The purpose of this post is to acknowledge the strong women who have helped me through my journey in Ecuador.
I have only seventeen days left in Ecuador and it's about time I thank all my mothers who have taken me under their wings, fed me hot meals cooked with love, hugged me without restraint and given me shelter during the most difficult times.
The women I've met and bonded with here in Ecuador are the strongest people I've met in my 37 years. I think of these women as my mothers. I now have Ecuadorian, Canadian and American (from the US) mothers who have helped me through the tough times, celebrated with me through the awesome times and experienced the twists and turns presented by daily life in South America.
Men are great. I love my dad, my uncles, my brother, my boyfriend, my friends who are boys :) and all of the rest of you guys out there, but to be honest, the strongest people I have been lucky to meet are women and a lot of them are here in Ecuador. You have to admit, it takes guts to just move here and then you have to figure out how to survive in a society that's still very machista.
My life changed a lot when I came here and I'm about to make the next biggest change in my life when I return to the US in two and a half weeks. I'll be unemployed, homeless and without a car but ready to start student teaching in August with a fire inside me, inspired in part by the amazing women I've had the fortune to meet during these last ten months. Thank you to all of you.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Survival of the Fittest
I taught a new class this week. Another English teacher asked me to lead a writing workshop. I was very excited about it and spent much of the weekend planning our activities. I will lead a two-part workshop to two separate groups of students. I lead part one for the first group on Tuesday and will work with the second group tomorrow morning.
The first session was wonderful. It was a small group of nine students who are taking the class to prepare for the TOEFL (test of English as a foreign language). I learned a little about the writing tasks thanks to Google. Test takers have two different writing tasks. In one they react to a question and must make a persuasive argument and in the second they listen to a short lecture, read an academic text and write about the main points.
We focused on the independent writing in the first part of the workshop. I asked students to consider the impact of globalization in their community. We worked prewriting, composing and revising together. I regret that we didn't have much time for revising so I think we'll do a bit more work with that in our second session.
On my long bus ride home I felt great. My mind was racing, thinking about what had really worked in the class and what I'll change with the next group so it's more successful. I'll allow more time for revising our works. I think I might even dedicate more time in the second part of the workshop for revisions of the students' essays. I should do individual conferences, too.
What have I learned about teaching in my months at the university of Cuenca? I'm grateful for all the lesson planning I did in graduate school, not that I use those lessons, but thinking out and documenting the plans was so helpful. I admit that my lesson plans don't often get typed out nicely like they did in school, but I have a notebook and lots of scraps of paper saved that I will bring back with me. You'd think with all the time I have on my hands I'd create a portfolio of my Ecuadorian lesson plans. Might come in handy some day.
I walk into a classroom with a complete lesson plan and sometimes it's perfect. Sometimes my plan does a big belly flop in class, my failure witnessed by a roomful of Ecuadorian college students and a thankfully polite and sympathetic teacher but most of the time it falls somewhere in the middle. I've had a bit more success as time goes on and I'm learning about what usually works. However, it's like baking - depending on the altitude, atmosphere and time of day what works one day with one group of students crashes and burns the next day.
This is what tends to work:
- Don't talk to the whole class for too long
- Plan multiple shorter activities
- Give instructions, have the class start and remind students of what they're supposed to be doing after the activity has started
- Smile
- Ask the students questions
- Move around the room
- Suggest questions for students to ask their peers
- When something works, go with it
- Keep the teachers happy
- Keep the class active and engaged at all times
- Speak slowly and clearly and never talk at the board
- Encourage questions and keep your pledge to answer all questions honestly and to the best of my ability
- Bring homemade cookies to the last class
- Write personal notes on papers - not just correction marks
From time time I first arrived in Ecuador I've had very mixed feelings about Ecuador. I've been trying to get to the bottom of that. I expected to have a wonderful time. I'm an optimist, I can find the good in everything. In the early months I felt uncomfortable and out of place living in the boardinghouse. Maybe uncomfortable and out of place everywhere. I've struggled to find where I fit in. I found a place to be, and I don't simply mean a place to live. I did that too. I met people, developed some routines, learned how to get along. What was and still is missing is the feeling of being in the presence of my people who know who I am and understand me.
When we meet people we have to find a way to understand them in a short period of time. With our oldest and dearest friends, our lovers and our family members we have more time to do this, but most of the time we meet people, we take what we know about them and we develop an idea of who this person is based on certain tips, where we met them, what they're doing, what they look like, who introduced them, etc. It may seem superficial but I think it's what we have to do. We can't become intimately acquainted with everyone who crosses our paths.
I have found that I've had a difficult time connecting with people in Ecuador because I don't, in oh so many ways, conform to expectations. I am that puzzle piece that got swept up into the wrong box. I'm not feeling sorry for myself, not in the least. I'm over that now that I'm down to my last couple of months in Ecuador, I'm trying to figure out what's been going on and trying to account for the strange feelings I've experienced.
My life here affords me freedom to be who I am and question what that is since most of the assumptions don't apply. I think I've evolved somewhat, adapted to my environment in order to survive.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Finally teaching again!
Alas, my two and a half month vacation is over! I thought the time would never come. Towards the end I was getting anxious about my schedule but it all worked out because I made it myself. I'll be meeting with three sections of level four classes twice per week. I don't have any super long days. I'll also be doing some scheduled one-on-one conversation practice with students. I'll be doing the conversation practice up to eight hours per week, not too bad.
Last term I was teaching 39 classes of level 1 - 3 students. I would teach the same lesson with modifications for the level of the class for three weeks. After the first week and a half it was difficult to maintain my enthusiasm for the same lesson. I tried to plan fun activities, especially towards the end of the semester, to keep things interesting. I enjoyed it even though it was hard at times - especially those days when I had four classes. The worst day was when I had class at 1, 3, 5 and 7 pm. That was a long day.
I went to the university a couple weeks ago to talk about the current term and was surprised to find out they wanted me to do something completely different this time around. As I mentioned, I'll be working with the level four students and the "Speaking Corner." Now that I've worked out my schedule I am so much happier with what I'm doing now! I've had a first class with my three sections. They're bright, engaged, and fun students, all of them! The fact that I meet with each class twice per week means I can have some continuity from lesson to lesson! I can create a unit! I can assign homework! Ah, the students may not be as excited about the last one.
I set up a blog for my students this term. I plan on posting an outline of what we did in class, a description of any homework assignment and I have a few other ideas of how I can use it. I'd like to post articles, poetry, short stories, who knows, anything! and have the students make comments. What the English department would like me to do is focus on speaking and writing with the students. I would love to see the students react to my postings, give me feedback, comment on other comments, etc. I think we call that a forum, don't we. :)
The bad thing is that these students have class for only seven weeks and we've just finished the third week. I only have four weeks in which to pack all my ideas.
Next week we're going to work on giving directions. I bought a big map of Cuenca and I'm trying to work out how I'll design the activity. I know I want students to describe how to get from one place to the next. Think of all the vocabulary! Across the river, up the stairs, down the street, cross the road, go to the left, etc. This is going to be part of my unit which will end with the students designing a brochure about something in Cuenca. It'll include directions, maybe a little map, information about the location, its history, hours, whatever is applicable. This is all still percolating through my mind.
Another lesson will have the students heading out into Cuenca to find an English speaking foreigner to interview. The students will then write an article about their subject. If they go into the main square in town you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a north american most days. I can also direct them to several restaurants around town frequented by foreigners.
Sound fun? Wish you were in my class? :) I bet you do!
Last term I was teaching 39 classes of level 1 - 3 students. I would teach the same lesson with modifications for the level of the class for three weeks. After the first week and a half it was difficult to maintain my enthusiasm for the same lesson. I tried to plan fun activities, especially towards the end of the semester, to keep things interesting. I enjoyed it even though it was hard at times - especially those days when I had four classes. The worst day was when I had class at 1, 3, 5 and 7 pm. That was a long day.
I went to the university a couple weeks ago to talk about the current term and was surprised to find out they wanted me to do something completely different this time around. As I mentioned, I'll be working with the level four students and the "Speaking Corner." Now that I've worked out my schedule I am so much happier with what I'm doing now! I've had a first class with my three sections. They're bright, engaged, and fun students, all of them! The fact that I meet with each class twice per week means I can have some continuity from lesson to lesson! I can create a unit! I can assign homework! Ah, the students may not be as excited about the last one.
I set up a blog for my students this term. I plan on posting an outline of what we did in class, a description of any homework assignment and I have a few other ideas of how I can use it. I'd like to post articles, poetry, short stories, who knows, anything! and have the students make comments. What the English department would like me to do is focus on speaking and writing with the students. I would love to see the students react to my postings, give me feedback, comment on other comments, etc. I think we call that a forum, don't we. :)
The bad thing is that these students have class for only seven weeks and we've just finished the third week. I only have four weeks in which to pack all my ideas.
Next week we're going to work on giving directions. I bought a big map of Cuenca and I'm trying to work out how I'll design the activity. I know I want students to describe how to get from one place to the next. Think of all the vocabulary! Across the river, up the stairs, down the street, cross the road, go to the left, etc. This is going to be part of my unit which will end with the students designing a brochure about something in Cuenca. It'll include directions, maybe a little map, information about the location, its history, hours, whatever is applicable. This is all still percolating through my mind.
Another lesson will have the students heading out into Cuenca to find an English speaking foreigner to interview. The students will then write an article about their subject. If they go into the main square in town you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a north american most days. I can also direct them to several restaurants around town frequented by foreigners.
Sound fun? Wish you were in my class? :) I bet you do!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Contentment
I had an image of myself as a blogger posting on a semimonthly basis, documenting everything, writing about fresh topics, making keen observations and creating meaning. I haven't quite hit the mark but "I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam," (Popeye, 1933).
Okay, what have I been up to in the last two months? I went to Mexico for a Fulbright conference and returned to Ecuador. Since then I've been enjoy my early retirement in Cuenca. It's not real retirement but I've been on vacation from classes all this time. Life has slowed down. I take my time, enjoy the perfect weather that shines upon us every single day. Sometimes it sprinkles for a few minutes but that's about it. Some rainy season I've heard about.
I've gone on some short trips to Guayaquil on the coast, Sigsig in the mountains, Ingapirca up in the province to the north and Yungilla down the valley.
We went to Guayaquil with a neighbor from down the street and his friend. The five of us crammed into a pickup truck, drank moonshine distilled from coca leaves, visited the Jamaican and Chinese consulates, climbed up 400 stairs to a lighthouse and drank a lot of beer. There is such a difference in altitude between Cuenca and Guayaquil that our plastic water bottles collapsed on the way down. Our driver, married and father of five children, picked up a shop girl and disappeared with her for about thirty minutes. It was hot, humid and buggy in Guayaquil. On our way back we ate fried fish at a truck stop, drove through heavy fog and almost hit a cow. We arrived safely.
The day we went to Sigsig we hopped on a bus blocks away from our house. The teenager living in the house is fond of the shortest shorts. She is the object of much attention in her outfits. Sigsig is a tiny little town, one of those towns that's little more than central square and a small market. It was a beautiful day and I remember how the sun shone on the mountains, big fluffy yet harmless white clouds floating in the blue sky. We ate in a small restaurant and bought delicious strawberries from a girl selling them from a wheelbarrow. After we bought the strawberries she came into the restaurant and had a small lunch and nursed the baby tied to her back with a blanket. I wonder if the strawberry sale provided the money she needed for her lunch? We took a bus back from Sigsig and didn't quite have enough seats to accommodate the four of us. The teenager stood in the aisle and a little wrinkled man was unable to tear his eyes away from the sigh of her young backside that peeked out the bottom of her shorts.
I went to Ingapirca with another Fulbrighter. We hired a driver who we mistakenly presumed knew what he was doing. He got a little lost but it wasn't all his fault. Part of the trip took us on a detour because of road construction. The detour wound us around the side of a steep hill. We were on a single lane dirt road without an inch of shoulder. Had anything gone wrong we would have tumbled down a steep hillside into a cow pasture.
Ingapirca is the site of the most important Inca ruins in Ecuador. We went on a tour lead by an excellent bilingual guide. I highly recommend a trip to Ingapirca for any visitor to Ecuador.
Our day trip to Yungilla started as did our trip to Sigsig. We hopped on a bus near the house with the intention of getting off in Giron. However, it was pouring in Giron so we stayed on the bus and continued to Yungilla. We ate lunch at a big restaurant. I had the best steamed fish I've enjoyed yet.
It was raining lightly when we left the restaurant and we walked back to the place where we got off the bus. Buses passed about every fifteen minutes and most of them only paused long enough at our stop to tell us they were too full to take on additional passengers. One bus driver asked if we had tickets and told us the only way to catch a bus back to Cuenca on a rainy Sunday afternoon was to buy tickets in Santa Isabel. It turns out Santa Isabel is a town about a 10 minute drive from Yungilla. We asked a man working at a gas station nearby to call us a taxi. We rode to Santa Isabel for a few dollars. The driver kindly dropped us off in front of the bus office. The woman working in the office was not as kind and she told us we couldn't buy tickets for at least a half hour. The situation wasn't looking up so we ended up hiring a driver across the street to take our group of four back to Cuenca.
Apart from these day trips I've been visiting the zoo, going to town to run errands, shopping at the market, watching pirated shows on the internet, reading and showing my dad and stepmom around town when they visited in February.
The zoo is across the river and up the hill from where I live. It's unlike any zoo you can imagine, not for the collection of animals on exhibit but because going there is an adventure from start to finish. To get there I run across a busy street and a highway. After that, I climb a steep hill on a winding road for 600 meters or just a bit shy of a half mile. I arrive at the base of the zoo hot and sweaty and from there the zoo visitor's hike is just beginning. Paths are narrow and twisting, you climb up steep and crumbling trails, over tree roots using barely secured handrails often with protruding rusty nails for leverage. I wouldn't change a thing, I love the zoo.
Weekdays are the best days to go to the zoo because there aren't many other visitors. Sometimes I run into school groups but I've been lucky lately to not see many of them. Midway through the zoo is a small snack bar. Their ensalada de fruitas is excellent. They also have the best fries I've ever tasted. It might be that the fries taste so good there because by that time I reach the snack bar I've burned hundreds of calories and need to replenish.
When I visit the zoo I get hot, sweaty and dirty. I suck down quarts of water to stay hydrated and no matter how much sunscreen I apply, it's Ecuador and so I almost always get a little pink. I usually hit my head on something because I wear a wide brimmed hat to keep my face shaded. Today I slipped on loose gravel on my way back down.
Sounds great, doesn't it? It is. Maybe it's the sun or the dehydration or simply the release of endorphins from the physical exertion, but sometime after I pass the ocelot I experience complete calm and contentment. I'm in the moment, I have to be or I'll tumble down the side of the hill or get bitten again by one of their hungry little loose monkeys.
On Tuesday's trip to the zoo I thought a lot about my life here in Ecuador and what I want to take with me when I go back home. I want to take back simplicity and the need for less. I want to lead my life in the US that doesn't have as many distractions in it that take me away from what makes me happiest. I don't need magazine subscriptions, five different creams to make the skin on my face look youthful, lots of TV stations (really, do I need any if I have a decent internet connection?), shoes that perfectly match outfits, hair goo, nor all sorts of appliances that have a single purpose.
All of my personal possessions that I've been using for the past seven months (and all I expect to need for my last three months here) fit into a large duffle bag and backpack. Other than my bed and some simple furniture, this is what I have in my room. Of course I use the kitchen in the house I share with the family I live with but really I have all that I need and more even though I have fewer possessions than I've had in years, maybe decades.
My day to day life is as uncluttered as my collection of physical possessions. I have my friends and I enjoy spending time with them. Life has been taken down, maybe not as far as to the bare essentials, but closer to it than my life in Minneapolis.
What do I miss? Sometimes a good mocha but not really. I miss family, friends and my boyfriend, people who really know me. Sometimes I'll hear a plane and suddenly and unexpectedly a feeling of longing to be away from here comes up from my toes and spreads up through the top of my head. It's a moment of feeling the physical effects of homesickness, I guess. It's not that I want to leave, I'm not done being here and learning what lessons are still here to learn, it's simply that I am coming to realize that home is important to me.
I know that when I leave Ecuador, I'll leave behind a part of myself, of who I've become here. I'll be thrown back into my former life. My new life will be different from what it was before I left for Ecuador in September. I won't have the zoo where I can climb, sweat and find peace, I'll have to find another way to access that inside myself. It'll not be as easy to live my Ecuadorian life in the US just as it's impossible to create your US life in Ecuador.
There isn't much point in thinking about what life will be like in the US when I get back. I'm focusing on my life here, taking things day by day. It's important for me to think about what I like about my life here so I can keep it with me.
I've gone on some short trips to Guayaquil on the coast, Sigsig in the mountains, Ingapirca up in the province to the north and Yungilla down the valley.
We went to Guayaquil with a neighbor from down the street and his friend. The five of us crammed into a pickup truck, drank moonshine distilled from coca leaves, visited the Jamaican and Chinese consulates, climbed up 400 stairs to a lighthouse and drank a lot of beer. There is such a difference in altitude between Cuenca and Guayaquil that our plastic water bottles collapsed on the way down. Our driver, married and father of five children, picked up a shop girl and disappeared with her for about thirty minutes. It was hot, humid and buggy in Guayaquil. On our way back we ate fried fish at a truck stop, drove through heavy fog and almost hit a cow. We arrived safely.
The day we went to Sigsig we hopped on a bus blocks away from our house. The teenager living in the house is fond of the shortest shorts. She is the object of much attention in her outfits. Sigsig is a tiny little town, one of those towns that's little more than central square and a small market. It was a beautiful day and I remember how the sun shone on the mountains, big fluffy yet harmless white clouds floating in the blue sky. We ate in a small restaurant and bought delicious strawberries from a girl selling them from a wheelbarrow. After we bought the strawberries she came into the restaurant and had a small lunch and nursed the baby tied to her back with a blanket. I wonder if the strawberry sale provided the money she needed for her lunch? We took a bus back from Sigsig and didn't quite have enough seats to accommodate the four of us. The teenager stood in the aisle and a little wrinkled man was unable to tear his eyes away from the sigh of her young backside that peeked out the bottom of her shorts.
I went to Ingapirca with another Fulbrighter. We hired a driver who we mistakenly presumed knew what he was doing. He got a little lost but it wasn't all his fault. Part of the trip took us on a detour because of road construction. The detour wound us around the side of a steep hill. We were on a single lane dirt road without an inch of shoulder. Had anything gone wrong we would have tumbled down a steep hillside into a cow pasture.
Ingapirca is the site of the most important Inca ruins in Ecuador. We went on a tour lead by an excellent bilingual guide. I highly recommend a trip to Ingapirca for any visitor to Ecuador.
Our day trip to Yungilla started as did our trip to Sigsig. We hopped on a bus near the house with the intention of getting off in Giron. However, it was pouring in Giron so we stayed on the bus and continued to Yungilla. We ate lunch at a big restaurant. I had the best steamed fish I've enjoyed yet.
It was raining lightly when we left the restaurant and we walked back to the place where we got off the bus. Buses passed about every fifteen minutes and most of them only paused long enough at our stop to tell us they were too full to take on additional passengers. One bus driver asked if we had tickets and told us the only way to catch a bus back to Cuenca on a rainy Sunday afternoon was to buy tickets in Santa Isabel. It turns out Santa Isabel is a town about a 10 minute drive from Yungilla. We asked a man working at a gas station nearby to call us a taxi. We rode to Santa Isabel for a few dollars. The driver kindly dropped us off in front of the bus office. The woman working in the office was not as kind and she told us we couldn't buy tickets for at least a half hour. The situation wasn't looking up so we ended up hiring a driver across the street to take our group of four back to Cuenca.
Apart from these day trips I've been visiting the zoo, going to town to run errands, shopping at the market, watching pirated shows on the internet, reading and showing my dad and stepmom around town when they visited in February.
The zoo is across the river and up the hill from where I live. It's unlike any zoo you can imagine, not for the collection of animals on exhibit but because going there is an adventure from start to finish. To get there I run across a busy street and a highway. After that, I climb a steep hill on a winding road for 600 meters or just a bit shy of a half mile. I arrive at the base of the zoo hot and sweaty and from there the zoo visitor's hike is just beginning. Paths are narrow and twisting, you climb up steep and crumbling trails, over tree roots using barely secured handrails often with protruding rusty nails for leverage. I wouldn't change a thing, I love the zoo.
Weekdays are the best days to go to the zoo because there aren't many other visitors. Sometimes I run into school groups but I've been lucky lately to not see many of them. Midway through the zoo is a small snack bar. Their ensalada de fruitas is excellent. They also have the best fries I've ever tasted. It might be that the fries taste so good there because by that time I reach the snack bar I've burned hundreds of calories and need to replenish.
When I visit the zoo I get hot, sweaty and dirty. I suck down quarts of water to stay hydrated and no matter how much sunscreen I apply, it's Ecuador and so I almost always get a little pink. I usually hit my head on something because I wear a wide brimmed hat to keep my face shaded. Today I slipped on loose gravel on my way back down.
Sounds great, doesn't it? It is. Maybe it's the sun or the dehydration or simply the release of endorphins from the physical exertion, but sometime after I pass the ocelot I experience complete calm and contentment. I'm in the moment, I have to be or I'll tumble down the side of the hill or get bitten again by one of their hungry little loose monkeys.
On Tuesday's trip to the zoo I thought a lot about my life here in Ecuador and what I want to take with me when I go back home. I want to take back simplicity and the need for less. I want to lead my life in the US that doesn't have as many distractions in it that take me away from what makes me happiest. I don't need magazine subscriptions, five different creams to make the skin on my face look youthful, lots of TV stations (really, do I need any if I have a decent internet connection?), shoes that perfectly match outfits, hair goo, nor all sorts of appliances that have a single purpose.
All of my personal possessions that I've been using for the past seven months (and all I expect to need for my last three months here) fit into a large duffle bag and backpack. Other than my bed and some simple furniture, this is what I have in my room. Of course I use the kitchen in the house I share with the family I live with but really I have all that I need and more even though I have fewer possessions than I've had in years, maybe decades.
My day to day life is as uncluttered as my collection of physical possessions. I have my friends and I enjoy spending time with them. Life has been taken down, maybe not as far as to the bare essentials, but closer to it than my life in Minneapolis.
What do I miss? Sometimes a good mocha but not really. I miss family, friends and my boyfriend, people who really know me. Sometimes I'll hear a plane and suddenly and unexpectedly a feeling of longing to be away from here comes up from my toes and spreads up through the top of my head. It's a moment of feeling the physical effects of homesickness, I guess. It's not that I want to leave, I'm not done being here and learning what lessons are still here to learn, it's simply that I am coming to realize that home is important to me.
I know that when I leave Ecuador, I'll leave behind a part of myself, of who I've become here. I'll be thrown back into my former life. My new life will be different from what it was before I left for Ecuador in September. I won't have the zoo where I can climb, sweat and find peace, I'll have to find another way to access that inside myself. It'll not be as easy to live my Ecuadorian life in the US just as it's impossible to create your US life in Ecuador.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Changes
My last entry was nearly two months ago. In the weeks that have passed since I last wrote, I have finished the first semester of classes, returned to the United States for a two-week trip home and moved into a new house in Cuenca. I have been in my new home for two weeks. It's great. Often we don't know how uncomfortable a situation we're in is until we're out of it.
There were things I really liked about my first home in Cuenca. The lady who runs the house is great. I got along well with my fellow residents and the location could hardly have been more convenient. On the other hand, I didn't have much privacy and peace and quiet was in short supply. A younger person who loves to stay up late at night and party often would do much better than I did in the boarding house. Two nights before I returned to Minneapolis for my winter break the house hosted a party that lasted until dawn. Although I left the party to go to my room at around midnight, there is no protection from the music blasting away on the lower level. I can't blame the revelers, I was the one who wasn't fit for that house.
I'll miss the lady who ran the house. Sure, I have and will continue to stop by now and then but I won't be able to eat her wonderful Ecuadorian food at every meal and I won't have as many opportunities to sit and chat with her in the kitchen or venture out with her to the market to buy a week's worth of produce for a house of ten hungry residents.
I left Ecuador on a warm and sunny day. It was a Friday so I went to the pool, walked outside under the sun so high in the sky. I met with the knitters and enjoyed their company. I got on a plane that night and three flights later, arrived in Minneapolis the following morning. I exited the airport and the sky was bright blue and there were few clouds in the sky. The temperature was 13 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly sixty degrees difference from Cuenca. I noted how low the sun sat in the sky at noon! It seemed barely above the horizon. After that first day the sun hid behind clouds for practically the entire remainder of my trip.
Seeing family and friends was wonderful. The first couple of days was like a dream, perhaps because of my lack of sleep. Eating my dad and Julie's Christmas cookies at their dining room table was a surreal experience, less than 24 hours before that I'd been in Cuenca. I don't believe I had much time to experience what some people call reverse culture shock. I was thrown back into life in Minnesota. I lived in my dad's house for the first time in 17 years, I drove their SUV to Costco and to the mall. That was odd. I caught a terrible cold and was sick for most of my trip. I tried my best to not hold me back but I knew it would take the Ecuadorian sun (yes, the same sun as in Minnesota, but allow me this device) to bake the cold out of my system.
The first few days were a big rush of Christmas gatherings and celebrations. I saw dozens of family members and friends in just a few days. I shared little snippets of stories from Ecuador, I saw my cat. I shopped or scavenged for things I wanted to bring back to Ecuador and set aside the silly things I brought on my first packing that I would not need upon my return to Ecuador (Coach purse, makeup, flat iron, etc.).
A blizzard in Montreal kept me from seeing my boyfriend for two days. That left me with only 35 hours to be with him. We had a nice time together and were able to work out where we are and what we want. The important thing is that we both still have strong feelings for the other and we're going to remember that. We'll see each other again in six months and in the mean time we're remaining in touch through email and video chats.
In the end, my trip back home was extremely valuable. I was ready to return to the sun, tropical fruit and my adventures by January 5th.
It took three flights and a night in the smallest hotel room I've ever been in (exactly one foot wider than a twin sized bed and not an inch longer). I had to move the suitcase back and forth from the bed to the bathroom depending on which I wanted to use.
Upon arrival in Cuenca I took a taxi to my new home in La Ciudadela Ingenieros Electricos at the corner of Telemaco and Ben-Hur. Every morning I eat oatmeal and drink coffee out on the patio. My bedroom is bright and filled with sunlight and I can smell the night-blooming jasmine growing in the garden. Right on the other side of the wall surrounding the house are pink hibiscus trees where giant hummingbirds fight for territory.
There is a zoo close by and it's a good hike from the house. By good I mean it makes you feel like you accomplished something after climbing the steep hill to the zoo. I went for the first time yesterday morning and a tiny monkey tried to bite a mole on my arm. I told Mom about it, she thinks it was grooming me. I think it was hungry.
The family that lives in the house is generous and friendly. I like living with them. We occupy our own spaces in the house but come together at meals and other times. I'm going to enjoy living here, despite the tarantulas. Yes, there are tarantulas outside in the garden. Sometimes the cat kills them and brings her prizes to the house but yesterday we saw a live one on the patio. I don't think the family has seen me move so fast as when I jumped out of that chair.
I go to Mexico tomorrow for a five-day Fulbright enrichment conference. I'll tell you how it goes!
There were things I really liked about my first home in Cuenca. The lady who runs the house is great. I got along well with my fellow residents and the location could hardly have been more convenient. On the other hand, I didn't have much privacy and peace and quiet was in short supply. A younger person who loves to stay up late at night and party often would do much better than I did in the boarding house. Two nights before I returned to Minneapolis for my winter break the house hosted a party that lasted until dawn. Although I left the party to go to my room at around midnight, there is no protection from the music blasting away on the lower level. I can't blame the revelers, I was the one who wasn't fit for that house.
I'll miss the lady who ran the house. Sure, I have and will continue to stop by now and then but I won't be able to eat her wonderful Ecuadorian food at every meal and I won't have as many opportunities to sit and chat with her in the kitchen or venture out with her to the market to buy a week's worth of produce for a house of ten hungry residents.
I left Ecuador on a warm and sunny day. It was a Friday so I went to the pool, walked outside under the sun so high in the sky. I met with the knitters and enjoyed their company. I got on a plane that night and three flights later, arrived in Minneapolis the following morning. I exited the airport and the sky was bright blue and there were few clouds in the sky. The temperature was 13 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly sixty degrees difference from Cuenca. I noted how low the sun sat in the sky at noon! It seemed barely above the horizon. After that first day the sun hid behind clouds for practically the entire remainder of my trip.
Seeing family and friends was wonderful. The first couple of days was like a dream, perhaps because of my lack of sleep. Eating my dad and Julie's Christmas cookies at their dining room table was a surreal experience, less than 24 hours before that I'd been in Cuenca. I don't believe I had much time to experience what some people call reverse culture shock. I was thrown back into life in Minnesota. I lived in my dad's house for the first time in 17 years, I drove their SUV to Costco and to the mall. That was odd. I caught a terrible cold and was sick for most of my trip. I tried my best to not hold me back but I knew it would take the Ecuadorian sun (yes, the same sun as in Minnesota, but allow me this device) to bake the cold out of my system.
The first few days were a big rush of Christmas gatherings and celebrations. I saw dozens of family members and friends in just a few days. I shared little snippets of stories from Ecuador, I saw my cat. I shopped or scavenged for things I wanted to bring back to Ecuador and set aside the silly things I brought on my first packing that I would not need upon my return to Ecuador (Coach purse, makeup, flat iron, etc.).
A blizzard in Montreal kept me from seeing my boyfriend for two days. That left me with only 35 hours to be with him. We had a nice time together and were able to work out where we are and what we want. The important thing is that we both still have strong feelings for the other and we're going to remember that. We'll see each other again in six months and in the mean time we're remaining in touch through email and video chats.
In the end, my trip back home was extremely valuable. I was ready to return to the sun, tropical fruit and my adventures by January 5th.
Upon arrival in Cuenca I took a taxi to my new home in La Ciudadela Ingenieros Electricos at the corner of Telemaco and Ben-Hur. Every morning I eat oatmeal and drink coffee out on the patio. My bedroom is bright and filled with sunlight and I can smell the night-blooming jasmine growing in the garden. Right on the other side of the wall surrounding the house are pink hibiscus trees where giant hummingbirds fight for territory.
There is a zoo close by and it's a good hike from the house. By good I mean it makes you feel like you accomplished something after climbing the steep hill to the zoo. I went for the first time yesterday morning and a tiny monkey tried to bite a mole on my arm. I told Mom about it, she thinks it was grooming me. I think it was hungry.
The family that lives in the house is generous and friendly. I like living with them. We occupy our own spaces in the house but come together at meals and other times. I'm going to enjoy living here, despite the tarantulas. Yes, there are tarantulas outside in the garden. Sometimes the cat kills them and brings her prizes to the house but yesterday we saw a live one on the patio. I don't think the family has seen me move so fast as when I jumped out of that chair.
I go to Mexico tomorrow for a five-day Fulbright enrichment conference. I'll tell you how it goes!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
A teacher's impact on the class
I am in my ninth week of teaching. Because I teach in three-week cycles, I am coming to the end of my third cycle and my third lesson with students. As I have surely mentioned in past postings, I meet with 39 different classes. Perhaps an outsider will say "duh" to this, but it is becoming more clear to me with each class I teach that who is teaching the class really makes a significant difference.
The students have only been in class for about three months so on the one hand, I think, how much difference can their teacher make when these students are coming from all different backgrounds, have different majors, varying past experiences with the English language but I can tell you that each of my 39 classes has its own personality and that more than anything I have to say that their teacher plays a really important role in shaping this class personality or classroom culture.
I teach the same lesson to the 39 classes over the three week period. I start with a week of level 3 students, then a week of level 2 students and finally a long week with the level 1 students. The last week is long because I have the most classes - about four per day - during my week with the level 1 students. It's exhausting (but still fun)! While in general the 3's are better than the 2's and the 2's are better than the 1's, there are plenty of overlap with the students and their individual abilities. I'm not completely sure how they end up in these levels, if it's through testing or simply by taking a year of each level. Anyway, this is not the point I'm trying to make. I bring it up because I've observed that despite the level of class I'm teaching, the differences in abilities, willingness to participate and performance in activities is subtle between the three levels.
What I notice more is kind of the overall attitude of the class, I called it "personality" before. For instance, yesterday I was with a class that got into their groups quickly and quietly and worked almost in silence for the 20 minutes they had for group work. The teacher has them work in groups often, she tells me, and she herself seems to be a quiet and diligent teacher. Another teacher is controlling and is the only one who really pushes me to adjust my lesson plans to conform to what she feels is appropriate. None of the other teachers do that. She's also the one that from the beginning asked me to "follow the book," meaning the text book the students use day to day. Basically that would just make me like a once-in-awhile substitute teacher for her. Lucky for me my faculty adviser does not support this and so I can teach my own lessons. I do make adjustments for this teacher because I want to cooperate and I want her to see me as an asset in the classroom. What I have noticed in this teacher's classroom is dramatically different from other classrooms. These students struggle the most with my lessons. In the last cycle, the students weren't able to answer a question asking the students opinion - even in Spanish! What?
There are teachers who support me in my lessons and encourage the students to participate. The best teachers, in my opinion, are working with groups on one side of the room as I work with groups on the other. These classes tend be noisy (in a good way!!) and active during group work. Their presentations are interesting, fun to listen to, and show a lot of thought. There are other teachers who are more hands-off during my lessons and they stay in the room, usually grading papers or doing other work while I teach. These students work pretty well. Maybe it's that they've been taught to be independent.
There's one teacher that I like, but she kind of barks out orders to her students when they seem shy. I ask for volunteers and she yells threats that if someone doesn't volunteer she's going to start calling out names. These students are like children whose parents say, "I'm going to count to five and if you don't..." and the child doesn't do what the parent wants until they reach number 4 in their count.
If I were to have the same classes everyday I would not be able to observe this. I am really grateful to have the chance to observe how much a teacher's style affects a class of students. It makes me think a lot about what I want from my classes. I want them to be active, independent thinkers who work well with others, who aren't afraid to give wrong answers and who, most of all, aren't hesitant to ask questions. So far that is my favorite thing as a teacher: answering questions! To me it shows a level of trust and interest on the part of the students and it's far too rare for my taste. There is one night class, I think it's in my level 3 group, that asks questions. The teacher for that class is one of my favorites. She's open, relaxed, approachable and happy. No wonder her class feels comfortable asking questions. There's one student who tries to ask provoking questions like after I talked about the origins of Thanksgiving he asked if it wasn't true that the Europeans later slaughtered the American Indians and stole their lands. Great question! Seriously, I get so few questions that I'll take what I can get, even the provoking one. And it really is a good question.
This is not meant to be a criticism of the teachers I work with at the University. I admit that my experience is limited since I've only been with the classes of each teacher a handful of times. I am only aware on the surface of the conditions under which the teachers work. I only write about my impressions and I know in general teaching is a really hard job. We do what we know to do and how we teach is based on our past experiences. I truly think that the teachers are doing what they think is best for their students. My observations are leading me to look more closely at who I am as a teacher and think more deeply about who I want to become as a teacher to do the best job I possibly can to teach my students.
I have only two classes today, both of these teachers are more of the "hands off" variety. It should be a relatively easy afternoon. Chao for now!
The students have only been in class for about three months so on the one hand, I think, how much difference can their teacher make when these students are coming from all different backgrounds, have different majors, varying past experiences with the English language but I can tell you that each of my 39 classes has its own personality and that more than anything I have to say that their teacher plays a really important role in shaping this class personality or classroom culture.
I teach the same lesson to the 39 classes over the three week period. I start with a week of level 3 students, then a week of level 2 students and finally a long week with the level 1 students. The last week is long because I have the most classes - about four per day - during my week with the level 1 students. It's exhausting (but still fun)! While in general the 3's are better than the 2's and the 2's are better than the 1's, there are plenty of overlap with the students and their individual abilities. I'm not completely sure how they end up in these levels, if it's through testing or simply by taking a year of each level. Anyway, this is not the point I'm trying to make. I bring it up because I've observed that despite the level of class I'm teaching, the differences in abilities, willingness to participate and performance in activities is subtle between the three levels.
What I notice more is kind of the overall attitude of the class, I called it "personality" before. For instance, yesterday I was with a class that got into their groups quickly and quietly and worked almost in silence for the 20 minutes they had for group work. The teacher has them work in groups often, she tells me, and she herself seems to be a quiet and diligent teacher. Another teacher is controlling and is the only one who really pushes me to adjust my lesson plans to conform to what she feels is appropriate. None of the other teachers do that. She's also the one that from the beginning asked me to "follow the book," meaning the text book the students use day to day. Basically that would just make me like a once-in-awhile substitute teacher for her. Lucky for me my faculty adviser does not support this and so I can teach my own lessons. I do make adjustments for this teacher because I want to cooperate and I want her to see me as an asset in the classroom. What I have noticed in this teacher's classroom is dramatically different from other classrooms. These students struggle the most with my lessons. In the last cycle, the students weren't able to answer a question asking the students opinion - even in Spanish! What?
There are teachers who support me in my lessons and encourage the students to participate. The best teachers, in my opinion, are working with groups on one side of the room as I work with groups on the other. These classes tend be noisy (in a good way!!) and active during group work. Their presentations are interesting, fun to listen to, and show a lot of thought. There are other teachers who are more hands-off during my lessons and they stay in the room, usually grading papers or doing other work while I teach. These students work pretty well. Maybe it's that they've been taught to be independent.
There's one teacher that I like, but she kind of barks out orders to her students when they seem shy. I ask for volunteers and she yells threats that if someone doesn't volunteer she's going to start calling out names. These students are like children whose parents say, "I'm going to count to five and if you don't..." and the child doesn't do what the parent wants until they reach number 4 in their count.
If I were to have the same classes everyday I would not be able to observe this. I am really grateful to have the chance to observe how much a teacher's style affects a class of students. It makes me think a lot about what I want from my classes. I want them to be active, independent thinkers who work well with others, who aren't afraid to give wrong answers and who, most of all, aren't hesitant to ask questions. So far that is my favorite thing as a teacher: answering questions! To me it shows a level of trust and interest on the part of the students and it's far too rare for my taste. There is one night class, I think it's in my level 3 group, that asks questions. The teacher for that class is one of my favorites. She's open, relaxed, approachable and happy. No wonder her class feels comfortable asking questions. There's one student who tries to ask provoking questions like after I talked about the origins of Thanksgiving he asked if it wasn't true that the Europeans later slaughtered the American Indians and stole their lands. Great question! Seriously, I get so few questions that I'll take what I can get, even the provoking one. And it really is a good question.
This is not meant to be a criticism of the teachers I work with at the University. I admit that my experience is limited since I've only been with the classes of each teacher a handful of times. I am only aware on the surface of the conditions under which the teachers work. I only write about my impressions and I know in general teaching is a really hard job. We do what we know to do and how we teach is based on our past experiences. I truly think that the teachers are doing what they think is best for their students. My observations are leading me to look more closely at who I am as a teacher and think more deeply about who I want to become as a teacher to do the best job I possibly can to teach my students.
I have only two classes today, both of these teachers are more of the "hands off" variety. It should be a relatively easy afternoon. Chao for now!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Riding the bus
I took the bus alone for the first time today. I rode it twice and I took a taxi by myself. Taxis in Cuenca are a piece of cake compared to buses and I've ridden in them alone before since I've been here.
My first solo bus ride. Is this a sign I'm growing up?
I am a big proponent of public transportation in the developed world. Subway and Metro systems are great and I ride them anytime I'm in a city that's lucky enough to have one. Back at home I am a regular on the bus and I would almost move back to south Minneapolis just to be able to ride the light rail around again. Buses and subways make sense to me in the United States. They run on schedules, their routes are easily viewed in schedules available on the bus, online and in conveniently located transit stores where you can buy bus passes. You know all this, right?
Like everything in Ecuador, the buses here follow unwritten rules that seem subject to change. After two months of observing buses and going on a few rides accompanied with my friends in Ecuador I have come up with a few points that help me make some sense of the bus system in Cuenca. We'll start with the easy ones first:
Rosita's house (AKA home) is located about 10 minutes from downtown and an easy 25 minute walk to the University. I haven't had to take the bus. Walking is much more pleasant, I get a little exercise and as long as I make time for it, I prefer walking. From now until the end of the month I am house sitting for a family that is visiting relatives in the States. Their house is located too far away for me to walk - at least on a regular basis. I think it would probably take me an hour or so, maybe more to even reach Rosita's house from here. There are two buses whose routes more or less make sense to me and pass by the places I need to go: the university, Rosita's house, and the coffee shop where the knitters meet on Fridays that has the really good chocolate cake. There are many other buses close to this neighborhood but for now I don't care to explore them. I know people who are brave and just jump on any bus to see where it goes. That's direct but not my style. I like to know where I'm going before I embark on my journey. That's why my brother and I have so many problems travelling together. He's more of the "hop on any bus" type. I'm the older one, it makes sense, doesn't it?
I feel I have wasted enough of your time writing about buses. If you come to Cuenca, ride the bus but be on your toes.
My first solo bus ride. Is this a sign I'm growing up?
I am a big proponent of public transportation in the developed world. Subway and Metro systems are great and I ride them anytime I'm in a city that's lucky enough to have one. Back at home I am a regular on the bus and I would almost move back to south Minneapolis just to be able to ride the light rail around again. Buses and subways make sense to me in the United States. They run on schedules, their routes are easily viewed in schedules available on the bus, online and in conveniently located transit stores where you can buy bus passes. You know all this, right?
Like everything in Ecuador, the buses here follow unwritten rules that seem subject to change. After two months of observing buses and going on a few rides accompanied with my friends in Ecuador I have come up with a few points that help me make some sense of the bus system in Cuenca. We'll start with the easy ones first:
- The bus costs $0.25. Correct change required. You can pay more and have subsequent riders give you their fare to make change but personally I'd rather just make sure I always have a couple quarters on me.
- Bus drivers want to crush and kill you. Period. That's all. Watch out for buses when crossing on the street, even when standing on a corner fully on the sidewalk at times. They don't slow down, they don't wait for you. They probably get some kind of bonus for hitting foreigners by the way some of them drive.
- Bus schedules are practically nonexistant. If you ask anyone they will tell you the information center on the Plaza Calderon has copies of the little booklet that has maps for the 20-some bus routes in the city. The truth is the information center has been out of schedules forever. They have one but they don't let it leave the premises. I personally know of only two bus schedule books other than the one at the information center. I have one. I am the third Fulbright grantee to possess this rare booklet and I intend on passing it down to my successor. Buses do not have schedules and there is no transit store as far as I know.
- Even if you manage to get your hands on a bus schedule booklet, good luck to you. The maps in the book are tiny and streets aren't labeled. Like most things in Ecuador, it is meant for someone who is already familiar with the city. Hand the book to someone who's never been to Cuenca and it'll be useless. I guess now that I've been here for two months I might know my way around enough to get a some use out of it.
- To Cuenca's credit they do have a transit website that has been the most useful tool for me. The maps are decent. They show the routes if not the stops. Yes, the bus stops only at certain places but you have to either look for the blue bus sign on the street or just look to see where people are standing around flagging down buses. Good luck.
- I have found that the bus route maps don't fully capture the subtleties of the actual routes the buses follow. Sometimes the line on the map goes straight but the bus makes several turns. Also, I find a map for route 1 online and in my booklet but today the bus I caught was a "1B". What does the B mean? Where does the "A" go? Is there a "1A"? Are there more iterations of the 1 route? So many questions and so few answers.
- Buses don't run all that late - only until about 7:00 on weekends and not much later during the week. The bus route booklet has the start and end times but I don't believe the website does. How do people know this? There is no schedule, so you can't go down to the corner and pick up the 4:13 bus that'll take you to where you need to go. However, most buses run every 5 - 10 minutes. That information is also in the bus booklet but not on the website. Again, good luck.
- During peak hours buses are packed and the drivers drive more like maniacs than they usually do. Hold on tight and be prepared to get tossed around with the rest of the riders.
- Getting off the bus takes determination and skill. If the bus is busy, start squeezing yourself towards the back of the bus early. Stand close to the back door, you always enter at the front and exit through the rear door. When the bus is nearing a stop the driver will open the door. He doesn't slow down, mind you, and he doesn't take any more care when careening around corners so keep holding on tight. When the bus does finally come to a stop you have about half a second to alight before it takes off again.
Rosita's house (AKA home) is located about 10 minutes from downtown and an easy 25 minute walk to the University. I haven't had to take the bus. Walking is much more pleasant, I get a little exercise and as long as I make time for it, I prefer walking. From now until the end of the month I am house sitting for a family that is visiting relatives in the States. Their house is located too far away for me to walk - at least on a regular basis. I think it would probably take me an hour or so, maybe more to even reach Rosita's house from here. There are two buses whose routes more or less make sense to me and pass by the places I need to go: the university, Rosita's house, and the coffee shop where the knitters meet on Fridays that has the really good chocolate cake. There are many other buses close to this neighborhood but for now I don't care to explore them. I know people who are brave and just jump on any bus to see where it goes. That's direct but not my style. I like to know where I'm going before I embark on my journey. That's why my brother and I have so many problems travelling together. He's more of the "hop on any bus" type. I'm the older one, it makes sense, doesn't it?
I feel I have wasted enough of your time writing about buses. If you come to Cuenca, ride the bus but be on your toes.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Afloat
How long have I sat in front of this screen trying to decide how to start?
We have reached the end of a week that has had periods of fun, sleeplessness, happiness, exhaustion, surprise, sadness, worry, regret, searching, restlessness and finally a little peace.
It was all a bit too much for me to take and while I'm happy to be over it, life goes on and I can only imagine what the future holds.
Last weekend was the Fiestas de Cuenca celebrating Cuenca's independence. I'm unclear on the history and what exactly Cuenca gained its independence from. What I do know is that Cuencanos party like it's 1999 for a good four days straight. Four friends visited me for the celebration. I should say that three are other Fulbright ETAs whom I met when we arrived and the fourth is a new friend that they brought along for the festivities. We spent out days walking from one end of town to the other visiting cathedrals, listening to music and shopping in extensive international markets featuring artisans throughout South America. At night the others went out and danced and I declined invitations to join. I still stayed up far past my normal bedtime although I was waking up at my normal time each morning. On Saturday night the city partied with loud music within a half block of my house until 2:15 in the morning. In my top floor bedroom it sounded like the band was performing on the roof.
My friends returned to their home cities and life began returning to normal. My body revolted against the weekend's change in schedule and I got sick again for a few days. It was miserable. I'm feeling better now that I'm back on a regular schedule. I taught classes to my level one students. They did pretty well and I finally wrapped up the lessons on elections in the United States and Ecuador. I have explained the electoral college system more than a dozen times and know it better than I ever have.
Two days ago without anything tangible changing, I was overcome by an unexpected change. I hope to spare this poor blog and its readers drama and proceed with dignity. I have been released from what has helped ground me for the last four years. The funny thing is that wandering down here around the equator for the past two months, my relationship was held together by infrequent video chats and phone calls. Everyday I thought about the connection I had to the one I love only to be made aware that while I wasn't looking the connection has been severed. It feels like I'm in a little lifeboat tethered to shore on a long rope. I'm bobbing along, looking at the waves, the sun, the clouds, drifting off to nap and then all of a sudden I find the frayed end of the rope floating alongside the boat and I'm in the middle of the sea, no shore in sight.
Oops, too much drama. Sorry about that.
I went for a swim for the first time this week. Between having guests, getting sick and recovering my strength, I haven't been able to go to the pool since last Thursday. In the pool I found my peace and I realize that nothing has changed in the moment and I have no control. All I can do is teach, eat, sleep, talk to friends, write, walk, swim, accept or reject invitations as I see fit, read and live my life here in Ecuador. Time continues to pass and in December I'll see my family and all the people I miss so much. That's only six weeks away and the time will pass quickly, I have no doubt.
For the next three weeks I'll be teaching a lesson on holidays and traditions in Ecuador. Or I should say, I'll be leading a lesson in which my Ecuadorian students will be teaching me about holidays and traditions in this country. I'm looking forward to learning a lot - I learned a lot about elections in Ecuador during the past three weeks.
We have reached the end of a week that has had periods of fun, sleeplessness, happiness, exhaustion, surprise, sadness, worry, regret, searching, restlessness and finally a little peace.
It was all a bit too much for me to take and while I'm happy to be over it, life goes on and I can only imagine what the future holds.
Last weekend was the Fiestas de Cuenca celebrating Cuenca's independence. I'm unclear on the history and what exactly Cuenca gained its independence from. What I do know is that Cuencanos party like it's 1999 for a good four days straight. Four friends visited me for the celebration. I should say that three are other Fulbright ETAs whom I met when we arrived and the fourth is a new friend that they brought along for the festivities. We spent out days walking from one end of town to the other visiting cathedrals, listening to music and shopping in extensive international markets featuring artisans throughout South America. At night the others went out and danced and I declined invitations to join. I still stayed up far past my normal bedtime although I was waking up at my normal time each morning. On Saturday night the city partied with loud music within a half block of my house until 2:15 in the morning. In my top floor bedroom it sounded like the band was performing on the roof.
My friends returned to their home cities and life began returning to normal. My body revolted against the weekend's change in schedule and I got sick again for a few days. It was miserable. I'm feeling better now that I'm back on a regular schedule. I taught classes to my level one students. They did pretty well and I finally wrapped up the lessons on elections in the United States and Ecuador. I have explained the electoral college system more than a dozen times and know it better than I ever have.
Two days ago without anything tangible changing, I was overcome by an unexpected change. I hope to spare this poor blog and its readers drama and proceed with dignity. I have been released from what has helped ground me for the last four years. The funny thing is that wandering down here around the equator for the past two months, my relationship was held together by infrequent video chats and phone calls. Everyday I thought about the connection I had to the one I love only to be made aware that while I wasn't looking the connection has been severed. It feels like I'm in a little lifeboat tethered to shore on a long rope. I'm bobbing along, looking at the waves, the sun, the clouds, drifting off to nap and then all of a sudden I find the frayed end of the rope floating alongside the boat and I'm in the middle of the sea, no shore in sight.
Oops, too much drama. Sorry about that.
I went for a swim for the first time this week. Between having guests, getting sick and recovering my strength, I haven't been able to go to the pool since last Thursday. In the pool I found my peace and I realize that nothing has changed in the moment and I have no control. All I can do is teach, eat, sleep, talk to friends, write, walk, swim, accept or reject invitations as I see fit, read and live my life here in Ecuador. Time continues to pass and in December I'll see my family and all the people I miss so much. That's only six weeks away and the time will pass quickly, I have no doubt.
For the next three weeks I'll be teaching a lesson on holidays and traditions in Ecuador. Or I should say, I'll be leading a lesson in which my Ecuadorian students will be teaching me about holidays and traditions in this country. I'm looking forward to learning a lot - I learned a lot about elections in Ecuador during the past three weeks.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Lesson 2: Elections
As of last Thursday I made it through my first cycle of classes. Yesterday I started the cycle again, returning to the level three students I met with my first week.
During the third week of teaching it occurred to me that I'd have to start planning the second lesson. As I explained in a previous post, I meet with a total of 39 classes (one was just added yesterday) on a rotating three week cycle. So I teach the same lesson for three weeks and then I change it and teach a new lesson for three weeks. I meet with third level students the first week, then second level students and finally in the third week of the cycle I meet with the first level students. I modify the lesson as needed based on the level of the student. We focus on conversation so it's flexible. One teacher asked me to follow the book more closely but the rest of the teachers have been amenable to letting me plan my own lessons. I agreed to email the teacher who wants me to follow the book a few days before her class to find out if there is specific verb tenses or vocabulary she wants me to work into the lesson. I can do that and she seemed satisfied.
I began planning a lesson on the fifty states. I was flipping through a book the Fulbright Commission provided called, "About the US." It has a lot of worksheets but none that fit the lesson I was working on. I found a list of questions about US elections and it dawned on me that the next few weeks is the best time to talk about elections in the United States. Ecuador has their own elections coming up in February. The night before class I changed all my plans and formulated a new lesson. The worksheet has nine questions ranging from the timing of the election to questions about the electoral college. I came up with nine questions about elections and politics in Ecuador like, "What are advantages and disadvantages of mandatory voting in Ecuador?" and "How can students become involved and influence politics in Ecuador?"
I've taught the lesson twice and I've been making a few tweaks here and there but so far I'm really happy with how it's going. I divide the class into nine groups and give them two questions - one about US elections and one about Ecuadorian elections. I make sure each group understands both the questions. I tell the group the answer to the question about US elections and describe it a little more in depth as needed. I then ask them to discuss the question about Ecuador and come up with an response to present to the group.
We work on this for about 20 minutes then it's presentation time! I call the groups up one by one. They read the US election question and answer. I provide additional background as needed, especially about the electoral college since they use a system based solely on popular votes. Then the students read their question about elections and politics in Ecuador and they give their group's answer. I was really impressed with the thought the students put into their responses yesterday! It worked so much better than just asking the students to participate in open discussion with their peers as I did in the first lesson. Now they are required to produce something to present to me and the rest of the class so they stayed on task a lot better than before.
I have class from 3:00 to 8:00 tonight. I have a minor adjustment to make but I'm basically going to repeat what I did yesterday. I'm not expecting any miracles. Every class is different and I could do the exact same thing in two classes and find it incredibly successful with one group and falling utterly flat with the next.
Teaching is hard work but I'm finding it rewarding. I know this will sound cheesy, but now that I've met all the students it's so fun to see them the second time around, smile at them and see them smile back! A few of them, the engineering students in particular, still seem a little nervous around me but I'm working to let them know they can relax around me, be themselves and have fun - as long as they're doing it in English!
During the third week of teaching it occurred to me that I'd have to start planning the second lesson. As I explained in a previous post, I meet with a total of 39 classes (one was just added yesterday) on a rotating three week cycle. So I teach the same lesson for three weeks and then I change it and teach a new lesson for three weeks. I meet with third level students the first week, then second level students and finally in the third week of the cycle I meet with the first level students. I modify the lesson as needed based on the level of the student. We focus on conversation so it's flexible. One teacher asked me to follow the book more closely but the rest of the teachers have been amenable to letting me plan my own lessons. I agreed to email the teacher who wants me to follow the book a few days before her class to find out if there is specific verb tenses or vocabulary she wants me to work into the lesson. I can do that and she seemed satisfied.
I began planning a lesson on the fifty states. I was flipping through a book the Fulbright Commission provided called, "About the US." It has a lot of worksheets but none that fit the lesson I was working on. I found a list of questions about US elections and it dawned on me that the next few weeks is the best time to talk about elections in the United States. Ecuador has their own elections coming up in February. The night before class I changed all my plans and formulated a new lesson. The worksheet has nine questions ranging from the timing of the election to questions about the electoral college. I came up with nine questions about elections and politics in Ecuador like, "What are advantages and disadvantages of mandatory voting in Ecuador?" and "How can students become involved and influence politics in Ecuador?"
I've taught the lesson twice and I've been making a few tweaks here and there but so far I'm really happy with how it's going. I divide the class into nine groups and give them two questions - one about US elections and one about Ecuadorian elections. I make sure each group understands both the questions. I tell the group the answer to the question about US elections and describe it a little more in depth as needed. I then ask them to discuss the question about Ecuador and come up with an response to present to the group.
We work on this for about 20 minutes then it's presentation time! I call the groups up one by one. They read the US election question and answer. I provide additional background as needed, especially about the electoral college since they use a system based solely on popular votes. Then the students read their question about elections and politics in Ecuador and they give their group's answer. I was really impressed with the thought the students put into their responses yesterday! It worked so much better than just asking the students to participate in open discussion with their peers as I did in the first lesson. Now they are required to produce something to present to me and the rest of the class so they stayed on task a lot better than before.
I have class from 3:00 to 8:00 tonight. I have a minor adjustment to make but I'm basically going to repeat what I did yesterday. I'm not expecting any miracles. Every class is different and I could do the exact same thing in two classes and find it incredibly successful with one group and falling utterly flat with the next.
Teaching is hard work but I'm finding it rewarding. I know this will sound cheesy, but now that I've met all the students it's so fun to see them the second time around, smile at them and see them smile back! A few of them, the engineering students in particular, still seem a little nervous around me but I'm working to let them know they can relax around me, be themselves and have fun - as long as they're doing it in English!
Room for rent, foreigner wanted
Do you remember the foreign exchange students in your school? They were a little on the strange side, dressed differently, maybe they had a weird haircut, smelled a little funny, perhaps walked around quietly with a wide-eyed look on their face looking slightly confused?
Well, that's me. Here I am. At 5'9", or 175 cm, I tower over the people around me. My giant head, covered with my thick "blond" hair floats above crowds like a flag that shouts, "giant foreign woman here!" Sounds like fun? Not always.
In the house the young students have accepted me as their friend the gentle giant. However, I'm at least 10 years older than the rest; I could have children of my own who are the age of several of them if I were into teen pregnancy. I leave parties early (1:15 am is about as much as I can handle), I don't eat meat and I'm clumsily learning the local slang.
The kids took me to visit a nearby town on Sunday; we had a good time. I enjoy trying new things and I think they like being the ones introducing me to different foods, explaining what words on menu mean (trust me, every unfamiliar word on a menu is just another word for a form of meat). I don't have any close Ecuadorian friends yet and don't worry, I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I accept this. However, I'm open to being pleasantly surprised.
Yesterday as I walked home a man struck up a friendly conversation. He was the typical Ecuadorian man who feels it's appropriate to talk to me on the street: middle aged, short and chunky. I made the mistake of politely responding to his questions of where I'm from and what am I doing here. I got extremely uncomfortable when he followed me to the door of my house and asked for my phone number. I explained that I don't give out my phone number and he insisted he only wanted "English lessons." He persisted and I squirmed and tried to tell him that I only teach at the university and that I'm very busy with classes. Suddenly the door opened to my house as one of the students was exiting. That provided the perfect distraction as I warmly greeted the student and ran inside. It wasn't exactly graceful but it was effective.
I told Rosita about the encounter just in case he comes around looking for me. She told me about persistent men who asked her about Emilie and she informed them that if Emilie were interested she would have given them her phone number and that she wasn't going to share any of Emilie's personal information. Whew!
Rosita has two vacant rooms now that Emilie has returned to the US and another resident moved out earlier this month. I asked her if other girls were moving in and she told me she is hoping to find foreign people like me to move in. I don't know any who are looking for a place to stay I was sorry to tell her. It made me feel appreciated. I really like Rosita, she uses terms of endearment like "mi reina" or "mi cielo" (my queen or my sky/heaven), she prepares special vegetarian dishes for me, she tells me my room needs dusting, she lets me use the washing machine for free while she charges the other residents (ssh, don't tell anyone!) and she lets me hang out with her in the warm kitchen while she's cooking dinner when it's cold at night.
For my part I pay rent on time, I stay out of her way when she's busy, I clear my dishes, I keep my things in my room and my room is tidy (if not dusted) and I chat with her now and then. I feel at home here and Rosita is more of a host mother than a landlady.
So, if any of you foreigners out there need a room to rent, Rosita has a couple available. :)
Well, that's me. Here I am. At 5'9", or 175 cm, I tower over the people around me. My giant head, covered with my thick "blond" hair floats above crowds like a flag that shouts, "giant foreign woman here!" Sounds like fun? Not always.
In the house the young students have accepted me as their friend the gentle giant. However, I'm at least 10 years older than the rest; I could have children of my own who are the age of several of them if I were into teen pregnancy. I leave parties early (1:15 am is about as much as I can handle), I don't eat meat and I'm clumsily learning the local slang.
The kids took me to visit a nearby town on Sunday; we had a good time. I enjoy trying new things and I think they like being the ones introducing me to different foods, explaining what words on menu mean (trust me, every unfamiliar word on a menu is just another word for a form of meat). I don't have any close Ecuadorian friends yet and don't worry, I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I accept this. However, I'm open to being pleasantly surprised.
Yesterday as I walked home a man struck up a friendly conversation. He was the typical Ecuadorian man who feels it's appropriate to talk to me on the street: middle aged, short and chunky. I made the mistake of politely responding to his questions of where I'm from and what am I doing here. I got extremely uncomfortable when he followed me to the door of my house and asked for my phone number. I explained that I don't give out my phone number and he insisted he only wanted "English lessons." He persisted and I squirmed and tried to tell him that I only teach at the university and that I'm very busy with classes. Suddenly the door opened to my house as one of the students was exiting. That provided the perfect distraction as I warmly greeted the student and ran inside. It wasn't exactly graceful but it was effective.
I told Rosita about the encounter just in case he comes around looking for me. She told me about persistent men who asked her about Emilie and she informed them that if Emilie were interested she would have given them her phone number and that she wasn't going to share any of Emilie's personal information. Whew!
Rosita has two vacant rooms now that Emilie has returned to the US and another resident moved out earlier this month. I asked her if other girls were moving in and she told me she is hoping to find foreign people like me to move in. I don't know any who are looking for a place to stay I was sorry to tell her. It made me feel appreciated. I really like Rosita, she uses terms of endearment like "mi reina" or "mi cielo" (my queen or my sky/heaven), she prepares special vegetarian dishes for me, she tells me my room needs dusting, she lets me use the washing machine for free while she charges the other residents (ssh, don't tell anyone!) and she lets me hang out with her in the warm kitchen while she's cooking dinner when it's cold at night.
For my part I pay rent on time, I stay out of her way when she's busy, I clear my dishes, I keep my things in my room and my room is tidy (if not dusted) and I chat with her now and then. I feel at home here and Rosita is more of a host mother than a landlady.
So, if any of you foreigners out there need a room to rent, Rosita has a couple available. :)
Thursday, October 11, 2012
First weeks of teaching
I started teaching last week! I was so excited and nervous about my first class. I had all sorts of thoughts about how the class would go, I planned out a lesson and went over it in my head dozens of times.
The first day of classes didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I felt discouraged, the students seemed confused about what I was doing and I wasn't getting the level of participation that I wanted. I talked to the other ETA and she said she had a similar experience with the students when they first met her and started working with her. For the second day of classes I simplified a few things and lowered my expectations. The second day was much better.
This is what I have learned in my first two weeks of teaching:
I have been teaching the same lesson for two weeks now and will be modifying it slightly next week for the first year English students. I think the only modification I'll do is to deliver my introduction and instructions for each section in both English and Spanish. This is what I do in my lesson:
The first day of classes didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I felt discouraged, the students seemed confused about what I was doing and I wasn't getting the level of participation that I wanted. I talked to the other ETA and she said she had a similar experience with the students when they first met her and started working with her. For the second day of classes I simplified a few things and lowered my expectations. The second day was much better.
This is what I have learned in my first two weeks of teaching:
- Speak slowly and emphasize words that I know are cognates to help the students understand.
- Ask the teacher to encourage student participation. Some teachers sit in the back of the room and work on their lessons, some leave the room when I'm teaching and others participate in my activities or push their students to join in. The latter group are my favorites.
- Maintain a positive attitude and smile as much as possible - even if my face starts to hurt after four hours of class.
- Students often have the same schedules as other students in their major. For example, juniors studying Economics might be part of a small group of students who they have the exact same classes all day everyday. They sit together in class and are usually extremely reticent to move around and talk to other students. I have to be creative to get classes to mix more.
- Students will revert to Spanish if not under my or their teacher's direct supervision.
- The people around here really like eating guinea pigs and potatoes.
I have been teaching the same lesson for two weeks now and will be modifying it slightly next week for the first year English students. I think the only modification I'll do is to deliver my introduction and instructions for each section in both English and Spanish. This is what I do in my lesson:
- Introduce myself. I talk about the Minnesota and Minneapolis. I tell them about the current weather and explain that because of the often changing weather, Minnesotans are obsessed with the weather. I tell them about similarities between Minneapolis and Cuenca: rivers traverse both cities, they both are home to many beautiful parks and interesting museums. I talk about my education, my background with Spanish to explain that practice is the best way to learn a language, and a little bit about the Fulbright Program.
- Three questions for Rose. I allow the students to ask me any three questions. I first experienced this at a school in Minneapolis with middle school students. They all wanted to know what my favorite Justin Bieber song is. The Ecuadorian students asked me the same three questions in the first week - how old are you, are you married and do you like Cuenca? So this week I told them the answers to the top three questions right off the bat and asked them to come up with new questions. I was really happy I did this, now many of the questions are more interesting. Students have asked me about geography, politics, and why I like teaching.
- Question of the day: What do you like about Cuenca? Next I ask each student individually to tell me what they like about Cuenca. This helps me connect briefly with each of the students. I hope it also helps the students relax and not find me to be such a scary giant. I'm still a giant but maybe a friendly one. Cuencanos are proud of their parks, the rivers and the history and architecture of the city. This is how I learned that they also really like eating guinea pigs with potatoes. One man told me, "I like to eat the guinea pigs and I like the womans in Cuenca." Since then a few other male students have told me they like the girls around here. This morning for the first time a woman told me she likes the boys. I like the honesty! In two weeks and after asking this question to over 400 students, only two have told me they don't like Cuenca. One was a young man sitting at the back of class wearing sunglasses at 7:00 in the morning. He thinks Cuenca is boring.Oh well, to each his own.
- Conversation activity. As a class we brainstorm questions that one asks when meeting a person for the first time. The questions the classes come up are usually the same, "what do you like to do in your free time?" "how old are you?" etc. Rarely a student will throw in a different question like, "what kind of clothes do you like to wear?" or "do you like to ride on a motorcycle?" but after teaching the same class 20 times, I love the unusual questions. Once we have a list of at least ten questions we practice them. This is the tough part - getting students to get up and talk to people outside of their little groups. I tell them to have a 3-4 minute conversation with at least five different people but that's only successful when I have teacher support. I circulate the room and try to talk to most of the students. I ask questions from our list but always try to throw in a few others. I ask about brothers and sisters and what they always struggle with is when I ask if their siblings are older or younger. I tell them that it's okay to have to ask what that means. Sometimes we're conversing in a group and I'll ask other students to help the student who is struggling. If all else fails, I tell them the words in Spanish.
Teaching here is a challenge and it's tiring! I have so many students and I talk from start to finish in all of the classes. Talking for four hours a day is something to get used to for me. Even though I spend only a few minutes at the start of class talking to the whole group, I spend the rest of it talking to individuals and small groups, trying to engage them in a conversation.
Teaching is fun, though. I love hearing about the students' families, their interests and overall I'm impressed with their abilities! I met a woman who prepares breakfast early in the morning for her family, gets them off to school or work, goes to school herself, returns home to fix lunch for her family, goes to work in the afternoon, prepares dinner in the evening and then spends much of the night caring for her mother who has Parkinson's disease and often wakes up three or four times in the night. Today I talked to a woman who is married and has a daughter studying medicine at the same university! No surprise, I have a special place in my heart for these impressive multitasking "non-traditional" students.
Well, I'm done with teaching now and have a few free days until I'm back at the university at 7:00 am on Monday!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
2° 53′ 57″ S, 79° 0′ 55″ W
Last week marked the beginning of fall back at home. It starts me thinking about the changing leaves, the crisp and cooler air (sweater weather, my favorite!), watching V's of geese fly south, the cold-weather-hearty chrysanthemums, apples, butternut squash soup...I definitely have an idealized memory of autumn stuck in my head on repeat but I think I'm allowed that. Crunching leaves under feet, seeing your breath in the morning, kicking through piles of freshly raked leaves, turning the heat on in the car for the first time...
Okay, I'm done with that.
Cuenca is just south of the equator. It sits about 8,400 feet above sea level. The air is dry and cool most of the time. It rained almost every day last week, but never all day. The rain would start in the mid to late afternoon an last for a short time. It rained hard for hours only once this week, that was Thursday when I went to visit my newly found Cuenca knitting group.
The first couple of weeks were a big adjustment to the altitude, the dryness in the air, the previously unknown pollens and to the cooler than expected weather. A big bottle of body lotion and some generic allergy medicine helped get my body back in order. Time and swimming helped me adjust to the altitude. Honestly swimming is so far my favorite thing about my life here. I love swimming but felt too busy to go to a pool back in Minneapolis. I bought a swim pass for the pool at St. Kate's but used only about half the swimming sessions before it expired. I count myself extremely lucky that there's a pool a nice 25 minute walk away from me, it costs only $2.50 to use the pool and the water is clean and exactly the right temperature.
After a good swim my mind opens up. I was thinking about how an hour of swimming relates to culture shock and becoming integrated into a new place. At first it's strange and I have to think about the movements. Each laps stands out like an individual. Okay, first lap done, now on to the second...This is like my first couple of weeks in Ecuador. I have to think about things that in Minneapolis came automatically. Eat breakfast, take a shower, entertain myself in the morning somehow. The days crawled by and I remember writing that the first week felt like a month.
Once I warm up in the pool my arms and legs move automatically and through my goggles I look at the pool floor and I watch my arms move my body through the water like they're part of a machine. My thoughts wander, I think about how I'm grateful that I'm past the initial struggle but that I still have a long time to go. I think this is where I am mentally in Ecuador. I have a routine, I'm starting to meet more people and thank heavens I start teaching on Monday! I'm finding my rhythm but my goodness, I still have a long time ahead of me.
The third phase of my swim passes so quickly. I don't think about anything really, just the water, breathing and movement. That phase is still months away for me, I believe.
I wake up in the final phase of my swim. My brain fires up and I start to see the end of the swim on the horizon. I begin to think about taking a long hot shower, changing into clean clothes and eating lunch. I pick up my pace for the last few laps and push myself to make the best of my long swim. When will this be, my last month?
When I start to write I have a plan but it seems that my plan always changes in the middle. I just go with it.
The next time I write I hope to be able to tell you how my first classes at the university went! I met with my faculty advisor last Monday, she gave me a list of my classes and asked me to create my schedule. I'll meet with a total of 39 sections over the course of a 3-week rotation. The first week I'll meet with the level 3 students. I've planned a lesson about introductions, stealing little bits and pieces of introductions at classes where I completed service learning and from first classes at Augsburg. I hope it all works out. I'll let you know!
Okay, I'm done with that.
Cuenca is just south of the equator. It sits about 8,400 feet above sea level. The air is dry and cool most of the time. It rained almost every day last week, but never all day. The rain would start in the mid to late afternoon an last for a short time. It rained hard for hours only once this week, that was Thursday when I went to visit my newly found Cuenca knitting group.
The first couple of weeks were a big adjustment to the altitude, the dryness in the air, the previously unknown pollens and to the cooler than expected weather. A big bottle of body lotion and some generic allergy medicine helped get my body back in order. Time and swimming helped me adjust to the altitude. Honestly swimming is so far my favorite thing about my life here. I love swimming but felt too busy to go to a pool back in Minneapolis. I bought a swim pass for the pool at St. Kate's but used only about half the swimming sessions before it expired. I count myself extremely lucky that there's a pool a nice 25 minute walk away from me, it costs only $2.50 to use the pool and the water is clean and exactly the right temperature.
After a good swim my mind opens up. I was thinking about how an hour of swimming relates to culture shock and becoming integrated into a new place. At first it's strange and I have to think about the movements. Each laps stands out like an individual. Okay, first lap done, now on to the second...This is like my first couple of weeks in Ecuador. I have to think about things that in Minneapolis came automatically. Eat breakfast, take a shower, entertain myself in the morning somehow. The days crawled by and I remember writing that the first week felt like a month.
Once I warm up in the pool my arms and legs move automatically and through my goggles I look at the pool floor and I watch my arms move my body through the water like they're part of a machine. My thoughts wander, I think about how I'm grateful that I'm past the initial struggle but that I still have a long time to go. I think this is where I am mentally in Ecuador. I have a routine, I'm starting to meet more people and thank heavens I start teaching on Monday! I'm finding my rhythm but my goodness, I still have a long time ahead of me.
The third phase of my swim passes so quickly. I don't think about anything really, just the water, breathing and movement. That phase is still months away for me, I believe.
I wake up in the final phase of my swim. My brain fires up and I start to see the end of the swim on the horizon. I begin to think about taking a long hot shower, changing into clean clothes and eating lunch. I pick up my pace for the last few laps and push myself to make the best of my long swim. When will this be, my last month?
When I start to write I have a plan but it seems that my plan always changes in the middle. I just go with it.
The next time I write I hope to be able to tell you how my first classes at the university went! I met with my faculty advisor last Monday, she gave me a list of my classes and asked me to create my schedule. I'll meet with a total of 39 sections over the course of a 3-week rotation. The first week I'll meet with the level 3 students. I've planned a lesson about introductions, stealing little bits and pieces of introductions at classes where I completed service learning and from first classes at Augsburg. I hope it all works out. I'll let you know!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Same world different world
The other day as I walked to the university for a swim peeking into stores, reading signs and learning as much as I can through observation of my new home, I noticed a sign that read, "se necesitan peladora de pollos con experiencia." It's a help wanted sign looking for an experienced chicken plucker. There's a job I'm seriously under-qualified for and I can't say I'm too upset about it.
This shop is close to one of the markets in town, I explored it on my first full day in Cuenca. It's like the farmer's market in Minneapolis but take all of the produce sold there and condense it into a much smaller space, add an open-air meat market, a much greater number of prepared food vendors, clothes, shoes, and just about anything else you could possibly need. My favorite part was on the second level where women sat among piles of herbs and plants for cooking and healing. I could smell mint and parsley on top of dozens of other scents that I can't name. There were vendors that sell unroasted coffee beans (fascinating, but how would I roast them? with my flat iron?) and home made candies that tempted. Vendors would call out to me and ask me what I wanted, insisting that they could offer me whatever I needed.
The lower level had the meat market and it was unlike anything I've experienced. There you see that you are buying animal parts when you're selecting your meat, very much unlike the meat departments in bright and sterile US grocery stores. Oh, and while I'll leave out some of what I saw, I have to say that I did see a pile of skinned guinea pigs with heads, teeth, claws and all. Cuy is what it's called here and people are aware but seem surprised that North Americans keep guinea pigs as pets. I haven't tried it yet but I promise I will before I go!
On the day I saw the sign for the experienced plucker, I also saw wheelbarrows full of plucked chickens. I don't know if they were for purchase or had already been purchased.
Yesterday a friend and I visited the Feria Libre, a giant indoor/outdoor maze of a market that makes the first market I went to look like a convenience store compared with a suburban mega grocery store. My friend bought a big bunch of cilantro for $0.50 and I treated us both to big cups of fresh sweetened coconut juice. It was so delicious! Kids tried to sell us corn on the cob and the quantity of everything was overwhelming. The Feria Libre is near a major intersection and I believe every bus stops there so the exhaust from all the vehicles, especially the smoke ejecting buses was choking.
What I take from all this is that I am sensing a different "relationship" with food in my home and newly adopted cultures. At home we pay so much more for local, organic, free-range food and here I think that's what is the most easily accessible and economical. The eggs Rosita buys have big bright orange yolks and they're delicious. At about $1.50 a dozen they're a bargain by US standards!
I didn't intend on writing all about food. I am hungry and lunch will be served soon so maybe that's it. There's a young man in the house who tells me I'm the first vegetarian he's ever met. He seems to look at my plate with wonder at every meal. I'm quite happy with my big pile of vegetables over his rice and sausages.
I'm going to go down and see if lunch is ready yet. Hasta luego!
This shop is close to one of the markets in town, I explored it on my first full day in Cuenca. It's like the farmer's market in Minneapolis but take all of the produce sold there and condense it into a much smaller space, add an open-air meat market, a much greater number of prepared food vendors, clothes, shoes, and just about anything else you could possibly need. My favorite part was on the second level where women sat among piles of herbs and plants for cooking and healing. I could smell mint and parsley on top of dozens of other scents that I can't name. There were vendors that sell unroasted coffee beans (fascinating, but how would I roast them? with my flat iron?) and home made candies that tempted. Vendors would call out to me and ask me what I wanted, insisting that they could offer me whatever I needed.
The lower level had the meat market and it was unlike anything I've experienced. There you see that you are buying animal parts when you're selecting your meat, very much unlike the meat departments in bright and sterile US grocery stores. Oh, and while I'll leave out some of what I saw, I have to say that I did see a pile of skinned guinea pigs with heads, teeth, claws and all. Cuy is what it's called here and people are aware but seem surprised that North Americans keep guinea pigs as pets. I haven't tried it yet but I promise I will before I go!
On the day I saw the sign for the experienced plucker, I also saw wheelbarrows full of plucked chickens. I don't know if they were for purchase or had already been purchased.
Yesterday a friend and I visited the Feria Libre, a giant indoor/outdoor maze of a market that makes the first market I went to look like a convenience store compared with a suburban mega grocery store. My friend bought a big bunch of cilantro for $0.50 and I treated us both to big cups of fresh sweetened coconut juice. It was so delicious! Kids tried to sell us corn on the cob and the quantity of everything was overwhelming. The Feria Libre is near a major intersection and I believe every bus stops there so the exhaust from all the vehicles, especially the smoke ejecting buses was choking.
What I take from all this is that I am sensing a different "relationship" with food in my home and newly adopted cultures. At home we pay so much more for local, organic, free-range food and here I think that's what is the most easily accessible and economical. The eggs Rosita buys have big bright orange yolks and they're delicious. At about $1.50 a dozen they're a bargain by US standards!
I didn't intend on writing all about food. I am hungry and lunch will be served soon so maybe that's it. There's a young man in the house who tells me I'm the first vegetarian he's ever met. He seems to look at my plate with wonder at every meal. I'm quite happy with my big pile of vegetables over his rice and sausages.
I'm going to go down and see if lunch is ready yet. Hasta luego!
Friday, September 14, 2012
...you get what you need
Here I am, one week later. How can it possibly be that I've only been here for ten days?
In answer to a previous question, yes, I've been drinking the water and I've so far suffered no ill effects. The water does taste good, better than the bottled water I was drinking in Quito. I remember one of the bottles tasted sightly sweet, as if I'd taken an empty glass that had a residue of a sweet cola and refilled it with water. The bottle had been sealed but what I was drinking was purified water, not spring water. Enough about the water. It's safe to drink in Cuenca but rely on filtered or bottled water anywhere else in Ecuador.
The Fulbright program provides a stipend to cover living expenses but participants are responsible for finding their own place to live. Some of us get more help than others; we all have "tutors" or program advisers in our placement cities who are able or willing to provide assistance at varying levels. I was worried about where I'd live so I decided to be proactive. I looked at a few apartments (departamentos) last Sunday and they were all fine. Each was furnished and inexpensive by North American (I can't say "American" because Ecuadorians are Americans too, don't forget) standards but I would have been responsible for getting internet hooked up, buying and cooking my own food and washing my laundry. The guy who showed me the apartments said it's inexpensive (by US standards) to have a laundry service pick up dirty laundry and return it washed and folded but it all seemed very lonely.
Cuenca has a Fulbright student named Emilie who arrived in January. She returns home in October. She told me about the boarding house where she has been living. All meals are provided by the owner of the house and there's high speed wireless internet and a washing machine available for use by residents. When I read her email telling me about the place when I was back in the US, I was thinking that I'd prefer more privacy and was not interested in sharing a bathroom. However, shortly after arriving I realized that sharing a bathroom is not a big deal and that privacy is overrated when you don't know anyone.
I moved into the boarding house on Tuesday. I have a cozy little attic bedroom. The owner of the house, Rosita, jokingly calls it the penthouse. Rosita rents out nine rooms and currently I believe five are occupied. With classes starting soon, the other four will be rented within the next week or so. Rosita is an excellent cook, she attended culinary school. I was advised by Emilie to be careful about finishing everything on my plate because the next time I will find my plate even fuller.
Thanks to articles like this one or that one, Ecuador has been identified to North Americans as one of the best places in the world to retire. I have already met or seen several Canadians and US citizens who have taken the leap and moved here. There's a cafe in the center of town that I found on my first morning exploration. I've been there a few times already because it seems that the only place to get a nice cup of strong black coffee or an espresso based drink is in one of these places run by foreigners for foreigners, not that Ecuadorians are not welcome but the prices they charge are steep by the local standards ($1.75 for a cappuccino!). Otherwise, Ecuadorians seem perfectly content with instant coffee. I would do just about anything for a french press. I found one in Quito for $12 but silly me, didn't buy it. Oh, had I only known!
I visited the cafe this morning for a cup of coffee. It was nice to get out of the house. There are always English-speaking people there to chat with. Today was no different. I found out that on Thursdays the cafe hosts a knitting group! I was a little disappointed that I found out about it on a Friday, I was really bored yesterday afternoon. I will go next week.
The internet went down halfway through writing this post. It happened during the afternoon, which is the time of day when I feel most lost. I think it's always easy to stay busy in the morning - doing laundry, tidying my room or listening to the radio. It's just more difficult for me to fill up the morning. I ate lunch with the group and then after they all set out for whatever plans they had for the day I had to think about what I'd do. I decided to write and then the internet connection was lost. I ended up taking a long walk until the healing blisters on my toes started bothering me again. Upon my return the internet was back up and I felt better - like the connection I have to my friends and family was turned back on.
In answer to a previous question, yes, I've been drinking the water and I've so far suffered no ill effects. The water does taste good, better than the bottled water I was drinking in Quito. I remember one of the bottles tasted sightly sweet, as if I'd taken an empty glass that had a residue of a sweet cola and refilled it with water. The bottle had been sealed but what I was drinking was purified water, not spring water. Enough about the water. It's safe to drink in Cuenca but rely on filtered or bottled water anywhere else in Ecuador.
The Fulbright program provides a stipend to cover living expenses but participants are responsible for finding their own place to live. Some of us get more help than others; we all have "tutors" or program advisers in our placement cities who are able or willing to provide assistance at varying levels. I was worried about where I'd live so I decided to be proactive. I looked at a few apartments (departamentos) last Sunday and they were all fine. Each was furnished and inexpensive by North American (I can't say "American" because Ecuadorians are Americans too, don't forget) standards but I would have been responsible for getting internet hooked up, buying and cooking my own food and washing my laundry. The guy who showed me the apartments said it's inexpensive (by US standards) to have a laundry service pick up dirty laundry and return it washed and folded but it all seemed very lonely.
Cuenca has a Fulbright student named Emilie who arrived in January. She returns home in October. She told me about the boarding house where she has been living. All meals are provided by the owner of the house and there's high speed wireless internet and a washing machine available for use by residents. When I read her email telling me about the place when I was back in the US, I was thinking that I'd prefer more privacy and was not interested in sharing a bathroom. However, shortly after arriving I realized that sharing a bathroom is not a big deal and that privacy is overrated when you don't know anyone.
I moved into the boarding house on Tuesday. I have a cozy little attic bedroom. The owner of the house, Rosita, jokingly calls it the penthouse. Rosita rents out nine rooms and currently I believe five are occupied. With classes starting soon, the other four will be rented within the next week or so. Rosita is an excellent cook, she attended culinary school. I was advised by Emilie to be careful about finishing everything on my plate because the next time I will find my plate even fuller.
Thanks to articles like this one or that one, Ecuador has been identified to North Americans as one of the best places in the world to retire. I have already met or seen several Canadians and US citizens who have taken the leap and moved here. There's a cafe in the center of town that I found on my first morning exploration. I've been there a few times already because it seems that the only place to get a nice cup of strong black coffee or an espresso based drink is in one of these places run by foreigners for foreigners, not that Ecuadorians are not welcome but the prices they charge are steep by the local standards ($1.75 for a cappuccino!). Otherwise, Ecuadorians seem perfectly content with instant coffee. I would do just about anything for a french press. I found one in Quito for $12 but silly me, didn't buy it. Oh, had I only known!
I visited the cafe this morning for a cup of coffee. It was nice to get out of the house. There are always English-speaking people there to chat with. Today was no different. I found out that on Thursdays the cafe hosts a knitting group! I was a little disappointed that I found out about it on a Friday, I was really bored yesterday afternoon. I will go next week.
The internet went down halfway through writing this post. It happened during the afternoon, which is the time of day when I feel most lost. I think it's always easy to stay busy in the morning - doing laundry, tidying my room or listening to the radio. It's just more difficult for me to fill up the morning. I ate lunch with the group and then after they all set out for whatever plans they had for the day I had to think about what I'd do. I decided to write and then the internet connection was lost. I ended up taking a long walk until the healing blisters on my toes started bothering me again. Upon my return the internet was back up and I felt better - like the connection I have to my friends and family was turned back on.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Arrived in my new home city
It has been a month since my last entry and although a lot has happened, I didn't think my preparations, packing and international flights would be of much interest to you readers.
I arrived in Ecuador on Tuesday. There are six of us English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in the Fulbright program in Ecuador this year. We stayed in Quito for three days going to meetings, attending orientations and training sessions and taking care of business like setting up savings accounts. It was nice to be in a group but I was looking forward to going to the city where I will be living and teaching. I left the comfort of the group and the care of the Fulbright Commission this evening and took a flight alone to Cuenca.
The flight was uneventful and I was met at the airport by a driver whom the very helpful and kind program officer at the Fulbright Commission coordinated for me. The driver assured me that I would have a wonderful time in Cuenca and that I would be a great help to the students in my future classes. I was confused when he dropped me off because he seemed to be expecting something but I didn't know what it was. We'd just learned in our cultural training this afternoon that Ecuadorians are indirect and Americans are direct and this can be a cause of confusion. I experienced this within hours of the training and didn't know how to handle the situation. I emailed the program officer and I am sure she'll help clarify if I should have taken some kind of action (a tip or was I supposed to pay the guy? I thought that was taken care of when the reservation was made...) Anyway, I'm sure this is of no interest to you.
The hotel is great so far. I have my own little suite. There is a sign posted by the sink in the kitchen that reads, "DELICIOSA AGUA POTABLE DELICIOUS DRINKABLE WATER" but I'm skeptical. Tempted because my water bottle is almost empty but I don't think I'm ready to risk the tap water, however delicious it may be, quite yet.
On Monday I will meet with the people at the university who I will be working with. Until then I'm more or less on my own. That makes me nervous because here I am, thousands of miles from anyone who really knows me and I feel culturally clumsy and unfamiliar with nearly everything. On top of all that I have a recurring headache from the altitude and a bloody nose from the dry air.
Travel isn't all excitement and adventure. There's downtime, confusion, discomfort, and times when you find you'd really rather be someplace else. I'm on the verge of really good times, I can feel it. I'll start meeting people soon and making new, maybe even lifetime friends. For now I'm sitting alone in a hotel room and for better or worse, all I have is an internet connection. I'm tired, haven't eaten since lunch and it's my bedtime. I promise the next blog entry will be more positive.
I arrived in Ecuador on Tuesday. There are six of us English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in the Fulbright program in Ecuador this year. We stayed in Quito for three days going to meetings, attending orientations and training sessions and taking care of business like setting up savings accounts. It was nice to be in a group but I was looking forward to going to the city where I will be living and teaching. I left the comfort of the group and the care of the Fulbright Commission this evening and took a flight alone to Cuenca.
The flight was uneventful and I was met at the airport by a driver whom the very helpful and kind program officer at the Fulbright Commission coordinated for me. The driver assured me that I would have a wonderful time in Cuenca and that I would be a great help to the students in my future classes. I was confused when he dropped me off because he seemed to be expecting something but I didn't know what it was. We'd just learned in our cultural training this afternoon that Ecuadorians are indirect and Americans are direct and this can be a cause of confusion. I experienced this within hours of the training and didn't know how to handle the situation. I emailed the program officer and I am sure she'll help clarify if I should have taken some kind of action (a tip or was I supposed to pay the guy? I thought that was taken care of when the reservation was made...) Anyway, I'm sure this is of no interest to you.
On Monday I will meet with the people at the university who I will be working with. Until then I'm more or less on my own. That makes me nervous because here I am, thousands of miles from anyone who really knows me and I feel culturally clumsy and unfamiliar with nearly everything. On top of all that I have a recurring headache from the altitude and a bloody nose from the dry air.
Travel isn't all excitement and adventure. There's downtime, confusion, discomfort, and times when you find you'd really rather be someplace else. I'm on the verge of really good times, I can feel it. I'll start meeting people soon and making new, maybe even lifetime friends. For now I'm sitting alone in a hotel room and for better or worse, all I have is an internet connection. I'm tired, haven't eaten since lunch and it's my bedtime. I promise the next blog entry will be more positive.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Preparing
I have my visa! Ecuador granted my visa request very quickly - the process from end to end took about a week and a half. It's such a relief to have my passport back in hand.
My life has really turned upside down. Two months ago I was in school, stressed out trying to finish spring trimester and the overlapping summer session I class I took. I was working and living in my condo, driving my little blue Toyota around. Now my condo is rented, school is out, my car is sold and I quit my job as of Friday. I'm staying at a friend's house and driving a borrowed car. What furniture I didn't sell is at my dad's house and the rest of my things are packed up in boxes in the house where I've been staying for about a week and a half.
I said school is out but that doesn't count the online biology course I'm taking through the University of Minnesota. In the morning I read, listen to an online lecture or submit an assignment for that class. Yesterday's excitement involved taking my cat to the groomer to be shaved and then to the vet to address a (hopefully) minor issue. Today I have an expanse of time before me that I'm not sure yet how I will fill. I have a few options. Tomorrow I move to my dad and step mom's house for a day before heading out to Montreal.
After a busy year - two years really - of working full-time and taking a more than full course load to finish school faster, I thought it might be nice to take a breather, a little personal vacation, gather my energy for my time in Ecuador.
I will probably be in Montreal the next time I write. I will go there on Friday to spend three weeks with Abi before I leave for Ecuador.
My life has really turned upside down. Two months ago I was in school, stressed out trying to finish spring trimester and the overlapping summer session I class I took. I was working and living in my condo, driving my little blue Toyota around. Now my condo is rented, school is out, my car is sold and I quit my job as of Friday. I'm staying at a friend's house and driving a borrowed car. What furniture I didn't sell is at my dad's house and the rest of my things are packed up in boxes in the house where I've been staying for about a week and a half.
I said school is out but that doesn't count the online biology course I'm taking through the University of Minnesota. In the morning I read, listen to an online lecture or submit an assignment for that class. Yesterday's excitement involved taking my cat to the groomer to be shaved and then to the vet to address a (hopefully) minor issue. Today I have an expanse of time before me that I'm not sure yet how I will fill. I have a few options. Tomorrow I move to my dad and step mom's house for a day before heading out to Montreal.
After a busy year - two years really - of working full-time and taking a more than full course load to finish school faster, I thought it might be nice to take a breather, a little personal vacation, gather my energy for my time in Ecuador.
I will probably be in Montreal the next time I write. I will go there on Friday to spend three weeks with Abi before I leave for Ecuador.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
A big change!
The Venezuelan embassy did not act on my visa request in a timely manner so it was retracted and I have been reassigned to Ecuador. I don't know much more at this time. I am awaiting to find out what city I'll be in and the institution where I'll be teaching! I'm still wrapping my head around this major change.
I have to request a "cultural exchange" visa for Ecuador. I'm working on assembling the many requirements for that. It's like a scavenger hunt. This morning I went to City Hall for a clearance letter stating I have no criminal record.
I will post more information as I learn where I'll be! I promise things will get more intesting in upcoming weeks.
I have to request a "cultural exchange" visa for Ecuador. I'm working on assembling the many requirements for that. It's like a scavenger hunt. This morning I went to City Hall for a clearance letter stating I have no criminal record.
I will post more information as I learn where I'll be! I promise things will get more intesting in upcoming weeks.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Brief update - little to report
I have my medical clearance, a necessary step in the process. I'm almost done with my rounds of vaccines; there is just one left to go. I mailed my visa request to the Venezuelan embassy a week ago.
I have a lot to do to get ready but I have to focus on school for the next three weeks. It's frustrating, because when I get home after work I feel torn between sitting down and reading and working on homework and cleaning, packing and decluttering. Myron has been sick, too. He spent a night at the animal hospital this week. So now between homework and preparing for my long time away from home I'm also trying to ply my cat with fluids and delicious treats filled with needed medicine. I get caught up in everything and try to remember that I need to take care of myself too and spend time with friends and family members while I'm still here but unfortunately I only have a little time here and there when I feel like I can relax and take a break.
I tell myself all the time that if I can make it through the next three weeks and finish up three of the four classes I'm taking now that life will get a little easier. We'll see. I'll let you know.
I have a lot to do to get ready but I have to focus on school for the next three weeks. It's frustrating, because when I get home after work I feel torn between sitting down and reading and working on homework and cleaning, packing and decluttering. Myron has been sick, too. He spent a night at the animal hospital this week. So now between homework and preparing for my long time away from home I'm also trying to ply my cat with fluids and delicious treats filled with needed medicine. I get caught up in everything and try to remember that I need to take care of myself too and spend time with friends and family members while I'm still here but unfortunately I only have a little time here and there when I feel like I can relax and take a break.
I tell myself all the time that if I can make it through the next three weeks and finish up three of the four classes I'm taking now that life will get a little easier. We'll see. I'll let you know.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Good and other news
I arrived home last night after spending an evening with family and read an email from the Fulbright program. I learned that I have been placed in Mérida! I am excited about this because this is where I was hoping to go! Mérida is a beautiful city up in the mountains in Venezuela.
If all goes well, I will be teaching at CEVAM - el Centro Venezolano Americano de Mérida - an organization "dedicated to the promotion of friendship and understanding between the people of North America and Venezuela through social, cultural, philanthropic and educational activities.
Sounds wonderful to me!
Anyway, back to the present day. I have started the long and nail-biting process of requesting a visa for the 10 months I am expected to be in Venezuela. I was warned that it's not guaranteed that I will be able to get a visa. There are alternatives but I'll keep that under my hat for now. I'm hoping for the best!
Sounds wonderful to me!
I found this website that has several good photos of Mérida. Scroll down to the photos under "Los Chorros de Milla," I think I paddled around in that pond 20 years ago! Shortly after I first arrived in Venezuela as a high school student studying abroad, my host family took me to Mérida because my host sister had been accepted to the University of the Andes and was attending her orientation to the university.
My host family and I lived in Valera, if you look at a map it doesn't appear to be far from Mérida but I think it took at least four hours to drive there by car. The road winds up and down mountains (mostly up) and they're frighteningly narrow. My host mother honked her horn around every corner because we never knew when a truck or another car would be come flying down the road from the other direction. It was really scary!
I also remember that car ride is where I learned to ask how much something costs. Tiny farms line the road between Mérida and Valera, on our way home, my host mother called out the window to these farmers with tiny stands at the side of the road, "A como la cebolla?" "A como el tomate?" "A como el ajo?""How much for the onion...tomato...garlic?" She bought a long rope of garlic bulbs braided together that she hung over the door to the kitchen. I thought the rope with dozens of garlic bulbs would last years but I think she managed to use it all within just a few months.
Anyway, back to the present day. I have started the long and nail-biting process of requesting a visa for the 10 months I am expected to be in Venezuela. I was warned that it's not guaranteed that I will be able to get a visa. There are alternatives but I'll keep that under my hat for now. I'm hoping for the best!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Well, hello, Blog! How's it going?
This is my first post. If you are reading this you may be wondering who I am, why I'm doing this and why you should keep reading.
You also may be related to me or you like me so you feel you have to read this, in which case thanks for the support!
I am going to pretend you have no idea who I am, that may make writing easier.
My name is Rose. I am 36 years old. I'd worked in a cubicle (it's not that bad, it's pretty roomy) for more than a decade when I finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up. I decided that I wanted to be a teacher. Maybe someday I'll write about that a little more but for now I'll keep moving on.
I started graduate school in fall 2010 at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg has a weekend college program that allows me to work full time in my roomy cubicle during the week and attend classes on the weekends and some evenings. Sounds easy? It is not!
Not long after the 2011-2012 school year started I read about the Fulbright program in the Augsburg daily email. I thought, "Sounds cool, why not give it a shot?" I knew there were many reasons to not apply - I have a loving boyfriend who I don't see close enough of as it is, a faithful cat, a good job that will keep me going up until student teaching, a condo, a car lots of stuff, I'm a Big Sister - it's a relationship I value deeply and a responsibility I take seriously - friends, family...so on and so forth. However, I thought, how can I not at least apply and see what shakes out.
I decided to apply for an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Venezuela because I studied abroad in that country when I was in high school and still keep in touch with some of my friends there thanks to the good old Facebook. Venezuela is a beautiful country, the people are wonderful and the culture is much more relaxed - my style.
For all those who are interested in applying for a Fulbright scholarship, you should pay attention to the next part. It took me a month to compete the application process. The process included a 12-page application, full transcripts from every college or university I've ever attended, a Spanish proficiency test, three letters of recommendation, a grant proposal, a statement of grant purpose and an interview in front of a panel of five professors and staff from Augsburg. I think that was it. Augsburg provides a lot of support throughout every step of the way and I can't thank them enough for all they did. I submitted my application on the deadline - I believe that was October 17th.
And then I waited. I expected to hear by January 31st if I was selected or not. I thought every day that passed and I didn't hear anything was a good sign - either that or they lost my application. On January 23rd I received an email from the Institute of International Education informing me that I had made the final pool of potential grantees and that I should give myself a high five and keep waiting. That was not what I'd expected to hear. I also learned that I could expect to know more sometime between February and mid-May or possibly June. I'm serious, that's pretty close to the frustratingly vague language they used.
Up until this point I'd told very few people that I applied because I never thought I'd be selected. Once I got the January email I did start telling more people because it really was an honor to have made it that far. The bad part was that then the people I told kept asking me if I'd heard yet. That made the waiting worse. I waited all of February, all of March and all of April. For some reason March was the hardest. By the end of April I'd given up thinking I'd hear anything until June.
On May 3rd I was surprised to learn that I had been selected. After nearly hyperventilating and throwing up, I panicked. Now what am I going to do? What did I get myself into?
I'm going to fast forward because this post is already way longer than I planned.
Two and a half weeks have passed since I got the email. I've known for awhile that I'd go if I were selected. I had some moment in winter when I realized that no matter how hard it would be to shake up my life, change everything and get on a plane and go to South America for 10 months, I'd do it if given the opportunity.
Some things have become easier. I don't have to buy the jumbo pack of toilet paper at Costco, I just need enough to get me through until early August. Other things are amazingly difficult, I'll let you imagine in your own head what those things might be but I'll give you a hint - do a ctrl-F search for "reasons not to apply" and there's your reminder.
I focus on the smaller tasks for now. On Friday I had a physical and got vaccinated against hepatitis and typhoid. I also had a TB skin test, I go back to the doctor's office tomorrow to have that test completed. I'll have more vaccinations on Friday and then one more in June (That's the three-part Twin Rix for all of you who know your vaccinations.)
That's it for my first post. Way too long, wouldn't you say? Stick with me, I think things are going to become more interesting as weeks pass. My intention is to get this blog set up and keep it going in Venezuela. For now, good night!
This is my first post. If you are reading this you may be wondering who I am, why I'm doing this and why you should keep reading.
You also may be related to me or you like me so you feel you have to read this, in which case thanks for the support!
I am going to pretend you have no idea who I am, that may make writing easier.
My name is Rose. I am 36 years old. I'd worked in a cubicle (it's not that bad, it's pretty roomy) for more than a decade when I finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up. I decided that I wanted to be a teacher. Maybe someday I'll write about that a little more but for now I'll keep moving on.
I started graduate school in fall 2010 at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg has a weekend college program that allows me to work full time in my roomy cubicle during the week and attend classes on the weekends and some evenings. Sounds easy? It is not!
Not long after the 2011-2012 school year started I read about the Fulbright program in the Augsburg daily email. I thought, "Sounds cool, why not give it a shot?" I knew there were many reasons to not apply - I have a loving boyfriend who I don't see close enough of as it is, a faithful cat, a good job that will keep me going up until student teaching, a condo, a car lots of stuff, I'm a Big Sister - it's a relationship I value deeply and a responsibility I take seriously - friends, family...so on and so forth. However, I thought, how can I not at least apply and see what shakes out.
I decided to apply for an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Venezuela because I studied abroad in that country when I was in high school and still keep in touch with some of my friends there thanks to the good old Facebook. Venezuela is a beautiful country, the people are wonderful and the culture is much more relaxed - my style.
For all those who are interested in applying for a Fulbright scholarship, you should pay attention to the next part. It took me a month to compete the application process. The process included a 12-page application, full transcripts from every college or university I've ever attended, a Spanish proficiency test, three letters of recommendation, a grant proposal, a statement of grant purpose and an interview in front of a panel of five professors and staff from Augsburg. I think that was it. Augsburg provides a lot of support throughout every step of the way and I can't thank them enough for all they did. I submitted my application on the deadline - I believe that was October 17th.
And then I waited. I expected to hear by January 31st if I was selected or not. I thought every day that passed and I didn't hear anything was a good sign - either that or they lost my application. On January 23rd I received an email from the Institute of International Education informing me that I had made the final pool of potential grantees and that I should give myself a high five and keep waiting. That was not what I'd expected to hear. I also learned that I could expect to know more sometime between February and mid-May or possibly June. I'm serious, that's pretty close to the frustratingly vague language they used.
Up until this point I'd told very few people that I applied because I never thought I'd be selected. Once I got the January email I did start telling more people because it really was an honor to have made it that far. The bad part was that then the people I told kept asking me if I'd heard yet. That made the waiting worse. I waited all of February, all of March and all of April. For some reason March was the hardest. By the end of April I'd given up thinking I'd hear anything until June.
On May 3rd I was surprised to learn that I had been selected. After nearly hyperventilating and throwing up, I panicked. Now what am I going to do? What did I get myself into?
I'm going to fast forward because this post is already way longer than I planned.
Two and a half weeks have passed since I got the email. I've known for awhile that I'd go if I were selected. I had some moment in winter when I realized that no matter how hard it would be to shake up my life, change everything and get on a plane and go to South America for 10 months, I'd do it if given the opportunity.
Some things have become easier. I don't have to buy the jumbo pack of toilet paper at Costco, I just need enough to get me through until early August. Other things are amazingly difficult, I'll let you imagine in your own head what those things might be but I'll give you a hint - do a ctrl-F search for "reasons not to apply" and there's your reminder.
I focus on the smaller tasks for now. On Friday I had a physical and got vaccinated against hepatitis and typhoid. I also had a TB skin test, I go back to the doctor's office tomorrow to have that test completed. I'll have more vaccinations on Friday and then one more in June (That's the three-part Twin Rix for all of you who know your vaccinations.)
That's it for my first post. Way too long, wouldn't you say? Stick with me, I think things are going to become more interesting as weeks pass. My intention is to get this blog set up and keep it going in Venezuela. For now, good night!
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