My last two blog posts have been all about how I have been feeling while I've been here at Yachana, but I realized that I haven't talked much about what I'm actually doing. So this post os dedicated to just that. As we approach the end of our first "jornada" here at the school, I thought I would talk a little about what I am doing on a daily basis.
First of all, people in Ecuador love their titles. I currently have three. I am officially the "Coordinator of Mathematics," "Assistant English Teacher," and "Tourist Liaison" between the lodge and the high school. We are currently running on a five day schedule for our classes at the high school. We rotate through this five day schedule four times to make one twenty day jornada. Then we all get a week long break and start over again. During each jornada, I teach two math classes per day on days one through four at the high school. Two of these days I also teach one English class. In addition, I also teach two math classes per week at the lodge... Trust me, we have lots of schedules posted so that we actually know where to be and when. And if that doesn't sound confusing enough, anyone who has ever spent time in Latin America can tell you that posting a schedule here just doesn't mean the same thing that it means in the United States. This schedule is very "flexible."
Believe it or not, this schedule actually leaves us with quite a bit of free time each day. For me, this free time is primarily spent hiking back and forth from the lodge, reading, lesson planning, cleaning, washing clothes (by hand), or playing games with the students.
The lodge has been a nice little getaway for those of us living at the high school. There is a nice breeze there, Internet access (almost all of the time), and most importantly coffee. Sometimes a few hours of living in "luxury" at the lodge is just what I need to get myself through the week.
I've also been reading a lot. Lots of people here have suggested books that really interest me plus I'm finally getting around to reading some of the books that have been stacked in my room for quite some time. I just finished "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad and "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins which I HIGHLY recommend. Now I have started "Diarios de Motocicleta," the diary of Che Guevarra on his trip through South America, and "The War of the End of the World" by Mario Vargas Llosa.
Lesson planning has been quite an experience also. The initial challenge was preparing lessons for students that I had never met before. I had no ides if I was teaching addition or advanced calculus. There is no curriculum out here. That initial challenge has turned into a huge blessing. Lack of curriculum means I get to design my own curriculum and teach what is important and useful to the students. This past week I have been collaborating with the business teacher here to design lessons involving business math and I have been able to design problems that encompass all of the things that we have studied during this jornada. A "problem based approach" for those of you who have a background in education.
My other chores, cleaning and washing clothes, keep me busy as well. Sweeping my room is a daily chore that I have to keep up with. The dirt and bugs pile up quickly in the jungle. Washing clothes by hand is a skill that I have most certainly not mastered yet. Clean and dry are very relative terms out here. For example, I washed clothes four days ago... They are still hanging up and they are still wet. I'm hoping for a day of sun to dry them out soon.
The students occupy a lot of my time outside of class too. We play volleyball, we play soccer, and for the first time this week I went swimming in the Napo River with my friend Mauricio and some of the students from the lodge. We also spent a morning at small market in Los Rios, a small community up the river. Even when I'm not directly interacting with the students I really enjoy just observing their activities. They are masters at creating games and activities with very few resources and they seem to have an endless amount of energy. And like any good Latin American country there is ALWAYS music and there is ALWAYS dancing. A few nights ago we even had a small jungle bonfire which quickly turned into a large jungle dance.
I'm sure I have left out lots of things but essentially what I am trying to say is that there is NEVER a dull moment here. In a few days we head into our first week long break after we finish our first jornada. The time is flying by already and while I enjoy the constant entertainment, I am certainly looking forward to some down time.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Pros and Cons
I'm sitting here at the lodge tonight looking out at the sunset over the Napo River in the Amazon Rainforest and I'm feeling like the luckiest person in the world. This view is breathtaking. Truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I get to see it almost every day. It never gets old. At the same time, however, I'm here checking my email, my Facebook, and my Twitter feed as well as news reports from USA Today and CNN... All of my electronic connections to my life back in the states that I left behind a few weeks ago. And for the first time tonight it hit me that there a lot of things that I'm missing. It got me thinking about the pros and cons of the life I have chosen to live out here in the jungle. Here is what I came up with:
PROS:
1) The views - Whether it is the sunset at the lodge, Sumaco Volcano towering in the distance on a clear day, or the unbelievable number of stars that I can see every night from the high school, the sights in the rainforest are some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen.
2) My students - Imagine the most difficult day of work you've ever done in the most hot and humid conditions... Then double it. No one that I know can match the effort or enthusiasm that these kids put forth every day. Not to mention that most of them speak multiple languages (Spanish, Shuar, Kichwa, Huaorani, etc.) and have an immense knowledge of their native land. I learn so much from them every day, which leads to my next point...
3) Learning opportunities - I feel like I'm soaking in information every second of the day. I'm constantly learning from everyone around me. The students, the faculty, my fellow volunteers, tourists at the lodge, and even from myself in my down time. Everyone that knows me knows that my brain needs constant stimulation and I'm always getting that here.
4) Lack of structure - I know what you're thinking. You're confused about this one. Everyone knows that if I don't have every minute of my life planned and written down I tend to FREAK OUT! That's why I listed this as a pro. Pros do not have to be comfortable; they just need to be something that I'm benefitting from. I'm learning to relax, to be flexible, to be creative, and most importantly to enjoy the little things. Sometimes the tiniest successes here are the highlight of my day.
CONS:
1) Communication - I miss people. I realize this a little more every day. Each time I look at Twitter or Facebook or my email, I'm reminded of someone else that I am not in contact with. From my family to my closest friends to my casual acquaintances, there are countless people that I miss and unfortunately there is not enough time to send every person that I know an email every day. So if you think of it, send me an email or a Facebook message when you have the time. Even if you just say "Hi!" I will get back to you and it will be appreciated. Trust me.
2) Logistics - I miss easy access. We have lots of ideas about great things to do here but the logistics of getting them done in the rainforest are more complicated than you can imagine. Coordinating canoes, busses, weather, and electricity are just a few of the obstacles and everything has to line up at just the right time. Although it does make the successes that much sweeter, it would be nice to jump in my car and drive five minutes to get something done once in a while.
3) Humidity - I'm in the rainforest. Everything is wet. Nothing will dry. Enough said.
4) Clarity - Communicating everything that I want can be a challenge. It is frustrating when I want to express something and language is a barrier. My Spanish is getting me by just fine in most cases, but I look forward to the day when I can say everything that I want to say. I'll get there. I know I will. But as for now, a lot goes unsaid...
Obviously this is not a comprehensive list; these are just a few things that have been on my mind. Every day I feel lucky to be here and at the same time every day my mind goes somewhere else. What I realize though is that no place is perfect. Life is not perfect. You can, however, ALWAYS make the best of your situation. With that mindset I feel like I can enjoy every situation that I find myself in here. I take the time to enjoy the good things and learn something from the bad things. These experiences (with the right outlook) are priceless. I'm learning about myself and about the world around me. That seems to be the biggest pro of all. I guess that's five pros and four cons on my list. If I look at things the right way, the pros always seem to outweigh the cons.
PROS:
1) The views - Whether it is the sunset at the lodge, Sumaco Volcano towering in the distance on a clear day, or the unbelievable number of stars that I can see every night from the high school, the sights in the rainforest are some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen.
2) My students - Imagine the most difficult day of work you've ever done in the most hot and humid conditions... Then double it. No one that I know can match the effort or enthusiasm that these kids put forth every day. Not to mention that most of them speak multiple languages (Spanish, Shuar, Kichwa, Huaorani, etc.) and have an immense knowledge of their native land. I learn so much from them every day, which leads to my next point...
3) Learning opportunities - I feel like I'm soaking in information every second of the day. I'm constantly learning from everyone around me. The students, the faculty, my fellow volunteers, tourists at the lodge, and even from myself in my down time. Everyone that knows me knows that my brain needs constant stimulation and I'm always getting that here.
4) Lack of structure - I know what you're thinking. You're confused about this one. Everyone knows that if I don't have every minute of my life planned and written down I tend to FREAK OUT! That's why I listed this as a pro. Pros do not have to be comfortable; they just need to be something that I'm benefitting from. I'm learning to relax, to be flexible, to be creative, and most importantly to enjoy the little things. Sometimes the tiniest successes here are the highlight of my day.
CONS:
1) Communication - I miss people. I realize this a little more every day. Each time I look at Twitter or Facebook or my email, I'm reminded of someone else that I am not in contact with. From my family to my closest friends to my casual acquaintances, there are countless people that I miss and unfortunately there is not enough time to send every person that I know an email every day. So if you think of it, send me an email or a Facebook message when you have the time. Even if you just say "Hi!" I will get back to you and it will be appreciated. Trust me.
2) Logistics - I miss easy access. We have lots of ideas about great things to do here but the logistics of getting them done in the rainforest are more complicated than you can imagine. Coordinating canoes, busses, weather, and electricity are just a few of the obstacles and everything has to line up at just the right time. Although it does make the successes that much sweeter, it would be nice to jump in my car and drive five minutes to get something done once in a while.
3) Humidity - I'm in the rainforest. Everything is wet. Nothing will dry. Enough said.
4) Clarity - Communicating everything that I want can be a challenge. It is frustrating when I want to express something and language is a barrier. My Spanish is getting me by just fine in most cases, but I look forward to the day when I can say everything that I want to say. I'll get there. I know I will. But as for now, a lot goes unsaid...
Obviously this is not a comprehensive list; these are just a few things that have been on my mind. Every day I feel lucky to be here and at the same time every day my mind goes somewhere else. What I realize though is that no place is perfect. Life is not perfect. You can, however, ALWAYS make the best of your situation. With that mindset I feel like I can enjoy every situation that I find myself in here. I take the time to enjoy the good things and learn something from the bad things. These experiences (with the right outlook) are priceless. I'm learning about myself and about the world around me. That seems to be the biggest pro of all. I guess that's five pros and four cons on my list. If I look at things the right way, the pros always seem to outweigh the cons.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Find Your Purpose
Ten days ago as I was saying my final goodbyes to my parents my mom, with tears in her eyes, gave me an article to read. She said, "You don't have to read it now but it might help you understand how I feel." It has been safely folded and tucked away in my backpack since then. I've taken it out several times but I wasn't able to get myself to read it until tonight. The article was written by a mother who was trying to rediscover her "purpose" after her 18 year old son went off to college.
The timing of my reading the article couldn't have been better. After ten days of moving from place to place and finally arriving at Yachana Technical High School on the Napo River in the midst of the Amazon rainforest, I too have been contemplating my own "purpose." Today I taught my first two classes of this year long experience in Ecuador. The preparations for teaching are filled with all kinds of pressure in a regular setting. I'm teaching in an open air classroom, I have very limited resources, I'm unsure of the students' knowledge and abilities, and I'm teaching in a language that is not my own. I was nervous. Despite my nerves, I put on a confident smile and reminded myself that I have been given an opportunity to do something that very few people get to do...
"Hola clase. ¿Como estan?" Class had officially begun. The nerves were gone. Over the next hour I smiled, I laughed, and I enjoyed the kids more than I ever have in any other setting. My Spanish was slow. I made mistakes. No one cared. The students don't criticize. They only want to learn and to have someone to teach them. I felt fulfilled.
Hours later, I'm sitting in my bed under my mosquito net thinking about the day. Music is blaring down below as the kids dance and enjoy one another's company. They don't have much but they have energy, they have each other, and they have a joy for life. I wish everyone could see this place. It would make you feel guilty about any complaints or excuses you have ever made for being unhappy. Including myself. We take for granted all of the "things" that we have. They aren't important. I believe that ultimately what we are all seeking is our "purpose." Maybe it is being a mother, maybe it is teaching students in the jungle, maybe it is something else. Whatever it is, it should make you feel fulfilled. I feel that for the first time.
I know that I am only one day into teaching here. There will be hard times and frustrations ahead. I will have a hard time living here in this setting. I will wonder what on earth made me want to come here. And then I will reflect on the feeling that I had today. I'm not saying that this is my "purpose" or that this will be the only thing in my life that makes me feel this way. I'm young and there are a lot of things that I am yet to experience. But for now, I'm going to take this experience for all that it is worth and soak it in. Any doubts that I had about coming here have subsided. I know that I made the right decision and for now, this is my purpose.
The timing of my reading the article couldn't have been better. After ten days of moving from place to place and finally arriving at Yachana Technical High School on the Napo River in the midst of the Amazon rainforest, I too have been contemplating my own "purpose." Today I taught my first two classes of this year long experience in Ecuador. The preparations for teaching are filled with all kinds of pressure in a regular setting. I'm teaching in an open air classroom, I have very limited resources, I'm unsure of the students' knowledge and abilities, and I'm teaching in a language that is not my own. I was nervous. Despite my nerves, I put on a confident smile and reminded myself that I have been given an opportunity to do something that very few people get to do...
"Hola clase. ¿Como estan?" Class had officially begun. The nerves were gone. Over the next hour I smiled, I laughed, and I enjoyed the kids more than I ever have in any other setting. My Spanish was slow. I made mistakes. No one cared. The students don't criticize. They only want to learn and to have someone to teach them. I felt fulfilled.
Hours later, I'm sitting in my bed under my mosquito net thinking about the day. Music is blaring down below as the kids dance and enjoy one another's company. They don't have much but they have energy, they have each other, and they have a joy for life. I wish everyone could see this place. It would make you feel guilty about any complaints or excuses you have ever made for being unhappy. Including myself. We take for granted all of the "things" that we have. They aren't important. I believe that ultimately what we are all seeking is our "purpose." Maybe it is being a mother, maybe it is teaching students in the jungle, maybe it is something else. Whatever it is, it should make you feel fulfilled. I feel that for the first time.
I know that I am only one day into teaching here. There will be hard times and frustrations ahead. I will have a hard time living here in this setting. I will wonder what on earth made me want to come here. And then I will reflect on the feeling that I had today. I'm not saying that this is my "purpose" or that this will be the only thing in my life that makes me feel this way. I'm young and there are a lot of things that I am yet to experience. But for now, I'm going to take this experience for all that it is worth and soak it in. Any doubts that I had about coming here have subsided. I know that I made the right decision and for now, this is my purpose.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Experience of a Lifetime
I decided I should go ahead and update one more time before I head to the rainforest in the morning. Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t anticipate on updating every two days, but when you’re staying in Quito there are always lots of stories to be told!
I guess I will start from where I left off. We had a nice stay in Venezuela and after a long wait in the airport, we finally boarded our plane for Quito. We only arrived here about 26 hours later than expected and from what we have now learned about Santa Barbara Airlines I guess that’s not too bad. So, my first piece of advice for anyone planning to come visit… DO NOT use Santa Barbara Airlines! Stick with one of the trusty North American airlines. Despite the delay, I couldn’t stop smiling as soon as we got on the plane and I was still smiling when we landed in Quito. It was a familiar place and somewhere that I could unpack my bags for a few days after three days of travel. I really felt like I was arriving at home. After we got through customs and immigration and picked up our bags we hopped in a taxi and finally around 11:00pm we made it to our hostel. We stayed in the Blue House, a vibrant youth hostel in the Mariscal area of Quito. It was nice, but after a night of listening to all of the activity in and around the hostel we decided that we needed a quieter place to settle in and get some rest. So we went down the street a few blocks to the Amazonas Inn where we are peacefully resting in our own individual rooms.
Since we arrived in Quito we have been working on registering our visas and picking up our “censos.” After many hours of waiting in lines and asking for information, we finally got everything taken care of and I now have an official Ecuadorian ID card. We also got to get together with all six people in our group that will be going to Yachana to work. It has been really great getting to know everyone so far and finding out all of the things that everyone has to contribute to our project. There is such a wide assortment of skills and knowledge and I’m excited to see how everything falls into place. And hopefully it falls into place quickly! We will be arriving at Yachana tomorrow afternoon where we will have about two days of orientation and then we will hit the ground running with classes starting on Sunday! I still don’t know exactly what I will be teaching or what level of math the students have studied before, but I have brainstormed some ideas and will figure that all out as we get started. I have a good support system in all of the people that I am working with and I can’t wait to get started!
I hope that I will make an impact on the students that I’m working with and I hope they learn a lot, but I know that I am going to learn more than them from this experience. Living in a new place, working with new people, speaking another language daily, and being completely immersed in a new culture is the ultimate learning experience. Right now it seems like a lot to take in, but I am trying my best to soak everything in that I can! I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come to Ecuador. I have only been gone for five days, but I know this is going to be an experience of a lifetime! ¡Hasta luego!
Monday, September 5, 2011
I'm Not in Quito?
What a trip it has been so far! I made it from Indianapolis to Charlotte to Miami with no problems, but that is where the fun began. I had planned to stay in the airport overnight to save money since I had a morning flight out, but as soon as I landed in Miami I noticed on the departures board that my flight (flight 1516) was delayed twelve hours! After being put on hold and disconnected twice with the airline I decided it would be best just to get a room somewhere for the night to figure things out. Naturally, I booked the cheapest room I could find with a free shuttle to the airport. The Runway Inn... Let's just say I got to my room as quick as possible to lock myself in but the lock was broken. It wasn't exactly a Hilton. Just preparing me for living in South America, I suppose.
After finally talking to Stephanie and figuring out our flight information together, we decided our flight was in fact not delayed. Who knew there were three flights with the exact same number? Maybe not the best system but what do I know. So Monday morning I met Stephanie at the airport and we got in line for our flight. After a two hour wait, we got checked in but found out that our connection from Caracas to Quito had been cancelled. No explanation, just cancelled. We could have been really upset about it and complained a lot but where would that get us with a Latin American airline? Nowhere. So off to Caracas for the night. Might as well enjoy a new city when you get the chance. At least that's how our adventurous spirits thought of it.
We arrived in Caracas around 2:30pm, waited in line at customs and immigration, got some help from a person who worked at the airport and before we knew it we were off to Catimar Hotel a few minutes from the airport. It's not the nicest hotel I've ever been in but there is free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a bar, and a restaurant, and it's located right across from the beach. And really, what more could we ask for for an overnight stay?
We explored for a bit and found that there wasn't much to see... By the way, we are not actually in Caracas. We are outside of the city in some small town that neither of us have been able to understand the name of. So we went to the bar to have a few drinks before dinner and sat next to a Venezuelan man who was eager to chat and gave us some good practice with our Spanish. Mine is pretty rusty so Stephanie helped with some translations when I needed it. I'm so glad I have had someone to help me through this! She continues to remind me that the practice is important and I can't worry about making mistakes. I'll get there but it usually takes a little time for me to warm up to it again. Even after a few hours I can already tell that things are coming back to me. I can't wait to see where my Spanish is in a few months!
For now, we're in our room pecking away at our computers. We haven't made the break from technology quite yet. We're planning on some good fresh seafood for dinner soon. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but with any luck we'll be landing in Ecuador, our new home, in about 24 hours. Anyway,the adventure so far just getting there has been a story in itself and that's one of my favorite things about these trips. You never know exactly what will happen but everything seems to work itself out and if nothing else at least I have a good story to tell later. ¡Hasta pronto!
After finally talking to Stephanie and figuring out our flight information together, we decided our flight was in fact not delayed. Who knew there were three flights with the exact same number? Maybe not the best system but what do I know. So Monday morning I met Stephanie at the airport and we got in line for our flight. After a two hour wait, we got checked in but found out that our connection from Caracas to Quito had been cancelled. No explanation, just cancelled. We could have been really upset about it and complained a lot but where would that get us with a Latin American airline? Nowhere. So off to Caracas for the night. Might as well enjoy a new city when you get the chance. At least that's how our adventurous spirits thought of it.
We arrived in Caracas around 2:30pm, waited in line at customs and immigration, got some help from a person who worked at the airport and before we knew it we were off to Catimar Hotel a few minutes from the airport. It's not the nicest hotel I've ever been in but there is free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, a bar, and a restaurant, and it's located right across from the beach. And really, what more could we ask for for an overnight stay?
We explored for a bit and found that there wasn't much to see... By the way, we are not actually in Caracas. We are outside of the city in some small town that neither of us have been able to understand the name of. So we went to the bar to have a few drinks before dinner and sat next to a Venezuelan man who was eager to chat and gave us some good practice with our Spanish. Mine is pretty rusty so Stephanie helped with some translations when I needed it. I'm so glad I have had someone to help me through this! She continues to remind me that the practice is important and I can't worry about making mistakes. I'll get there but it usually takes a little time for me to warm up to it again. Even after a few hours I can already tell that things are coming back to me. I can't wait to see where my Spanish is in a few months!
For now, we're in our room pecking away at our computers. We haven't made the break from technology quite yet. We're planning on some good fresh seafood for dinner soon. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but with any luck we'll be landing in Ecuador, our new home, in about 24 hours. Anyway,the adventure so far just getting there has been a story in itself and that's one of my favorite things about these trips. You never know exactly what will happen but everything seems to work itself out and if nothing else at least I have a good story to tell later. ¡Hasta pronto!
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