To answer some of your questions...

-- Streets of Quito are not good to run on due to CRAZY traffic and sidewalks are of very poor quality. Many people run in the parks. I haven´t ventured out yet but am going to this weekend. On Sundays, one of the main streets (Amazonas) is closed to vehicles so bikers, walkers, runners can enjoy.

-- Hi Breanna! I love your comments. Hope you´re having a great summer!

-- Hi to Jack and Justice. I´ll email soon.

-- The guy in the picture does not have a snake. He is ¨slingin¨taffy in Baños. This is great stuff. I have some to bring home. I hope it lasts.

-- I´m teaching an intermediate level of English so I expect my students to speak only in English. We keep a tally on the board if I hear Spanish. However, if there is something that they just don´t get then we will give the Spanish translation. The basic level of English needs to use Spanish a bit more due to students hardly knowing their OWN language.

-- I´ve been able to get around a bit with very limited Spanish. However, it can be frustrating at times. The dude at school set my computer up for wireless and he put a ¨protection¨on it and now I can´t use it at other WiFi locations. You should have seen that conversation when I went back to tell him he messed it up. I´m still dealing with it today. Every day ¨stuff¨is the hardest. BUT, I can finally tell the cab driver how to get to my apartment without showing him the address on paper. I take a cab home EVERY night from school because I don´t dare walk the 4 blocks.

-- The training for teaching English was fairly intense. We did that during orientation and the directors gave us some good ideas for games and activities. I still use the internet for additional lesson plans, videos, music, etc. The WorldTeach office has a great library with several resources.

-- I teach 0700-0900am and then from 1800-2000pm at SECAP which is a government-run. It cost $40 to take my 7 week class and its M-F. Pretty cheap!!! At night, I come home, eat, and go right into my bedroom to plan. Exhausted by the end of the day.

-- There are 3 of us in Quito. Others in are Ambato, Riobamba, Machala, Cuenca, Tena, Ibarra, Loja, Bahia ?? (some awesome beach on the coast), and another smaller town 2 hrs west of Otavalo. I´ve got some great stories to remember and share.

-- Some of you asked if you could send supplies. Thank you for the offer but I think it would be more hassle than what its worth. I´ve boughten all of my supplies (with the exception of 1 dry erase marker, and 1 eraser). I make all my own copies too. It can get expensive but oh well. Also, it takes 2 weeks to send a package (we´ll see if mom´s will arrive) and then the summer is almost over. So THANK YOU for your willingness to help out. I don´t think you can even send $$.