Busy, Busy Busy!

Things have been going great here and I have been so busy traveling, studying, and now I have been doing observations and volunteering in the school here, that I have had no time to write! Plus, the Internet here can be very difficult!



I am very excited to report that the school here is going to also have me work with teachers to help support and improve their teaching. Hopefully I can give them some great support and really make a small impact on the school. This is going to give me a lot of great insight on teaching pedagogy in Latin America and how it differs from teacher training in the U. S.  I am extremely lucky by how eager they were to have me in their school community. I will definitely be writing more about this soon and posting pictures. It would be great to have a school contact here and help the community build their English program in their schools because right now this school doesn't have a single English teacher and tourism is huge in this town. There are very few people here that speak English and it would be extremely beneficial to the children's job possibilities.


Ohhh and lastly, yesterday a cockroach flew into my hair; I almost died!

Montanita: Week One

For starters, this past week in Montanita has been EXTREMELY busy! Spanish class has been great, but extremely tiring. I decided for next week I would take some private classes to fill in some of the gaps in my learning. I tried surfing again this week and although the waves here are for advanced learners, I have been having fun trying to do something new and extremely different.

I have noticed that because this is such a small town and you see the same people over and over again my comfort in speaking Spanish is different. When we were in Banos and Guayaquil I knew I was never going to see anyone again, but here I am much more shy when speaking because fI see the same people over and over.

Montanita is one of the most eclectic places I have ever been to. There are people from all over the world that come here for many different things, but most of the people are from South America. So, it’s been very interesting meeting people from all over South America, getting to hear their different Spanish accents, hearing their political views and also seeing the similarities they all share.

Yesterday was by far, the most exciting day I have had here. First thing in the morning we took a bus to Puerto Lopez from there we went on a whale watch that later took us to isla de plata, which translates to Silver Island or Island of Silver. This is also known as the “Poor Man’s Galapagos.” On the whale watch, which was my very first, we saw so many whales. It was amazing. The hike around the island was definitely good exercise, but unfortunately we are in the winter season here so everything was pretty dry and it was very overcast and a bit chilly. We took the boat back to Puerto Lopez and I bought an oil and some incense known as palosanto. It is made from a tree on the island and in the jungle that is known to be therapeutic and also keep away insects. The only downer on the trip was arriving to the port to see huge shark fins being sold on the beach. I was unaware of this, but like in Asia, fisherman shark hunt and take the fins from the sharks and throw the shark back in the water to die. It’s a hard concept to grasp when this country has so many starving people, and animals. One of the hardest things for me here is all the stray dogs. There are more dogs here than in the Dominican Republic and these dogs are also EXTREMELY loving. Basically I feel like the dog whisperer when I walk down the street because all the dogs are staring to realize I am a total sucker and will give them my leftover food. This past Friday night I found a kitten at our hostel, probably only about 4 weeks old. It had a bracelet around it and one of the girls here, Julia, thought it belonged to an artisan downtown. So we walked the kitten downtown, gave it back to the owner and within three hours the kitten was back at the hostel; they had purposefully abandoned it.  So for the past few days it has stayed at the hostel and I have been feeding it. The good news is that I was able to find a home for her!! One of the best surfers in town happens to like cats and he was sold right when he saw her! Thank you Carlos!!! I will definitely take a picture of her the next time I see her!

Not doing too much today. It’s a rainy day so I am going to catch up on homework and sleep because come tomorrow I have another busy week!

Isla de Plata

Montanita!

I have been in Montanita since Sunday night and I am now feeling a bit of the fatigue that goes along with non-stop action packed planning. Yesterday was a full day of 4-hour Spanish lessons and two-hour surf lessons. I am exhausted! Montanita is amazing. It is literally like a flashback to 1972. It's a small surf town with locals and foreigners playing music barefoot in the streets, selling jewelry, and riding down the street on beach cruisers, carrying surfboards. The food is international and there are plenty of vegetarian options, which I am extremely thankful for. The downside is that it is winter here and so it’s pretty cold and rainy, not to mention grey, but the weather changes here and we are supposed to have sun tomorrow

Today I am just trying to relax a little, maybe go to yoga, and have an early night. I am eager to check out the schools here and also explore some of the Northern Coast that harbors an amazing island that is very similar to the Galapagos, but a fraction of the price.


The language acquisition process is different for everyone, but one thing that I think is universal is the immersion process and the headaches it brings. Today my head is feeling fine, which I know means I haven't been listening to or talking enough Spanish, but like I said, I need a little break. Entonces, right now this is all I have. I will take some pictures tonight and tomorrow and will hopefully be visiting the schools here next week.

Adios Banos!

The best part of Banos was yesterday. We went horseback riding around the ACTIVE volcano called Tungurahua and got to get a great history lesson about the town. I think the active volcano was safer than me actually riding a horse, but luckily I didn’t fall off. Pablo, our instructor and guide told us all about how there are fifteen people around the volcano that have walkie-talkies so they can notify one another about the volcano’s activity. In 2006 there was a huge explosion that killed five people, but because of the walkie-talkies, most people were safe and no one in the town was harmed.

Riding a horse was amazing, but the best part was being able to practice speaking Spanish with Pablo and learn about how the town really operates. Once we were done horseback riding we got to hangout with his nephews that were eight and eleven. It is amazing to me how well behaved the children are here. They live an extremely simple life, especially in the mountains. Because of this, they are able to sit on a six-hour bus without gameboys and iPods or even coloring books. They are so polite and sweet and timid. I took a picture of Pablo’s nephews with my Polaroid camera and getting to see them attentively watch the picture develop was just so eye opening. It was like I had given them one million dollars. I let them keep the picture and they were so sweet and grateful. I definitely already see a huge difference in the children here compared to the children born in the United States. It is amazing what environment and a wealthy nation can to do a child’s development and personality.

That night we went to the baths. "The baths" are hot baths that are heated by the volcano throughout the town, giving the town its name. The one we went to was at the bottom of a huge waterfall facing the town. It was pretty amazing; you could smell the naturalness of the water, no heaters, and no chemicals. Unfortunately, I think everyone in the town was there, so we didn’t stay too long. Plus, we had to prepare for our 10-hour bus ride to Montanita!

Sunday Evening
I think today was when my romance with Ecuador hit the real life phase of traveling around in a developing country. We got up at 5 am to get the 6 am bus, which would bring up back to Guayaquil. Then our plan was to take a transfer to another bus that would take us to Montanita. Well, first the bus was an hour and a half late and we were waiting on the side of the road for about two hours, plus the ride was equally as nauseating. On top of that, eating in Latin American as a non meat eater can be extremely difficult and frustrating. My stomach and I are hanging by a thread right now. However, overall we have had a pretty painless experience so far, I am just eager to get to Montanita, start classes and unpack my suitcase! I think this is called culture shock? Aye Dios!

Last Days in Banos

Vamos a Banos!

Thursday we spent our last night in Guayaquil and were off by bus, to Banos at 5:30 am on Friday. We spent the night walking down the Malecon, which is a newly renovated boardwalk the has lots of parks, restaurants, and theaters and is on the water. It was pretty impressive, but I am partial to more of the traditional areas of cities. We ended up walking around the neighborhood of Las Penas, which is the historical area of Guayaquil and it was beautiful. It reminded me of southern Spain with its terracotta rooftops and white washed buildings, although; Las Penas also had a Central American feel to it with many of its buildings having bright yellow and green colors. This area of the city if located on a large hill and it over looks the water, the Malecon, and much of the city. We were definitely surprised by how steep the incline was, but it was beautiful. For dinner I finally got to have some ceviche, which is one of the most delicious foods in the word, and is usually made with raw seafood marinated in a lime, cilantro sauce. DELICIOUS. I happen to love it with shrimp. After dinner we went back to the hostel to pack and get ready for the seven and a half hour bus ride to Banos.

This picture is me on the Malecon with Las Penas in the background.

 Las Penas

View from the top. 

Lets just say I wasn’t expecting the ride to be so windy. We rode into the Sierra, which is the mountainous region of Ecuador.  Along the way, I saw huge lush mountains, we rode through clouds, small towns with villagers hopping on the bus trying to sell fruit, drinks, you name it, but somewhere along the way the narrowness of the road, combined with the speed of the driving, definitely got me a little nauseous. When we finally got to Banos we decided we had to do exactly what Banos is for, which is fun and relaxation. A massage and a good meal later and I was feeling great.

I am not sure if this specific indigenous attire is common in all of Ecuador or just the Sierra, but there were some of the most interesting people I have ever seen in my life. I think this specific type of person lives in the mountains in the Sierra. They are under five feet tall and wear a type of hat I have never seen in my life, but it is similar to a fadora, a wool blanket/ scarf around their shoulders, their skin is darker than most here, and they are usually carrying crops or supplies with them. One woman at the bus terminal let me take a picture of her, which is posted below. They were just amazing.

More about Banos later, time for class!!!

Guayaquil here we are!

 

So after an unexpectedly loooooong flight with Delta we made it to Guayaquil after 14 hours of traveling! We got here around 1 am and I was greeted with extremely friendly Ecuadorians and a mild, but humid temperature. It seems to me that the people here don't speak a lot of English, which in my case is much better because it forces me to speak Spanish. I find myself having to rephrase things, think of new ways of saying things and using words I know to describe words I don't know. These are all things that are important for language development and something I really try to support my students with, even though I might know what they are trying to say.

After a very pleasant cab ride through the street of Guayaquil I noticed how clean the streets were, but by one in the morning, very empty. This morning I woke up to a rather loud breakfast happening outside my room, but pushed myself to KEEP SLEEPING! At about 9 am Bridget and I got up to get ourselves a betida. A betida is a delicious tropical juice drink that is somewhat like a smoothie. It has condensed milk blended with fruit. I had papaya and it brought me right back to the streets of the Dominican Republic trying to cool down with a fresh drink. We walked around the city today for about three hours. We went to a park that had iguanas in trees, on the ground, on benches; they were all over the place! Then we walked to an artisan market where I got to definitely practice some Spanish and bought a pancho!

So far, I find the Ecuadorian people polite and patient. Even in the market they were not pushy; they even laughed at a few of my Spanish jokes. It is really amazing to see the similarities and differences in the culture here to the other Spanish speaking countries I have been to.

I just got back to the hostel for some food and I am now going to take a quick siesta. Tomorrow we are going to get up at 5 am to get an early bus that will take us to Banos. The bus ride should be about seven hours. Not looking forward to the bus ride, but I am looking forward to watching the picturesque view of the Sierra (central Ecuador) pass through my widow. Here is a link to where we will be staying. I hope to try horseback riding around a volcano! Banos also offers hot springs, climbing, canyoning, and even more. I am VERY excited to get there!

http://www.hosteltrail.com/hosteriaisladebanos/

Some pictures of Guayaquil: Iguanas, Meat Market, and Everyday City Living   

Meat Market a Vegetarian's Dream!

 

Leaving soon

In just under a week I will be leaving for Ecuador with my friend and colleague Bridget. We will be traveling for three weeks together and then I will go solo for my last week in Ecuador. I am so looking forward to hearing the sounds of merengue and bachata in the streets, poking through the artisan markets, and eating ceviche everyday.

First stop Guayaquil! Here is a link to the ORGANIC hostal we will be staying at for two nights! Lots of exclamation points because I am very excited. Finamente!

http://www.manso.ec/