard and pays attention in class. They assure us that she is understanding a lot of Spanish, but she is not speaking much. We think she is like me, in that it is better for her to have a complete understanding of the technical parts of the language in order to feel more confident to speak. We are hoping to increase her time with one-on-one Spanish tutoring, which has been extremely limited up to this point. She continues to be a friendly, and positive influence on her peers at school, and enjoys gymnastics and the sciences. Her favorite thing so far is how much time they spend outdoors. Her biggest challenge is leaving for school at 5:15 in the morning, and intense homework schedule.
Abby has finally made some friends and is no longer sitting outside of class crying. Her teacher reports that she is chatting away in Spanish, and understands everything that she is told. Abby is involved with equitacion, which is "trick-riding" on horses. Her report card in this class said that she is cooperative, responsive to others, very brave, and willing to try new moves, even if they are challenging. Her class is a bit behind the U.S. curricularly, but she is working hard, reading in both English and Spanish. Her favorite class is P.E. and the hardest part for her is lunch, because sometimes she has to try things that she does not like.
Andy's teachers are very happy with his progress. They said that everyone wants to be his friend. He works hard, and is diligent with homework. The hardest part for him is math, and he really enjoys that some teachers play games outdoors and use active learning in the classroom. He lives for Fridays when he gets to do roller hockey. What we are learning about Andy is that he is quite shy, especially with speaking Spanish and when talking to other adults. They are hoping they can get him to speak up more in the next bimester, because they know he has good things to share.
Lydia is enjoying the 6th grade, and it seems to be a better match for her than the initial placement she had in 5th grade. He teachers are kind, and they say that she works hard and pays attention in class. They assure us that she is understanding a lot of Spanish, but she is not speaking much. We think she is like me, in that it is better for her to have a complete understanding of the technical parts of the language in order to feel more confident to speak. We are hoping to increase her time with one-on-one Spanish tutoring, which has been extremely limited up to this point. She continues to be a friendly, and positive influence on her peers at school, and enjoys gymnastics and the sciences. Her favorite thing so far is how much time they spend outdoors. Her biggest challenge is leaving for school at 5:15 in the morning, and intense homework schedule.
Abby has finally made some friends and is no longer sitting outside of class crying. Her teacher reports that she is chatting away in Spanish, and understands everything that she is told. Abby is involved with equitacion, which is "trick-riding" on horses. Her report card in this class said that she is cooperative, responsive to others, very brave, and willing to try new moves, even if they are challenging. Her class is a bit behind the U.S. curricularly, but she is working hard, reading in both English and Spanish. Her favorite class is P.E. and the hardest part for her is lunch, because sometimes she has to try things that she does not like.
Andy's teachers are very happy with his progress. They said that everyone wants to be his friend. He works hard, and is diligent with homework. The hardest part for him is math, and he really enjoys that some teachers play games outdoors and use active learning in the classroom. He lives for Fridays when he gets to do roller hockey. What we are learning about Andy is that he is quite shy, especially with speaking Spanish and when talking to other adults. They are hoping they can get him to speak up more in the next bimester, because they know he has good things to share.
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