Relocated to Mindo

Because Quito has proven to be a dangerous city for tourists and locals alike it has become necessary to leave. I have relocated to a small town just north of Quito called Mindo. This mellow town has a population of about 2000. Mindo is set in a quiet valley full of flowers and surrounded by forested mountains. It has a reputation as a birding hotspot (Trish, you would love it). I am not an avid birder but am enjoying the abudance of hummingbirds, butterflies, flowers, etc. I have only been here 2 days and have already done 2 hikes. Tomorrow I start a new volunteer project.

Volunteering in Quito

While in Quito I have been volunteering at a school called `Centro Escolar Experimental San Francisco de Quito`. I am assisting an `English` teacher. The teacher is actually a 25 year old recent graduate of an engineering program from a university in the United States. When he moved back to Ecuador with his family, he could not find a job in his profession, so he took a job as an English teacher. He has been in the position for 3 months. It has been very interesting to observe, and to attempt to help with the classes. Every day the teacher and I go from classroom to classroom, spending about 40 minutes with each class. The scene in the classroom is chaotic. There is no discipline. At any given time about a third of the students are not sitting at their desk, half of them are talking, some of them are fighting, some are in the hallway outside the classroom, some of them are working on unrelated activities, some are at the window talking to other students in the hallway, and several of them are surrounding the teacher trying to get personal attention. The teacher has no control of the class. The students do not listen to him. His attempts to make the students cooperate have not worked. The students actually get about 10 minutes of work done in an hour class. Seeing his frustration I asked if he was open to some suggestions. I admitted that I certainly had no expertise in teaching children but had some general observations that I thought he might find useful. He was very receptive to hearing my observations.
The suggestions I gave him were simple ones based on logic; such as following through with what you say, being consistent, not rewarding students for breaking the rules, sticking with the goal of the lesson, being firm, etc. He implemented some of the suggestions I gave him. At first I did not see any changes in the students` behaviour. However, by the end of this week I started noticing significant changes. The students actually sat in their desks, they were quieter, and they were paying attention. This is a good start. Now perhaps some actual teaching and learning can take place.

Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi is a volcano located about 2 hours south west of Quito.
This active volcano erupts about every 100 years. It hasn`t erupted in 114 years.
With our guide we hiked up to the glacier which is at 5000 meters. The high altitude made me feel very tired and a bit dizzy. I had to hike very slowly. After some time at the glacier we hiked down to a refuge for an energizing lunch of corn soup, buns, cheese, guacamole, potato chips and hot tea. After another short descent we continued on down further via mountain bikes! It was an exhilarating ride on a dirt road that switch-backed through interesting scenery. The landscape was beautiful although very barren, the highlight being the wild horses grazing in the distance.

Volunteering at Day Care Centre

Orientation to Volunteer Project

My volunteer project starts tomorrow. I had an orientation today. Someone brought me to the school to help me get acquainted. It was an unusual start. At first there was some confusion and they were not sure they had a spot for me. They asked if I could teach computer lessons or physical education instead of the `English` I was expecting to teach. After a while it got sorted out and I was introduced to the English teacher, Fabian. He made me feel very welcome and gave me schedule. I start tomorrow at 7:30 a.m.

picture of wee ruthie

meet `wee` Ruthie

This is `wee`Ruthie. She is an 18 year old young woman from Scotland. Sometimes when we hang out together people think she is my daughter. Her `spanish`is very good. She did not require lessons and started her volunteer project right away. She works in a day care centre with `wee tots`. She is liking the warm weather in Quito.... much warmer than the driech in Scotland.

cycling pics

Cycling on Sundays

During the week, it is pretty much impossible to cycle in Quito due to the HEAVY traffic volume. However on Sunday it is a different story! Cycling is fantastic on Sundays. It seems everyone is out cycling for the day. One specific street is reserved for bicycles from early in the morning until 3:00 p.m. The street runs the entire length of the city (about 40 km). The range of cyclists includes athletes in the latest gear, to small children on tricycles. Most perpendicular streets are blocked off, and at major intersections the traffic police stop traffic to let cyclists go through. I rented a bicycle from the Yellow Bike Company and rode for about 4 hours last Sunday. I liked it so much I did the same this Sunday.

Centro historico

Selling bananos on the street

La Basilica in Centro Historica

Taking the Bus

My `homestay` is located quite far from the school which is in the centre of the city. For 25 cents I take the bus to and from the education centre. It takes us an hour each way. The bus is packed. This morning I boarded the bus via the back door. There wasn`t much room and I had to stand in the stairwell with the door open, hanging on tightly. Returning home is worse. The buses are packed and traffic goes at a snail`s pace due to the congestion. The buses belch off fumes of dark black smoke. Occasionally vendors come on the bus and in loud voices give their script to sell their wares. Once or twice when I have made an error using the bus and ended up not where I wanted to be, I would simply get off and wave down a taxi. ($3-$6 can get me back to my `homestay` safely).
I am not happy about the location of my homestay. As a result, I am looking for alternative accommodation. I found a nice little hotel which is quite central (5 minute walk to the education centre). It only costs $13 a night- even more economical than my home stay which costs $15 a night. However it does not include food. No problemo! I found a nice little restaurant that serves great local food. I had a nice lunch there today for $2. As well there are plenty of stores that sell a variety of food including tons of fresh fruit!
Looking forward to my move.

Orientation & Spanish lessons

Today (May 3) we had a group orientation regarding our volunteer projects. The 4 others in the group are all in their early 20`s. At my age, I could be there mother.
After the orientation, Ruth from Scotland, and I went to a large indoor/outdoor cafe which had free wireless internet. We watched the downpour of rain for 2 hours as we posted blogs, and texted, skyped, and emailed loved ones back home.
We are at the tail end of the rainy season. It pours rain every afternoon and evening. It was quite chilly here today. So far it has been consistently dry in the morning. Ruth from Scotland, (like many) assumed it would be hot in Quito this time of year and did not bring any warm clothes.
May 4 – My Spanish lessons started today. I have private lessons from 8:30-12:30 Monday to Friday. Every afternoon (1:30 to 4:30 p.m.) a group leader takes 3 students on excursions. She shows us various sites in the city (markets, historical sites, etc.) We are not allowed to speak English on the excursion. Each day she has a theme and quizzes us along the way.

Now able to comment.

I have just adjusted my settings on the blog so it is open for comments.
(still learning about blogging)

1st weekend in Quito

Day 1 in Quito
I was picked up at airport and brought to my homestay. I am staying with Mercedes who lives in a 3 bedroom apartment in the Luz district. My first night sleep was O.K. The single bed is long enough if I lay diagonally and since we are near the airport you can hear the planes coming in, but other than that it is O.K. I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad headache and a terrible feeling like I would pass out if I got out of bed. I eventually got up to take a Tylenol and went back to sleep. I suppose that is just part of adjusting to the high altitude; the next morning I felt fine.
On Sunday Mercedes took me to the old part of the city via public transit. We took a bus to a terminal where we transferred to another bus which took us to the centre of Quito. Everything was crowded and busy. I don`t know how I will remember to find my way around when I try it myself tomorrow.

Day 2 in Quito
I hopped on the metro bus this morning with plans to go straight south to Centro Historica. My mistake was I boarded the bus on the wrong side of the street and started heading north. This would not surprise Bill ..... he has hiked with me several times and knows this is typical. I eventually figured it out and got off the bus, walked across the street and boarded the next one heading south. I eventually arrived in Centro Historica. I walked all day. I roamed around not too concerned about where I was going and took in the sites. Every Sunday there is one lane of a street blocked off for cyclists, and runners. The route goes for about 50 km. The participants ranged from athletes decked in cycling gear to little kids on bikes with training wheels. I only saw one roller blader. The event runs weekly from 10:00-3:00 p.m. It seems Centro Historica is the place to be for locals on the weekend. Various groups including families, friends, and couples were strolling the streets. There was live music, vendors, cafes, etc. everywhere. I finally located a tourism centre and got my hands on a map of Quito. I apparently did not refer to it much and got lost about 4 times. Oh well, you see things you normally would not see when you walk around like that. Tired and hungry after much walking I went into a cafe to order lunch. They find it a bit strange that I don`t want meat with my meal, but a friendly waiter suggested rice, beans, 2 fried eggs, and fried plantanes for $1. It was great, especially with picante sauce on it, and especially because it only cost $1. I ran into a friendly couple (Tom and Peter ) who moved here from the U.S. to retire. They said they could afford a much better retirement in Ecuador than back home. Their morning chore was to buy a shower curtain, but they ended up taking in a bit of sight seeing. The 3 of us went in to view the Campaninia. It is known as Ecuador`s Sistine chapel. I see why. I saw more gold and glitter in this cathedral than I did in Rome. After a long day of walking I took a taxi back to my home stay. (I thought this would be wiser because although I could get there via public transportation, I was less sure about how to get back).