Tengo mucho alegria…
I was having difficulty adjusting to the house where I’d been given a room. Yolanda was a teacher at the school but had separated from her husband (divorce was illegal in Chile, as in Ireland pre-1995). She lived with her boyfriend, Pedro, who seemed to think I was now his source of free at-home English lessons, not to mention translation of all his favourite pop songs; whatever happened to be playing on the radio on the way in to the school in the morning. Breakfast was a couple of pieces of unleavened bread, jam and tea.
At the school I had been shown the ropes by Jorge. He had a large office proudly displaying his many certificates of education, to masters level and beyond. The English Department turned out to be an all-female affair : the lovely (if inexperienced) Gloria, Head of Department and (5 years my junior). Hmmm. Then there was raven-haired Rebecca, with the steel-tipped high heels. Then there was Carolina, who spoke the best English, living as she had in the States for a long time, She was the best teacher I had ever seen of primary level children, playing songs to them and miming the actions as if her life depended on it. Brilliant! Next there was Miss Paola, who used to be a DJ. After a few days of being shown where things were, familiarising myself with the SSR and a time spent together with the other teachers reading Scripture and praying for the new term, she was the one who “checked” my opening “speech” to the kids of primero media.
In my best Belfast brogue(s) I stepped forward on a sunny Chilean morning and began. “Tengo mucho alegria de ser invitado de ensenyar al tu escuela despues de trabajo con el Rector (I had written “tu jefe” - this was one of the few corrections she made when I showed her my speech in the staff room), en Inglaterra. Ya he visto algo de tu pais - no va me olvidar nunca, pienso, tu sopa marinera (corrected to “paella marina”) ! Voy ser encargado sala audiovisual, es decir “SSR” (Self-study room) y allí espero voy ensenyar Inglés. Pienso que vamos aprender mucho y si vaís trabajar duro - mejorar mucho vos Inglés y yo mi Espanyol!
Pienso que aqui vos me llame “Gringo”. Bueno, soy de Reino Unido - soy nativo “Inglés” pero tambien de Irlanda - país de muchas batallas, historias, peliculas, canciones y musica - por consiguente pedais aprender mucho de cultura de mi país, como yo apriendo de lo vos. Gracias.