This summer I lived in Logroño and taught at an English day camp in villages mostly in the south of Navarra. We taught at a different village every week. It was a demanding job, but overall it was a great experience. I feel more confident than ever as a teacher.
Every village was unique in its own way, but our last one, Corella, will always have a special place in my heart for two reasons. First, I probably had the best relationship with my students that week because they were my oldest, most mature group. They even gave me and Jenna "I love Corella" t-shirts. The students were disappointed when I told them I can't go to Corella's festival on September 23 because I'll be in Germany that weekend, but I promised to wear my Corella t-shirt in Germany. The second thing that struck me is Corella's bike friendliness. The number of bike lanes is astounding for a village so small. Unlike Pamplona, all of them are painted on the street rather than squeezed on the sidewalks. The school's halls were adorned with posters promoting cycling around every corner. I definitely want to ride down there some time and actually use those spacious bike lanes.
Now I´m back in Pamplona. I don´t start my conversation classes until next Monday so I have almost nothing to do for the next week. I´m going to try to make the most of my "vacation" first and foremost by putting some quality time into studying Spanish. I thought there was no way I could pass the DELE this year, but I figured that if I study consistently for two months, I might have a shot. If the Spanish government continues the program for full time visiting teachers from the United States and Canada next year, a DELE C1 certificate would make my application far more competitive. I think that my level is already good enough, but the certificate would really prove it.
