Over the past two months, I’ve been working a lot and getting lots of English teaching experience. When I first arrived at the beginning of October and met my classes, I had no idea how I was going to learn the names of all sixty students. It’s been an adventure teaching both classes and I’m definitely enjoying myself and always have lots of funny moments and quotes to share with people back home. ☺ I never thought I’d be teaching high school or university students, but I’m learning day by day. Surprisingly, some of the behavior management techniques I use with little kids have served me well here also. It’s definitely a different environment and refreshing in some ways. I enjoy the discussions I can have with my advanced classes. One day we did a lesson on the conditional tense starting out with “If I were a man...” and “If I were a woman...” That elicited an interesting discussion. In the beginning, I also felt I had no idea what I was doing at times. I sometimes still feel that way, but the other day, I had the revelation that I feel so much more comfortable now and am feeling like I can experiment and try new things in the classroom. My teaching skills are developing, but at times I feel that my English skills are deteriorating. It may be that I am grading too many of my students’ essays and taking on their vocabulary, or because I’m speaking more Spanish...I’m hoping it’s the latter. Some days I can’t believe I’m here doing this, because I never would have envisioned it in the past, but I’m grateful for this unexpected adventure and all of the crazies in my classes.
Even though I’ve been working some weekends to make up some hours that we missed during our orientation in September, I’ve also had some opportunities to travel a bit. In the middle of October, we were able to go to a soccer game in Quito to watch Ecuador play Chile. There’s nothing like watching a soccer game in a Latin American country – or probably any country other than the U.S., where soccer isn’t as popular as it should be. We bought some $5 bright yellow jerseys off the street right before the game in order to show our spirit and blend in a bit better (though that isn’t ever really possible for me, unless I can find a really good wig). We were not expecting the beer shower we would get every time Ecuador scored a goal. We ended up winning and there was a very exciting last minute goal scored at the end. It was fun to go back to Quito and see other volunteers. The next day, we decided to make an impromptu trip to Baños, a tourist attraction about an hour outside of Ambato. Of course since it was a holiday weekend, we all ended up running into students there. Two of my friends jumped off a bridge on Sunday morning. I will save that experience for later...maybe. ☺
At the beginning of November, a lot of us volunteers met up in Cuenca about 6 hours south of here, because it was their Independence Day weekend and another 3-day weekend for us. It was also finados weekend in Ecuador, which is like their Day of the Dead. A tradition here is to drink “colada morada” and eat “guaguas de pan”. Colada morada is a purple drink (not in any way related to Lil’ Wayne’s “purple drank”) with fruit in it. It is like a thick fruit juice mostly served warm, but also good cold. It is quite delicious, but I had my fair share in just a couple of days. Guaguas de pan are literally “bread babies.” It was a very fun cultural experience and I’m sure I’ll be craving colada morada when I’m back in the states (my host mom made a very delicious batch).
Cuenca was a fun experience. I had heard a lot about beauty of the city and how it’s a haven for retirees. There were so many WorldTeach vols there and we were all spread out in various hostels that it was hard to get together and catch up, but it was great to see everyone and catch up even if it was brief. On Sunday, the Ambato crew went to Cajas National Park. This was really a beautiful, unreal place. I had hoped to see a llama, but sadly they evaded me. They were spotted by others in my group and I was a little envious. When we got there in the early afternoon, it was misty, but the views were still out of this world. We planned to do a hike for a few hours and attempt to get a bus back to Cuenca after that. I was freaking out a little bit, as my family and friends know I have a tendency to do, and was a little worried for various reasons – lack of daylight, no cell service, no food, not much water, large rain clouds, an inability to read maps, etc. I like to think I’m the realistic thinker each group must have. ☺ We got a little lost and ended up doing a full circle, which wasn’t planned, but we ended up getting back to the lodge after getting quite wet. We were wondering if we’d be able to find a bus coming down the road when we spotted one. We stared wildly running up the hill as it was raining and I couldn’t help but laugh at the complete ridiculousness of it. Luckily the bus stopped for us and we got on and were able to dry off a little on the way back to Cuenca.
The next weekend was also a three-day weekend as it was Ambato’s Independence Day. My friend Amanda and I went to a parade on Saturday morning in Latacunga, a town about an hour away. It was highly recommended to us by our Spanish tutor, who is from there. This parade was called “Mama Negra.” It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There are many symbols represented (which I still don’t understand). One thing that I saw often in the parade was a man carrying a roasted pig on a stick on his back with baby pigs attached to it...along with mini bottles of alcohol. It was also common for people in the parade to carry shot glasses and alcohol bottles with them while marching. It was definitely an experience that I may never have again. I also got a pretty crazy tan from the flats I was wearing that day while sitting in the hot sun.
That weekend there was also a fair going on in my neighborhood. The tiny area was packed with people from the town shopping, eating, and enjoying the rides that had been set up. Trying to get a bus or a taxi out of the area was quite the challenge. While attempting to meet friends for dinner and a movie, I was waiting with my host dad in the crowd of people to catch some transportation down the hill. A tiny truck pulled up and they said they were going to the center and people hopped in the back. My host dad told me it may be my only chance to get out of there, so I hopped in too and rode down to the center of town in the back of a truck. After a minute of getting in, I spotted a taxi, but decided to stick it out and enjoy the adventure, while thinking about how my insurance probably doesn’t cover such activities. The next day, Ambato had a parade where all the high schools marched. I discovered there are A LOT of high schools here. Bands marched, girls twirled batons, and chosen seniors marched. It wasn’t like parades I had seen back in the U.S., but it was fun to sit with my host sister and watch our other sister march with her high school and spot some of my students in the parade as well.
The next week was midterm week and I had no idea what I was in for. I gave my test on Tuesday and the rest of the week consisted of oral exams, class and LOTS of grading. It was also one of those weeks. As I was getting off the bus one day, I somehow hit my head, slipped and lost my shoe, and then had to sit on the step of the bus and put my shoe back on before getting off the bus. Then the bus passed me and someone else after we had been waiting in the hot sun for a while. We shared a look of disbelief and exasperation. The next day, I was doing my laundry and it started to seriously pour. I had yet to see it rain like that here and some of the streets even started to flood. Every time it rains, my students say, “Teacher, let’s go home!” I don’t understand their reasoning, as they believe that it will be raining harder when we get out of class, though it’s usually stopped by then. Being from Oregon, I don’t love the rain, but I’m definitely not afraid of it. When I came home later that night with a mountain of grading to tackle, I discovered the power was out and I graded by candlelight for about half an hour until the power came back. Another first. I survived the craziness that was midterms and created part of an expertise exam all in one weekend.
The next week was Thanksgiving and it did feel strange not to be at home with family. I had my students make hand turkeys and discuss what they were thankful for. None have ever had the pleasure of having pumpkin pie. I facetimed with my family right after they had eaten and got to see all of the delicious food. That’s when I really was missing being home, especially when I heard about the pumpkin ice cream bars they were going to have for dessert. This last weekend, I finished the hours I had to make up with my class and then we headed over to Baños to meet up with some other volunteers. It was nice to have a quick getaway, but I had lots of work to do when I returned home the next evening. It was nice to sit by the river for a few hours chatting, just relaxing. Even though we didn’t have a Thanksgiving feast this year, it was still good to spend some time with friends.
I cannot believe it is almost December. I told my host family my mind doesn’t believe it’s almost Christmastime because the weather isn’t cold. Some days it’s sunny and 60 or 70 degrees. Maybe if I listen to Christmas music constantly, I can finally convince myself it’s the holiday season. I’m sure it will be very strange being away from family this year. Three years ago, I spent Thanksgiving with friends in Panama (after being visited by family in Costa Rica), but this will be the first time I’ll be away from home at Christmas. We have a week off, so I’m hoping to finally visit the beach! If I don’t get a chance to write before then, hopefully I’ll be able to write about holiday adventures and New Year’s in Ecuador.
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