A Bit of the Quito Flavor

Sorry it's been so long since I have written! It seems like I just never get enough time in front of a computer to write an entry. Well, I have been through two and a half weeks of Orientation, but I need to catch you up to today. Last week was great, except I wasn't feeling very well for much of the week- luckily I seem much better this week! Our days are just so exhausting that there is hardly time to let one's body recuperate. To give you a hint, here is a glance at my usual daily schedule Monday-Friday:

5am- Wake up, get ready, and eat breakfast
6:15- Catch the bus downtown
7-9:00- Attend Spanish class
9-10:00- Break for coffee and internet
10:00- Attend orientation classes on topics such as the Ecuadorian education system, health, teaching grammar, etc.
12-1:00pm- Break for Lunch
2-5:00pm- Attend more Orientation classes
6-8:00- Teach English classes to adults in Quito
8:30- Catch the bus home
9:30- Arrive home, eat dinner, and get to bed!

So as you can see, it's been a bit hectic! But it's been really fun so far as well. I have really enjoyed the various sessions and getting to know all the other volunteers. Eating has also been an adventure- we found this place we call "No Name," for reasons you can probably guess, that has a lunch special with juice, popcorn, soup, usually a meat and rice, and a fruit for $1.50. I am going to be so cheap when I get back to the States!

My favorite aspect so far, though, has been the student teaching. I have a beginner's class with Josh and Ashley, and our class is so great! We have already gone over the alphabet, numbers, time, clothes, basic descriptive adjectives, birthdays, family, some basic verbs, and today we are doing money exchanges and travel. We are about half-way through with the class, and hopefully all of our students have enjoyed it! It has been great getting to know them over the last week, and it has definitely gotten me excited about having my own classroom in Ambato. One of my favorite students is this little 11 year old girl named Jocelyn who gives me candy every day. I think she likes Josh best though;)

So even though our weeks are fun, we were definitely all craving a break this past weekend, and we sure got it! We all went out dancing with our directors on Friday and it was so much fun. We had all taken a salsa class earlier in the day, and it was so great to let loose and practice our new moves. It was really the first time all the vols were out together in a social situation, so it was so great to really feel like a cohesive group and to have fun together. Then on Saturday afternoon we all boarded a bus and headed to the Papallacta hot springs. It was amazing! I went on this incredible hike in the misty mountains with all these gorgeous waterfalls.  We went back and we all hung out in these natural hot tubs, and it was soooo relaxing. Then we grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to Quito.

Sunday was wonderful as well! I hopped on a bus and headed out of town to meet up with Daniel's good friend Andrea from Hungary. She and her family could not have been more welcoming. The funniest part was when the whole family and I watched home videos of Daniel when he visited them a few years ago. Talk about a surreal experience! They also gave me the most amazing food ever. It was so nice to just relax and be in a family setting again. They drove me back to my house that night and Andrea and I have plans to get together again this coming Friday.

I can't believe there are only 5 days of Orientation left! In some ways it feels like I´ve been here for months and in other ways it seems like I only just arrived. We definitely have done a lot in our 2 and a half weeks here, though, and I hope week 3 proves even better. Check out the pics I loaded of Papallacta....more to come in a few days!

Please send emails too, I promise to write back soon:) xoxo