07 September 2010

An ocean in a teacup...

So much has happened in the past few days! I can hardly believe I've only been here for 8 days. I'm in experience overload! Its too hard to describe everything that's happened since I last posted...I'll do a short recap and then highlight some of the best parts!

So, the day that I last posted was full of adventures. I went to a beautiful waterfall called "La Cascada de Peguche". Its about 20 minutes outside of town and so so beautiful! I went with some of the youth that were doing service. They took me on all of these little trails around the waterfall, and the altitude made me short of breath but it was definitely worth it!

After the waterfall, we returned to la casa to eat lunch. Lunch is a very important meal here: everyone eats it, on a fairly strict schedule! It always includes una sopa, a delicious soup, and rice, usually with chicken and some ensalada, or vegetables. And then back into a taxi for the center of town, where we walked through la Plaza de Ponchos, where the famed market is. There were so many textiles, souvenirs, sweaters, and in such bright colors! A feast for the eyes.

That evening, we went into town again to see an amazing parade! They are having a week-long fiesta for...some type of vegetable harvest, I think (I don't remember the name) and as part of that fiesta, they have live music and then a fantastic parade! Tons of people, tons of music (more than 15 marching bands, all playing different music!) dancing...everything from the German community representation with lieder hosen to the indigenous dancing of the Quechua people to the candidates for this year's Miss Otavalo pageant!

The next day was very chill. I stayed at home for most of the day, alone. It was good, I think, because my head gets so full from learning Spanish and everything new...breaks keep me from going into some type of sensory overload shock. In the evening, I drove to Quito with Jorge to meet Maryam at the airport. Its so nice to have someone to share experiences with (and who understands English as well, although we're trying to only speak Spanish to each other in order to accelerate the immersion process...)

Sunday brought Maryam and I into town again to explore. We ran into some of the teachers at the school with their children and brother (who is my age) and they invited us to have "una ensalada de fruta" with them. I was thinking, oh, fruit salad...ok, not my cup of tea, but I'd like to go with them...

I was so wrong about not liking fruit salad. The way they make it in Ecuador? Picture this: a large cupful of strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, cantalope, and nectarines (there were bananas there too, but I couldn't bring myself to eat them...)covered with some type of really thick, really sweat cream. Top that with a spoonfull of sorbet, some delicate gratings of what I think is cheese (it sounds weird, but it was delish!) and a cookie-wafer thing. It was sooooo good!

In the afternoon, we went with Jorge, his mother, his wife, Claudia, and their son Jesse to Ibarra, a larger town 20 minutes to north, to do some shopping at the "Supermaxi", the name for supermarkets here. Traffic was horrible, and it was definitely combat shopping! But it was an experience...

Monday was the first day of school. Here, though, the first day of school is very short...like a half day, only shorter. The students assembled on the basketball court for "la forma", where they all lined up by grade. The school accepts students as young as 2 and a half years old, and its so cute to see all these tiny children in uniforms! La Forma is so the students can hear the morning (weekly?) announcements. I basically stood at the front with the rest of the teachers and tried to comprehend what the speaker was saying. After, we had a meeting with all the teachers. It was good...I guess...Hard to understand at times (most of the time) because of the Spanish though.

We returned home in time to eat lunch before Claudia went to pick up some children and prejóvenes (junior youth) for classes she holds at her house every monday! I listened in on the junior youth group. The class is doing Glimmerings of Hope, so I was able to understand and even contribute a little! And afterwards, Maryam taught them (and me!) part of a dance workshop dance. It was fun! And there are so many different cultures represented in Otavalo!

After the class, we had a little more time to rest, and then accompanied Claudia and Marisela on their appointment to teach the Faith with some of the parents of the children. They showed us the booklet we use: a lot like our Anna's Presetations here! And it was so valuable to be able to hear them speak...even if I couldn't understand all of the words, simply the presentation was so amazing! And prayers in Spanish are so beautiful (I guess they're beautiful in any language...but to hear them in Claudia's perfect Spanish is wonderful!)

Today was my first day of working with students. We're still working out scheduling, but it looks like I'm going to be primarily working with 2nd grade, 4th grade, and the highest level speakers in el colegio (high school).  This week is mostly placement testing for the older students and games for the younger. I had a class with the second graders, with Maryam and Paolo. The children have so much energy, and are so happy! We played "Simon dice" with English words, musical statues, and "pato pato ganso" (duck duck goose). The class had 7 kids. They were very endearing, giving us lots of hugs and always wanting to tell me something.

The high school classes were also good...We had a larger class (15) and today only needed to explain the process of placement testing that would happen the next week. Then we played heads up 7 up and Charades (an entirely new game for them...and I think they were pretty shy to act) while we waited for the bell. I think this class will be more challenging, because the high school students aren't as eager to please, although they are definitely friendly and seemed to enjoy heads up 7 up. But I am eager to start planning lessons and to meet the 4th grade (tomorrow!)

Wow...so much for shorter post. I have too much to describe! Soon, I will tell you about some of the people I've met. They are so welcoming and nice. I am so very lucky to learn all that I am and to be able to help out in some small way. Goodnight!

3 comments:

  1. It sounds wonderful Valerie! I miss fruit, I haven't been able to really find any here, unless you count the occasional banana or orange that is either too ripe or not ripe enough. And did i just hear you say you thought the little 2 and 3 year olds were cute!?

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  2. My little type-these-letters-in-to-make-sure-i'm-not-spam-thing was "rawlab." I just thought that was funny

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