Second first day of teaching

Monday was my first day at one of my two Catholic boys' schools. Oh boy! It's quite the experience. Today, one of the younger teachers told me that I'm 'quite a hit' with the boys, and that they like my appearance (she actually said that)! The teacher who told me is also a young, attractive teacher, so I'm sure she gets that too.

As always, teaching is up and down. Some of the classes are very interesting, and very interested in what I have to say. Others are...not. The boys, being boys, are either really loud to get my attention, or too shy to speak. All of them have to pass exams to graduate, and all of them are on the track to go to Uni (University), so the atmosphere is really different than at the public school where some graduate to get jobs and aren't inspired at all. I find it easier to teach here, and have had more good classes than bad. It's funny, though, because I've done the same lesson in almost every class, and sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's a miss. I guess that's teaching.

In addition to teaching, I'm also learning quite a lot. Cultural information is plentiful - I just have to pay attention to it. Some things that I've done or known for my entire life are no longer applicable. For example, roses come in bunches of 10, not by the dozen. And 16 year-olds drink at their prom (they call it a Maturaball here). The most entertaining bit of information that I've gotten today is the fact that you need a license to ride your bike until you're 12 years old. Apparently you think it's really cool when you're young, and show it off to everybody. I can't imagine having to pass a driving test to ride a bike!

That's it for now. I'll post more pictures soon!

The view from one of the bridges on the path to my first school. Not bad, eh? That's the city in the background, complete with Dom and Fortress.