Los Organos Beach, where you can see whales in the winter. This is the beach where we swam with turtles!

Brook and I. Ps- everyone thinks I am a crazy person because I wear these glasses. 

The mountains on our way to swim with the turtles. I couldn't capture the beauty here. It was amazing. 

Two minions (AKA Brook and I) swimming with turtles! This was right before the turtle bit my butt. OUCH!

Matias (white) and Jostin (red) wanted a photo with their creation. They are so good at building things. I love watching them.

Belen's farm/parking lot creation. She is the sweetest. I am going to miss her like crazy. 

Teaching them to eat spaghetti with a fork! Que rica estuvo la comida! 

Dia de los ninos!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to my second to last blog post. Phew, this month has FLOWN BY! I cannot believe that I only have one more month left here in Cuenca. Honestly, the closer I get to leaving, the more I love it here and want to consider staying here for another 6 months or so. We will see how it goes.

The beginning of this month I took a trip down to Peru with my friend Brook to Mancora. I HIGHLY recommend. It was one of the nicest beaches I have ever seen. Our second day we decided to swim with turtles. It was $12 for them to pick us up from our house, drive us to Los Organos (the famous beach for seeing turtles and whales), and to drop us off back home. It was such a nice experience. The coastline in Mancora reminded me of California. Very mountainous, but such yellow mountians, with a massive coastline that went on forever. If you are in Cuenca, you MUST go to Mancora. It is almost easier to get there than to get to the beaches here in Ecuador. We took an overnight bus, which was only $18 and it got us right there and back.

This month working and volunteering was very nice and fairly easy. There were many holidays and activities this month, and the kids at the fundación had a really good month. For example, last week on Saturday we celebrated El día de los niños. So on Friday we took them to centro for a show that the city of Cuenca put on for us. They had music, poems, and magic! The next day on Saturday, we had another celebration at the Fundación for the children, with games, a bouncy house, food, and more! I love watching those kids have a beautiful Saturday. They deserve it more than anyone. It’s amazing the care and love that the city of Cuenca gives to their children. Everything at the Fundación is going really well, and the kids are all behaving well! We are in over our heads a little bit for this week because now we are down to 3 volunteers versus the 7 or so we had at the beginning of the school year, but we are meeting today to resituate our schedules to make sure that every teacher has some volunteer’s help every day of the week! J

Teaching is going well too. My last intensive is great. They love to chat, which makes my life easy. There are two students who are moving to New York, who are learning as much English as they can before they leave. This is something that really motivates me to make class as productive as possible. I want them to be able to communicate with people when they live in NY. I want them to feel comfortable in their new home. I have been adding a lot of music, culture, and speaking practice into class for them. We only have 2 more weeks before we are finished, and I cannot believe it. I cannot believe how much I have learned. I have had the chance to teach many levels, and so far I have loved them all. I am thankful for this experience, and I know that I will miss the convenience and everything that comes with CEDEI. I have loved it here.

Well, that is all for now. I have a few trips coming up before I leave Cuenca, so next blog post should be interesting and full of photos!

Chao Chao!

Kait

Content

The beautiful view from Cojitambo

I've been pretty happy here in Ecuador these past few weeks. It's been crazy with class scheduling here, as March and April are filled with all kinds of holidays including the Foundation of Cuenca, Holy Week, and Labor Day. We've had lots of Fridays off, which allow me a little bit of time to do some local traveling. On the first holiday of the cycle I went to Azogues to visit La Reina de la Nube, which is a beautiful metal statue of the Virgin Mary that sits on top of a mountain. The hike up is marked by images that represent the 14 stations of the cross, which tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. The following Friday I went to Cojitambo, which is a mountain not far from Azogues that has some ruins and beautiful views. We went on Good Friday, and the town was holding a mass right on to ruins, which was cool to observe.

La Reina de la Nube, Azogues, Ecuador

I also finally made my way to the Amazru zoo, which is located in the outskirts of Cuenca, and that was a blast. Amaru's zoo is mostly composed of rescue animals. They spend a lot of their resources helping injured, sick, and abused animals, and release animals back to the wild if possible. The layout of the zoo is pretty unique, as you kind of have to hike through the zoo to see all the animals, and there's only one path to follow. There's a lot to see, and there are animals from all over Ecuador as well as some non-native animals, like tapirs and African lions. Because of the layout and the structure of the zoo, it feels like you're encountering animals in a more natural habitat. There were plenty of active animals, including a young monkey teasing its older peers, cute piggies squelching through the mud, talkative parrots and macaws, nosy llamas, and magnificent jaguars, which are the newest addition to the zoo. For those who visit Cuenca for a longer period of time, the zoo is definitely a must.

The beautiful Jaguar resting on a tree branch in Amaru zoo

As far my teaching and volunteer work, not much as changed with this cycle. My schedule is the same, but I think I'm having more fun teaching this cycle. I feel more comfortable in the classroom than I've ever felt this year, which I think has allowed me and my students to interact with each other on a more personal level. I feel happy at the end of my classes, fortunate to teach a little more to my students as well as to learn a little more about them and their culture every day. My volunteer work is also pretty consistent, but it's gotten a little more interesting this past month because the whole school is getting ready for a big exhibition at the end of the month that shows off the projects of different workshops. I'm excited for the exhibition, and I expect things to be a little busier as we come closer to the opening day.

Zoo llama says hello!

Time is flying and our year is ending so soon. I'm not quite ready for this to end yet, so I hope these last few months slow down a bit! For now I'll have to take in as much as every moment that I can, so stay tuned!

Chao chao for now,
Jossel Franco

Hey blog readers! 

April was a crazy month for me, and I can't believe it's over! Only 2 more months of being here in Cuenca, and I am still not sure what I am going to do. Although I have fully enjoyed my time here, I think I'm ready for a new challenge. I am going to miss the heck out of CEDEI, my friends, and the Fundación. I will elaborate more with my final thoughts in a month or so's blog post so stay tuned!

Anyway, this past month was full of vacations from teaching and volutneering I got a nice vacation in and had many long weekends! :) A couple of weeks ago, I went to Quito with a good friend, Sam. One great thing was our ability to save 8 hours on a bus and fly. We found cheap tickets, and I'll say, definitely worth the money to save time for a short vacation. Quito was wonderful, and there was a Good Friday parade, and we spent our holiday drinking coffee, eating cake, enjoying the views, and watching the parade. Quito is absolutely ENORMOUS, and the view from the Basilica is quite humbling. 

PS- we stayed in La floresta, and I highly recommend! :) 

After our day and a half in Quito, we decided to take the bus up to Otavalo to check out the market and do some hiking. Otavalo has the largest outdoor market in South America and is only an hour and a half from Quito on bus. Unfortunately, I ate some bad shrimp in Quito and was super sick the whole time. Luckily, I am alive, and feeling very well now. I was able to go to the market for about 20 minutes, so I saw a little bit of the market in Otavalo. Also, the sweet indigenous family whose hostal we stayed at, did an indigenous healing ceremony on me and gave me some hollistic medicine, which helped for a while. Anyways, although I left Cuenca with Sam and came back with Sam and amoebas, I had a great time in Quito and want to visit again before I leave.

Time at the Fundación and teaching are going well. Teaching is flying by, and I am enjoying not having any Saturday classes. I have a FULL weekend! WOOHOO!

Time at the Fundación is going well. We have a few new families, which means our numbers are growing, but the more, the merrier (crazier). Many of the volunteers are starting to end their time here, which is so sad. I am going to miss the heck out of everyone. 

Overall, time is flying, and I cannot wait for what is next. I am going to give extra in my last few months here, as to leave a good legacy for my time during the Puente Cultural Grant. 

Anyways, 

Talk to  you all later! 

Thanks so much for reading :)

The view from the Basilica in Quito. Quito is HUGEEEEEE.

My good friend Sam and I. She left me for the USA. I miss her :''(

Anderson, an absolute cutie and new student at the Fundación. His first day he cried because he was so overwhelmed with the amount of kids. Now he loves coming :)

Making empanadas for the 25th anniversary party for the Fundación. Left to right- Veronica (level 2 teacher), Favayd (level 1 teacher), Maria Gusta (psychologist), Antonella (social worker), Nele (fellow volunteer and friend) :D

Annalia and her gorgeous, traditional braids for the 25th anni party! 

Veronica, Genesis, Fernanda, Kenia, Jennifer, and Lizbeth greeting guests at the party. 

Olivia, my fellow gringuita and volunteer, stealing snacks from the AMAZING snack table we created for the party. 

Hello Blog readers!

Thanks for coming to another monthly report of my time here in Cuenca, Ecuador!

March was probably my favorite month here so far. In the beginning of March, I had the time to take a vacation with my friend, Sam, to Olón on the coast, and it was SO NICE (minus the sunburn). To get to Olón here can be a process. It takes about 6 hours. First, you take a bus to Guayaquil, which is about 3.5 hours. From Guayaquil you take a bus or a taxi to Olón, Salinas, or Montañita. Olon and Montañita are right next to each other, and Montañita is a bit more famous than Olón, but I prefer Olón. Olón is much cleaner and quieter, which for me is more of a vacation spot.

One thing I noticed about Ecuador is the difference in food everywhere you go. If you’re on the beach, the food involved a lot of seafood and a bit more flavor. Here in Cuenca, the food is less flavorful and healthy. The accent with people on the coast is a bit different as well. It is interesting to learn new vocabulary/slang when you travel to a different part of Ecuador.

March was also very enjoyable because I also took a short 3 day trip to Vilcabamba, which is in the provience of Loja, about 4 hours from Cuenca. There we stayed in a hostel called Hostería Izhcayluma, and it was HEAVEN ON EARTH! I recommend it to anyone coming to Ecuador. The difference between Cuenca and Vilcabamba is that the weather in Loja is just a bit warmer, but still not hot. It still is in the mountains, but it is about a couple thousands of feet lower than Cuenca, therefore making it a bit warmer. Vilcabamba’s weather is perfect, and the view from the hostel is absolutely breathtaking. At the hostel they have typical German food, as the owners are from Germany, but they also have American, Ecuadorian, and Italian food. The hostel is close to a lot of hiking and the centro area of Vilcabamba has GREAT FOOD! One day we went to UFO, a falafel restaurant, and it was one of the best meals I have had during my whole time in Ecuador. RICO!! If you are in Ecuador, visit Vilcabamba J

Time at the fundación has been much better. We have been working very hard and communicating with each other to solve any issues of behavior the children have, and in the last few weeks, the children have been MUCH better! Every Tuesday, we have a team meeting at the Fundación to talk about the week, and I find these meetings very helpful and informative. We give and get a lot of information so that communication between volunteers, the psychologist, social workers, teachers, and the director is flowing strong. It sets the mood for the week, and I find that I learn more about the kids, and it helps me understand them better. My time at the Fundación has been challenging, but I think it is an incredibly important experience. There is no better feeling than leaving for a vacation to come back to a large group of kids running up and hugging you telling you they miss you. My heart melted. I love volunteering at the fundación. J

As far as teaching, we started a new cycle last week, and I finally do not have Saturday classes, which means I will have more time to travel before I likely leave the country. This month of April is full of vacation days. Another thing I love about living in Latin America is all of the holidays there are, and how seriously people take these holidays. The people here do not live to work. They work to live, and they take their time off seriously. They truly have a nice work-life balance. This Friday we do not have class at CEDEI on Friday or Saturday, and the weekend after, we do not either. Therefore, on the 18^th I am going to travel to Quito and Otavalo with a friend because I am off from volunteering and teaching during the weekend! I will let you all know how that is when I get back! Talk to you all next month! J

the drive to Vilcabamba is AMAZING!

We stopped here to get some tequila! This tequila is made in this region of Ecuador. Something I never knew- that Ecuador produces a bit of tequila! It was delicious! :P

Amy, the hostel dog! She was so cute. She followed me around during my time there. She LOVES her sticks. :) 

Also from the drive to Vilcabamba. 

From the end of our hike in Vilcabamba. So nice! There are a bunch of trails right outside of the hostal's fence!