It’s been over a month since I’ve posted anything on my life here. To be honest, I’ve just been so tired. The heat is exhausting, and so is the situation I’m in. Let’s start from the beginning.
The Virus
As everyone in the world knows, we’ve been hit with a global pandemic! This directly resulted in two of the ALTs in my town going home back in late March or early April. I think that they definitely made the right decisions for themselves, and I hope that they’re doing well back home despite everything that’s going on.
But let me tell you what that means for me. First, I the number of schools I visit has increased from 4 to 6. I added one ES and one JHS to my rotation. I love the new schools and I really enjoy being able to interact with so many students and teachers. It’s a lot of fun! But it’s also very tiring… Why? Well, I don’t work any more hours than I normally would. Or if I do, it’s not that many more. So why would this job be any more tiring than the job I had been doing up until now?
Reason 1: There are so many teachers with different teaching styles, and students with different learning styles and behavioral patterns. I’m not exactly an extrovert, and I’m definitely one to try and adapt to those around me…so as you can imagine, this is exhausting for me.
Reason 2: I have an insane amount of in-class hours. There are 6 class periods in a day, and I work all six on some days. It’s probably not many more hours than before, but paired with reason 1, it’s starting to take its toll.
Reason 3: The game has changed. Working through a pandemic in a school is so much different from working in a school with no pandemic. We have to rework all of our activities and lesson plans to avoid too much contact. English is an interactive subject – it’s a language. This isn’t exactly the easiest task…
The Heat
Okay, so I’m slowly getting used to the way things are going with the pandemic and classes and all of the people I interact with on a weekly basis. But this is probably the hottest summer I’ve experienced since moving to Kochi. I actually use my air conditioner quite often, and up until this summer I’d only used it for a few days out of the whole summer each year. Obviously wearing a mask makes me even hotter, but I don’t wear one at home and I’m just always exhausted by the heat. Is this heat exhaustion? Maybe it’s a combination of things…
Stuck
I didn’t have any plans to return to America until my sister’s wedding this October anyway, but because of the pandemic I might not even be able to return home then. It’s less about not going, and more about not being able to go. I think that we begin to feel stuck when we’re told we can’t do something. Even if we weren’t planning on doing it, we suddenly feel like we’re being denied something and it takes a toll on us.
I know that many people all over the world are feeling this way about masks. It’s important for us to do our part and try to protect others, but boy can it be exhausting! I’m wearing my mask every day, though. Don’t worry. I just want to go see my baby sister walk down the aisle…
Sorry
So, I’m sorry that it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. Even over the years, I’ve left out exciting things that I’ve done from this blog just because I never got around to writing it. I’ve wanted to share so much but I haven’t been disciplined enough to do it. I’m not going to make a promise that I’ll post more, because I don’t want to make a promise that I can’t or won’t keep. But I will say, sorry! And I hope to share something with you again soon!
Until next time!! xx
Jessica's English Corner 