Lessons Learned

Some of you ask what my classes are like. Here are some highlights from some of last week's lessons:

1. In my Advanced II-2 class we read alllllll about Scientology. I did it to spark some conversation and debate AND to get them writing about something. Turns out, I ended up learning a lot more about Scientology than I thought I knew. Did you know that I have a Thetan inside of me? Neither did I.

2. In my Advanced II-3 class, we read "Letting Go", an anecdotal essay by David Sedaris. I was nervous about them not getting his humor, but they did and turns out, they love Sedaris now, just like Teacher! We also got some great vocab out of the reading.

3. On Friday, in my Pre-Intermediate and High Basic classes, I had them listen to and do a gap-fill exercise to "King of Wishful Thinking" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack. Latinos love 80's and early 90's music, so I thought it was a good call. It was a lot of fun and sparked some fun conversations about breaking up and moving on. I played it for three classes, three hours in a row, so while they listened, I watched the youtube video on repeat. Um, it's ridiculous and if I had to sit through it twelve times, you should experience it too. Click HERE to enjoy.

Here's a quick vid of Machu Picchu. Please ignore my dorky commentary. Also, I sound like a man. Hiking around and feeling tough will do that do a person.




I was taking this video on the way back to Cusco from our trip and it's really not all that interesting, BUT at one point you can hear me say "Me gusta tu musica" to the driver and suddenly he starts blasting "Let's Hear it for the Boy". The 80's are HUGE in Latin America. The whole trip home, he played his own 80's mix for us and, I gotta admit, it was awesome.