I´ve accumulated quite the collection of fun and interesting pictures in the month that I´ve been here, and I´ve been trying SO hard to post them online for the past 5 days! I put a few up to the right to start with, but I´m hoping to find a better way to post pics in the future. Until then, I hope these help you to better imagine my life here in Quito...(if you or someone you know has facebook, I did just make an album on there - I´m a little more familiar with that site :)).
Although it has been a great first week of teaching, I am so glad it´s Friday! Six hours of sleep a night and 12-14 hours of working each day is proving to take it´s toll. I´ve been pretty sick with a cold and stomach stuff (again! I have a feeling it might be a weekly occurence...) these last few days, so I´m definitely looking forward to resting and recuperating this weekend.
Computacion concluded on a good note on Wednesday, but I was relieved to not have to teach a 4 hour class again until Monday. I absolutely LOVE my english class. The girls are adorable and so fun to teach. They repeat EVERYTHING I say, and I can´t help but laugh sometimes. We´re learning colors right now, and I´m not sure if they´ve actually retained anything yet, but we sure do have fun coloring, dancing, laughing, and trying to understand each other. During every class so far, I have wished that friends and family from home could experience this with me...so, for those of you who are considering visiting (yay!), I cannot wait to take you to my classes and introduce you to my students. I know you will love it/them!
That´s it for this one. I have to hurry back to the Center to teach my adult classes at 5 and 6:30, then it´s out on the town to meet up with the other volunteers for dinner and drinks (yeah, so much for resting and recuperating...we have to celebrate a successful first week though!).
BIG hugs,
Keely
viernes, 21 de septiembre de 2007
miércoles, 19 de septiembre de 2007
Jumping Right In...
Well, I survived my first 2.5 days of teaching! Not only did I survive, but things went much better than I expected! Other than a bit of a troublesome 4 hour class yesterday (the computers are so old and outdated, I couldn't figure out how to turn half of them on!), here are some highlights...
1. my students only laughed once at my pronunciation during roll call on the first day
2. turns out I DO know enough spanish now to communicate decently (and the girls don't show even a tiny bit of frustration when I ask them to repeat their question for the 4th time!)
3. throughout my day, I have a nice balance of 13-14 year old girls and first grade girls - sooo different, but both so fun!
4. it finally dawned on me that all of the pressure I've been feeling to know spanish and be an amazing teacher is only pressure I've been putting on myself - everyone, adults and children, is so understanding and welcoming. The fact that they are entrusting me with my own classes when they KNOW that I am not a teacher nor fluent in their language shows how confident they are in me - and I'm starting to feed off of that.
5. In my adult class (proving to be one of my favorite times of the day), one lady called me "Kinky" on the first day...haha, all the volunteers in the room were laughing pretty hard, so we had to try to explain to them what kinky means...the name saga continues!
6. although I don't think I've really taught my students a whole lot yet, I really feel like I am part of something significant and worthwhile here. Just walking around during the day, hearing kids yell my name (or some version of it), and being greeted by administrators, I am no longer a gringo just hanging in Ecuador. I live here. I work here. I have a place here.
I guess those highlights turned out to be less about actually teaching and more about the insights I've had since beginning to teach...but now that I've finally started doing what I came here to do, and the anticipation is over, my attitude and perspective has shifted a bit. On that note, I have to take the bus to the downtown center now for my 5pm adult class! As always, I have so much more to write, but not enough time, darnit! Thanks for reading, and thanks to those who have been sending thoughts and prayers and messages (and mail, Jill! my first package! yay!).
Love, Keely
1. my students only laughed once at my pronunciation during roll call on the first day
2. turns out I DO know enough spanish now to communicate decently (and the girls don't show even a tiny bit of frustration when I ask them to repeat their question for the 4th time!)
3. throughout my day, I have a nice balance of 13-14 year old girls and first grade girls - sooo different, but both so fun!
4. it finally dawned on me that all of the pressure I've been feeling to know spanish and be an amazing teacher is only pressure I've been putting on myself - everyone, adults and children, is so understanding and welcoming. The fact that they are entrusting me with my own classes when they KNOW that I am not a teacher nor fluent in their language shows how confident they are in me - and I'm starting to feed off of that.
5. In my adult class (proving to be one of my favorite times of the day), one lady called me "Kinky" on the first day...haha, all the volunteers in the room were laughing pretty hard, so we had to try to explain to them what kinky means...the name saga continues!
6. although I don't think I've really taught my students a whole lot yet, I really feel like I am part of something significant and worthwhile here. Just walking around during the day, hearing kids yell my name (or some version of it), and being greeted by administrators, I am no longer a gringo just hanging in Ecuador. I live here. I work here. I have a place here.
I guess those highlights turned out to be less about actually teaching and more about the insights I've had since beginning to teach...but now that I've finally started doing what I came here to do, and the anticipation is over, my attitude and perspective has shifted a bit. On that note, I have to take the bus to the downtown center now for my 5pm adult class! As always, I have so much more to write, but not enough time, darnit! Thanks for reading, and thanks to those who have been sending thoughts and prayers and messages (and mail, Jill! my first package! yay!).
Love, Keely
lunes, 10 de septiembre de 2007
What the heck was I thinking?
Not only did I sign up to be a teacher (with no previous experience, mind you), but I am supposed to teach in Spanish (also very little previous experience)??? WHAT???
Yes, I knew this coming in, but I don´t think I thought it through ent¡rely. Either way, here I am, CMT´s newest Computacion (computers/marketing) teacher, whether I am ready or not! When I was here for spring break I mostly shadowed volunteers´ English classes, so naturally, I figured that is what I would spend the majority of my time doing. WRONG. As of next Monday, I will teach above mentioned computer class to colegio (high school - 13 to 20 year olds) students 3 mornings a week, tutor every afternoon, teach adults every evening, then teach ONE english class to 2nd grade girls on Friday mornings. I was quite taken aback (and slightly disappointed) with my schedule, but the more I think about it (and get nervous about it), the more I realize I have no choice but to put it in God´s hands. I am still sure that I was called to spend a year of my life here for a reason, and it´s not up to me to determine that reason. I am here to serve the people of CMT in whatever way they see fit!
So, the last week has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I feel indescribably comfortable and at home at CMT, but I have also been challenged mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally in ways I´ve never experienced before. I had to introduce myself in front of 50+ Ecuadorian teachers and pray out loud in Spanish the other day. Yesterday, we spent 6 hours digging holes, shoveling rocks, and mixing cement to help one of our families build their new house. Every time I attempt to get one of my many questions answered, I find that I either ask the wrong person or receive an entirely unexpected (and often wrong, I´ve come to find out) answer. I´m sure many of you can imagine how this aggravates me, a not so patient person who likes to be "in the know" all the time! I just had a meeting with the 2 Ecuadorian Computacion teachers I will be working with...2 of them, 1 of me, all in Spanish! Halfway through, God answered my prayers and one of my fellow, and much more fluent, LTVs (long term volunteers) walked in the classroom and translated the tricky parts for us. Those are just a few of many examples I could rattle off!
As exhausting and frustrating as these daily challenges can be, the people I have met and gotten to know here make up for it. I truly love the volunteers I live with and I don´t know how I would have survived the last week without them! A whole lot of bonding took place this past weekend - shopping trips, cooking together, decorating our rooms, watching movies, exploring and discovering Quito, playing cards, going out on the town, getting lost, and many heart to hearts. The Ecuadorians at the Center are wonderful, as well. They are kind, caring people, and extrememly patient when it comes to communicating!
I have so much work to do in the next week to prepare for classes and improve my speaking skills. We only have a few meetings here and there, so it will be nice to have a little down time before things get crazy next week! I am definitely excited to be around the kids more though....and on that note, I will leave you with a funny little story...
My name is very difficult for them to pronounce here, mostly because they don´t have a double "e" sound in Spanish. I usually introduce myself, then they respond with anything from "pele?" to "willy?" to "kayla?" This morning, we spent time shadowing Ecuadorian teachers to get an idea of how they run their classrooms. Six of us were lined up in front of the room introducing ourselves. I was the 4th one to go and when it was my turn, I pronounced my name very clearly and they repeated it back over and over until it sounded like they got it. Then the teacher called on students to repeat all of our names out loud. The little 4th grader was doing a fantastic job...."patricio, elizabeth, matheo, persona...numero cuatro!"...until she called me "person number 4" without missing a beat! Of course, everyone thought it was pretty funny and that´s what I was called for the rest of the day. So, thank you mom and dad, for the "unique" (troublesome) name!
Oh, I want to throw in a little shoutout to all my friends who have September birthdays (seriously, there are like 12 of them...so, thank you to THEIR moms and dads...for making it impossible to keep them all straight!) Anyway, I love you all and I wish I could be in CO, MN, IL, WI, etc. to help you celebrate!
Mucho amor,
Keely
Yes, I knew this coming in, but I don´t think I thought it through ent¡rely. Either way, here I am, CMT´s newest Computacion (computers/marketing) teacher, whether I am ready or not! When I was here for spring break I mostly shadowed volunteers´ English classes, so naturally, I figured that is what I would spend the majority of my time doing. WRONG. As of next Monday, I will teach above mentioned computer class to colegio (high school - 13 to 20 year olds) students 3 mornings a week, tutor every afternoon, teach adults every evening, then teach ONE english class to 2nd grade girls on Friday mornings. I was quite taken aback (and slightly disappointed) with my schedule, but the more I think about it (and get nervous about it), the more I realize I have no choice but to put it in God´s hands. I am still sure that I was called to spend a year of my life here for a reason, and it´s not up to me to determine that reason. I am here to serve the people of CMT in whatever way they see fit!
So, the last week has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I feel indescribably comfortable and at home at CMT, but I have also been challenged mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally in ways I´ve never experienced before. I had to introduce myself in front of 50+ Ecuadorian teachers and pray out loud in Spanish the other day. Yesterday, we spent 6 hours digging holes, shoveling rocks, and mixing cement to help one of our families build their new house. Every time I attempt to get one of my many questions answered, I find that I either ask the wrong person or receive an entirely unexpected (and often wrong, I´ve come to find out) answer. I´m sure many of you can imagine how this aggravates me, a not so patient person who likes to be "in the know" all the time! I just had a meeting with the 2 Ecuadorian Computacion teachers I will be working with...2 of them, 1 of me, all in Spanish! Halfway through, God answered my prayers and one of my fellow, and much more fluent, LTVs (long term volunteers) walked in the classroom and translated the tricky parts for us. Those are just a few of many examples I could rattle off!
As exhausting and frustrating as these daily challenges can be, the people I have met and gotten to know here make up for it. I truly love the volunteers I live with and I don´t know how I would have survived the last week without them! A whole lot of bonding took place this past weekend - shopping trips, cooking together, decorating our rooms, watching movies, exploring and discovering Quito, playing cards, going out on the town, getting lost, and many heart to hearts. The Ecuadorians at the Center are wonderful, as well. They are kind, caring people, and extrememly patient when it comes to communicating!
I have so much work to do in the next week to prepare for classes and improve my speaking skills. We only have a few meetings here and there, so it will be nice to have a little down time before things get crazy next week! I am definitely excited to be around the kids more though....and on that note, I will leave you with a funny little story...
My name is very difficult for them to pronounce here, mostly because they don´t have a double "e" sound in Spanish. I usually introduce myself, then they respond with anything from "pele?" to "willy?" to "kayla?" This morning, we spent time shadowing Ecuadorian teachers to get an idea of how they run their classrooms. Six of us were lined up in front of the room introducing ourselves. I was the 4th one to go and when it was my turn, I pronounced my name very clearly and they repeated it back over and over until it sounded like they got it. Then the teacher called on students to repeat all of our names out loud. The little 4th grader was doing a fantastic job...."patricio, elizabeth, matheo, persona...numero cuatro!"...until she called me "person number 4" without missing a beat! Of course, everyone thought it was pretty funny and that´s what I was called for the rest of the day. So, thank you mom and dad, for the "unique" (troublesome) name!
Oh, I want to throw in a little shoutout to all my friends who have September birthdays (seriously, there are like 12 of them...so, thank you to THEIR moms and dads...for making it impossible to keep them all straight!) Anyway, I love you all and I wish I could be in CO, MN, IL, WI, etc. to help you celebrate!
Mucho amor,
Keely
viernes, 7 de septiembre de 2007
Contact Info CORRECTION
Hopefully none of you raced to the mailbox yesterday...since, I AM IN ECUADOR and the mail carrier would probably appreciate it if the address was written in Spanish! Therefore, you should write "Centro del Muchacho Trabajador" and "articulos religiosos" (instead of "Working Boys Center" and "religious goods"). I'm sure they could probably figure it out, but I don't want to risk missing out on any of the mail that you're all going to send me ;) haha.
All right, I'm currently on my laptop and it has been turning off randomly so I'm going to post this before I lose it AGAIN! (p.s. if anyone has any idea as to why my computer might be doing this and how to fix it, let me know!!!).
love you and miss you!
All right, I'm currently on my laptop and it has been turning off randomly so I'm going to post this before I lose it AGAIN! (p.s. if anyone has any idea as to why my computer might be doing this and how to fix it, let me know!!!).
love you and miss you!
jueves, 6 de septiembre de 2007
Contact Info...
I just wanted to post my address and phone number here quick:
Working Boys Center
c/o Keely Schallock
Apartado 17-01-3112
Quito, Ecuador, S.A.
011-593-22-532-002
If you send mail, it must be in a regular or manilla envelope to reach me (packages are really complicated to get). Also, write "religious goods" on manilla envelopes to guarantee their arrival! The phone number goes directly to my house, so go buy a cheap calling card and call me :) (If the phone number doesn´t work, take out one of the middle 2s).
That´s all I´ve got for now. We´ve been very busy with orientation these last few days, but everything is coming together and I´m getting excited to begin teaching! I promise to write a decent entry soon...
Keely
Working Boys Center
c/o Keely Schallock
Apartado 17-01-3112
Quito, Ecuador, S.A.
011-593-22-532-002
If you send mail, it must be in a regular or manilla envelope to reach me (packages are really complicated to get). Also, write "religious goods" on manilla envelopes to guarantee their arrival! The phone number goes directly to my house, so go buy a cheap calling card and call me :) (If the phone number doesn´t work, take out one of the middle 2s).
That´s all I´ve got for now. We´ve been very busy with orientation these last few days, but everything is coming together and I´m getting excited to begin teaching! I promise to write a decent entry soon...
Keely
lunes, 3 de septiembre de 2007
All Moved In!
Hey there! I don´t have a ton of time, but I just wanted to write quickly to let you know that I am all moved in at el Centro del Muchacho Trabajador and things are going well!
Dan, Stuart, and I (and ALL of our luggage) made the 30 minute trek across across the city on Saturday afternoon. The second we pulled into the driveway, I felt like I was finally "home." At the same time, it was very surreal to be back here after trying to imagine that very moment since I left CMT last March. More than anything, it just felt "right" (I know, I´m throwing out cliche after cliche, but there really is no other way to describe it!).
We moved into our very spacious rooms, and I encountered a problem that I´ve never had before in my life...I didn´t have enough stuff to fill the shelves, or enough clothes to fill the closet, or enough junk to fill the drawers, or enough things to hang on the walls! Stuart and I spent yesterday shopping at every market in town though, so my room is starting to feel a little less like an insane asylum.
Over the course of Saturday night and Sunday, the other volunteers slowly trickled in. We spent both evenings getting each others´stories, and it truly is amazing what a small world it is and how paths cross. For example, Patrick has been to the same Guatemalan village that I spent my Sophomore spring break in, and it turns out I met a few of his friends from Loyola Marymount when I was there! I could tell you about 15 stories of a similar nature....but alas, dinner awaits :). So far, there are 10 volunteers moved in, and about 6 more to come. Most of the returning volunteers whom I met when I was here for spring break are arriving on Wednesday, so I am super pumped to see them again!
The directors of the Center, Madre Miguel and Padre Juan, are just as wonderful, energetic, and witty as I remember them. Madre Cindy also helps run the show (the 3 of them all live in the house with us) and it is hilarious to watch the 2 madres constantly gang up on Padre. Poor guy!
Today was our first day of orientation and we spent most of the time talking about procedures, house rules, meeting people, eating with the kids, touring the Centers, and going to church (not kidding - we went twice...guess that makes up for not going the past 2 weeks, right mom?!). It was a fun and exhausting day. I definitely have an advantage in that I´ve been here before though. Everyone else is feeling major information overload! We have orientation the rest of this week, then we will mostly be shadowing teachers next week when classes begin.
I apologize for the discombobulated entry! There is so much I want to tell you, and not nearly enough time right now! I promise to write again soon. Thank you so much for all your thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragment!
Keely
Dan, Stuart, and I (and ALL of our luggage) made the 30 minute trek across across the city on Saturday afternoon. The second we pulled into the driveway, I felt like I was finally "home." At the same time, it was very surreal to be back here after trying to imagine that very moment since I left CMT last March. More than anything, it just felt "right" (I know, I´m throwing out cliche after cliche, but there really is no other way to describe it!).
We moved into our very spacious rooms, and I encountered a problem that I´ve never had before in my life...I didn´t have enough stuff to fill the shelves, or enough clothes to fill the closet, or enough junk to fill the drawers, or enough things to hang on the walls! Stuart and I spent yesterday shopping at every market in town though, so my room is starting to feel a little less like an insane asylum.
Over the course of Saturday night and Sunday, the other volunteers slowly trickled in. We spent both evenings getting each others´stories, and it truly is amazing what a small world it is and how paths cross. For example, Patrick has been to the same Guatemalan village that I spent my Sophomore spring break in, and it turns out I met a few of his friends from Loyola Marymount when I was there! I could tell you about 15 stories of a similar nature....but alas, dinner awaits :). So far, there are 10 volunteers moved in, and about 6 more to come. Most of the returning volunteers whom I met when I was here for spring break are arriving on Wednesday, so I am super pumped to see them again!
The directors of the Center, Madre Miguel and Padre Juan, are just as wonderful, energetic, and witty as I remember them. Madre Cindy also helps run the show (the 3 of them all live in the house with us) and it is hilarious to watch the 2 madres constantly gang up on Padre. Poor guy!
Today was our first day of orientation and we spent most of the time talking about procedures, house rules, meeting people, eating with the kids, touring the Centers, and going to church (not kidding - we went twice...guess that makes up for not going the past 2 weeks, right mom?!). It was a fun and exhausting day. I definitely have an advantage in that I´ve been here before though. Everyone else is feeling major information overload! We have orientation the rest of this week, then we will mostly be shadowing teachers next week when classes begin.
I apologize for the discombobulated entry! There is so much I want to tell you, and not nearly enough time right now! I promise to write again soon. Thank you so much for all your thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragment!
Keely
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