HAM-SI!

FYI: All words in green are links to more info/references.

At an inopportune moment I was plucked out of my yoga classes & put in a room that is too small for me to even stretch in. Last summer a lovely lady named Amy taught me a lot about balance, its role in our lives, how we can obtain it, etc. all through conversations on the mountains of Northern California. This is where I go every time I'm in shavasna (the cliff we hiked to for sunrise, I fell asleep on, & woke up alone with the sun pink & sending enormous shadows of the mountains on my cliff, in my sleeping bag, & over the Kings River running around below). Amy gave me some book names & we started encouraging each other to write more in our journals & reflect on how to achieve this balance I desperately want/need.

 After getting back to the South, I had no one to talk about this with. Amy was moving out of the country soon & she lived in Oregon at the time (so yeah, she's got the best life imaginable). Luckily, my best friend ChelsTan got me to come to yoga with her & it rocked my world- This was it! This was what I had been searching for! This was what "church" was SUPPOSED to be! I could feel my body, soul, & mind getting to know each other for the first time. During my bow & reciting of "Namaste" after the first class, I knew that this was how I could "Om Namah Shiyavah" ('honor the divine spirit in me'...in you, too). Still, Ecuador came & now I have been wrestling with how to find peace/stillness without a place to yoga. I realized it is something very important in my life & I may have to find a yoga class here...en Español. I mean I've been attending mass in Spanish & understanding when they order me to sit, stand, hug, or pray...so what would be different about some downward doggin'?

The reason I am writing about this is because my first week of solo teaching starts next week. The book I talked about a few days ago has become central when creating my curriculum for "A Raisin in the Sun" as well as this quote from Lao Tse: "Avoid putting yourself before others, & you can become a leader of men." This has seemed extra important lately because my Mentor Teacher loves to hear herself talk, to instruct, & basically tell the students what to think. This is bothersome to me. I hope to have created a lesson revolving around student questions (thanks, Jim Burke), student activities (shout out to Kylene Beers), & student/teacher reflections (Simpson, my man). I would like feedback on these lesson plans for anyone who fancies themself a teacher of any sort: a parents, a traditional educator, an experiential educator, a leader, etc. My goal is to create lifelong learners, thinkers, & kids who will transcend the lessons from the text to their lives using real examples, going outside to reflect, writing, discussion, etc. So I am asking for help for anyone who feels they can...

The words in green contain links to my Unit Overview Plan (missing standards, but you get the idea), my first week of lesson plans, & an example of one of the pre/during/post-reading activites.

Mucho gracias in advance. Learning to teach, learning to learn, learning forever.
Lauren

Holy Mana from God!

I know I just blogged yesterday, but oh goodness my belly, bella!! Yesterday I had a delicious meal that I have not been able match. If I was to describe it to someone who loves good food & places as much as I do, here's my attempt: An extreme gorgeous looking Italian man walked by in a swarm of good looking Italian men, whispered foreign words in your ear (such as "Mangian questo cibo, bella" in that accent...you know the one I'm talking about), and then, finally, you got to eat him dipped in chocolate. Except this wasn't Italian. This was quite Ecuadorian, fresh, & delicious. I was really surprised that it was this good because the restaurant was in Gringo Land & not a small hole in the wall where you usually find the best food (I was going to do that today, but I'm just not confident enough in my Spanish to walk in a restaurant of Ecuadorians, sticking out like a sore thumb trying to ask for huevos fritas con queso & avocado but actually saying I want the balls of a bull dipped in cheese and avacado). So for now, a higher priced restaurant with tables & chairs will do, but tomorrow I'm giving an almuerzo teria a go. So here's how this meal went:

1) Sangria with fresh apples & strawberries. This doesn't sound like much, but it was just sweet enough to make me want a pitcher, which is exactly what we ordered.

2) I wasn't very hungry before the meal, I even told Carol I was only going to get vino y dulce, but then I saw something on the menu that looked weird & sounded delicous: llapangacho y chiros con huevos fritas, avacados, beets, y tomates. Granted I had no idea what chiros & llapangachos were, but I was practically aching for fried eggs with avacados. I ended up getting a plate with potato cakes with cheese in the middle (I referred to these little bits of heaven before), fried eggs, delicious sausage, & a plump avacado. They were all sitting, looking around, hoping a skinny girl would be looking down at them. But no, you have me, a girl who has a serious talent with the amount of food I can eat & thoroughly enjoy. I will try anthing (literally anything...I ate a horse fly once & I will try guinea pig before I leave here).  This, however, was a wonderful choice compared to quinea pigs & horse flies.

3) Now I love sweet food, but when I usually only eat sweet pastries when I'm not bloated with cheesy potato cakes. Ecuador, however, is an exception. The higos con queso  were good, but not what I was expecting. The figs were succulent & the cheese balanced the sweet syrup.

I have included some pictures that do my meal no justice, but food has become a central part of my experience & this makes me realize that food will always be something I can enjoy everywhere in this big, bad world.

Exploramos!

I feel like I have so much to write about the last few days & the weekend. I have seen much more of the city, eaten a lot of food, drank gallons of coffee, & have just been very content in the life that seems to be shaping up in the beautiful city of Quito. The kids also have exams all week so we have half days & I get to read all day or look up places I want to visit with Carol (Carol is another UGA student teacher- have I already said that?). Yesterday I finished "The Leader Who is Hardly Known: Selfless Teaching from the Chinese Tradition" which is a great book Jesse told me about concerning teaching through experince & with the Tao as a guide for the leader/teacher. If you are interested in experiential education or being a leader that does not center learning around him/her self, then I highly recommend this book.

Now to the fun stuff. Last Thursday we (mi familia) went to Chiquita's Madre for her cumpleaños. Their famous torero (bullfighter) cousin (Jose Antonio...Picture here) was there so that was cool & they have a very kind, large family & they fed me & let me play with the youngest cousin, a cute 2 year old named Valentina. Anyone who knows me well probably already figured out that it was love at first sight between me & this real life Dora the Explorer look alike. I played a lot & she prayed a lot (en Español & Ingles).

The next day was Friday, so Carol, her brother (Juan Francisco), Suco (nickname for my blonde-headed cousin, Julian), & I went to a little bar in Mariscal (Gringo Landia) called Strawberry Fields. It was teeny tiny, lit by candles, & they played the Rolling Stones...so yeah, VERY gringo. We tried the Ecuadorian beer (La Cuba...no bueno. Tastes like Keystone) & eventually a good Pilesner at a Karaoke bar. All the beer is light here, so for the like of me & my fellow heavy beer lovers (Sam Lawther & Tyler Burns), it's meek. After Strawberry Fields we went to a discoteca & danced a little bit. My white self was quite intimidated so I mostly just sipped my drink & wished I had rythm, or at least could move without looking spastic. After that, we went to a Karaoke Bar for a minute & Suco sang 3 songs (Carol & I helped a little with Roxanne only because we knew how to pronounce the words). The Karaoke place was pretty different than most others I've been to (which would mean it's different than Walker's in Athens). Everyone sat down & the waiter would just pass  a mic around. After that (late night for me, I know!) we got a kabob from a street vender that had pollo, carne, y spicy mayo on it...it smelt sooo good & tasted better. Now I know you're not supposed to get food from a street vendor at 2 a.m., but oh my goodness, this was glorious & juicy & savory. Beside, how else am I supposed to build up my immunity after eating processed foods for the majority of my life?

This brings me to a portion of my blog I would like to dedicate to all of the amazing food I have been eating. I will never eat the same after being here & I hope to learn how to make some of the carbo-licious papas con queso (kind of like a crab cake made out of fried-ish mashed potatoes with this amazing creamy cheese they have down here), lots of great fruits, veggies, & grains that don't even exist in the U.S., & chicken con rice beyond measure. Honestly, I am eating more carbs in one day here than in two days at home. However, the fruits/veggies are all fresh & in season (not like those Wal-Mart strawberries in December) & the carbs are essential. I feel like I've lost a lot of weight, but I think it's only because we walk everywhere & my stomach still hasn't been able to handle all of the bacteria I'm consuming. But truly, the food is amazing, the coffee is rich, the milk....oh my goodness THE MILK! It's thick & creamy & I usually drink 2% in the states so this is like drinking this rich, cold , goodness right out of the cow. The dairy is probably my favorite. The yogurt is all drinkable yogurt (they eat it in their cereal), the cheese is so creamy (goat cheese texture, but swiss cheese-ish taste), & anything that is like whipped cream or caramel is so rich (rico!). I love it....so much.

I just wrote a lot, huh? I've really been enjoying myself, reading a lot, walking around the city a lot, etc. I have one more day I feel I should write about just so I'll remember how lovely it was (feel free to stop reading). Yesterday Carol, Fausat (another UGA student teacher), & I went to Centro de Historica. It was beautiful & is by far my favorite place I have been in the city thus far. It was beautiful, the architecture was very European, the churches & historical centers were huge & old, & there were a lot of informative statues. Oh, also $1.70 cappacuinos with cinnamon on top. We went to the Basilica which I included a picture of a walked about 75-80 blocks around this area from my house. On the way back it started storming so we had to rush back before dark/the street rivers knocked us over. It was a really bad storm, but I liked it. My feet & pants were soaked (& by soaked, I mean you could see through my linen pants I was wearing...another lesson learned). The weather here is insane though, so I should have expected it. It's true what they say, you experience every season in one day in Quito. Maybe not winter, but definitely Summer (it was 65 F yesterday before the storm!), Spring, & Fall (it rainsEVERY SINGLE DAY).

I won't keep you any longer, but thanks for reading!

Fundacion Colegio de America, Quito

Hola Gringos!

I need to reflect on my first three days at the Colegio so I won't forget about how great they have been. I love the school, the students, and my fellow teachers in la escuela de internacional secondaria. Most of the students in this section of the school have one parents that is Ecuadorian and another that is either European, Canadian, American, etc. Others have parents that have saved money for their children to attend a private school. The cost for each student per month is $1,000 USD so you can imagine the amount of time/money parents have saved for these students to receive a bilingual education. They all speak Espanol at home and with their friends, but they are required to speak and write in English during class. My 8th graders speak/write better than my 7th graders, but all of them speak/write great English, especially for it being their second language, some even better than 9th graders at Apalachee.

 It's really quite amazing how similar & different these kids are from my students in America. They are all VERY polite, eager to learn, very inquisitive, and, most importantly, awake! It is a different world really than the students I have been around in the past that seem bored, tired, and like they'd rather be anywhere else than school. I believe it is because they realize that they are VERY lucky to be receiving an education in Ecuador & may have the opportunity to attend college in the U.S.

Another thing I like about the school is that each class only has about 11-13 students each. They go to each period (there are 8 periods, 45 min each) with the same classmates every day. They seem to really enjoy this because it really creates a feeling of community. They have to stick together.  Since crime is such a central apart of their country, the school really encourages community. Really, if someone (like me) questioned if teaching is what he/she should really do, if they are good at it, then this is the school to be at. These kids engulf themselves in the stories, in the characters, because these fictitious people & stories are better than what these children, their peers, parents, family, and most everyone in this city see & live everyday. They really do give me hope for education & hopefully these values can be brought to where ever I end up because America needs kids who want to learn & teachers who believe they deserve better.

In this post, I have included two pictures. Both are of the view out of my classroom; one from early in the morning when the clouds are over the montanas (7:30) when I arrive to school & the other is right after the first recess when they clear (around 10:30). Maybe the view is why the school is so great...

Mi primer fin de semana en Ecuador: My first weekend in Ecuador.

Hola amigos y familia! I have just enjoyed my first of 13 weekends in Ecuador. When I think of it that way, I am not here long, but boy does it feel like I have already been here for weeks. Yesterday was a long day. I am learning a lot about the culture, families, food, and language already and it is only my second day. My host family is very kind, but they very little English. However, they are very loving to one another and have accepted me and my lack of Spanish with open arms.

Yesterday we went to a farm (la hacienda o ranchera) where the family keeps their horse (el cabello), Chocolate. It was in Cumbaya which a town smaller than Quito - about 20 minutes (veinte minutos) away from the city. The weather was nice so we stayed here for quite some time. My host mom (Lucia) made the comment that she loved the ranch because it is "muy tranquila". Mountains surround the farm and there were trees with little oranges (mandarinas? o clemintinos). I wish I had brought my camera to the farm, but since we cannot understand each other I was quite confused about what we were doing. You see, at breakfast (el desayuno), the family said the news was predicting an earthquake in Quito  between 1 & 2 o' clock so we would not be going outside. I then came in my room to Skype my parents. However, not more than 30 minutes later (around 12:30), Lucia came in to say that we were leaving so I grabbed my bag and left with them. Despues de nuestra vistia a la ranchero, we went to eat at an Italian restaurante with very good pizzeria. I know what you're thinking- "Italian en Ecuador!?"- but honestly, pizzeria es muy bueno. We then went to Lucia's sister's home and had tea and cookies and chatted...I of course sat in awe while they all spoke quickly and at once; still, so much love in this family makes me feel better about just being present. We then went to mass (my first one). Mass in general is confusing to me with the reciting and standing and sitting and kneeling, but en Espanol it was even more confusing, but it was another experience full of love and peace, so it was good to be there and have that. I believe I will attend church with them often for a few reasons: Uno) The community there was very close and made me feel still on the inside. Dos) I respect my host familia mucho and their customs & beliefs. Tres) El padre spoke slow Spanish I could almost understand, so perhaps I will pick up more and understand the service as my time here progresses.

After church we went somewhere very special a little over an hour outside Quito. I went with Lucia's son & nephew who are 20 & 21. One, Sebastian, is in school to be a doctor and the other, Julian (o Suco is ellos nickname, like "blondie" in America) works in the supermarket. Both speak little English but try to communicate with me which is nice. On the way to Papallacta (check out the place we went to aqui), they told me about their views of their country and racism that takes place within it which is to say that racism exists everywhere, but I am glad to be living with a family that has been kind to a gringa :] Anyways, the place we went to last night was really nice and owned by a friend of the family so we got to go in after they closed. The thermal pools were heated by the volcanoes that surround the area and the water was from the river (el rio) that runs right through the spa. However, because I didn't know we were going here, I didn't have a swimsuit and I had to get in the hot pools with capris and a tank top on which was quite silly because people kept asking me in spanish if I was OK and I would just smile and nod.

I fell asleep afterwards on the way back to Quito and we got home around 1:00 am. Like I said, it was a looooooooong day. Today was more relaxing. We all slept late because a girl from Virginia moved into the room beside mine and we will be sharing a bathroom. She is nice, but she has turned down food and complained which always rubs me the wrong way because our host family is letting us be a part of their family for a long time and I feel we should be extra-respectful and appreciative. She, however, know a lot of Spanish so she is helping me communicate. Today was also good because I got to talk to my parents, sister, Jesse, Jen Jen, Zady, Mamaw, and Skyler all on Skype. Jesse kept telling me to stop crying and go and have fun/learn spanish, but I miss home and my family already so it was hard to keep from crying. After talking to him though, I felt better about being alone here and knowing that I really won't be here long and I should enjoy it as much as I can without knowing the language or having a face I know like I have most everywhere else I have traveled to. It's a different world here, but that's why I came. For this post I have included a picture of my dormitorio (room).

I have learned much already, I hope to keep learning and living well. I miss you familia, amigos, y Jefe Jesse :]

Buenas noches! Hasta la proxima vez!