Tuesday, December 4, 2007

get out of my face!

I should put quotes around that since it was said by one of my students to another student...

Something funny...Today we were working on patterns, so I brought out this snake and my students had to put beads on the snake to make it look like the picture. Here is a conversation with a child who loved doing patterns, "Ms. Linda where did you buy it?" Christopher. Me, "I didn't buy it, it's been here at the school for awhile. Someone might have bought it from Lakeshore." Five minutes later Christopher still curious, "So you bought it at the store...I think my mom is buying one today..."

Last week I saw the famous Christmas tree...'twas beautiful. I picked Anthony up from work and we laughed thinking we had the greatest idea of entering on the side of the store because we thought that the line that wrapped around the building was the line to get in, but the line was to walk around the outside of the store to see the window displays. As if you couldn't see them in the from 2 yards... Sayjal and I went to target, which turned out to be a joke...the lines at checkout were way too long.

OK, I have a headache...thanks MM ppl for sending that wonderful card...Casa de salsa and you are missed in NYC...

Sunday, November 4, 2007

absence...

sorry. this has taken years. there is way too much to say. i can't really catch up. class has been wild. peeing. crying. learning. children biting each other. me having to tell parents about their children. halloween. hayrides. children learning english, children learning spanish. dominican men. messy room. clean room. coldness. excitement. good food. bad. food. seeing family. going to other states. making good food. african dance. capoeria. parent teacher conferences. referring children. trying to help children adjust. seeing cute little dress in halloween costumes. that's all, sorry for the lack of explanation.
email, call, don't fb...bye!

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

home visits...meet n' greets.

I sit here thinking someone has stolen my identity, but then realize it's just Anthony...he has taken my facebook password, changed it, and won't tell me for a week. Anyone else would think nothing of this, but not Ms. Linda. When my new password is given to me a lot would have changed in my preschool life, which started Tuesday and goes until August 2009...maybe longer or that's what my center director has discussed with me, "So where do you see yourself in five years (she asks while taking out papers for me to sign for a background check)?" I pretend, like a lot of the time when I a.) don't want to answer or b.) am too worried that my response will either offend or please her, not to hear her. Anyway, reasons for not writing in my blog:
1.) I accidently created a new blog, which I am sure you can find, and didn't realize it until there was an entirely new link.
2.) I took up the art of procrastinating right before school started.
3.) I was on the phone with my mom.
4.) I was shopping.
5.) walking around the city...I like to walk from 61st and 6th ave. to 4th st. and 8th ave., which is a long walk all things considered.
6.) on facebook
7.) Many others which I cannot repeat.

Well, homevisits start tomorrow, but let me discuss the last two days...
I am the newest/youngest teacher at the center. All the women are wonderful and they LOVE to complain (especially my assistant), which is something I enjoy hearing. Seventh Ave. center has to sites- the bronx and mahattan- I am at the Manhattan site, but our first day of training was at the Bronx site. I am partially jealous of that site because they have a new playground outside, but then I realized that they won't be able to use it soon because the weather will not permit. Anyway, the first day we were trained in how to recognize/help a child who has asthma or one that is suffering from an asthma attack...asthma is scary stuff especially when working with little children that live in a city. Sadly, there have been some fatalities in preschools around Manhattan and the buroughs. The training was...entertaining...the video we watched had an eleven year old animation character smoking...let me tell you, for my PTF ladies the movie we had to watch for our projects does not compare! Later that day we went back to our center/classrooms and continued cleaning and setting up. My assistant, Jeanette, continued to complain...sometimes I don't know if she is talking to me, but she has an ongoing conversation. Today we had a laughing attack for about 20 minutes she knows where all the supplies are- she has been working at the center for 15 years- all the teachers run up and down the hall looking for supplies like the laminating machine, laminating paper, and valcro...guess who has it all, Jeanette...hahaha...she hides the supplies in the back corner and if she hears another teacher asking where the supplies are she shoves them under papers or whatever she can find to hide them. We also bonded over all the roaches in our classroom. I didn't mind them too much, actually I did, but this woman is more dramatic than me! When she sees roaches she screams, "Jean (our maintance man) ! EWE! There are roaches! Gross! Jean! JEAN!!!!!!!!!" Then she continues her monologue sometimes turned into a soliloquy when I step out of the room. Jean comes in...complains...tells her he hates her, leaves, and five minutes later is back due to some other problem in the classroom. I can already tell this is going to be a great year and I am barely meeting the children tomorrow. Mind you, I am doing interviews in Spanish...huh...iiiiiinteresting...we will see how that goes. ALL of my children were born the year I was a sophomore in college...let me see, that was the year Pitzer was poppin', well, all my years were poppin' at Pitzer...and these kids were poppin' out of something else....iiiiinteresting.

The other day Lizbeth called me and while talking to her I almost died 3 times. I bought a futon. My neighbor across from me, it not an old man, but a teenager...maybe the old man is too, but I don't know...all I know is that I will buy curtains SOON! I took a futon/furniture in my room from my neighbor. Met my neighbors and they funny funny daugther. I also realized that every woman in New York >23 is with child or just had a little one in tow. The pizza place by my apt. is closed due to a gas leak. I have some fabulous photo shoot pictures, whic I will psot in a week. If anyone is interested, fashion week is this week. The is a theatre here that puts on albey AND MEE...hootie hoot!

So, last weekend I took a congolese dance class...hahahaha...soooo fun. The drummers said at first they thought I was shy....then! I talked to this man in the park...he brought me back down from my fantasy. He knew I was starting school tomorrow and then said, "I remember when I was getting a new class, I couldn't sleep, I was so antsy...wow, you are very calm." I guess I have been calm here oops, just wrote "clam"...huh. He then asked what I had in my bag and I said, "fries," and he responded, "Now we're talking...why didn't you tell me before." He then ate the rest. He chatted about how his lover was with someone else, but he (the man) just came back from a cruise where he found a young lover (65), so he didn't care about his lover of 10 years." He chatted about Cali. He was put in jail in the 80s for "littering" aka leaving his boxes that he was going to mail to his parents outside the postoffice for a few seconds and was ticketed, later to be arrested for not paying his ticket and violating the law again. Anyway, this man was great.

Well, anthony is getting hungry, so I will continue this later...I wants me to walk with him to find food. ooooooo... I made the best potato and cheese fried tacos the other day! WONDERFUL!

laters.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

JOB JOB JOB JOB!!!!

So, the wonderful woman I texted after getting the job offer and calling my family, Hannah, told me to post it!!!!!!!!! Yay!! I have a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to teach (16) 3-year-olds at 7th avenue family headstart. I am a group teacher (I run the show) and I have an assistant teacher! I start Sept. 3rd. The school is year around, so I have a week off for winter and 3 weeks during the summer. I have to take a class this semester too, so I can get my credentials. As I was in the office chatting with Tolu, the director, Rosa, the education director calls. I guess my class is having trouble...they are sending me in to clean the place up! hehehehe...o nooooo...I can't even keep my room clean. We will see how that goes. So, I am going to be very very busy...planning my cirriculum, lesson plans, finger prints, shots...yadda yadda yadda...learning basic american sign. I will keep everyone posted.

I took a tour with Will. It was fun! We went to the MET and had pizza at Mimis and took a tour of the small central park. If anyone comes to visit those are the hotspots we will hit. I saw my lovely Peter and had a posh dinner at Cafeteria.

Anyway,
chat with you soon.
blogged
love everyone...i really really missed home today when my neighbor was blasting music....
linda

Sunday, August 5, 2007

free internet...

Well, I am here in NY. The adventures have been crazy/Linda style with some dramatics, hot men, good food, sights, taxi cabs drivers, falling on subways, and most of all a messy room.

The first day ANthony and I arrive we decide that we want to check out our new apt. hahahahahha...we get off 175th. and start walking. Anthony is scared...I'm not (it's in my blood). We continue walking, searching for our apt building. During the walk we see about 3 deals. AMAZING! Next day we come back and the streets are full of life. It is hot. The neighborhood children have turned on the fire hydrants and are playing in the water. Cars pull over, children and drivers run out to play in the water. The older folks are curbside sticking their chubby feet into the water yelling at the children, telling them to keep the water going. This barrio is fabulous. About 2 avenues is a gay dominican bar/nightclub, so as soon as anthony turns 21 that's where we will be.

the next day, i interviewed in the bronx. it was a great center...i would be a group teacher (aka lead teacher with one assistant) to 17 four year olds. Sadly, i received an email from the director stating that the teacher who i was going to replace has decided she might stay. if she doesn't, i am hired:(

Yesterday we were caught on the A train (the train that runs from my place to lower Man.) for about an hour and a half. Mind you, it is extremely hot here. So we are on the train and it starts to stop every second...a woman enters the train looking like she has just ran a marathon. She stands right next to me. The train stops once again...not at a stop, but in between stops. It is crowded and smells like onions, the woman bends over. I realize what she is about to do. I start asking for a plastic bag...no answer...DOES ANYONE HAVE A PLASTIC BAG THIS WOMAN IS GOING TO THROWUP AND IT WILL SMELL...no answer...the woman throws up. Then some woman with a child hands the woman a bag. I ask the woman if she needs water because she is obviously dehydrated, but nope, she doesn't want any. hmmmmm...she later thanks the woman who gave her a bag...not me...i was sad:(

after that anthony and i fought...the first of many, i am sure. i bought a rice cooker, mirror, spoons, forks, knives, and hangers from kmart. the delivered it for 15 woot woot! notice you do not see BED in there...yea, don't have one. I want to order the futon/bed thing from IKea, so I will...soon. my room is going to be orange and purple.

mara's sister has been amazing! she let us stay in her pad for the first days we were here. anthony's work is beautiful. the locksmith downstairs is cute. the food is great. the sights are wonderful. still haven't seen the statue of lib. i have a fire escape! that's the reason why i got the bedroom, anthony was afraid of the fire escape. there was a down pour two nights ago. i ran in the rain. i saw a sign "If you TAKA my space, I breaka your face". my friend who i haven't seen for 6 years is in NY! sayjal comes soon!

I wish everyone was here to enjoy! miss you!

and you have read correctly...i have the internet! woot woot!

linda lost in NY with a rice cooker

ps there will be way more to come about my first few days, but my arms hurt.