Cumbaya + Sushi Lessons

Hi all!
I cant believe it has been a month since I've updated my blog. I apologize! I have a couple things to update you on, and otherwise everythings the same! Today i went to Cumbaya (a city outside of Quito where Zita's daughter, Romina, works). She works at the University of San Francisco as a teacher so Zita and I went with the baby (Romina's daughter) to visit and take a look at the school. It was beautiful and we happened to visit on "Pirate Day" where all the students and teachers HAD to dress up as a pirate or consequences would ensue. Any student who was not in costume was subject to an extra test, and any teacher who came sans pirate attire was liable to watch his/her entire class walk out the door before it even began. The car ride down the mountain was absolutely beautiful but unfortunately i wasnt able to snap very many photos because i had the 9 month of baby on my lap. Here in Ecuador it seems that car seats are a rarity. Often times young children/babies are just held on the lap of someone in the car - even in the front seat!
A couple days ago was Zita's son-in-laws (Romina's husband and the baby's father) birthday. The celebration was held here at the house and a sushi chef came and taught us all how to make our own sushi. It's a much easier process than i ever expected. I'd love to make it at home but i'm not sure where to find the special rice that is needed. I made both kinds (rice surrounded by the seaweed, and rice on the outside). I'm going to attach a photo of my most elegant creation - a california roll!

my beautiful sushi roll ha ha!

Everything at work is the same, I have stayed with the same class of 4-5 year olds and whereas at the beginning it was a bit difficult because of the language barrier, it's become a lot easier to communicate with them as well as reprimand and establish my position as a teacher.
Below are a few photos from the drive to cumbaya.

drive to cumbaya

drive to cumbaya

A bit of chaos..

Today was quite an eventful day. For the first time since i began work, i overslept and woke up at the time i was supposed to be walking out the door. Getting dressed quickly, i was ready to head out within 15 minutes. As i was about to leave, Zita called me in and suggested i dont go to work. She directed my attention to the TV where i saw a live image of crowds of policemen, angrily swarming around the Presidents house in Ecuador. Apparently, yesterday (wednesday) a bill was passed which took away quite a few of the benefits offered to Civil Service workers and because of this, the entire police force of Ecuador went on strike. As the day progressed, so did the political excitement and danger. While trying to speak with the police protestors, the President was grabbed and pelted with water and tear gas. Without admitting defeat, he said "If you want to kill me, here i am." He was eventually transported to a hospital and the whole event seemed stable for the time being. Looting began in a few places due to the lack of police backup and security, and most businesses and all schools were closed for the day. The police took over most highways and also shut down the airport, stranding over 700 passengers. Mid-afternoon, i walked out on my balcony and could see smoke rising from various parts of the city. Images of the police burning rubber tires everywhere to create smoke, barracades, and fear are all over the TV. At this moment, the President is still in the hospital and everything else seems to be the same as it has been all day. Thankfully no violent rioting has broken out. Keep you posted!

work work work!

Hi everyone,

Photo by Me!

sorry i havent updated my blog in so long. i got sick this past week and the doctors here are still working on figuring out whats wrong. i had to take a couple days off of work but im back as of now and feeling better! i still help out with the class of 4/5 year olds and it's going great. the kids are so sweet and my spanish is improving quickly by being around them and having such a language barrier because they dont speak any english. In ecuador, kids are required to take English once they enter grades school (Colegio) so i offered to teach a few simple words to give our class a headstart with the language. The teacher ("Tia Yolli") was thrilled because kids rarely get the opportunity to learn from a native speaker.  i've begun to teach just a few simple words such as colors, fruits, family members etc. The kids are loving it and being so young, their memories are fresh! I havent had time to travel around or go on many trips because by the time the weekend rolls around, im exhausted and just want to sleep. Everything's going well and i'll try to post more soon! Here are some photos i took of the kids at the centre.

cutie!

Valentina

naptime

First day of work!

Today was my first day of work at the Center. It went really well! The bus trip is about 30 minutes in total [i have to switch buses midway] and the school is located in a very nice quiet neighborhood in Northern Quito. Today i worked with a class of 4 year olds (there were 21 in total) and they were all adorable and sweet (with a few trouble makers mixed in). I am the only volunteer at the school so i can choose to work anywhere i'd like. As of right now, i think i want to stay with the 4 year old age group although the center does provide school for 6 month olds to 6 year olds. The kids spend a lot of time outdoors and are served lunch and snack. It was a lot of work serving the food and watching over the 21 students so i didnt have time to eat, but the food looked delicious! I know im going to fall in love with the kids and hate to leave them when the time comes. Didnt bring my camera today but i will soon and will post pictures ASAP.

Otavalo (Market)

On sunday, Karina and I took a bus trip to Otavalo (a town/city outside of Quito). There's a huge well-known market held there every Saturday. The bus trip was 2.5 hours and cost only $2.00. The market was similar to the one in Quito but had many more booths and things to see. Most of the vendors were wearing traditional Ecuadorian dress so it was really a cultural experience! I learned that most vendors will offer you an extremely high price and you have to barter and make the price lower or you'll get ripped off. I found a couple things to bring back with me as gifts, including these beautiful Alpaca blankets. I ran into a woman named Renee Blodgett from NY who runs a website comprised of peoples travel blogs from all over the world. Her site is weblogtheworld.com so check it out! I have tons more photos but they take about 10 minutes each to upload to the blog so I'm only posting a few:

Corn for sale!

Wool!

Alpaca wool blankets

The mountain on the way to the market

Market

Today i went with Karina (the sister of Zita's son-in-law... follow me?) to the same market that i checked out before. We spent a long time just looking around and again i came out having spent less than $15.00! This time i brought my camera and was able to snap a few photos of a few of the booths..

Hand Painted plates

Hand Carved Wooden items

Pretty flower

Earring heaven!

Scarves! there are hundreds of scarf booths. $2.00 each!

It's been a while..

Hi all, sorry i haven't been writing on the daily. Not much has happened here as of yet, ive just been getting settled in and getting to know my surroundings a bit. Every day i go to spanish class for 3 hours and so far thats going great! Yesterday and today, Sebastian (project coordinator in Ecuador) and I had to run around between the bank, the immigration center etc in order to register my visa and obtain an Ecuadorian ID. It only costs $4.00 to get an ID here! Ive gotten used to the bus route and basically know my way around the area. On sunday i went to a market to look around and was proud when i emerged with only a few pairs of earrings (will post picture). I had to resist buying many things because thats the first market ive been to and i know there will be plenty more. I havent taken many pictures outside of the house/neighborhood because i dont want my camera getting stolen but once i am out with other people, i will post photos. The food here at the house is super healthy and is a mix between Ecuadorian food and Chilean food (Zita is from Chile). There is a different type of soup every day and tons of vegetables. My eating habits have made a complete turn around! Ive also taken to drinking tea at least once a day, usually with every meal. Miss everyone lots!

Earrings from the market. $1.00 each!

"Trumpet Flower" on my balcony

 

 

 

Huge aloe plants outside the house!