I just finished grading final exams...and therefore the semester...and my job at the university. That's hard to wrap my mind around. I'm not ready to process the fact that my year in Colombia is coming to an end, so in the meantime here are a few exam comments worth mentioning:
-Did I fail at teaching writing if my third semester students' exam essays are full of "OMG! I wanna...I'm gonna..."?
-This line made my day: "This semester I've studied and learned full." See, "full" (pronounced "fool") has become a normal word in Colombian Spanish vocabulary, but it doesn't must mean the opposite of empty, but rather "a lot".
-In an oral exam, one student said, "This semester I've fallen in love with English." That brings joy to a teacher's heart :)
"Last one's a rotten egg."
As I opened the egg carton, they all looked the same. Different shades and spots, but nothing suspicious from the outside. They all looked fresh and omelette-ready. As SOON as I cracked open the rotten one, though, there was no doubt. The smell was absolutely repugnant and I couldne´t get the trash out fast enough. Beyond that, I kinda lost my appetite for eggs for a while.
It's not that hard to look like a good Christian on the outside. We can say and do the "right" things on autopilot. But what about when we're cracked open--what's inside? Is it appealing or revolting?
I want to live up to my Grandpa´s words: "You´re a goooooood egg."
It's not that hard to look like a good Christian on the outside. We can say and do the "right" things on autopilot. But what about when we're cracked open--what's inside? Is it appealing or revolting?
I want to live up to my Grandpa´s words: "You´re a goooooood egg."
More than sparrows.
Do you ever have one of those times when God seems to relentlessly confront you with a theme or issue? When your study of the Bible, sermons you hear, and conversations with friends come together in such a way that it leaves you thinking, “OK, I get it. This is something I need to deal with.”
Lately, that theme for me has been
Worry.
James 4. Matthew 6. Luke 12. These passages remind me that worrying is never acceptable. Why? Because God is good and all-knowing. He knows what I need before I ask, and as a loving Father he will provide. Because “running after these things [“stuff,” essentially]” is futile. Because my life is a vapor and I don’t know what tomorrow will hold. Because intimacy with God is much more important than having pleasant circumstances.
God has further reinforced this theme through a book called “Loving God With All Your Mind” by Elizabeth George; there’s a great section called Winning over Worry. In the most recent meeting of the small group I lead at the university, we watched and discussed this video, which is a powerful illustration about our tendency to be discontent. The last line is quite poignant and reminds us to focus on the Giver, not the gift.
So rather than freak out about where I am going to live and how I’m going to get a job, or about how a friend seems to continually make destructive decisions, or about how I’m going to stretch my last paycheck over two unpaid months in Colombia, or really a whole host of “concerns,” that constantly invade my mind-----I’m asking the Lord to help me grow in trusting Him. I haven’t found the “secret” yet, but I do know that it’s a moment-by-moment process of letting go of my worry (and desire to control my life) and resting in God’s leadership and provision.
Lately, that theme for me has been
Worry.
James 4. Matthew 6. Luke 12. These passages remind me that worrying is never acceptable. Why? Because God is good and all-knowing. He knows what I need before I ask, and as a loving Father he will provide. Because “running after these things [“stuff,” essentially]” is futile. Because my life is a vapor and I don’t know what tomorrow will hold. Because intimacy with God is much more important than having pleasant circumstances.
God has further reinforced this theme through a book called “Loving God With All Your Mind” by Elizabeth George; there’s a great section called Winning over Worry. In the most recent meeting of the small group I lead at the university, we watched and discussed this video, which is a powerful illustration about our tendency to be discontent. The last line is quite poignant and reminds us to focus on the Giver, not the gift.
So rather than freak out about where I am going to live and how I’m going to get a job, or about how a friend seems to continually make destructive decisions, or about how I’m going to stretch my last paycheck over two unpaid months in Colombia, or really a whole host of “concerns,” that constantly invade my mind-----I’m asking the Lord to help me grow in trusting Him. I haven’t found the “secret” yet, but I do know that it’s a moment-by-moment process of letting go of my worry (and desire to control my life) and resting in God’s leadership and provision.
Aprendiendo
One of my students has made it her personal mission to get me reading Spanish literature. Each week, she brings me several poems or short stories by Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortazar, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or others. She even gave me a copy of one of her favorite books, “Los Ojos del Perro Siberiano.”
One of my favorite of these pieces of literature is a poem called “Aprendiendo” [It’s attributed to Jorge Luis Borges, but that’s debated]. Here are a few of the best lines:
“Y uno aprende a construer todos sus caminos en el hoy, porque el terreno de mañana es demasiado inseguro para planes, y los futures tienen una forma de caerse en la mitad…
Con el tiempo entiendes que los verdaderos amigos son contados, y que el que no lucha por ellos tarde o temprano se verá rodeado solo de amistades falsas.
Con el tiempo aprendes que las palabras dichas en un momento de ira pueden seguir lastimando a quien heriste, durante toda la vida…
Con el tiempo aprendes que disculpar cualquiera lo hace, pero perdonar es solo de almas grandes.
Con el tiempo te das cuenta de que cada experiencia vivida con cada persona es irrepetible…
Con el tiempo aprendes a construer todos tus caminos en el hoy, porque el terreno del mañana es demasado incierto para hacer planes…
Con el tiempo te das cuanta de que en realidad lo mejor no era el future, sino el momento que estabas viviendo justo en ese instante…
Con el tiempo aprenderás que intentar perdonar o pedir perdón, decir que amas, decir que extrañas, decir que necesitas, decir que quieres ser amigo, ante una tumba, ya no tiene ningún sentido.
Pero desafortunadamente, solo con el tiempo…”
It’s hard to do justice to poems by translating, but this one is about learning important life lessons: fighting for real friendships, expressing our love and need for people, and living each day to the fullest. Essentially, as the last line says, these things are only learned with time…
One of my favorite of these pieces of literature is a poem called “Aprendiendo” [It’s attributed to Jorge Luis Borges, but that’s debated]. Here are a few of the best lines:
“Y uno aprende a construer todos sus caminos en el hoy, porque el terreno de mañana es demasiado inseguro para planes, y los futures tienen una forma de caerse en la mitad…
Con el tiempo entiendes que los verdaderos amigos son contados, y que el que no lucha por ellos tarde o temprano se verá rodeado solo de amistades falsas.
Con el tiempo aprendes que las palabras dichas en un momento de ira pueden seguir lastimando a quien heriste, durante toda la vida…
Con el tiempo aprendes que disculpar cualquiera lo hace, pero perdonar es solo de almas grandes.
Con el tiempo te das cuenta de que cada experiencia vivida con cada persona es irrepetible…
Con el tiempo aprendes a construer todos tus caminos en el hoy, porque el terreno del mañana es demasado incierto para hacer planes…
Con el tiempo te das cuanta de que en realidad lo mejor no era el future, sino el momento que estabas viviendo justo en ese instante…
Con el tiempo aprenderás que intentar perdonar o pedir perdón, decir que amas, decir que extrañas, decir que necesitas, decir que quieres ser amigo, ante una tumba, ya no tiene ningún sentido.
Pero desafortunadamente, solo con el tiempo…”
It’s hard to do justice to poems by translating, but this one is about learning important life lessons: fighting for real friendships, expressing our love and need for people, and living each day to the fullest. Essentially, as the last line says, these things are only learned with time…
A Dream Come True!
Machu Picchu!
This adventure began right on the tail of the last one (Ecuador). After returning to my home in Barranquilla at 1:30 a.m. on April 16th, I headed back to the airport at 9:00 a.m. to fly back over Ecuador to Lima. There, after meeting up with my friend Andrea and her mom, cousin, and aunt, and a brief (3 hour) night in Lima, we made the short flight to Cusco. At about 14,000 feet above sea level, it’s generally recommended to spend two to three days acclimating to the altitude before embarking on the demanding trek to Machu Picchu. Since we only had about 18 hours, we drank our share of coca leaf tea to ward off adverse effects. The following morning “las chicas” (our team of 5 girls) and our guide Felipe set out for our “Inka Jungle Trek.” Day 1 involved driving through a few villages and higher up into the Andes mountains. There, in the blustery cold and rain, we took off on mountain bikes down a curvy highway. As we descended, the weather improved drastically: the rain let up, the sun came out, and the clouds cleared away. After a descent of 50 kilometers, we took another short van ride to the town of Santa Maria. After a dinner of delicious lomo saltado (sautéed beef strips with rice) we settled into our hostel for the night. On Day 2, we hiked the equivalent of a half marathon. We finished the 10-hour hiking day with tired legs and blistered feet, but the trip was beautiful. Part of it was along a historic Inka trail, which went up and down alongside the Urubamba river. Throughout the course of the day, we saw banana trees, coffee plants, pineapple bushes; we ate bananas picked right off the tree and tasted cuy (roasted guinea pig). Day 3 involved a great adventure: zip-lining 500 feet above the ground! Securely harnessed in, of course, we stepped off the cliff a total of 6 times, flying over the valley and river at a thrilling 65 (can’t remember if it was miles or kilometers!) per hour. Afterwards, on our way to our lunch spot, we encountered a derrumbe (landslide) and had to wait about half an hour for a path to be cleared. As we climbed over the rocky makeshift path, it was a good idea to look neither up (crossing our fingers that no more rocks would come tumbling down) nor down (to the steep drop-off immediately to our left). After lunch, our group divided in half (some took the train to Aguas Calientes, the next village, and the rest of us walked). In Aguas Calientes (literally “hot water” where, to our relief, they have hot showers), we made preparations for the following day (bought bus and entrance tickets to Machu Picchu, etc.). At 4 a.m. on Day 4, we waited in line for the bus, since only the first 400 people to enter the Machu Picchu park would be granted a pass to climb Waynapicchu, the highest peak. At 6:15 we arrived at Machu Picchu and succeeded in receiving the pass. At this point, the mountain on which we stood was covered by clouds; we could only see a few yards ahead of us, and the picture-perfect view was completely obscured. Felipe, our guide, gave us an orientation of Machu Picchu—explaining the history, pointing out the important buildings and recounting their purposes. After a challenging hour-long climb, we reached the peak of Waynapicchu. Though the view was still rather cloudy, it was an amazing feeling to be so high, surrounded by stunning mountains. Finally, by about 11 a.m., the clouds cleared, revealing the stunning beauty of Machu Picchu. Pictures may be impressive, but there are really no words or pictures to describe the breathtaking beauty of this site. For as long as I can remember (or at least since I’ve studied Spanish/Latin America), visiting Machu Picchu has been a dream of mine. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to see it come true!
(Las Chicas biking down the Andes mountainside)
(Coca leaves--NOT cocaine. Yuck.)
The following day, in Cusco once again, Andrea and I explored the city (“the belly button of the world,” as the Inkas called it). We wandered up and down the streets, where colonial Spanish buildings are added onto Inka stone foundations. Being Good Friday, we encountered a procession taking place in the plaza.
That night, we boarded a bus for Puno, a city in southern Peru that lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable lake in the world, shared by Peru and Bolivia). Arriving at 4:30 a.m., we crashed at a hostel for a few hours before venturing out into the city. We joined a tour group to visit some pre-Inka ruins called Sillustani, a group of stone burial towers overlooking a beautiful lagoon. The following day, we went down to the dock where we paid for a day tour of Lake Titicaca’s islands. Rather than going through a tour agency, we bought the passage on a local boat. There were a few other gringos on the boat, but most passengers were Quechua-speaking inhabitants of Taquile island, returning home with heavy sacks of food and pockets, skirts, and hats full of coca leaves (they chewed the stuff as if it were candy)! We first stopped to see the Uros islands, which are floating reed islands inhabited by Aymara people. A couple hours later we arrived at Taquile, which is a steep, hilly island with houses and farms scattered across it. At the top of the hill were a plaza and some restaurants (where we were served fresh trout caught right from the lake). It was Easter Sunday, and we arrived in time to see the locals leaving the Catholic chapel, crossing the plaza, and performing a thanksgiving ceremony to Pachamama, or Mother Earth. It was interesting to see the incorporation of indigenous beliefs with the Catholic religion—to the community, participating in both didn’t seem to be a conflict.
(Umayo lagoon from the Sillustani ruins)
(an Aymara woman on the Uros reed island)
(From Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca)
After another night bus ride, a long layover in Lima, and a night in the Bogota airport, I arrived in Barranquilla, rather tired to be starting the work week—but the price was certainly worth it for such an unforgettable adventure!
This adventure began right on the tail of the last one (Ecuador). After returning to my home in Barranquilla at 1:30 a.m. on April 16th, I headed back to the airport at 9:00 a.m. to fly back over Ecuador to Lima. There, after meeting up with my friend Andrea and her mom, cousin, and aunt, and a brief (3 hour) night in Lima, we made the short flight to Cusco. At about 14,000 feet above sea level, it’s generally recommended to spend two to three days acclimating to the altitude before embarking on the demanding trek to Machu Picchu. Since we only had about 18 hours, we drank our share of coca leaf tea to ward off adverse effects. The following morning “las chicas” (our team of 5 girls) and our guide Felipe set out for our “Inka Jungle Trek.” Day 1 involved driving through a few villages and higher up into the Andes mountains. There, in the blustery cold and rain, we took off on mountain bikes down a curvy highway. As we descended, the weather improved drastically: the rain let up, the sun came out, and the clouds cleared away. After a descent of 50 kilometers, we took another short van ride to the town of Santa Maria. After a dinner of delicious lomo saltado (sautéed beef strips with rice) we settled into our hostel for the night. On Day 2, we hiked the equivalent of a half marathon. We finished the 10-hour hiking day with tired legs and blistered feet, but the trip was beautiful. Part of it was along a historic Inka trail, which went up and down alongside the Urubamba river. Throughout the course of the day, we saw banana trees, coffee plants, pineapple bushes; we ate bananas picked right off the tree and tasted cuy (roasted guinea pig). Day 3 involved a great adventure: zip-lining 500 feet above the ground! Securely harnessed in, of course, we stepped off the cliff a total of 6 times, flying over the valley and river at a thrilling 65 (can’t remember if it was miles or kilometers!) per hour. Afterwards, on our way to our lunch spot, we encountered a derrumbe (landslide) and had to wait about half an hour for a path to be cleared. As we climbed over the rocky makeshift path, it was a good idea to look neither up (crossing our fingers that no more rocks would come tumbling down) nor down (to the steep drop-off immediately to our left). After lunch, our group divided in half (some took the train to Aguas Calientes, the next village, and the rest of us walked). In Aguas Calientes (literally “hot water” where, to our relief, they have hot showers), we made preparations for the following day (bought bus and entrance tickets to Machu Picchu, etc.). At 4 a.m. on Day 4, we waited in line for the bus, since only the first 400 people to enter the Machu Picchu park would be granted a pass to climb Waynapicchu, the highest peak. At 6:15 we arrived at Machu Picchu and succeeded in receiving the pass. At this point, the mountain on which we stood was covered by clouds; we could only see a few yards ahead of us, and the picture-perfect view was completely obscured. Felipe, our guide, gave us an orientation of Machu Picchu—explaining the history, pointing out the important buildings and recounting their purposes. After a challenging hour-long climb, we reached the peak of Waynapicchu. Though the view was still rather cloudy, it was an amazing feeling to be so high, surrounded by stunning mountains. Finally, by about 11 a.m., the clouds cleared, revealing the stunning beauty of Machu Picchu. Pictures may be impressive, but there are really no words or pictures to describe the breathtaking beauty of this site. For as long as I can remember (or at least since I’ve studied Spanish/Latin America), visiting Machu Picchu has been a dream of mine. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to see it come true!
(Las Chicas biking down the Andes mountainside)
(Coca leaves--NOT cocaine. Yuck.)
The following day, in Cusco once again, Andrea and I explored the city (“the belly button of the world,” as the Inkas called it). We wandered up and down the streets, where colonial Spanish buildings are added onto Inka stone foundations. Being Good Friday, we encountered a procession taking place in the plaza.
That night, we boarded a bus for Puno, a city in southern Peru that lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable lake in the world, shared by Peru and Bolivia). Arriving at 4:30 a.m., we crashed at a hostel for a few hours before venturing out into the city. We joined a tour group to visit some pre-Inka ruins called Sillustani, a group of stone burial towers overlooking a beautiful lagoon. The following day, we went down to the dock where we paid for a day tour of Lake Titicaca’s islands. Rather than going through a tour agency, we bought the passage on a local boat. There were a few other gringos on the boat, but most passengers were Quechua-speaking inhabitants of Taquile island, returning home with heavy sacks of food and pockets, skirts, and hats full of coca leaves (they chewed the stuff as if it were candy)! We first stopped to see the Uros islands, which are floating reed islands inhabited by Aymara people. A couple hours later we arrived at Taquile, which is a steep, hilly island with houses and farms scattered across it. At the top of the hill were a plaza and some restaurants (where we were served fresh trout caught right from the lake). It was Easter Sunday, and we arrived in time to see the locals leaving the Catholic chapel, crossing the plaza, and performing a thanksgiving ceremony to Pachamama, or Mother Earth. It was interesting to see the incorporation of indigenous beliefs with the Catholic religion—to the community, participating in both didn’t seem to be a conflict.
(Umayo lagoon from the Sillustani ruins)
(an Aymara woman on the Uros reed island)
(From Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca)
After another night bus ride, a long layover in Lima, and a night in the Bogota airport, I arrived in Barranquilla, rather tired to be starting the work week—but the price was certainly worth it for such an unforgettable adventure!
Ecuador Encantador
Sitting in the Quito airport, I'm preparing to return to Barranquilla for approximately 12 hours before heading to Peru tomorrow. Today concluded the “mid-year” enrichment seminar for Fulbright ETAs (English Teaching Assistants) of the Andean Region (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru). The first half of the conference, packed with seminars, took place in Quito; the second half, at a little tropical resort called Arashá, was a little more relaxing.
Overall, the trip was fabulous. The staff at the Fulbright Commission in Quito were on top of their game and planned an excellent week: they rolled out the red carpet for us and programmed relevant, interesting seminars. My only complaint is that they overdid it on feeding us! With buffet gourmet meals three times a day, I think most of us experienced that post-Thanksgiving dinner uncomfortably full sensation a few too many times!
Other highlights of the week:
•Speaking English! But with people who, like me, are “losing” their English fluency and inserting English-ized Spanish words (like “manifestation” instead of “protest” and “invert” instead of “invest”) as well as useful Spanish words that just don’t have a satisfactory counterpart (like pendiente, juicioso…)
•One night in Quito, we went to a dance performance called Humanizarte that gave us a taste of some of the styles of indigenous music and dance from around Ecuador. The dancers were so animated and you could tell they were enjoying themselves. To top it off, at the end the pulled us all out of our seats to join them!
•Having HOT SHOWERS! It doesn’t matter that Barranquilla is hot all year round—a cold shower is still unpleasant.
•Seeing two friends in Quito: one, a guy named Christian who is part of Campus Crusade in Ecuador and who I met when he was visiting Colombia when I arrived last July. My first weekend in Barranquilla, I traveled to Cartagena with him and Ginette. I also saw my friend María, an Ecuadorian co-worker from summer 2008 when I worked on the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Those are the kind of people that you never really know if you’ll see again, so it was neat to be able to re-connect—this time in their hometown.
•Sharing stories with the other Fulbrighters. Many of them I hadn’t seen since our orientation seminar last August, since we are spread all over Colombia. It was also great to meet the ETAs who are living in Venezuela (they have some crazy stories!), Ecuador and Peru (who have only been in-country three weeks!). Our Colombia crew is by far the biggest (16 of the 29 total ETAs) and we are also the farthest along in our grant periods (only about 6 weeks left!). One afternoon we had a time to present our side projects, or what we’ve dedicated ourselves to aside from teaching. It’s amazing the diversity of projects: from working with HIV patients to researching river preservation to teaching IDPs (internally displaced people) to designing promotional materials for a museum to creating a project to turn plastic bags yarn for knitting…the creativity is astounding.
•During our stay at the resort in Arashá, we spent a morning teaching English at two local schools. Though I doubt the kids really learned much English from a one-hour drop-in, I think they enjoyed the fact that it was something different. Not knowing the exact age we’d be with or their English level, my group planned a fairly flexible lesson on parts of the body (Simon says, Head & Shoulders, Knees and Toes). We were surprised by how basic their level actually was, but eventually they caught on!
•I know I’ve said so already, but the sessions were EXCELLENT! The director of the Fulbright Commission in Ecuador, Susana Cabeza de Vaca, taught about culture in the most brilliant, concise, enlightening presentation I’ve ever heard. She talked about the “polychromic” mindset of Latinos and how, when juxtaposed with the U.S. American “monochromic” way of thinking, clashes occur. She put into words exactly what we’ve all lived throughout these past eight months. We also had the U.S. State department RELO (Regional English Language Officer) of the Andes and the Ecuador ELF (English Language Fellow) teach us about EFL methodologies. It left me thinking “I want to start over!” Seeing how I only have four weeks left of class this semester, there are a few things I can still implement, but others will have to wait for a future semester.
•I checked another item off my bucket list…standing on the equator! OK, it turns out the huge “Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) monument outside of Quito is actually off by several meters, but we’ll call that close enough :)
My concluding thought about Ecuador is that it is a BEAUTIFUL country and I hope to go back someday. I’m thankful to have been able to visit (especially on Fulbright’s tab) but nice hotels, tour buses, and fancy restaurants aren’t my preferred way to travel. I would love to be able to interact more with the people and culture and get a more “authentic” glimpse of Ecuador. I have high hopes that will happen someday in the future.
[The internet here at the airport is slower than a Galapagos giant turtle, so I'll go back and post more pics later!]
Overall, the trip was fabulous. The staff at the Fulbright Commission in Quito were on top of their game and planned an excellent week: they rolled out the red carpet for us and programmed relevant, interesting seminars. My only complaint is that they overdid it on feeding us! With buffet gourmet meals three times a day, I think most of us experienced that post-Thanksgiving dinner uncomfortably full sensation a few too many times!
Other highlights of the week:
•Speaking English! But with people who, like me, are “losing” their English fluency and inserting English-ized Spanish words (like “manifestation” instead of “protest” and “invert” instead of “invest”) as well as useful Spanish words that just don’t have a satisfactory counterpart (like pendiente, juicioso…)
•One night in Quito, we went to a dance performance called Humanizarte that gave us a taste of some of the styles of indigenous music and dance from around Ecuador. The dancers were so animated and you could tell they were enjoying themselves. To top it off, at the end the pulled us all out of our seats to join them!
•Having HOT SHOWERS! It doesn’t matter that Barranquilla is hot all year round—a cold shower is still unpleasant.
•Seeing two friends in Quito: one, a guy named Christian who is part of Campus Crusade in Ecuador and who I met when he was visiting Colombia when I arrived last July. My first weekend in Barranquilla, I traveled to Cartagena with him and Ginette. I also saw my friend María, an Ecuadorian co-worker from summer 2008 when I worked on the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Those are the kind of people that you never really know if you’ll see again, so it was neat to be able to re-connect—this time in their hometown.
•Sharing stories with the other Fulbrighters. Many of them I hadn’t seen since our orientation seminar last August, since we are spread all over Colombia. It was also great to meet the ETAs who are living in Venezuela (they have some crazy stories!), Ecuador and Peru (who have only been in-country three weeks!). Our Colombia crew is by far the biggest (16 of the 29 total ETAs) and we are also the farthest along in our grant periods (only about 6 weeks left!). One afternoon we had a time to present our side projects, or what we’ve dedicated ourselves to aside from teaching. It’s amazing the diversity of projects: from working with HIV patients to researching river preservation to teaching IDPs (internally displaced people) to designing promotional materials for a museum to creating a project to turn plastic bags yarn for knitting…the creativity is astounding.
•During our stay at the resort in Arashá, we spent a morning teaching English at two local schools. Though I doubt the kids really learned much English from a one-hour drop-in, I think they enjoyed the fact that it was something different. Not knowing the exact age we’d be with or their English level, my group planned a fairly flexible lesson on parts of the body (Simon says, Head & Shoulders, Knees and Toes). We were surprised by how basic their level actually was, but eventually they caught on!
•I know I’ve said so already, but the sessions were EXCELLENT! The director of the Fulbright Commission in Ecuador, Susana Cabeza de Vaca, taught about culture in the most brilliant, concise, enlightening presentation I’ve ever heard. She talked about the “polychromic” mindset of Latinos and how, when juxtaposed with the U.S. American “monochromic” way of thinking, clashes occur. She put into words exactly what we’ve all lived throughout these past eight months. We also had the U.S. State department RELO (Regional English Language Officer) of the Andes and the Ecuador ELF (English Language Fellow) teach us about EFL methodologies. It left me thinking “I want to start over!” Seeing how I only have four weeks left of class this semester, there are a few things I can still implement, but others will have to wait for a future semester.
•I checked another item off my bucket list…standing on the equator! OK, it turns out the huge “Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) monument outside of Quito is actually off by several meters, but we’ll call that close enough :)
My concluding thought about Ecuador is that it is a BEAUTIFUL country and I hope to go back someday. I’m thankful to have been able to visit (especially on Fulbright’s tab) but nice hotels, tour buses, and fancy restaurants aren’t my preferred way to travel. I would love to be able to interact more with the people and culture and get a more “authentic” glimpse of Ecuador. I have high hopes that will happen someday in the future.
[The internet here at the airport is slower than a Galapagos giant turtle, so I'll go back and post more pics later!]
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