Hello blog readers! Sorry I am a bit late on my blog post for this past month, but I wanted to bring you a little update!

            I am currently a happy little gringa here in Cuenca! This week marks my second week back at CEDEI and the Fundación, and I have to say, I am loving my new schedule. I am now teaching in the mornings and volunteering at night, and I am really enjoying this. I teaching one less class than last cycle. I am teaching a beginner level from 7-815 and an intermediate intensive from 9-11AM. After I teach, I have a snack and walk to a new gym near my house that I joined J. Around 2 I go to El Arenal and volunteer from 2-6PM Tuesday-Friday.

            Another small update is that I started teaching online with VIP kids very early in the mornings before my morning classes and on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. This is strictly for a bit of extra income and financially security. I will be honest, the money they pay you at CEDEI is plenty for living very comfortably in Cuenca, but it’s not the best for saving and/or paying off debt from your past. The teaching in the mornings is very early from about 5:30-6:30AM, and then I am off to teach at CEDEI. My days are very long, but I am really enjoying doing most of my tasks in the morning and having the evenings to cook, watch some TV, and eat too much popcorn. insert popcorn/shameless emoji here.

            As far as my return from the US, I was surprised at how ready I was to come back to South America. The weather here is so much better, and I am really enjoying my busy schedule, and healthy eating habits. Eating lots of fruits and veggies is very easy and in fact, it is the cheapest way to eat here. I really enjoyed being home, and I enjoyed all of my American comforts and family time that I missed so dearly, but I was ready to come back. I think my quality of life is a bit better here (minus the pollution from those pesky buses). If I have one piece of advice, it would be to take advantage of the time you have free in December, and spend it travelling with new friends! I really enjoyed being home, and I am SO happy I got to hug my family and see my grandparents, but if you can hold out on all of that for another 6 months, TRAVEL!

            This blog post will be a short one, but I will update all of you in about 3 weeks with how my new classes and the fundacion are. New photos and ideas and opinions to come!

            Hasta luego, amigitos!