50 pounds! That's it?!

I have two full suitcases and things still on the floor next to them and more on my "to buy" list!  What am I to do?  This is so typical of me, but what is not typical is that this is not the night before my flight when I am trying to cram too much into too small of space.  So, now I have time to pull everything out and re-assess what I really need to take.  Of course, at this point I really think I need to take it all and fear that whatever I take out will be the one thing that I wish I had!  I have one suitcase of my clothes, toiletries, etc., and one of school supplies including craft materials, glue, colored pencils, math games, coloring books, oragami paper, etc. I had wanted to take puppets, but couldn't find any!  I'm sure if I had, they would have been out of my price range anyway.

I still haven't received an email regarding my home stay family.  I am looking forward to hearing about the family as I want to take small gifts for each family member and of course, that's one more thing to go in the suitcases!

I have heard from another intern who is from the states and is starting at the same time as I am.  She will arrive in Quito two days after me, but we will still meet up there at the hotel/hostel before heading out to Otavalo on Sunday morning.  She took Spanish at University, so I am hoping for some help from her.  Should be nice to have someone who is going through the same things as I to share adventures with.  I am just hoping that she will be willing and able to travel a bit on the weekends to explore other parts of Ecuador.

Tomorrow I must continue to put my life either into the suitcases or into tubs and boxes for the storage unit.   I pulled a few haphazardly packed boxes/tubs out of there today to sort through again to take some of the stuff to goodwill.  I just don't understand where it all comes from: everytime I've been home I take at least one box to goodwill and yet they keep coming - maybe I won't need a storage unit soon!

I'll be teaching in Huayrapunga

I just got an email from the Ecuador Project leader, Tracey, with more information about my stay.  I will be with the Ecuador project from November 7 - January 30.  I will have a weekend trip with other volunteers November 28 & 29 to Mindo.  The info on the family I will stay with will come soon, and here is the info on the school/community where I will be.

Community
I have chosen our Huayrapungo community for your teaching experience. The school has 20 children over 7 grades and is run by a really kind and helpful local teacher, Zoila. Huayrapungo is a very rural community, situated high in the mountains well away from any other communities. The children are quiet spoken, hardworking and friendly. The scenery around the school and the view across the mountains is simply breathtaking and it is hard not to have an awe-inspired smile on your face on the drive up to the school in the mornings!

Project timetable and directions when working up in the communities

We leave Otavalo by minibus at 6.45am from the Petrol Station in Imbaya (where you will meet) Monday to Friday. We arrive at the track leading to Muenala School at 7.30am and then it is a further 25 minutes on to your school in Huayrapungo. There are breaks during the school day to allow for lunch and play. We return to Otavalo at around 2.30pm.

It is expected that volunteers spend some time in the afternoons or evenings lesson planning for school and helping with shopping and colegio classes when needed. Other than that, generally the rest of the day is yours to spend as you please, unless you have Spanish classes!

About your class

You will be working with the local teacher, but it is anticipated that after the first few days, you will be allocated a young grade to plan for and teach. You will be our only volunteer at the school, but I will be up there regularly, so you won’t be alone! It will be challenging, but it is a vital role for us to keep a presence at the school and help out Zoila who is on her own – I think you will find it a rewarding experience and great as part of your intern trainee programme.

Adventure Weekend to Mindo

We have provisionally scheduled your trip to the picturesque town of Mindo in the cloud forest on the western slope of the Andes Mountains for the weekend of 28th / 29th November. Mindo is a peaceful little town famous for its orchids and humming birds with endless options of adventure activities (such as tubing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, etc.) or plenty of chances just to lay back and relax in a hammock.

I haven't been able to find much on the internet on Huayrapunga, but did find this previous intern's photo album!  Kind of cool, 'cause I get to see what the school and village and surrounding area look like in advance!  http://blogs.statravel.co.uk/patrickandkat/albums/huayrapungo-kats-school

Off to study my spanish!  Yikes - hope it starts getting a little easier to remember things!!!

On to new adventures

I'm going to Ecuador and Peru! I found a program that looks exactly right for me: I will have Spanish lessons, will volunteer in schools in indigenous villages high in the Andes, and will intern in the operations of the programs. The program is with Global Visions International, and you can read about them and the program here: http://www.gvi.co.uk/internships/South%20America/Peru/South-America-Spanish-Internship-Scheme/home or here is an excerpt from the page:

"The first 12 weeks of your internship programme are spent learning Spanish and assisting on GVI's community development projects in Peru and Ecuador. This is a fun and very effective way to Learn Spanish by complete immersion and of course a way to give something back as well. You will learn how to live and work with a community development team in sometimes remote environments and attain skills essential for your work for the following weeks. During this phase you will undertake 200 hours of one-on-one Spanish classes, teach in the communities and shadow GVI field staff, be involved in teaching workshops and assist with the running of the program. You will also learn how to build energy efficient stoves, going through each stage to the finished product....

The teaching you will undertake will range from literacy, numeracy, English, art, geography and sport. Full curriculums, class subjects and help from the local teachers is provided. As class sizes are so large, there are many children who find it difficult to keep up. Therefore you will take smaller groups of children, helping them with the work in hand whilst the teachers can continue with normal class. You will do most of the teaching, obviously aided for the first few days by the formal teacher, existing intern and the GVI project manager. The ‘aulas abiertas’ will be split into two areas. The first is dedicated to those children who need reinforcement and help with homework from the morning’s classes, as well as children and adults who have never been to school or have had to leave school prematurely due to financial constraints or work related reasons. The second aim of the ‘aula abierta’ is to offer English classes to increase chances of employment in the growing tourist industry."

(As you read the info on the link above, remember that the word "scheme" in British English doesn't have the negative connotation as it does in American English! Maybe a better word in American English would be "program".) Also, I will be going to Ecuador first, and then on to Peru. I am hoping this will provide me with new skills which will make me competitive in the international job market, allowing me to make a decision regarding returning to Alaska to work, or to continue this type of work elsewhere. Who knows where things will lead in six months!

GVI's education efforts within Central and South America is called GVI Phoenix Project. They are working in five different countries. You can read the blog here:

http://gviphoenix.blogspot.com/ The latest entry, on October 18, is about one of the schools in Ecuador where I will be. They work in four different villages/schools outside of Otavalo. The blog will give you a good idea of the actual schools, communities and kids.

I will arrive in Quito, Ecuador on November 5th and will continue on to Otavalo on November 8th with two volunteers and another intern. Quito is nearly two miles high, so it will take a few days to adjust to the higher altitude. Otavalo is about the same altitude, but the villages will be higher still! I will live in Otavalo in a "homestay": I will have my own room, most likely a shared bath, and will be provided three meals a day. I will receive info on the specifics on the homestay before I leave.

In the meantime I am in Seattle getting ready, but that is another post.