Today has been incredibly exhausting. Stephen came for me early, so I had a chance to work on lesson plans but didn't get a nap in. Then, he introduced me to the four girls who were volunteer teachers last session and who will stay on for the next session. They all seem very nice, although not everything they had to say about the camp was positive. Apparently, the schedule changes constantly and nothing runs very efficiently. On the bright side, they said the kids were fantastic. I'm really looking forward to getting some classroom experience. I will be teaching three half hour English classes a day, each with about ten kids. There will be the beginner group, with ages 8 to 10, the intermediate, from 11 to 13, and the advanced group, from 14 to 17. Additionally, I will be teaching one hour long Creativity Workshop each day. The theme of my first week's workshop will be Culture of the American South. Among other things, I'll teach them the dance to "Cotton Eye Joe" and the "Dixieland" song.
Anyway, after chatting with the girls, we all went to the zoo. It was ok, but really crowded and hot and we were very rushed. We then rode around in a hot bus for a while and stood for an hour outside of the train station, as the campers of the past session all left. Everyone, including the guys, was sobbing and hugging constantly, while I stood awkwardly to the side and watched. We then walked back to the hotel, where all of the volunteer teachers will be spending the night. Now, we're about to head out for pizza- the other girls are already sick of Russian food- and then they're going out clubbing. I'm making an effort to be social, but I really don't think I have it in me to stay out until 4am dancing in a club with no AC with people I just met. Right now, the thing I'm most looking forward to is a good night's sleep.
Anyway, after chatting with the girls, we all went to the zoo. It was ok, but really crowded and hot and we were very rushed. We then rode around in a hot bus for a while and stood for an hour outside of the train station, as the campers of the past session all left. Everyone, including the guys, was sobbing and hugging constantly, while I stood awkwardly to the side and watched. We then walked back to the hotel, where all of the volunteer teachers will be spending the night. Now, we're about to head out for pizza- the other girls are already sick of Russian food- and then they're going out clubbing. I'm making an effort to be social, but I really don't think I have it in me to stay out until 4am dancing in a club with no AC with people I just met. Right now, the thing I'm most looking forward to is a good night's sleep.
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