Paseo and Ecua Points

Friday we got to take the Manos kids on a paseo (field trip)। It was by far one of the best experiences I have had with them so far. There is no way I can describe how it felt to see 22 kids waiting for us as we got off the bus in 28. All of them were dressed in their nice clothes and most had been recently bathed. All we were doing was taking the kids to a park in Durán and then buying them Popsicles, but for some of these kids that is huge outing. We had one father tell us that his boys had rarely left the 28 area because he is mostly blind and their mom isn't in the picture. It's moments like this when I realize that maybe it doesn't matter that I'm not really "using" all those skills I learned in college, but I am having the opportunity to add a little joy to some Ecuadorian kids' lives and for now that's enough.

Also, here's a link to an arial view of 28 de Agosto, it's a few years old so there has definitely been quite a bit of growth, but it gives a small glimpse into what we are seeing everyday।

Now on to Ecua points...This past week I had to pick up some groceries at our local tienda Multi Ahorro (an actual walk in store)। To do this I had to get off the bus early coming home from work, and because we have a limited stipend and busfare (even if it's only .18 cents-red buses, or in the case of the yellow buses .30 cents) can add up I thought it would be best to walk the 8ish blocks home. As I was about a half a block away from the store with all my bags ( there was actually only two...but they were kinda heavy) I saw a red bus coming up behind me and I was like man it would be so nice if I could just hop on that. The bus had stopped a few feet behind me to let off some people and as it pulled up beside me it slowed down to see if I wanted on. The man standing in the door way...one of the free riders...asked me if I wanted on and I told him I didn't have enough money. Then the driver, who I recognized from previous bus ridings told me just to get on ( I think since he knew I wasn't going that far). So I got on and just stood on the bottom step next the the other free loader and got a ride all the way home. Which definitely earned me a few a Ecua points and a "muy chevere" (very cool) from our guard Wellington.

Oh, one more thing... the American Consulate has invited us to the Hilton in Guayaquil on November 4th to watch the election results!!! Now esto es muy, muy, chevere :) I hope you'll all vote...I know I already have.

Inspiration all around

Nuevo Mundo
Saturday night, I felt truly alive. Nuevo Mundo, the school where I teach English in the afternoon, is celebrating its 25th birthday this year, and they had an event here at the school Saturday night to celebrate. It was a classy event, with cocktail dress, entertainment, presentation of awards, etc. For the first time since mid-July, us girls blow-dried and straightened our hair and put on make-up! It was a weird feeling...tons of fun to put on dresses and heels and get ready together for a special night out. However, this wasn't really the source of my feeling alive. I realized sitting in that assembly just how incredible Nuevo Mundo is and how proud/honored I am to be a teacher here! The school has been getting ready for this presentation for some time now. Each month of this year, they have held an all school assembly in which the different grades prepare things such as songs, dances, and skits to demonstrate what they have been learning and to express their love and pride for their school in honor of the 25 year mark. Pat and Sonya (the founders of the school) chose some of the best performances to be part of the program on Saturday.

The kids were truly phenomenal. It was special, too, because all of the parents were invited to the celebration. It was so cool to see all of them dressed up, enjoying a night out of their house, out of their neighborhood. Actually, that is how I feel every day working here. Many of the kids here at Nuevo Mundo live in my neighborhood or in neighborhoods like mine -- in the small houses, often wearing the same few t-shirts over and over again, struggling with poverty. It is encouraging and absolutely moving to see them here at school, all of them in their nice uniforms, surrounded by a gorgeous campus and getting a good education. The kids are just so wonderful...Even though I have only been here for 3 months, I felt so proud watching them perform Saturday night. I am truly moved by how talented they are. They work so hard; they understand the value of the education they are receiving; they really are proud of their school. I am becoming more and more passionate about education. I always knew it was important, but being here, I see even more clearly how much an education opens doors. It seems to me that even the simple act of having faith in a child and showing that you care can change their world, and that's a beautiful thing.

On Saturday night, the little third graders I teach put on this hilarious little fashion show. I had tears in my eyes and a huge smile on my face the whole time they were on stage, and I was pretty much swelling with pride as they exited. I admire Pat and Sonya immensely for starting such an amazing instutition that gives children who normally wouldn't have the chance to really move forward in their lives. It makes me want to give my very, very best for these kids. I am so grateful to be a tiny part of this operation that is so much bigger than I am. Teaching here, I get to see dreams become reality every day, and that is so awesome.

After the presentation Saturday night, in true Ecuadorian fashion, somebody got on the microphone and announced that it was time to dance! Gina and I found a group of our little 3rd grade buddies and danced the night away. It was sooo much fun...all the teachers were out there boogie-ing down too! Of course they were all dancing with amazing perfect rhythm and laughing as us white girls tried our best to follow along. The little ones were tickled to death to be hanging out with us, and we also had the opportunity to meet their families. It really was just a wonderful night. I am finally starting to feel like I belong here at Nuevo Mundo. This school is a family for me, and I am more passionate than ever about giving all that I can to my students!

Retreat Groups
I was inspired this Saturday night, and I was also inspired by a group of American students that came to visit a week or so ago. We had a retreat group from Villanova University here in Arbolito, and they were truly phenomenal. Retreat groups usually come for a week to 10 days, and they stay in one of the retreat houses either in AJS or Arbolito. They spend the week visiting neighbors, learning about life in Ecuador, going to Church in the neighborhoods, and visiting some of the amazing sites where us volunteers work like Padre Damian, Nuevo Mundo, and the after school programs. They live in simplicity for a week -- taking cold army showers, sleeping in rooms without fans, cooking their own simple meals, etc. The trip also has a very spiritual focus, so they end everyday in reflection. The trip, although short, often proves to be an incredibly changing and formative experience for the retreatants. In fact, 4 of the volunteers in our group of 12 actually first came to Duran as retreatants in either high school or college!

Anyway, the group from Villanova was exceptional. I was lucky enough to have a little extra time to spend with them the last few days of their stay, and I was rejuvenated by my interaction with them. For one thing, it was cool just to meet new people and talk with them, since we are surrounded by the same group of Americans all the time. Also, they were just really bright, friendly, faithful people, and it was energizing for me to get to see Ecuador through their eyes. After spending three months here, I think I have begun to take some things for granted, and hearing their reflections helped bring me back to the roots of why I wanted to come here in the first place. I had great conversations with them about faith, social justice, service.

It was also cool to talk to some of them who are in the midst of deciding what to do after their fast-approaching graduation. Almost exactly one year ago, I was attending the post-grad service fair at UD, completely lost in thinking about post-grad plans and searching for some type of calling. That is where I encountered Clare at the Rostro de Cristo table and learned for the first time about the program that I am now a part of. Although its cliche, it truly is crazy how time flies. I was excited to share the story of my decision to do service with the Villanova, and it was good for me to reflect on that. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what comes after this year, and it's somewhat overwhelming. I feel like I just finished making the decision for this year, and here I am, thinking about next year. Again, it all goes back to trust in God, and patience (I think that is the theme of this year for me...).

Comic Relief
I have to go teach, but I wanted to share a funny anecdote with you first. Teaching English is an adventure...The kids often sound funny trying to say things in English, in much the same way that I am sure I sound funny in Spanish. Pronunciation is always a battle...sometimes it is hard for the students to understand that letters make completely different noises in English than in Spanish. This is often amusing for us teachers...Last week,Gina was teaching her 4th graders some action words in the present progressive tense ("-ing"). She asked a student to read aloud the word "jumping." Well, in Spanish, the "j" is pronounced as an "h" sound.....As you can imagine, the student indeed ended up reading aloud an action word, but not one that means "leaping." hahaha!

Working against the system: Educating in Ecuador

So, something that most of us do here, well actually all of us, is work in some way with the education of young minds। A few of us are working at prestigious schools, and the rest of us are doing are best to run educational afterschool programs. I work in the morning teaching English twice a week to 19 boys, so I call myself a teacher.

Being a teacher here means that I get an up close and personal look at the educational system of Ecuador। Its something that most of us see everyday in our kids, and its also something that we talk about a lot around the dinner table. I want in this blog, to share a bit with you about what education here looks like and how we fit into it.

Basically, classes and homework consist of copying a ton of notes, or exercises from work books into other notebooks। Copying. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are really unheard of. All of our afterschool programs provide homework help, and sometimes there is just very little help to give. I mean, what can you do for a kid that has to copy the words ``one hundred sixty five´´ 10 times in his notebook? That would be their English homework. Or sometimes they have assignments in their workbooks that are gramatically incorrect and full of vocabulary that they dont understand.

So what does my classroom look like? Well, its kind of funny। I would love to say that my kids are angels and so engaged in my activites, but that is only the case sometimes. When I can get them to sit quietly (harder than it sounds) and participate, they do great. Weve been working on the verbs to be, to have, and to wear. We just finished a unit on clothing and describing what people are wearing. Ive been trying to do more exciting activities: bringing in magazine pictures to describe people, writing out descriptions of people in English and having them draw them . . . you know, stuff that would really go over well in the States. And they like doing different things for sure, and they appreciate colored pencils a whole lot, but I dont think that they make any of the connections. It doesnt occur to them to look in class notes for vocabulary or examples of how to form grammatically correct sentences. The worst is tests. Danny and I have to give grades every month for their report cards so weve decided to do a unit during the month and give a test in the last week. Well, no matter what we give them: study guides, word banks, lists of concepts to study . . . its like they dont know how to study. Or they will fill in a verb chart correctly, and then in the next section match verbs and subjects incorrectly with the same verb they just used. They write without thinking and its hard to get them out of that habit.

I dont want you to think that its hopeless। I have some students who are aceing my class - who want to learn and are putting in the time and effort. Im also trying to remember that English is hard to teach and learn, so were all sort of figuring each other out. But Im also trying to adapt my methods. A lot of the challenge with cross-cultural experiences is not bringing your own cultured mindset into the picture. So, much to my chagrin, I have instituted assignments where my kids have to copy vocabulary words down 10 times each. I hate it, but Im trying to convince myself that its reinforcing spelling . . . and I think it is, but it scares me to think that Im a teacher who gives busy work (everyone hated that teacher) or that I am a boring teacher. I dont know what I would do if my class was boring. Well see how this next test goes. Im giving it on Monday so wish me and my students luck.