Livin' It Up

I want to start off by dedicating this entry to both my good friend and co-worker Dan, and his dad. Dan had to go home very unexpectedly to Wisconsin two weeks ago because his father, who suffered from Alzheimer's, took a turn for the worse. Dan’s father passed away, but I am so thankful that Dan could be there with him, and that his dad is in a better place now. From everything I have heard, his father was a pretty incredible man, and that definitely shows through in Dan’s character as well. Dan has showed such courage and strength, and I cannot possibly imagine how hard this has all been on him. So please say a prayer for Dan’s dad and his family, because this has surely been a trying time for them all. So in the meantime here in Ecuador, I tried to make the most of my time, because I guess that’s all we can really do with this all-too-short life we’ve been given.

And what says living it up like getting an Ecuadorian haircut? Well, all I can say is that I just saw hair flying off my head and of course it ended up way shorter than I had expected. But I kinda like it! Of course at first it was a bit mullet-esque, but after I had her even it out it looks much better. It’s pretty short and in many different layers, but I figure it’s temporary and you have to try new haircuts every once in awhile. At least it takes less time getting ready in the morning!

Since Dan was away last week, I helped a bit with his classes so that they wouldn’t have to make up all the classes when Dan returned. So on Monday his students prepared presentations for my students on some of the different modals- can, should, must, might, may. Then on Tuesday we had stations and my students traveled around the room learning about the structure and usage of each of the modals. It was such a heart-warming thing to see! Dan’s students, who are in Advanced 1, really poured their hearts into the presentations, making posters, worksheets, and skits. I was so impressed with their level of English as well, and I certainly hope my students will sound anywhere close to that in 6 month’s time. So I think the exercise went really well and that it was beneficial to everyone involved.

On Wednesday morning I found myself in Pillaro at a planning meeting for all of the English teachers in the school. Can you believe they were learning how to lesson plan? The school had never required the teachers to turn in plans before, so this was their training session teaching them how to make a 3-week plan. And of course I don’t have too much experience myself, but I somehow became the consultant in planning for an English classroom- creating a balance between the four main skills, reading, writing, speaking, and listening. So it was interesting to help out and offer the little that I could, but they seemed to really appreciate it, especially the big binder of resources that I brought!

That night brought a get-together of a totally different kind. Richard and Diego, two of my students who are best friends and more like brothers, took me out to eat. These two have become my Ecuadorian food hosts, taking me to all the hidden places to try all the “platos tipicos” that I can. So Thursday’s mission became chinchulines, or otherwise known as intestines. So they ordered me grilled chinchulines and caldo de 31. And the intestines looked like what you might expect- tubish looking pieces of meat that have a chewier consistency. The chinchulines are intestines served with potatoes and onions. The caldo de 31 is a milky broth with intestines as well, and gets its name from the up to 31 different parts of a cow’s intestines that can be found in the soup. Ironically enough, the soup is often given to children that have upset stomachs to ease their discomfort. And believe it or not, I actually quite enjoyed the soup, though the grilled intestines seemed a bit much. Then we topped it off with one of my favorite Ecua drinks, morocho. It’s a hot milky drink with corn, which has a flavor and consistency similar to rice pudding- a perfect way to end the night and head to bed.

Thursday night Aubrey and I had a wonderful surprise! Eden, our long-lost Ambateña, now living in Michigan, sent us a package! She sent us all these amazing American things that Aubrey and I couldn’t have been more excited about- Reese's, Peanut M&Ms, Orbit gum, cake mix, and her mom even made us the most beautiful homemade socks! So it was wonderful to literally get a taste of the States, and to also feel like Eden was close by again.  We took all our new goodies and headed onto an overnight bus bound for Cuenca, in the southern region of the country. After sleeping all night on the bus, or at least trying to, we reached Cuenca around 8am the following morning.

On Friday we met up with a bunch of other volunteers to go hiking in Cajas National Park. It was FREEZING! But the views were so incredible- a seemingly infinite number of green, treeless hills spotted with vast lakes and fog floating above.  It was great hiking and chatting it up with the other volunteers. We also rode in the back of a truck both there and back, which of course always adds to the experience. Then after showers and de-thawing, we headed over to Chris and Karina’s beautiful apartment for an American feast! We had homemade pizza, chips and guacamole, and the most gorgeous salad I have seen in months. So all around it was a wonderful day- getting some exercise, seeing breathtaking scenery, catching up with the other volunteers, and of course eating some delicious food.

Saturday became girls’ day. Ellen, the volunteer who lives in the most rural WT site, invited all the ladies of WT to her tiny town for a girls’ night. So all of us girls, about 13 total, piled into a bus and took an hour-long ride through the countryside to get to the town of Jima. It was amazing to see what a different experience she has than I do! Instead of walking down Ambato’s busy, dirty streets, Ellen has a 4 minute commute to her school on dirt roads with lush, green hills surrounding her on all sides. Then again, Ellen has shaky phone service, no internet, and very few options when it comes to eating out, or really doing anything outside of her home. We were told in orientation that when you visit other people’s sites that often you feel a few pangs of jealousy here and there, just seeing how the other volunteers live, and how there are such different pros in each of the placements. So it was great having the Jima experience for a weekend, but I really do think Ambato is a great fit for me.
Ellen eats all her meals in a tiny restaurant run by a woman named Zoila, who really took us under her wing and treated us like royalty. She bought two guinea pigs for us,and gave us a lesson in how to prepare them- we watched them be killed and then roasted on a spit (eek!). And I must say that they were killed in a very quick and seemingly humane way. Then she served us a feast of chicken, trout, roasted potatoes, vegetables, a traditional dish from the region known as motepillo (a large grain prepared with eggs), and of course guinea pig! After lunch, we took a hike up to the top of a mountain overlooking all of Jima (there isn’t much of it) with the green surrounding mountains in the distance. You could even see where the jungle begins to the west of the town. Then we spent the rest of the evening relaxing, girl-talking, and having a sleepover in a room with literally about 12 beds in the compound where Ellen lives. I’m sure it looked like a scene right out of Little Orphan Annie!  It’s always so nice meeting up with other volunteers and hearing about their experiences.  We all have such different Ecuadorian experiences, but we really do go through so many of the same emotional ups and downs, which is always refreshing to remember. So after such a nice weekend, we hopped on the long bus home on Sunday, and I spent the evening planning for the week ahead.April 22nd is Earth Day, and in its honor, I showed my classes Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth about global warming yesterday. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it- it really is incredible what we are doing to our planet. And no matter on what side of the political spectrum you find yourself, Gore does a very good job presenting well-based, and I must say startling, research. It was so interesting for me to see, though, how all my students were in such agreement about the existence and severity of global warming. All of the controversy and doubt that exists in the States is completely non-existent here. Not one of my students had any doubt that global warming wasn’t taking place, and they thought that even when I surveyed them before the movie began. So I hope not to offend anyone, but it really was incredible for me to see how much the media can affect what we believe in the States, and how as a country we really do need to wake up and do something about protecting our precious Earth, or else we will be very sorry all too soon.

So today I am excited about having Dan back in town and starting the future tense with my students! Big day. This weekend my friend Annie is having a birthday party in Riobamba, a town only an hour away, and then I think on Saturday Aubrey and I are going to hike Chimborazo. So it should be a nice week, and I hope all of your have an enjoyable week as well. xo

The Beginning of the End

So I have been in Ecuador for over seven months now, which means I have less than three months left here. On Monday I also began my final semester teaching, and it really does feel like the beginning of the end. I have plans for almost all of my weekends left in Ecuador, so I know time is just going to fly by. It hit me especially hard on Thursday night that this experience is finite and that the day will come, before I know it, where I will have to say goodbye to this place and the amazing people I have met here, for good. I know I just need to live up my remaining time here!

After I last wrote in Montañita, I went to La Libertad with Annie and Ava. We went to stay with Mark and the new volunteer Adam in their sweet oceanfront home. Not fair, right?! Mark's host father passed away years ago, but he was a very well-known artist and their home is now a museum. The night we were there happened to be the re-opening of the museum, and the opening of an exhibit with skeletons from over 1,500 years ago that were found under the house. Eek! But the house also has a gorgeous view of the boardwalk and the ocean, which definitely made up for the slightly creepy skeletons just a few rooms away from where I was sleeping. Mark took us to the nearby beach of Salinas (known as the Ecuadorian Miami) and we went wake boarding. I had so much fun and I could barely stand up on the board because I was laughing so much. We also got to visit Mark and Adam's school and explore a bit of the boardwalk as well.

I spent Wednesday night in Guayaquil. First I went to Annie's boyfriend Darwin's house, met his family, and we hung out on the balcony while enjoying the sounds and sights of the city. Later that night, we met up with Sarah and Shelby, the Guayaquil volunteers, and we indulged in some nachos, cheese fries, and a few beers as well. Besides the vendors trying to sell us things while we were eating, and the lack of toilet paper in the bathroom, I could have almost sworn I was back in the States again.

Then on Thursday, Mark, Adam, and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip to the city of Machala to visit some other volunteers there. Machala is the banana capital of Ecuador, yet sadly it has become the brunt of many WorldTeach jokes. It just has this reputation about being the ugliest city in the country, so naturally we wanted to go to see what all the fuss was about. And I must say we were very pleasantly surprised! Machala has a lot going for it- beautiful, modern parks, a scenic port (see the photo with me, Adam, and Mark), and three fabulous WT volunteers as well. Charlie had us over to lunch at his house, where his host mom (Mama Jenny) fed us delicious cream of shrimp soup and rice with fresh crab meat. Charlie's house also has a roof with an incredible view of the city. That night we met Charlie and Rob for dinner by the port, and on Friday morning Charlie took us on a city tour, which included visiting the outdoor fish market and a sea life museum on the water. I must say, though, one of our favorite parts of the trip was relaxing in our air conditioned hotel room while watching American cable programs! These are just two of the simple luxuries that I have learned to greatly appreciate over the last seven months. And of course it was a barrel of laughs hanging out with the four of them and being "one of the guys" for a couple days.

From Machala I went back to Guayaquil and stayed with Sarah. Her host family is so welcoming and fun! They taught me how to make bolones, a traditional coastal breakfast made with green bananas and cheese in the shape of a ball (trust me, it's tasty). Then Mark, Adam, and Charlie met up with us again and we took a whirlwind tour of Ecuador's largest city. Guayaquil is known to be the most dangerous city in the country, and people in the Sierra, where I live, especially talk badly about it. The Serranos and the Costeños have a very heated rivalry- each believing that the other region is vastly inferior to their own. I found Guayaquil to feel very safe, though, and certainly warmer than Quito- both the weather and the people.

We got to walk along the city's famous and newly renovated boardwalk, we visited the art museum, and we climbed the 500+ stairs of the colonial district known as Las Peñas. This area of the city used to be quite dangerous and run down, but the city poured a lot of many into it, and now it boasts beautiful pastel-colored antique buildings, great restaurants, a lighthouse, and some of the best views of the city. We didn't spend too much time there, though, because we had to rush to SportsPlanet, one of the few places in the entire country that shows American sporting events. We got to watch both games of the Final Four...which was such a nice taste of home. Then we dropped Mark off at the airport so that he could fly home to Wisconsin for two weeks before I headed to the bus terminal to catch my bus back to Ambato. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation, though I was ready to get back to my students and my final semester teaching.

Now after having finished my first week of classes, I am happy to report that this semester has started off great! I am really trying to focus on conversation in my classes this semester, and we have already had two class discussions and a class debate. This week was made even more special by our Día del Maestro celebrations. April 13th is the Day of the Teacher in Ecuador, though my students decided to celebrate it Thursday since we don't have class on Fridays ,and the actual holidays falls on a Sunday this year. My afternoon class brought in a cake and roses and my night class took me out to dinner and bought me a beautiful bouquet of fake flowers so that I can take them back to the States with me. Again, I was so humbled by their generosity and appreciation. I actually got really sad on Thursday night, though, because they were saying such sweet things and it started to hit me that very soon they will no longer be a regular part of my life. I really did hit the jackpot when it came to my students- they are such a joy to teach, and they enrich my experience here so much on a daily basis.

Marco invited me to celebrate Día del Maestro with the teachers in Pillaro for lunch yesterday as well. We went to a neighborhood in Ambato called Pinllo, which is famous for gallina (hen) and their special heavy bread, both of which were delicious! I had to laugh to myself as we waited for our lunch to be served because, instead of just making small talk as we would do in the States, all the teachers got up from the table and started a dance party in the middle of the restaurant! Ecuadorians sure do know how to have fun. Then last night we had our first English Club of the semester, and Aubrey and I were joined by Kat, one of our two new Ambato volunteers. It was great getting to spend some time with her and to hear about her first two weeks of teaching and of her impressions of Ambato so far. I hope she'll soon become a good friend as well!

Today Annie visited me from Riobamba because Darwin, who is a karate instructor, had a conference in Ambato. Who knew there is an entire underground karate culture in Ecuador?! We spent the day shopping because Riobamba doesn't have much to offer when it comes to food or fashion, so Annie came to the "big city" instead. We were laughing so much because every shoe store we went in had to send us to the special large sizes section because our feet are so much bigger than those of the Ecuadorian women. Not only did we not feel very feminine, but we felt downright beastly!

So after a busy week back in classes I am spending tonight in, writing cover letters and beginning that lovely process called "the job search." Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Also, a belated happy birthday to my dad who turned one year younger yesterday. And all the best to Sparky and Janet who are expecting a new bundle of joy hopefully sometime this coming week. Thinking of you all...and I miss you very much!