Un Elefante, oh que grande

The past two weeks have been filled with interview after interview. And no, I am not complaining as this is Step #3 in my list of things to accomplish abroad:

3. Secure Employment √

I have successfully landed positions as a canguro (nanny) caring for children between the ages of 2 and 10. My task at hand is to interact and play games with the children in English so as to help immerse them in a “native accent” environment. I have found this to be my only, and apparently extremely valuable, edge over the ever-growing job applicant pool. Spain is yet another victim in the current financial crisis as it is just as hard to obtain a job here as in the United States.

Ironic though, right? I move to Spain to learn and practice Spanish and the only jobs available to me are those that require my English. I believe, though, that it is better to have an income and sustain a life in the culture here than be broke and monolingual in the United States. That would be a step backwards for me, and after filing forbearance on all THREE of my loans I am not prepared to do that. Moving forward.

As my duties as an English teacher and caregiver require me to provide games and activities for the children to practice their English vocabulary and pronunciation, I have spent some time channeling my childhood and doing research looking for nursery rhymes and Sesame Street-esque games. I frequent a blog that I found to gain insight and ideas on helping these Spanglish babies. It’s a blog that helps mothers figure out the best way to raise their children bilingual in a bi-cultural environment. When I begin to think about my own children, I most definitely will return to this site and utilize its invaluable resources.

Here is a glimpse of what I plan to teach Gisele tomorrow, the two-year-old I babysit on Saturdays. WARNING: Do not watch this unless you are prepared to be singing it all day in your head. It is very catchy and I’ve found myself humming it to myself on the metro. I have had some awkward moments when the Spaniards look and laugh at me as I’m sure they’re wondering why an American adult is singing a childish song in Spanish about elephants…Enjoy!