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Last Day: Things to Remember

For my final day in the classroom with my 8A parallel (the tougher of the two parallels) I wanted to get their feedback in a way where they could all share. For both parallels I made awards for each student and recognized them individually for something they earned or did well during the partial such as “most improved writing.” With 8A, I decided to have them discuss openly what I could have done better, what we should have covered more during the unit, how I can better manage the classroom, etc. As always, some students sat on the floor as I was while others remained in their desks, but they all contributed to the conversation. That is how that parallel worked, once 3 or 4 contributed, they all felt compelled to add to the conversation and got ideas from what their classmates said. Instead of having each of them write down answers on paper, I got much more beneficial fedback from them just by talking to them. I don't think we could have done this if we hadn't built a rapor with one another. They trusted me not to get angry with their honesty, and I trusted them to help me with that honesty, one reason why I both loved and had trouble with this parallel.

Our class discussion lasted about 20 minutes, moving through the questions and hearing the opinion of every single student. Here are some of the most helpful things the students told me:

1. “Use individual punishment rather than just taking daily points from our grade and a way for us to see it.”

-Explaination: At the beginning of the unit I realized that I needed some sort of system for keeping the 8A class responsible for talking out of turn, disrupting class, etc. so I used the same method that my MT had used. I would take points off of their “daily grade” which was a system the school used called “attitude assessment” that would be added into their final grades at the end of the partial. While the kids were used to this, I wasn't and was unsure about what constituted points being taken off or given, so I just used a clipboard and took off points when they were talking when someone else was or disrupting class. At first it worked, but some students did not care about their grade and I really didn't have an alternate plan for them other than just sending them outside of the class. I picked this up in the fall, but one of the teachers I observed at Colegio would tell his students to go outside until they were ready for class which I liked because it put how long they were in the hall in their hands. I started using the same line and that worked with two of my problem students. Still, there were some small disruptions that should have been prevented and my kids told me that one of their previous teachers would punish them with a minute of wall sits (physical punishment, is this legal?) and would write their name on the board in a box. There were three boxes on the board and whomever was the final person to get their name in the box would get an email home to his or her parent. Basically, the class had to try together to keep from being punished. They also had good boxes that worked the same way. I don't think I will try wall sits because that seems like it would take a lot of time out of the class, but I do like the box idea.

2. “Spend more time on the history.”

-I do wish I could have done this because my 8^th graders had never learned about the Civil Rights Movement in depth before. We may have had more time to cover it if I'd cut out certain activities, but at the time I though two days was enough time to cover the most important aspects of the movement. The student were generally interested in the racial hate crimes and the people that fought it, but I moved on to begin the play and touched on these things sporadically nonetheless. I think now that they would have gotten more out of the play and understood it more if we would have covered this time in history more thoroughly. If I do this play again in the states, I hope to work with the students' history class to connecting history and literature more thoroughly.  

A Second Glance

I have learned a lot about second chances, second glances, second tries while here in Ecuador. Today was my last day in Quito for this trip, & probably my last time for quite some time. I decided to be a tourist today, but it ended up not being what I thought as is ever the case in Ecuador.

El arbol de vida y la panacea detrás 

My family left yesterday which was a second chance in & of itself. I often wonder how I am related to them & this only made me more curious. Sure I look just like the Dyer's, yes I have the feet of a Thurmond, but where did I get this brain, this curiosity, this stubborness (oh yeah, that's definitely the Dyer side)? I felt like a tour guide for my family, translating, learning a lot of Spanish, practicing a lot of wagering & slang, trying to navigate while staying sane. I did not enjoy it. The nice thing about traveling with my friends is we all have the same basic wants & needs: explore, eat, practice some Spanish conversations, relax, & dance/sing/move. When I went to Banos with them before, we immediately made two new friends on the bus. A fearless Egyptian girl named Milak & a stressed out, guapo Italian Candadian named Alex. We arrived, we took flaming shots (explanation: Shannon, another teacher at Colegio, lived in Banos for a few months so when we ran into her she brought us to her friends' bar who then fed us shots that were on fire & disgusting), then we crashed. Since we were all equally non-fluent in Spanish yet desperately wanting to practice the 10-200 words we know, we all jabber & make friends everywhere we go.



My family knows approximately 3 words in Spanish, are frightened rather than intrigued my 3rd world customs, thinks it's strange to hang clothes on a line, & need a nap in the middle of a beautiful day. How is it possible for my to travel hapipily with them, especially since I have this defective thing inside of me that feels like it is my sole responsibility to make everyone around me happy, like it is my fault if something goes wrong. Jesse always points this out to me, but I can't help it. If others are happy, I am happy. If I feel someone isn't having fun, I won't have fun. It's not just any old person, though. It was OK with me if the Canadian & Egyptian weren't happy, it's just the people I love most, the reason Jesse notices it so much. My family stresses me out to begin with, but I love them & I wanted them to love Ecuador like I do, so I tried to make it perfect. Of course, perfection is impossible so I was disappointed & I believe they were, too. This is why I always travel solo: I can make myself happy, it's easy. Give me a nice view, a coffee, maybe a museum or two, & I can be happy for days, maybe months. But the minute someone is with me, I am asking "How's the view? Do you like the coffee? Are you having fun? What do you want to do next?" & they're probably thinking "Shut up, Lauren & let me enjoy my coffee & the view!", but instead the say "yeah, mm hmm" which only makes me think I've screwed up, I should have taken them to the other coffee shop or mountain or museum. SO maybe it's me that screws things up, but that's me, happy traveling alone, unhappy home alone.

cafecita with Tori, she said she liked it

picking a wedgie while asking my mom if she likes the view


How'd I start takling about this? Oh yes, Banos. So the first time I went to Banos was amazing. We rode bikes to the waterfalls, went on a hike to the river above them, got lost from each other, took the cable car back across, ate 50 cent fro-yo (Ecuadorian fruit flavors), biked down a mountains, got tired & hitchhiked, drank beer/ate llapangachos/tacos, rode in the back of a truck to a tree house where there were cows, stars, & a smoldering volcano.

the salsa party

It was amazing. Oh, & we salsa'd until 2 am in stobey nightclubs AND apparently I'm good, because my big butt doesn't have to do much. After a day of bikin', hikin', & dancin', Kat, Fausat, & I got $20 75 min. massajes/facials/manicures (yes, I have gotten just as many massages & manicures in Ecuador in 2 months than 22 years in the U.S.) before hopping on the bus back to Quito. This second trip to Banos with my family doesn't compare. I wanted to replicate the first, but how do you do what you did with an eclectic group of young locals & Canadians with your parents & sister who don't know Spanish & are scared of bikes, dancing, & South Americans? I wanted them to know the fun I had, to feel the adrenaline & joy I had when I looked at the mountains from my bicycle or sweated in the discotecas to Spanish club music. I wanted them to savor the Pilsener & massage after working fard for the most beautiful view in Banos & after getting dirty from the smoke of a volcano. At least they got to see la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world). Maybe I had to earn those things. Maybe it took 2 months of being lost in the language to finally be able to say "listo!" Anyways, Banos is beautiful & I hope my family like it because I know I do. It's healing water & volcano air make me fall in love with the small towns of Ecuador.

me & Tori in a doon buggy

Maybe it was the stress from my family or maybe it was the realization of how little time I have left in Quito, either way, today was MY day. I honed my museum girl attitude & took to the streets of Quito for some serious beauty time in La Capilla del Hombre, an art gallery/museum of Ecuadorian artist Guayasamini. I nearly started crying in the musem because of what I had experienced here & what he painted in what he saw living in Quito: the misery, poverty, starvation, normal things that go unnoticed he brought to the people in huge paintings with haunting eyes & exposed ribs. I remember a few weeks ago when Kat & I went to the top of Pichincha on the teleferico & she said she couldn't believe what we were seeing was real. There were barren mountains, huge pieces of land, rolling rocks & an alpaca. It was beautiful, but for me those are the REAL things. The unreal things are the kids without clothes or the man who sleeps on the street. The babies who are dirty on the bus & the kids beggins for 5 cents in the plazas. Those things seems more UNREAL to me. Guayasamini made them real, but them unable to ignore. Here are a few of his paintings.

Afterwards I took a taxi to la Iglesia de Guapulo. I walked in as mass was ending so I got to see the inside fresh from singing & praying. There was a car outside getting holy water shaken on it because it wouldn't start & women selling candles & rosaries on the steps. Inside were Virgens, men in robes, saints looking holy, you know, normal cathedral stuff. Today, though, I was feeling reverent. I decided to sit & look at her for a while, & by her I mean Mary. She looked pretty, peaceful, yet sad. She was holding baby Jesus & church goers were knelt in front if her, holding her porcelain feet trying to grasp what they need, what they want. I looked at her face, then around her at the intricate detail someone put into creating not only, but the paintings & embellishments on the walls all around her. Someone important must have sat near here, because there were small, golden, equally intricate. I touched my third eye but didn't make the cross because, well, I'm not Catholic, but I wanted to do something to show Mary I was thinking about her & all the children & misery I had just seen suffering on pictures in a museum, but here I was, overly well-fed, just saw my family, & happy. That's what my thumb to my third eye said to Mary, it said "I know, & I won't ignore it."

la Iglesia de Guapulo

I went outside & wrote on my envelope then decided at the last minute to go somewhere I'd heard of near Centro Historico: La museo del Agua (the museum of water). It was really cool even though I couldn't understand most of what I was reading. I followed everyone else, did what they did, said what they said, & mirrored their inflections & expressions. The best thing about the museum was the view. I could see Cuyambe (the volcano), La Basilica, La panecea, all of centro...it was beautifully place in the middle of "avenida de los volcanes" (the avenue of the volcanos). On a clear day (do those exist in Quito) you can apparently see all 5 of the volcanos surrounding Quito.

After I left, I walked past a restaurant & glanced inside. "Interesting," I thought, "that sign said milkshakes AND coffee." I walked about 5 more steps, got scared because it was a bad side of town, & decided I would rather have a milkshake & coffee before getting robbed. I walked back up the hill & popped in. "Puedo ir a arriba?" (Can I go upstairs?) "Por su puesto!" (of course!) the restaurant owner answered me. From the top of his house/restaurant, I could see everything, one of the best views of Quito next to the top of Pichincha. After drinking in la mirador (the view), I went downstairs to drink in some sugar. I ordered a banana milkshake (basically banana milk, I had one for breakfast, too, they're a new favorite) & un cafe con leche (boiled milk, instant coffee, & sugar, another Ecuadorian favorite). The I procided to write on my napkin & stare at the city below & surrounding mountains. Then the owner decided I looked lonely so he started chatting me up for the next hour, showing me all of his old pictures of different parts of Quito fron the last 1800's before the millions of people & houses. He was wonderful, so now I have to plug for him. If ever in Quito, this restaurant is a must: beautiful, small, cheap, delicious, & one of the most honest & sincere Ecuadorians I have had the pleasure to meet: "Punkuyaku", Restaurante Mirador. The owner's name is Alberto & he wears Irish old man hats & van sneakers.

Here's what I wrote on my napkin while I sat up there: "From up here, the city looks tired, worn by travelers, the local users, abusers, onlookers. The Virgen & the church look over the buildings, houses, streets, alleys, kids, saddened, wanting to rest if only we'd let it. I see the plane, but can't hear it. I hear the people, but can't understand them.


Now I am off to the end of school. The two days I had last week weakened my spirit. There's a reason I chose secondary education, & 7th graders were not that reason. I am tried, exhausted, mentally drained from my three months here & I am ready to be done. I leave for the beach for 6 days by myself on Thursday, will return next Wednesday, & I fly back to the states the next day. This will be a time for me to reflect, to be in my natural state of happy solitude with the beach & the sun & probably some gringos. I am looking forward to hammocks, reading, writing, & being still. To hiking to the deserted beaches & hopping a boat to the island there. I am still here, I am still.

शवासन (Shavasana)

It's funny the places I go in shavasana (शवासन). Today it was a journey, but they always start the same: the mountain I woke up on in Kings Canyon when the older kids let me slip until the sun came up. I woke up cocooned in my sleeping bag, watching the colors take over the sky. It's always first because I touched Heaven that day. Then my mind takes me where ever it wants. Today I went to two different rivers, one in CA & one in New Hampshire. I remember bathing really early one morning before everyone woke up. It was snow melt, so it was freezing, woke me up & made me feel clean & happy. The second river was one with a slide that we all went down on one of our backpacking trips. Then, we fell asleep in the sun half naked. I always wallow in nature in शवासन, often meandering through sunshine, grass, river, & mountains, which is how I know that every summer this is my only option for a job. Traveling through the woods as minimally as possible is what grounds me, is what reminds me I am human, I am happy, I am real. This summer I want to do this close to home. I know this because that is always the next place I go. Home, to the North Georgia mountains, North Carolina, Ducktown, North Alabama. Sometimes I feel proud of all these places I've been, but I've never even backpacked in the smokies or camped in my backyard. I'm graduating in May & don't know what fall has in store, so summer is gonna be that: adventuring my Southeast region of beauty & love. Oh, & learning how to kayak from the best teacher I know. So where do I go at home? That moon that shines in my living room window, the millions of estrellas at whitewater express, the view of the mountains 5 miles from my house on blood mtn, walking with the cows at the farm house...all these & more. 


That's why I yoga, to go to all of my favorite places, feeling my favorite things, the sun, cold water, hard granite...


I miss you, USA. I miss you kings canyon. I miss you northeast mountains & oceans. I miss you southeast cows & rivers. When I get back in 3 weeks I'm gonna smell you & kiss you & touch you until I'm satisfied. Oh, I miss you lack of humans. Except you Zady Ludlum, I do miss you, your fascination with dirt & ants. I miss you, too Jen Jen & your ability to relax & make me giggle. I miss you CTan, Jesse, Tu Tu, Kayce...I miss you home. 

Carnaval on the Pacific

Carnaval was quite the experience before I even left Quito. Colegio has a huge humdinger for the festivities leading up to Ash Wedneday including a week long campaign, dance, etc. for the "Carnaval Queen". Carnaval Queen is prom/homecoming queen on crack. I'm not sure I can to the craziness of it all justice, but a female student is chosen from the 10th, 11th, & 12th grades (cuartos in espanol, cuartos a sextos = 4th-6th, they count the grades differently)  by her classmates & she instantly becomes all the rage. Like every girl in South America, they are pretty, but these girls are exceptionally beautifull, tall, skinny, tan, long brown hair, the works. Oh, & really really rich. The cap on the campaign for these girls is $10,000 each. The dance was amazing; each class choreographed their own one hour musical with different themes (candyland, aladin, & circus). After the class did their dance, the queen candidate pops out of something for her grand entrance. SO the circus girl came out of a golden egg in the air, aladin girl popped out of a lamp with some fog, & candyland girl was on top of a house in a gumball machine made out of balloons & all the balloons came out & she was standing there. It was cool.

11th Graders, Aladin Theme

10th Graders, Candy Theme

We also get 2 days off school for Carnaval which is probably the best part. We went to the coast for the trip on a 12 hour bus ride to Ayampe, a small beach down that is the meca for surfers, gringos, & cute little Ecuadorian boys. It was exactly what I wanted & needed. There weren't many other people here & the hostal we stayed in was owned by a local family with a 9 yr old son. IT had an outside shower, hammock, a Cali surfer lifeguard, beds...all the essentials for a lovely night.  We got there around lunch time on Saturday & played on the beach, swam, & got really sunburnt.

Our first night in Ayampe at Sunset

yay ayampe! This is the main street that goes through the town

Across from Ayampe is an Island named after people who were hanged there. We were five of a just a few people there. We climbed on rocks, ate some dinner, then got up the next morning to run & do yoga on the beach. We swam, ate some delicious breakfast at a surf shop, & left for Montanita.

Beach Yoga

the island across from ayampe

As soon as we stepped off the bus (which had to stop half a mile away because of traffic) we were bombarded with spuma (foam spray) & humans. There were so many people here, more than PCB during spring break. It was ridiculous. We decided to stay one night rather than 2 so we could go back to relaxing in Ayampe. Montanita was fun, though. We danced almost all night with some other friends we made from Colorado in Ayampe. The bars were & discotecas were playing music until 9 a.m. so we didn't sleep much. We all woke up with glitter & foam all over us.

espuma attack

sooooo many people

The next day we ate another delicious breakfast, I took a hammock nap, then we went back to Ayampe. The little boys I befriended before I left were glad we came back. We'd played soccer with them so we were tight & they had brought me to their "excercise tree" which was just a branch they did pull-ups on & their "club house" which was a  big rock on the beach. This is one of my favorite moments from the trips so I have to go into detail. They asked me if I wanted to go to where we could see the clear water (all of this is in Spanish, mind you). Of course I agreed to go & they told me I could only come if I closed my eyes & let me lead me with their hands. We walked across the beach, over a bunch of rocks, & up a lava rock until we reached the top where I had to cheat climb with my eyes open. Then we made it to the top & the waves were crashing all around us, the 5 little boys were all sitting Lord of the Flies style looking out at the ocean & being quiet & still. We had a moment of pure serenity. When they decided it was time to go, we saw a big leaf bug & a bunch of crabs on their rock. I attemped to say something about the animals being in their club house, but they reminded me that "pacha mama" (mother earth) gave them the club house & the crabs & bugs were their friends in Ayampe. I loved these children. I plan to go back to Ayampe at the end of March mainly because of the beauty & love there.

a couple of my little boyfriends

our hostal

Monday in Ayampe consisted of me swimming a lot, playing in the sand, & throwing water baloons at surfers with the little boys. We are dinner at Tortuga, another hostal near ours. I had caprese salad, Peruvian pulpo (octpopus), fig & queso, & beer. That night we (everyone staying in the hostal, surfer dude, some local Ecuadorians, & the students from Colorado) sat around a bon fire on the beach drinkin' beer & exchanging stories. It was perfect. We flew back the next day rested, tan, & Carnavaled out. I love Ecuador.

sittin around in monta

playin with our little boys