chivay

I have to commute to take a shower. When I want to bathe I ride my bike the three kilometers up the road, past the dogs that occasionally give chase, across a small stream and stop at the hot springs. While I certainly don't do it every day, I love the ride and the hot springs too. The ride follows the road up the Rio Colca which is quite full from recent rains. The countryside is green and my favorite pool at the hot springs is outdoors with a small lawn that looks down to the Rio Colca. It is well developed and clean, though a little expensive (1.75 entrance for the nice pool). Being there early in the morning makes my day, and often I have the place to myself. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to return to go to class.

After returning to Chivay all nice and clean I start school at 8am. During the course of the week I teach every grade from kindergarten to the 5th year of secondaria (15-16 year olds). The little kids and the 14 year olds are the hardest. The little ones because they don't even know how to spell in Spanish, and the 14 year olds because they are middle schoolers (and the class, with 12 students is my largest). When they don't know something in English it seems that they try to prove themselves in other ways - mostly being obnoxious. Happily I only have two hours with them on Friday.

I love my class of 13 year olds. There are only five of them and they get super into everything in the most honest and genuine way. Today there were a few tense moments over our hangman game and the word bedroom. They are such a contrast to the class one year older. I always have to put one of the boys into a group with the girls and I love how at first it is awkward and embarrassing, but then they get over it and work on the activity.

I also love Wednesdays. I don't have class until 12:30 and I can go for a good ride in the morning before the rains come. I then teach fourth graders for about two hours, most of whom enjoy learning English. I feel like they look at English as some sort of amusing puzzle. I taught the Lord's Prayer (it is a religious private school), though there was some concern about whether we should use words like "art" and "thy" and whether we should use the trespass version or the sin version. I figured it better to use more modern English and to use the sin version - it is a Catholic school.

My evening classes with adults are fun and challenging, mostly because I can have anywhere from six to twenty people show up with an equal range of skills.