internal messages

the only problem with cedei isnt really a 'problem' at all, but a conflict of interest. you see, the new director, wants to professionalize cedei, and given her experience as an administrator in the new york city board of ed (or is it department of ed?), she has lots of knowledge and plans to back up her vision. however, the poulation of workers that are there are generally not here, or getting paid enough, to carry out elaborate pedagogical philosophies. we are mostly here to see ecuador - yes, to teach, but in a different environment than what we would be accustomed to in our home cities: one in which we can have fun with the students, have them speak english and feel as though they are getting the most out of their $1million per class or whatever it is they pay for our services. then, since we work only 15 paid hours per week, we wish for the rest of the existing time during the week to not be taken up by laborious planning, stressful worrying, painful work chatter, professional development devoid of either development or professionalism, and responsibly early nights. instead, we want to take a few minutes to plan - make some copies of a worksheet, after calss to go out here and there, and then on the weekends to go visit great towns and cities in ecuador as much as possible.

in any event, i wish the best to the new director in implimenting her plans, and to the future cedei teachers in attaining a fair salary for the amount of work they may be expected to do.


i end my work week on thursday at 845 pm. this past weekend, having already planned to not leave cuenca in favor of enjoying what there is to enjoy here over the weekend - aka - live music at cafe eucalyptus, good food at cafe moliendo (which, admittedly, is there during the week too), and the joy of not having to take a bus (there are other good things to do in cuenca during the weekend, but it would have been too much of a digression to get into. if you want, i can dedicate a future entry to these things). at about 842, i began feeling abnormally chilly. yes it was cold out, but i was cold from the inside, yes my head was hot and i could feel my eyes watering and nose running. at 846, snot poured out of my nose pushed only by the force of gravity. the three block walk home was interminable and my teeth chattered like the firing of automatic weapons. my bones began to ache and i quickly developed a gangleon of some sort in my wrist. by the time i reached home i needed only to curl up underneath my blanket and sweat. this was my general state this weekend until today, monday, when i woke up feeling spry, my nose damn near crusty from being so dry, and my pillowcase drenched from my bodys final outpouring of feverish sweat.


this from-the-time-responsibility-ends-until-the-time-responsibility-begins-again sickness is something my body has developed over the years. in most circumstances, it has proven to be a very useful mechanism. for example, i spent very little time absent from school while growing up. i have not had to miss much work as ive gotten older, thus being able to use my sick days as vacation days, and avoiding debilitating non-paid days. however, the fact that my body would adhere to these rules in cuenca, while im working for cedei, and basically on vacation is a bit alarming. it means either one of two things. 1) that my body is just used to allowing me to tend to my responsibilities, or 2) that my body has internalized the professional visions of one linda. the first option is just a matter of habit, while the second is far more disturbing - making me some sort of company man: yikes! you see, in this situation, were i sick during work, i could either just not go and get someone to cover for me and miss out on about $.03 on my paycheck, or i could go in sick and teach words for sickness, like, sick, sweat, snot, tissue, sleep, phlegm, green, yellow-green, ache, etc. being sick on the weekend means that i will be sitting in cafe eucalyptus drinking water and lemonade, wearing a sweatshirt and a fleece with a ball of toilet paper to be used as tissues sitting next to me and with my head on the table while everyone else dances and asks whats the matter with me.

ps: check out more 'peru' photos on my yahoo page...