English Classes @ Hotel El Mesón del Marqués

So my classes at the hotel have commenced and they have been going well. We finished our fourth class today. I am enjoying the change of scenery and, so far, there are a few real advantages. First of all, there is wireless internet. Second, we have a small class size of only 10 students. Third, the students are really motivated and excited because they are getting free English classes. A minor drawback is the fact that our "classroom" is actually a small hotel room that has been cleared out except for two long tables and enough chairs for everyone. so while we have air conditioning, there is no whiteboard and there is nowhere to hang big paper. The size of the room means that our group work options are limited as well. But yesterday, for example, there was no electricity in Valladolid because they were working on some city project, which meant we didn´t have internet. I was so glad that I had printed out the part of my lesson that involved the internet (Plan B saves the day!) so I was able to present the lesson without any interruption to the flow. It also meant that we had to use the executive meeting room, but it was neat to teach in a beautiful room with beautiful oil paintings and a big wooden table and french doors!
Today we covered a lot of new hotel vocabulary and did an information gap activity in which some students filled in a grid with information about their "guests´" needs and preferences and the other students pretended to be guests making a reservation. These students are very interested in improving their pronunciation but seem fairly unfamiliar with task-based language learning, as many of them have not done any formal language study. Tomorrow we will talk about giving information and small talk.
Next week, I will be working with a different group, and the following week I will meet again for a week with the first group. It will give me a chance to fine-tune my lessons and get to know more employees at the hotel.
Needless to say, I am staying busy here. I am looking forward to the celebration of Hanal Pixan (the Mayan Day of the Dead) on Monday because it is a day off from work!