lunes, 1 de octubre de 2007

It´s been a while...

I just returned from a splendid little vacation! We had today off because of elections (they´re rewriting the constitution...crazy ecuadorian politics!), so 7 of us left yesterday morning for Papallacta. We stayed at a gorgeous resort in the mountains and spent most of our time soaking (and playing marco polo :))in the natural hot springs, dancing and drinking wine on the porch of our cabana, and trying to figure out how to boil pasta and saute vegetables using a tiny fire pit (where it´s nearly impossible to start a fire because mountains=altitude=no oxygen) and a toaster oven...we were successful (after about 3 hours)! It was probably the best dinner I have ever had. It was great to get out of the city and experience more of Ecuador, but now I have oodles of planning to do for classes this week (funny how I´m at the internet cafe, procrastinating as usual!).

Despite most of us being really sick last week (general consensus in the house? "thank God we have our own bathrooms!"), we did a pretty darn good job of teaching our classes and celebrating 2 birthdays. It was nice to have some idea of what to expect when I stepped into my classrooms, but I also realized that Week 2 means no more nametags and getting to know you games - it´s time to actually crack down and teach! Which also means communicating more...in Spanish...with students, teachers, and administrators. I have found that I can speak and understand enough to get by in most cases, but if there is the slightest distraction (I´m nervous or in a hurry, kids are yelling, etc) it severely hinders my ability to communicate. Thankfully, there are a lot of people around who are more than willing to help in those instances, but I can´t wait for the day when I can have a conversation and walk away KNOWING, 100% for sure, what was just said. The day HAS come for me to start talking to myself in spanish! I noticed repeatedly last week that I would be thinking about something in english, then respond to myself in spanish. It´s very strange.

For some reason, I am really good at cards in Ecuador. My first 2 weeks here, when it was just Dan and I, we played A LOT of cards (to avoid having to talk to each other, as he says...haha). I beat him in almost every game almost every time. I really like to win, but it got kind of boring! Anyway, I thought for sure my luck would run out (or I´d at least encounter better competition ;)) once we started playing cards at the house. Euchre is a favorite (it´s kind of like 500), and so far I am undefeated with one partner and I´ve only lost one game with the other! I´ve had quite a few offers to accompany people to Vegas when we return to the states :)

Other interesting occurrences/observations from this last week:
-watching adults color and cut with scissors for the first time in their lives
-riding home from the downtown Center (approx. 45 minutes) in the back of a pick-up truck because our bus was broken
-running into 4 friends from language school at church yesterday morning, when we live on opposite sides of the city and there are about 85 other churches they could have chosen to attend!
-plans are in the works to build a garden on the rooftop of the downtown Center - it´s going to be awesome.
-I have rediscovered my love for puzzles
-the boy I started tutoring can fiure out the answer to most math equations, but cannot write or recognize most 2 digit and all 3 digit numbers

Well, I suppose, it´s time to crack down and figure out what exactly my girls are going to do for 4 hours in computer class tomorrow...any and all suggestions are welcome! haha. Thanks for reading, and check in again soon!

Keely

5 comentarios:

Morgan dijo...

Baby..... good thing I was a good Euchre teacher. I feel as though I should take some of the credit for your dominance.

Love you!

Allison dijo...

Keels! I finally got an account...see i really do love you! I can't believe the things you are doing in Ecuador, you leave good footprints for me to follow! Good luck with the lesson plans. That stuff can't be easy, but you rock so keep on truck'in!

p.s. for interpersonal comm i have to evaluate your blog and another one and write a paper...hehe so thanks for helping me with some homework!

mom dijo...

hey Keel ~ are those voices in your head getting along? ha! how strange to have a bilingual brain... does Dan know your dissing his card-playing to the whole world? miss u, mom
p.s. your bedroom has morphed in to dad's music room.

Keely25 dijo...

1. morgan - although i never once understood a bit of euchre back in the days when we played, i will give you credit for planting the seed. i went 3/3 again last night, so my streak continues! i cant wait to play you now :)
2. al - yay! thanks for the comment! creepy that you're going to be evaluating this nonsense though...at least you'll have a lot to criticize! that's karyl's class, right?
3. mom - i'm not dissing dan's card playing, just telling it like it is :) and sad that dad's taking over my room...i'd like to think that you haven't touched a thing in there since i left - a shrine to keely, of sorts....haha.

DAD dijo...

hello Keely ~ it's your frustrated dad....i wrote a long message at work (and you know how long that can take me) and then it wouldn't let me send the message!! arrrgh!!
love anyways, dad :)