Check it out!

Two posts in the same week - not bad, right? I thought I would post these pictures of my bedroom and the view from my balcony, which I share with my German roommate Francesca and is right outside both of our bedrooms. Isn't it great? I keep the door open all the time when I'm around - even after a week in this apartment, I still can't get enough of the view.

As promised, the work has definitely picked up quickly. I'm actually doing my presentation on the U.S. health care system, the reform legislation, and the "great debate" of the past year tomorrow (Thursday) instead of next week. So I've been working nonstop on a Powerpoint presentation the last few days, and I'm actually really happy with how it turned out. (And get this - I'm even done with it the night before! No all-nighters for me, haha. My college friends would never believe it.) I'm getting excited to present it tomorrow! I know this makes me a huge dork, but I kind of wish I could upload the document here to show you all, haha. I found some really funny political cartoons - and some others that are pretty intense - both for and against the reform bill. I also included some pictures from the lively and sometimes raucous political rallies over the past year. (My favorite pro-reform sign: "WWJD? Heal the sick! Health care now!")

As I mentioned in my last post, I've gotten really into the health care issue over the past year, so this has been one of those projects that's so much fun to work on that you almost forget it's work. I'll actually be doing other (somewhat smaller) presentations on Martin Luther King and either FDR or JFK in the next couple of weeks. I may not get quite as immersed in those presentations as I am in this one, but I'm definitely still excited for those ones - especially the MLK one. To say the least, I'm really lucky that the work will be so interesting here. When I switch to the next institute I'm working at in early May, I'll even get to lead (along with the professors, of course) discussions of a few American novels. Qué suerte, no?

So let me explain more about my work schedule. I'll be teaching (or "TA-ing") at four different "tertiary institutes" (or colleges) in the city: two teacher-training colleges and two language institutes. Since I'm here for eight months, I'll rotate and work two months at each of the four. (Check out those math skills - impressive, right?) The work will vary slightly at each institute, especially depending on whether it's a teacher-training college or a language institute; but the basic idea is the same, which is that I'm here to teach both the English language and U.S. culture. In addition to working at the four colleges, I'll also be sent out to a number of primary and secondary schools in Buenos Aires for one-time class visits, which I think will be a blast. Just like in Holyoke, I'll get to work with kids of all ages and backgrounds. Since English classes are emphasized pretty heavily in Argentina and especially in Buenos Aires, my program wants to maximize the number of students in the city who get access to a native speaker. Which is fine by me! I won't start visiting primary and secondary schools until May, but I'll have six solid months to meet kids all over the city.

Which brings me to the next part of my work here: my side project. Because I'll only be teaching for a maximum of 20 hours a week, the Fulbright Commission requires that I work on a self-designed project that contributes to the local community in some way. Many of you know about my project already, but for those of you who don't, check it: I'm trying to set up a "pen-pal plus" correspondence program so that the Argentine students I meet can experience even more intercultural exchange, especially with American kids their own age. From the primary schools all the way up to the colleges, I'm trying to match students in Holyoke, Springfield, East Longmeadow, and Boston with students in Buenos Aires. International "penpaling" can be a really fun and rewarding experience, and I'm hoping to establish a more extensive and permanent way for my Argentine students to interact with Americans. In addition to the pen-pal portion, I hope the "plus" part of the project will include online video-chats between Argentine and American classes via Skype, so that 1) the Argentine students can hear other native English speakers, in addition to me, and 2) all the students, both Argentine and American, can "meet" the foreigners they're writing to. The Skype part might be a lofty goal because of the logistics involved, but I'm determined to make it work. Partly because I think it would be a great experience for everyone involved; and partly because I promised my Holyoke kids I would make it happen. (If Ms. Rigali's and Mr. Leveton's classes see this, I'll be in touch with you guys soon!)

Big day tomorrow, what with the presentation, so it's off to bed for me. Good night!