About a week and a half ago, I did a listening activity with one of my classes to help them practice "kind of" and "kind of like." We don't have power in our classroom (or walls...), so instead of using the prepared activities that come with the text book (and require a c.d. player), I usually just write and read my own:
There is a lot of Mexican food in California because California is very close to Mexico. I really like to eat Mexican food. It is one of my favorite kinds of food. One of my favorite Mexican dishes is guacamole. It is kind of like a sauce, but it is thicker. It is made from avocados, tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, salt, and lime. Sometimes, guacamole is a little spicy. When I go home, I am going to eat lots of guacamole.
For whatever reason, my students were fascinated with that wonderful, mysterious food I called guacamole. They would not stop talking about it and insisted that I find some way for them to try it. It was hilarious. Finally, I explained that I couldn't get the ingredients by myself, but I'd be happy to make them some if I had some help. Wideline, one of the star students of the class, volunteered immediately and after exchanging phone numbers, we made plans to go to the market on Monday.
Wideline met me on the compound on Monday morning and took me on my favorite Haitian adventure thus far. We hopped on a tap-tap and headed to the main open-air market in Croix-des-Bouquets and it was great. I had very little idea what was going on, and just followed Wideline around like a lost child, but it was wonderful to be in the thick of real life, to be overwhelmed by the smells and sights and heat, to marvel at new foods, to just completely not fit in. With Wideline's help, I returned to the compound with a bagful of fresh ingredients:
I waited for the avocados to ripen and then, last Wednesday, I went to work. I made quite a mess with the tiny cutting board and dull knife I had at my disposal, and the kitchen staff here couldn't help but laugh at me, but I had a grand old time "cooking." My hands burned from the peppers, I was covered in avocados, and I was smiling.
Tortilla chips are a scarce commodity around here, so we just ate the guacamole with crackers and spoons. It was such an unproductive day, but we all got to sit and laugh and eat together, and it will be one of my favorite memories from my time here. We clapped, we took pictures, someone even started a "viva guacamole!" chant... it was a good time. We finished the class with some "popcorn reading" (a new concept that was quickly loved by all) and then just giggled some more about the silliness of it all.
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