who invited the pukey gringa?

Hello friends. I realize I haven’t updated in awhile and I am sorry for that. I had strep throat last week and this week marked the end of the school year. Needless to say, I’ve been pretty occupied.

So we ended the school year with a big party on Wednesday night but there wasn’t enough money in the budget (apparently) for lighting. Remember that we are in the mountains on the equator so when it gets dark, it gets DARK. It doesn’t help that this school is in the boonies. It was pretty funny because we had a dj that played mostly Michael Jackson songs (people here are still in mourning) but no one danced because you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. I dubbed it the lamest party ever, but my jefa (boss) seemed to think that it went off without a hitch—maybe lighting is a cultural taboo I have not yet experienced in all my time in Ecuador… Anyway, I have one last meeting today about next school year and then I am on vacatio. I have to double check this with the director but I heard from multiple people that only 2 kids signed up for the summer camp that I am/was running for the next 3 weeks starting July 27^th. I’m not too worried because there are always jobs for English teachers here, you just have to know where to look. I might be able to do some odd jobs for the next month or so, which would be just fine with me because I would still get paid the same. So we’ll see. If more kids sign up for camp in the next week—it’s a go…but if not, then I’ll let you know what I am doing!

This weekend I was going to go to Isla de La Plata, “the poor man’s Galapagos”, for some camping/snorkeling/whale watching with my German roommate but we waited too long to get tickets! I guess it’s a lesson in: getting my butt in gear and buying the tickets ahead of time. It was a really good deal too…damn. Well I am sure that I can go find something cool to do. I mean come on, I’m in Ecuador.

So anyway what I ended up doing instead this weekend is my friend invited me to go visit a small pueblo about an hour outside of Cuenca because she volunteers with her friends doing social work and running a basketball camp in the town. So we get there on Saturday afternoon only to find that it was that town’s saint day and there was a fiesta. The pueblo, Jadan, is probably only about 50 people but busses came from other pueblos with soccer teams because there was a Futsal tournament (kinda like soccer but smaller ball/cement field) which was the big event. We couldn’t play basketball because the field was occupied but we played with the kids from the town for a long time. Then we went to the church for some kind of meeting with the elders in the town. I was sitting next to three girls and one, Jessica, was staring at me for (literally) 10 minutes. Finally I asked her if she had ever seen a gringa before and she shook her head. Honestly, I don’t think that anyone in that town had either. One little girl came up to me and said: why do you have blonde hair? For lack of a better explanation I just said that I was from the U.S. She then said: Don’t lie to me! And then ran to my friend Cisne and was like, is she lying!? It was a crazy feeling that’s for sure. Later that night we watched a movie called Pollito which was the first Ecuadorian-made movie I’ve ever watched. It was about migration and a little boy from a small pueblo near Quito whose dad leaves him with his grandmother while he tries to go to Spain to find work. It was pretty sad because I know that many of these kids have experienced a lot of the same things as the main character in the film. Migration is a HUGE issue in Ecuador and much of Latin America.

We slept in a room on the bottom floor of a children’s center. It was right off of the town square and because there was a fiesta going on as well as the tournament, I didn’t sleep. However, I was able to use my new knowledge of the indigenous Quechua language because I knew that the people outside of my window were talking about the hangover they would have the next day. Sooo that was neat. The busses came to pick up the teams at 5:30 am and that was when the music stopped and things quieted down, we got up at 8.

But all in all, I had a fun time in the town. When it was time to go home on Sunday I rode with this guy Vinnie, and Gaby and Andres. Everything was going well for the first 20 minutes, we pulled over a few times to take pictures, and it was all good. Then after about half an hour I got sick, like sick sick. It was crazy because I thought that I had gotten over motion sickness in the Andes because I ride the school bus with the kids everyday and believe me you need to have a strong stomach for that. However after thinking about the combination of eating food at the only restaurant in town costing $1.00 in some woman’s kitchen and Vinnie being a horrible driver, it all made sense. I’m never leaving Cuenca without Dramamine again!

Anyway I took it easy for the better part of yesterday but in the evening a roommate and I (I have eight of them so far—there’s room for 10) went to his girlfriends’ performance in the park. She’s a hula-hooper from Wisconsin and she is so freaking cool! There’s a band that plays like bongos, flutes, etc. and then she hoops. I guess they make the big money as soon as church gets out (well like $5 or 6), there were easily 200 people in the mass on Sunday! It is pretty usual that bands and vendors are in the park after mass gets out, now I know why!

Well folks, I need to get going but I hope everyone is having a great summer so far! I’m freezing my butt off but hopefully I’ll get to the coast soon. Make sure to check out my updated Picasa site! Happy Monday!

e.Lo

one point five more weeks of school

Only 8 more days left of school! Woohoo! We end July 15^th, though teachers stay until the 17^th. After that I have a week off until summer camp starts on the 27^th. I am trying to decide what to do/where to go.

I think I am going to go to Saraguro for a few days (about 4 hours outside of Cuenca in the Sierras, and lower elevation which means it's a lot warmer than it is here!). I went there two years ago and it was easily my favorite pueblo. It's completely indigenous and its number one export is handicrafts such as beaded necklaces, rugs, and hammocks. The reason I want to go is to get out of the city for awhile and slow down the pace of life for a bit. Don't get me wrong, the pace of life here is a lot slower than in the US!! But the hikes and views are spectacular, so I can't wait!

I hope everyone had a fun 4^th! I was definitely homesick for the first time since arriving in Ecuador, but I did see some fireworks and drank some brewskis…so pretty much the same right!? I even celebrated national hangover day on Sunday the 5^th, so…

I am meeting more and more people. I mainly hang out with friends from work and my housemates, but I have lately been hanging out with one of my coworkers and her family (Maria). She is from Cuenca but moved to Eden Prairie when she was 19. Now she's back and most of her family lives here. (WEIRD? yes. What is even MORE weird is that one of her cousins is visiting for the summer and she teaches at my old Elementary School--Prairie View!) She has a ton of cousins around my age which is a lot of fun. On Saturday, I taught them the shoulder drinking game, and I ended up losing BIG time, ie-my Sunday the 5th. They're pretty well off. Actually, funny story…Friday was pay day and we were told to meet at this building downtown at 3pm to pick up our checks. We get there and they aren't signed (this is getting to be less and less of a surprise), and we end up waiting until 5 o'clock for this guy to show up. By that time, all of the banks were closed and we were pretty bummed out. Maria to the rescue! She called up her uncle and we signed over our checks to him and he cashed them for us! Gotta love the rich uncles of the world.

So my plan for this week is to get my foot in the door with CEDEI's OTHER school closer to my house and work there part-time starting ASAP. I already talked to my boss at my current school and told her I wanted to work with the Kindergarten and Preschooler's next year (mainly because it's less hours, but of course I didn't say that) and she said fine but I am also the Educación Corporal teacher now for next year for all grades (gym teacher) which is fine with me. We don't really have any resources (ie-balls, jump ropes, etc) so I could use any and all suggestions you have!

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now! I can't believe I've been here for a month already. Make sure to look at my Picasa site because I keep uploading new pictures! Chau chau bacalao's!!

 

no more spideys!

For the last few nights I have waken up to seemingly hundreds (really 15-20) spider bites. Monday night I dreamed I belonged to a Lepper colony. On Tuesday, I moved into the room next door and my bites are gone!!

It's a small victory...I'd just like to thank Earl for moving back to the U.S. so this could be possible. The room is probably double the size, as is the bed.

I PROMISE I will update asap with better pictures and some HILARIOUS commentary. I am so freaking busy; the school bus picks me up at 6:45 everyday and drops me off at 3, then I usually make an appearance at the Orf for a few hours. Next week is the second-to-last week of classes so I get to sleep in an hour and leave an hour early! Yes, the school year is fricken LONG here. Sept-Mid July! But elementary school goes from 7:30-1:30 and High school is from 2-6 or 7. As a teacher, it makes you appreciate the three months off in the summer.

I hope all is well wherever you are!