Article in the New York Times

The New York Times thinks Quito, Ecuador is groovy, too! Here's a recent article (published just a few days ago!) that highlights some of the great offerings of my current city.  This only scratches the surface of what the city offers, but I think it's a good overview of the attractions! Take a peek and start looking at plane tickets while you're at it :)  Your personal tour guide is free of charge! (me, of course!)

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/travel/36-hours-in-quito-ecuador.html?src=me&ref=general

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

How do I begin explaining my first week of real-live-I'm-the-teacher-in-charge-of-44-students-all-day teaching? Well, in one word: extraordinary.

before...

after!

carpet area / library

My first day of teaching, I woke up after a full night of sleep, ready to meet my 44 eleven year old students.  I had my plans typed out with each piece of information in a list.  My fellow 6th grade teacher, Nick, shared a checklist "script" with me that came in all kinds of handy.  I greeted all students at the door, and showed them to their seats.  They came in later than I expected, but once everyone was in, I began. "Welcome to your homeroom class, Dali!" My sixth graders were very silent, listening intently. How long will this last? I'm not sure... but I used it to my advantage.  I introduced myself, along with some of the basic classroom policies we will go by.  The noise meter, the bathroom passes, the few sign-language-type signs we use in class, and how they know what homework they have.  All of these tools were laid out for them, and we started using them consistently all week long. 



This year, 6th graders receive lockers.  They could not wait to get their locker assignments.  I didn't give them their lockers until the end of the day, so I doubt they really took in any of what I had said before then.  During this week, we will be going through some "locker etiquette" lessons so that they're a little more organized. I've been implementing a few new tools in the class to help them be just that. Organized.  I made a new box on my whiteboard that will have the materials they need each day for class.  So instead of hearing "Kaitlyn, what do I need to bring to class?" 22 times, I tell them to look at the purple box, and they all know what that means. Hopefully that catches on quick! 


As far as my students, they're already great.  I enjoy having them in class everyday, and I think they're already comfortable with me.  They think I'm silly, especially when I read to them.  We've had some moments of read-alouds, and I do small voice changes and actions. I look up from my book, and they're all looking at me with slightly open mouths and big eyes.  I giggle a little inside. These kids are a bit different than 6th graders in the states.  They still love being read to, we have "carpet chats" where we all meet together in the back of the room on the carpet, and I can ask them to keep their voices at a certain number on the noise meter.  They've got a bit more innocence, I'm sensing.  No matter what it is, they're very kind and respectful, always saying hello to teachers in the hallways.  


Also with being respectful, I'm holding my kids to a higher standard than other kids in the lower school.  They know that if I see any of them leave behind garbage during morning break or lunch, they lose their break for 2-3 days.  This school has had problems with kids not picking up after themselves, and I hope to stop it for this class in 6th grade.  No one at this school is here to pick up after them, so they are to do it themselves. Let's see how they do next week!


I'm sure I'm missing a lot of details about the week, but I don't want to overwhelm you all with small details.  Overall, my kids are great, I love my classroom and it's location, and the team of teachers who I work with are spectacular.  I have a great support system coming from home, and here with my roommates.  This is going to be a magical year. :)

Sunday we took our now-traditional walk to the Santa Clara market for produce. I'm loving this tradition. It's a refreshing 35-40 minute walk to the market, and the prices are unbeatable.  We have our favorite fruit and vegetable ladies already who are very happy to see us each weekend.  

veggie lady

una vida saludable!

Speaking of the ladies of Gonzalez Suarez (That's the street I live on), we had a wonderful weekend together.  Friday after school it rained, so we couldn't go to Parque Metropolitano, but Lydia and I did go out to dinner with a bunch of the teachers from Menor at a good Vietnamese restaurant.  The pad thai wasn't quite as good as I was hoping, but it satisfied the craving I've had for it since I left the states.  Then Lydia and I went dancing for a little while, then met up with the Menor crew once again at a different bar.  On our way back home, we were stopped by the police in the streets and were asked for our identification. A very scary moment for me, who never actually was granted a visa in the states.  (The visa situation is currently being handled by the school, and next week I'll be meeting with the school lawyer to get it changed for me to stay the whole year. Don't worry mom!)  I explained to the police that I was on a tourist visa, and had entered the country on August 15, so I still had plenty of time.  He said I needed to have a copy of the stamp I received at customs the day I came. I said, Yes sir.  A little nerve-wracking, but glad I'm still legal to be in the country. 

the girls and I before our house-warming party

Then Saturday, Lydia, Claire, and I went to centro historico, the historic center of the city to walk around and go to a museum. A very fun day for the roommates :) We also went to a cafe that Claire knew of to watch the sunset, and have desserts and drinks.  A very nice and relaxing place to be with my girls.  We then went down to a friends apartment who was having a lot of us teachers over for a drink and some food, and then to go down to the Fiestas de Guapulo ( I went last year. Refer to the Fiestas de Guapulo post for my personal experience.)  This year, I decided not to go.  Massive amounts of fire and explosives in a very cramped plaza was a one-time experience for me. So the three of us bid the other teachers good luck, and walked back up to our apartment, where we could see the fireworks and hear the music from a safe distance.  We sat in our living room, talking and drinking wine until the small hours of the morning, and then it was off to bed.  

Today was a long Monday, but school is still great.  The students turned in their summer reading projects today, so let the grading begin! It definitely won't slow down from here on out.  Well, it's late so time for bed, but in the next post I should have more pictures of my students and my classroom.  Happy Tuesday everyone! Thanks for reading! oxoxo

Back to Quito and back to CMSFQ!

Buenos dias a todos!

I've decided to keep blogging during my second stay in Ecuador. For those of you who don't know, I've moved back to Quito, Ecuador for the next 11 months.  I accepted a position at Colegio Menor to teach 6th grade Language Arts and Social Studies for this school year! Last Wednesday was the first day of orientation for new teachers. I had been to this same orientation last year, so it was a lot of information I had already known. My favorite part of Wednesday was getting my classroom assignment! I am in room 218, and I will be posting a picture of it soon. I want to wait so everyone can see the "before" and "after" pictures side by side! I've put so much work into it so far! Since I'm in the Lower School, or elementary school, I have an assistant! She's been a fantastic help getting my boards and desks ready.  There are four teachers in 6th grade, as well as a spanish teacher, art teacher, music teacher, and P.E. teacher. Tina and myself teach LA and SS, and Nick and Jeff teach Math and Science.  That dynamic is wonderful because each student will have a male and female teacher.  We each have a homeroom, which we call a parallel. There are four parallels and each are named after a famous painter. I have Dali, and the others are Monet, Miguel Angel, and Kahlo. The math and science teacher, Nick, has Monet, and we share parallels. Nick is very cool. He's from Ohio, and him and his newlywed wife, Laurel, both now teach at Menor. Laurel is a 4th grade teacher, and a big sweetheart. I look forward to working with Nick and getting to know Laurel!
On the homefront, I'm in love with my roommates.  Claire had two empty rooms in Vista al Valle Sur (the name of our apartment building, meaning View of the Valley, south tower) so I quickly jumped to the opportunity when she asked me to live with her this year.  We asked human resources at Menor to send us email addresses of new hires to see who would be interested in living with us for the year.  We were absolutely blessed with the teacher who took us up on our offer.  Lydia is new to Menor this year, coming to us from Santa Cruz, CA.  I arrived two days after her, and we've been spending lots of time getting to know each other.  I think she fits in to Claire's and my puzzle perfectly. We all know it's going to be a great year. :)
From our apartment, we can see three volcanoes on a clear day. Cayambe, Antizana, and Cotopaxi.  I've never been more appreciative of a view in my life.


This is Cayambe on the left side, which can typically be seen in the morning with the sunrise.

And Cotopaxi is also most clear in the morning before the afternoon clouds roll in.

 Antizana is the most elusive, I've only seen it once in the last two weeks.

Tuesday they took us to Papallacta again, the same hot springs we went to last year. They were wonderful, and all of the new teachers really enjoyed them! 

This weekend we are going to the market for grocery shopping (way cheaper than the supermarkets!) and we're having our house warming party. Sunday we are also going to Parque Metropolitano (the park I was locked in last year!) and have a picnic. It's late so I'm off to bed... 
Besos to all of my friends and family back home. Miss you all!