Plugging along

Since the last update, a lot of progress has been made, but there is a still a lot left to go!!! As of right now, my cohort Irene and I have started recording in four different AfL and non-AfL schools, with one more on the way. We're still waiting to get permission from the last piece of the puzzle, the last AfL school, but the jefa de estudios is being a total buzzkill so far! We have been in contact with the Comunidad de Madrid district inspector to get the permission, who insists that it's the only director that needs to give the approval, but the director will not believe us at all. We have sent numerous faxes and letters, and finally I got my advisor in on the situation and they have been corresponding through email. You know that you're talking to a brick wall when the director signs her name as "La Directora" in an informal email. She's now affectionately known as the Dragon Director. But we finally sent the final formal fax requesting her permission, signed by us, our advisors, the inspector, basically everyone and their mother, so if she doesn't approve we'll just have to give up on her forever. Let's see!!!

Recording is going well. I'm actually in a classroom with several of my former students in El Boalo and it's so cute! I was worried they wouldn't remember me and it turns out not only that they do, but they were worried I wouldn't remember them!! As if I could forget. They were my first students ever and they will always hold a fond place in my heart. It's strange being in the classroom as an observer rather than a teacher/ assistant, though. I can't tell you how many times one of them has come up to me and asked a question, "Rachel, how do you spell democracy?.....what's the meaning of this sentence?......where is Athens?" and the list goes on. But it's definitely nice to be back.

Now that we're getting the recordings, it comes with the burden of transcriptions. If you have never experienced this before, let me tell you that transcribing videos is just about a mundane task as can be, right up there with filing, alphabetizing and making photocopies. Only worse. In all honesty, I would rather walk barefoot over burning coals than transcribe video tapes. It doesn't help having a three month old beagle nipping at your hands while you're trying to make sense of the dialogue, but it does make it a hell of a lot more interesting.

And now, off to play fetch with the little one before resuming transcribing hell!