Dos Lugares, Espacios Diferentes – Two Places, Different Spaces

I am working on progressing in my abilities (mis habilidades) as a science educator, one who integrates technology into his instruction (enseñanza) as well as develops interesting and useful curriculum.  In order to do this, I have had to constantly learn new skills, and not be satisfied to master specific tasks, but to take what I have learned (he aprendido) in one area and apply it to another.  In some ways, this is the definition of critical thinking, a skill we demand from our students, and one I think is important to demonstrate (demostrar) as well. Plus, life is really a series of critical thinking activities, where events in our lives cause us to take what we have learned and apply it to the unique situations of each day.

Here in Santiago, I have set out on a path (un camino) to increase my abilities to speak, read, write and listen in Spanish, but not only in my everyday life, but in my professional life as well.  This requires a set of skills that I do not fully have, although each day, it does get better in this type of immersion process (este proceso de inmersión).  I also feel that I can relate to bilingual students or English Language Learners specifically, people who think in one language (un idioma) and then have to respond in a new one.  Often in the US, people demand that English be spoken, and at times, some people can be unsympathetic towards the person who does not speak the language well.  I have run into that a bit here myself and it is both humbling and frustrating, but with time, I have learned and moved forward (adelante).

One thing that is really interesting (muy interesante), at least to me, is that while I am here in Santiago, I am also in El Paso. By that I mean I am here working at la UMCE, but also have my job and connections going on back at UTEP.  I am a foreigner functioning in two places (dos lugares), but in different spaces (espacios diferentes), and this does require a set of skills in both English and Spanish. Add in the additional element of the Internet, and you have a truly bilingual existence (una existencia bilingüe) that extends across nations and allows me to interact with colleagues here and at home, in a regular, frequent, albeit somewhat unique manner.

For example, here in Santiago, I work with Undergraduate students face to face (cara a cara), as this is a manner that is preferred and more or less requested by students here. We do use an online platform (plataforma en línea), Moodle, to share information and post assignment, but the majority of the interactions happen at school in the classroom.  In El Paso, right now, I work with graduate students in an online class (una clase en línea) that uses the software program Blackboard, where all assignments, quizzes, discussions and communication occurs. The graduate students prefer this type of interaction and request it, as it allows them the flexibility (flexibilidad) they need in their daily lives as they juggle work, school and family.  In teaching classes or working in schools in Santiago, the interactions are always in Spanish.  In teaching classes in El Paso, it is all in English and online.

So, I find myself in both (ambos) in Spanish at la UMCE here in Santiago and in English at UTEP back in El Paso.  In some ways, this is a new skill that is being honed, one that I am working hard to develop with an eye on the future (con ojos al futuro).