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Carnival & February

Carnival is the most well known holiday not only in Ecuador but most parts of South America. Carnival comes from a latin word "carnaval" meaning the absence of meat. It is a Catholic tradition following the 40 days of lent.Various festivities take place throughout the different provinces in Ecuador. I stayed close to the coast during Carnival. Carnival is very popular in the Sierra such as Ambato and Guaranda. I celebrated at a near by beach called Canoa. Canoa is a small village with great food, a beautiful beach, and filled with people from all over Ecuador and even stretching down to Chile! One of the traditions of Carnival is the throwing of eggs, super soakers filled with soap, and of course water! You will be walking down the street and out of nowhere get pegged with something. It's something you cannot get offended at for it is just a "game" of Carnival!

Eggs, Soap, Water...

                         

Brett, Monica & I in Tena

February was a short month for me. It was also a month for readjusting. Two of our teachers (also my really good friends) finished their term with WorldTeach and headed back to the states. I spent a lot of time with them and so it has taken the entire month to get use to the fact of them not being here! So, to keep my mind off of it I kept myself busy this past month. I had a lot of vacation time where I spent time at the pool, hanging out with friends, grilling out, and of course...the beach! As I began teaching this week, I was ready to see my students and I believe my students were ready to learn some English!


February was a great yet rainy month. February is the "rainy, summer" season here in Ecuador, and especially the coast. It rains almost everyday but the sun still shines and of course it is about 85 degrees. I have to say my time here in Manta, Ecuador is flying by way too fast. March is now right around the corner, my students are finishing up their third level of English, and before you know it...July will be here and I will have to make decisions on whats next. I am not looking ahead for I am living each day here moment by moment because the time is like a streak of light. If I do not live my life here to its fullest everyday, my experience will be gone before you know it! 

La Playa during Carnaval

          


Adiós Febrero, hola Marzo!

One good thing about Ecuador is...

I live on the coast, but Ecuador is a tiny country and you can travel to just about anywhere less than 24 hours on a bus! You can see the jungle, explore volcanoes, experience beach after beach, hike through the sierra, work on various warms, and so much more! It is so amazing that you can get a taste of each type of world out there in one small country.

I would like to share a short example with you. Yesterday, I adventured off to a farm nearby (1-2 hours). This farm is the fathers of a good friend of mine. It is close to 400 acres of land-phew! The farm consisted of 
rice, mangos, plantains, bananas, cacao, livestock, coffee, pineapple, etc. I had the chance to ride a mule and do a little of discovering myself. There were amazing birds and the land was absolutely beautiful with trees that have been standing for hundreds of years. After riding horses, we ate a fresh lunch that consisted of soup, rice, a mix of beans, and fresh pineapple. The people were great and so nice.

                                              I only feel the the need to share this short experience with you because it is a day like this day to imagine how many types of cultural people that live here in Ecuador. The worlds are close together but miles apart. And yet, those worlds are the only thing people know of and therefore those people are nothing but happy!

Mindo, Ecuador

It is hard to believe that I am mid-way through my service here. WorldTeach held their MidTerm conference this past weekend in the cloud rainforest, Mindo, about two hours outside of Quito. As other teachers and I gathered around our hotel, Gallo de la Pena, we discussed our teaching experiences with each other, shared ideas for the classroom, and spoke about life in Ecuador in general. It was interesting to hear stories from other parts of the countries and a lot of fun to share my own. Other than having sessions on teaching, WorldTeach is putting together what is called the EcuaVista. This is a revista of the September 2011 volunteers. It will consist of stories, ideas, and a lot about life in Ecuador. Two other volunteers and I are taking on the responsibility to organize and edit. It is exciting to take on a task where I am able to get creative!

Other than the conference, we had a lot of time to explore Mindo. Mindo is a small town but who knew there was so much to do! We spent the day with Mindo Ropes & Canopy! Canopying is the same as zip lining. There were 13 cables that I zip lined through the rainforest. It was lightly misting and absolutely gorgeous. While canopying, you had the choice of doing the "mariposa" or  the "superman." Take a look at the pictures below to get an idea what I am talking about. After zip lining, I did what was called the Tarzan Swing. This swing is built about 40 meters off land. You walk to the edge and fall-it turns into a swing. Pretty intense but worth it!

The chocolate factory was another excursion we were able to explore. Minus the thousands of bug bites we all got, it was really interesting to learn how chocolate is made. We were able to eat fresh cacao beans and eventually a homemade brownie.

Let's not forget the food in Mindo. Street almuerzos, pizza, and lots of trucha (trout)!

Although Ecuador is small, every part has a different culture. The people, food, activities, and climate all range from anything you can imagine. It is great to be able to explore parts of the country and see how other people live everyday. It is much different than the coast!

Only the beginning...2012!

Every country has their own traditions when celebrating holidays. I had the chance to experience celebrating the New Year here in Manta, Ecuador. It was a bit different but great. New Years is a time where the entire family gathers together, eats a big meal, and burns paper dolls. Yes, burn paper dolls. What is the purpose? The purpose is to burn/kill the old year and begin ringing the new one! Ecuadorians take paper mache figures and build huge pyres on the beach and watch them burn. The figures are burned in the streets as well. The dolls symbolize what has happened in the past year (famous figures, people in the family, symbols of television, etc.). After the dolls are burned, family and friends have a huge feast and then head out to celebrate! It's a great way to start the New Year.



Now that the New Year has passed, I have to readjust back to my old routines such as teaching! I have to say, first day back in the classroom was a bit difficult-but was expected. My students have 2 weeks left of cycle 2 and then they will hopefully move onto cycle 3! I have yet to fully acquire my old habits since I have been back in Ecuador. I only have taught 2 days and the rest of the time I have spent on the beach soaking up the sun. But it has been nice to take some time off and get back into the swing of things. I have reconnected with my friends here as well as my students, and have been spending time with my family. I can feel myself slowly moving back into the life I began before Christmas!

There is much to look forward to within the next couple of weeks. A travel to Mindo for WorldTeach Mid-Service Conference is one out of the few. Although I will be working, it will be great to see the other volunteers and be able to share our experiences with each other. Mindo is known as one of the most beautiful places to bird watch and see butterflies.

Another exciting yet sad vacation coming up is a despedida in Montañita. Yes, I am heading back to Montañita but with a different group of friends. There are two really good friends of mine in Manta who depart in February, so what better way to say goodbye then to say it in the world of it's own beach, Montañita! 

And lastly, let's not forget one of the most memorable holidays coming up, Carnival!

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..