Words of the wise, Quotes from our current volunteers
Melanie: “ While Santa Ana is a poor community, there’s never a shortage of generosity and warmth. I’ve had wonderful experiences in cultural exchange and built life-long friendships in just three months, and my Spanish is definitely improving.”
Lindsey: “It has been such a pleasure to work in Santa Ana because we were welcomed so warmly and the community has fully embraced the opportunity to learn English from us. Every day on the street motorcycle-taxi drivers approach me and ask to learn English, and parents report that their kids now say “Good Morning” to them when they get up.”
Derick: “At first I thought I was coming to Colombia to teach English, but I’ve realized that I have as much to learn from my students as they have to learn from me. I’m not only an English teacher, but a role model and a source of new knowledge for kids in a rural community.”
Crystal: “I like living on campus with the local teachers. It brings a real sense of community to the school.”
Lena: “I love living and working here because I know we’re making a difference everyday and bringing new ideas to the table. English language skills give this community an indispensible tool toward greater economic prosperity, and we all feel very privileged to be pioneers in this effort.”
¿Va a llover?
There is a magic day here in Santa Ana. It happens every once and while. On this day, everyone seems to have more energy. Classes seem to flow. The students are attentive, active and participating in class. Walking from class to class you notice, all the other teachers seem to be experiencing the same success as you. During break, everyone wants to join the soccer game. When school lets out, the streets are filled with children running around playing, causing a bit of trouble. So how do you know when you are going to experience a day like this….wait for it to rain! The day after it rains is special. The normal hot and humid weather is replaced with a nice cool, breeze. The plants seem greener and grass is sprouting up everywhere.
So, when will it rain? I will tell you one thing….most of the time, not when you think. I can’t count the number of times, I’ve heard thunder and seen lightning and not felt a drop of rain. And the best part is, every time I ask someone, Do you think it’s going to rain? They look up and respond “no” and I still don’t believe them. How could it not rain? Yet the rain never comes. We like to call these moments, rain fake outs. You run around, collect your clothes that are drying outside. Find your umbrella and big rubber boots. You’re ready for rain, and then, nothing. Fake out. No rain!
That’s why when it does rain, when the heat leaves, you know the next class you teach is going to be a little cooler, and not just in degrees.
Saludos in English
Everyday I have a five minute walk from one school to the other. I always walk the same route, passing by the same people, if they are out on their front patios at that time. One particular patio is home to a man who is learning English on the beach where he sells necklaces and bracelets. I will occasionally stop to say hello and have a small conversation in English to help him practice. Sometimes, it’s simply a “hello, how are you?” from one side of the street to the other. One afternoon, I heard the familiar “hello, how are you?” and I shouted back, “Good, how are you?” and literally out of nowhere, he responds, “I am broke.” I couldn’t help but laugh and say very good English and then think wow, you’re broke now, but maybe if you kept learning English and keep practicing, you will sell more and earn more! He hasn’t come up with another line like that again, but its something I will remember for a while.
Music
Music is always playing somewhere. Salsa, Champeta, Vallenato, you name it, they play it. I’ve even heard Paul Simon being blasted at 3am in the morning. The people here like to say dancing is in their blood. From birth the children are exposed to the thumping rhythm of base from huge speakers outside their houses. Baby’s first dance moves are just as important as their first steps. The normality of walking down the street is turned into an opportunity to dance. Showing off your moves while going to the store to buy some eggs. The only time the town is quiet is when the power is out, and it feels weird.
It’s no wonder that some of my most successful lessons are those with rhythm or musical components. One particular class, we practiced the pronunciation of family members. By simply adding in a clapping and snapping beat along with word repetition the kids we engaged and repeating the words. They loved it so much, that I would see them practicing at home or in-between classes. Creating activities that involve a rhythm or beat are instant successes. When the kids are singing Champeta songs in class instead of focusing on the lesson, I remind myself to embrace the music and use it to my advantage!
Crowded streets
Side note: The animals in Santa Ana roam free in the streets. On a normal day when walking in town I’ll pass by a handful of chickens, a few pigs, maybe a cow or two and a donkey.
Most Fridays when I am not in Cartagena, I go to a friend’s house in town for dinner. Spend some time with her family and play hide and go seek with her 1 year old son. One night as I was on my way back to my house something happened. I was walking with my friend Malka and unbeknownst to us, a dog was furiously chasing a huge, smelly, muddy pig directly towards the two of us. And then, out of nowhere, bam! The giant pig slammed up against my leg leaving a giant, smelly mud spot. I was literally covered in pig mud. To make the matter even better, like always, everyone on the street was outside on their patios enjoying the evening. The entire street erupted in laughter. Children who were playing stopped to laugh. My friend next to me was hysterical, couldn’t breathe. Apparently this doesn’t happen too often. All I could was laugh it off, go back to my friend’s house to wash off and change my pants, and then try and make it back to my house without another incident.
Brief Overview of my daily life in Santa Ana
While this is not always how things are here in Santa Ana, it’s a pretty good base for the majority of my days. I hope this gives you an idea of what your day might be like when you arrive!
Everyday at Barbacoas there is a meeting of some sort at 7:00am. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we have a teachers meeting. Tuesday and Thursday there is a school assembly.
Classes start at 7:45am. I am the 4th and 5th grade English teacher. In total I teach 16 hours of English a week at Barbacoas. So, this means on any given day I teach anywhere from 2 to 4 hours of English.
One special note...10:30am is descanso or break! A 30min all school recess.
Lunch is around 1:00pm, so I’ll grab some food at the school cafeteria.
After lunch, I will usually have an hour or so break before its time to head over to the public school. I also teach 4th and 5th grade in the primary school which starts its day at 12:30pm and ends at 5:30pm. I teach 12 hours a week, which is anywhere from 1 to 4 hours of classes a day. Recess at the public school is at 3:15pm! Sometimes I finish at 3:15pm and other days I am there until 5:30pm.
Depending on the time, I usually head home relax, lesson plan and then cook some dinner with the other volunteers. If it is Wednesday, I head to the teachers meeting in the afternoon at Barbacoas.
For the first 7 months or so I lead two evening adult classes. At first they were open only to the teachers at Barbacoas. After attendance dropped, I opened the classes to members of the community who had some prior English knowledge. These classes were about an hour long every Tuesday and Thursday. I also have the occasional after school English class with the teachers at the public school.
In the evenings, I will usually read a book, catch up with friends and family online, watch a movie, talk with the other teachers, walk around town, hang out with the other volunteers, or play a game of soccer. After some sort of fun evening activity, I head to bed so I can do it again the next day!
Everyday I have a five minute walk from one school to the other. I always walk the same route, passing by the same people, if they are out on their front patios at that time. One particular patio is home to a man who is learning English on the beach where he sells necklaces and bracelets. I will occasionally stop to say hello and have a small conversation in English to help him practice. Sometimes, it’s simply a “hello, how are you?” from one side of the street to the other. One afternoon, I heard the familiar “hello, how are you?” and I shouted back, “Good, how are you?” and literally out of nowhere, he responds, “I am broke.” I couldn’t help but laugh and say very good English and then think wow, you’re broke now, but maybe if you kept learning English and keep practicing, you will sell more and earn more! He hasn’t come up with another line like that again, but its something I will remember for a while. 
