Absurdity.

Michael Lynn received a text message this week from the Internet company. It said that there was a problem delivering our router and to call a given number. We called, and evidently the address had been recorded incorrectly in their files. So, we corrected our address and shortly after doing this she received another text message saying the router would be delivered between 9 am and 4 pm today. I am currently writing this entry at 4 pm, and we have yet to receive the router. Can you say absurd?

I have picked up a second class at the academy teaching English to a group of 6 year olds. The academy is located in a building that has glass windows and a door facing a plaza. During class on Tuesday with this 6 year old class some kids outside in the plaza kept running up to the glass door, pounding on it, and then running away. I stuck my head out once, and wasn’t quick enough to catch the kids as they darted around the corner. This continued a few more times and I tried to ignore it (because that’s what those kids want, the attention). However, my 6 year olds could not. One student in particular had had enough, and I kid you not, when the knocking occurred again this particular student raised his middle finger and directed it towards the door. Can you say absurd?

During academy class Wednesday with my 12 year olds we were in the middle of a lesson talking about the phonetic pronunciation of the “ea” and “ee” letter combinations (sea vs. see (long “e” sound) and bread (short “e” sound) when one of my student’s cell phone began to ring. She bluntly pulled out her pink, gem stoned decorated cell phone and answered it (at least she apologized and told the individual on the other end of the call that she was in class…) Can you say absurd?

Thursday at school both of my EFL classes, as well as some of the older kids at the school, went to a concert at a local theater. The band that was performing sings covers of famous songs in several languages (Spanish, French, English, Italian, German and Portuguese). The English songs were “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson and “Shout” by Little Richard. I also heard “In the Jungle” in French. Anyway, there were about 100 students (maybe more) and since Motril is tiny and you can walk everywhere in town within 20 minutes me and about a half dozen other teachers played the role of cowboys herding cattle as we walked from the school down to the theater with the 100+ students. If this was not absurd enough the students’ behavior during the concert was. The theater has a classic set-up where it is a half-oval shape with a floor and three levels of balcony seats around the floor. Think classic opera house seating arrangement (but on a small theater scale). The students were seated throughout the theater and I have never seen so much disrespectful behavior (talking loudly, rough-housing in seats, jumping across aisles and barriers between balcony seats) in my life at a school event. Can you say absurd?

** NOTE

Since writing the above entry our router has arrived (at 5 pm). However, I do not know if this entry will be posted with said Internet because we are currently not getting an Internet signal from the router. Can you say absurd?