Vacation Time

So I've been on break since the day after my birthday. I wish I could say I did something super exciting like Elizabeth, Robin, and Stephanie - who went to Columbia - or Greg, Claire, and Emily M. - who went to Cuaybeno - but, sadly, I did not. Because I moved, my money for March was a little tight, so I stayed in Quito instead. I did nothing particularly exciting, but then again, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Monday was fun. Iris came into Quito around 1 am on Monday. Then we went to Crepes and Waffles for lunch before she met the new February group of volunteers. On Tuesday morning she flew to Chicago. Very exciting, because she will be bringing me back some clothes next week. (Thank god, I need some.)

Yesterday I went to Crepes and Waffles again with Robert. Then later I went out in Cumbaya with a group of friends from CEC for Ann's birthday. Cumbaya is a very nice town about 30 minutes outside of Quito. Here are some lovely pictures of the plaza and a church there.

Garden outside the church

 Andrea and Ann by a poinsettia tree

Bell tower

Really tall agave plant

 More garden

Looking out onto the plaza

 Door of the church

Plaza at night

Church at night

Tomorrow is the teachers' meeting for the new cycle. Then I'll find out what my new schedule is and what level(s) I'll be teaching. Hopefully, I'll get a better schedule than last cycle (as in, a block schedule). It would also be nice to have one of the levels I've already taught, but who knows. We'll see tomorrow. The new February volunteers will start tomorrow too. 6 from their group will be working at CEC.

Anyway, this is about all I've got for this update. Pretty much just laid around for the last week and a half. As nice as that was, I'm also excited to go back to teaching. Inactivity can get really boring and depressing. Plus, lying in bed all day does not really help me continue my weight loss. Since I've gotten here, I've lost about 45 lbs. I hope this trend can continue. :-) Just not too fast, or I'll end up with no clothes to wear. Teaching naked doesn't really go over well with anyone involved.

The Adventure of Moving

So, for those of you who did not know, last weekend I moved out of my host family's house. I have moved into an apartment with 2 other World Teach volunteers on the opposite side of Quito. (I lived in the East and now I live in the West.) My host dad drove me to the apartment and helped me unload everything, so moving was pretty easy. I spent most of Saturday unpacking, organizing, and going grocery shopping. Here are some lovely pictures of where I live now:


My room

 Hallway - on the left is the bedroom, at the end is Elizabeth's room, then Robin's, then mine.

 2 bathrooms - this one is down some stairs, under another set of stairs.

 Stairway to nowhere!

 Roomy living room

Dining table

 Fireplace!

 Gateway into the apartment.

Kitchen! Nice skylight that is awesome when there is sun.

As for the rest of the weekend, I went and saw Galo run in a 10k. Then we just hung out in the apartment for the rest of the day. Today was the last day of cycle 1 at CEC. This means classes are over and I have a break until March 19. I'm very excited because all of my students passed. :-) I'm not sure what I will do with my break, since moving has made my budget for this month a little tight. I'll probably just hang out in Quito. Maybe take a day trip...we'll see.

Oh yes, today is also my birthday. So far, it's been an awesome day. Not sure what I'll do tonight, but I'm sure it will be fun. Anyway, I think that's all I got. Not much else has happened. The new group of volunteers arrived Feb. 23, so are currently here in Quito for orientation. A few of them will be staying after orientation.