sub life 🥸

 

i've been back home in Seattle for 2 weeks now, and i was able to sub (substitute) for 3 very different schools!! 👾

1 |   Last Friday, I was a sub at Wing Luke Elementary.

• South Beacon Hill
• Small class sizes
• New building (2nd Year)*
• I saw an emphasis on order and quietness in the halls
• I did push-in and pull-out English Multilingual Support for all grade levels (Kindergarten - 5th Grade)
  
  

2 |   On Monday, I was a sub at Olympic Hills Elementary.

• Lake City
• Small class sizes
• I saw teachers facilitate convos with students to be their best selves
• I did push-in English Literacy Support for mostly 1st Grade
• I did morning drop off duty, recess duty, lunch duty, and after school bus duty

3 |   On Tuesday, I was a sub at Garfield High School.

• Central District
• Big class sizes for general edu
• Small Multilingual English Language classes
• Created a new schedule for supports in gen. edu classes 
• BIG high school!!

🟪 I haven't been at a middle school yet, and I'm hoping to explore some middle schools after I complete my next sub job. i'll be covering for another teacher all next week at Garfield High School. i was hesitant to take on the full-time job for the full week, but... it would be nice to be in the same school consistently and get to know the students for more than just one day. 🟪

It was my first time to be in an elementary school as an adult, and it was illuminating to see how much planning must go into one day for the teachers because they are teaching everything to the young ones!! but they do NOT get much time to prepare... :(  it shows how important it is to have other adults in the class for support! in elementary and i think in all schools~

I'm not quite sure how I feel or what I think about subbing yet... i think i need more time to process these experiences and time to be in other schools... I'll be in Seattle until the end of November, and I'm curious to see how my thoughts and feelings may or may not change. 👽

for now i'll just continue floating in this space. 🚀

cartagena ✴️

 

the flag of cartagena in getsemaní barrio

it only took 15 minutes to drive from the airport to the historic center of Cartagena. the drive took me along the coast and into the walled city where you immediately saw street vendors and folx on horse drawn carriages. 

after i checked in and dropped my belongings off at the hostel, i walked around exploring the city.

historic clock tower

someone in Bogotá told me that cartagena is the city of "no gracias" | no thank you, because everyone's trying to sell you something at every moment. and i believe this is true because once i stepped out onto the streets there were folx in front of stores asking you to come look inside, and the drivers of the horse drawn carriages are telling you they will give you a good price for a tour of the city, etc. a guy tried talking to me while i was walking and asked me where i'm from... and after 2 months of traveling that's the main question i get... and i get it... it's kinda like an opening of getting to know someone, but i was not interested in making small talk. i just wanted to walk around. i wanted to see where i needed to go the next morning to catch the boat to Isla Grande. my first night in cartagena gave me a picture of what it will be like when i returned after visiting Isla Grande, even though i stayed in a different part of the city.

after 4 relaxing days on the island (see previous post*), i came back to cartagena and stayed in the Getsemaní barrio. my friend Isabel recommended this area because it's safe and there are lots of restaurants and art to see. it also isn't far from the historic center. maybe about a 10-15 minute walk. and it's also not far from the pier where the boats take you to and from the islands.

luckily my friend's boyfriend had the same days off, and returned to cartagena when i was there!! so we met up and walked around the city. i also made a new friend at the hostel i was staying at, and she joined us too!

walking on the city wall of Cartagena

i was in Cartagena for another 2 nights before i flew back to Seattle~ i would love to go back to Colombia someday. everyone says how dangerous it is, and i believe there are definitely places with a reputation of being super dangerous... and especially with the past/current history, but i felt safe. i did not wander alone late at night and i kept my belongings in front of me. the tourist visa is valid for 90 days, and i believe i could stay there for that long, if not longer!! my friend is planning to go back in January... maybe i can actually see her when she's back!! 😁

i'm still waiting to hear from Fulbright... no news yet on when or where.

isla grande 🏝

playa libre | free beach

when i first thought about going to Colombia, i was planning to visit a friend. i met this friend when i volunteered in Cusco, Peru back in July 2016. i also visited her in Florida in October 2016, and i haven't seen her since. we've kept in touch via Instagram and chatted about me visiting her in Colombia. unfortunately, she had to return to the U.S. before i arrived because of her visa. a U.S. citizen can receive a tourist visa for 90 days for Colombia, but she was trying to get a work visa to return for longer.

sadly, i didn't get to see her, but she gave me all the inside scoop on where to stay in Cartagena and on Isla Grande. i'm so glad she recommended i stay on Isla Grande because i love being on the beach and listening to the waves wash up against the shores.

i trusted her recs so much that i didn't even read any reviews for the places i was going to. as i mentioned earlier, i was going with the flow and learning along the way, since i was visiting so many different places. i did splurge on places to stay, and i probably could've saved more money if i stayed in cheaper accommodations. she said the island has either super cheap hostels or more expensive resort hotels, and not much in between. i looked at some photos of the hostels, and i decided on the more pricier hotels. idk if it's cuz i'm getting older and i'd rather spend more money for comfort... but i probably would've been fine in the hostels too. 🙈

hotel Cocoliso

the hotel i stayed in is called Cocoliso,  and i spent 4 nights on the island. my friend's boyfriend worked at this hotel, and when i arrived he recognized me and greeted me right away! i felt safe and comfortable to be in a place where my friend recommended and knows everyone. even though the island is called Isla Grande, it is still a small island and so another reason why she recommended i stay here was because it has several amenities: diving center, pool, boat to and from Cartagena, bioluminescent lagoon, and breakfast included. i took advantage of all these amenities!!

diving in the corals

pool

hammocks

The islands are located in the Caribbean Sea, and i love being by water or any tropical place. that's where i feel most relaxed. yah, i did feed the mosquitoes, but my friend said since it is rainy season the mosquitoes come out at this time... if i visited in December or January, they wouldn't be a problem!! BUT mosquitoes always have a way of finding me... 

sunset

oh yah, one thing i didn't realize until i was on the island was that there is no hot water on the island. it makes sense since it is so hot, and that it's on a natural reserve... but it didn't sink in until i had to take those cold showers. i think i got used to them? BUT i do prefer hot showers... what a privilege. 

National Natural Park of Isla Grande

that's one of the reasons why i enjoy traveling so much... it takes me out of my comfort and routine... and forces me to think about what i normally wouldn't think about. 

bogotá, colombia 🇨🇴

i did not know that bogotá was the capital of colombia... at first i thought i was going to like being in bogotá more than medellín. each city has its pros + cons, but i think i enjoyed being in medellín more! i forgot to mention that i did get to take the public metro there, and i didn't do it in bogotá because most people advised against them for safety reasons. so i only traveled by taxi and the traffic in the city is BAAAAAADDD. i.e. i arrived at 4ish PM on a Friday to the airport, and it took 1 hour to go 17km (10.5 miles). 😬

for some reason i did not think about the coffee scene in Colombia!! but a lil lightbulb went off and i looked up coffee shops + roasters when i was in medellín!! so i signed up for a specialty coffee tasting when i got to bogotá. it was one of the funnest experiences i had!! i learned about the tasting ratings that folks give to coffees, about the origins of coffee, and about various methods to brew coffee. We went to 3 coffee shops and tried one origin coffee in various methods.

Colo Coffee

Café Cultor

Libertario Coffee

i wasn't too caffeinated with the three, but i didn't realize that you can identify different flavors ranging from sweetness, spice, floral, etc. it was a fun experience for me, and i even looked into visiting a coffee farm but the price was too expensive so i decided not to do it. i did learn that there is a town in Colombia that has a coffee theme park!! i think i would need to visit that next time i come to Colombia. → https://parquedelcafe.co/  

Some other places i visited in Bogotá were:

catedral de sal | north of bogotá

mercados de las pulgas de usaquen [flea market in usuaquen]

monseratte 

plaza de bolívar

plaza de mercado paloquemao

i really enjoyed the fruit market and i was excited to try some fruits from Colombia. i tried lulo and uchuva. https://www.eater.com/2018/10/17/17965242/best-fruit-bogota-colombia?_gl=1*13c9csw*

one of my favorite things to do when traveling is to visit the markets or grocery stores... i'm always curious to see what foods people eat or have available to them that are different from what i am familiar with. ☺