Crazy Days

We have been busy.  Very busy.  It isn't that there is so much to do, it is just that there is a lot of chaos.  Some of my coworkers call it organized chaos, I don't.  It seems that our schedule changes almost daily.  It definitely changes on a weekly basis.  We are told about all of the changes and adapt accordingly, only to find out that it has changed again.  It keeps me on my toes and helps the time to go by more quickly.

Our school has approximately 18 classes.  I say approximately because at two different points today, two teachers had classes, had them taken away, and then they were returned.  So, I don't really know how many classes we have.  Our students are mostly Air Force and there is a wide range of ages.

My students are great.  I have 10-13, depending on the day.  Most of them are a bit older and are more dedicated to learning English.  They ask questions when they don't understand, explain things to each other in Arabic when necessary, and have plenty of jokes.  Today, I laughed so hard in class I almost cried.  I am lucky to have such a great group.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will keep them after the reshuffle.

After the first round of testing, my students were pretty much where I expected them to be based on their performance in class.  I have them again this week and we moved up a book.  We use curriculum from the Department of Defense.  I really like it.  It is well structured, but I have the freedom to adapt the day based on how my students are understanding the material.

The second night we were here, the Colonel from the school invited us to a real deal Iraqi dinner.  It was very interesting.  We had a very long table and stood up to eat.  He took our culture into consideration and we were given plasticware to use.  The food was really delicious.  I am hoping to be invited again once I get my camera.

I guess that is just about it as far as school goes.  I can't go into specifics about much because of security.  I will say this, with exception to the helicopters (more about that in a later post), I don't really feel like I am living in Iraq.  Taji feels a bit small at times, but not all that foreign.

Lots of love,
 Matia