It's Here!

As I said my goodbyes, I awaited in the Richmond airport to fly to Miami where I will meet friends of a lifetime. I am a bit nervous. I believe it has yet hit me that I am moving to South America. So many thoughts are running through my head: wierd being the first time traveling alone-I can't believe I just said bye to my parents for a year-I'm nervous about finding my way around Miami and the WorldTeach group-I can't believe my bags were less than 40 pounds! So many things!


Arriving in Miami was a bit stressful. Lost a bag and freaked out for a good 10 minutes. Thankfully, we found it but following I walked over a mile to check into Avianca. Met the first WorldTeach volunteer and felt much better. Everyone here is great! We all have one definite thing in common which is volunteering to teach English.


Flight from Miami to Bogota, Columbia was close to four hours. Was not a bad flight. I listened to some Dave Mathews and watched Something Borrowed (not the best movie) and an episode of Modern Family the plane had. I read a little as well and tried to sleep.


Our flight from Bogota to Quito took a turn. We circled Quito a few times but the wind was too bad so we flew on down to Guayaquil. On the screens on the back of our seats, it looked like someone took a marker and scribbled all over Quito for how many times our plane circled it. Guayaquil is now where the WorldTeach group waits until who knows when. Could be all night! Thinking it could be all night, a few of us and I bought our first una cerveza to relax us for a bit. We are all pretty exhausted, it is 1:41am. Many of us have now traveled over 24 hours and have been on at least 4 or more planes. I met a very cool Ecuadorian student on the plane who spoke very clear English. He talked about Manta, Ecuador a lot! He taught me how to make Ceviche! Yumm... It Definitely made the wait go by a little more fast.


Time to get some rest!


¡Hasta mañana!

¡El ir a la costa!

Friday night, 9:00pm, I received my placement site from WorldTeach. I could not wait until departure day to reveal my exciting news. I feel like I am living in a dream and someone is going to wake me up at any moment. But it is not a dream. I am headed to the beautiful city of Manta. Manta is located on the Northern Pacific Coast in the Manabí Province. It is a mid-sized city with a population of 200,000.

Manta is the second largest seaport in Ecuador before Guayaquil and is named the Tuna capital of the country. Good thing I love seafood! So, what does living on the coast mean? Beaches! And a lot of them. The two main beaches are Playa de Tarqui and Playa Murcielago. As I have spoken to previous volunteers who are currently living in Manta, I was informed that there are not only great beaches to relax on but there are outstanding restaurants, bars, shopping, and much more! One of the most popular things to shop for are sombreros de paja-straw hats or panama hats. The hats are made from toquilla fiber (Carludovica palmata) which happens to be the finest for hats.

Puerto de la manta

Sombreros de paja

La Playa

Muy emocionado about my placement, I am even more emocionado about the university I will be teaching at! I will be teaching at the Universidad Laica “Eloy Alfaro” de Manabí.

Universidad Laica “Eloy Alfaro” de Manabí

I will be taking on college aged students through six levels of English; each level lasting six weeks. I teach three days a week (Monday-Wednesday, 2:30-8:30). It does not sound like much but I know with three classes I will be extremely busy planning, grading, and being prepared! One exciting thing is I will most likely have the same students throughout the year. I will be able to reflect on how my students progress and grow in their English skills. I will average around 100 students total when combing all three classes. I am a bit overwhelmed and not sure what to expect but I am confident that I will do a great job and get my students where they need to be!

I could say a thousand more things about Manta and the Universidad Laica “Eloy Alfaro” de Manabí but I will save those for later posts! I could not be more happy and excited as I am now about this upcoming experience.

¡Nueve días!

It's About That Time!

It’s about that time! I have two weeks and three days before I will depart to Richmond and fly into Miami where I will continue to travel to Bogotá, Columbia and fly to Quito, Ecuador. Who wants to come along? It is going to be a long day of traveling! Quito, capital of Ecuador, is where I will complete four weeks of Orientation with other volunteers. I am stoked about meeting the other volunteers! Orientation I have heard is intense but much needed. I will learn about health & safety of the country, begin to feel comfortable with the language barrier and practice TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language).

As I am patiently waiting but anxious to find out where my permanent placement will be I have began to pack. How do you pack for a year? I have yet to figure that out so I decided to follow exactly the WorldTeach reading guide:

-       1 pair of sneakers

-       1 pair of rubber flip flops

-       1 pair of hiking shoes

-       2 pairs of comfortable shoes

-       10 pairs of socks

-       Enough underwear for at least 10 days (Eek!)

-       Enough suitable clothes for teaching for one week

-       Casual clothes for the weekend

-       2-3 pairs of pants (probably double this one)

-       2-3 pairs of shorts

-       1-2 sports bras

-       Umbrella

-       Sunglasses

… And the list goes on!

A 2003 Ecuador volunteer says, “It rains. It’s dirty. It gets really hot. It gets really cold. It doesn’t snow. And then the ash falls. The key is layers. Bring sweaters, tank tops, jeans, nicer pants, and a coat. The people here dress just like I did back home, minus the flip-flops. I’m usually in jeans, a button down shirt, and a sweater. I definitely do a lot of walking so comfortable shoes are important.” Phew! That is a lot to think about.

On a different note other than packing, I have also begun to say my goodbyes. This is the hardest part for me. I know my family and friends will miss me but they would want nothing other than this trip to happen. They are happy to see me plan how I will teach English to communities who will benefit from the language and get better jobs. I am throwing my skills out there to help others, and it is an amazing feeling. What have I done to say my goodbyes? I have spent the most time with my family, which happens to be quite large. Most of my family lives in the same area. There is my mom & dad, and my brother who lives down the street. He has a beautiful wife, six children, a dog, and a cat. Yep, I have five nieces and a nephew and they are all absolutely amazing. I am squeezing as much time here at home as I can!

My feelings about this trip are out of control! I know it is going to be a life changing experience that I will never forget. I hope this opportunity will be rewarding and help me become a better teacher for the future. I know that I will give 110% to the Ecuadorian community!

Until departure day…adiós amigos!