Week 1: From city to city to city!

Happy Saturday everyone! As many of you know, just a week ago I embarked on this new adventure to Guatemala where I will be spending the next 10 months as a Fulbright ETA. I decided that while I am here I would love to share what I learn along the way with all of you who helped me to get here. While this blog is in not an official site of the Fulbright program or the U.S. Department of State, I hope it will allow me to provide my own unique reflections on my life here and to stay connected with all of you! So let's see how this goes!!

Here is the beautiful rainbow I woke up to on 

my first morning in Guatemala City!

Since arriving, I made it from the capital city airport to a nearby hotel to crash, before myself and another colleague met up and headed on our way to the city of Xela for a conference with the U.S. Embassy's Access program in Guatemala. The journey was beautiful and I got to meet many of my new team members from Cobán.

The beautiful view along the drive to Xela

In Xela, we stayed at a school that doubles as a conference center. There we met with over 40 teachers from across the country's 7 sites. They all work for the embassy's English Language Programs (ELP). We learned about the background of the programs and I was shocked to learn that all of the teachers we met were alumni of these programs!   

  

                    

                Some friendly pups at the school                                   Labor el Refugio

The next several days were spent in various workshop sessions learning about the central themes of the programs and various resources we can use as teaching tools. I was inspired by the professionalism, knowledge, and creativity demonstrated by both presenters and participants. (Things I feel I have not seen as strongly in my US experiences). While it was certainly a whirlwind of new information, I managed to learn a lot about the logistics/structures of the programs and steal a few tricks to take back in the classroom.

We also got to work with presenters from the Regional English Language Office at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico who were very helpful as well in equipping us to be effective teachers. They have a strong emphasis on using broader concepts and authentic materials as a means to learn language rather than just the conventions of grammar etc. 

One of the group activities we completed to explore 

the available resources we could work with.

Apart from the explicit teaching that took place, I learned even more from the informal interactions and conversations I shared with other teachers. The community they have built through these programs is really special to see and they had a lot to share from their experiences. The majority of the teachers were somewhere in their 20s which was refreshing to see coming from a place where I was always looked at as unexperienced due to my age. While they are young they already have lots of experience in their roles from growing up in these ELPs. It was also interesting to see the many different experiences they brought. Some were in the midst of finishing their degrees, others were already married, with children at home that they spoke fondly of. Some had spent time abroad and eagerly shared their stories and many also taught in other contexts on top of the ELPs or even owned businesses and schools of their own. We exchanged tales of struggles and joys in the classroom.

Some of the gorgeous mountain views seen in Xela

Overall, the experience was very insightful and leads me to think even more deeply about the context of the US presence here in Guate. I am reflecting specifically about the impact I will have coming into this space as an outsider. My goal so far is to place an emphasis on exchange through this experience, as learning is not a one sided process. I hope to learn as much from the students and teachers I work with as they learn from me. And I can't wait to share what my days in the classroom are like!

  The soccer court outside Hostal el Bosque where I attempted to do pull ups on the goals for some exercise in the rare occasion of spare time during the conference!!