Crunch Time

I'm teaching twice and have a paper due this week...and I promised Lena I would do girls' night Thursday night...which means:  It's crunch time!

I taught the Elementary class for the first time tonight, and it went well.  I focused on giving succinct instructions in imperatives and reducing my teacher talk time, and I succeeded!  It's so different from teaching Intermediate learners, but I was pleased with the answers I got for my concept checking questions and vocabulary eliciting.  Okay, enough CELTA jargon...

Heather and I were going to Quito last weekend, but when we got to the airport in Guayaquil, we discovered that it was closed because of the volcanic ash from the Tungurahua erruption.  I said, "Let's catch a bus somewhere to the highlands."  So, we went to Cuenca.  It was a four hour bus ride from Guayaquil, but worth it!  The mountains were gorgeous, and I had a front row seat in the bus and an open window, so I was very happy.

Cuenca is a beautiful colonial city with a lovely central park, cobblestone streets, and colonial architecture.  The weather was cool--a welcome change from Kamala.  Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador, but it didn't feel crowded at all.  The people were welcoming, the restaurants were charming, and the shopping was good.  Heather and I did a lot of walking around the city, which felt very safe during the day.  At night, I was disappointed to discover that the best salsa club in town was closed...boooo!  No worries, though, I got some delicious ice cream and headed back to the hotel for a movie. 

Sunday morning, I didn't want to leave.  "I don't want to go back to school!"  But after another amazing bus ride above the clouds, we were on our way back to Montanita.

I eavesdropped on the conversation a row back.  The Swiss girl had an Ecuadorian boyfriend who she said was jealous and who called her twice on the ride back.  The British girl sang the praises of traveling alone.  Meeting people is much easier when you travel alone, she said.  And she's right.  I'm looking forward to getting my pack on some time soon.

I don't recommend that anyone stay in Kamala for five weeks...a bug just fell from the ceiling onto my desk...three days max.  We're all itching to finish our certifications...and I think we all might!  One crunch week and one wrap-up week to go...

I may go whale watching on an island this weekend.  It's early for whales, but I hear the trip is worth the ride.  1am:  time to crawl under my mosquito net and dream of the mountains near Cuenca.

Sweet dreams,
Rebecca