Week 2: 1-2 June

Week 2: Weekend

My team from Family Day

1 June, Saturday
On Saturday, I attended the school’s Family Day, where I helped organize and event participated in the events. It was so much fun seeing the students outside of the academic environment (even though the event was at the school) having fun with their parents and siblings. I participated in the events and games because there was a team needing an 8th person, which I became. I was reluctant at first, but I decided to continue anyway—and I am so glad I did! The only downside of this day was that I got sunburned for the first time here; I didn’t think that I would need sunscreen because it was a cloudy day and I thought I was going to be behind the scenes rather than out in the field with the students in the sun. However, I still enjoyed myself and seeing all the students and their families from different Latin American countries sharing their foods.

My passport with the stamp
from The Middle of the Earth

Me standing on the line that
divides the Earth

2 June, Sunday
On Sunday, I went to El Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the Earth) with my two friends who are from France Baya and Hilary. The travel there was fun, and I enjoyed all the views, the history, and the science. I tried a cocoa been, even though I knew that I don't like dark chocolate it was so bitter once I reached the center and I wanted to spit it out. While touring around there with my friends taking pictures, a little girl and her father approached me, asking if they can interview my friends and me for the girl’s school project. We agreed, however, I did the interview because the project was for the girl’s English class to practice her English, and I was the only one of the three of us to speak English. The girl’s dad recorded us with the monument in the background while his daughter asked me questions and I answered. I was very happy that I could help the little girl. The project was to go to a tourist location and interview a tourist in English, which she accomplished with me! Anyway, this day was very fun and I enjoyed it. We ate lunch before leaving. I wanted to try guinea pig--which is a common food here in Ecuador--but it was $25 for only a little bit of meat; I also couldn't split the price with my friends because they're both vegetarian (religious reasons). Instead, I had chicken fillet, which was really tasty! We then went to the "real" middle of the world with the "original" latitude line. I really enjoyed this one because there was a guided tour with fun activities/experiments to do on the north/south side, and then right on the line. One of them was that I held my index and thumb together and the guide tried to pull my fingers apart and she couldn't. And when I stepped on the line that was the middle of the earth, she easily pulled my fingers apart!--I was so surprised! And there were other "experiments" like walking across he line with your eyes clothes and both forces (North/South) tried to pull you, so you had no equilibrium. Another was testing the direction that water falls down a drain of a filled sink with petals in it; on either side, the water fell down either clockwise or counter-clockwise--which you could see with the petals--but on the center, the water fell straight down! We also learned about the Native tribes that lived (and some still live) in Ecuador--like the tribe that practiced head-shrinking! There were two real artifacts: one of a 12-year-old boy--which was the age of an adult back then in that culture--and of a sloth. It was really interesting and informative. After this tour and buying some souvenirs, we went toward the bus stop and ran because the bus was about to leave. We made it to the host home of Baya because it was close to the bus stop, and then Hilary and I took Ubers back to our host homes--Ubers are really popular in Ecuador because they'e much cheaper than taxis (and way cheaper here than in the United States!) I got home just in time for dinner, and then got ready for bed. It was a good day!

The "real" latitude line

Week 2: 27-31 May

Week 2 Update

27 May, Monday
I ended my fun weekend by going into work the following day on Monday, even though it was Memorial Day in the states. The school was hosting two events in English this week: a spelling bee and an open book contest (a contest where the contestants summarize a book, give a brief author’s biography, and provide their opinion of the text and its themes). On Monday, I was with Teacher Moises. I essentially took over his classes while he prepared the students who were competing in the Open Book contest since their native language is not English. I think it went well because Moises teaches the more advanced English speakers, so there are fewer of them that are all respectful of my authority. They did the work I told them to do and followed along while spoke and gave directions. There were a couple students who kept taking their phones out, so that was difficult because I felt like a fool getting played by the students; I felt like I didn’t have the authority to take the phone(s) away, so instead, I said in Spanish, in a very firm voice—without stuttering—“If I see that phone out one more time, I will not hesitate to tell Teacher Moises and he will give you a zero for today.” That intimidated the student to the point where the others did not dare to take their phones out. After telling Moises, he decided to establish a new phone rule for the class starting next week.

28 May, TuesdayTuesday was the Spelling Bee, where students from 2nd to 6th grade (US 1st through 5th). I was supposed to be the pronouncer of the words to the children since I have perfect English pronunciation. However, the director of the school’s English department was being quite strange, asking me to pronounce the words to “check my pronunciation and see who has the best.” I later deduced from my observations that his old pal from Cuba was a judge, so he had that man do it instead of me. In all honesty, his pronunciation was not the best—it was probably why some contestants misspelled their words. Even though he provided a sentence for each word, some words were difficult to comprehend. Regardless, the contest was a success with many supportive teachers, parents, and classmates of the participants. From this experience, I learned that things will not go according to plan and that sometimes bosses can be a pain, but you have to persevere through it, not letting it weight you down (emotionally, professionally, etc.). This day I was also asked if I would be willing to let the school take pictures of me for their social media pages. I’m the first student teacher to work with this school and they really enjoy having me; they hope to have more volunteer teachers just like me. The principal of the school even wanted all the information about how I got here so they can make direct contact with NAU to host students like me.

29 May, Wednesday
The pictures were taken the following day on Wednesday (included). This day, I also substituted for another teacher, Teacher Suany, who was also preparing her students for the Open Book contest for Thursday. There were a lot more students in her classes because they are the less advanced English speakers. It was extremely difficult to get the students to settle down when there were so many conversations happening at once; on top of that, I only knew a few of their names (from the classes Teacher Angela taught that I helped with last week) to be able to keep them in order. I was definitely challenged this day with this set of students, but I know I did well because we were able to get through the material Suany wanted to cover—I even had students rushing to get my signature on the assignment to prove they did it to get extra points for being first; I did not establish this, so I don’t know why they did that, but it was funny and amusing. Although their ruckus expresses that they don’t totally respect my authority, I know that at least some of the students do; aside from the volume of rude noise, the students still like having me around. One student from 9th (8th) grade asked me why I am not teaching Science and Social Studies to her class anymore—she missed me—I had to explain that every week I am with a new teacher, so my time with Teacher Angela was finished. In another class, with 2nd and 3rd bachillerato (the juniors and seniors), one student gave me a thumbs up after the class was over express his appreciation of me—I guess he could clearly see that I was discouraged by how the class went (same ruckus and feeling of lacking authority). Students like these two are what keep me going and make me want to continue in my pursuit to be an educator. It doesn’t matter that I’m not even on my home continent—the students are the reason why I am in their field of study and this career path.

30 May, Thursday
Thursday was the Open Book contest, and I am so incredibly proud of all the students who participated; they tried their best and succeeded—even if they didn’t place 1st-3rd. I helped the kids from Moises’ classes prepare an hour before the competition—I could tell they were nervous. Of course they were! They have to compete in a language that is not their own. I told them to look for me in the crowd and make eye contact with me to calm their nerves—I’ll be smiling and cheering you on. And those students actually did just that; warmth filled my heart knowing that the students found comfort and confidence in me as a teacher and mentor to ease their nerves while competing. I am so immensely proud of them.

31 May, Friday
Friday, the 31st, was pretty normal. I helped out with classes as usual and interacting with the students and teachers. The academic environment from the side of the educators is intimidating yet satisfying. I feel comfortable in this setting, like I belong—it is where I am supposed to be in life. I love all these students even though I have only known them for a week and a half. These students are just like any other students, and they inspire me just as much as I hope to inspire them and others.

Week 1: 24-26 May

3-Day Weekend in Baños de Agua Santa
24 May, Friday

So this day, I woke up at 5:30 because Baya and her host father were going to pick me up from my home so that we can go to the bus station Quitumbe (right). When Baya, Hilary, and I arrived, we got the next one-way ticket to Baños. I wanted to sleep on the bus, but I was worried because so many people from Quito have warned me to not leave my belongings lying around because it will get stolen, but Baya was diligently reminding me that it is "so unsafe" here, when in fact, theft is the only big problem since Quito is one of the safest cities in South America compared to places like in Venezuela (many Venezuelan people have immigrated to Ecuador. And although there is theft, it's a sneaky theft, not violent at gun-/knife-point. Anyway, I still slept on the bus, clutching onto my backpacks. When arrived to Baños and walked to our hostel, which was only about a 7-minute walk from the station. We arrived a little early, so we could not check in yet, so we left our stuff at the front desk and grabbed breakfast nearby. After breakfast, we walked around and bought some souvenirs; I bought a jacket made from alpaca fur for myself, a hand-made purse for my niece, and a couple handmade llamas for my friends. We then made our way back to the hostel and waited for the room to be cleaned; we decided that we would relax today, so we took a taxi to one of the many thermal pools in Baños called "Balneario El Salado" (below).

We stayed in the heated pools because it was way too cold to be in the normal pools; it was a cloudy, windy day, so there was no sun to warm us. But it was nice relaxing in a warm pool and getting to know Baya and Hilary better; I learned so much about them and their families. I felt comfortable around them. However, at time I did feel left out because they would constantly speak in French to each other, excluding me from the conversation because I don't speak French and Hilary is a beginner in Spanish. I ignored the feeling of being ignored and tried to focus on the fact that I am enjoying myself in another country! Although these thermal pools weren't as big or special as the imitation Roman baths in Budapest, Hungary (I went in October 2017), it was still relaxing--except when the random children would continue jumping inside the pool and splashing everywhere while their ball would drift towards us, so they would splash to swim toward it. There were many families there since it was a federal Ecuadorian holiday, so it was interesting seeing the family dynamics. My greatest observation: the kids here are just as rambunctious here as they are in the states or in Mexico. Afterwards, we went back to the hostel walking and decided to have dinner at the Swiss restaurant across the street from the hostel, which the girls really wanted because they had food that they also serve in France. Once again, I felt left out because they kept speaking French, but it was okay because I just focused on myself and my food. I was also texting my boyfriend, so that made it a little better, We paid and then went back to the hostel. I took the bottom bunk, Baya took the top bunk, and Hilary took the single bed. I got ready for bed and went to sleep, but it was difficult because Baya was on the phone with her boyfriend for hours--and although she was whispering, it was still loud. I was still able to sleep, though, so that's good.

25 May, Saturday
Saturday, we ate breakfast at our hostel, which was included in the cost. Then we made our way to the bus stop that drives to the famous Casa del Árbol (treehouse). I swung on both the normal swing, and the 360° swing—it was so exhilarating and fun! I was scared, but I'm glad I did it!

We also went to a waterfall called El Pailón del Diablo (left), where we hiked down and then back up to see from both heights and angles. I even crawled through little space to get closer to the waterfall, where I--no doubt--got bit by multiple little bugs; I was also wearing shorts, so they did not help.  Although going to tourist attractions may be pricey with too many people, it is really great to observe all the different people from all over—both those Native to the land/country/city, and those travelers from everywhere else. The attractions are also attractions because they are so fun and beautiful to experience. This night, Baya, Hilary, and I went to a night club that is on the top floor of a hostel--I would have liked to go somewhere more local, but it's the only one we heard about that we semi-trusted. There were mainly tourists at this club and the DJs were playing electronic music rather than Latin music (which I expected and wanted). We ended up leaving early because people started getting a little too under the influence of alcohol. It was raining when we left, and when we returned we met our hostel host across the street drinking with a few buddies. I went straight up to our room to get ready for bed, but Baya and Hilary stayed because they wanted to buy a dessert from the restaurant. I went to bed and promptly tried to go to sleep before Baya and Hilary returned because I knew it would take me a while to go to sleep. I fell asleep but was then at about 2:30 in the morning, I was woken up by a frantic Hilary waking up Baya while the bed shook--I couldn't understand because they were talking in French, but what I gathered from the interaction is that they were scared and seeing if there were people outside their rooms. Apparently there was a strong earthquake in Peru that affected Ecuador. I guess I felt it, but I thought it was Baya moving around in the top bunk. I went back to sleep, but apparently Baya and Hilary couldn't because they were too scared. 

26 May, Sunday
At breakfast this morning, there were two American girls also there, so Baya wanted me to ask them in English if they felt the tremor--since I didn't. The girls did, but they said it was normal because they are from California; it was nice being able to converse with them in English because I have been feeling left out the passed two days. Anyway, this day, we just walked around the city a bit before having to gather our things and leave Baños. We got our tickets for the bus early, but this time I couldn't really sleep because I was in the aisle seat and there was a man next to me, so I didn't know if he was going to get off earlier than at the Quito station. We took a taxi back to our homes. I didn't realize how big Quito was until this taxi ride; the ride to the station was early in the morning, so it was dark. However, this time, it was the afternoon and I could see the whole city, and it was so beautiful, I'm so sad that I am only here for three weeks; I with I could stay longer. Anyway, I got home and relaxed, preparing for the next day at school.

Week 1: 17-23 May

First Five Day Update!
Hello, again! I guess I'll organize my first week by day:

Friday, 17 May
So, once I landed in Quito, I found my driver and her took me to my host family. The airport is about 40 minutes away from the city, so I got to observe the city at night. However, there was fog coming to the city, so it was hard even harder to see in the dark. I made chit-chat with the driver in Spanish because he did not speak any English. Talking made me way less nervous! Anyway, when I arrived at my host home, I met my host mother Maria Dolores. She greeted me in the Latin America style of kissing the right cheek (it is really just pressing your right cheeks together and making the kiss sound quickly). She showed my what keys opened what doors and then showed me my room. I have my own room with my own bathroom and it is really nice and cozy. After I set my stuff down in my room, I had pastelito (a little slice of cake) an conversed with Maria and her son (my host brother) David. When I finally went to bed after calling my family, it was about 2am. And I still had to wake up at 8am the next morning for breakfast! To make matters worse, it took me a long time to fall asleep since I had slept on the plane; however, that was my only bad experience of the day.

Saturday, 18 May

Picture I took from the window of my host home

This day I woke up at 7:45am to eat breakfast at 8am. While I ate, I chatted with Maria and we learned more about each other. Her personality and nature remind me a lot of my aunts from Mexico, so I felt--and do feel--comfortable in her presence. After breakfast, my host mother went to work and I stayed home to unpack my belongings in to the closet. There's something about not having to live out of a carry on suitcase that feels relaxing. I am here for 3 weeks, so I have time to get comfortable! I chilled at the house for a while before I decided I should get up to get food to eat for lunch. I walked to the little mall that is near where I am staying. I got a burrito from Tako Express;  thought eating some Mexican food would make me feel more comfortable because my family is from Mexico. The food did not meet my expectations, however, I should not have put the bar so high since it is mall food court food. Once I finished eating, I put my trash on my tray to go throw it in the trash--I felt stares but I ignored it thinking it was just my paranoia. However, when I approached the trash, the cleaning lady look surprised and said, "Gracias! Muy amable!", which translates to "Thank you! (How) very kind (of you)!" I guess people here leave their trash on the table for the cleaning service to take care of--but I am not the kind of person to leave my mess laying around in a space that is not mine.
I then walked around the mall to familiarize myself a bit; I also did it because I was having trouble finding the store that I needed to go to to find shampoo and other personal items that i did not bring with me. Honestly, the culture shock has not hit me that much, but that may just be because the culture is so similar to my Mexican culture. The food court interaction was the only sentiment of shock that I felt. I then left home to relax some more.

Sunday, 19 May
I ate breakfast at 8am and then got ready to go to the public pool with my host mother. It was a relaxing day. After we left the pool, she took me to that same mall so I can grab lunch to eat later because she needed to pick someone, who lives farther away, up and take him to the doctor. I chilled at home, and then at about 2pm, I heated up that lunch. David was in the kitchen, so I talked with him a bit, but we were both watching Netflix while eating! Like I said, this day was a pretty relaxing day!

Monday, 20 May
Orientation Day
Today was my first official day of exploring Ecuador. I went to the school of Latinoamerica Schools (the Academia), where I attended orientation. I rode the bus to the school with my host mother and, dang, was that crazy! We literally had to jump on and off the bus 😭. The public transportation here is nothing like what I am used to in Phoenix; I'm used to buses stopping and opening the doors only at the bus stops, where the machine takes your fare. However, here, you have to wave down the bus and essentially jump on and off; there are designated stops, but those are hardly used--they're just for reference. There's also a person on the bus who takes your fare and gives you change in necessary; the think I do like about this system is that I can pay my 25 cent fare with nickles, dimes, and pennies rather than only a quarter (Oh, I forgot to mention that the currency in Ecuador is the same as the US, so it was easy to take money from the bank and not have to exchange it).

So I arrived to the Academia and found myself with this young woman from Utah named Jenn, who is volunteering in a medical internship. Jenn is only in Quito for a week and a half before she leaves to another Ecuadorian city.  Another young woman appeared, Hilary, who is from France; Hil just arrived from Peru, where she was volunteering for 3 months and where she learned Spanish through immersion. I can speak to Hil in only Spanish, which is difficult since she's a beginner--however, she spoke the language very well for only having started three months ago. After a short introduction to the Academia, the volunteers were separated from the students who were here only for Spanish classes/travel. Another girl from France appeared, named Baya, who speaks Spanish very well since she had been studying it for years and her fiance is Mexican/Honduran. Since I have been trying to step out of my comfort zone, I asked for the girls' numbers so that we can keep in contact through WhatsApp--I wanted friends that I can travel with since it is risky to go alone. They agreed and were actually happy that I asked! Sometimes I should just take the risk, I guess!

After the long, dreadful orientation video, we were taken on a tour of the city surrounding the Academia. Which was fun, however, it was not really useful to me since I won't be at or near the Academia because the school I am interning at is all the way on the other side of the city. Here's a photo I took on the tour:

After the tour, the Academia took us to lunch at the restaurant next door, called "La Ronda." There, I ate traditional Ecuadorian food--which I don't recall the name. But the first course was a soup called locro de papa, which was just potato soup--it's typically with fish, but I do not like fish so I got the potato option. Then it was the main course, which consisted of chorizo sausage, fried eggs, beets, potato tortilla/cakes, and lettuce. It was good, however, the sausage was very greasy, so I didn't eat it all. The potato cakes, though, were so good! They eat a lot of potato, soup, and egg here! I'm glad I tried something new. And I will continue to eat traditional foods here if I can!

After lunch, I met with Karina--the internship coordinator of the Academia--to finalize everything for my internship, like dates and hours. She emailed the school principal of Academia USA (USA Academy and provided him with my resume and letter of intent (again) and we had a meeting set up for the next day at 7:30, where I can start immediately after!

Tuesday, 21 May
Karina and I tried taking the bus from my home to USA, but there were some difficulties with getting the bus to stop since we did not know where the official bus stop was, so we took a taxi. I got to the school, very astounded by everything I was looking at--it was odd to see students of every age, from 3 to 18, in uniforms. I had my meeting with the principal, Carlos, about how many hours I would be working, where I can eat on schoolgrounds, etc. I then was introduced to the three teachers: Angela, Moises, and Suany. Oh, another thing: although the school is very formal with the students that are respectful and disciplined, the teachers go by first names, so I was introduced as Teacher Kiara. For the first class I was placed in for the second half of the two-hour block, I was with Moises. Right off the bat, he made me start teaching by continuing the lesson he was doing. I was so overwhelmed because I had absolutely no time to prepare! I am incredibly comfortable being in the front of the class and lecturing and guiding students, but I am most comfortable when I am prepared! It wasn't that bad because I was just guiding the students through the exercises in their student book. Moises later told me that my biggest issue was giving the students too much time to complete the exercises, causing them to zone out. He suggested that I give them a certain amount of time to complete each exercise so that you can always have the students on task. Moises was also very respectful with his criticism and I did not feel discouraged at all! I spent the rest of the day with Teacher Angela, and she teaches science and social studies, so that was a different environment for me since it was not in a formal English classroom. After that, it was normal for the rest of the day. After school, the teachers stay after for meetings and to prepare--so it was nice getting that experience. But the teachers all gathered around the machine nearing 4:00pm so that they can clock out and run to the bus nearby.

Wednesday, 22 May was normal. I'm with Angela for the rest of the week, so it was normal. The only out of the ordinary thing is that Angela switches from room to room to teach her classes. The students stay in their homeroom and only move to their English class, where Teacher Moises and Suany stay in their classrooms. Thursday, 23 May was also normal, however, this day was going by a Friday schedule because Friday is a holiday in Ecuador, which celebrates The Battle of Pichincha that took place on the 24th of May in 1822, on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, right next to the city of Quito. I really love the weather here; every morning here is this beautiful fog that I enjoy seeing engulf the city. The picture I included (right) is from the 4th floor of a building during lunch time, so the fog wasn't as full as it is in the morning. When I got home, I organized the last minute plans for the weekend trip with the two girls I met (Baya and Hilary). I got the hostel and Baya's host father is going to take us to the bus station in the south of the city to take a 3-hour bus ride to the city of Baños de Agua Santa.

17 May: Pre-Departure

I am currently sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to Atlanta, Georgia, where I will board my flight to Quito, Ecuador! Although it is not my first time traveling abroad, it is my first time traveling abroad alone, so yeah, I am a tad bit nervous and scared. However, my excitement for Ecuador does keep me slightly more grounded than I would have been.

I decided to study abroad for the summer before my senior year of my undergrad because I felt that it was my last opportunity to travel at a young age at no cost to me!--I earned multiple scholarships and have come across various financial opportunities. I am studying to earn my bachelor's in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English, with certificates in Literature and Linguistics; I am also in NAU's accelerated master's program in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Studying TESL brings me to Ecuador, where I will be teaching English to students in an Ecuadorian public school; I could not be more excited about earning experience in the field before even graduating with the master's! I wanted to teach English abroad in a Spanish-speaking country, mainly because I am a native Spanish speaker and I wanted to be placed somewhere where I knew the language so that I can be more comfortable. Ecuador just happen to fall in my lap and I decided to run with it, which brought me to where I am now.

I am completing an internship course through NAU, which means that I will be doing quite a bit of field experience--essentially all I am doing is in the field of TESL education. I want to fully immerse myself in the Ecuadorian culture, so I am staying with a host family and teaching in a public Ecuadorian school. In the school, I want to connect with the students and get to know them; this experience will give me practice in the TESL school setting, . This experience will not only benefit me by looking great on my teacher résumé, it will also enhance my current skill set and give new skills that I can use after I graduate with my degrees in 1-2 years. I cannot wait to get in the field already, but I won't start until Monday, which gives me enough time to get adjusted to the slightly different time zone, the climate, and my host family.

I guess I'll leave this post as is and post another tomorrow or Sunday once I am all settled in. I don't get into Quito until super late at night, but I will try my best to post! Adiós! Hasta luego!!