background and prep 1, early June

Subject: Teri and Leroy are going to Peru
THIS WAS TERI'S FIRST POST TO THE BLOG AND I MOVED IT SO IT WOULD APPEAR FIRST WHEN YOU OPEN THE BLOG BECAUSE TODAY I SENT IT TO YOU, JORGE.

Dear friends and family,
Since I cannot remember to whom I have told what, here's the current skinny on the Fulbright Teacher Exchange for 2008-09 and our trip to Peru. Yes, Leroy is coming with me as fellow adventurer, husband and support system. He cleverly retired (the Spanish word is "jubilado") at the end of December, 2007.
After getting the idea to apply for this in May, 2007, I actually did so, got all my paperwork in on time, got an interview in Portland in Dec, and got "selected" in late January, 2008. Then, just before spring break, in late March, I was "proposed" for an exchange with Jorge G, a secondary English teacher at Colegio Maria Montessori in Piura, northern Peru. I accepted. So did he. He will teach my Spanish classes at The Dalles Wahtonka High School in The Dalles, Oregon, and I will teach his English classes at the middle-high school level at the "Colegio" in Piura. (Not a college, just a school.)
On June 1, I went to an official Fulbright orientation in Seattle, with about 17 U.S. teachers heading out, our administrators (my principal joined me), several Fulbright alumni from last year, several "international" teachers currently finishing their year in the US, and various Fulbright staff from Washington DC. It was great, lots of practical advice and question-answering.
The next step is getting there. We leave Portland on July 30 via Amtrak for Washington, D.C. where we will see the sights and attend another Fulbright Orientation, Aug. 5-7. At the orientation, we get to meet Jorge, who will be on his way to The Dalles. Then on Aug. 8 we fly to Lima, stay overnight, meet the Fulbright coordinator Saturday morning, and fly to Piura Aug. 9 afternoon. I start work on Monday, 11 Aug. Looks like I'll have about 5 classes / day, every day, at different levels.
We are letting Jorge and his family (wife, 3 kids, ages 3,8,11) use our house for the duration. He is finding an appropriate apartment for us in Piura, since Fulbright "Strongly Discourages" staying in a house that is occupied. His family will still be there for a month or so, then his niece will be living in his house.
So, now, I have to do some tidying up at school, then Leroy and I will be in full busy mode, getting organized, packed, etc.
Jorge and I have been exchanging emails about schools, towns, etc. since then. I have also received a number of emails from my mentor teacher there, who seems very helpful and eager to have me there. They also want me to teach them about TPRS, the storytelling method of language teaching that I have been using for years here. This is a good thing, but I suspect I will need to do whatever they want me to do there, anyway. I am encouraging Jorge to attend a TPRS workshop here so he can function better in my place. I will arrive in Piura a few days after the beginning of the current school term there and will jump right in. Even the teachers wear uniforms there, which I think is great. I'll just buy some cloth, take it to the tailor, and I'll know what to wear every day. Top is sort of melon/pink, with beige pants or skirt.
Anyway, that's the news. Hope to hear from you. Come visit us now, or in California over July 4, (or in Peru.) Vacation time for me is just before Christmas, January, part of February. It's HOT in Piura.
Keep in touch. My email will be the same, Leroy will probably have a new one.
Abrazos a todos,
Teri