Update

Well, I've been here for a few weeks now, so I'm starting to settle in. I went scuba diving on Saturday, which was great! We went off of the coast of Seymour Norte on a massive sail boat, but because I don't have my diving license, I couldn't go to the more interesting places. The current in some areas is VERY strong, but that's also where the best wildlife is. While the more advanced divers went around the island, I went snorkeling with a smaller group in the strong current. We didn't even have to swim because we were already moving so quickly. Where I went diving, the water was pretty calm and the group consisted only of beginners, so we didn't get to see much. But we did see three reef sharks sleeping between a few rocks, which was awesome! I was kind of disappointed though, because one of the people ran out of air very quickly and we all had to go up, even though I still had half a tank :/. But I was having some problems with my ears anyway, so I wasn't too upset about leaving. It sounded like the more advanced divers had a really exciting time. They saw a cave full of reef sharks, a massive eel and a group of about 10 sea turtles. They also hit a current, and all ended up being scattered across the bay. A few of them were completely by themselves when the boat picked them up, which I'm sure was a little frightening. As much as I may want to get my license for trips like that, it costs $500+ here, so I think I'm better off just snorkeling from here on out.

Other than that, the school has been pretty good, but also pretty stressful. Last week, Monday was the only day that I had another teacher in the class, so for Tuesday and Wednesday I was left alone with a class of 25 kids who knew very little English. Most of the time it was fine, but the classes of younger students were impossible to control. They thought it was funny to do exactly the opposite of what I said and I don't think they learned a single thing. I tried to be serious and I tried to implement rules, but they broke them with smiles on their faces. Thursday and Friday I'm normally by myself in the classroom anyway, but there are also a lot less kids, so it's manageable. The children there seem excited to learn and they ask me question after question about English. It's completely different from the larger school. I told the teacher yesterday that I didn't want to be put by myself with the large classes again because the kids are just too much for me to handle. They don't take me seriously and they realize how little Spanish I know, so they simply don't listen. It wasn't good for them, and it definitely wasn't working for me. She told me she understood, and that many of the children are just looking for the attention that they don't get at home. She told me abuse in the home is quite common here which makes disciplining them that much more difficult. But she also said that she wouldn't leave me with them again, so hopefully, from here on out things will be better. The children are a lot calmer with two adults around to manage them and they are a lot more enjoyable to work with.