Long Overdue Update

Sorry, that it has taken me so long to write a blog entry. I had forgotten to pack my power cord for my laptop and there is literally no battery life in my laptop, so I was at the mercy of other people's computers.

Gosh, it is too hard to re-tell everything, so I am going to summarize as much as possible. I'm going to ramble a bit too.

I flew into Quito (the capitol) about a month ago now and spent a week with a host family while taking Spanish lessons. My host mom was 77 years old, but seemed much younger. It was cute because she was so motherly and protective, but she also gave me my space when needed. I spent the week hanging out with Elsa, who is from France and also is a volunteer at Sierra Flor,  and Reggie, an Australian girl who is doing a tour around South America. We saw different sites around Quito...  Usually I get bored quickly with museums, but I found them really interesting.

The first weekend here, Elsa, Reggie and I went out to dinner at a restaurant on la ronda (a popular but not super touristy street) We tried canelazo, a warm Ecuadorian beverage with cinnamon and wine. Later we met up with Elsa's host guy, Cesar and two of his friends. It was really great going out with locals because it really gave me a better look into what Ecuadorian culture is really like. I talked to one of Cesar's friends and he told me that Ecuador is quite an alcoholic country and that he himself has an obsession with alcohol. That was apparent the rest of the night to me.  It was good having them with us though because they were there to look out for us and protect us while having a good time. It was also funny listening to these Ecuadorian guys trying to sing the words to American songs.

Elsa and I went that weekend to Otavalo, a huge market about an hour north of Quito and La Mitad del mundo (The middle of the earth). Otavalo was really cool because there was a lot of indigenous people there selling items. It was fun bargaining with them too. Sister, it reminded me of Cancun and I saw some armadillos but decided against getting you one. I really like La Mitad del Mundo. There are actually two lines, but the real one is actually kind of hidden. The historical one had all the tourists there and they had a dance festival going on. The real one was super cool because they did different experiments on the line to prove that it was the equator.

After spending a week in Quito, Elsa and I came down to our school, Sierra Flor. It is about an hour bus ride from Quito. The first week we basically had meetings with all the teachers and prepared lessons and our classrooms. The next week school started!

 I teach 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade English, Math and Social Studies. I am doing the work of two teachers, so it does get pretty tiring. The school is on Sierra Flor rose plantation. A lot of the workers' kids attend Sierra Flor. The farm is absolutely gorgeous. On clear days we can see Cotopaxi, a volcano which means Neck of the Moon in Quechua. It is nicer being in the country because in Quito there was so much pollution and it is safer here. I live in a house with other volunteers and teachers. There are a few other girls from the U.S., an australian guy, a french girl, two cuban guys, a taiwanese girl, an austrian girl and a czech girl here so far. The cuban guys are so funny. The part of Cuba where they are from is known for speaking really fast. I told them my goal is to fully understand their conversations by the time I leave.  Everyone is great and it's nice to relate to the other teachers at the end of the day.

The kids' English levels vary a lot, so it can sometimes be difficult to teach. It's also difficult because I'm supposed to speak English with them all the time, but the 1st graders know a few English words. I try my best not to speak Spanish, but I definitely speak in Spanish when disciplining. I've learned that it takes A LOT of patience to work with young kids, and I don't know if I'm gifted with that kind of patience. They are soooo cute though. They like to use that cuteness to get their way. "Tia, please play!" I hear that quite often.  They say that while hugging me and giving me a puppy dog face. The kids call all the teachers tia or tio. If someone ever calls me "Tia" again I will respond to it. I took some pictures today with the 1st graders and will post them soon.  So tired now and I think I will continue tomorrow...


Missing you all!

Katie