Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My...

I'm struggling.

I hate to admit that.

Here I am in a new country. I am embarrassed that I do not speak the language. My physical comforts are met, but I am insecure. I am crabby. I am irritable. I am short on patience and high on tension.

Is this culture shock?

And more importantly, is this what many of my students experience? Is this what they are subjected to continuously?

I thought I was strong at lowering affective filter. But being here in Puebla, I realize that the environment, the foreignness, the barriers are working against the things that I might normally find comfort in: good friends and cheap beer. I'm sure the same is true of my students back in America n(hopefully not the beer part, and definitely not cheap).

The challenge is to create an even more safe classroom, where students can take risks and realize their potential, securely. Truly living this experience means changing from it; I trust the culture shock to make a difference in my pedagogy.