Summer English classes were a hit and I really enjoyed giving them. There was enough interest to keep going a week longer than we had planned, although by the end it was one hour of English and one our of basketball.
The last week I only had 15 students, a class size that lent itself to fun activities and good learning (I hope).
The squirrely boys sat in the back but I always made them participate.
Steven (pronounced Eh-steven) is an angel in class but wild and rambunctious once you let him outside.
One recess the dog got ahold of Michelle's notebook and had a ball making the kids chase her around to get it back. She ate half of the front cover before letting it go.
More post-class antics: trying to pick the neighbor's well-fortified blackberries.For our final Friday excursion, the math teacher and I took 30 kids up to Laguna Cuicocha to walk around the crater. Half of the kids ran ahead while some of the others struggled to finsh the 4-hour route, but we all had a good time.
Michelle, Monica, Thalia, and Steven all perky at the beginning of the walk.
Taking a rest break about a quarter of the way in. The first kids start to complain about being tired.
Monica and Michelle were two of the sweetest girls in the class.
Alfredo, the math teacher, was completely in his element, picking blueberries and teaching us all about the plants we saw.
My new friend Fanny with her kids Steven and Michelle, after they invited me for lunch at their house and a tour of the neighborhood.
On Sunday I climbed the hill to a minga (community work party) to put in a potable water pipeline for parts of the community. Every family has to send a representative, and I spent most fo the time digging with my awesome cousin Mariana.
We had a nice day and the view stretched north toward Colombia.
The following Monday, we had a big mural-painting and goodbye party for the group of American students from Putney.
More gorgeous weather inspired me to capture Imbabura from our backyard, where my host dad grows beans, corn, and currently peas.
Elsa and cousin Jefferson, one of my former Panecillo students.
I'm still chipping away at my sewing project, an embroidered shirt that I'm planning to give to my host mom.
Alberto and wife Luzmila dress 4 month-old Wayta up as a mini-tia (auntie).
Que bonita! Even sticking out her tongue.
A few weeks ago, Kelly and I went to Mindo to relax in tropical paradise. It reminds me so much of Hawaii, with its rain, birdsong and vistas. Ahh, home.
We walked up a dirt road to the famous waterfall, which morphed from a 2km (according to the sign at the bottom) to what must have been 8km walk.
The river was cold and clear. Kel crossing the bridge.
We got lots of offers to go "canopying" (zip line) but partly based on this photo decided it wasn't for us.
Instead we ventured down the slide into cool, refreshing water. It was an excellent weekend adventure.