Here is the experience of Jugo de Mora:
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| YUM |
25 January 2011
Ode to Jugo De Mora
Okay, so this isn't a fruit (It's actually a fruit derivative, to you calculus fans) and it isn't a mystery. But it is DELISH DELISH DELISH. It probably just became my favorite drink--even on top of chocolate milk.
Here is the experience of Jugo de Mora:
Yeah, I know. It looks like a third-world blood donor bag. But they don't really use cups here, at least not when you buy things at a tienda. Instead, juice, milk, and yoghurt come in plastic bags. And I'm not going to lie, it was pretty difficult getting used to ripping a hole in the corner of a bag and sucking out the juice like some type of fruitarian vampire. But now I really like it. And mora, or blackberries, are so delicious. Whoever decided to start eating this fruit is my hero, and Ecuadorians are my hero for having jugo de mora, yogur de mora, and fresh mora everywhere. Hooray for mora!
Here is the experience of Jugo de Mora:
24 January 2011
A sporadic photo booth moment
Hey! New socks!
In other news, I love ebooks, especially ones called Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, who is probably my literary hero.
In even other news, I was forced to buy bubble gum (they don't accept credit cards if the purchase is less than 10 dollars) at the supermarket, and have I mentioned how much I love bubbles?
In other news, I love ebooks, especially ones called Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, who is probably my literary hero.
In even other news, I was forced to buy bubble gum (they don't accept credit cards if the purchase is less than 10 dollars) at the supermarket, and have I mentioned how much I love bubbles?
20 January 2011
Trials and Victories
Today was one of the best days of Colegio I've had this year. I've had a more fun day (like the time we played frisbee with Maryam's class, or the time we just played Save the Fox the whole time). But today, it was just a regular English class. I mean, we actually did work. But my students paid attention. They actually seemed to be enjoying it, in an infinitesimally small way. They listened during the listening section, they spoke when I asked them questions, and only one of them asked to go to the bathroom once. When they didn't know an answer, it wasn't because they hadn't been listening 5 seconds ago when I said the answer three times. Everyone had at least attempted to do their homework, and one of the students who always copies his homework, didn't. And one of the girls who I was pretty sure hated me actually made eye contact and smiled. Yes, people, this is a victory.
Lets back up. Lets back up to here, a few months ago. Where it was a struggle to have them actually acknowledge me coming into the class. Where I saw having them make fun of my Spanish accent as a success because it meant they were engaging with me. And we could back up to here, where a student cheated on my test, and compromised it, so everyone had to retake it, which I wasn't even as bummed as I should've been about it because over half the class failed it anyways.
And then this trimester? Tamia doubled her test score. Everyone improved (except, not ironically, the one who cheated). My students will say "hi" to me in passing--or "hola," rather, they still refuse to use English outside of class. I think the idea of staying in class during class, and not taking 15 minute "bathroom breaks" has finally been fixed in their consciousness enough so they only ask me once or twice a class, instead of the 15, arm-tugging, whining times of last semester.
I attribute this success to divine confirmations, my family, and me not losing hope. My mom and dad have both shared a bunch of tips, of which some of the most useful have been written expectations and warm-ups before class. (a thank you as well to some very generous Alaskans who enabled me to buy each student a warm-up notebook, which was the first 100% participation assignment I'd had!) Maryam, too, supports me an amazing amount--I'm lucky to have someone who is going through very similar challenges as I am.
I still feel exhausted after every colegio day. I still feel like a fish swimming upstream, fighting against a school culture of Minimum Effort and a Bureau of Education that says a 55-65% is an "average" student. It still bothers me that a huge majority of the students, a huge majority of the time, do not "Have their Learn On". But this is an improvement, and so I am happy.
Lets back up. Lets back up to here, a few months ago. Where it was a struggle to have them actually acknowledge me coming into the class. Where I saw having them make fun of my Spanish accent as a success because it meant they were engaging with me. And we could back up to here, where a student cheated on my test, and compromised it, so everyone had to retake it, which I wasn't even as bummed as I should've been about it because over half the class failed it anyways.
And then this trimester? Tamia doubled her test score. Everyone improved (except, not ironically, the one who cheated). My students will say "hi" to me in passing--or "hola," rather, they still refuse to use English outside of class. I think the idea of staying in class during class, and not taking 15 minute "bathroom breaks" has finally been fixed in their consciousness enough so they only ask me once or twice a class, instead of the 15, arm-tugging, whining times of last semester.
I attribute this success to divine confirmations, my family, and me not losing hope. My mom and dad have both shared a bunch of tips, of which some of the most useful have been written expectations and warm-ups before class. (a thank you as well to some very generous Alaskans who enabled me to buy each student a warm-up notebook, which was the first 100% participation assignment I'd had!) Maryam, too, supports me an amazing amount--I'm lucky to have someone who is going through very similar challenges as I am.
I still feel exhausted after every colegio day. I still feel like a fish swimming upstream, fighting against a school culture of Minimum Effort and a Bureau of Education that says a 55-65% is an "average" student. It still bothers me that a huge majority of the students, a huge majority of the time, do not "Have their Learn On". But this is an improvement, and so I am happy.
18 January 2011
THE BEST WIDGET EVER
Firstly: Widgets are fabulous. Just the name widget is worth paying attention to. And then the widgets themselves are very cool. Such as the countdown widget that tells me exactly how long until my amazing friends , other amazing friends, and sister come visit me. Or the fish widget that is like those old tamagachi toys except you don't have to clean up their poop.
Secondly: Maps are fabulous. Mercator, Projection, Political, Physical, any type of map is kind of amazing. Especially of the world, because things look so close together. Even Ecuador and Alaska are only a hand span apart...even the distance between Alaska and South Africa can be traversed in a quick spin. And maps are informative, without throwing information at you in the face. They have keys, little treasure maps to knowledge that will tell you everything you need to know with out understanding textbook definitions. They're colorful, and real.
Thirdly: When you put together two fabulous things (See: Firstly and Secondly) you get this widget (lovingly shown to me by Emily):
ITS AMAZING. Click on it if you want one. And how could you not? Its like blogger stats, but 3D-ified and instantaneous. Its brilliant. I feel like Joey Lucas on Election day. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Secondly: Maps are fabulous. Mercator, Projection, Political, Physical, any type of map is kind of amazing. Especially of the world, because things look so close together. Even Ecuador and Alaska are only a hand span apart...even the distance between Alaska and South Africa can be traversed in a quick spin. And maps are informative, without throwing information at you in the face. They have keys, little treasure maps to knowledge that will tell you everything you need to know with out understanding textbook definitions. They're colorful, and real.
Thirdly: When you put together two fabulous things (See: Firstly and Secondly) you get this widget (lovingly shown to me by Emily):
ITS AMAZING. Click on it if you want one. And how could you not? Its like blogger stats, but 3D-ified and instantaneous. Its brilliant. I feel like Joey Lucas on Election day. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
15 January 2011
14 January 2011
12 January 2011
Happy New Year!
Hi blog-followers...I have been meaning to blog recently, really. Its just that I've been BUSY. But it's been a good, rewarding type of busy, which I will describe in detail, in the form of TOP 10 THINGS ABOUT THE NEW YEAR SO FAR*:
10. In Ecuador, people make muñecos for the Año Nuevo. These are like scarecrows, but they're made to look like people the maker doesn't like (lots of policemen, presidents, etc) Then, at midnight, they burn these muñecos. This may sound a little offensive, burning a life-size doll of a president with explosives in the head...but they also make signs of things that worry them, or that they don't like about themselves. And they burn those as well. It symbolizes getting rid of the bad parts of the old year. And I have missed bonfires.
9. I'm pretty sure the Bus Driver Who Hates Us has decided his New Year's Resolution is to be nice to the Gringitas. Also, I learned his name, which is Chávez. And no, the irony of a dictatorial, you-will-now-be-dropped-off-HERE bus driver named Chávez did not escape me. But anyways, he says hello to us in the mornings, and doesn't randomly come 10 minutes early anymore. So far.
8. The first email I got on the first was from skype saying I got free credit. And it wasn't just a scam, I actually got free credit. Can you say, good omen?
7. I would say there's about a 38% increase in the attention span of my colegio class. And all except one of them improved on the test retake. And today, a few of my students who never pay attention actually asked a question!
6. Wladimir, and Rosita, and Mauro are back! Which means we have lots of company, and friends, and come home after school to a ready-and-waiting lunch!
5. PEOPLE ARE COMING TO VISIT ME IN 2011!!!! I am speaking of EMILY, and ELIKA, and my sister CORI! And so I am getting very excited. Well, I already was very excited, I'm just getting more and more and more and more and more excited now!
4. Maryam got a ukulele--a really nice one too--from her parents. Can you say, ukulele duos?
3. José Luis (our neighbor) is back from a long trip to Haifa, and so I get to relish in oohing and ahhing at the brilliance of his family reunited, and also have his brilliant counsel and just...presence. He's such an amazing person and I live right next to a huge wealth of knowledge and deepening to help me when I'm confused or frustrated, or invite me to devotionals, or chat with over dinner! Also, he takes us swimming with his family, which is fun.
2. I figured out thanks to close relatives of Elika that I can check out library books from the online library in Alaska and download them onto my computer! New reading opportunities!
1. The Spanish is getting around to proportions where I can understand people from the coast, like Wlad, and I tune in to conversations around me, which I heretofore tuned out because of the work it would take to try to understand them. Which seriously makes me a very happy camper. And sometimes I'll even talk to Maryam in Spanish because it comes to my mind more easily if I'm thinking, for instance, about talking to someone in Spanish. And sometimes I'll be remembering what I said and can't remember if it was in English or Spanish (I think this is a good thing, but I could just be forgetful).
So thats 2011 for me so far. I hope yours is just as good, or better!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
* And yes, I understand that we're only 12 days in. But honestly, these past 12 days have been almost the best of my time here (despite being sick for 4 of them), hence the happy-list.
10. In Ecuador, people make muñecos for the Año Nuevo. These are like scarecrows, but they're made to look like people the maker doesn't like (lots of policemen, presidents, etc) Then, at midnight, they burn these muñecos. This may sound a little offensive, burning a life-size doll of a president with explosives in the head...but they also make signs of things that worry them, or that they don't like about themselves. And they burn those as well. It symbolizes getting rid of the bad parts of the old year. And I have missed bonfires.
9. I'm pretty sure the Bus Driver Who Hates Us has decided his New Year's Resolution is to be nice to the Gringitas. Also, I learned his name, which is Chávez. And no, the irony of a dictatorial, you-will-now-be-dropped-off-HERE bus driver named Chávez did not escape me. But anyways, he says hello to us in the mornings, and doesn't randomly come 10 minutes early anymore. So far.
8. The first email I got on the first was from skype saying I got free credit. And it wasn't just a scam, I actually got free credit. Can you say, good omen?
7. I would say there's about a 38% increase in the attention span of my colegio class. And all except one of them improved on the test retake. And today, a few of my students who never pay attention actually asked a question!
6. Wladimir, and Rosita, and Mauro are back! Which means we have lots of company, and friends, and come home after school to a ready-and-waiting lunch!
5. PEOPLE ARE COMING TO VISIT ME IN 2011!!!! I am speaking of EMILY, and ELIKA, and my sister CORI! And so I am getting very excited. Well, I already was very excited, I'm just getting more and more and more and more and more excited now!
4. Maryam got a ukulele--a really nice one too--from her parents. Can you say, ukulele duos?
3. José Luis (our neighbor) is back from a long trip to Haifa, and so I get to relish in oohing and ahhing at the brilliance of his family reunited, and also have his brilliant counsel and just...presence. He's such an amazing person and I live right next to a huge wealth of knowledge and deepening to help me when I'm confused or frustrated, or invite me to devotionals, or chat with over dinner! Also, he takes us swimming with his family, which is fun.
2. I figured out thanks to close relatives of Elika that I can check out library books from the online library in Alaska and download them onto my computer! New reading opportunities!
1. The Spanish is getting around to proportions where I can understand people from the coast, like Wlad, and I tune in to conversations around me, which I heretofore tuned out because of the work it would take to try to understand them. Which seriously makes me a very happy camper. And sometimes I'll even talk to Maryam in Spanish because it comes to my mind more easily if I'm thinking, for instance, about talking to someone in Spanish. And sometimes I'll be remembering what I said and can't remember if it was in English or Spanish (I think this is a good thing, but I could just be forgetful).
So thats 2011 for me so far. I hope yours is just as good, or better!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
* And yes, I understand that we're only 12 days in. But honestly, these past 12 days have been almost the best of my time here (despite being sick for 4 of them), hence the happy-list.
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