Despidida en Ecuador!

My last day at the school in Muenala, Ecuador was amazing. It was one of only two or three days where the skies were clear in the morning and we had a full on view of Volcan Cotacaxi and the surrounding mountains around Otavalo. It was an amazing morning and I took tons of pictures before I left the school. I'm gonna try and post some today and hoping it works. I feel closer to these kids than any of the other kids during my travels. This is not saying I didn't love the other kids from previous countries, only we had the opportunity to spend more time with the kids at Muenala and we were the first volunteers in this school in over two years and it was a special context. On my second to last day of school, the kids made me cards and each child lined up and gave me their card and a hug. It was sad but it was brilliant to see the creativity of these kids and the words they wrote which included phrases like, "please come back again one day," and "thank you for being our friend and a great teacher," and "we will miss you so much." I will miss these little buggers and told them I will be back one day to visit, I plan on making good on this. For my last day, no local teachers were there and my buddy Troy deemed it Fun Friday. Therefore, we went for a hike with the kids (incredible views), made necklaces/bracelets with beads (they love this), and had an extra long lunch to play and visit with the kids. The kids we walk to and from school with everyday each gave me a hug and we each held on a little extra longer given it was my last day. So, as is the norm, I rushed around on the Saturday we left Otavalo: gifts for my host family, saying goodbyes to my local friends (peanut shop guys), checking the Internet, etc. Mission accomplished. I said goodbye to my host Mom and the kids and thanked them for their kindness. Then...we left for Quito and the airport! Sad to leave but also pumped up to visit Peru. Ecuador officially has a special place in my heart. All right, gonna try and post some pics!

Homestretch!!

I have officially been gone for over four months now! Wow! I am so happy I chose to do this as it is hard to even begin to reflect and think back on my time in Central and South America. I think I will begin to do this when I get back to the States in mid May. I have seen incredible beauty, met remarkable people, made strides speaking a second language, met lifelong friends from all over the world whom I have volunteered with, been a part of something much bigger than myself, have been rejuvenated and inspired by children who should be leading our world because of their innocence, ability to percieve, itelligence, and positive outlook. On the other end of the spectrum, I have seen poverty, pain, frustration, repression, and negative views about my country. These moments have been heartfelt and have struck me at the core. I know I want to do more each day to help people and I feel like this journey and my job back home have granted me the ability to do that. Also, one cannot expierence all of these things and not run face first into a new perspective and outlook. I hope that I can carry this special perspective unique to me each day from here on out. The journey has been everything I thought it would be and more. It has given me the perspective I have looked for I think and helped me to live in the moment, something I have wanted for a long time. Also, it has helped me to get in touch with Aaron...something I haven´t done in years, if ever. So, here I am with only three days left in Ecuador. I am dreading my goodbye to the kids on Friday and I think I will be worse for the wear than I was in Guatemala the day I left. I may need to return here someday but we´ll see. The future will play itself out and I´m not worried about it for once. Thanks to all of you back home who keep up with my blog and stay in touch. It means so much right now. Take care and until next time, buenas noches!

Shannon comes to Ecuador!

Shannon, my sister, arrived in Quito without any problems and it was amazing to have her here. She used her Spring Break holiday to travel to Ecuador to see me. This presented many challenges for her: being away from her 11 month old daughter, purchasing an expensive airline ticket, being away from Jay, and not being able to speak any Spanish outside of a few words! But, being the sister she is, she still came to visit me! We toured a local water fall, a condor park with many types of birds, and we had a great time in Quito the night before she left. I think Shannon would agree with me though that the highlight for her was coming to school with me for one day. Despite the language barrier, the kids adored her, espcially one of the special ed kids, Brian. He could read in her the patience she has and the love she shares with kids back home each day when she teaches. We had a great time with the kids that day and Shan was taken aback by the kids: their beauty, kindness, and energy! I was so happy she could share a small piece of my journey with me. Further, her fourth grade class donated materials to the kids here at Muenala: stickers, markers, colored pencils, crayons, construction paper, decoration/crafts, books, etc. The kids have since made kites that they decorated with the feathers, fuzzy colorful decor, foamy stickers, and all the other awesome supplies she brought. Further, the kids have used the glue sticks, markers, and colored pencils extensively. Thank you to the kids and to Shan for these things, they will never know how much it means to these kids who never get to have anything outside of the essentials! Shannon left on a Friday morning and it was tough to see her go. She has given me more energy though to finish off my trip. Always great to have a family member come see you let alone your best friend!

Our school, Muenala

Wow! It has been awhile since I have posted anything and given I am in Quito currently awaiting the arrival of Shannon, my sister, I have an opportunity to finally access a wireless connection. Don't know if I will be able to post pics as the connection is slow but I'll try. I didn't think my journey could get any better and then I came to Ecuador! My host family is great: Pilar is the mother and is a very nice woman and great cook. Alfredo is the father and he is a manager for the Ecuadorian beer Pilsener! Jorge Luis and Mave are the two kids and it is nice to have them in the home as well. The school that I am teaching at is amazing. The name of the indeginous community we teach in is Muenala. I am teaching with Troy, a firefighter from Canada, Zoe, a human resource worker from London, and Kathryn a recent graduate from Chicago. The dynamic our group has is incredible and I feel we truly are a wonderful combination of people working with some truly remarkable kids each day. We drive forty minutes to Muenala from Octavalo each day and then we have an uphill hike that takes around twenty five to thirty minutes. The views are brilliant and one can see rolling green hills dotted with cows and horses as well as a wonderful view of a local volcano, Cotacaxi (it is snow peaked and high in the sky). The best part about school is the kids. The girls where single braids with beads around them and the boys have long ponytails that are braided in a very beautiful way. At first, it was very hard for me to tell the boys from the girls but all is clear now. Our group is actually blazing a path as we are the first group of volunteers in Muenala since GVI withdrew from the community almost two years ago. This presents challenges but our group has worked so hard and the energy from the kids transfers to the adults in our group each day. I am working with "the trouble makers" and "special ed" kids as well as Cesar who is the only fourth grader in the school. Another local teacher works in the class as well and he is a very nice man. He has been in and out of school as of late for teacher trainings and I have had the opportunity to lesson plan for individual kids. It is challenging but I have had days when the plans have worked out flawlessly and each kiddo is excited to learn more and eating up any positive feedback I give him/her. I must say, it will be so hard to leave this group of kids. We have kids ages 3-14 at the school and it makes for a very fun time. You'll have to look at the pictures to see the radiance and beauty that emanates from these faces I see each day. Hopefully it won't take me long to post the pics! Until later, buenas noches!