Moving Home

One month. It's unbelievable how quickly time has passed since the seemingly interminable 18 hour journey from the training center in Tumbaco to my new home in Zamora, Ecuador. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of introductions, English classes, and quick jaunts to various nooks in the Ecuadorian jungle.

Most of my time, unsurprisingly, has been dedicated to my work. As a TEFL volunteer, my primary project involves working as an English teacher in a local high school. Specifically, I co-teach with Ecuadorian teachers as a means of improving their English as well as that of our students. We plan together, practice together, and conduct classes in tandem; it sounds much easier than it is, but I've been extremely lucky in that the English teachers at Colegio 12 de Febrero have been extraordinarily welcoming and eager to work together.

In addition to adjusting to a co-teaching model which is unfamiliar to all involved, much of my work throughout the first few weeks has included adjusting to life within an Ecuadorian high school with students ranging from 11 -20 years old. Classrooms consist of roughly 40 students, grouped in accordance with their academic performance during previous years. The composition of the class never shifts as professors brave the rains to walk from classroom to classroom as opposed to the students. Moreover, most of the buildings lack windows; rather, they have metal slats enabling birds and other distracting wildlife to interrupt class at seemingly the least opportune moments.

I have not, however, been the only teacher adjusting to a new educational system at Colegio 12 de Febrero. Under new educational policies implemented by Correa's government, all teachers now must work eight hours per day. Therefore, we are at the school from 7:00-1:00, go home for lunch from 1:00-2:00, and return from 2:00-4:00 ostensibly to grade student work and plan our classes. As a new teacher, this schedule seems fair, but it is quite controversial amongst the Ecuadorian staff given that they now must work two more hours each day but did not receive a pay raise. In fact, many are earning significantly less money since they can no longer work second jobs during the afternoon or work during the night session at the Colegio as Correa also forbade individual's from earning two government salaries.

In spite of the long hours, I have still begun exploring potential secondary projects. Immediately after arriving, Jarrett, Manny, Will, and I conducted English courses for teachers' from throughout the province and, as suggested by staff from the Ministry of Education, we will most likely by hosting more workshops in the future. Moreover, the librarian at the Colegio recently approached me and another volunteer about helping at a center for disabled members of the community. Until recently, disabled Ecuadorians were essentially institutionalized and segregated from the populace. Recent laws have mandated their inclusion in schools, but inclusion most certainly does not denote that they receive adequate support. Thus, the center seeks to provide support and resources to the disabled and their families. Although the details of a project have yet to be discussed, I greatly enjoyed meeting the center's constituents at a recent birthday party at the center. Other potential projects proposed by staff at the colegio include creating a nutrition program for students, microconsignment work with some of my former colleagues in Paraguay who now work in southern Ecuador, and coaching girls' sports teams.

In spite of an ever-increasing workload, I have still managed to find time to explore Zamora and its surroundings with my host family, friends, and others PCVs. Some of my favorite spots: my host grandfather's farm outside Yantzaza where I've learned to make homemade empanadas (maybe I no longer qualify as a karishina?) and maintain a herd of cattle, Loja where the entirety of Southern Ecuador convened to celebrate the Virgen del Cisne at the beginning of September by attending a massive fair and my Peace Corps cluster convened to relax and meet nearby volunteers, El Pangui where I sat under the stars chomping on street meat in the midst of a hot, humid jungle night, and the road to Podocarpus where I long run each weekend and enjoy amazing views of the jungle, mountains, and so many birds.