Session 1 Complete

Mia here. It's amazing how connected I feel to 27 students after 21 days together. Class D became a family. The students went from shyness and feeling uncomfortable with their accommodations, to feeling energized by the English-only environment. A few said that they were even able to dream in English! Toward the end of the session I got a cold, then a weird stomach ache, then another form of chest-cold. I guess my body is finally adjusting to the new environment. Even though I was uncomfortable during the last couple of days, I was honored to hear such thoughtful and heart-felt speeches...one was from a father telling his story of being too strict with his child, and how his own son taught him forgiveness, and that a new kind of father/son relationship can be formed. Another speech highlighted why women should be able to be head teachers more frequently in senior school. I was blown away! Over lunch we discussed similarities and differences in teachers' schedules here and in the U.S. Some of my favorite moments included watching these skillful teachers let loose and play together like teenagers, act out mini-dramas, hearing and helping them fine-tune persuasive speeches, observing their 20 minute English lesson practicums, and seeing each person take risks such as learning to play basketball for the first time or speaking up in class. My class monitor made this video for the last day of class. You'll hear a couple of their favorite English songs: "A little love" and "Yesterday, Once More". They took pics of class time, PE, chatting in the cafeteria, and silly ones from the weekend scavenger hunt.

Here's a group of my students dancing during the talent show: