Busy Weekend

Well this weekend started with a 15 year old birthday party here. This is the most important birthday for girls in Hispanic culture because it signifies becoming a lady. The party was supposed to start at 6:00 and true to Ecuadorian culture it began around 7:30. We played games, ate food, and took a lot of pictures. Then on Saturday a group of my 10th grade students went on a hike to some waterfalls. It was beautiful! The water was absolutely freezing though. You could jump into the river and walk behind the waterfall. We had a really great time. Saturday afternoon was spent doing some cloud watching with a 10 year old boy. We just laid out on a blanket and checked out the clouds - very relaxing! He was quite creative in the shapes he could make out of the clouds. Then Sunday was spent with kids from the other orphanage. We went to go to Snow White performed by the Ecuadorian National Ballet. It was a great presentation despite having to keep them occupied until the play started. Today after teaching, I was ready for a nap.

La Quinceanera and her sister



The hike to the waterfall




I believe this one was Aladdin's lamp



5/7 dwarfs

Shell weekend

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go visit Shell, a city in the Oriente of Ecuador. For those of you who have seen the movie End of the Spear, or who are familiar with the story of the Saint family, this is where they lived.
I went down to visit another orphanage which is run by an American lady. She takes in many special needs children raging from newborns to 13 and 14 year olds. The space was quite cramped and the kids loved the attention they got. My friend and I sang for about 3 hours. I pulled out all the kids songs with actions I think I ever learned. I must say it was a little chaotic! They have just started a school on site - it is very small! All of the subjects though are taught in English so the older kids are fluent in English.
I really loved the town. It is closer to the jungle so it has a totally different feel than Quito. I would love to go back and visit this orphanage as they are expanding their space and making some different improvements.

The Nick Saint House


In the midst of some sort of game

A Day Off

Yesterday was such a great time of just hanging out with the kids. We had the day off from school, so I took two boys to the park to do some skateboarding and paddle boating. It was fun getting to spend time with them outside of the orphanage. They were really cute and loved taking pictures of our outing. I also started an art project that I've been wanting to do with the houses. I bought some canvasses and each of the kids from each house will be able to paint on the canvas. It's really interesting to see what they paint and how into it they get. It was a really relaxing day and I'm looking forward to more days like this before it is time for me to leave.

April Showers

"The hand"

Puppetry at its best

So we are definitely in rainy season. It has been raining consistently for 13 days. Not just any kind of rain, I'm talking downpours!
The last month has been busy with many activities, visitors, and time with friends. A group from the states came to visit and they were able to play with the kids and build some lasting relationships with them.
My two friends, Krista and Katherine, were also down for about 5 days. We got to do some fun sightseeing and also spend time here at the orphanage. Thanks for visiting!
Things at school are going well. We are in the third tri-mester. Tomorrow is teacher's day, so we have off from school. I love how this country has a holiday for everyone and all are celebrated. Amy (the other English teacher and I) have been able to break out some puppet shows, instantaneous songs, parachute activities, and some lovely crafts. I'm thinking we are ready for SNL.

The last few field trips that I have taken with the kids have been great. The last one, was with one of the teenage special needs girls. We went to the botanical garden and I gave her my camera to take pictures. She took over 100 pictures in the span of one hour. Many nice ones of my hand I might add. I'm thinking if teaching doesn't work out for me, I will be a hand model.
Parachute

Cooking class - they made flowers
with kiwis, strawberries, mint leaves, and green beans