Life here keeps me busy, in regards to both my daily responsibilities but also the opportunities to explore this beautiful country. Here’s what I’ve been up to since my last post…

Work

“We are the students’ clients.” My colleague stated this to me the other day, which shed light on what I’ve been struggling to articulate about the culture of my school. I teach in the national division, meaning that all of my students are Ecuadorian “legacy students” (whose older relatives are alumni) – the upper echelon of Quito society.  

Parents on the board of directors (and by extension, their children) largely dictate what happens at the school, even though some of these decisions contradict the “American” philosophy of the school. Suffice it to say, some days have been very frustrating.

Most of my students are very kind and polite, but there is definitely an aura of privilege. My 12th graders are applying to ivy league schools, participating in polo, and taking trips to exotic places when they aren’t going to their weekend farms and beach homes.

Students call teachers by their first names. I was a little taken aback at first, but I’ve largely gotten used to it. 

Here’s my schedule again:

I teach two preps, both Theory of Knowledge, or TOK, with 10 parallels (sections). We are on a six-day rotation, during which I see my 11th graders three times and my 12th graders twice. On any given day, one parallel might be on their third day of class, and another might be on their sixth. Honestly, sometimes it feels like I spend half my school day just trying to figure out my schedule – determining due dates for homework is kind of a nightmare!

Teenagers are fascinating creatures. It’s one of the main reasons I was drawn to secondary education: I love observing and analyzing their behaviors. In many ways, teenagers are essentially the same all around the world in their social norms, their “types” (artsy, jock, etc.) and the things they try to get away with. My Ecuadorian students have even embraced the strange adolescent practice of “paqueta,” in which they turn their friend’s backpacks inside out when they aren’t looking. I genuinely enjoy my conversations with my students, learning everything I can about their impressions of the world around them. They humor me by allowing me to practice my Spanish with them as well.

Sometimes I forget that I’m teaching in a foreign, developing country, and then something happens that jolts me back to reality. For example, my bus driver usually turns on the ‘80s radio station, and I had a surreal moment this past week when “Gangsta’s Paradise” started playing. Such a different context and scenery for this blast from the past! But in general, life here feels more normal with every passing week.

Exploring

Outside of school, I explore as much as possible. Here are some of the places I’ve enjoyed in Quito:

Quito has several interesting ethnohistoric museums. In my experience so far, museums have little to no supervision within the galleries. And here is a rare example of plexiglass protecting artifacts.

I was very fortunate to watch an Ecuadorian playoff match in-person. Ecuadorian fútbol fans are fanatical! I learned some interesting new words and phrases. 🙂

Guayasamín House Museum/Capilla del Hombre – fascinating home of Ecuador’s most famous painter, as well as a “chapel” he dedicated to social justice issues

Further Afield

Over a holiday, I traveled to the beach with a couple of girlfriends. Puerto Lopez is a low-key fishing village with just the right amount of infrastructure for tourists. We went on a long hike at Isla de la Plata, home of many birds, including blue footed boobies. Our guide taught us several fun facts about boobies, including that their feet are not blue at birth! In fact, their feet turn a darker shade of blue every year. We also had the opportunity to observe the males’ amusing, elaborate mating call and dance.

I had my first canyoning experience in Baños, and it definitely challenged me. I felt pretty nervous at the beginning, since the very first thing we did was jump off a waterfall! Ultimately, it was a fun and gratifying adventure.

For Maurissa’s birthday, we visited Termas Papallacta, a beautiful resort with hot springs, set in a national forest.

Elise arrives in Quito in four days, and I can hardly wait! On the docket: a visit to the Amazon over Christmas, and another beach adventure. ¡Salud!