Mrs. Silvana Moscoso: "I don’t think that I would like to be anyone else, no."

Mrs. Moscoso spreading the joy of books! (photo by Stephanie Vidovic)

Mrs. Silvana Moscoso is our new SCCS librarian coming from Santa Cruz International School. As a manner of welcoming her to SCCS we decided to sit down with her on a Monday afternoon at her office to ask her a few questions about herself, her past, and most importantly her new job at SCCS. By the end of the interview we had learned so much about Mrs. Moscoso that we felt like we had known her for years. We are extremely pleased to have learned so much about Mrs. Moscoso and her fascinating life.

How would you describe yourself?

"I am very eclectic. I’m different, yes, because there are no two that are the same. I try to follow and to do what I believe. If I ask something of anyone, my partner, my friends, my kids, or my students, I try to be a model. At the same time even though I think that I am very organized, I think there are things that are very important. Being respectful, being true to who you are and whom you believe you are more than anything, but respecting other people is the basis for everything. That’s what I ask from people and that’s what I try to give, as well."

Do you have any hobbies? What are they?

"I love to be at home. I love music, electronic music. The type of life that I have now doesn’t allow me a lot of free time, with four kids its kind of hard. I would like to be able to go out more and be in places where I can listen to music but usually that is super late and I have a small child. Hobbies would be cooking. I love to cook, I think that would’ve been my other choice of profession."

What made you want to become what you are and why?

"I don’t think I meant to become what I am [laughs], it was not intentional at first. The why I’ll tell you once I explain a little bit how this happened. I went as an exchange student to United States on my last school year. This was kind of a problem because I was graduating that year and I left in the middle of the year, so I wasn’t graduating with my class. When I came back, obviously my class had graduated already and I had to make for the tests and everything. I graduated out of classes and on the time that I had left I started doing some stuff around. I had a friend who graduated from this school and she used to be the library assistant while she was waiting to go study. She was leaving and she asked me to take her place while I was I was waiting to go study to Argentina. She said I would make some money, help the librarian and still practice my English. I agreed and that’s how everything started really because I came for a matter of months and I ended up staying 10 years. I got married, didn’t go to Argentina obviously, go study what I was planning. I had my first son and that’s when I started taking Education courses and went to university."

Why did you want to become part of the SCCS staff?

"Because I think there are things that I can offer to the children and to the middle and high school students. If I can give them a little bit of what I believe and help them feel and be better."

What do you like best about your job?

"To see the kids’ faces. I can’t even describe it. The look you receive after you have helped them in a way to experience something special, there is no money that can reward that. When I read stories to my little ones, they are just looking at me. They are in such a trans that when I look at their faces, it’s all that matters. It makes my day."

Tell us something unusual about yourself.

"I don’t think at this point there is anything that is unusual. Everything is so possible that it is not unusual anymore. Maybe, my tattoos are something that no one expects [laughs]. Besides that, I think I have a very young soul. Even for me now, it is very difficult to match the age I have with how I feel. It has always been like that."

Do you have any tattoos? What are they and what is the meaning behind them?

"I do, I have three! I have one on my left hip. That one was the first one and it is a black rose. All the tattoos I have contain some meaning. It’s not esthetic or it’s not meant to be pretty. Obviously, I look for it to be nice. The black rose means part of my life that was dark, but still beautiful in a way. Then, I went through a very hard process of self-evaluation, changing, and re-making of myself. This is when I did my butterfly tattoo, which is on the back of my neck, which means transforming. The last one I actually had it made like one or two months ago, it is a phoenix. It is on my lower back. A phoenix is a bird that comes alive from its own ashes. This to me symbolizes that when you change some part of you goes but some part of you comes back. You we’re not expecting so many tattoos! [laughs]''

Do you have an embarrassing story?

"I probably do, but I probably block them so I don’t remember [laughs]."

Who is the person you most admire, why?

"I think I would say Gandhi. He was able to transform and still is able to transform the way people want to achieve goals without harming anyone. Without yelling, without screaming, without being violent. I think that’s amazing."

What is your philosophy on life?

"Follow your dreams. It sounds very cliché, but it’s exactly what I believe. Not what you think you want, but what you truly want. There is something there that tells you what is right and what you want. Sometimes you try to make it rational and give sense and you change it because it’s not exactly what people are expecting. So, you leave that part of you that is true to who you want to be, aside. But if you follow that, it will never lead you to something bad. If you have a passion for making shoes, go ahead! Follow it! Everything you do based on that passion would come out perfect. Be true to yourself, I think my philosophy would be."

Do you find any difficulties with your job and what are they?

"Yes. I think that is part of the experience that I had probably on my destiny [laughs]. It is true; I am having a hard time with the high school, which I never had before. The last thing I wanted was to become a sergeant, but that’s what I am becoming become I wont let loose of what I believe is right. My job is to provide the people who use the library with a space where they can read, study, work in an English speaking school. I need people to follow those rules. What I feel is that I am being the bad guy because I’m asking the rules to be followed and I’m not going to let go. It is so hard to go every 5 minutes and say ‘’please speak English, please be quiet.’’ They look at you in a way that you can read their minds. But, that’s my job. I don’t want that relationship with the high school. That’s the right thing to do and I’m not going to change that just to please and to be nice. Tough Luck, for both because I suffer [laughs]."

If you could go back, would you change your life in any way?

"No. I am the result of the things that maybe at the moment were not right. So, no. I’m happy."

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

"I see myself working from home. Probably doing some of the stuff that I do know, but not as a full-time job. Then again, just as I say that, when I’m at home I miss this [job] too much. So, I don’t know. My dream is to work and live far away."

If you could be anyone else, who would you be?

"I don’t think that I would like to be anyone else, no."

--Stephanie Vidovic

The Timid Author

Mrs. Somare enjoying some time with her diverse class. (Photo by Maria Fernanda Flores)

      Our job was to sit down and get to know the new secondary counselor, Carola Somare, and try to dig up any juicy secrets or jaw dropping stories. To our surprise, the counselor was not a wild extrovert as we expected but a sweet and timid lady drenched in soul.  The few minutes we had to spend with Mrs. Somare was just enough time for her to open up and warm our hearts with her kind stories and responses.

     Mrs. Somare’s life journey began in Argentina, her birthplace, continued in Cochabamba, where she resided for many years, and is currently in Santa Cruz. While in Cochabamba, she worked as an ESL aid at the Cochabamba Cooperative School. Later on, she worked as a kindergarten teacher and a Monterey specialist (helping students delayed in Math and Reading comprehension) at the AIS/B school. She is presently working at SCCS, which she believes is the best school in Santa Cruz, and the biggest and most technologically advanced out of the other schools where she has worked at.

     What makes Mrs. Somare such a sentimental and kind person? Her love towards her family would be the answer to that question. She has seven children and dedicates all the time she can to raising them well. Her mother is the person she most looks up to. Even while fighting cancer, Mrs. Somare's mom would still shine her big and tender smile and brighten up the day: "It was a big battle that she fought with a smile on her face, but she is no longer with me."

     When we asked the timid staff member to surprise us by revealing something unusual about herself, she leaked that she had been an author for quite some time now. With her expertise as a psychologist she has written and published nineteen books so far in English and Spanish, and is currently working on more inspiring literature. Her writing is usually on psychological topics such as personal development, eating disorders, bullying, questions and answers, and other topics like biblical verses.

     As the counselor, Mrs. Somare mostly works with middle schoolers by assisting them in creating psychological stability to succeed in school and life. She likes to focus on student's confidence and their moral values to create a loving and respectful relationship between their classmates and parents: "When we build self-esteem and confidence in our students, there is nothing they can't reach," states Mrs. Somare. Although some people might find teaching children exhausting, she enjoys every second of it. The key to teaching children lies in patience, love, and tenderness towards the students in her opinion. What is the difference between teaching her children and teaching her students? She believes that since she expects more from her children, she is tougher on them than with her students, who she tends to be more flexible with.

  It is truly an honor to count with the services of such an inspiring person as Mrs. Somare. Her main goals are to help out each and every one of students at the best of her ability and that makes us extremely grateful. Thanks to this new member, our SCCS family can now grow closer and fonder with her help. We hope that Mrs. Somare makes a great of an impact on each and every one of you, as she did on us; also, we hope that she remains a part of our school for many years to come!

-Maria Fernanda Flores

Mrs. Micah Mansilla: Delighted to Meet You!

Mrs. Mansilla enjoying a book with her 2B class (photo taken by Ana Reyes)

Happy and approachable are two words that would describe the new teacher of 2B greatly. Mrs. Micah Mansilla is originally from a small town in northwest Arkansas.  Since her community was small, she went to the public school in her town. She went to John Barron University where she met her husband in 1999. He was an international student from Santa Cruz, Bolivia and that's how she ended up here. They married in 2002 and moved to Bolivia in 2003. Afterwards they lived in the states for four years and have been back here for three and a half years. She has two kids, the oldest named Hernan is eight, and Mercedes is four. She is happy here and loves Santa Cruz, but she admits that she misses her family. 

Yellow, the color of happiness, is Mrs.Mansilla's favorite color. When someone enters her room there is yellow all around them. Yellow posters hanging on the walls, yellow tables for the students, and a yellow pillow on her reading chair. Another one of her favorite things is Mexican food. In the States, she says that there are many authentic Mexican restaurants, though she observed that here there is a lack of original Mexican food.

      While attending high school in Arkansas, Micah played tennis. She was on the school's team and went with her sister at 5:00 a.m. to school every morning to practice. Now she doesn't play as much, preferring arts over the sports. She likes to do art projects and has an after school program for elementary kids focusing on the art.

       After getting to know Mrs. Mansilla, one sees a really joyful and approachable person. She's one of those teachers you can come up to and ask some questions without feeling nervous. She is very open and loves Santa Cruz, yet she misses some people back home. We're glad she is one of the new staff members that joined SCCS, and we'd like to give her a warm welcome to the Jaguar community!

                                                                                                          

                                                                                                  ~ Ana Reyes

Hide and Seek

Watch out for the German maid! (Ms. Escalante hiding like in her story) (photo by Alex Velasco)

          We had the chance to sit down and get to know Ms. Escalante during a short recess break. She is the new Spanish Literature and AP Language teacher at SCCS. In the brief time we had to talk to her, we learned that she is timid, kind, and easily frightened.
          Ms. Escalante's favorite food is Lasagna, red is her favorite color, and she loves to knit. But before we get into too many of her interests and her personality, we asked her a little bit about her background. She taught at El Colegio Hiberamericano and Ineramericano. She was born in 1961 and grew up here in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. After she graduated in 1979, she studied in Universida Gabriel Rene Moreno and the she went to Germany as an exchange student for a year.

          Ms. Escalante shared a funny story about a time when she became very frightened while she was studying in Germany. One day she was home alone and was told to not open the door to anyone. At some point of the day, she heard a knock on the door and she explained that the person behind the door had a really thick, deep voice. She was really scared so she locked herself in her room. Then she heard someone come in the house. She was so frightened, she decided to hide under her bed. She didn't come out until the owner of the house got home and told her that it was only the house keeper! We were all amused by this story and got to share a laugh together.

          Besides sharing this funny story, Miss Escalante discussed what she thinks of Santa Cruz and SCCS. She has a great first impression of the students, telling us they are nice, smart, and they have values, but she admits they can be a bit lazy at times. She told us that even though there were more opportunities to grow as a person and as a professional in other places, she is happy to be back to her home town and happy to be here at SCCS.
                                                                               --Ana Reyes & Alex Velasco

                                                                                                          

Many Paths, One Destination

      Mr. Sanchez, taking a moment between grading quizzes to pose for a quick photo                               (photo by Francesca Colanzi)

          Construction worker, telemarketer, and mentor--Mr. Sergio Sanchez held many jobs before ending up as a teacher here in Santa Cruz.  He admits, “I was not the best student actually, but I did get good grades.” So maybe you’re asking, how Mr. Sanchez, who grew up in California and whose parents are from Mexico, ended up being a teacher in Santa Cruz, Bolivia?

          When he was in college, his first career choices were becoming a lawyer or an architect. He never really thought about being a teacher; it was something unexpected.

          One day, Mr. Sanchez found a piece of paper that talked about becoming a mentor to elementary kids to earn some cash. When he became a mentor, he really enjoyed teaching math and English to kids who came from really bad backgrounds. After mentoring kids for a while, he realized that teaching was what he wanted to pursue. All of a sudden, law and architecture didn’t seem so important anymore.

          When he graduated college he started working as a teacher. He was a teacher in the States for a long time. He then found out that since he likes to travel around the world, being an international teacher would be a great opportunity. After he became an international teacher he moved to Guatemala. He said he enjoyed Guatemala a lot. After his contract in the country of Guatemala was over, Mr. Sergio Sanchez moved to another Latin America country, Nicaragua. Mr. Sanchez enjoyed teaching social science in Nicaragua. He had a good several years. He mentioned that “Nicaragua is really different than here. Here you guys have addresses and there we had to locate places from the main lake.” A few months ago, his contract was over and that’s when he decided to come to Santa Cruz.

          High school world history teacher, Mr. Sergio Sanchez, is enjoying his stay in Santa Cruz. He says there are so many things that are similar to Nicaragua, such as the type of music and singers, and the sports in general. He’s excited to meet new people that are as passionate as he is and similar to him. What he likes best about teaching is seeing the students learning and thinking. He concludes the interview with a very wise quote, “Hopefully the things I do now will make a better society, country and people."

                                                                                    -Francesca Colanzi

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Step

Mr. Colin Groves showing off a crocodile skull (photo by Gilberto Chavez)

          Mr. Colin Groves, a friendly Canadian who’s always traveling around the world, is a science teacher who has taught in Korea, England, China, and now here in beautiful Santa Cruz. He arrived just a few months ago and he states how much he likes it: “It´s certainly nicer than other places I lived so far, like the weather is really good." You might think he likes to travel and forget everything in the past, but there's more to his story.

           Mr. Groves has enjoyed his life before coming to Bolivia. He says that the hardest part of moving on is leaving all of his good friends and the fun memories behind. He knows he won’t see some of his good friends ever again, but he is now ready to make new friends here in Bolivia.

           The former Biology teacher had wanted to become a teacher almost his entire life. In grade 12 he wanted to become a science teacher because he realized there would be more jobs if he had a science degree. Science was always his first choice. He opened up to us about Santa Cruz and told us the people are friendly and it is really vibrant. “There is lots of music and dancing and parties every night,” is what Mr. Groves tells us.

          It is the first time on  South American ground for Mr. Groves, so traveling around it will be the first things he will do once the school is on vacation. Mr. Groves being a happy, traveling, and friendly person says he wants to meet some new cultures in South America. For example, Argentina, Peru ,and Salar de Uyuni here in Bolivia are a few visits he plans on making.

           As many international teachers, Mr. Colin Groves has a two-year contract. Since he likes to travel a lot, he probably will finish his contract and move to a new city. He chose SCCS because it was the school that interested him the most when he applied for online international schools. Mr. Collin Groves looks forward to having an awesome life experience here in Bolivia, Santa Cruz!

                                                                                           --Gilberto Chavez