Treated like Royalty

Today was an interesting day, and it's only 4:00pm! We start early in the morning and have seen so much each day that yesterday Justin said "buenas tardes" thinking it was the afternoon but it was only 9:30am. Hahaha we all had a good laugh. In fact, our group has already become extremely close. We've shared a lot of laughs, to the point where I've already cried from laughing so hard a few times. Its going to be a great month I can tell already!

This is our group with the north side of Quito in the background. Back row from L to R: Chris, Flo, Dana, Me, Justin C, Andrew. Front from L to R: Justin L, Jen, and Meghan.
Today we went to visit the other two schools we're going to be working with. One of those schools is the one I'm going to be in with Justin L. The two schools we visited actually have the same teachers, principal and share students. They're space is limited so the students spend time at one school for some subjects, and at the other school for others. At first, I felt that some of the teachers and even the principal were a little resistant to us but they warmed up quickly and were soon friendly and joking with us. I think the reason they felt resistant was because yesterday the first school we went to was very well receiving. The principal was extremely friendly right away and explained he wants us to feel like family (and that's a big deal. Family is very important down here). He really wanted us to feel comfortable at home and be complete immersed in the school helping everywhere. He had really emphasized the lack of confidence and that he wants us to share our world experiences with them so they know there's more in the world than Quito. It felt so amazing to have someone think so highly of us and treat us in such a manner. So after that school and how welcoming that principal and all the teachers had been, I didn't feel that right away at the schools today and they were a little more cautious about wanting our involvement in everything. English and physical education was a big thing but any other courses they were unsure about. After a bit of conversation I think they saw our intentions are to add to what they're teaching, not to take over or create more work for them and then they warmed up. Estoy emotionada! I'm excited! The kids all seem interested in us so Monday will be an experience when we actually are at the school the entire day.
After those two schools, we went to a third school. This one has many more resources than the schools we're working with and the children seem well educated. They even offer astronomy and culinary classes! We were watching the kids dance when they invited us to dance so we spent some time dancing with them. It was a great time!!! There was also a journalist from the Mayors office there to interview us about what we're doing in Ecuador so he spent some time taking pictures of us and asking questions about the program. After that they took us into a room and fed us some lunch that the students had made. It was a traditional potato soup with avocado and cheese in it followed by a jungle fish cooked in a plantae of some sort with yucca on the side. Delish!! The students served us and we truly felt like royalty. They were all so welcoming. Now we're back at the hotel with some down time before we go see an Ecuadorian ballet and have a tour of the old city. I can hardly wait!
Although this blog is already long, I want to explain about Enrique and Carlos. Carlos is a young man that has been following us around and translating for us. He's been fantastic with all our questions about the city, spanish words, and has overall been very welcoming. Enrique is the Minister of Education for Quito (I think? Someone correct me if I'm wrong) and he has been so welcoming. He's our connection with all the schools and is our connection for the city (he's taking us to the ballet and touring the old city with us). He truly has passion for education and for this program and really believes in it.
So to end off this post, here are some pictures from the past two days:

Having dinner and some beverages in Miami after Chris's terrible day.

Virgin Mary at Pancillo. Biggest statue I've ever seen

The highest point in Quito, Pancillo, overlooking part of the city. 

The beautiful park across from the school I'll be at in Zambiza

"That Guy"

Well we landed safely in Quito and have been getting settled!! but not without an interesting day yesterday. Here are some highlights from our 4:00am to 11:30pm travel day yesterday:
1. We try to check in with two bags and west jet says they're going to charge us $21.00 per second bag for each of us (and there were 8 of us with 2 bags). We were told by the travel agent we'd be allowed two bags since our US flight (American Airlines) allows them so we made WJ check into it. We waited for 20 minutes when finally WJ realizes they're wrong and we are allowed two bags. Besides this, Chris, another volunteer, was having trouble with his reservation so he had to spend about 20 mins with a total biatch. She ended up lecturing him about checking in so late (which was WJ fault anyways) and then about the ticket. He finally gets through and gets rushed through security but was still late. They had to hold the plane for him and because it had been a difficult morning for him already and he made the plane wait, his new nickname became "that guy".
2. We land in Toronto and realize we have to go across the Toronto airport and pick up our bags since WJ wasn't transferring them for us to the next flight. We leave the security area, get our bags, and wait another 1/2 hour in a security line. We got through fine and luckily had time for a quick bite to eat.
3. We land in Miami and are unsure if our bags will be transferred or not, so once again we leave the secure area to go find our bags. 4 out of 17 bags mistakenly got taken off the plane but the other 13 were transferred. It was odd but some of the members of our group weren't given boarding passes leaving Miami so we had to go and get boarding passes for them. Poor Chris has problems again and finds out he has a reservation but not a ticket. How that's possible we're not sure. I guess the biatch with WJ in Winnipeg somehow released his ticket so after another 45min of waiting he got his ticket. Luckily the security line wasn't long and we got through without incident! We even had time for a real meal and for Chris to have a much deserved drink.
4. I was the last one to board of our group in Miami and actually only had a group of about 4 people behind me. I was just waiting in line to get on the plane when I hear the people behind me saying "is that Miley Cyrus? Omg it is!" and I looked back and saw here. I immediately thought that can't be Miley Cyrus but when she looked up, it was actually her. She had a couple body guards with her and they let her board before I did. I sat down and told a girl from our group that Miley was on our plane and the girls sitting around us turned out to be from her crew. Two were dancers and one was a singer. It turns out about half the plane was her crew and she's putting on a concert here tomorrow night right beside our hotel. I'm not much of a Miley fan but it was interesting enough. Like honestly, what are the chances?! Pretty good apparently.

So after a fairly interesting day, we landed safe in Quito and were extremely excited to get here. Our hotel rooms are gorgeous and everyones been extremely friendly. Today, we had some free time in the morning so we went to the highest place in Quito and saw a panoramic view of the city. So gorgeous! I will post pics some day.. just not today. We then were able to tour two of the schools we'll be working with. The kids were very excited and the teachers and principals welcomed us in such a warm way. It's going to be an amazing experience.... once I can understand spanish. It is proving to be a bit of a challenge with the Spanish but we're all trying to learn as much as we can and we luckily have a few people in our group that are pretty fluent.

We're touring the other two schools tomorrow so I'm really looking forward to that. The city is so interesting and the fruit has been soooooo delicious so far! I'll hopefully be able to write again in a couple days. Adios!

And we're off!

It's currently 18.5 hours until I leave and I can hardly believe it! It came up so fast that it's overwhelming to think that as of tomorrow evening I will be in South America for 2.5 months!
I suppose there may be some of you reading this blog that don't know much about my trip. I will be spending one month in Quito, Ecuador with 7 other volunteers and a mentor working in schools with gr 9-11 students. In Ecuador, education isn't celebrated and there is a huuuuuuge child labour force (which the government is actively working to stop) so our main goal is to help the kids see the benefit of schooling. We want them to know that staying in school is important and can lead to something great. We also want to increase the girls self esteem, since there aren't a lot of women's rights, and increase the physical education program since most schools only own once soccer ball and have no PE program. This is the first year for the volunteer experience so we are the guinea pigs for this program which leaves a lot of uncertainties. We really won't know how things are going to go or what's going to happen until we get down there. That being said, I think all the volunteers are willing to put their whole heart into this program, which has to mean something great is going to come out of it!
On a quick side note, I would like to thank everyone who donated supplies or supported the program through attending the socials we put on. We made a large chunk of money and filled 4 massive duffel bags with school supplies and sports equipment. It's really going to mean a lot to these kids!
So anyways, continuing on, after the volunteer experience Anik is going to meet me in Quito and we are going to backpack. We're planning on staying another week or so in Ecuador (hopefully do the Galapagos Islands) and then make our way down to Peru. We know that we want to do Machu Picchu for sure in Peru, but everything else is still up in the air. We would like to do something in the rainforest at some part of our trip but those types of trips can be quite pricey. Finally, we will end in Venezuela. We plan to spend a couple weeks there as well, possibly going to Trinidad & Tobago but who knows. The Angel Falls are in Venezuela so we might possibly go see them, but once again may be pricey.
So that's a quick outline of the trip so you have an idea of what I plan on doing down there. My next post will be from Quito so keep checking back as I hope to keep this blog fairly updated!!

Hoping to find answers..

In Ecuador, what’s a traditional dish? What languages are spoken? Is there a traditional dress worn by the Ecuadorians? What’s their lifestyle like?

These are all questions I’ve been asking myself about Ecuador, so I am ecstatic that I have the opportunity to answer some of these questions. As preparation for the trip, and because the volunteer portion is with the U of M, I had to complete an essay of something that interested me about Ecuador. As you may have guessed, I've chosen to research culture in Ecuador! I've taken bits and pieces of my essay so my followers can learn with me!

I think it's important to note why I chose this topic. I have recently been considering ideas about a different lifestyle from the typical North American one and I'm hoping my experiences in Ecuador might be able to provide some influence. I've paid more attention to the fact that its common in North American to graduate high school, go straight to University, and then start work, and work as much as you can to get as high as you can to make as much money as you can to buy the things you want in life. I don't want anyone to take offense to this. I'm not meaning it in a judgmental way in any sense, its just my view of things. Everyone has different wants, desires, needs and wishes. Anyways, this is generally unique to North America as I've heard in other countries it’s a tradition for university graduates to travel the world for a year to see and experience as much as they can. Anyways, I'm getting off topic. My main point is that in my naive mind, I feel like Ecuadorians, or maybe South Americans in general, live a life full of passion, love, and joy by reveling in the small things life has to offer. I used the term "naive mind" because I could be completely wrong and it may be a stereotype! I suppose I will find the answers throughout my journey.

Once I decided I was going to do the topic of culture, I quickly realized that culture has various meanings and therefore is difficult to define. For the purposes of my paper, I just tried to answer my questions and research as much as I could. Here are some quick facts for you:

- Adventurous dishes include roasted cuy (guinea pig), tronquito (bull penis soup - YIKES! remind me to learn this word and stay away from it!), and yaguarlocro (potato soup made with sprinklings of blood).

- Aji is a traditional hot sauce in Ecuador served with meals and found everywhere. 
- Ecuador is the largest exporter of bananas and has a wide variety of exotic fruits (YUM! looking forward to this!)

- Ecuador’s official language is Spanish. There is still a population of Indians, which speak Quichua, an Inca language. There are at least ten other native languages spoken in Ecuador. One site states that Ecuador has up to 23 languages, and I assume this is due to the influence of more than 14 indigenous groups. Luckily for me, English is the most spoken foreign language in Ecuador.

- Ecuadorians find blunt communication extremely rude and therefore are often indirect. They often make it difficult for a person to turn them down by using flattery! Since they’re non-confrontational, they will go out of their way to avoid saying no and may even tell you what they think you want to hear. As I suspected, they are often optimistic and have a positive outlook on life according to my research. It will be refreshing to meet people where a glass is half full!

- Ecuadorians ethnic make-up is Mestizo which refers to a mix of Amerindian and white and is the majority of the population in Ecuador

- Only family and close friends use first names with each other so it is polite to always use Senor or Senora followed by their last names.

- Gift giving is a large part of Ecuadorian culture so it is common to bring flowers, spirits, pastries, or imported sweets for hosts that have invited you into their home. A bouquet of roses is the best option, but lilies and marigolds are used at funerals so they would not be appropriate. It is also common that the gifts are opened when they received.

- If you are lucky enough to be invited into a home, it is expected that you will show up approximately 30 to 45 minutes later than you were invited. This would be especially hard for me as I am a very punctual person!

- Ecuadorians do not discuss business at social events, but instead will have a lively conversation during the meal and since they see it as a social occasion, it can be expected to be long.

- Guests should wait for a toast from the host before taking a sip of their drink. The term “buen provecho” is used as an invitation for the guests to begin eating and all food is always eaten with utensils, including fruit!

- Once you have finished eating, it is considered polite to leave a small amount of food on your plate and if you are finished drinking, you should leave your glass one-quarter full.

This is only as far as I’ve gotten in my research so keep your eyes open in future posts for more information on their culture!

On another note, we're getting down to the final days before we leave. I still feel very unprepared and I'm getting more anxious (and excited!) with each day that passes. I can honestly say I'm going to miss a lot of people I see and talk to on a daily or weekly basis and it's starting to hit me that it's going to be 3 months before I see everyone's smiling faces again! I have so much support from co-workers and friends that I'm going to find it difficult down there without them, which is a first for me as I'm usually very independent. Luckily, I think the other 8 people going with me will be a great source of support. This being said, I don't think anyone can replace the amount of comfort and confidence I get from Anik! Thank goodness for Skype! :)

T-minus 7 days & 7.5 hrs!

The Waiting Game..

Welcome to my first ever blog! I must say this year has been full of firsts, and evidently a year of lasts as well! First ever back packing trip, first time I've ever juggled, first time I've ever lived alone.. and the list goes on. Last year of university, last year I can use "I'm a student" as an excuse to get a discount/get money out of my parents, and sadly the last year I can take advantage of trips like this through the university! How did it take me so long to find out about all of the amazing opportunities? Maybe because I've never had the funds to take part in them..
Anyways, that was really off topic. This is my first ever blog so bear with me as I figure things out and try to articulate myself in a way that makes sense. I think I often have brilliant ideas or so many thoughts racing around in my mind and yet I have difficulty putting them into coherent sentences. I guess this first post is mainly to put some ideas down about how I think the trip is going to go and to get myself accustomed to this blogging thing before I leave for my trip. I fly out of Winnipeg in 22 days and 11 hours heading through Toronto and Miami to Quito, Ecuador! I am getting ridiculously excited about the trip but there are so many uncertainties! I have attended weekly meetings with the other 6 volunteers and 2 mentors that have held the purpose of preparing us all for the trip. There was one meeting in particular that I felt so overwhelmed by the challenges we may face that I wasn't sure I could it! I seriously doubted myself. I mean.. I have no experience teaching in a classroom setting and haven't worked with kids in years and all of a sudden I'm going to be developing lesson plans for teenage kids that don't speak English in a completely foreign country. Was I nuts to sign on to do this? Even if we prepare properly, its apparent that any good teacher knows to expect the unexpected, and if that's true for a teacher in their own culture in their first language, what's it going to be like in Ecuador?! So after my initial freakout, I calmed myself down and decided I could do it. I HAVE to do it. Just to say I did and because its such an amazing opportunity. So here I am.. preparing the best that I think I can by learning as much Spanish as I can (which is coming along surprisingly well. I would say I know words but don't ask me to put a sentence together!) and working on lesson plans for the students! Even with all the meetings we've held and the preparation I've tried to do, I still don't feel prepared at all! Besides the fact that Anik and I haven't planned out our backpacking trip after at all either! The only things we know for certain are that we'll head from Ecuador to Peru, and do the Machu Picchu tour, and that we have to end in Venezuela.. so hopefully we get our butts in gear and start planning our trip out a little bit better!! Overall though, I'm extremely excited to get going and I can hardly wait for this adventure to begin! If only I were done exams already..
Well I guess that's all for today. Thanks for taking the time to follow me! :)  I plan to post again right before I leave Canada so check back around the end of this month.