Algunos Photos

Here are a couple pictures of where I live and a quick weekend update.

This is my room:






And my own little bathroom - not too shabby though.


On Friday night, all the volunteers went out after our day of orientation. We first went to awesome apartment of some volunteers from last year who decided to stay in Quito another year, but get paid teaching positions. Then all us "newbies" went down to La Mariscal to dance for a while and then take a CRAZY taxi ride home....red lights here a suggestion - and let's just say on the way home our taxi driver decided not to take any of the suggestions ;).

On Sunday, we did a Minga (which means work gang, a Native American word). The Center works together as a big family to each individual family pull themselves out of poverty. One of these steps is helping people save money and build a home. We worked at a family's house that has been in the Center for 4 years and they are now adding on a second room to their home. We dug big holes for the supports all morning. It was fun to hang out as a team in accomplishing this goal and to do some physical labor!






The boys thought it would be funny to make this picture as awkward as possible....





This week will be spent meeting with the other Ecuadorian staff and planning our first week of classes. Please pray that all of us will feel confident in our Spanish to start teaching next week. Also pray that our students come ready to learn and for patience in all of us in handling the beginning of the school year and possible confussion due to the language.

Much love!
Taylor

SCHEDULES!!

I finally got my teaching schedule today! We all have been waiting very (im)patiently to find out what we will be teaching. Basically, I will be teaching a lot of special ed classes and begin every morning with an hour with one specific kid. Also I will be teaching some English to boys and high school girls. Every evening I end at the downtown school teaching adults basic literacy. I am for the most part pretty excited for my schedule. I am a little sad that I won't be spending as much time downtown in La Marin, so I probably won't meet those kids as well but also that means I will hopefully get to know the Cotocollao kids really well.

I have attached my schedule below as a picture. It might still change a bit though...already have had a couple changes today in the couple hours of having a schedule.

Time to rest before our first night out in Quito!
Abrazos (Hugs),
Taylor

Primera Semana

I'm in Quito! It is so awesome to be back in Ecuador starting this totally new adventure. I have already had the opportunity to eat lunch with my amazing host family from study abroad, seen many parts of the city for the first time, and eat lots of delicious, very fresh fruit.


I am living at El Centro del Muchacho Trabajador in Quito where I will also be teaching. There are 10 other new volunteers, all around my age, that will also be here for the year. It has been a lot of fun playing games with them and really just spending getting to know each other. Even after 4 days of orientation none of us really know what we will be doing and are just on information overload, but it is awesome to be all together in everything. We have been laughing so much at nights playing games like Celebrity, Psychiatrist, Mad Gab, Apples to Apples, and a variation of telephone.


The children are so open to love and all their hugs have been an amazing blessing this week...making it almost impossible to feel too lonesome. Praise God for children!


Love you all!
Taylor