Going to just go with photos this time.  I've been working at school and by far the best part of this assignment is the school day.  The kids are very interesting....and interested.   Hoping for some good results. 

These are the students sitting outside ....earthquake evacuation drill.  Notice the uniforms.  The girls wear saddle oxfords...so cute.

Just another photo of the students at the earthquake drill.

They assemble every Monday morning on this big space for announcements, flag ceremony, school song etc. Its a large concrete area in the middle with classrooms all around .  This is also where they have their PE classes....and displays of posters celebrating 24 of October, the Battle of Pichincha...when they finally drove out the Spaniards.  Lots of their schools and roads are named after important historical dates....its a good thing.  Our school is Colegio ( high school) 28 de octubre and for a long time I thought that was the date of the battle of Pichincha but I learned today that the battle was on the 24th of May of some year and the 28th of octubre wasa totally different important day...it was some big protest against the catholic church running the country but no one in the teacher's work room could remember any details.  I think I'll google that. 

Funny story.   We have a work room with air conditioning.  There are two units and they are both going full blast when I go in but everyone is complaining about how cold it is.  So, I asked a couple teachers if we could change the temperature setting and they just nodded, smiling vacantly that they did not know where the remote control was.  So, I suggested we just unplug one of them...They were scared to death but I did it.   I checked the room later , no one had replugged it in and the temperature in there was just right.  So weird, how they just accept stuff.    In my travels, I have decided that is what makes we Americans so envied by so many, we just do what seems right...without out worrying about who might not like it.  I had a similar experience in Bulgaria with an umbrella on a table in an outdoor restaurant.  People were sitting in the sun, just baking, and waiting for someone else to raise the umbrella....I said, Lets just do it, so we did and my counter part , Tsveta, said, " That was so American !"  Funny. 

Another shot of the Monday morning assembly.....classroom buildings up in the back.  Its actually a pretty nice campus.

My cat...Gringo.  He is so so sweet and knows how to cool off.  More pictures later. I am told he arrived here the same day I did so they decided he was mine and named him Gringo.  We had him castrated as he was fighting with the other two castrated male cats who live here.  He is still fighting them...hope they make friends

This is Gringo sleeping in my suitcase.  I have not totally unpacked....but will, eventually, I guess.

This is our youngest group.  They are called the Octavos...8th graders but they are really the age of 7th graders...their numbering system is different from what I am used to.  They were having a party celebrating the Dia del Nino..day of the child...any excuse to have a party and cancel class !!!!  Sad....the class cancelling part.

Gringo looking for something under my bed.  He loves this laid out position....cools his stomach, I guess.

Obviously, I am still learning how to take a selfie without looking like I am taking a selfie.   I was going to delete this, hating myself in it, but its good of the other three and shows the pedestrian and bicycle bridge to Isla Santay.  This island is in the river Daule which runs thru Guayaquil and  has been designated as a protected area so only the families who were living there in the 50s are allowed to live on the island.  No cars are allowed so everyone has to walk or ride bikes across this bridge from the city of Guayaquil.  The gal in the orange is Adela from the family I am renting from, very nice and takes us lots of places, Leslie and Tim are other volunteers in my group.  They are also based in another school in Guayaquil.

The young kids from the 50 families have an elementary school but the older kids go into town.

The cocodrilos are a big draw...and there are lots of them.  notice the English translation...."ride"

Tim and Leslie on one of the paths, some of the paths are on land but most are over swampy areas.  Its a mangrove swamp, by and large.

Time and Leslie on the path.  Its really very beautiful.  We walked for about 5 hours but it was at a very leisurely pace. 

Gringo

an old saab  i found parked along the road...interesting, at least to the Gilsons

This is Becky, the other volunteer who is over 40...tho she is just over 40, unlike me who is.....over much more.  She and I went for a stroll on this Malecon along the river.  It must have been a huge construction project.  I am told that prior to this malecon being built in 2000, it was just an ugly, smelly river shore line.  On the opposite side from the river is the main financial district and commercial district so this was a big big improvement and it is well used by the people. 

more of the malecon....lots of young families

They have these on the malecon....I want to try it.  looked like a lot of fun.  Gotta find out the weight limit.

This is the malecon and shows the office buildings and condos that overlook the malecon now but 16 years ago I guess they overlooked some horrible river shores.  

One of the more beautiful buildings in the city.

This is another pedestrian mall walkway among some government buildings.  Quito is the capital city but Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador and the main port on the Pacific.

A fountain on the pedestrian mall among the government buildings.

This is the atrium of the school of arts building which is right on the malecon overlooking the river.  They must have been so pleased when the ciity   cleaned up the river side and put in the malecon in 2000.

This is just to show the price of turkey breast.....$16 a pound and its not organic even......

Another part of the malecon.....in the distance, you can see the lighthouse where we visited last weekend...climbed 500 steps to get there but beautiful views and all along the stairs are bars and stores...very charming.  Don't have any photos of it but will go again and get some.

And finally, the girls in their saddle oxfords.   Isn't that just so cute !!!!  The blue things are molded plastic desks..not bad but the fat kids have an issue.  Actually, I have not seen a kid too fat to sit in one...don't know what they would do....hmmmmm, I may have some work to do :)No one is allowed to put anything on the walls.....crazy.  They don't want to have to paint.