Hello everyone! Here is a synopsis of my adventures since I left home:
I arrived Saturday night after a full day of traveling without any major hitches, very nice!! Here’s a picture of my farewell crew at the Madison airport.
Sunday, my wonderful roommate, Cami, and I ran all over town with a few other teachers. We browsed a mall (there are a lot here, I’ve been to 3 so far), I bought a phone (I still don’t really know how to use it, I have yet to make a call). Then we went to one of the Ecuadorian teacher’s apartments for lunch, delicious! After that we went to El Mitad del Mundo, the center of the world. It was really fun and cute; I felt like a tourist. Here are some pictures.
After Cami and I said goodbye to the other teachers and took the bus back home, we walked to the grocery store, which is just a few blocks away. Going to grocery stores in foreign countries is always fun, so I was excited to experience it in Quito. It was small and had interesting things, such as huge packages of liver and chicken stomach lining. Good thing I brought peanut butter. Cami and I made chicken with rice and peanut butter sauce for dinner and watched a movie.
Monday was my first day at school, and I worked on my lesson plans the whole time. Everyone was busy getting ready for Wednesday, the first day of school.
Tuesday after school, we ate hamburgers in the food court at the mall, they were so good, but I missed ketchup a little bit. And when we were done, I brought a tray to the garbage that was right by our table, and a worker rushed over to take it from me, and Cami started laughing because you don’t bus your own trays here, I’m still learning.
Today was the second day of school, and I taught my first class by myself; I think it went pretty well. I am teaching quite a myriad of classes: fifth grade science, third, fourth, and tenth grade speaking (it correlates with the science classes), and ninth grade international culture, all in English. Tomorrow, the elementary school kids start, so I will have a full day of classes (I feel like I’m in back in college when I say that).
Cami and I have went to the market twice so far, the first time I bought a necklace for $3, and the second time, I didn’t buy anything, but I got lots of ideas for all of your Christmas presents! On the way home from both market trips, we stopped at a few stores, and we now have drinking glasses and food storage containers!
We live in a big apartment complex that’s really close to a lot of stores and businesses. Our apartment is really nice, I’ll post some pictures soon. I got a cool bedspread at store called Rose, and now my room is all set up, with plenty of pictures hanging on the walls. Oh, and our complex has a pool, steam room, and sauna! The downside is that it’s not open everyday, and we have to pay $2 to use it, but I am so happy I can still take saunas here!
I think my Spanish is improving, but I wish I was fluent right away, I don’t like it when I don’t understand people, and I just stare at them with a blank face and say, que?
I’m a little bit homesick, and I miss you all! But overall, I’m having a great time, staying busy, and staying safe. Thank you so much for all your prayers!
Hey kelli!! I miss you! i hope that teaching is going well for you. It sounds like a tough job. Keep working hard :-) It will be fun once you get to really know the kids.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are enjoying spending time with your roommate, too. i wish i could come and visit you soon. i think it would be fun even though i do not speak spanish well.
Take care and I miss you!! xo
kristina