I`ve had all kind of English teachers in Colombia. Recently, in "El Tiempo" I read the article "Gringo varado enseña Inglès" (English lessons from an unemployed american). There we found stories about foreigners whose only chance to work was as language teachers. Some might say this is o.k. because students have the opportunity to interact with a native speaker. On the other hand, some might say that speaking a language doesn`t make you a teacher. In my opinion both are right.
What is Bilingualism? Definition 1: The use of more than one language. Definition 2: The ability to communicate naturally and fluently in more than one language in all areas of life.
Between these definitions lie worlds. Somewhere in between we want to see our children. And as we know that life means learning in our constantly changing world, we understand that Bilingualism is a process, not a result.
But why do we want our children to become bilingual?
The Benefits of Bilingualism: Knowing about the benefits that Bilingualism can bring helps us to stick to our decision in difficult times. It also motivates us to continue when our child reaches a "learning plateau":
Communication advantages Bilingualism enables the child to communicate with all members of the close and extended family as well as with friends. This helps developing a good family cohesion and building relationships.
Bilingualism allows greater flexibility to choose a place to live and work.
Cultural advantages As language is part of culture, Bilingualism develops a broader cultural understanding and multicultural sensitivity, greater tolerance and social harmony.
Cognitive advantages Research shows that learning and use of more than one language enhances problem solving and analytical skills, allows better formation of concepts, increases visual-social abilities, furthers logical reasoning, supports cognitive flexibility.
Personal advantages Bilingualism also helps to stimulate creativity, raise self-esteem, increase flexibility and adaptability, enhance interpersonal and social skills, develop greater social sensitivity.
Curriculum advantages The understanding and development of concepts in more than one language allows the transfer of academic skills across the languages.
Bilingualism facilitates collaborative and cooperative learning within a language-diverse environment.
Languages can be chosen as subject at school or university.
Date of writing: March 2000, latest rewrite: March 2000. Author: Melissa
First of all, Colombian people usually attend private school if at all possible.
Its pretty expensive, sometimes, but the Colombians prefer it because public education isn't very good at all. Only the people who can't afford the pension go to public schools.
In Colombia, there are just as many grades as in the States, only they go by different numbers. There is no 12th grade in Colombian schools, but they have an intermediate grade, transition, between kindergarten and first grade. So it all balances out.
At least in private schools, everyone goes to the same school, from pre-scholars to 11th graders.
Students catch their buses at around 6:00 to 6:30. Unlike the buses in the USA, most schools don't use the yellow cheesewagon. They use public buses, which are usually some shade of green. They all have different interiors, so depending on which bus you take, within the same school you have a bus with curtains, comfortable seats, radios, and tinted windows, and buses with plastic coverings on chairs, broken radios, and windows with mildew growing on them.
So being on a good bus is important to students.
Friends compare buses, and rejoice when they get a good one. When they don't, too bad!
After you get on the bus, its a big thing to say "Buenos Dias" to the driver. If you don't, it is considered extremely rude. Teachers, usually 2 or 3, get on the bus as supervisors. (And you can really catch it if they see you getting on the bus without saying hello!) They sit on the front of the bus, and assign seats to people. If you talk to much, to the front and be prepared to sit with the little ones. If you don't give the teachers any problems, you are free to sit in the back.
Most of the time, the little ones (pre-school to 3rd grade) sit in the front, and the other students (4th to 11th) sit in the back. Most of the times little ones go in threes on the bus. The big ones go in twos. I've known some little ones that throw up on buses, if the way to school is full of curves.
Because Colombia has the three cordilleras of the Andes going through it, a lot of it is on mountainous terrain. This is true of Bogota, especially. There is no "straight" street. And the street conditions can be very poor. Holes everywhere. So sometimes the road to school is bumpy and curvy...and the little ones throw up. You just have to put up with them, though.
Anyway, sometime around 7:00, kids get to school. The little ones go to their classes (where they stay all day, except for religion, music, and art.) The bachillerato (high school) girls go to their lockers, take out their books, talk to their friends, and then go to their classes.
Here is a normal schedule for a Colombian student:
1st period 2nd period 3rd period BREAK 15 minutes 4th period 5th period 6th period BREAK 40 minutes 7th period 8th period
The periods are something like 45 minutes. And you thought USA students have it tough?! The Colombian student gets home at around 4:30. Again, when you leave the bus, it is an even BIGGER thing to say "Adios y Gracias." If you don't, you might as well be the rudest being on the planet. Everyone says it the same way, "Adios y Gracias".
Its just a thing.
High schoolers do not get to choose their classes, either.
Classes consist of: Math, English, Geometry, Religion, 20th century, Music, Art, Social Studies, Spanish, Science, and PE Izada de bandera on Mondays, and Church on Fridays.
They introduced Dance class the last year I was in Colombia. Everyday the schedule is different, because of the many number of classes students take. Geometry and 20th century are just for high schoolers. The emphasis on each subject varies from year to year, but Spanish is always a major thing.
One thing that does not change is PEE is 3 hours a week, Music is 1, Art is 2, Religion is 2, 20th century is 1. In my school, Science was taught in English. In other schools, though, every class is in English. This depends on the importance of the language at the school. English is usually a big deal, and teachers regard it as a priority.
Fridays is early day.
You leave right after lunch, two hours earlier. Every class was in a different room, but your classmates remain the same. For most classes, you stay in the "bachillerato" building. The special ones, like Art and Music and PE, were in the same place everyone takes them.
Here in USA, school is only as hard as you make it.
I mean, if you choose Honors and AP classes (while pushing yourself to do very good), school will be tough. But if you take standard classes, it'll be a breeze (hopefully!)
But in Bogota, school is moderately hard no matter what. Tests were a big deal, and we usually did not get a few days notice. More like a few weeks. If you failed, you'd get another chance to take it "recuperation", and it would take place in class, along with everyone else who did badly.
The grading scale changes like every year. Very hard to keep track of it, but last time I checked it was E- excellent B-Bueno R-regular (later removed from my school because dear, comprehensive, sympathetic, Miss Principal declared "we did not have mediocre students at Marymount school! It was either A or B....or a failing grade. Thus even more struggling students emerged) I-insufficient. Very bad if you got this.
On the report card, everyone writes their own personalized comments. Subjects that are tough in my school were- English (not a problem if you know it) Excruciatingly boring if you are American. Or know English or something. They make you read dull stories, and test you on rules. (Which I had no choice but to memorize.) The English teacher was never a native speaker for me, which annoyed me to no end. Bad accents are a pet peeve of mine.
Science (not much of a problem if you knew English, but still...it could get tricky) Just plain boring...what’s to explain? The fact that it was in English was tough on some people, though.
PE (very, very, very hard if you're not physically fit or willing to become.) This is a subject I failed practically every year. Sorry, if you're not a star athlete or very flexible, you will more than likely struggle in this class. 2 hours was more than enough, I was disappointed when they raised the requirement to 3 hours per week. Teachers will NOT have pity on you if you're not in great shape, the drills are very tough, and you have to pass challenging fitness tests. Not a nice prospect.
Church (Dios, so very boring. You don't get a church grade, but sometimes it was torture just to attend.) Our church wasn't very big, it had a dark stained glass thingie, and that was the only window. The pews were wooden, and church period was right before snacktime...so a lot of students were starving at that time. I fainted once, in that church. Very dramatic. Hehe. It was a regular catholic church, they made you comulgar and stuff (sorry, forgot the name for that in English), and confess to the father...face to face! Humph. That was really embarrassing.
Lunch was yet another easy target for more torture time, especially among the little ones. Maybe only for the little ones. You see, like in USA, the food was less than top quality, and I've found hairs, and even small worms (NO JOKE), in the food there.
If you found one of these items, you were exempt from Lunch Patrol examination. The Lunch Patrol were the teachers in charge of seeing that you clean everything off your plate. For the high schoolers, they did not do this. They were free to throw away their food, or just plain skip lunch. (While sometimes having guilt trips because of the sinful deed) That’s all I have to say about a high schoolers lunch time.
The little ones...it's just too bad about them. They'd have to pass through the Lunch Patrol with their lunch trays and plates up for inspection before being allowed to go out to recess. You'd finish, or you wouldn't leave. During my earlier years, I became a master of the Art of Spreading my Food around the Plate.
I was always a picky eater, and that meant trouble for me by the Lunch Patrol.
Most teachers were sympathetic, and when it was their time to be in the Lunch Patrol (teachers rotated), they'd usually let me pass without a look at my plate. But if the teacher hated me, they'd make me eat it all. Colombians have a strong conviction that food is not to be wasted. "Just imagine if a little one from Choco grabbed a hold of your leftovers. *HE* would eat it" was a phrase I heard waaaaaay too often. Made me sick. The food, too.
The food always included rice. Hard, undercooked, in lumps, always in one of these three groups. "Hairy" could be considered another group. Meat, fatty, gross looking, with weird sauce on it. Fish, with spines. I was scared of the fish. I never, never, ate the fish again after I discovered the spines. Mango. Where the worms could be found. 'Nuff said? Chicken. Not that bad, not that bad. Ajiaco. Everyone loved this, except me. Ajiaco is a regional Colombian food. A soup made with chicken broth, Chicken, potato and herbs. But I was suspicious of it. And it just looked so sloshed-together and gross..... Ravioli. So, so good. The only food I loved. Too bad it wasn't served very often. Desert- usually yummy.
If you could bribe the maid-person (empleada, whatever you call them here) into giving you an extra dessert, good for you!
Here's how you do it: Become well-acquainted with the empleadas in charge of lunch. Say "Gracias/Porfavor, Senora/Senorita" until they recognize you as the polite young lady. (Hey, mine was an all girl school, but whatever. A polite young man works too, I guess.) Then say "Aaaaay, Senora/Senorita, porfa me da otro postrecito? Mire que tengo artisima hambre!" She'll hopefully say "Claro, Mijita."
If not, swipe one when she's not looking.
More trivialities about schools
Unisex schools usually have the uglier uniforms. Boy schools get to wear ties. Girl schools have Britney Spears-type uniforms. This was especially true of my school, Marymount. But this is not a plus in the mornings-too cold for short skirts! Way too cold. And they were strict with regulations- if you took a school sweater without a badge to school, they would make you take it off, regardless of the fact that you were usually freezing your ass off.
But they didn't mind the alarmingly short skirts. Heh.
For PE, we had shorts. Short shorts. Religion was an easy A class, so was 20th century. And if you must know, staying behind a grade was a big deal. It didn't happen that often. Having no uniform was considered "una mamera" by older students. We all loved uniforms, and learned to even like our own. Little ones embraced the idea of no uniform. Innovative to them, I think.
And most students are EXTREMELY neat. Neat as in they cannot bear to have a crooked line under their title heading. So they take out their ruler and do it with that. Get the idea?
Its scary.
Teachers were referred to by their first names. Usually an affectionate nickname.The teacher/student relationship is very precious there.
Teachers genuinely care about students, and same goes for students. Parties everywhere in schools, too! For a teachers birthday, there is almost always a party. Everyone chips in, and the party lasts all period. Fun. If there is an extremely popular student, for their birthday there will be a party. And when you leave....like to another country, which is becoming common...very sad....there is always a surprise party. Well...not always, but usually.
Tearjerker parties, since classes are always very close-knit, and everyone becomes friends.
In this case, all your friends, regardless of what division they’re in, go to your party to say goodbye. And some teachers too.
Other party occasions are: teacher leaving to another school, student leaving to another school, and parties for no reason. Colombians like parties!
Now that we've gone over the basics of school (OK, beyond basics), I'll write a bit about attitudes in Colombia.
Especially Colombian schools. Colombian people are extremely nice people. If you're new, you'll be the school celebrity for weeks. Everyone will want to get to know you and become your friend. Sometimes the new-ness will never wear off. People asked me to no end about myself, and life in USA when I returned to Colombia. It never stopped, either. Their attitude towards American people is a curious attitude. They want to know, know about you. They find your stories about living abroad amusing. They want you to speak in a different language. They want to know what it was like in another country. They want to know which place you like better. Amusing.
This applies to Americans most of all. An unfriendly term for Americans is "gringos." When they say gringos, they are talking about the ignorant Colombian's stereotype of an American- blonde, unfashionably pale, can't dance, things like that. NO offense. I know its not true in most cases. Gringo can also become a friendly term, though, if you know the person. But mostly they will just refer to you as "coming from Estados Unidos."
In any case, Colombians may bear a teeny, tiny, little grudge towards Americans because of their prosperity. As a country, Colombia has many problems. And USA has just apparently breezed by and taken a place as a world power. And kept the drug problem in check by keeping close eye on Colombian imports. Not good for Colombia's economy.
Students are all aware of USA's power. Most students keep in touch with the current events in history, and care very much about the future of their country. They have been taught that their country is bad off because they, as uncaring citizens, have done nothing to better the situation. So a seedling of guilt is in everyone. This attitude applies to students as well as "grown-ups."
Do not call USA "America", though! Technically, America is the whole package, North and South America. By calling USA America, Colombians will feel you are intentionally leaving them out, thinking of them as insignificant. Its an insult for them.
Speaking very fluent English in class, too, insults their pride. They can get very annoyed if you "flaunt" your dual-language prowess. Its like "Ooooh, so I see. You can talk English, so I can't? And you're showing me that? Isn't the way I say it good enough for you?" Even my closest friends could never tolerate it if I said English words the right way.
Am I making this sound too negative? I don't mean to. And its not.
Colombians are wonderful, wonderful, people. You'll make closer friends there than in USA, I guarantee it. Most people there are so friendly, and would love to be friends with anyone! Compared to USA schools, Colombia has got the sweetest people, the nicest teachers, and is a place where you can forge the strongest friendships.
The schools are great, despite the terrible things I've said about them..sure, the food sucks...but school is just great, in its own special way. Everyone is family there. So if you're moving to Colombia (Bogota especially), you now know practically everything about school! You've gotten a true account of what a school is like there from first-hand experience. I hope this essay (of sorts) helped you get a picture of what its like for a Colombian student!
That's life, that's what all the people say. You're riding high in April, Shot down in May But I know I'm gonna change that tune, When I'm back on top, back on top in June.
I said that's life, and as funny as it may seem Some people get their kicks, Stompin' on a dream But I don't let it, let it get me down, 'Cause this fine ol' world it keeps spinning around
I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, A poet, a pawn and a king. I've been up and down and over and out And I know one thing: Each time I find myself, flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race.
That's life I tell ya, I can't deny it, I thought of quitting baby, But my heart just ain't gonna buy it. And if I didn't think it was worth one single try, I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly
I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, A poet, a pawn and a king. I've been up and down and over and out And I know one thing: Each time I find myself laying flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race
That's life That's life and I can't deny it Many times I thought of cutting out But my heart won't buy it But if there's nothing shakin' come this here july I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball and die My, My
8 comentarios:
add information related to the topic. thanks.
I am going to keep trying this thing.
I`ve had all kind of English teachers in Colombia. Recently, in "El Tiempo" I read the article "Gringo varado enseña Inglès" (English lessons from an unemployed american). There we found stories about foreigners whose only chance to work was as language teachers. Some might say this is o.k. because students have the opportunity to interact with a native speaker. On the other hand, some might say that speaking a language doesn`t make you a teacher. In my opinion both are right.
What is Bilingualism?
Definition 1: The use of more than one language.
Definition 2: The ability to communicate naturally and fluently in more than one language in all areas of life.
Between these definitions lie worlds. Somewhere in between we want to see our children.
And as we know that life means learning in our constantly changing world, we understand that Bilingualism is a process, not a result.
But why do we want our children to become bilingual?
The Benefits of Bilingualism:
Knowing about the benefits that Bilingualism can bring helps us to stick to our decision in difficult times. It also motivates us to continue when our child reaches a "learning plateau":
Communication advantages Bilingualism enables the child to communicate with all members of the close and extended family as well as with friends. This helps developing a good family cohesion and building relationships.
Bilingualism allows greater flexibility to choose a place to live and work.
Cultural advantages
As language is part of culture, Bilingualism develops a broader cultural understanding and multicultural sensitivity, greater tolerance and social harmony.
Cognitive advantages
Research shows that learning and use of more than one language
enhances problem solving and analytical skills,
allows better formation of concepts,
increases visual-social abilities,
furthers logical reasoning,
supports cognitive flexibility.
Personal advantages
Bilingualism also helps to
stimulate creativity,
raise self-esteem,
increase flexibility and adaptability,
enhance interpersonal and social skills,
develop greater social sensitivity.
Curriculum advantages
The understanding and development of concepts in more than one language allows the transfer of academic skills across the languages.
Bilingualism facilitates collaborative and cooperative learning within a language-diverse environment.
Languages can be chosen as subject at school or university.
Muchas gracias por su aporte, has tenido hasta el momento poca audiencia, no se ven reflejados todos los comentarios de tus compañeros
John Fredy
What is going to Colombia highschool like?
Date of writing: March 2000, latest rewrite: March 2000. Author: Melissa
First of all, Colombian people usually attend private school if at all possible.
Its pretty expensive, sometimes, but the Colombians prefer it because public education isn't very good at all. Only the people who can't afford the pension go to public schools.
In Colombia, there are just as many grades as in the States, only they go by different numbers. There is no 12th grade in Colombian schools, but they have an intermediate grade, transition, between kindergarten and first grade. So it all balances out.
At least in private schools, everyone goes to the same school, from pre-scholars to 11th graders.
Students catch their buses at around 6:00 to 6:30. Unlike the buses in the USA, most schools don't use the yellow cheesewagon. They use public buses, which are usually some shade of green. They all have different interiors, so depending on which bus you take, within the same school you have a bus with curtains, comfortable seats, radios, and tinted windows, and buses with plastic coverings on chairs, broken radios, and windows with mildew growing on them.
So being on a good bus is important to students.
Friends compare buses, and rejoice when they get a good one. When they don't, too bad!
After you get on the bus, its a big thing to say "Buenos Dias" to the driver. If you don't, it is considered extremely rude. Teachers, usually 2 or 3, get on the bus as supervisors. (And you can really catch it if they see you getting on the bus without saying hello!) They sit on the front of the bus, and assign seats to people. If you talk to much, to the front and be prepared to sit with the little ones. If you don't give the teachers any problems, you are free to sit in the back.
Most of the time, the little ones (pre-school to 3rd grade) sit in the front, and the other students (4th to 11th) sit in the back. Most of the times little ones go in threes on the bus. The big ones go in twos. I've known some little ones that throw up on buses, if the way to school is full of curves.
Because Colombia has the three cordilleras of the Andes going through it, a lot of it is on mountainous terrain. This is true of Bogota, especially. There is no "straight" street. And the street conditions can be very poor. Holes everywhere. So sometimes the road to school is bumpy and curvy...and the little ones throw up. You just have to put up with them, though.
Anyway, sometime around 7:00, kids get to school. The little ones go to their classes (where they stay all day, except for religion, music, and art.) The bachillerato (high school) girls go to their lockers, take out their books, talk to their friends, and then go to their classes.
Here is a normal schedule for a Colombian student:
1st period 2nd period 3rd period BREAK 15 minutes 4th period 5th period 6th period BREAK 40 minutes 7th period 8th period
The periods are something like 45 minutes. And you thought USA students have it tough?! The Colombian student gets home at around 4:30. Again, when you leave the bus, it is an even BIGGER thing to say "Adios y Gracias." If you don't, you might as well be the rudest being on the planet. Everyone says it the same way, "Adios y Gracias".
Its just a thing.
High schoolers do not get to choose their classes, either.
Classes consist of: Math, English, Geometry, Religion, 20th century, Music, Art, Social Studies, Spanish, Science, and PE Izada de bandera on Mondays, and Church on Fridays.
They introduced Dance class the last year I was in Colombia. Everyday the schedule is different, because of the many number of classes students take. Geometry and 20th century are just for high schoolers. The emphasis on each subject varies from year to year, but Spanish is always a major thing.
One thing that does not change is PEE is 3 hours a week, Music is 1, Art is 2, Religion is 2, 20th century is 1. In my school, Science was taught in English. In other schools, though, every class is in English. This depends on the importance of the language at the school. English is usually a big deal, and teachers regard it as a priority.
Fridays is early day.
You leave right after lunch, two hours earlier. Every class was in a different room, but your classmates remain the same. For most classes, you stay in the "bachillerato" building. The special ones, like Art and Music and PE, were in the same place everyone takes them.
Here in USA, school is only as hard as you make it.
I mean, if you choose Honors and AP classes (while pushing yourself to do very good), school will be tough. But if you take standard classes, it'll be a breeze (hopefully!)
But in Bogota, school is moderately hard no matter what. Tests were a big deal, and we usually did not get a few days notice. More like a few weeks. If you failed, you'd get another chance to take it "recuperation", and it would take place in class, along with everyone else who did badly.
The grading scale changes like every year. Very hard to keep track of it, but last time I checked it was E- excellent B-Bueno R-regular (later removed from my school because dear, comprehensive, sympathetic, Miss Principal declared "we did not have mediocre students at Marymount school! It was either A or B....or a failing grade. Thus even more struggling students emerged) I-insufficient. Very bad if you got this.
On the report card, everyone writes their own personalized comments. Subjects that are tough in my school were- English (not a problem if you know it) Excruciatingly boring if you are American. Or know English or something. They make you read dull stories, and test you on rules. (Which I had no choice but to memorize.) The English teacher was never a native speaker for me, which annoyed me to no end. Bad accents are a pet peeve of mine.
Science (not much of a problem if you knew English, but still...it could get tricky) Just plain boring...what’s to explain? The fact that it was in English was tough on some people, though.
PE (very, very, very hard if you're not physically fit or willing to become.) This is a subject I failed practically every year. Sorry, if you're not a star athlete or very flexible, you will more than likely struggle in this class. 2 hours was more than enough, I was disappointed when they raised the requirement to 3 hours per week. Teachers will NOT have pity on you if you're not in great shape, the drills are very tough, and you have to pass challenging fitness tests. Not a nice prospect.
Church (Dios, so very boring. You don't get a church grade, but sometimes it was torture just to attend.) Our church wasn't very big, it had a dark stained glass thingie, and that was the only window. The pews were wooden, and church period was right before snacktime...so a lot of students were starving at that time. I fainted once, in that church. Very dramatic. Hehe. It was a regular catholic church, they made you comulgar and stuff (sorry, forgot the name for that in English), and confess to the father...face to face! Humph. That was really embarrassing.
Lunch was yet another easy target for more torture time, especially among the little ones. Maybe only for the little ones. You see, like in USA, the food was less than top quality, and I've found hairs, and even small worms (NO JOKE), in the food there.
If you found one of these items, you were exempt from Lunch Patrol examination. The Lunch Patrol were the teachers in charge of seeing that you clean everything off your plate. For the high schoolers, they did not do this. They were free to throw away their food, or just plain skip lunch. (While sometimes having guilt trips because of the sinful deed) That’s all I have to say about a high schoolers lunch time.
The little ones...it's just too bad about them. They'd have to pass through the Lunch Patrol with their lunch trays and plates up for inspection before being allowed to go out to recess. You'd finish, or you wouldn't leave. During my earlier years, I became a master of the Art of Spreading my Food around the Plate.
I was always a picky eater, and that meant trouble for me by the Lunch Patrol.
Most teachers were sympathetic, and when it was their time to be in the Lunch Patrol (teachers rotated), they'd usually let me pass without a look at my plate. But if the teacher hated me, they'd make me eat it all. Colombians have a strong conviction that food is not to be wasted. "Just imagine if a little one from Choco grabbed a hold of your leftovers. *HE* would eat it" was a phrase I heard waaaaaay too often. Made me sick. The food, too.
The food always included rice. Hard, undercooked, in lumps, always in one of these three groups. "Hairy" could be considered another group. Meat, fatty, gross looking, with weird sauce on it. Fish, with spines. I was scared of the fish. I never, never, ate the fish again after I discovered the spines. Mango. Where the worms could be found. 'Nuff said? Chicken. Not that bad, not that bad. Ajiaco. Everyone loved this, except me. Ajiaco is a regional Colombian food. A soup made with chicken broth, Chicken, potato and herbs. But I was suspicious of it. And it just looked so sloshed-together and gross..... Ravioli. So, so good. The only food I loved. Too bad it wasn't served very often. Desert- usually yummy.
If you could bribe the maid-person (empleada, whatever you call them here) into giving you an extra dessert, good for you!
Here's how you do it: Become well-acquainted with the empleadas in charge of lunch. Say "Gracias/Porfavor, Senora/Senorita" until they recognize you as the polite young lady. (Hey, mine was an all girl school, but whatever. A polite young man works too, I guess.) Then say "Aaaaay, Senora/Senorita, porfa me da otro postrecito? Mire que tengo artisima hambre!" She'll hopefully say "Claro, Mijita."
If not, swipe one when she's not looking.
More trivialities about schools
Unisex schools usually have the uglier uniforms. Boy schools get to wear ties. Girl schools have Britney Spears-type uniforms. This was especially true of my school, Marymount. But this is not a plus in the mornings-too cold for short skirts! Way too cold. And they were strict with regulations- if you took a school sweater without a badge to school, they would make you take it off, regardless of the fact that you were usually freezing your ass off.
But they didn't mind the alarmingly short skirts. Heh.
For PE, we had shorts. Short shorts. Religion was an easy A class, so was 20th century. And if you must know, staying behind a grade was a big deal. It didn't happen that often. Having no uniform was considered "una mamera" by older students. We all loved uniforms, and learned to even like our own. Little ones embraced the idea of no uniform. Innovative to them, I think.
And most students are EXTREMELY neat. Neat as in they cannot bear to have a crooked line under their title heading. So they take out their ruler and do it with that. Get the idea?
Its scary.
Teachers were referred to by their first names. Usually an affectionate nickname.The teacher/student relationship is very precious there.
Teachers genuinely care about students, and same goes for students. Parties everywhere in schools, too! For a teachers birthday, there is almost always a party. Everyone chips in, and the party lasts all period. Fun. If there is an extremely popular student, for their birthday there will be a party. And when you leave....like to another country, which is becoming common...very sad....there is always a surprise party. Well...not always, but usually.
Tearjerker parties, since classes are always very close-knit, and everyone becomes friends.
In this case, all your friends, regardless of what division they’re in, go to your party to say goodbye. And some teachers too.
Other party occasions are: teacher leaving to another school, student leaving to another school, and parties for no reason. Colombians like parties!
Now that we've gone over the basics of school (OK, beyond basics), I'll write a bit about attitudes in Colombia.
Especially Colombian schools. Colombian people are extremely nice people. If you're new, you'll be the school celebrity for weeks. Everyone will want to get to know you and become your friend. Sometimes the new-ness will never wear off. People asked me to no end about myself, and life in USA when I returned to Colombia. It never stopped, either. Their attitude towards American people is a curious attitude. They want to know, know about you. They find your stories about living abroad amusing. They want you to speak in a different language. They want to know what it was like in another country. They want to know which place you like better. Amusing.
This applies to Americans most of all. An unfriendly term for Americans is "gringos." When they say gringos, they are talking about the ignorant Colombian's stereotype of an American- blonde, unfashionably pale, can't dance, things like that. NO offense. I know its not true in most cases. Gringo can also become a friendly term, though, if you know the person. But mostly they will just refer to you as "coming from Estados Unidos."
In any case, Colombians may bear a teeny, tiny, little grudge towards Americans because of their prosperity. As a country, Colombia has many problems. And USA has just apparently breezed by and taken a place as a world power. And kept the drug problem in check by keeping close eye on Colombian imports. Not good for Colombia's economy.
Students are all aware of USA's power. Most students keep in touch with the current events in history, and care very much about the future of their country. They have been taught that their country is bad off because they, as uncaring citizens, have done nothing to better the situation. So a seedling of guilt is in everyone. This attitude applies to students as well as "grown-ups."
Do not call USA "America", though! Technically, America is the whole package, North and South America. By calling USA America, Colombians will feel you are intentionally leaving them out, thinking of them as insignificant. Its an insult for them.
Speaking very fluent English in class, too, insults their pride. They can get very annoyed if you "flaunt" your dual-language prowess. Its like "Ooooh, so I see. You can talk English, so I can't? And you're showing me that? Isn't the way I say it good enough for you?" Even my closest friends could never tolerate it if I said English words the right way.
Am I making this sound too negative? I don't mean to. And its not.
Colombians are wonderful, wonderful, people. You'll make closer friends there than in USA, I guarantee it. Most people there are so friendly, and would love to be friends with anyone! Compared to USA schools, Colombia has got the sweetest people, the nicest teachers, and is a place where you can forge the strongest friendships.
The schools are great, despite the terrible things I've said about them..sure, the food sucks...but school is just great, in its own special way. Everyone is family there. So if you're moving to Colombia (Bogota especially), you now know practically everything about school! You've gotten a true account of what a school is like there from first-hand experience. I hope this essay (of sorts) helped you get a picture of what its like for a Colombian student!
Title: Frank Sinatra - That's Life lyrics
Artist: Frank Sinatra
That's life, that's what all the people say.
You're riding high in April,
Shot down in May
But I know I'm gonna change that tune,
When I'm back on top, back on top in June.
I said that's life, and as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks,
Stompin' on a dream
But I don't let it, let it get me down,
'Cause this fine ol' world it keeps spinning around
I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
A poet, a pawn and a king.
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing:
Each time I find myself, flat on my face,
I pick myself up and get back in the race.
That's life
I tell ya, I can't deny it,
I thought of quitting baby,
But my heart just ain't gonna buy it.
And if I didn't think it was worth one single try,
I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly
I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
A poet, a pawn and a king.
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing:
Each time I find myself laying flat on my face,
I just pick myself up and get back in the race
That's life
That's life and I can't deny it
Many times I thought of cutting out
But my heart won't buy it
But if there's nothing shakin' come this here july
I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball and die
My, My
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