12 days-that's how long I have been gone. It feels like a lot longer. Not in a negative way, but when I change cultures, I feel like I have time traveled. Also, a lot has happened in 12 days. I have traveled to cities I have never been to before, and I have completed a week of class and teaching already. It's been quite the schedule. I have class in the morning, then a break for lunch, then I study with my teaching group, and then we teach at night. The days are pretty full, so by the end of the day I am definitely tired.
Let me start with teaching. To be honest, I feel like I am at square one again. I have some teaching experience, but I am still fairly new at all of this. I have to change so many things about how I teach, and I get observed every night. That is actually a good thing, but I think it aids to my nervousness. Right now, I am teaching with three other girls in my class. Our teaching time will increasingly get longer. I think I will enjoy teaching eventually, but getting started is always a challenge. Please pray for my teaching-that it would be clear and that I would enjoy the process.
I have been able to get to know my classmates, and God has given me some opportunities to share the Gospel. I am thankful for that, but I am struggling to find the right balance of when to speak and when to let my actions speak for me. Most of my time has been spent with my classmates and students, although I have been able to spend a little bit of time with some of my family friends here. They are so gracious to me and take care of me-more than I deserve!
Tomorrow we are going to Ingapirca. I did go there last summer, but I am hoping this will be a good experience with my class. I can definitely tell people are praying-God has reminded me of His presense so much. Thank you for praying. Hasta pronto.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Traveling About
So the last few days have been a little crazy-we've been going all over the place! But let me start at the beginning.
Wednesday my friend Cris dropped me off at Hotel Quito (a very nice hotel by the way) where I met two other girls taking the same TEFL course. One of our teachers (who teaches at St. Ambrose in Davenport, IA!) and our coordinator were at the hotel as well. The rest of the people taking the class hadn't arrived yet. The afternoon was pretty relaxed, and then one of my friends who lives in the area stopped by. He took us to the mall, and then we went to watch Hombres en Negro (Men in Black) 3. And yes, it was in Spanish, 3D Spanish to be exact. It's a good way to get back into a Spanish mindset:)
Thursday I had the most amazing continental breakfast of my life! I will try to take pictures tomorrow. At the top floor breakfast was served. I had to write down my name, room number, and signature before entering to eat. The buffet had so many fruits, the best yogurt, granola, different meats and eggs and breads...I was amazed. And the waiter would always be coming around to refill our coffee cups. I kind of felt like I didn't belong and was way underdressed, but I think that's how our whole class felt.
After breakfast, we had one of four orientation meetings. Some things I already knew, but some things were helpful to know more in depth about Ecuadorian culture. Then we left for the "Mitad del Mundo." I thought I have been to this several times growing up; I have actually been to two. This one however is fairly new, and it is exact because of GPS use. This one was very simple, displaying the O O latitude and longitude, and even if I am not exactly sure which one is the right one, I now have all my bases covered!
Then we drove to a smaller town called Otavalo. There we checked into a very quaint and colonial hotel, and then we were allowed to walk around, find some lunch, and do some shopping. We enjoyed the afternoon. Peguche is a small town close to Otavalo where we had a few tours. One was about weaving; it's really becoming a lost art, but the Indigenous people are trying there best to keep it alive. Then we were shown how certain musical instruments were made, and we even got a little demonstration! The night was pretty relaxed, and most of my class (10 students all together) went to find some food and hang out for the night.
Today has been quite jam-packed as well. We returned to Quito where we were given a lecture about Freebright program (a scholarship grad program) that was fairly intriguing. Then we went to an art museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin; he is a very famous painter. He was influenced by Picasso and felt that it was his job to display the racial injustice of all people. The whole place was very sobering. After that, we went back to downtown Quito for a tour of the city. The city definitely has a lot of history, but one of my favorite parts of the day was when we stopped for juice! Although drinking water can be tricky sometimes, our guide nad coordinator assured us this place was safe. We got to choose from so many fruits, many native to Ecuador- it was delicious!
Presently we are still waiting on one member of our group, but they all are from Ohio University. I am definitely the random member of the group. I have had some opportunities to share my faith-thank you for those who were praying. I would appreciate your prayers as this is the biggest challenge for me presently. I hope to be a good testimony and talk about my Father in the right way, but I don't feel like I am doing the best job at the moment. Moments like these make me thankful that God is so much bigger than my comprehension.
For now, I need to get some rest. Tomorrow we start our journey to Cuenca. I am looking forward to it because tomorrow we are going to do some more things in the country. Sunday is when we will arrive in Cuenca- I am excited to be in Cuenca soon. Thank you again to all of you who are praying- hasta pronto!
Wednesday my friend Cris dropped me off at Hotel Quito (a very nice hotel by the way) where I met two other girls taking the same TEFL course. One of our teachers (who teaches at St. Ambrose in Davenport, IA!) and our coordinator were at the hotel as well. The rest of the people taking the class hadn't arrived yet. The afternoon was pretty relaxed, and then one of my friends who lives in the area stopped by. He took us to the mall, and then we went to watch Hombres en Negro (Men in Black) 3. And yes, it was in Spanish, 3D Spanish to be exact. It's a good way to get back into a Spanish mindset:)
Thursday I had the most amazing continental breakfast of my life! I will try to take pictures tomorrow. At the top floor breakfast was served. I had to write down my name, room number, and signature before entering to eat. The buffet had so many fruits, the best yogurt, granola, different meats and eggs and breads...I was amazed. And the waiter would always be coming around to refill our coffee cups. I kind of felt like I didn't belong and was way underdressed, but I think that's how our whole class felt.
After breakfast, we had one of four orientation meetings. Some things I already knew, but some things were helpful to know more in depth about Ecuadorian culture. Then we left for the "Mitad del Mundo." I thought I have been to this several times growing up; I have actually been to two. This one however is fairly new, and it is exact because of GPS use. This one was very simple, displaying the O O latitude and longitude, and even if I am not exactly sure which one is the right one, I now have all my bases covered!
Then we drove to a smaller town called Otavalo. There we checked into a very quaint and colonial hotel, and then we were allowed to walk around, find some lunch, and do some shopping. We enjoyed the afternoon. Peguche is a small town close to Otavalo where we had a few tours. One was about weaving; it's really becoming a lost art, but the Indigenous people are trying there best to keep it alive. Then we were shown how certain musical instruments were made, and we even got a little demonstration! The night was pretty relaxed, and most of my class (10 students all together) went to find some food and hang out for the night.
Today has been quite jam-packed as well. We returned to Quito where we were given a lecture about Freebright program (a scholarship grad program) that was fairly intriguing. Then we went to an art museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin; he is a very famous painter. He was influenced by Picasso and felt that it was his job to display the racial injustice of all people. The whole place was very sobering. After that, we went back to downtown Quito for a tour of the city. The city definitely has a lot of history, but one of my favorite parts of the day was when we stopped for juice! Although drinking water can be tricky sometimes, our guide nad coordinator assured us this place was safe. We got to choose from so many fruits, many native to Ecuador- it was delicious!
Presently we are still waiting on one member of our group, but they all are from Ohio University. I am definitely the random member of the group. I have had some opportunities to share my faith-thank you for those who were praying. I would appreciate your prayers as this is the biggest challenge for me presently. I hope to be a good testimony and talk about my Father in the right way, but I don't feel like I am doing the best job at the moment. Moments like these make me thankful that God is so much bigger than my comprehension.
For now, I need to get some rest. Tomorrow we start our journey to Cuenca. I am looking forward to it because tomorrow we are going to do some more things in the country. Sunday is when we will arrive in Cuenca- I am excited to be in Cuenca soon. Thank you again to all of you who are praying- hasta pronto!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Arrival!
Hola from Ecuador! I am finally here-I can hardly believe it. First I want to say thank you to all of you who have been praying for me. I can tell God is at work and has been faithfully at taking care of me, even in my travels.
I left Des Moines yesterday morning, and once I started on my flights, everything was kind of a whirlwind. I got off one plane, found my gate, and boarded the next one right away ( I had three flights all together). Everything was a little chaotic, but I think all my travels in the past aid in me not freaking out about this things.
My first flight I sat by a gentleman named Mike. He had been a vet for 30 years ,and now was doing related work with cattle. He was very friendly, and we talked most of the time. Even when I thought our conversation was done and would start to read, he would bring up another topic. Needless to say, I did not sleep on that flight ;) He has Catholic background, so I was able to share my dad's testimony with him. We started to discuss different religions, and I was able to share some thoughts how when an you trust Christ, you live because you are accepted; I don't have to earn God's love or my way to heaven. He listened, and thought what I said was interesting. I was very thankful for the opportunity.
On my second flight I sat in between two individuals, and though I started a conversation with one of them, I admit I was so tired I fell asleep. I was a little disappointed that I did, but I am thankful God is always at work, and He is the one that saves people.
On my third flight I sat next to a girl who is a couple years younger than I am. She had actually studied abroad in Quito before and was returning for a visit. From our conversation, I am fairly certain she is a believer. She had recently graduated from college, and she asked me for advice at what to do next. It was a blessing to share with her how God had worked in my life the past two years, and to remind her that God is always at work, even if it's hard to see at times.
When I arrived in Quito, my friend Jorge was there waiting for me. Trying to roll 2 big suitcases and my book bag and my other roller carryon was a little tricky. I tried stacking the little one on top of one of the big suitcases, but that didn't last very long before it fell off- I had to keep it at the right angle to keep it from falling. What can I say, I am my father's daughter and was trying not to pay for the use of a cart;) Thankfully a gentleman from the airport helped me the last little bit. God looks after me, even in the little things :)
I think last night was the most sleep I have gotten in the last few weeks, so that was nice. Today is a pretty relaxed day in Quito. Tomorrow I will meet up with the other individuals taking the same class I am taking. I am guessing I won't be able to update my blog until next week, so I would definitely appreciate your prayers. I am praying for opportunities with my new classmates.I am excited to see how God is going to work!! Thanks again for all your prayers-hasta luego! :)
I left Des Moines yesterday morning, and once I started on my flights, everything was kind of a whirlwind. I got off one plane, found my gate, and boarded the next one right away ( I had three flights all together). Everything was a little chaotic, but I think all my travels in the past aid in me not freaking out about this things.
My first flight I sat by a gentleman named Mike. He had been a vet for 30 years ,and now was doing related work with cattle. He was very friendly, and we talked most of the time. Even when I thought our conversation was done and would start to read, he would bring up another topic. Needless to say, I did not sleep on that flight ;) He has Catholic background, so I was able to share my dad's testimony with him. We started to discuss different religions, and I was able to share some thoughts how when an you trust Christ, you live because you are accepted; I don't have to earn God's love or my way to heaven. He listened, and thought what I said was interesting. I was very thankful for the opportunity.
On my second flight I sat in between two individuals, and though I started a conversation with one of them, I admit I was so tired I fell asleep. I was a little disappointed that I did, but I am thankful God is always at work, and He is the one that saves people.
On my third flight I sat next to a girl who is a couple years younger than I am. She had actually studied abroad in Quito before and was returning for a visit. From our conversation, I am fairly certain she is a believer. She had recently graduated from college, and she asked me for advice at what to do next. It was a blessing to share with her how God had worked in my life the past two years, and to remind her that God is always at work, even if it's hard to see at times.
When I arrived in Quito, my friend Jorge was there waiting for me. Trying to roll 2 big suitcases and my book bag and my other roller carryon was a little tricky. I tried stacking the little one on top of one of the big suitcases, but that didn't last very long before it fell off- I had to keep it at the right angle to keep it from falling. What can I say, I am my father's daughter and was trying not to pay for the use of a cart;) Thankfully a gentleman from the airport helped me the last little bit. God looks after me, even in the little things :)
I think last night was the most sleep I have gotten in the last few weeks, so that was nice. Today is a pretty relaxed day in Quito. Tomorrow I will meet up with the other individuals taking the same class I am taking. I am guessing I won't be able to update my blog until next week, so I would definitely appreciate your prayers. I am praying for opportunities with my new classmates.I am excited to see how God is going to work!! Thanks again for all your prayers-hasta luego! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)