Heather L. HutchesonCode Switching: Spanish Immersion,

English Instruction, and Social ServiceFall 2012

18 March 2013

AbstractIn Fall 2012 I had the opportunity to focus on my own Spanish language acquisition in formal classes through the Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca (ICO – www.icomexico.com). I began at the intermediate level and progressed to advanced by the end of my stay. In addition to expanding my lexicon, developing my ability to translate, and acquiring idiomatic expressions, I had the opportunity to observe the teaching techniques of four different language instructors and six cultural workshop instructors. I attended cultural workshops on weaving, cooking, ceramics, mask making, piñata making, Spanish conversation, and more. I was able to pick up on the patterns and techniques the instructors use to engage their students.

In addition, I developed my ability to work with non-native English speakers through teaching semi-weekly classes in conjunction with a micro-lending program (En Vía – www.envia.org/) and developed curriculum and assessments for teaching English to adult and elementary-age English language learners (ELLs) in a non-traditional setting. I further honed my ability to work with non-native speakers through formal and informal intercambios (language exchanges).

I immersed myself in the culture of this region of Mexico through observing religious and civic holidays, including Independence Day, Dia de Los Muertos, various virgins’ birthdays, small towns’ special festivals, Noche de los Rabanos, posadas, and a host of other celebrations. I also learned more by taking public transportation, touring archaeological sites, visiting museums, churches and cultural centers, visiting markets, and building relationships with people who welcomed me into their homes and lives.

Further, I worked with an organization (Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art http://www.fofa.us/) focused on promoting the folk artists of Oaxaca and prepared fifteen portfolios for wood artists who otherwise had no record of the striking work they create. Moreover, I facilitated a community dinner between artists and tourists.

I return to the CRC community with a renewed passion for learning, writing, and teaching. Many of the lessons I have learned directly apply to my writing courses and to community college students in general.

Of course, there were many unanticipated outcomes along the way. One of the most significant for me was the opportunity to recover from a medical trauma that occurred in July 2012. While the sabbatical was rigorous in many ways, I was sincerely grateful for the opportunity to remove myself from the stresses of grading and my other community commitments. The timing of this sabbatical was perfect as it allowed me the time I needed to learn, reflect, and recover at the pace of Mexico (a more humane way to live, in my opinion).

Additionally, the act of writing daily over the course of more than four months to record the challenges and magic I encountered on this adventure has reinvigorated my writing routine and has offered me a venue to reflect on my personal growth and this experience overall. See shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com.

ActivitiesSpanish StudyFour hours a day for five days a week for ten weeks, I attended Spanish classes at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca (www.icomexico.com).

At least twelve hours a day seven days a week for more than twelve weeks I practiced speaking, reading, listening to, and even watching the Spanish language.

In my free time, I often sought out conversations, developed rapport with baristas and waiters to have additional resources for information, translation, and practice.

English Classes and Curriculum DevelopmentTwo hours a day for days a week over the course of nine weeks, I taught English to fourteen children, up to eleven at a time, ages eight to ten in Tlacochahuaya.

I researched curricula, developed assignments, identified resources, and contributed to the beginning of a workbook for English students.

Cultural WorkshopsTwo days a week for ten weeks, I participated in a variety of cultural workshops, including weaving, cooking, ceramics, mask-making, piñata making, and more. These workshops were an excellent venue to develop new skills, practice Spanish, and observe teaching strategies and classroom management techniques.

Observation of HolidaysI immersed myself in the culture of this region of Mexico through observing religious and civic holidays, including Independence Day, Dia de Los Muertos, various virgins’ birthdays, small towns’ special festivals, Noche de los Rabanos, posadas, and a host of other celebrations. I also learned more by taking public transportation, touring archaeological sites, visiting museums, churches and cultural centers, visiting markets, and building relationships with people who welcomed me into their homes and lives.

Although I originally intended to head to Oaxaca in October, I changed my plans to go on September 13 in order to give me a good amount of time to study and travel before I returned to the US for the SHAREfair in November. This enabled me to see the celebration of Independence Day on September 16. Two weeks before I returned to Sacramento, I celebrated Day of the Dead. And, when I returned to Oaxaca at the end of November I was present for the Christmas season which begins with the celebration of several virgins’ birthdays, includes nine days of posadas, Christmas Eve and Christmas celebrations, New Year’s, and King’s Day (the day I returned home).

IntercambiosI participated in formal and informal language exchanges in a variety of settings, including my language school (with Maricella), the Oaxaca Lending Library (on Saturdays with whomever

dropped in for the two-hour-long sessions, including Javier and Raphael who have stayed in touch by email), Llano Park (with people I invited to walk and talk), my posada (with Mari, Miguel, and Jesus), at a café (with Rosa, an accountant for a local museum who could periodically meet over coffee for an hour after work on Friday nights). These relationships helped me to:

1. Practice Spanish, for up to two hours at a time. 2. Teach English in a setting that required me to be responsive to the unique needs of the

other person.3. Learn about the culture and sites of this region of Mexico.

MicrofinanceI had the opportunity to contribute to the work of En Vía (http://www.envia.org/) and to learn about some of the promising practices and challenges of this organization. Among the challenges, they have had a difficult time securing a fiscal agent or obtaining non-profit status. As a result, they cannot pursue grants or other public funding to support their great work. Additionally, donations to the organization are not tax deductible, including the two packed suitcases of supplies that I brought with me.

Among the promising practices is their approach to repayment. They literally visit the sites of each of the grantees each week to pick up a partial repayment of the loan. This is partially due to logistics and the fact that Oaxaca is a cash-based culture (no credit, no direct deposit), etc. It turns out to be a great way to hold the people receiving the loans accountable financially and otherwise. There are not surprise inspections, there is an ongoing relationship where the people receiving the loans can share successes and challenges regularly and where the organization can see the investment growing. Work with ArtistsOne of the most interesting parts of the sabbatical was my work with Oaxacan folk artists. The basic job was to talk with local folk artists, acquaint them with the work of the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art (http://www.fofa.us/), and get them to permit me to take photographs to provide them with an electronic and hard copy portfolio of thirty pieces of their work. In addition, I decided to organize a dinner for the artists to meet one another and have the opportunity to meet with tourists in the city of Oaxaca. It was a great learning opportunity and really tested my Spanish skills while helping me to expand my vocabulary.

ToursThrough a variety of tours led in Spanish and English, I was able to learn about all that Oaxaca has to offer. And, I was able to gather historical and cultural information that would enable me to lead similar tours with groups (not that I want to be a tour guide). Among some of the highlights were the Libros para Pueblos (www.librosparapueblos.org) tour where I was able to get behind the locked gates of two elementary schools and see the delighted children as we delivered boxes of new books. A tour of Tlacochahuaya taught me more about the town I was teaching in, and introduced me to an antique and enormous organ, a hacienda that has become a satellite campus for an art school in San Francisco, and an organic farm, among other things.

Tours of archaeological sites in Oaxaca as well is in Mexico City helped me to understand more about pre-Columbian life in the region as well as some of the traditions that continue today. And, regular visits to enormous markets introduced me to regional cuisine, traditional dress, and other observations.

BloggingFor most of the adventure, I was posting approximately three blog entries and some photos on a daily basis (www.shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com). This allowed me to record and reflect on my findings. It also helped me to engage in English with an audience. This was helpful as the majority of my interactions I had throughout the day were in my developing Spanish. As a result, writing in English seemed so much easier, and I looked forward to it. I am thrilled to have my blog as an album to document the adventures and to share them with people far and wide. It was a great way to keep my husband, mother, nieces and nephews, and others in the loop. It also made me think about writing for a wider audience, one not so familiar with the cast of characters in my “real” life or my sabbatical life.

The recurring characters were one of the highlights of this adventure. As I came to know and love, for example, The Little Businessman (a four-year-old panhandler) and Airyn (an artist living in a troubling domestic situation) and Juan (the flirtatious waiter where I had coffee and posted blog entries every morning) and Mari (my friend at the inn where I stayed who enjoyed taco Friday with me every week), the people reading the blog and learning the stories seemed to love them, too.

Critique of the LeaveThis experience…Offered me fodder for creative writing – As a practicing writer, I am interested in the potential for Spanish to expand my vocabulary and my ability to play with words. I am particularly interested in writing in “code-switching,” jumping in and out of one language and another. This has the potential to add great depth to the writing and the comprehension of the “story” of a poem. In addition, by photographing and blogging in response to my experiences, I now have material to draw from long after I return to Sacramento.

Exposed me to art and culture which are helpful in my role as a Sacramento Arts Commissioner – In my appointed role, I am more effective in advocating for, evaluating, and encouraging the creation of quality arts experiences when I have experienced them. As an art center, Oaxaca provided me with opportunities to experience dance, visual art, folk art, ceramics, and even literary art and drama. I had have opportunities to see pre-Colombian pottery collections and to experience folktales performed. In addition, I will viewed dance and music exhibitions and art identified with specific villages in Oaxaca, including textile weaving, black and green pottery creation, and carving and painting of alebrijes (wood carvings of animals), among other arts. In fact, a faculty member from the University of Chicago asked me to lecture on my “expertise” in the field of alebrijes related to my work helping fifteen artists in two villages to create portfolios.

Built my confidence – Traveling independently and practicing a foreign language built my confidence and self-reliance. Successfully navigating daily life in a foreign country, mostly alone, expand my confidence in my ability to navigate a new language and culture.

Built my capacity to translate Spanish-speaking community members and literature written in Spanish as well – Many of the people I work with in the community are Spanish-speaking. Improving my Spanish skills has already enabled me to build better rapport with community volunteers. In the long run, I am sure this experience will help me to be an even more trusted community leader. This is important because these community volunteer opportunities show students how the advocacy I teach them in writing can be effective outside of the classroom. Professionally, I rely on my interactions with diverse community members.

Provided me with knowledge on micro-lending – As part of my learning, I went with En Vía (www.envia.org), a microfinance group, to Teotitlán del Valle and Tlacochahuaya, two towns about half an hour outside of Oaxaca de Juarez, to see first-hand how microfinance works. I met women who are applying for small loans, and learn about the women's lives and businesses - which could be anything from weaving beautiful rugs to raising chickens, making tortillas, or selling flowers in the local market. I not only learned about the benefits of these small loans to their communities, but I contributed to the micro-lending process by teaching English. Learning how En Vía works (as a primarily face-to-face model that offers tours of the women’s worksites and/or shops) has given me ideas about how some of our students would benefit from this type of small, temporary investment while others would find this an appealing first step into charitable giving/philanthropy.

Refreshed me – Although I could not have anticipated how much I would need this sabbatical, I am sincerely grateful for the healing time it afforded me as I recovered from a medical trauma that occurred in July 2012. While the sabbatical was rigorous in many ways, removing myself from the stresses of grading and my other community commitments allowed me the time I needed to learn, reflect, and recover at the pace of Mexico (a more humane way to live, in my opinion).

Expanded my networks – When my husband visited Oaxaca during the last ten days of my sabbatical he observed that I have built myself a strong community in Oaxaca. I not only have a good network in the city itself, but I have connections in many of the surrounding villages and have developed rapport with important community associations. Furthermore, I developed relationships with other teachers from the US and beyond and other professionals in a variety of fields and from places all over the globe.

Made me grateful – Day-to-day living in Oaxaca, although it is a capital city (like Sacramento) and cultural hub, is difficult in many ways beyond getting to know the language, culture, general directions, and best places to eat and shop. Some of the everyday challenges include: tap water that is not potable, a public sewer system that is unreliable to say the least, a transportation system that closes at 9:30 p.m., and a general disregard and lack of enforcement of laws. This is not to add to the myth that Mexico is an unsafe place. Instead, I write this to

explain that upon my return I am glad to have a clean shower, to brush my teeth with tap water, to not have to take a bus to go to the grocery store, to know that usually people will stop if I step into a crosswalk. I have a privileged life, and I am now even more aware of this and more grateful for things like flushing toilet paper, buses with a schedule, my quiet home with no spiders, my perfect bed.

Offered me the experience of a lifetime – Every day of the sabbatical, I was completely cognizant of the opportunity I had and my own personal imperative to maximize the experience. It is easy to say that it changed my life. It is impossible to describe the myriad ways, some of which I am just discovering as I return to teaching this semester. I have been transformed physically, mentally, artistically, spiritually, and more. I expected to develop, but I could not have anticipated the value of this experience, and I will continue to use what I have learned to develop even further.

Written Statement Concerning Creative Work The creative work I offer here is a small sample of the prolific (sometimes as many as three drafts of new work a day) I was able to produce while I was away. This work reflects my exploration of language acquisition and my ability to weave Spanish and English (code switching) into a single piece of writing.

By blogging (www.shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com) on a daily basis, I was able to regularly capture journalistic details, including photographs, and personal impressions that formed the notes for my more creative pieces. Without the blog and the imperative of reporting on a regular basis, I would not have been able to recall the abundant new experiences with such detail, detail adequate enough to continue to develop these small portraits even now from a distance.

My next step is to get the individual pieces published and, eventually, to seek a market for the entire collection.

Additionally, I will continue to write and promote the blog. This has proven to be an excellent tool for me to engage with my art form and to reflect on the adventures I have.

Method of Sharing the Results of the LeaveWith the Larger CommunityI have created a blog: www.shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com. I spent some time after I returned to the US trying to figure out how I would continue it, what my goals would be for continuing to post. Some of my writing has been about acclimating to life in Sacramento. Some of it has been about the differences between Oaxaca and California. I will continue to use it as a forum to celebrate the world around me – wherever I am.

I was asked by the Sacramento Friends of the Library to read one of my pieces and speak about my sabbatical. I did this in January 2013. I also read at Luna’s Café in February 2013. I will continue to read my creative pieces and share the magic of Oaxaca with audiences in

Sacramento, including open mics and featured presentations. In fact, the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission has asked me to share (specifically focused on my work to create artist portfolios, experiences with folk artists, and tours of museums) at an upcoming Commission meeting.

With the Broader Campus CommunityI have designed two professional development workshops to be offered in March 2013. A description and more information follows. I am implementing intercambios in the community in collaboration with students and interested faculty, and I will offer a workshop on this excellent adult learning exchange next semester.

Blogging: A Tool for the Classroom and BeyondIn this interactive workshop, participants will learn about a variety of uses of blogs through examples (include CRC student examples), set up their own blog, and begin the work of posting and promoting their work. Tuesday, March 5, 7:15-8:15 p.m., LRC 202I have prepared a PowerPoint for this workshop and am willing to share it with interested parties.

From Alebrijes to the Zocalo in Magical OaxacaInterested in learning more about microfinance, Mexican folk art, language study and/or travel in Oaxaca, Mexico? Join Heather Hutcheson as she shares some of the experiences she had on sabbatical in Fall 2012.Wednesday, March 6, 12-1 p.m., SOC 156 (SOC Conference Room)

In the ClassroomThe blog has already been a great resource to me in lectures and as a teaching tool. Additionally, I am able to showcase that I practice what I preach; I am a writer. Further, I am already beginning to incorporate some of the stories of daily life of Oaxaca and politics of Mexico into my lectures. Students seem very interested in the lessons I deliver through these anecdotes.

Unable to Meet ObjectivesWhile I originally expected to work with adult women as I taught English, the village I was assigned to, Tlacochahuaya, did not have any adult learners during the period I was there. Although I frequently appealed to community members and the parents of my eight to ten-year-old students to attend the free and open workshops, no adults participated. This might have made it difficult to offer a workshop on English language learners in a non-traditional setting, as I originally proposed. However, I have a great deal to share about the power of intercambios and intend to not only share a workshop but to collaborate with Thomasina Turner in the Spanish department to establish intercambios as a way for students to practice Spanish and learn about the lives of Spanish-speaking Americans in Sacramento.

Originally, I intended to study Spanish for twelve weeks. I was only able to attend classes for a total of ten complete weeks as I was sick for a total of one week and I missed a week’s worth of classes due to tours, lectures, travel, and return for the SHAREfair. I will return to Oaxaca in June and study Spanish a minimum of two weeks in a formal classroom (at the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca – www.icomexico.com – or another institution).

Work Beyond the ProposalAlthough I was unable to meet a couple of my objectives, I am proud to say that the sabbatical afforded me unanticipated learning opportunities. Some of the highlights include:

Three Week Exploration of England and FranceAt the beginning of the Fall 2012 semester, I had the opportunity to accompany my husband to an international conference of engineering professionals in Paris, France. This is an opportunity I could have only because I was on sabbatical, so we decided to make it a three-week tour of London and Paris. During this time I was able to see many impressive museums, monuments, and community events, including an exhibition of British writers at the British Library in London, an exhibition of Munch at the Tate Modern, the Mona Lisa and all of the wonders of the Louvre, the Statue of Liberty on the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, and more and more and more.

Equally importantly, this was a good opportunity for me to experience: 1. A city in a foreign country where English is the national language and 2. A city in a foreign country where English is not the national language and where the language was COMPLETELY foreign to me. I have already found that my experiences in Paris (where I did not have even a basic knowledge of the language) have helped with my writing on language acquisition and my thinking about being a foreigner.

Return for the fifth-annual SHAREfairWhen I originally applied for the sabbatical, I had anticipated leaving all of my community service obligations behind, but the Social Responsibility Committee here at CRC said that if I did not return to stage the SHAREfair we would not have the fifth-annual event. I began this philanthropy and community service event as a tribute to my parents, especially my father who died five years ago. I also know that it is a good introduction to community service and philanthropy for our students. Therefore, I returned to Sacramento to complete the preparations, stage the three-day event, and complete the follow-up.

Regular BloggingWhen I originally proposed the sabbatical, I wanted to have some way of communicating my learning with the campus community, my family and friends back home, interested former students, and others. To this end, I took a workshop at the Innovate conference (at Drexel University) and have posted more than 350 entries. Although I do not have a Facebook account and otherwise am not a participant in the world of social networking, I am a proponent of blogging and am even piloting the use of blogs in my online creative writing course. www.shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com.

Work with the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art (FOFA – http://www.fofa.us/)As I was applying for the sabbatical, I contacted several organizations to let them know I was interested in supporting their efforts in Oaxaca. One of the groups that got back to me during the summer was FOFA. After a couple of phone interviews, we agreed on a project where I would help artists complete portfolios of thirty pieces of their art. My work was so successful that the organization could not provide substantial albums for the number of artists I worked with. This turned out to be another opportunity as I not only provided them with photographs, but also offered them electronic albums. This work forced me to expand my vocabulary, travel to new villages, meet new people, and more. It was an excellent way for me to test my language development, develop my network, and learn.

Return in JuneI enjoyed my work with En Vía (www.envia.org/) and will return to teach English and learn more about microfinance, beginning in June.

For the first time I have also decided to not teacher this summer. I want to continue to do the work I started on this sabbatical.

CourseworkFollowing are:

a copy of my transcript from the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca, one of the blog entries I wrote for En Vía: http://fundacionenvia.posterous.com/schools-

out-for-the-holidays excerpts from the curriculum and workshops I was working with and developing, examples of my creative work, and selected blog posts of my work in Oaxaca.

Thank YouI am sincerely thankful for all of the opportunities this sabbatical afforded me.

TRANSCRIPT

BLOG POST FOR EN VÍA

Fundación En VíaDecember 21, 2012School's out for the Holidays!By Heather Hutcheson

Volunteer English teacher Heather reflects on her classes in the town of Tlacochahuaya as lessons come to an end for the holidays, and she says goodbye for now to her wonderful little students. We know the kids will miss coming to class during the break and will also be missing their teacher Heather until her return!

Teaching with En Vía is a priceless experience and one unmatched by other volunteer opportunities. You might think it is hard work, getting children to fall in love with English, but they are ready to learn and can pick up a list of twenty-five new sentences and know half of them in fewer than two hours. As a group, they now know hundreds of nouns and have the confidence to try out writing and speaking their own sentences in English.

One student, Kevin, writes: “Soccer is beautiful, and basketball is ugly.” And when we were practicing “to be” verbs, Jennifer and Mariel, twins, were delighted to see and understand a sentence that read: They are twins.

Getting to know more about all of the students is one of the most rewarding elements of this job. I know that they love to draw and especially enjoy using markers, and so we did many activities that involved drawing words. I also have learned they all like to play on the swings before class, and even the smallest girl, Magdalena, will fight for the green swing because it is the highest. The boys, without exception, draw hearts in their notebooks as often as the girls draw flowers. And of course, certain kids don’t like to share with certain others because of broken hearts and more minor infractions. Plus, certain people better not sit next to others because it disturbs the order of things.

Elizabeth likes to draw and eat fruit, but she doesn’t like melon, especially cantaloupe. Most of the students said their favorite food was soup: noodle and alphabet. And spinach, hamburger, and eggs Mexican style were among the foods that they don’t like to eat.When Jennifer had a chance to write two sentences about things she dislikes, she took aim at the colors green and pink; she also dislikes soccer and kickball. Ulises, one of the younger members of our class, joined the team that dislikes kickball, spinach, and pineapple. Although he dislikes going to the doctor’s office, he aspires to be one in the future and so does Gabriel, Jennifer, and Narda. Ulises and Gabriel like to go to the city, but they do not like to go shopping. Elizabeth wants to go to Cañada, a region of Oaxaca. Narda enjoys seeing movies and Abigail, who wants to be a police officer, wants to go to Huatulco. She was surprised to learn that city names, like Oaxaca and Huatulco, are the same in Spanish and English.

They’re growing up together, and they’re learning together in and outside of school. They all have big dreams for the future. Nearly half of the class wants to be doctors. Others want to be small business owners, or police officers, and there’s even a future racecar driver!Every minute we had together, we spent learning and laughing and enjoying one another. In January they will meet another volunteer and another door to the language will be opened to them, and they, without hesitation, will settle right in.

CURRICULUM EXAMPLES

Name: _________________________________________________

I Like and I Don’t Like

I like to eat ____________________________________________________________________ I don’t like to eat _______________________________________________________________I like to go ____________________________________________________________________I don’t like to go ________________________________________________________________I want to be ___________________________________________________________________I don’t want to be ______________________________________________________________I like to play ___________________________________________________________________I don’t like to play ______________________________________________________________The color I like is _______________________________________________________________I don’t like the color _____________________________________________________________A sport I like is _________________________________________________________________A sport I do not like is ___________________________________________________________

What else do you like? Draw a picture of two more things you like.

Write two sentences about what you like.1.2.

Write two sentences about what you do not like.1.2.

Name: ________________________________________________

To Do – Practice

Look up the following verbs:Play __________________________Swing ________________________Run __________________________Swim _________________________Talk __________________________Ride a Bicycle ___________________Climb _________________________Read __________________________

Sew ___________________________Draw __________________________Dance _________________________Watch Television_________________Study _______________________Laugh _______________________Paint _________________________Jump ________________________

What do you like to do? ______________________________________________________

Draw a picture of what you like to do.

Write three sentences about what you like to do.Example: I like to read books, swim in a pool, and laugh with my friends.1.2.

Name: _________________________________________________

I Like and I Don’t Like

I like to eat ____________________________________________________________________ I don’t like to eat _______________________________________________________________I like to go ____________________________________________________________________I don’t like to go ________________________________________________________________I want to be ___________________________________________________________________I don’t want to be ______________________________________________________________I like to play ___________________________________________________________________I don’t like to play ______________________________________________________________The color I like is _______________________________________________________________I don’t like the color _____________________________________________________________A sport I like is _________________________________________________________________A sport I do not like is ___________________________________________________________

What else do you like? Draw a picture of two more things you like.

Write two sentences about what you like.1.2.

Write two sentences about what you do not like.1.2.

Pre-Test

Name: _____________________________________________________ Age: ______________

Say the alphabet in English.

Name the following colors in English.

Name the following items in English.a. b. c. d. e. f.

a. ____________________________________________________________________________b. ____________________________________________________________________________c. ____________________________________________________________________________d. ____________________________________________________________________________e. ____________________________________________________________________________f. ____________________________________________________________________________

Write three sentences in Spanish and English.1. ____________________________________________________________________________2. ____________________________________________________________________________3. ____________________________________________________________________________

Notes:

GAMESOdd-One-Out: Write 3 or four words on the board. Ss must circle the odd-one-out (e.g. cat - horse - cake - bird).

Simon Says: A good review for body parts ("Simon says touch your knees"). You could change Simon to your name to avoid confusion. When T says a sentence without the word "Simon" (e.g. "Touch your knees") then Ss shouldn't follow that instruction. If a S makes a mistake s/he has to sit out until the next round.

Unscramble: Write a word on the board that has all its letters mixed up (e.g. "lrocsmaos" = "classroom"). Ss have to unscramble the word. This works well in a team game. Variation: use letter blocks / letter shapes instead of writing on the board.

Follow the leader: Ss line up behind the T and follows him/her around the classroom. The T does an action and shouts out the word for that action. The Ss copy the action and repeat the word. Good actions include: wave, hello, goodbye, it's cold/hot, stop, go, run, hop, skip, crawl, walk backwards, jump, sit down, stand up.

EXAMPLES OF MY CREATIVE WORK

Mole Coloradito

Some days there are not enough wordsto make a recipe or recite its ingredients,to describe anything more than the hueof what arrives on the plate. Even color,beyond primary shades, proves difficult.In her original tongue she has the powerto show flavor, to invoke scent. Nowshe can only say: It was red.

I Want to Say

I want to say the market is ginormous,recalling kilometros de mercado, billionsof colors populating its distance and scents:carnes, flores, frutas, hierbas, veduras, dulces,the day itself. I want to say that the tardewe spent strolling the dusty streets was the sweetestbut I don’t possess the necessary superlatives yet,and so I just agree when you say: “That was nice.”

kilometros de mercado – kilometers of marketcarnes – meats flores – flowersfrutas – fruits

hierbas – herbs veduras – vegetables dulces – sweets tarde – afternoon

Dia de la Virgen de Soledadand after learning the verb colarse

I am an uninvited sinneras I crash a virgin’s birthday party.I still don’t know how to genuflect or offerreverence. I could bring gifts:velas (candles) or flores (flowers), or buy an image, butI don’t know what to do with these souvenirs.My genuine effort to share in blessed celebrationsis contradicted as I try to explain myself,accidently call the imagen (image) a doll,

take a photo of something sacred and at an inconvenient time. Believe me,there are no classes for this—for trespassers like me.

How I learned the word for sink

It didn’t work. And the one for horn—I was at an important part of a storyand I had to stop and describe the noisea car makes when its driver is irritated.And the one for block. I said it wrongtwice, told a driver to drop me at the nextnotebook. I heard mochila (backpack)five times before I knew it. Green beans,I detest them, are ejote. I only neededto hear this bright green name once.Some words I remember for their pain.Others are delicious, musical, intriguing.My teacher says he can see it in my eyes.I am no longer translating. I am finallyalive, and I own mouthfuls of words.

You are with me in this picture

1) It is winter, but not here.2) Four nights before solstice (and no sign of real darkness),3) The streets are flooded—with color and music.4) Almost every evening there’s a parade.5) Things to celebrate: virgin birthdays, weddings.6) A growing wind lifts, garlands, hats, skirts.7) The stars seem closer and closer.8) You are with me in this picture.9) There are neither enough candles nor matches.10) I can hardly find my way down the hallway.11) I do not know this place. It is not my own.12) There’s a storm instead of stars.13) I am not well, and I fear.14) There is no cure for the shadows overcoming me.15) I need you.16) You are so far away.

Sorts: 7, 16, 4, 12, 8, 14, 15, 10, 1, 13, 3, 5 11, 9, 6, 2 and 2, 6, 9, 11, 8, 14, 4, 13, 12, 16, 1, 15, 7, 3, 10, 5

I answer

questions until the stars lose their energy, until it is impossible for there to be morequestions: How many words do you know in Spanish? More than ninety? Name them.

And I list forty-six or seven, forgetting sentences, instead stringing together clusters of nouns: foods, salutations, numbers, and my niece wants to know the names of my students,

these Oaxacan children learning to speak English. Have you met their parents? Their big sisters?And have they ever been to the movies? Are they in love? She’s seven. Does she know

what love means? Next, she asks about Kevin -- a boy she knows only from my stories -- What does he dream of being? Is he like Jacob or other boys here? The lightless firmament

and her sister's widening sleep ought to intercept her curiosity, but she charges onward, studying the whole sky, applying a formula to measuredistance. Do you love those other children?

A woman and her two girls

know the garbage bag I carry is fullof clothing, and the mother, securingmy attention, tugs at her cardiganto mean “clothes.” She thinks I intendto discard them, these outfits, all I have.

She has already sized me up, determinedmy things will fit her, her family.As we cross the street, she demandsthe bag, cannot understand my refusaluntil the four of us arrive at the laundry.

The barking dog makes more sense

than the woman without basic phrases. It seems she’s always looking

for a Laundromat. A stranger to the city’scoordinates, her search is preposterous.

She does not know the words to recognizeleft from right or north or… Watch her

revolve around the block beyond nightfallcarrying a sack that reeks of her

misunderstanding. The moon takes herpast the Canon des Gobelins, a restaurant

she is known to pause in front of, butshe does not know how to enter.

Does she barge in? Should she waitfor someone to seat her? Hungry,

she considers how to ask for water,wishes she could bark for her dinner.

Why I Want to Learn EnglishFor Ruperto

I love how I feel in another language.The words leave a sweet trace on my tongue.

Sometimes, after I have been carrying on with strangers,I cannot even recognize myself. What is this?

Less becoming other and more seeds reaching from palpable darkness, from dirt.

Words charge my rapturous brain, all of meready for whatever test the world delivers.

SELECTED BLOG POSTS

http://shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/i-have-a-date-on-friday/I Have a Date on Friday!!!By: shewhodaresnothingDec 20 2012Category: MexicoTonight I bumped into the tiny businessman. He and his sister Cecilia seemed as delighted to see me as I was to see them. He started with asking for a peso, but I asked if he wouldn’t rather have ice-cream. Cecilia said, “It is your friend.” And, she asked if I would buy one for her and their older brother, too. I said sure–if you tell me the little businessman’s name. She offered it quickly: Augustino. And, she also and his brother prefer chocolate. Cecilia also confirmed that the four of us would meet again under the same tree on Friday night.

Augustino had some bird poop in his hair; this is good luck in some cultures. It also might account for why he had a giant balloon when I found him. He came with me to buy the cones; he still prefers strawberry, and at one point I think he kissed the ice-cream counter.

http://shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/playing-dress-up/Playing Dress UpBy: shewhodaresnothingNov 05 2012Category: Mexico

According to what I have read and seen the past few days, while you won’t see Mexican men cross-dressing on a regular basis, it is quite common for comparsas. There is a small plaza that is on my way to the Zocalo, and I have seen several groups readying themselves for the parades.In Spanish class we learned that some men may ask quinceañeras to use their old dresses. If someone consents, she does so with the understanding that it will likely be destroyed in the revelry.We even saw a comparsa from Oaxaca on Youtube that features some very intoxicated adult men masquerading in these fancy dresses, butterfly wings, and more.Sometimes watching them ready in the plaza was as interesting as the final product snaking down the crowded street.

http://shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/do-i-bring-cake/Do I Bring Cake?By: shewhodaresnothingOct 31 2012Category: Mexico

Recently, I have enjoyed the hospitality of several different Mexican families. For the first, we purchased a fruit arrangement, but we never saw it or heard anything about it.

So I asked Jesus what I should bring to the artisans to thank them. Of course, I should have something from the US or Sacramento, but I have nothing. And, I don’t know what I might have anyway.

I ran through a list:A cake?Mezcal? Wine?A plant?More fruit?Art? For people whose work is making and selling art?

Jesus said that if I decided t bring anything at all (because nothing is expected), I should bring something I can carry on the bus. I agreed.

Then he said: “Dulces” (candy). When I asked his favorites he unfurled a list as if he’d been waiting for the question. Usually he speaks slowly for me, but he went into super speak.

Because I couldn’t lasso the list, I decided to get a mix of US staples (Snickers, m&m’s, gum) with some classic Mexican candies including Glorias (made from goat’s milk), marzipan, and chocolate-coated clown pops, among other things.

The recipients were pleased with the thought, and Jesus was surprised to see how his suggestion turned out as I presented his own package to him.

http://shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/the-cat-has-a-moustache/The Cat Has a MoustacheBy: shewhodaresnothingSep 25 2012Category: Mexico

I have a running list of all of the new words that stop me in class or that I encounter in intercambios. I am especially fond of nouns and adjectives and can even discuss the difference between the words amarga and agria (one is bitter and the other sour). I am compiling idiomatic expressions that I want to be able to use in conversations tomorrow. For example, I heard that M is my media naranja (half orange). This is similar to the way we use better half, but (in so many ways) it is sweeter. I asked Flor, my patient teacher, if there are other ways to describe my love. She said there are many and promised to educate me.

In the class in Tlacochahuaya, the students practiced using letters to form basic vocabulary in English and Spanish, and the students also drew and described a cat. Some had fantastic cats that came in a spectrum of colors. Others tried the more realistic route. As they were drawing the whiskers on the cat, one asked, “How do you say the cat’s moustache in English?” Again, the word bigote (mustache). In Spanish, men and cats alike have bigotes.

http://shewhodaresnothing.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/cooking-tightrope-walking-and-dancing-in-the-streets/Cooking, Tightrope Walking, and Dancing in the Streets

By: shewhodaresnothingAug 30 2012Category: France

This man is roasting corn in a barrel of fire on a bustling street corner close to a Metro station. No one seems excited by his presence or his occupation other than those who want a delicious ear of corn.

Last night, as we walked along the Seine, the banks were swarming with people picnicking into dusk. In one area, a group had fashioned a tightrope (perhaps two feet off the ground) between two trees, and people would take turns attempting the journey, laughing in the cool night air.Across the way, there were small amphitheaters. Each area featured a different form of dancing and music. People walked up or rode up by bicycle and strapped on their dancing shoes.