English Opens Doors

                  

The Men of Santiago

         (From Last Post) As one doorway closes… English Opens (the next) Door(s) for the students of Chile and me. Where CIEE taught me about the finer things in life, the English Open Doors Program (EODP) made me appreciate them.  One beautiful Sunday morning I left my penthouse to travel across town to meet my 5 new roommates-not housemates-roommates.  Though I never had the to experience living on a sleeping porch during my life, I won backstage passes this week to that difficult challenge. Where I paid for the perks of CIEE, I also paid for the perks of working for the government Government. Enough of making fun of the Government, this trip is not all about me… its about the children. 

            For those of you just joining, or the many still wondering what I am doing with my life down in Chile right now, the answer is that “it seemed like a good idea at the time,” and I still have no idea.  In reality though, the EODP is a government-sponsored program that brings native English speakers to Chile to teach middle and high school students.  In case you were wondering if I studied English or education in school, the short answer is no.  The long answer is… ugh… no.  Teaching rock climbing is about the extent of my experience.  This means that if you are interested in doing this, need a break from life, job, whatever, you can and should do it too. 

            The goal of EOD orientation was to prepare us (in one week) to teach English as a second language.  So my lovely group of 20 became an equally lovely (said in a British accent, by the way) faction of 60.  New English teachers started a movement called occupy the 4^th floor, as we completely took over the top floor of the hostel.  As you may realize from the subtle hint above, English is not only spoken in Merica, but also in other countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and of course Great Britain.  The British invasion, as the 4 British and 2 Scottish people should have been known as, had I thought quicker, brought great comic relief to all involved.  Simple words like past, mate, flat, Harry Potter, or basic conversations have never brought so much joy.  In fact a week later I read a status update that said, “Nothing is better than Chilean Students speaking English with a Scottish Accent.  Imagine that sight/sound for a second. 

            The eye opening part of the week occurred as we practiced teaching small lessons to the rest of the group.  My first lesson left quite a bit to the imagination—as I had no idea what I was doing and thus didn’t say very much.  Luckily a group mate (dang British) saved our presentation. She made our lesson memorable by not only getting the kids up and moving, but also showing them how to enjoy learning.  She gave me insight into what is possible when teaching English or teaching in general. 

            The week at EOD flew by as the days were busy and long, and the time with our new friends too short.  I however now know people working in all parts of Chile and who live all over the world.  This week also taught me to always be prepared for the unexpected and just go with the flow.   We still have little idea where or what we were supposed to do and have no idea what to expect when we start teaching, but like I hope to put up in my classroom- “JUST DO IT.”