I can not believe that I have been here in Ecuador for 5 months now! Time has gone by so fast and I have enjoyed my experience so far. 

My first teaching cycle ended for me on December 3rd. I loved having my students from 102 again. We built such a great relationship and they were great students. They learned so fast and were able to adapt to the schedule changes well.  I must admit this Cycle was hard mainly for two reasons. One reason being my busy schedule with volunteering and teaching and the other because of El Paro. Due to the National Emergency Declared by the Ecuadorian government, classes were canceled for a long period and that greatly affected the already put in place Cycle schedule. My second intensive class was very rushed and my students had less time than usual to learn all the material. This impacted my Saturday class the most. I had to teach a whole unit, as well as give writing, speaking and Unit quizzes for four hours and a half. This was way too long of a class and it was way too much material to cover in one class. Thankfully I am happy to say that it is all over now and I finished my first cycle. All of my students did great despite the obstacles and I am so proud of them all. 

November was a month full of surprises. I celebrated my birthday on November 11th and I enjoyed it so much. Emily surprised me by decorating the whole apartment with awesome decorations while I  was at work and gifted me with some beautiful flowers. As I keep saying I am so thankful for her and all that she does for me. Some friends surprised me with a delicious cake and celebrated the day with me. My parents and siblings wished me a Happy Birthday too. The kids at El Arenal all hugged me and the director bought me a cake and we celebrated as staff.  My 103 class got me a cake and along with another one of my students, whos birthday is close to mine, we celebrated our birthdays as a class. It was a great birthday filled with much joy and love. 

Celebrating mine and Josue's birthday with my class. 

Gifts from friends 

Decorations by Emily 

Thanks to Mika, a fellow CEDEI teacher, we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving abroad. I did not think that being away from my family on this special day was going to impact me but it did. I must admit I was sad to be away from my family that day and for missing out on the amazing Thanksgiving food. Along with other CEDEI teachers and staff, we had a Thanksgiving dinner which was so delicious on Friday the day after Thanksgiving. I ate so much food that my stomach was hurting.  I was happy to spend time with individuals I was close to and share a great meal. 

In the middle of the month, we moved apartments. This was a very stressful time for us since it was not in our plans at all to move. The reason why we moved was that we found out we were paying more for the rent then we were aware. This for both of us was not acceptable since we had been lied to and had struggled for months to cover all the bills and felt like moving was the best option.  We had trusted a certain individual who we cared for and believed was our friend only to come to find out he was charging us a large amount of money and paying the owner of the apartment less money. All this time we thought the money we paid him was exactly what he paid the owner however it was not like that at all. We dealt with so much from that individual, his family and other individuals close to him and we were OVER it. We were so angry and hurt but I am happy to say that we managed to deal with it all and are now in a better place. 

Our lives have been less stressful now that we are in our new apartment. The apartment is beautiful and we are in the center of Cuenca, also it is much cheaper. We are close to Plaza San Francisco which is gorgeous and also close to a market called Diez de Agosto. Everything is very accessible and  I am also able to walk to work. I save money on bus fare since I am close to the Sucursal and Centro location. 

Me at Plaza San Francisco 

Plaza San Francisco at night 

As mentioned I am done with work and am on vacation until January 6th. Emily left to the states on December 4th to be with her family for the holidays. I miss her so much and is weird being here in Cuenca all by myself. Thanks to technology we talk every day and keep communications at all times. I am happy she is with her family and know that soon we will be reunited again. As of now my plans are staying here in Cuenca and celebrate the holidays. Cuenca is very beautiful at this time of year and I love seeing the Christmas spirit of the town. I also am continuing to volunteer at El Arenal and am enjoying all the Christmas activities the foundation does for the kids.  

Christmas lights at Plaza Otorongo 

This is all for me as of now. I am excited to see how this month unfolds and to see where my life will be headed next. Enjoy your Holidays next to your loved ones and see you soon for another post. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Hi all! 

Back now for a quick blog post to start December! Since my last post, things have been quite the whirlwind! 

First, and potentially most exciting, we celebrated Jhoseline’s birthday!!! I love birthdays so much, and if you have read the blog before, you know how much I appreciate having Jhoseline in my life.  What an awesome excuse to celebrate her! I could hardly wait- we decorated the apartment and shared a cake in her honor. I’m pretty sure everyone in Ecuador was aware of her birthday because of me. It was definitely a nice bright spot in a time when the cycle was starting to get very busy! 

We also moved into a new apartment! We found a really nice spot that is cheaper and much closer to everything for us, so life has been much less stressful! It is right on a gorgeous plaza called plaza San Francisco, which is always full of people and vendors.  It is also close to a large market called Diez de Agosto, which makes grocery shopping much easier and cheaper! We have definitely been enjoying a shorter commute (and more sleep!) in the mornings, evenings, and lunch time. 

This is the view as you exit our apartment building!

As the cycle was coming to an end, I could not believe we had been teachers long enough to complete almost a full cycle.  Although I never thought teaching was for me, over the first cycle I truly began to settle into a rhythm with my classes and really enjoy our time together.  At the end of the cycle my niños classes had to do a final project, which for our level consisted of writing a play and performing it. We spent the last week brainstorming and writing together, then the last day we performed! Each class even wrote me into their plays.  On the last day, I was so excited, making decorations for the performance, putting together my costumes for my “characters,” and trying to make a relatively healthy but desirable snack for our class party (shout out to Jhoseline for the help)! In the middle of all of this, I had a moment in which I surprised myself at how much I had come to enjoy a job I never saw myself doing.  I was sad to say goodbye to my students on their last day of class! I hope to get niños again next cycle!

My costume for this play was a Spider! Here with my Lion, Jaguar, and Snake

Some of the decorations and our "stage"

A tourist with a hunter and Jungle Protection!

Another significant day at the end of the cycle was Thanksgiving!  We had been so busy leading up to the day of Thanksgiving that we had almost forgotten about it- and didn’t expect it to affect us much.  When the actual day came, though, and my family was all together without me, it was a bit tough to continue through a normal work day. In the morning, I told my sister (Olivia, 14) that I was really missing being with the family, and asked her to send me some pictures or updates throughout the day.  Because she’s absolutely amazing, she sent me about 8 video updates throughout the day featuring various family members and Thanksgiving activities. I don’t know what I would have done without her! It was a great way to keep my spirits lifted throughout the day and stay connected with the family. Once again, thank goodness for Facetime! 

Thankfully, on Friday we had a  “Friendsgiving” organized by some of the teachers.  We all gathered in one (and fall-decorated) house, and everyone brought some kind of food item.  You know I had to bring some Mac and Cheese, because for me it is not Thanksgiving without it! We also brought a chicken and some other small things.  Heating up food in the kitchen with a glass of wine amongst the warm hustle and bustle of dinner preparations was definitely a feeling that I couldn’t have put my finger on previously, but was missing on the day of Thanksgiving.  I am so THANKFUL that we were all able to organize this nice dinner, and eat a really delicious and filling dinner amongst good company!

Our Friendsgiving plates! Featuring Mac and Cheese, homemade bread, stuffing, mashed potatoes, mote (corn), deviled eggs, chicken, and carrots!

As I write this post, I am in the airport in Guayaquil awaiting a flight into Florida.  I will be spending a few weeks in the U.S. during the December vacation, because I just cannot spend Christmas without my family! I am also excited, because before making it to Ohio, I will spend a week in Orlando with my best friend Paige for her birthday! I can’t wait to see her again, because we haven’t spent this much time apart since before we met during our freshman year of college.  I look forward to the month to come! Thanks for reading!