你好 singapore!! 🇸🇬

 

Marina Bay 

Yes, I'm back in Singapore! The first and last time I was here was in July 2017. 

I decided to come back to Singapore because it was the cheapest plane ticket I could find from Seattle to come to Asia!! I decided to stay in the same area I was last time, which was Kampong Glam. It is Singapore's Muslim Quarter, and I was on the same street as the Sultan Mosque. I enjoyed being in this area because of the various types of food in this area, and the proximity to public transportation. 🚉

Sultan Mosque

Singapore's official languages are English, Malay, Tamil, Mandarin Chinese, and Singaporean Mandarin. The mix of cultures, languages, and foods can be seen around the city. I also explored Little India and Chinatown in Singapore, which was fascinating to see and learn about.

The three nights in Singapore was the right amount of time to adjust to the time zone!! I stayed in a capsule hotel where I was in a pod! It's basically a small space that has 3 walls, and a screen that you can pull open and close as your door. It had outlets, a reading light, a mirror, and a small lock box. We are also assigned lockers that you can use! 🔒 

The most phenomenal part of my time in Singapore was the airport!! They have the world's largest indoor waterfall!! It was beautiful! I wanted to spend more time exploring the airport, but I was running late to check-in for my flight... 😬

There's always a sense of peace & comfort whenever I am in Asia... I was feeling nervous before leaving Seattle, but once I arrived... I was at ease. Grateful to be back!! ❤

Garfield High School~

 
I was at Garfield High School, for the last 2 weeks covering for a teacher friend's coworker. It went fine, and I think by the end of the 2 weeks I was ready to say goodbye and go to another school.

How would you feel if an adult, who you don't know, came up to you and was telling you what to do or what not to do?

Being a substitute teacher, now called guest teacher, has its pros and cons. 

Pros

• temporarily there: knowing that i'm only there for a short time
• less responsibility: no grading, minimal planning, do not have to attend staff meetings, do not have to be evaluated

Cons

• temporarily there: students do not know you & you do not know all the students
• figuring out what you are doing for the day and where you need to go can be a little stressful
• do not have access to grades or attendance on school apps

I did not know what to expect for these past 2 weeks of subbing, but I am grateful for the opportunity. It was comforting to be able to work with former coworkers and to experience teaching in another teacher position. I was also fortunate to see former students who I taught at Seattle World School!! and the students were so sweet and thoughtful, they asked if i could stay longer. ❤

I was covering for an English Language Learners (ELL) / Multilingual (ML) teacher position at one high school in Seattle Public Schools (SPS), which could be a completely different role in a middle school or an elementary school... AND I realized the role also could differ depending on the school. 

Google Slides & Pusheen GIFs

I am curious about some other positions that SPS has... whether that is the Academic Intervention Specialist or Reading Interventionist or even the Math Interventionist... or maybe even other positions I do NOT know that the district has...

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. ☺

medellín, COLOMBIA

i wasn't sure how many days to stay in Medellín... so i only decided to stay for 3 nights. i also had a friend here who i just met in Mexico City back in August, and i was debating to contact him. i'm weird like that and overthink if i am bothering someone... and i don't want them to feel obligated to have to spend time with me. 😅

Guatapé - town known for it's colorful designs!

long story short, i did message him and we spent 2 days doing touristy stuff together even though he's from Medellín!! we went to Guatapé, which is a town about 2 hours by bus from Medellín. 

Lunch in Guatapé

Once we got to Guatapé we were hungry and had lunch right away. i tried a typical Colombian dish called bandeja paisa.

bandeja paisa dish~

The next day Alex + I went to do a walking tour in Comuna 13. Which is a community that was deeply impacted by the drug trade during the 80s and 90s, and has undergone a significant transformation.  it's now one of the safest and touristy sights to visit in Medellín. what a drastic change to when it was controlled by guerrillas, gangs, and paramilitaries. 〰🔅

It was a very interesting tour and i learned a lot about this community. it started off as a hot day, and then all of sudden it was downpour of rain!! luckily, our guide had umbrellas, but it was still a very wet + still hot tour. ☔

i didn't do much in the city of Medellín since my time there was short, but i really enjoyed the two places i went to. and i'm glad that i did message Alex to meet up!! it's funny how once i feel a little more comfortable or used to a new place, it's time for me to leave!! i didn't plan out my days for each location i went to... i am deciding once i arrive... maybe i should plan ahead?? but i'm enjoying just being able to go with the flow and learn as i go too. ☺