Those of you who know me well have probably had to endure me complaining about how I want to volunteer more. While I sit on a couch or other piece of relaxing furniture and burn away my free time.
Well. I am now helping the poor needy children of this foreign country with my big, smart American brain. Except this foreign country is another first world country. And the kids at the private catholic school seem to be fairing well despite the crisis.
But insensitivity and useless introductory paragraphs aside, I am pumped to help kids in a classroom setting once again. The last time I did so was at my church's sunday school a number of years ago, so when I heard I could be an English language assistant, I jumped at the opportunity. I mean, 7 year olds was a little step up from the 5 year olds I used to help with, but how different could it be? It's still going to be a lot of gesturing and trying to use crazy simply English language.
Turns out I am working with the pre-teens. Which is frightening in the sense that they are like strangely small humans who find everything a little too funny. But really exciting in the sense that they are like strangely small humans who find everything a little too funny. Almost like little Americans.
If you have no idea why I say this - you have never been to Spain (or Europe in general I hear). Everyone walks around straight-faced and doesn't acknowledge anyone else. I was told that if you smile in public you are : 1) a child 2) someones friend or 3) an idiot. I have also heard that in Denmark, if you talk to strangers you are drunk, crazy, or American. But despite all this, people are more then helpful when you need them to be.
But back to the little preteens. It is surprisingly refreshing to be around some people who are whispering in Spanish and laughing to one another and acting a little more outwardly human.
Also they think I can't speak Spanish, so I giggle quite a bit too.
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