I was very lucky to be able to spend New Year's Eve with my mom and brother. They arrived in la Carita de Dios (Quito) a few hours before midnight and we had some champagne and watched my neighbors burn their año viejo dolls (it's tradition to construct a papier-maché doll or effigy as a symbol for the previous year's strife. On New Year's Eve, the dolls are burned in the street (despues de la fiesta) as a "clean-start" ritual). During their stay we checked out some of the sights in town and visited three of the cities around Quito: Mindo, Otavalo and Baños. We may have overextended ourselves a bit, but I can now chalk that up to my overly exuberant desire to show them as much of this beautiful country as possible. Some highlights included: zip-lining, a boat ride around a crater lake, taking a chivas and checking out the waterfalls of Baños, good meals and, of course, good conversation. Oh, and having fist-sized rocks thrown at us through bus windows (Ask my mom or Billy).
After our trip and an early-morning departure by the fam, I started my second cycle. I was assigned quite a few high-school students, which was trying at times, as they tended to care more about flirting in Spanish than learning English. Despite that fact, it was a great cycle and I was very fortunate to have so many hard-working and curious students (who were also great people and very fun to go out with after class). My post-cycle evaluations were very positive and now, a quarter of the way into my third cycle, I'm teaching almost 60 people. I'm really starting to feel confident, which is heartening, as I have, for a long time, considered teaching as a possible career (but not TEFL; I want my own class, a new mixed-media genre where I compare the fiction of Thomas Pynchon with the films of David Lynch, or a military history class called The Eastern Front During WWII (Stalingrad, Leningrad, Kursk and the End of the Third Reich) or The Implications of Magical Realism in a Postmodern World, you know, something interesting). Anyways, I am very happy that I decided to come to Quito and teach. It's a great way for me to explore the world (as I can support myself). I am learning new things all the time, gaining experience in teaching and meeting interesting people.
I've also continued traveling around the country. A couple of friends (Max and Charlie Dulberger) came down and we spent a week touring the southern coast. Starting in the quiet fishing town of Puerto Lopez and then heading to Montañita (a hedonist surfer haven), we made Wisconsin proud. My favorite memories include: Hosteria Mandala (the food, their copy of the Codex Seraphinianus (a rare book written in an indecipherable, made up language, with Dali-esque illustrations), spending our afternoons in the music room, serenading the other guests with Beatles covers, our private two-story cabaña, the beach, the radiant sun, swimming in the Pacific and dancing until 4 am at a beach party in Montañita. It was a very relaxing trip and it was great to be able to do it with old friends. Also, I went camping with a couple of my old students. We visited a gigantic crater lake called Quilotoa. Luckily, we had great weather (clear skies, both day and night) but it was very, very cold at night. When we woke up the next morning, we began what was to be a grueling ascent. Though the hike was pretty tough, we were rewarded with views of Ecuador's largest volcano, Chimborazo, as we passed the ridge-line of the crater. It was inspiring, to say the least.
Time is passing so fast it's hard to believe. It feels like yesterday that Nannie was dropping me off at the airport, and timid, and with trepidation, I boarded a plane to a country that I did not know much about. Things were very uncertain and they still are, but in a different way. I have made a kind-of home (through my routine) here and to be completely honest, I do not really know when I will come back. I'm undergoing an exciting journey and I'm enjoying it to the fullest. Next up: A trip to Argentina's Tierra del Fuego!
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