June 27-28 Weekend Excursion to Banos

This past weekend, Carrie (another volunteer from Quito) and I hopped a bus Saturday morning, paid the $3.00 and made the 3.5 hour trek to Banos, which is south of Quito. Banos is home of the volcano, Tungurahua, which has been spitting out ash this past week. We didn't see anything but Sarah got photos last week. It would be sooo cool to see her in action!

As mentioned, it is a very quaint town, very touristy with lots of tiendas (shops), many restaurants, and even more places to book tours (mountain climbing, white water rafting, horseback riding (4 hours for $20!!!), etc). You can also rent go-carts/dunbuggies to cruise around the town in, bicycles, and motorcycles. Anything goes in Ecuador! We met 7 other WorldTeach volunteers there. We walked around in the rain and found what Banos is famous for....pure cane sugar that you suck on and taffy. Both are delicious!! See the picture of the guy "swingin" taffy. Also, the several natural waterfalls (cascades) and thermal baths. Unfortunately, Carrie and I did not get to the baths due to the inclement weather and our inability to get our butts out of bed at 0600 Sunday morning. The others were able to stay over on Sunday because they don't teach until Monday afternoon. Lucky bums!!

Saturday afternoon we grabbed lunch, sat there while it poured and listened to stories from other volunteers. I thought I had it bad with cold water, diesel fumes, jam-packed buses, " theives waiting to pounce on me, etc. Well, let me tell you...it is NOTHING compared to those who are placed in Tena, which is in the jungle. I'll save those stories for later.

There are several spas in the town as well. 5 of us went in search of some much needed relaxation. I had a one hour massage for $19...yes, and it was wonderful!!!

We shopped for some spirits and then had an Italian dinner. Our hostal was very nice, Santa Cruz, and it had an outdoor patio/hut with a fireplace. Sat there and talked for hours. Imagine me and 8 college students. My stories were not far off from theirs. And we played "Never Have I Ever" and yours truly LOST!!

Sunday morning we rented a bus for $40 for the the 9 of us and the dude drove us around for 4.5 hours, showing us the sights along the way. We stopped at an amazing cascade and took a cable car ride from one side of the "gorge" to the other. Actually, it was a basket instead of an enclosed car. See the pictures. Hundreds of feet up, in the lush green mountains...again, probably not a good idea if you're afraid of heights. It cost $1.00 for the ride. Unbelievable!!!

More photos to come!

Our ride took us through Puyo and very close to the jungle. Our destination was a MONKEY REFUGE where they take those that are injured or deformed. I can't even explain how cool this was. Before we got there, we stopped at a little roadside stand to get some sugar cane. Little did I know that this is like "candy" for the monkeys. As we were walking up to the entrance, one monkey was jumping on the cars and then all of a sudden he jumped on Gracie, a volunteer. We had no idea that this would be an opportunity for total interaction with these amazing creatures. There must have been about 15 of them and 4-5 different kinds but all relatively small. The littlest being a squirrel monkey.

More to come...have to get to class!

June 20 Day trip to Otavalo

Karen (my first roommate at Ana Maria's) and I took a bus 2 Saturdays ago to Otavalo to enjoy the ginormous outdoor market. Karen stayed with us for a week while she took language classes. She is finishing up her undergrad at Vanderbilt and then going on to med school. Last Friday, she left for the Galapagos Islands to volunteer in a clinic doing medical stuff. LUCKY GIRL!!!! 6 weeks on the islands?? Can you say HEAVEN?? More interestingly, her parents are both work for NASA, mom is an astronaut/doctor and dad a pilot, living in Houston (Joanne, her hometown is VERY near to Webster). Quite the interesting conversations hearing about her life. Her parents are Ken and Ellen Baker for those of you interested in looking up bios on NASA. http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/baker-e.html .

Otavalo was a blast walking around, shopping and enjoying some of the local foods...a huge plantain that was fried right out on the fire and some fruits. It was like the town was painted in hand crafts, animals, and people! Bought some fun stuff! Any requests out there? I'll be returning in a few weeks. It rained on us but that didn't dampen our spirits. The bus ride was $2.00 each way. Cheap entertainment!!

Many thanks...

to you all. It is so great to hear your comments and questions. I haven´t updated in a few days because I´ve been gone. Carrie and I hopped a bus to Baños, a really cute, quaint small town but with SO much to do. Just wait until you see the pictures. It is PAINFULLY slow to update. I just spent 2 hours doing this and nothing seemed to work. Off to class. Have lots to tell though.
More later.

First Week of School

Well, it´s Friday and I am exhausted! The week has been an extremely LONG one. I´m not sure why. Busy, yes, but that didn´t make it go any faster. It feels like I´ve been here for 3 months instead of just shy of 3 weeks!

STUDENTS: Both of my classes consist of adults and teenagers. The majority being adults with various occupations such as English teachers, 2 engineers, a lawyer, a leutinent in the Ecuadorian military, an optomitrist(so he says), a business manager, a few who are completing their college degrees, etc. I absolutely LOVE my students!! They are enthusiastic and just want to learn. They value the English language so they can use it in their jobs, to travel, to get a better job, etc. I teach a conversation class so all we do is TALK and do various activities and games! I try to do as little as possible but they really love to hear a native speaker. Like any language, the hardest part is conversing. I am finding that to be true with my Spanish. The teenagers are great as well. They are well-behaved and very polite. The only rules I need in the classroom are NO CELL PHONES and ENGLISH ONLY. It´s great!

I´ve had 3 students ask me to have a ¨Conversation Club" on Saturday mornings. One hour of English for an hour of Spanish in return. Seems like a deal but I haven´t committed to that yet.

I found a father and daughter who are avid runners and hope to do a 10k with them in August right before I come home. We´ll see.

SCHOOL: Administration is more or less a nightmare. They are very unorganized. We got our rosters last Friday and I expected 12 students in one class and the first day I ended up with 30. Imagine a classroom with room with 8 tables and 16 chairs. Packed in like sardines. That´s it! As my level of frustration rose, I flew downstairs and in my best broken Spanish was trying to tell them that I had total CHAOS upstairs. Going up and down 5 flights of stairs 3 times at 9000ft takes your breath away! Long story short, it took 1 hr 15 min to get things settled. I hope by Monday that we are all set. I have 29 students in one class and 26 in another. But they come and go and you never know who is going to show up. It´s part of the culture. I need to bring my own supplies. All I have to teach with is a white board. The school gave us an eraser and one dry erase marker. Thanks! You learn to make due.

Photos from Teleferico (click on pix to enlarge)

You just have to see it to believe it

"Home life"....

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PHOTOS: Top to bottom...AnaMaria, view from my bedroom, pictures all over of family and friends, dining room, living room, kitchen

WATER ISSUE: Ok, I had had enough of the cold water and just decided to ask AnaMaria what the heck was going on. The faucet is extremely sensitive and she showed me what to do. I jumped for joy and gave her a kiss!!! The best part of my day today so far. I´m so looking forward to tomorrow morning.

A DAY IN THE LIFE:
- Wake up at 5:30am, walk to bus stop 6:15ish
- Pay $.25 for a 10 min ride to my school. The Trole bus is pretty slick. The mornings have not been as crowded as during the day. Some days you are literally packed in like sardines. I´m not kidding...one time I had the door close on me. Big bruise on my leg. People´s arms get caught in the door. This is not a very nice place to be when its hot. You have to watch your bags, pockets, purses, etc. I haven´t had any issues yet but another volunteer had her front jeans pocket picked on Tuesday. Lost $3.00 and she didn´t even realize it until she was off the bus.
- Class from 7-9am. Head to catch a bite to eat afterwards with the other 2 teachers. We walk a lot!! Our favorite place (so far) is Mister Bagel. Coffee shops do not open until 10AM!!!! UGH! I´m dying for a Chai tea!
- Do errands (go to WorldTeach office, shop for supplies, DVD´s, go to the market, etc)
- Lunch at 1pm SHARP
- Afternoon...Internet cafe or make copies for class, walked to lavandaria to do laundry, prepare for class
- Walk to class at 5:30pm. 8:15pm taxi home because I don´t dare walk the 4 blocks.
- Dinner at 8:30 and bed soon after but up late doing ¨stuff¨.

Pictures From the First 2 Weeks (more to come)

Life With Ana Maria

It´s been almost one week since I moved in with my host mom, AnaMaria. She is about 80 years old and sweet as pie. At least that´s what my non-spanish speaking self gathers. The first afternoon we sat and "talked" (if you can imagine THAT conversation!) for about 3 hours. The majority of the time I just sat there listening. Needless to say, my brain was about to blow because number one, I, being self-diagnosed with adult ADD, found it EXTREMELY difficult to concentrate on just her. There were a bazillion things going through my mind but I came out of the conversation unscathed knowing that she has 6 children, however one was killed in an accident at a very young age, along with her husband. Muy triste. She´s been alone since the age of 26, raising all those kids. Muy dificil she says. She lives in a 3-bedroom apartment along a very busy street. I have my own room with a lovely view of the Pichincha Mountains, however, my window is right above a very busy street with buses going by non-stop until about 11pm. I crave the peace and quiet of our neighborhood on Touchstone Dr. Ok, I really miss everyone at home but I havent missed much of anything else (food, tv, driving, etc) with the exception of HOT WATER!!!! If you want hot water, you have to boil it. Water comes out of only one side of the faucet...the cold one! One week of cold showers down...6 more to go. UGH!!! I told my students about that and they laughed. Everyone one of them has hot water!

FOOD: I dont eat breakfast at home because I leave the house at 6:15am to catch the Trole bus to school. Ana wants me home at 1pm for amuerzo (lunch). We have soup everyday for lunch and dinner. Wonderful sopas!! Then usually rice, beans, meat(chic or beef), eggs, omlette with broccoli-cheese, fresh tuna pattie, more rice, beets, carrots, etc. I wont starve! She waits on us hand and foot. Worse part is that she dishes out my food so I always get a TON of it. Then she thinks I dont like what she makes when I leave a little on the plate. I may be insulting her but oh well. Breakfast on the weekends is tea, bread and juice. Food is delicious. I havent had anything I didnt like (even the beets!)

Happenings from the past week...

Well, Ive attempted the picture thing but it takes a really long time. I miss the convenience of WiFi. I will continue to upload as time permits.

Last week...we took a cab to Old Towne Quito for dinner at Vista Hermosa. It is perhaps the most beautiful view in the city. We ate dinner outside on the rooftop under the stars (ok, they were there but you cannot see them due mostly to air pollution). But I imagined them being there. The lights from the city were enough. The Basillica Church was quite unbelievable as well. More time is needed in Old Towne. A great place to see the architecture, 32 churches, tiendas (stores) and more.

Teleferico -- This is relatively new...they say 3-4 years old. It is a cable car ride that takes you to 4100 meters (math people, figure that out). I cant even describe the view from the top. Anyone who is afraid of heights, yeah, this MIGHT not be for you. It was as if you were in the clouds. The Teleferico took you so high then we walked even higher. This was an awesome place to just sit and take in the view. Breathtaking....it was also great to get out of the smoky, smoggy, stinky city. We were in the Pichinchas (a volcano) and as we walked we came upon some HORSES!! Oh my gawd!! In my broken Spanish I was able to communicate with the local Ecuadorian woman and we got an hour ride for $10!! Hopped right on the horses and climbed even further up the Pichinchas. A little scary at times but the lady walked right along with us, all the while talking in Spanish. I have some great photos but the best ones are in Sarahs camera. Note to self....always bring extra batteries. We were decked out in sombreros and ponchos. A little cool, nonetheless. If you know how much I love horses...you know that I was in heaven. :o) If I had to go home that day, I would have been one happy gringo.

More later...gotta head to class.

Can you find the 40 yr old??

Mitad del Mundo (Center of the Earth)

These are half of my peeps. They are a crazy bunch. The other half were on a tour with a Spanish speaking guide.

Back on the internet

I finally had a little time to play around with pictures. I´ve got it down, just need more TIME. Off to AnaMaria for "amuerzos" (lunch) for 1pm. I´m already late. Imagine that!

Stay tuned!
Thanks for your comments. I appreciate hearing from you back home!

All is well in Quito!!

So much has been going on that I haven't been able to write or upload photos yet. We're all doing really well. This is our last day in the hotel. Some of us move in with our host families today and some tomorrow as they are traveling far distances. I have the pleasure of jumping in a taxi and making the 5-10 minute ride to the place I will call home for the next 7 weeks. I am very excited but am a little anxious/nervous, I'm not sure what I would call it. I talked (attempted to, anyways) Ana Maria yesterday and pretty much failed miserably. She sounds like a very sweet lady and her spanish is clear and she speaks slowly. THANK GOODNESS!!! I know I will be in good hands!!

We have been doing so much here in Quito. I will upload photos as soon as I can. (I have to figure out how from an Internet Cafe). We finally got out of the city yesterday. One thing I won't miss is the black air from buses, taxis and cars. I may come home with "black lung disease". If you want to see where we were, look up Teleferiqo in Quito. I will write more later but if I had to come home tomorrow, yesterday made my trip. Enough said for now.

Very thirsty...

The city is DRY this weekend!! And why?? Because there is some VOTE that is taking place. Can you even imagine?? What would my thirsty friends do?? We´re trying to deal with it the best we can. It´s really ok. :o)

There is $$ in Ecuador! Found the big mall last night and wow! Puts anything we have to shame! Very upscale and many stores. Ecuadorians are very concerned with the way they look and dress. We also saw the other side of the coin this morning. We were in the middle of our class on the second floor of our hotel and out of nowhere comes this elderly woman, mumbling spanish of which no one could understand. She was begging for money and charity of any sort. She was crying and extremely desparate. It was very disturbing to me. Ecuador has no form of social security for the elders so this practice is not uncommon.

Off to salsa dance lessons. We´ll see what they can teach this two left-footed woman in an hour!
Woo, woo!

It's All In the Look

The training continues. To give perspective, the year-long volunteers get an entire month of training. Us summer folks pack it into 10 days! Needless to say, days are long and sleep is optional. The day starts with us walking to the Spanish school for lessons. Along the way, we pass students, dressed very neatly in uniforms, waiting for el autobus. Then we come back to the Hotel 6 de Deciembre where we have guest speakers: 1) Guy from US Embassy to talk about safety in Ecuador. I won't even go there!!! 2) Professor of Education from the University to talk about the education system. What I took from it...SHOES!!! Teachers are judged based on their shoes!

We lunch and dinner on our own which is fun because we find local places to endulge in. Twice we've eaten lunch at a place we call the Garage. It is a little hole in the wall, no name on the outside, but the best deal in Ecuador. $2.00 for a HUGE plate of rice, meat, plantains. For 6 of us it cost $13.50 and that included a 3-liter of Coke. Yesterday, it cost $1.50 for a soup, an apple, huge plate of chicken fried rice and a juice. How am I ever going to be able to $1.00 for a hamburger or $3.00 for a Chai tea ever again??? Magic Bean last night for a more traditional meal. Oh....Mama Colinda also for CHICHA!! I had to introduce it to our group. :o)

Ask questions if you want to know anything....

Made it to Quito!!

Hola de Quito!
Everyone made it safe and sound, myself and 23 other eager college kids. We arrived 1am on Monday night and had a long day yesterday getting to know everyone and getting acquainted with Quito a bit. For those who were here last year with me...things are very familiar. :o) Makes me smile...great memories! I'm still directionally challenged but this too shall pass. Denny, we ate at the Mongolian BBQ. AWESOME! All you can eat for $4.99!! Fill up your bowl, have them cook it up and chow down. It was divine! Cab ride $.78

Heading to Spanish class this morning at the Spanish school. Mi espanol es muy mal. :( That is one thing that I wished I had worked on more. Kids---take a foreign language!!! You never know when you'll be doing something crazy like this! It is sooo valuable.

Weather is beautiful, sunny and 70's. Looking out at the Pichinchas as I type. (mountains) Can't complain.

All is good!
Chao!

I'm half way there...

Hola de Miami!

I had a great trip here with the exception of saying "see you soon" to family and friends, some bad storms near Miami and a crazy lady sitting in front of me. It is always interesting, the people you meet while traveling. I was surrounded by people speaking Spanish. They were from Honduras and very friendly. One gentleman was a MATH teacher! I was struggling trying to comprehend what they were saying but hopefully by August I will be better at it.

I will be spending the summer in the capital city of Quito, population 2 million. It is the second largest city in Ecuador with all of the urban appeal. The first 10 days will be intense with training (including SALSA dance lessons!). Then the fun begins. I will be teaching at SECAP which is state-run and funded by the government and reasonably affordable to everyone in the community. It is part technical school and part community school. I will be teaching students ages 14-80.

Speaking of students... Hello Lombardi students! I hope you enjoy your last week of school. Be good for the sub!! :o)