Tuesday, August 26, 2014

It's been a month, almost. 

There's been a lot of counting of days in the past year and a half.

Last week was rather eventful among the foreign staff at the Colegio. The week prior administration told the high school Social Studies teacher that they wouldn't be offering to renew his contract when he finishes in December. On Tuesday they went into his classroom and told him in front of the students that he was fired. He asked for a lawyer and thanks to some illegal immigration paperwork on the part of the school, the school agreed to pay him through December despite his not working. Most of the foreign teachers have student visas here with the school claiming that our salary is a scholarship or something? Not sure. I only have a tourist visa because I couldn't do the required background check from Mexico. So. Don't tell anyone.

Then the next day another teacher had a sort of nervous breakdown in which she climbed on top of a student's desk and threw her notebook across the room, then ran out of the classroom to the front gate of the school, climbed it, and ended up at the U.S. Embassy a half hour drive away. I don't know exactly what was going on with her, but she left the country that evening. 

It must be hard to find teachers from abroad and know what you're getting, but it's the same for teachers who come in not knowing. I hear a lot of complaints about the school but to me it's the best part about this place. Guatemala City is not my favorite. It's doable but I don't really feel anything that draws me in. Like if someone said your job is transferring you to Bismark, North Dakota. I've never been to Bismarck. Maybe it's great. But I don't know how many people hold a candle for Bismarck in their hearts. That's how I feel about Guatemala City. I'm probably not fully able to see its better qualities because I'd rather be back in Mexico, but still, it has yet to charm me.

Meanwhile, Mono's discovered memes, so I get pictures like the one above on occasion. At the moment he'spending almost all of his free time studying for an exam he has to take on the 7th so we don't get to talk as much as we usually do. Then there's a little break before he hasix exams between the end of January and the beginning of May, and he'll have to travel for all of those I think. We were planning for him to visit in April but now he won't be able to, and I can't visit over Easter since he has a test in Mexico City that week. Hopefully Nicole (+Mike?) and I will be planning a trip for that week, though. Nudge nudge. 

Adios.

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