Four whole weeks have passed since I landed in the Villavicencio airport! I already feel much more settled into my house and routine, and the days are starting to run together. Life is good here! To quote a local, aquí en Villavo, solo le roban el corazón or “here is Villavo, the only things they steal is your heart.”
Teaching
Teaching is an interesting profession, and one I never imagined for myself—but here I am in Villavicencio, Colombia, starting a third year of full-time teaching. While my colleagues at Baylor University are just beginning their classes this week, I am already wrapping up week #4.
Fundación Universitaria Compensar
Unlike any other university that I have visited, studied at, or worked for, the university UCompensar shares space with an elementary and secondary school. The colegio classes are from 6:00 am – 1:00 pm, and most of the university classes are from 6:00-10:00 pm. By the time my colleagues arrive for their 2:00-10:00 pm workday, the crowds—talkative first graders with tiny backpacks and rambunctious middle school students who leave Sharpie notes all over the bathroom stalls—have dispersed. Side note: on my first full day in Villavicencio, I toured the campus with my director and quite literally had to avoid tripping over small children.
UCompensar has offices and classes in a large academic complex that is also home to a park, playgrounds, soccer field, pool, weight room, restaurant, and more. Like many places in this part of Colombia, almost all the buildings have large open windows or half-walls. I regularly walk past a little cat sleeping on an extra chair in the hallway! Most classrooms have functional wall fans (except for Sede Nueva 13, where I used to teach a conversation club until my students convinced me to relocate, and Sede Nueva 7, where just today my student tried to adjust it and snapped the fan head…).
My colleagues
I have been immensely blessed with incredibly kind and welcoming colleagues at the university! To quote one dear Venezuelan professor here at UCompensar, the best answer to the question “How are you?” is “esperando un mal día para ver qué tal son” (waiting for a bad day to see what they’re like). This attitude really reflects the determination and optimism that all of my colleagues bring to work every day. It feels like I meet someone new at the university every day, and I probably interact daily with at least 15 or 20 different professors, directors, and staff members.
Since my first day in Villavicencio, my coworkers have been the people to pick me up from the airport; help me settle into a new house; take me swimming, hiking, painting in the park, and dancing; invite me to restaurants; offer me Colombian candy and chocolate; teach me Colombian words, sayings, and games like bolirana; offer advice and recommendations on housing and personal safety; and generally befriend and welcome me. I remember looking around at a department meeting, only one week after arriving, and thinking, “I want to be part of this university forever.”
If anyone from Villavicencio ever reads this blog: yes, I am writing about you and am so grateful for you!
A typical work day
My work day at UCompensar is quite different from what I was accustomed to at Baylor, where I never started my first class later than 9:05 am. My colleague and fellow Fulbrighter Aliya and I take a taxi, usually with our taxi-driver-and-now-friend Leandro, at 2:30 pm. By 3:00 pm, I am settled at a table in a shared office where all the coordinators and professors in my department have cubicles and store personal belongings. I plan my lessons and check in with my department director from 3:00-5:00 pm, and then lead a conversation club from 5:00-6:00 pm. Many students work during the day and come straight from work to their evening classes at UCompensar, so 6:00 classes actually begin around 6:15 pm. I then co-teach for one hour alongside three different full-time professors from 6:00-9:00.
In the classroom
My role in the classroom as an English Teaching Assistant is unique every day. This semester I partner with six different professors in 10 classes every week, teaching students whose English skills range from basic to advanced. I try to communicate with each of these professors at least a few hours, if not a day, in advance of each class period, and then I do my best to prepare an appropriate activity or lesson to supplement their own materials. English teaching is new for me, and I am learning a lot about how my own native language works!
Daily conversation club is certainly a highlight of my day, and I have six to eight students who consistently show up, move the desks into a big circle, bring candy and cookies to share, and join in whatever activities I have planned. They have already taught me much about Colombian food, sports, holidays, and more!
I could write several novels about all of the students I have interacted with so far–in short, I enjoy them all immensely. During the first week, I told each group that while I do speak Spanish, “in class, I only speak English.” At our first department meeting with students, one of my coworkers noted that a few students were very surprised to hear me speaking fluent Spanish and leading a group activity! Of course, my Baylor Spanish professor brain kicks in often and I often revert to giving minor instructions or making comments in Spanish. Some students are incredibly fluent in English; some students struggle even to understand when I ask them their names; and most students are generally able to hold a conversation with me. No matter the language level, however, my students are warm, friendly and generally participate well in the activities and lessons that I plan. Thank the LORD for yet another opportunity to foster language learning and form relationships with university students!
Comment on dit “French class” ?
When my mom was pregnant with me, she took an evening French class—here I am, 26 years later, taking and co-teaching a French class until 10:00 pm on Friday nights! Wait, does Emily speak French? In short, not well, but I am hastily re-learning many things and I work hard to both learn and assist the students in class. It’s a good thing I have a very patient, encouraging co-teacher who does indeed speak French. Merci beaucoup, Iván. Also shout out to my dad for giving me the final spot on the Super Duolingo family plan. I am thrilled to be improving two languages at once and to be part of the first French class ever offered at my university.
Campus life
Despite the late afternoon and evening classes and relatively small size of the university, UCompensar is always lively. Students walk around or sit and talk in groups, play boisterous games of ping-pong, cross the street to buy empanadas and other small meals in between classes, or chat with professors. This semester, the cafeteria is not operational, so students and professors are allowed to make food and bring it to campus to sell—which is amazing for someone like me who has yet to pack a full meal to bring along to work! I have purchased (or more often been treated by very generous coworkers) meat, cheese, and potato empanadas, sausages baked inside bread, shredded beef sandwiches, and more!
Small Victories
✔ My fingers have finally adjusted to typing on a Spanish keyboard layout. Let’s just say that my first work computer password ended up with several extra < symbols instead of capital letters.
✔ I don’t get lost on the way to class anymore. The campus includes several different buildings, walkways, and many similar-looking classrooms, and it took a few weeks for me to stop getting lost every time I left the main office.
✔ After almost four weeks of class, I have learned most of my students’ names. In previous semesters at Baylor, I definitely prided myself on being able to memorize names within the first one or two weeks–but in that context, I only had three or four classes and students who consistently sat in the same seats. Juggling 10 different classes per week has slowed the name learning significantly, but I have finally remembered which classes have multiple Juans and how to distinguish between Juliana & Yuliana, Sebastián & Santiago, and Duván, Damián & Davián. Not to mention Tatiana, Natalia, Catalina, Carolina, Karina & Karen.
Personal life
Aside from work, I have a good routine during the week and have found many fun things to do on the weekends. Thanks to new friends and friendly coworkers, I have gone to several movies, eaten at a few Colombian restaurants, explored all (?) the malls in the city, spent an afternoon painting the park, and more!
As a dear friend observed the other day, I am in my “era of trying new things”.
I joined a CrossFit gym with my friend Edward, the 4th Fulbrighter here in this city. I even paid the monthly membership fee already, so one could say I am committed. There’s a gym-wide event on the last Saturday of every month where everyone works out together for two hours and then brings food to share in a giant post-workout potluck. My arms are almost too sore for me to type today, but I am loving the challenge and new community.
I started running again and have plans to run either a 5K or 10K race at the Medio Maratón Meta event on October 6. https://www.mediamaratondelmeta.com/ I also created a new routine for myself and plan to walk or run up the Vereda el Carmen—a road and walking path where everyone and their dog (literally, I have almost stepped on many many Chihuahuas) goes—every Sunday morning. Three weeks down, many to go.
I found my home-away-from-home church! Iglesia Familia Cristiana Villavicencio is the 2nd church I have visited here, and since the question “Are there any first-time visitors today?” did not include an invitation to profess my faith publicly in front of church but did include a mug with candy inside, I plan to stay! This church is small enough to actually meet people, and I met a kind recently-married couple who invited me to coffee 🙂 https://www.familiacristiana.co/villavicencio
Emily Explores 
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