For the past 2 weeks, I've been enrolled in a medics' course in Tel Aviv. It took me ages to get here due to bureaucracy in the registration process, but I made it. Volunteering for the Magen David Adom (MDA, like Israel's Red Cross) is popular among both Israelis and tourists. If you want to … Continue reading Becoming a(n Israeli) Medic
Category: School
Oh, kindergarten. So often I catch myself uttering sentences that are so outrageous they could only be uttered in a kindergarten classroom. And, well, then there are the sentences that I'm oh so used to: Don't wear your lunch box. Is that clay in your hair? It's spelled "F-O-R-K." Your have to say the "R." … Continue reading Things I Never Thought I’d Say (But Routinely Do)
I have exactly 6 more weeks left at the school. That's 30 working days. 41 days including weekends. I will finish my work in Kurdistan at 2:55 on June 20th, 2013. Then I will be DONE. It's like seeing the finish line at the end of a crit. I make the last corner and go … Continue reading The Final Sprint
I took the most WONDERFUL trip this weekend. Impulsive, unexpected, rewarding. I woke up on Friday morning determined to get out of Suli. It had been 2 weeks since I'd gone anywhere, and the longer I go without travelling, the more I get stuck in a complacent rut. So I went to the bus terminal, … Continue reading Halabja
My students have made a new song. It's really simple, ready to learn? It goes: "Miss Rachel aql e!" And repeat. "Aql" is an adjective that roughly translates to "well-behaved." It's what adults tell children when they're being good. Like saying, "good girl," or something. Anyway, I gave my kids a talking-to in Kurdish the … Continue reading Kindergarten Moment of the Day – Aql
This time, on Kindergarten Moment of the Day: gender flip-flops, and multilingual tantrums. #1: Today Rafal, a girl in my class, brought in a Barbie DVD. Normally I'd be opposed to all things Barbie - because she's a terrible role model - but the loudest kids in my class are boys and they always demand … Continue reading Kindergarten Moment of the Day
I have a throat infection from speaking so much. yep.
Recent teaching developments: I've started teaching "y" as "ee," and "w" as "oo." When Kurdish is written in Latin script, "ee" is always conveyed as "y," and where I'd expect a "u" to go, there's always a "w." For instance, the word "short" is written as "Kwrt," but pronounced "Koort." . The kids were (are) … Continue reading Linguistics
I was told today that I need to tell the admins whether I'm re-upping my contract by February 7th. Why I want to stay: Get better at Kurdish money money money I've spent so much time settling in... I DON'T want to start looking for jobs again, and I DON'T really want to start from … Continue reading Deadline: February 7th
ME (pointing to the word "did"): Can you sound out this word? STUDENT: d........i........d....... ME: mm-hmm? STUDENT: .....Elephant. I'm teaching them well.
In Mutual Weirdness 