The first half of our semester is drawing to a close. Tomorrow’s class will be a Halloween celebration, and this weekend I will submit grades before leaving for Mexico City. I’ve now been in Mexico for three months and I have another two-and-a-half to go. This feels like a good time for reflection.
My Spanish has progressed nicely. In the mornings, after class, I can feel my brain twisting phrases, trying its best to render internal dialogue in an alternative and limited lexicon. Outside of the school, I use Spanish most frequently for monetary transactions, and as a result, now, when I am thinking automatically rather than intentionally, numbers often come to me in Spanish rather than English. I still dream in English, but there are Spanish phrases here and there; lately all of my dreams have been about preparing lessons.
The classes I teach have begun to feel limited by the constraints of Zoom. So far, we haven’t been doing many writing activities, because they’re hard to share via video chat. Over the weekend, I want to start experimenting with another program where I can share documents with individual students. With a faster way to send documents back and forth, we can add another dimension to our studies.
Daily routines have solidified. I wake at 8:20, go to Spanish class at 9, return at 10 (10:30 if I get breakfast at the market), work on some lessons, nap from 12 to 2:40, eat lunch, teach from 4-7, eat dinner, lay around for a while, meditate around 8:30, plan more lessons until 11, blog, read until 1, sleep. This is a functional routine, but it’s getting a bit boring. There’s a school of traditional arts in the town center and their classes are open to the public; I’m going to drop by there tomorrow and ask about their schedule. I’ve been feeling an itch to do more art lately, and attending classes would provide extra Spanish practice too. It sounds like there may also be another class of adult beginners that I can start teaching for a bit of extra cash. All of this means I need to get more efficient at prepping lessons, which also probably means I need to stop laying around so much on the weekends.
I still haven’t made any friends here. I have good relationships with my students and fellow teachers, but I don’t hang out with them outside of the designated class times. Between my classes and phone calls, I don’t feel lonely, nonetheless, maybe I can make some new friends at the arts school.
Since arriving I have finished eight books. I’d like to finish eight more before leaving. Can’t trust an English teacher who doesn’t read.
Finally, WordPress says I’ve posted everyday for the last 85 days. This is definitely the most consistently I’ve ever written, and it feels good to build a habit. Writing at the end of the night has been a valuable way to reflect, and sticking to a daily schedule has helped me maintain discipline about my practice. That said, I feel kinda limited writing daily blogs. The quality of every post is limited by the fact that I write it out, read it over, and publish it all in one sitting. I’d like to work on longer form writing, where I can express bigger ideas with greater clarity and nuance, but I don’t know if I can do that while also blogging daily. That said, I also worry that if I stop forcing myself to write every single day, I’ll find an excuse not to write at all. All of this matters to me because, in addition to being primary creative outlet right now, writing is also a skill I’d like to develop professionally. I’d love it if I could get paid to just write. That’s the dream. And so right now, I need to be improving my craft.
I don’t have all the answers yet, but I may start playing around. Anticipate changes.
AdamFendos.blog 