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
4 Comments
9/22/2016 08:19:17 am
I can just picture you with a backpack full of Guinea pigs!
Reply
Olivia Heffron
9/22/2016 02:42:59 pm
Oh, believe me, I was tempted!
Reply
Rebecca :)
9/23/2016 05:24:15 pm
I just figured out that you can comment! You look like you are having a great time!!! :) Love all your stories and pictures!
Reply
Olivia Heffron
9/26/2016 07:06:03 am
Thank you, Rebecca!! I hope you're having a fabulous time at Truman as well ;)
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
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!
Archives
August 2018
Categories |