No PlAce LikE hOmE!

Traveling home for the holidays: 4 hours on bus from Manta to Guayaquil, 4 hours on a plane from Guayaquil to Miami, 6 hours in the Miami airport, 2 hours from Miami to Richmond, Virginia, and 2 hours from Richmond to Waynesboro, Virginia. 


All well worth it.


It's great to be home, different, but great. The first thing I did when I got home was take a 45 minute, steaming, hot shower. It was amazing. I slept in my comfy bed. I realized the noise level. Zero. It's so quiet. The silence is hard to get use to again. There are no sirens, dogs, people, music, fireworks-nothing. I slept throughout the night.

The "No Spanish" speaking is getting to me as well. I was in the grocery store and never thought I couldn't think of a word in English but only in Spanish. The first restaurant I ate at was a Mexican Plaza, of course. 


I was nervous to return home for a short amount of time. It's hard enough to adjust to a new culture but even more difficult to re-adjust to your culture and having to adjust back to your new one.


One thing that has been hard to get use to is the weather! I haven't felt this cold weather in months. Seeing frost on the cars in the morning and wearing hats & gloves-it has made me realize that I definitely belong in a tropical atmosphere.

I have missed the mountains. There is no place like home. 


And lastly, my family. It was an incredible feeling to hold my family in my arms again and not have to see and talk to them online. I'm scared to say goodbye again. My family is my life.


I have 2 weeks at home. I will sure live it up to the fullest for I will not be home again until next August. 


As much as I love being home...I sure do enjoy Manta as well and miss the warm weather, my students, friends, and of course the beaches. 

Until Manta again my friends...

Christmas Already?

So as the year is coming to an end very fast, I thought it would be great to catch up a little bit on what has been going on. November flew by-as well as December. So many things have taken place! I have not only been thrown even deeper into the Ecuadorian culture but I feel that I have a sense of belonging now. I have created my own habits and daily routines. A few routines include daily runs to the beach, lesson planning every morning, TEFL certification, teaching three days a week, hanging out with amazing friends I have met here, and of course improving my Spanish skills by speaking with my family everyday.




Teaching is the main reason why I am here. I am giving so many adults the ability to expand their English language and better the opportunities for them in the future. My English classes are now in level two. It is getting more difficult and I have lost a few students from level one. But the ones who are sticking around are strong and confident. Although we work hard in the classroom, it's a lot of fun. My students are awesome! They showed their 

Combing classes & working hard

appreciation towards me on my birthday with a surprise party for class! I am not so sure they just wanted to not have class or they just wanted to have a party?! But either way, it was great! I really connect with my students and hope to see them progress all the way through level six.

My students are awesome!

Happy Birthday to you....Happy Birthday....

Yes, that's right. My birthday has passed. I turned 24 years old on December 10th. I thank all of my friends here in Ecuador for 

Cruzita Beach

making my day the best! I had a lot of friends visit me from all over the country, including: Ambato, Guayaquil, and Portoviejo. On Friday, we all got together at my house in Manta and enjoyed each others company over some grilling out, swimming (accidentally), and ping-pong. Saturday, we traveled to a near by beach, Cruzita! We spent the night in Cruzita dancing to music, talking, and of course adding some Ron Abuelo in there!

Nightly Cookout in Manta

Along with teaching and having a blast on my birthday, the first week of December is pretty popular here in Manta. Athletes from all over South America (Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil) travel to Manta, Ecuador to compete in the Juegos Sudamericanos de Playa! The games last for ten days. Athletes participate in beach sports such as soccer, surfing, triathalon, balon mano, volleyball, and more! It's great to watch the competitiveness.

So to wrap up a long story short-I pack my things and start my travels back to the states for the holidays. I am a bit nervous to adjusting back to old habits but even more nervous to re-adjust back to my new ones here in Ecuador.


...Until Christmas my friends..

Your Reality.

If I had any advice for every person in the entire world it would be to just live. Live day by day. Do not live in the past, do not live in the future, but concentrate on the present. Concentrate second by second on what will happen next. If you don't, parts of you will remain miserable when you don't even realize it. One thing that I have learned so far living in a third world country is to let things pass. This is something I will carry with me the rest of my life. Perfect example. Before my class, I went to make copies. All three copy stores were closed. I  find out when I get into my building where I have class-the electricity is out. My students arrive to class and I have no electricity. I teach anyways. I know this is a small, simple thing, but this is one example out of many that I go through each day living here in Ecuador. Another huge factor is the challenge of the language barrier. Trying to communicate everyday is exhausting. But I do it. I love it-and I am learning. I keep going. So this is my reality. I live in Manta, Ecuador. I am adapting to a new culture, I teach, I learn, I find what is going to make me a better person. I look forward to the decisions I make now and how it will shape my future. I strongly believe that everyone makes their own reality. If it is working forty plus hours a week and they enjoy it-then thats awesome. Find your reality and be happy because life is too damn short not to.

Time to Have Some Fun in Class

Class can be overwhelming at times, especially when trying to learn a new language. I know for me learning Spanish, I am overwhelmed everyday with the amount of grammar points and vocabulary that is thrown in my head. I am positive my students feel the same way. I have been teaching my students why we use pronouns and all kinds of vocabulary such as clothing, colors, direction & location, family, and much more. I felt that my class needed a break so I decided to throw a Halloween party for my students. I incorporated a lot of what they have been learning in multiple activities. I was able to see a lot of their personalities come out; even my shy students had a blast! Take a look!

The objective of this project was to create a Halloween monster. There were rules. The monster had to include a certain amount of color and clothing vocabulary as well as sentences using pronouns. The class then shared their monster to the class.

This was a fun group activity. It was to get the students to work together. They had 3 minutes to wrap a student in toilet paper to resemble a mummy. They had a great time! They said "teeaacchherr....can we do this again?"

Our first mummy winner!

My class enjoys working together in groups the most. It not only helps them to have conversations in English with their peers but makes them feel more comfortable in the class as well. I am always sure to incorporate activities that involves every student. It is important to capture their interest before approaching your lesson, otherwise they will get nothing out of the class period. It is difficult to learn a new language. Therefore making learning engaging and fun will make the new language come more naturally.

Until next time...

Tena, Ecuador

Tena. What can I say about Tena...


Tena is an absolutely, amazing place. It is the capital of the province of Napo and is located in the northern oriente part of Ecuador. The climate encourages adventures to waterfalls, rivers, indigenous communities and, of course, the jungle. The two rivers, Rio Tena & Rio Pano, get most attention. There are so many things to do in Tena including river rafting and tours through the rainforest. Read a little about the exploration that I had.

Day 1: Hike to Cascada de Latas. Cascada de Latas is located right before the town of Misahualli. It is about an hour hike-it is well know as the el camino a las cascadas (trail to the falls). Not only are you walking through the rainforest but stopping along the way to swim in various swimming holes!

Cascada de Lata

Day 2: River People, a tour company in Tena, took us on a private tour throughout the jungle. This was not your average walk through the forest. We climbed up waterfalls, around dangerous peaks, worked our way through mud, and crossed various rivers. It was a difficult but well-worth it hike! We stopped a lot to swim in clear water swimming holes. It was, by far, one of the best days I have had in Ecuador. Around lunch time, we stopped and ate with a Quechua family.

To end the day's hike we climbed through a cave. It was about an hour hike through this tiny, bat filled, spiders larger than your head, cave. I have to say that this was not the best experience but in the end, I don't regret doing it. Take a look at the pictures below! What do you think?

San Lorenzo

It has been a while since I have wrote. I have been keeping busy planning for classes, traveling to the beach, and meeting new people. I currently visited San Lorenzo, a beautiful beach close by in Manabi. This beach is known for it's tranquility and climate. The landscape of the beach is also different. It has unique rock formations and distinctive caves. San Lorenzo has untouched nature as well. It is possible to see turtles & various types of birds. From June to September you will experience seeing humpback whales pass from north to south! Not only is the nature a huge part of this 3 mile beach but those who like to surf and body board, the waves are naturally perfect for these types of sports. Although the beauty of San Lorenzo is extraordinary there are many more beaches close by that I have yet to see!

San Lorenzo

First Week Teaching

Teaching at the Universidad Laica “Eloy Alfaro” de Manabí has, so far, been great! My schedule rocks and my students seem to enjoy learning English. I begin my week off on Monday at 2:30. My first class has around 8 students; very small compared to my class at 6:30 which averages around 45!
I have 3 classes-back to back-and I teach the same lesson 3 times in a row. Sounds pretty boring, but it actually is not. Each class is totally different than each other. The students range in size and personality. I teach 6 cycles of English (6 weeks/cycle) with a 1 week break in between each cycle, pretty awesome schedule, right? 

Students working hard!

I currently have finished week 1 in the first cycle. I taught basic grammar points such as "I am (I'm), he is (he's), we are (we're)" and I included new vocabulary and how to pronounce numbers!  I like to play a lot of games in class. It keeps my students engaged and it is fun! The game my students have liked most is a game called 21. The students sit in a large circle while passing a paper ball around counting (1..2..3..). When the ball gets to 21, the students stop. The person that the ball landed on has to pick another number and make a rule for that number. For example: when the ball gets to number 5 you have to stand up and salsa! There will eventually be multiple rules and the students have to remember the rule for each number. It is quite hilarious the rules your students can think of. My students also enjoy games that involve some type of competition. We have played bingo, a competition where each member of a team has to grab a sticky note that has an English word on it when they here me speak, and my students enjoy types of class surveys! Lots of games to keep the energy up in my classroom.


I feel very good about my first week and I am excited about this upcoming year. I get to keep the same students throughout each cycle which is great! I am able to see how they progress in their English language. 


Feel free to provide any type of ideas/games for the classroom! Feedback is always essential to have!

Montañita

Montañita Ecuador=Surf, Cultural, Vida de Noche, Diversión, Hippie, Gran Comida & La Playa.


Montañita, a small town on the Pacific Coast located on “La Ruta del Sol” (the route of the sun), is a truly a magical paradise. Multicultural atmosphere where the people are welcoming and fun! 

Montañita is well known for surfing-which I currently learned how to do. It was such a rush to be in the Pacific Ocean learning how to surf. Surf lessons are given by locals of the village, who happen to be so friendly!

Montañita has beautiful whale watching tours that I did not do, but saw whales the morning I woke up from the balcony of my hostel. It was absolutely gorgeous. The beach itself is muy bonita. Waving palm trees and huge waves-can't get any better than that!

 Choclo! Choclo, the ear of corn, is absolutely delicious. In South America, you will find choclo in your soup, pizza, choclo cakes, sometimes choclo will be found in types of salad as well. Or, you can just eat choclo right off the stick, which I love the most. On the streets for about $1.00, you can buy choclo that is covered in mayo with queso (similar to parmesan). It is awesome.

Montañita was one out of many beach adventures to come. I know I will be going back very soon...

Beginning of Manta

Stopping for lunch during travel-time

I left Quito on Sunday morning. Rode a bus on Reina del Camino. It took about eight hours to arrive in Manta. The bus ride itself was an adventure. Rolling down the Andes Mountains, passing through Santo Domingo los Colorados and landing in Portoviejo. I saw multiple waterfalls & rivers as well as villages made of palm and straw. Getting closer and closer to the Pacific Coast, the smell was amazing. You could taste the salt in your mouth. I arrived in Portoviejo and from there stayed on the bus to Manta. My new host mom picked me up at the bus stop, I was stoked to see my new house. Manta is much different than Quito. First of all it is way hotter! Not seeing much of the city I noticed everyone wearing shorts, tanks, and flip-flops. The food seems more fresh and more my type as well. The first thing I ate was fresh Papaya. There is more of a selection of fruit near the coast. Also, ceviche and other types of pescado are more common in Manta than in Quito. Not being on the coast for 24 hours, I already feel at home. My family is quite large and speaks little English so it can be tough at times. But this forces me to speak Spanish-what other great way to learn a language more fast?!? Take a look at my new home for the year...

Until my next adventure...adiós!