It’s March! Welcome, blog readers to a blog post all about the events of February.

            February was a great month here in Ecuador. I worked a lot because I wanted to save for my trip to Olón, but I enjoyed getting some extra online teaching experience and in-class experience. I really enjoy my classes this cycle. I have a new intensive 201 class, which is intermediate-level students. This level is great because there is still so much English to teach them, but they still have a nice level of English that you can have a conversation with them. This class is especially fun because it’s all women! In the very beginning of class, I did a lot of icebreakers and getting to know each other, and we found out that we all have a lot in common. Therefore, I can choose fun, interesting speaking and activity topics to include in class! This class is so fun. I am also enjoying my beginner-level class. It is great practice for teaching English. It is very important to know how to talk and work with students at a very beginner’s level. I feel as though I have improved a lot on how to communicate to beginner’s. It seems as though they have been learning A LOT! :D

            Volunteering has been challenging this month. The students have been quite wild and difficult to control, but this is a challenge I have almost enjoyed overcoming. At some points, I have had to be a bit mean to the students. The most difficult group is group 3, which are the older students. Their teacher is Alberto, who works so hard with the students and has been working with them for a year and a half now. There is still such a lack of respect for him, which is difficult to experience sometimes. One moment where I had to assert a student sternly occurred a couple of weeks ago. This student is the most difficult student we have at the Fundación, and he had reached his level of disrespect to us that day. I simply grabbed his hand, pulled him to the side, and said “That’s enough. Do you understand how much Alberto and the volunteers do for you every day? You cannot disrespect us like this day after day. Do you understand me?” He immediately stopped and said “yes” and everything was fine. I felt a bit bad for being stern with him so I talked to Alberto and he said that that is the way it has to be sometimes, and was thankful for my support. Overall, this month was a bit difficult at the Fundación, but Maribel is making a lot of changes so we can see improvements. We have been making more calls to families and bringing more kids to therapy, and I am hoping we will see a change in behavior. The great part about the Fundación is that Maribel is very passionate about these children and about us as employees. Every Tuesday we have a meeting to talk about everything, and Maribel becomes aware of every small detail that happened throughout the week. This makes me feel like we really have the necessary support to help these children’s lives.

            At this very moment, I am writing to you from a DELICIOUS café in Olón, Ecuador. I travelled here with a friend from CEDEI, Sam because we have Monday and Tuesday off from teaching, and I thought we deserved a vacation. I had not yet been to the coast before travelling here, and BOY it’s hot when you have lived in Cuenca for 8 months! The beach here is beautiful and it feels like a different world. It never stops amazing me how small, yet incredibly diverse this country is. It’s about the size of Ohio, yet from the coast to the mountains, the language, weather, and the people change so drastically. I really enjoy the coast here, it is quite beautiful and impressive. The sunburn hurts a bit, but that was expected.

            I cannot wait for what March has to offer. I am making some life changes, and I will let you all know how they go next blog! I will leave you with some photos mostly from the Fundación in the last few months! Disfrutén las fotos! Nos hablamos! :)

Noemi, a new student, with the biggest heart. "Profe!!! tome una foto!!"

A couple of cute lil niños in a box 

José looked so cute, I took a million pics of him like this <3

Olivia, another volunteer, getting her hair done FOR FREE by the kids ;) 

 A beautiful flower truck right by my house. 

A view from Museo Pumapungo, ancient Inka ruins in Cuenca! 

A foto from yesterday in Olón! He comes back around once you've finished your water and cuts out the coconut meat for you *heart eyes*

My best friend from college came to visit me from Medllín! <3

It's Getting Easier

Hello, all!

We're five weeks into the new cycle, and I have to say it's gotten a lot easier to get into teaching this cycle than the last cycle. Now I know how classes usually go down, how to use the resources I have, and how to improvise a little bit in the classroom. I'm enjoying teaching more now that I can be more creative in the classroom. I'm still learning and adapting, and have had a few flop moments in teaching advanced grammar, but it's all part of the process. One of the best things about working at CEDEI is that when I'm unsure about something, I have plenty of helpful, friendly teacher peers who are willing to lend a hand or an idea. Even though I work by myself in the classroom, I still feel like I'm part of a team at CEDEI, and I really like that.

My work at Calasanz is about the same. I am still in the FCT and painting workshops, though we are about to switch the volunteer workshop placements again soon. I love the work that I'm doing--the drawing, the painting, the chatting with the students. Every time I arrive in the morning I have a wave of students who come up to me and greet me with a handshake, a cheek kiss, or a hug. Calasanz is such a positive, uplifting environment, and I am continuously grateful for volunteering there. Here's some of the stuff we've been working on in the workshops:

Decorating boxes in FCT

A completed frame from FCT

As we're past the halfway mark with the Puente Cultural grant, I've been thinking about my next steps after. I recently applied for some Master's of Library Science programs. So far I've applied for only online programs, as I'm not sure I'll be ready to return back to the States immediately after finishing the grant. It's kind of hard to think about my future steps when I'm having such a good time here, but I'm trying to keep a variety of options open for now. I still have a lot to experience in the months that I have left,, and I look forward to what's to come, so stay tuned!

Chao chao for now,
Jossel Franco

Happy February, blog readers! Jossel and I have now entered our 7^th month here in Ecuador, and it feels good!

In the past few months, I have enjoyed my schedule change. I have been teaching online with VIP kids for extra savings, teaching 2 classes afterward at CEDEI, and then volunteering in the afternoons Tuesday through Friday. I am very busy, but I am hoping this will be my last cycle with Saturday classes. J With no more Saturday classes, I will finally be able to take weekend trips to Cajas or to the coast and enjoy traveling a bit more. I have felt a bit kept here in Cuenca since teaching Saturday classes. Overall, my classes are all different levels, which is something I requested for this cycle. I would also recommend any other beginner teacher to do the same because I am getting so much experience by teaching different levels. This means that this is only my second cycle teaching and I have already taught 4 different levels; great for the resume and yourself!

I recently booked a trip with my fellow teacher and good friend, Sam to Olón on the coast for Carnaval, which I am told is very fun on the coast! We have the weekend and a few days of the following week off, so it was a no brainer we took a vacation, and the beach sounded like our best bet.

The longer I live in Cuenca, the more I realize how much the city has to offer and how many friends there are to be made. Honestly, most of my friends are gringos, but I don’t mind. I have met so many likeminded, interested, open minded, and friendly people since I have been here, and it has made me a better person. Most of my friends inspire me to do more and be more fearless, and I wouldn’t trade my decision to come down here for the world. It was the best decision I ever made.

Furthermore, as I am nearing towards the end of my time here in Cuenca, I am looking to teach in another country and looking toward my future a bit more. It is not that I wouldn’t want to continue living in Cuenca, it is just that after taking the plunge and moving abroad, I feel as though I want to live and teach everywhere. Therefore, I am looking into teaching in Chile from August until December through their English Opens Doors English program. If I do not get the job there, I think I may stay in Cuenca until December and then look for another job abroad come February of next year! J

Ive also uploaded some cute photos of some students to this blog and some of my favorite recent photos from life… J

Jose y Vilmer doing some puzzles :) I was so amazed by how GREAT the kids were at these puzzles. Little Einsteins. 

Jostin refused to do his homework without wearing my glasses :) 

A new smoothie bowl place by my house! The first one of its kind in Cuenca that i've seen! Its SO GOOD! 

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! 

Happy Holidays and Vacations

Beautiful sunset at the Laguna Grande,
Cuyabeno, Ecuador

Feliz Año Nuevo to all! It's been a wonderful month of vacation for me, a much-needed break after a cycle full of volunteering, working, and learning. I spent my vacations here in Ecuador, as I wanted to take the time to explore more of the country that I'm living in. The week before Christmas, I went to Quito, stopped by some beautiful thermal baths in Papallacta, and made my way east to see the Amazon in Cuyabeno. It was a wonderful experience getting to know more about the different regions of Ecuador. The Amazon in particular was great, and I spent a lot of time on a canoe going down the river and watching for birds, pink river dolphins, and other fun animals. What I appreciate most about my visit to Cuyabeno is that it helped me realize the complications of tourism in a nationally preserved region. On one hand, tourism efforts use resources that aren't necessarily friendly to the local or global environment, for example, the motor canoes that are required to get tourists to the lodges in the area. On the other hand, as my tour guide suggested, if it weren't for tourism there's a good chance that oil companies would take over and completely exploit the resources of the area, as they've already done with other parts of the country. It's not always easy to say what's good and bad in tourism, and ideally no exposure to humans would be the best for conservation, but next time I plan a tourist-y vacation I'd want to make a conscious effort to choose companies and businesses that try to make a smaller environmental impact.

The Christmas tree in the middle of Plaza
Otorongo, Cuenca

For Christmas I decided to stay in Cuenca, just to see what it's like. Traditionally, Cuencanos tend to spend time with their family and celebrate Christmas by having Christmas Eve dinner, going to mass, and hanging out with family on Christmas Day. Since I wasn't around my family for Christmas, on Christmas Eve I went out and walked around looking at all the lights around town, and on Christmas day a group of us teachers went to the spa in Baños to relax. We also had a get-together that evening. It was wonderful and comforting to know that even if you're far away from family you don't have to spend Christmas alone.

Ayampe, Ecuador

After Christmas, I made my way to the coast and stayed there for a few days. I visited Olón and Ayampe, which are both beautiful beaches but very different. It was nice to get away from the major cities and enjoy the ocean. One of my favorite parts of visiting Olón and Ayampe was seeing all the friendly dogs and cats on the street! I definitely want to go back to the coast again, possibly in our next round of vacations.

I spent New Years in Cuenca, and it was fun to see the Ecuadorian traditions of celebrating New Years. In the days leading up to New Years, you could see monigotes, aka año viejos, being sold on the streets. Año viejos signify the old year. They can take the form of people or well-known characters, and recently dogs. People buy them for their family or household, strap them to their cars, and have them ready to burn for New Years. When the clock strikes 12 on New Years Day, people burn the monigotes to signify the end of the old year. In Centro, you could also see giant monigote displays that are mostly done by the city, or sponsored by the local neighborhood. These are also burned at midnight.  I personally enjoy this tradition because it encourages a mentality of letting go of the past. All night long you can hear loud party music and see fireworks going off throughout the city. It's a fun time, a very different experience from New Years in the US.

Burning of the monigotes on New Years Day, Cuenca

Since New Years, I've been relaxing in Cuenca and getting myself organized for the new cycle, which starts tomorrow. I wish I had more time to explore and relax, but it'll be good to start teaching again, and a lot easier compared to the first cycle. I'm excited to go at it again, this time more organized, prepared, and confident in myself as a teacher. I have higher hopes, so stay tuned to see how that goes.

Chao Chao for now,
Jossel Franco