¡Adonde vas, aquí estas!

“Wherever you go… there, you are!”

Don’t you love Spanish phrases? And here we are again. I’m talking about Mexico again, and you’re perhaps wondering (again) how on earth I’m going to end up there next Tuesday. So let’s just make it simple – who, what, when, where, and why. Mexico, here we come.

who: Josh and I. yup me an’ Josh :P

what: a month long ESL program. ESL stands for English as a Second Language, which is “the study of English by nonnative speakers in an English-speaking environment” (at least, that’s the dictionary.com definition). Basically it means teaching English to people who grew up speaking something else (ie Spanish), which makes English – ta da! – their second language. We will be getting a certificate in ESL that is broadly recognized in the States and elsewhere, so that we can teach English there too.

when: hehe, that’s a good question. We leave May 6, and the program lasts until June 12^th. After that, we’ve been thinking that jobs would be cool. The program offers a very spiffy and comprehensive job search service that’s part of the whole program. Yet there’s still a chance that the right jobs just might not pan out, so that’s why our departure time is a bit fuzzy. No worries though, in the land of sun, smiles, and sopapillas we’ll have plenty to do. My last semester of college starts up in August, so I know we’ll be back by then. Until then… viva el español!!!

where: Guadalajara, Mexico. The program that we’re enrolled in is run by the International Teacher Training Organization, ITTO (see www.teflcertificatecourses.com or their gallery www.teflcertificatecourses.com/gallery.html ), and they basically have a group of us coming through every month to get certificates. We plan to travel around when we can, and enjoy the flavor of Mexico’s 2^nd biggest city while we’re at home base doing the program.

why (on earth???): The long answer: An ESL certificate will be a great thing to have if Josh and I are ever interested in teaching English to international students (which we are) either here or anywhere else. We’d love to be able to build our credentials and experience in English, and this seemed like a great way to do it.

The short answer: Spanish.

Mexico is a fine place to learn Spanish, something Josh and I have both studied in our undergrad careers and hope to get (somewhat) fluent in someday. My own personal fears that los Mejicanos will be fiercesomly fast speakers were allayed by a friend who has lived a couple of summers in Guadalajara himself. They’ll be great, he said. You’ll love it.

So you know mostly what I know, the journey to get here, this particular program, at this particular time, has been littered with God’s kind surprises and graces, all of which have really confirmed for me that this is right. Keep coming back as I update our travels, adventures, languages… encounters, and general huzzahs!

And this first one is by His planning and grace – Huzzah! We’re going to Mexico!