So sorry for the delay in posting! I've been here in Lusaka for about three weeks now and have just been so busy (and have very limited Internet access--at school only, as of now), that I haven't had time to post. I'll cover the highlights here and then post more detailed posts later (travel with Ruby-dog, Lusaka orientation, school--The American International School of Lusaka, life in general, etc.). But, for now, here's the Reader's Digest Version:
Ruby-dog and I made it here uneventfully. I was (and am) actually so surprised at what a good travellin' dog she is. As she is my Emotional Support Animal, she was able to sit in my lap the whole way. I also sat in bulkhead the whole trip, and her carrier fit nicely between my feet. More on that later....
We arrived on Wednesday, Aug. 3 and were met at the airport by the Director of AISL, Chris. After collecting *all* of my luggage (apparently, that is rare), we breezed through customs. Chris dropped me at my house and said he'd be back to collect me for dinner shortly. Although I was completely exhausted, I managed to stay up for a few hours and have dinner with Chris (Director), Jim (my new Principal), and some other new hires at Kilimanjaro Café.
The next few days were packed with Lusaka orientation, get-to-know each other, and an awesome excursion to a game park which was about an hour from town.
New-teacher orientation began at AISL on Tuesday and that week (Aug 8-12) was full of iPad training. AISL is the first (and only) school in Africa to adopt a one-to-one iPad program for 6th and 10th graders, so we spent two days in intense iPad training. I learned a ton, but have barely begun to scratch the surface on the possibilities that will enhance my classroom with the iPad. So many cool things!!!
Because of so many meetings and trainings, I only had one day to set up my classroom, which is tiny. Space here is at a premium and the school had a good idea (really) to set up smaller language classes. So, they took one regular-sized classroom and put up a dividing wall to create two classes, each which would have much smaller classes, which is ideal for language learning. However, because the school has gotten big, I now have 17 kids in two of my classes (which, in the States, would be a dream). However, the largest class in the entire school is 22 students in a regular, full-size, class and I'm struggling to cram 17 10th and 12th graders in a classroom designed for 11-13 kids. Plus, my classes are very active--my kids are always up and moving around, so it simply isn't working out. The other big bummer is that because they divided the classroom, I have 1/2 the windows...actually less because the windows that face south are smaller than the windows that face north and I'm in the south-facing room. To top it off, about 1/3 of my windows are covered by the 6th graders lockers, so I'm pretty bummed.
Other than the classroom situation, however, AISL is amazing! Great facilities, supportive staff and administration, LOVELY students. It's just great! I can see how people get into the world of international teaching and never leave--there are major perks. I'm teaching MYP (Middle Years Programme) Spanish levels 8, 9, and 10 and IB (International Baccalaureate) 11 and 12 ab Initio (basically beginning Spanish for kids who already speak two, three, four, or five other languages).
The schedule is pretty confusing, but there are 7 periods per day and I teach 4 (so I have three 45 minute preps every day which is amazing!). I'm also co-coaching volleyball and just found out that we have a big tournament in Johannesburg in October! So cool!
Anyway, signing off for now, but will post detailed posts about the above briefly mentioned, things soon. Including pictures. Yay!
