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I am happy to share with you that after sending my students their grades via email, I received some very nice emails back from them. It really feels good to hear from them that they learned a lot in my class, they appreciated and enjoyed the course, and that they hope to have me as their teacher again next cuatri. We have yet to receive our formal student evaluations from administration, which I´m sure will bring a more balanced perspective, and I will be anxious to see what all the students have to say. But until then, I am glad to know that at least a few of them got something out of the class. That really is the reason I do what I do.
I was thinking today (since things are pretty quiet here at UNO) about when I lived in Spain, and about how I felt after several months of living abroad. I recall that just at the point that I left Spain, I was beginning to feel comfortable with my Spanish and with my understanding of Spanish culture and was just starting to really connect with the family I lived with and the people I met. I have looked back on that and wondered how things would have changed had I stayed longer. At this point, I´ve been in Mexico longer than my 3 months in Cercedilla, and I am beginning to feel that I´m actually in that more comfortable place, both linguistically and culturally.
For me, learning a second language has very much been a driving force in my life. The goal of improving my Spanish has led me to take a number of risks and make significant life changes, in the hopes that it will help me continue to grow and, in some way, provide me with more opportunities and greater security in the future. But these risks have not been without growing pains and, inevitably, they bring with them the feeling that I have plateaued in my language learning. On those days, one can feel discouraged, but when you´re in a foreign country, you have to just keep pushing and ride that discouragement out. Then, eventually, you arrive at another level, noticeably different than where you were before. For me, it can be as simple as using one phrase that has been eluding me in social interactions, a trivial interaction between me and a native speaker that goes more smoothly because I feel more prepared, or the triumphant realization that I´ve been able to express myself using my "true voice" in my second language.
As you can tell, the Spanish language is something that I have put much energy into and the study of second language acquisition was a large part of my MA program at MIIS, so I guess reflecting on my experience has become second nature to me. Living in Mexico (and particularly in Yucatán) is infinitely different than living in Spain, and one of my biggest challenges has been learning a very different lexicon. It seems that there is a different word for almost everything! People here have definitely noticed that my Spanish is different, pointing out that I have a subtle Spanish accent or that I use Spanish words. They are curious as to why that is, and it´s funny to me that after 5 years, I´ve retained an accent!
Of course, culturally, Mexico is a different ball game as well. Something that I think would be surprising to many Americans is that Mexico, our neighbor to the south, is very much it´s own country and Mexicans have a very strong cultural identity. With the exception of some of the border towns, perhaps, Mexico does not strive to be like America. Mexicans do not necessarily care to learn about American culture. In fact, there are hundreds of indigenous languages and cultures in the country, and in some ways Mexico is more progressive than the U.S. because all of the 400+ indigenous languages are recognized as national languages! How would the U.S. be different if it recognized Hopi and Cherokee and Abenaki as national languages?
I think I can say that after almost four months here, I have achieved a modest level of cultural competence. Having a foundation in two cultures and in two varieties of Spanish is something that I feel will serve me well in the future, and I am curious to see how much things will change during the next phase of my time here when I return from the States.

On another note, tomorrow is the LAST day of work in 2009! I will have a couple of weeks off, and I am very excited to get on the plane to the US this weekend! I´ve said it so much on this blog already, but I´ll say it again: I can´t wait to see everyone (including dog and cats)...and I cannot wait to eat some good, non-Mexican food. I´m even excited to put on my winter coat and hat!