Wow! It's hard to believe that I've been living in Mexico for over two months now! For those of you who don't know, I orginially came to Guadalajara with three goals in mind: (a.) Earn my CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) (b.) Improve my Spanish (c.) Find work as an English teacher It's been a rocky road at times, but I'm happy to report that I've succeeded in achieving all three goals (although my Spanish is of course still a work in progress). I spent my first month here doing the CELTA course at International House, Guadalajara. What an experience! All of us students read online that the course would be intense, but I don't think any of us truly realized just how difficult it would be. Several of us suffered from computer problems (in my case, my computer came down with a virus and the internet stopped functioning at my apartment for over two weeks straight). I'm not sure how I did it, but somehow I was able to finish the course with a passing grade (instead of the dreaded "not to standard"). I am so grateful to have had the support of my fellow classmates and tutors throughout the program. My Spanish has come a long way since I first got here, but I still have a lot to learn! I'm trying to speak in Spanish as much as possible. Luckily there have been many opportunities for this at my new job, where all the training has been in Spanish and I've met many Spanish speaking colleages. School has not officially started yet, but I will be working as a sixth grade teacher at a bilingual school where I will be teaching grammar, spelling, reading, science, and math. Although it would be a lie to say that I'm not nervous, I am also very excited to embark on this new journey!
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I was feeling a bit guilty about not posting anything lately, so here is my attempt to summarize the past 3 weeks. I'm finally starting to settle into something of a schedule. Everyday I leave for classes sometime between 6:30 and 8:00. Traffic has increased now that school has started for everyone, so my hour long trip to school takes more like an hour and a half these days. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have 2 classes: Advanced Grammar and Language and Civilization. Afterwards I grab lunch at one of the cheap restaurants off campus with my conversation partner or my gringo friends, and then I head to the school where I work. When I first started, I would literally spend the whole time tracing coloring pages that looked something like this orange. I didn't hate tracing oranges, but it wasn't exactly how I expected to spend my days at the school. I talked with my supervisor, and she said that on most days after nap time I'll be allowed to play with the children from now on. They are so affectionate and welcoming! Today I got my hair braided, I read el Gato con Botas (Puss in Boots), and I played house. They were very curious little things, one little boy asked me if I was from China! On Tuesdays I have two classes: Language and Film and Service Learning. Language and Film is a gem of a class. We have to watch the movies on our own time outside of class, but two members of my gringo family are in the class so we usually watch them together. Almost every movie we have seen has been filled with drama and violence and death, but I was pleasantly surprised by the last film we watched, Qué Tan Lejos. It was something different, very quirky, and I would recommend it to anyone even slightly interested in Ecuadorian film! My class itself is super fun. On Tuesday our professor made us perform a song for her and we were hilariously terrible. Service Learning is probably my favorite class. It's my only class in English, and I guess it would be similar to a sociology class. Right now we are talking about the educational system of Ecuador and how it could be improved. I'm a nerd but I think it's fascinating. Also the homework load is light, which is highly appreciated, and it's only one day per week. On Thursdays I only have one class, Language and Film. I spend most of Tuesdays and Thursdays in the library. At around 5:00 my friend Clementine and I go rock climbing at a gym in Cumbayá. I'm awful but I think I'm becoming addicted to it. I love it! So that is a typical week for me in a nutshell. I try to have at least one adventure every weekend. Two weekends ago my big adventure was la Fiesta de Bienvenido (the welcome party) hosted by the Ecuabuddies. It was super fun! We took a bus from Cumbayá to San Rafael. The party was at some kind of vacation home/store/warehouse. When we arrived we were split into teams and competed in a series of games and competitions, but after the competitions, things relaxed a bit. Clementine and I spent a good portion of the day climbing trees for avacados. We also got to try fresh oranges and lemons! Other highlights of the day included exploring, a picnic, dancing, climbing on the roof, and making new friends. Happy mojitos (mi equipo-my team) This past weekend I had two big trips. On Saturday I went to Salasaka, an indigenous community, with a group of students from my university. I could have done without the long three hour bus ride, but it was still a pretty fun trip. We did some hiking and learned about how the people in Salasaka make ponchos and plant corn and make tortillas. A couple girls were cleansed by a curandero. I didn't really feel like being showered with spit so I didn't volunteer. I did, however, volunteer to hold the guinea pigs! I wanted to steal them so they wouldn't end up as food, but I didn't know how my host family would have felt about me smuggling 25 guinea pigs into their home. I also had fun playing with one of the little kids who was on the trip with us. Salasaka! (my fingers were cold so I didn't take many pictures) On Sunday, I went on a trip with the Ecuabuddies to Mojanda. It was BEAUTIFUL there, and also a lot of fun! Sam and I got separated from the group (they left without us while we were waiting for our food), and we got lost, but every now again we would see a car and stop them to ask if they'd seen any gringos. Eventually we tracked them down! It was a lot of hiking, which was just what I was hoping for! And I got to practice my Spanish with one of the Ecuabuddies. Nuestro grupo. Photo credits-Sam
Just as I was sitting down to write this, we had a 4.7 magnitude earthquake! It probably only lasted 30 seconds or so, but I was still a bit shaken up (pun intended). Don't worry, I promise I am fine! My host family and I waited in the hallway for it to end. Margarita said that usually during earthquakes everyone gathers outside, but since it was raining we did not see much of a crowd when we looked out the window. Anywho, I just wanted to post some pictures from my hiking adventure yesterday! We went hiking in Cayambe-Coca National Park and in a cloud forest in Papallacta. To top it off we went swimming in Papallacta's natural hot springs. Qué diá fantástico! What a fantastic day! Juan Francisco, our guide, said that we were very lucky to be able to see this mountain! He said that 90% of the time it is covered by clouds. You could also just see the peak of Cotopaxi, Ecuador's highest mountain. Apparently there's some wacky story that Cotopaxi could be considered the tallest mountain on Earth if you measure it in a certain way. There were red things on the shore of the lake, which Juan Francisco said were petals from a religious parade. This was hard to imagine, because this place was so remote from civilization. We didn't see a soul the whole time we were at the park. Juan Francisco said that even Ecuadorians almost never go there. Our poor bus almost didn't make it up the winding gravel roads! The landscape was so surreal; at times it felt like we were on the moon. This is by far the coolest place I have ever been in my entire life. Ahhh I am so lucky! We had to navigate with caution around the antennas because huge chunks of ice were falling off of them. It's funny, I was worried that none of my pictures would turn out. It was so cold (Juan Francisco said that with the wind chill it was 30 degrees Fahrenheit) and I didn't have gloves so my fingers were useless. But I guess some places are just so beautiful that it's impossible to take bad pictures. This was just a random lake that was on the side of the road in Papallacta! We stopped to get off the bus, stretch, and of course take pictures. Juan Francisco kept talking about the elusive Spectacled Bear that lives in these parts. We didn't see any bears, but we did see some alpacas and horses and cows. What lucky animals, I wish I lived somewhere this gorgeous! Next stop: cloud forest! The trails were composed of several feet of mud. Pamela, our other guide, said that one (not so popular) hike that people do consists of SEVEN HOURS of trudging through the mud. After our cloud forest hike, we did the best we could to scrape off our muddy shoes and then it was off to the hot springs! There were several pools, all of varying temperatures. The coldest was pure, ice-cold river water, and the warmest was 90 degrees fahrenheit. We went back and fourth from the 90 degree pool to the river water pool several times. Near the pools, we discovered a river full of boulders and beautiful little waterfalls. Clementine and I went exploring (it was too cold for everyone else) and when we got back Juan Francisco made us completely submerge ourselves in the river! Achachai! (The cooler, quiteño version of brrrrr). We saw many, many hummingbirds, all much bigger than the hummingbirds back home. On the way back, Clementine made us stop at a stand on the side of the road so that she could buy some yogurt. (Side note, the yogurt is very interesting here, it is liquid and comes in a milk jug. Meanwhile, the milk comes in a plastic bag) Anyway, they were so happy to see us!! Everyone on the bus bought something. I bought bizcochos (traditional Ecuadorian cookies) and dulce de leche (which is similar to caramel) for only $3.00.
Yesterday, my gringo family and I went on an adventure to el teleférico, a ski-lift that takes tourists and hikers up to Pichincha Volcano. There are kilometers and kilometers of trails, but we decided to call it a day after hiking up a mountain. Breathing was a bit of a struggle-you could really tell the difference between the 10,00 foot elevation down in Quito and 15,00 foot elevation where we were hiking. We even saw some wildlife up above the tree line, a wild horse and some llamas!
Phew what a long day it has been! I had to wake up at 4:30 this morning (and this was after going to bed late, I didn't get back from the party last night until past 11:00). I left the house at 5:30 and called a taxi to pick me up. The taxi took absolutely forever to arrive, but there was no need to worry about being late since I'm living in Ecuatime. I arrived at el estadio olímpico at 6:00, where I met up with a group of international students for the big trip to Otavalo. The bus was supposed to be there at 6:00 but didn't actually arrive until closer to 6:30. Our first stop was breakfast in Cayambe. I had hot chocolate, a string cheese type of thing, and some kind of hard bread that I dipped in the hot chocolate. After breakfast we went to a lake where we got out of the bus to stretch, walk around, talk, and watch the birds. There were two crazy swimmers having a race in the lake! La cascada de Peguche (the waterfall of Peguche) was the next stop on our adventure. We hiked for quite some time but finally made it to the waterfall. It was beautiful! I climbed almost up to the top and waded in the ice cold water right beneath the falls! We saw a sweet perrito next to the falls. Even though we're not really supposed to pet the dogs here, none of the girls could resist his big eyes! We hiked up a path and past a sign that said "PELIGRO!" next to a cave, where Guadalupe's son Fernando and his friend joined me for a hike! It was super tiny inside, luckily they are both small! After the waterfall hike, we went to lake number two (Lago San Pablo), where we ate lunch and did some more hiking. This lake was formed over a volcanic crater. The water was so blue! I was quite impressed with Julian, Guadelupe's other son. He is only four, but he refused to be left behind while the rest of us went hiking so he joined us for the long walk up the mountain! Finally we left for the market town of Otavalo. We had to take an alternate route because one of the roads was blocked with stones. By the time we got there we only had an hour to shop, which was a pity. I could have easily spent a whole day there! We were all really worried because we were missing one of the girls at the end, but eventually Guadalupe found her. We went to a cheap (but tasty) restaurant and then headed back to Quito, where I hailed a cab (yes, I am quite the city girl now) and went home.
After my daily nap yesterday, I awoke to find that Donato and Margarita were back home! They had been gone for two days on a shopping trip in Colombia. Margarita gave me two helpings of banana cake to celebrate their return. While I ate my cake, Donato and I played plantas vs. zombis (plants vs. zombies), an Ipad game that Donato loves. After the battery died he ran into his room and brought out some clay, and proceeded to replicate some of the plants and zombies from the game. That wasn't enough, so he brought out some of his favorite legos to play with too. In case you were wondering, the clay plants won the battle against the clay zombies and superhero legos.
Later, at about 8:00, I was informed that in 10 minutes we would be leaving for a fiesta. One of Juan Carlos's uncles was having a birthday party in Cumbayá! After about an hour long drive, we arrived at the uncle's house. I had not been told that the uncle lived in a beautiful MANSION. We got out of the car and walked into a room full of people, most of them strangers. I followed Margarita around the circle of strangers as she introduced me to everyone. Someone told me to sit down in a chair that was in an isolated corner of the room. Everyone was talking amongst themselves (I didn't understand much of the conversation since about twenty-five people were all talking at once and no one was bothering to slow down for my benefit). Suddenly, out of nowhere this mariachi band appears in the living room and starts performing right behind me! I was in shock for a few minutes-goodness gracious what was going on? After politely sitting and clapping for the first few songs, someone decided that we should all start dancing! There we were in the living room, dancing to the music of a mariachi band. Juan Carlos said it felt like we were in Mexico! At dinner I sat at a small table in the kitchen with my family and some lady who was somehow related to Juan Carlos. We talked about Pokemon Go, which is one of Donato's passions. The lady was not a fan of Pokemon Go because it causes accidents, but Margarita said she likes that it keeps children active. The abuelo, who seemed ultra cool, had Pokemon Go on his phone and tried to get Donato to go outside to look for Pokemon with him. Donato was scared of the dark though (Margarita said this was because one of the cousins is always scaring Donato and telling him ghost stories). The lady said that Juan Carlos was scared of ghosts when he was little, too. It's official! I'll be working at el centro infantil niños de Quito this semester starting in September. I went to the school after class expecting a really hard job interview in Spanish, but instead the lady I met with just said, "We'd love to have you, you can come in whenever you want after school starts." The school is 20 blocks from my house, so I'll have to figure out transportation, but I'm excited to start! I will mainly be helping out in the classroom and during recess.
In other good news, today marks the third day that I haven't gotten majorly lost! I'm going to try for four days in a row tomorrow, so wish me luck ;) Today I began my classes at USFQ! Overall I would say that it was a pretty good day! Here was my morning schedule:
5:45: Woke up (Classes didn't start until 10. Ordinarily my route should only take me about an hour but I was terrified of getting lost and missing all my classes) 6:35: Left the apartment 6:35-6:50: Lost 7:00: Found my first bus stop and got on. Told the man collecting money that I needed to find a bus that would take me to Cumbayá, and he told me where to get off. First bus ride lasted approximately 5 minutes. 7:00-7:15: Lost again. I had to ask for directions twice because the first man I asked pointed me in the wrong direction. 7:20: Got on bus to Cumbayá 7:45-The bus stopped, and I thought maybe we had arrived. I asked where we were, the man standing next to me didn't know. I asked someone else, he said that we were in Cumbayá next to la universidad. 7:45-7:55: Walked from bus stop to campus entrance. All the students have to show their ID at the gate but since the extranjeros don't have their ID cards yet I was allowed in. 8:00-9:45: Journaled/explored/got lost several times until my first class began at 10:00. I felt like I was in a movie about a really preppy high school. Cliques of students were lingering everywhere. They had taken over all the staircases and pretty much all other available space as well, making it a bit difficult to walk around them. My first class was Gramática Avanzada (Advanced Grammar). It was a little overwhelming but nothing really scary that I've never been exposed to before. And the other students all seem friendly. After that I had Lengua y Civilización (Language and Civilization). As its name implies, this class is focused on history and conversation. I was relieved to see Macie walk in, I am glad that I have a friend in that class! For lunch Macie and I met up with Clementine and Tyler. We ran into some Ecuadorian students who invited us to have lunch with them in the mall! They said they'd like to have lunch with us again on Wednesday, too. After lunch, Tyler and I explored and figured out the wifi and went to the Xerox shop while we waited for Clementine and Macie to finish up with their class. Afterwards on the way to the bus stop, we saw a group of students balancing on a tightrope. Clementine and I asked if we could try too! Neither of us lasted very long haha. We all rode the green bus back to Río Coca together and from there we had to part ways. I got on the right bus, but I accidentally got off too soon. I was very lost, and I asked multiple people for directions. The first couple of people I asked weren't too helpful. One lady was helpful, but she said I was very far away. I followed her directions, but when I saw a cab I took the opportunity and flagged it down. Hopefully getting home will be easier tomorrow! On Sunday, Tyler, Macie, and I met up for an adventure in el centro histórico. We met at la cruz in el Parque Carolina again. This time, I made it there entirely on my own without having to ask anyone for directions! It may have been a small accomplishment, but nevertheless I was proud of myself. We rode a crowded trolebus to a park in the north sector of el centro histórico. Bicyclists were everywhere! There are so many bicyclists out and about on Sundays that they get there own lane of traffic on the streets. After a stroll around the park we walked to a beautiful old cathedral called la Basílica del Voto Nacional. I think that this may have been the same cathedral that I visited on the bus tour, but it looked much different in the daylight and this time I had more time to wander around. For only two dollars per person, we were allowed inside to explore! We definitely got a workout in with all of the stair climbing we did! Dios mío those stairs were never ending! When we thought we were at the top there was a balcony overlooking Quito and the surrounding mountains. It turns out that we weren't quite at the top, not yet anyway. We had to cross a crowded, wooden platform that creaked with every step we took, and after that we had to climb even more stairs to reach the highest tower. At this point, the stairs were so steep it would be more accurate to describe them as ladders. It took three flights of these "ladders" to reach the top of the tower. My heart was pounding (I DON'T like heights) but my eyes were happy! The views were incredible! After exploring nearly every inch of the church, we walked around, talking in the sights and looking for a place to eat. The little restaurant that we decided on was packed. My meal only cost $3 and it was enormous. None of us were able to finish even though we had been starving after exploring the cathedral. Dogs are EVERYWHERE in Quito, many just wandering around without a leash. We saw a tiny little puppy that was just so cute I had to stop and ask if I could pet it. It was a mini pinscher, only 3 months old!
We could have stayed in el centro histórico all day, but since I still desperately needed to buy a phone, we took the trolebus back to Quito for some shopping at CCI. The trip was a success! I withdrew money from an ATM, bought a phone ($40), a water bottle ($20), and some water to tide me over ($.39).
It took me quite some time to find my way back home. The first time I asked for directions, the lady said I had been going in completely the wrong direction. I asked for directions a couple more times and eventually made it home. I am beginning to understand where I live in Quito but still need more practice. Today Margarita showed me how to get from our apartment to Cumbayá (the suburb of Quito where USFQ, my university, is located). Donato and Monse also came along for the adventure. I feel more confident about getting there but am still a little anxious. I was not as focused on memorizing my route as I was with protecting Monse from the crazy Quiteño drivers. (They are LOCO. Taxis squeeze in between buses and apparently it is optional to stop at crosswalks.) Once we arrived in Cumbayá, we went to the a pet store at the mall across from campus. The cages were so tiny. Pobrecitos. The fish were amusing to watch though. Margarita took Donato and Monse to a little park on campus next to a lake while I set out to go find my classrooms. It was super confusing but I found a friendly student to help me. I returned to the park and Donato ran up to me all excited. There were nine turtles in the lake! We stayed in the park for a while to play. Donato and Margarita played catch with the football I gave him. He loves it, he called it el mejor juguete del mundo (the best toy in the world) and he takes it everywhere with him. Meanwhile, Monse and I "fixed" the trees. The lake is surrounded by palm trees, and Monse decided that they would look much better with twigs and leaves jammed in between the ridges of the bark. Donato also brought along his Darth Vader action figure. While Monse and I played "jump off the sidewalk ledge after uno dos tres," Donato played "kill Darth Vader by throwing him at the pavement." Extra points if his legs or head came off. After playing at the park, we went to a little hamburger shop for lunch and then we rode the bus back home. Monse was so tired, she fell asleep on my lap. She is precious! Getting off the bus was confusing because we had yell "gracias!" to get off at a certain point, we don't get off at an actual stop. And then we had to walk a few blocks to get back to the apartment. Ah well, eventually I will learn.
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Hola, soy olivia.After living in the Midwest my whole life, I packed my bags and moved south to Guadalajara, Mexico where I'm working as an English teacher and studying Spanish. Keep posted to hear about all my adventures!
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