The start of my last year of teaching

It has been an interesting start of the year here in Ecuador. We have  just now finished the first quarter of the year. Here is a recap.

Our bus stop was robbed early in the morning in the first week. American women are feisty: throwing hot tea in their face and running around. Pretty scary but we were glad they did not have a gun and didn’t stick around long. They didn’t get anything from us but did take a phone from another friend.

A historic drought has left power disruption here in Ecuador. All of their power is hydroelectric. There have been power cuts up to 14 hours a day and though it took a little time to adjust, one can make the most of time without power. I have been walking with a weighted backpack for an extra workout and to get used to walking with a full pack. Timing showers and laundry means being flexible and I am glad I have a gas stove. Making sure anything you want to do on the phone is downloaded and everything is charged. Recently I put up my Christmas tree with 4 strands of battery operated lights. It helps to illuminate and not use as many candles. I look for any excuse to put up the tree but it was a good choice!

Mindo

The annual bike ride to Mindo was in September. I didn’t ride, but instead went there to hang out with others. I stayed at the biohostal and could watch birds from the veranda.

One activity I have not done here is to hike the waterfalls

It was a beautiful 9 km hike!

On the way back out I met one of my colleagues Nadine. Many people from my school came to mindo that weekend.
The megaswing that was quite a lot of fun.

Mindo night hike

This is another hike I wanted to do in Mindo. I did get to see a glass frog but no reptiles.

Centipede
Glass frog with the light above.
Glass frog with the light below.
This bird is called Rufus mutt mutt. It’s the only bird here that eats poisonous things.

I have been really lax in writing about things. It is like every start of a school year where there is a lot going on. I am looking forward to more relaxing times ahead.

Get togethers

Watching the presidential debate together.

Swan lake ballet

Celebrating Monica and Paul’s wedding

Get together in the Historical district

One thought on “The start of my last year of teaching”

  1. Enjoy the year. Believe it or not, you WILL miss teaching, especially the fresh start each year and the sense of accomplishment as each year ends. Things start to run together without these milestones, so you’ll have to find a new way to measure time. You will definitely miss laughing at the funny things teenagers do and say! All that said, it is a very exciting time for you, so savor it!

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