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.