As I mentioned during my last post, my field professor Dr. Rose visited Ecuador this week. Her main purpose for coming is to support us in field and make sure everything is going okay, and she also makes plans for the next batch of students. The three of us social work seniors have a great relationship with her, so we were all so excited for her to come. She even asked us what she could bring us from the States! I requested caramels and she brought two big bags. And I've got jelly beans coming next weekend. Oh boy.
On Monday I had a regular day of field, sort of. When I arrived I was told that one of the staff was sick, and that it would be great if I could give a workshop and an English lesson that day. Normally I only do English on Mondays. If you know me, you know I can't say no, so that's what I did! I gave a workshop on anorexia in the morning and taught English in the afternoon (we finished learning how to count to 100). I had planned to play number bingo as a fun way to reinforce the concepts, and brought candies for the girls to mark their cards. Not surprisingly, many couldn't wait and ate them immediately! I was glad to add some happiness to their day.
At four we had yet another group of short-term missionaries come. They're all from the States and have been to the house before, but not in a long time. I love it when missionaries come, because it takes the work off of me and gives me a chance to get to know more ministries and more great people. The girls all enjoy it too. Because the women were all American with one Guatemalan translator, they often tried to speak English with me. I think they're a lot more timid about speaking Spanish, especially in front of groups, so they rely heavily on their translator even though they seem to have a basic grip on Spanish. I didn't want to make them uncomfortable, but I make a point of speaking Spanish because that way the girls can understand too. A lot of times I'll say something to them in Spanish, then repeat it for them in English if need be, and then translate their reply. I'm definitely not shy about speaking Spanish in field anymore, because I have no translator--I'm on my own and I just have to figure it out! This is not at all because I'm super skilled or anything. It's really just because I've had no choice but to get comfortable with using exclusively Spanish. And I think it's good that I never had a translator to be my crutch.
That night Dr. Rose and I met for dinner to get some field paperwork finished, and we started my midterm evaluation. The next day was another normal day of field for me, except Dr. Rose was visiting the house! I spent the morning pulling weeds and watching a workshop, and then in the afternoon I was on! I gave a workshop about cutting for Dr. Rose to see, and this was by far my biggest and more relevant workshop (because cutting is a significant problem with my clients). The girls took to my prof right away, and she participated in some English review I had planned later. My students spoke English with her, and I was so proud! They were so excited to practice on her because she speaks less Spanish than me. I spoke in both languages so that everybody understood each other, and Dr. Rose said I move between English and Spanish very smoothly (although not always! I often forget English words when I've been speaking Spanish so much. It's embarrassing when suddenly you forget your native language!). Overall, it was a great day! My professor loved the visit and so did the girls. They didn't want us to leave.
Today I went to the office, and Dr. Rose and I finished my evaluation later at my favorite coffee spot. Right after that I moved out of my homestay, back into the apartment, and packed my bags for the Galapagos! Leaving bright and early tomorrow for some quality beach time. :)
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