Objects in the Rear View Mirror...

Some Back logs as promised (if you're even still checking this thing...ha!)

It was Christmas Eve. We rolled into the sleepy beach town around 830pm, giddy and euphoric—a mix of emotions from our days activities and the blanket of stars that had been overhead for the last hour of the road trip. We parked our dear friend Yarita (rented Yaris that had already lovingly earned a nickname) and embarked upon our first mission: finding some vino. Within minutes of walking into a tiny bodega we had picked out a few bottles—a-hem, boxes—and were being chatted up by some locals: apparently there was a Christmas Eve party down the road—likely the only action this town would see tonight. We politely declined and after a delicious and inexpensive meal at the Restaurant next door, set out to find our accommodations for the next 2 days: La Rosa del los Vientos. (http://www.bedandbreakfastpedasi.com/) Post check-in to a pristine little guesthouse complete with hammocks to laze in and view of the beach about a mile up the road; we were now ready to celebrate the quickly approaching holiday.

We grabbed a flashlight and began our walk down the pitch-black road towards the water: all we wanted was to ring in Christmas with the luscious sound of the pacific in our ears. What we got was far better than we could have pictured. We arrived at the deserted beach with a friendly cat that had followed us and quickly earned the rank of bodyguard once we (well I) realized there were small crabs everywhere on the sand. Out of this issue also sprung the cats name: Congrejo, or “Crab” in Spanish. We found a place to relax and went on to drink wine, sing Christmas songs in Spanish and just generally remind ourselves often of how lucky we were to be exactly in that spot.

Morning comes and the three of us yawn and stretch and smile at one another: it is Christmas and the view is INCREDIBLE. After a fresh breakfast made by the owner and some quick phone calls to family back home in the states, we climbed back into Yarita and drove off to the local surf haven, Playa Venao about 30 minutes away. We laughed and joked on the way there, my New York rearing it’s tiny head only once, when a herd of cows decided to take it’s sweet time crossing the “road” in front of us. My companions quickly reprimanded me: after all in Panama we do as they do.

The day stretched before us as we sat staring at an amazing and expansive beach: all while sipping on cold, fresh cocktails and munching on crisp and delicious fried Yuca. Sunbathing and swimming gave way to surf lessons and more cocktails. For much of the day, the beach remained fairly empty and as the sun started to dip in the sky and Christmas day came to an end, we began to wonder: does anyone know about this little slice of paradise?

Back in the small town of Pedasi however, Christmas festivities were just gearing up. After a quick shower we wandered into town, where everyone was preparing for the Christmas “desfile,” or parade. We ran into someone we had met at the beach that day, a gentleman from Panama City who was vacationing, and he invited us for a drink. We happily accepted. As we walked the few streets that constituted the “town” sipping on boxed red wine—that cost us roughly $2.50—and celebrating with the locals, the mood could not have been lighter. The parade was big in the tiny town and families lined the streets to catch the children and adults alike who marched proudly. There were even “floats,” which we managed to get ourselves onto for a picture—right before Melissa hopped in the driver seat of a tractor of course. We laughed and danced into the night and shed some tears as each child in the town was gifted something small to celebrate the holiday. As the night drew to a close and the fireworks along with lanterns lit up the night sky, we managed to fit in a private little dance party. With reggaeton drifting from Yarita’s speakers, we happily danced and laughed as the rest of the town drifted off to sleep. Pedasi, with all of its small pleasures, was indeed a corner of the pint-sized country none of us would soon forget.

Siiigh.

So...I know it's been a while. If I have to be honest, this year has really slipped away from me. Between the traveling and the endless hours of shaping young minds :) I really just don't know where the time went. I am going to back log. I promise. But right now, I have to reflect on the fact that this year of firsts, of amazing experiences, of new friends and new goals is almost over. Which seems pretty freaking unbelievable.

As I begin to wind down--my 12th graders take their last exam tomorrow--I have to say a few things.
First: I'm not sure what I would have done had I not had this opportunity. As hard as it was to leave loved ones and launch myself into a million unknowns, it has been quite possibly the best thing that could have happened to me. I discovered that I do, indeed, love teaching. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to re-realize that being with and passing on knowledge to young people is a HUGE part of my life. Considering the fact that one short year ago, I was ready to close the door on all of this, is truly frightning. I have told my students time and again how big of an impact they have had on my life. I doubt any of them will ever really grasp the enormity of this for me, but they at least deserve to know. Their smiles, their jokes, their hugs, even their whiny complaints have made this year a truly amazing one.

I have no idea where next year will take me just yet, but I know that looking back upon the time I have spent in Quito and beyond will leave permanent foot prints on my heart.

Thank you to all that have supported me, loved me and encouraged me to live my life--I could never have done it without any of you.
More to come!

After weeks of rain...Ecuador dries up.

Now it's true that the past few days have been pleasantly free of rain (mostly), however this holds a double meaning this weekend.

It's census time in Ecuador friends, and for those of you familiar with what it means to partake in a census, you are about to be thrown for a loop. Whether it is the extreme need to count every human that happens to be on dry land this weekend or an extreme need to control every last detail of the entire affair, there are some strange things going on.

1st: Rather than hiring census workers, the government has opted to exploit the free labor that is it's High School students--it's 1oth, 11th and 12th graders to be exact. Not only does this seem a bit out of whack, but it has caused mass disruption in schools all across the country for the past month. The students had to be trained--which means the teachers had to be trained in order to train the students. As you might imagine, what this means is many missed days of school for the students. Three days here, a day or two there (what are they training them to do?!?) and it is finally time for these kids to show the country what they have learned.

2nd: The census will take place tomorrow: Sunday, November 28th. Since the kids will be out walking around counting heads for 9 hours, they have been given the day off on Monday (which conveniently coincides with the beginning of the biggest week long party in Quito: Fiestas de Quito. Hmmm. Beginning to wonder if I will see any of my students the rest of the week).

3rd: The country has literally been put on lock down for this occasion. All travel has been prohibited between the hours of 7am and 5pm on Sunday. I'm talking, domestic flights canceled, cruise ships (and people on them) held in ports, no one allowed to leave the airport, all auto traffic--nothing, nyet, nada. I mean, I guess it's important to be counted, but seriously?

And last but not least: from Midnight Friday, until 11am Monday morning, there will be NO ALCOHOL SOLD in all of Ecuador. That's right, a DRY weekend. I guess the government is worried that people will be so out of sorts due to drinking that they won't be able to... be counted? This is confusing. As people that might be attending post thanksgiving celebrations, this could prove interesting (read: party over at 8pm).

If you are doubting the craziness that apparently is census season in this little country (roughly the size of Colorado) please see below.

If you need me, I'll be home. ALL DAY.

http://ecuador.usembassy.gov/service.html (on the right hand side...)

Lost in Translation...

Preface: This is purely based on widespread observation and not on any kind of negative connotations toward any peoples!

To Stare:
Def.

1. to gaze fixedly and intently, esp. with the eyes wide open.

2. to be boldly or obtrusively conspicuous
3. to cause to become uncomfortable by gazing steadily at one

This word, "stare," or "to stare," (this is what we call an intransitive verb, needing an object...geeky English teacher moment) strangely doesn't really exist here Ecuador. Like literally. As it turns out, in Spanish, there is no direct translation for the concept of staring at someone. If you try to translate it, it is: "Para Mirar" which really means to look, or to watch.
The fact that this doesn't seem to exist has become painfully obvious as a "Gringa" in Ecuador.

The 3rd definition is my favorite.  I had been warned of the tendency of people here to stare at white people or Gringos when they are out and about; but honestly, this is like a whole new level of staring. When I first noticed this phenomena, I tended to be a bit self-conscious, a bit shy; you know the routine. You think to yourself, "is there food on my face, in my teeth? Bats in the Cave? (that's for you Abby...)" I truly felt like there must be something tragically wrong with me, you know besides the fact that my hair happens to be mostly blond-ish.
After being here and experiencing this quite frequently however, my reaction has turned to what can only be called (and is all too often) NEW YORK. I get a little bit rude, I might have a quiet comment or two...I have recently gotten the point where it's hard to hold back from shouting across the street (sometimes into a restaurant or such where the culprit(s) are blatantly Mirar(ing) "WHAT? YOU'VE NEVER SEEN A BLONDE HAIRED WHITE GIRL BEFORE??"

But alas, I am trying to keep this little gem of an attitude contained...for as long as I can anyway.

So I've been here just over 2 months and while I am having a blast and loving my ecua-life, I have to say, I have become a little homesick this week. I know that everyone's lives go on without me, but it seems like there is SO much going at home that I would love to be a part of. My 2 sisters-in-law are expecting again and the 2 adorable nieces (see right) that I already have seem to be growing so fast! Sadie, for example, said my name the other day when I was desperately trying to be "a part of things" over skype! Well OK, she kind of said my name...as much as a 14 month old can really say "Mer." :) But still! How do you sit on the other end of the computer and have it be good enough?!? Although it's amazing sometimes Skype just doesn't cut it.
A good friend just got engaged... (CONGRATS LIRON AND NICK!!) and still another good friend is due to have a baby in just 2 weeks (GOOD LUCK and CONGRATULATIONS HEATHER AND MATT!!!). And my amazing P.I.C in DC is about to run the Marine Corps Marathon which I was supposed to also be running this weekend (GOOD LUCK ERIN!!)
And just because you might not have something epic happening to you right now, I miss you just as much (you all know who you are:)...

I am finding it hard that I want to be able to be there and celebrate all of these amazing milestones and at the same time, still live my life here in Ecuador.
I expected of course that that this would happen at some points, or lots of points, but it's hard to know what it will really feel like until you are in it.

Just wanted to say to all those near and dear back home (in all my "homes":) that I miss you all like crazy and think about you all the time...oh and also: COME VISIT ME!!!! :)

I'm attaching a picture of the aforementioned 2 adorable nieces...so you all have an idea exactly how much cuteness I am missing here in South America.

xoxoxoxoxoox

Ecua Chaos (sorry...had to:)

WOW. It has been a crazy 24 hours, and the chaos just continues south of the equator my friends.

While yesterday started off as a normal, even quite pleasant Thursday, none of us had any idea what was about to happen on a national level.
Around 10:30 I was outside while my freshman were posing for their 9th grade class picture, watching them laugh with each other and thinking how nice it was that it actually felt like summer outside after all the recent rain. I headed indoors after the picture was finished and ran into one of my 12th graders. "You know there's a police strike in Quito right now..." he said as they now that I live about 8 miles north of school in the capitol city. "Really?" I said and brushed it off. I had heard many stories of the strikes that go on quite frequently in Ecuador. I guess I should have paid more attention. By the time my 11am 9th grade English class began to filter in (well, actually they all ran in rather dramatically and frantically yelling that we are all going to die...) over half of them had already been picked up by parents. The half that were left, were trying to get touch with family members who worked in Quito and people who could come pick them up. It was only then that I started to feel slightly nervous and yes, admittedly, slightly excited: what would I be going home to??

Well as it turns out my principal closed school for the day and today too and arranged carpools to get the teachers who live in Quito home as they didn't feel it was safe to operate buses in a security vacuum.
As we drove up the mountain through Cumbaya, I had my camera out, hoping that I could get some good pictures of the destruction I had heard about and seen on websites. Oddly, all seemed extra quiet, there was less traffic than usual and the ride was uneventful. Huh.

As we sat around last night refreshing CNN and trying to get an idea of what was going on, I fielded emails and facebook posts from concerned friends and family (thank you all for thinking of me!!!). But we got no further news on the "state of emergency" being lifted or anything like that.
Around 10, there was a shootout between the police and military at the police hospital where the military was trying to free Correa. Unfortunately, it didn't end without casualties but Correa was rescued unharmed.

We have no idea what is to come this weekend/next week however there are crowds of Correa supporters across the street making for a noisy day and military trucks all over the street packed with Ecuadorian army dudes. These are our "police" for the time being. CRAZY. I am of course on edge and nervous, but frankly kind of excited to be a part of this moment in history--I know, I'm a bit twisted....but you all knew that already :)

Stay tuned for more info and pictures...Miss everyone and I promise I am staying safe!!

Bautizo!

So it’s possible that some of you are tired of my never ending “Ecua-talk.” I have made a bit of a habit of turning every word into something Ecua…I can’t help it, I think it’s kind of Hilarious.

Of all of the Ecua things I have experienced so far, what I saw yesterday may in some ways top them all. Not because it was so out of control that it could never happen under any other circumstances…but more because it happened at SCHOOL.

Yesterday was an event that took place during class time (my charter school friends are probably picking their chins up off the ground in disbelief…WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT???), a tradition that they have just recently brought back called…The Bautizo. Now, this word in Spanish can be translated to literally mean Baptism. But what it really was folks? A School Sanctioned, Student Council run, Principal approved, Freshman Hazing activity. Since I teach both Freshman and Seniors, I got to attend…stealthily avoiding any mud, flour and egg covered child that came within 10 feet of me in order to try to take as many pictures as I could of this ridiculous show. There were stations set up that appeared to have no greater purpose than getting people as dirty as humanly possible within the span of 30 seconds. Mud tunnels, Pies getting smashed in faces, eggs being cracked on heads, bags of flour dumped everywhere. Then…the culmination of all of these shenanigans, the last and final “station,” was something that gave me vivid flashbacks of summers in my childhood. It was a GIANT “slide” that resembled a little too closely the yellow (never quite long enough) slip and slides that would always inevitably get you a serious case of ground rash and grass stain on your face when you flew off the end. THIS particular slide however had multiple hoses, pounds of mud, and a crowd of seniors lined up and down the hill waiting to throw whatever they could get their hands on all over the poor souls that actually volunteered to partake.

In all honestly, it definitely wasn’t the mean spirited, anxiety ridden “Freshman Day” of my (somewhat distant) memories but more of an afternoon where the Seniors and Freshman got to hang out, and well….roll around in and throw mud and flour and eggs (not to mention bowls of Aji which is a spicy Ecuadorian sauce) at each other, while simultaneously eating disgusting combinations—the likes of which I had no interest in finding out. The seniors did seem be having just as much fun being covered in slop as the 9^th graders did… It seemed like kind of a mix between a Senior Buddy thing and Fear Factor.

When asked multiple times by multiple students if I would be joining in the chaos, I could only answer, that one “freshman” day was enough for me thanks. Even if it is an Ecua-tradition. :)