This summer had to be one of the most unforgettable times ever in my life, thanks to a group of international students. I was able to take a time machine into the past and live my life as if I were an adolescent again. When I first decided to take the summer position as an ESL teacher/Activity Leader/House Parent, I didn't know what to expect. All I knew was at some point my body was going to take a toll on me, but I knew when that time came, I had to fight through it and prove to myself and the kids I will be there for them. The first week is always difficult. Getting to know colleagues, staff and your new environment,but with time I have learnt to roll with punches and take as an opportunity shine. The first week would be a testimony of that.
In my first week of teaching my organization was a bit off, so I had come up with different ways of reaching the students , so I used games, media, social networks, books, and personal stories to make the lessons more interesting.. Over the counts of days I found the method to have worked and both the students and I had a mutual respect for one another. The second job I took was activity leader. In being an Activity leader, I had to learn to be active and engaging with the students. The house parent position was no cakewalk, but It was my second favorite position, because it allowed me to spend time with the students that would help each other in the classroom. At the house parent meetings we sang , we joked, clown around , but in between I learned about their culture, foods, way of life, and the history of their country. We even sang the most recognized song in Italy. "Volare" a song that would remain in my head for the rest of camp.
The Italian group had a long and lasting impression on me. Maybe it was the song, which made me even more curious of wanting to visit Italy someday. I also got a chance to learn about the Taiwanese culture, thanks to a bunch of fun, outgoing, crazy and wild teenagers. I got a history lesson on Taiwan. It was our sharing and our curiosity for one another that helped form a great friendship. My favorite moments with them would have to be hearing them talk about the American girls. I had a great time learning about the German culture. I had a great time learning German from the German students. They were amazing and very receptive when it came to sharing their culture about Germany.
My favorite moment with them would have to be learning German at the Yankee Game. It was my first intensive German lesson that I had, which the kids where great at explaining the rules of the game to me as I was learning about their individual likes and dislikes. The group from Spain where fun. They talked about their love for food and culture and why Spain was ranked number 1 in the world in soccer. I was close to two students from Spain. Ricardo and Carlos. I had a great time getting to know them, and spending time with them. The Russian students was more a pleasure getting to know because beforehand I knew very little about Russia, but the students were great filling me in about the current state of Russia and the history. I enjoyed learning Russian, but of all the languages I found it to be the most difficult to learn. The students were great at being patient and teaching me their language.
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