We've been back two weeks from our site visit...I went to Otovalo, a little north of Quito and had a good visit with the volunteer who is already there working in a school.  We went to school with him one day but then toured the area the other two days.  That was not Peace Corps' intention by sending us there but its how things worked out.  Peace Corps keeps telling us to be flexible.....so we were :)

That was two weeks ago.  This past week we started working/observing in schools here in Quito, three days a week for three weeks.  It has been exhausting, primarily for me because we have to get up at 5, be on the bus by 6 and at the school by 7:40 to teach classes until 12 and then back on the bus to get back to the training center to start classes again there at 1 ( which is impossible) until 5.  They did figure out the impossibility and have made some adjustments to the schedule but its still exhausting.   But...the good part is that the students just LOVE us...its amazing.  Even with all their exposure to technology, and they all seem to have a lot of it, they still love to hear us speaking English...its so darn cute.  And, we are working with high school kids....so cute.

I'll take more photos next week but I have a few to post here.

Two of the sweet street dogs in Otovalo...they followed us around a while.  At least they had each other.  This is Abby and Frank...Frank is the current volunteer there and Abby is in my training class.  He showed us all around and we went to his school with him one day.

Frank and Abby

We went to a Birds of Prey rehab center.  They display their birds as a fund raiser.  This is a bald eagle that they later brought to the amphitheater and let it fly ......it disappeared for a while but came back.  The trainer said they can't release them, even in the US because they are too tame.  They were gifts from the US or Canada.  There are none in the wild down here.

This is a little hawk they let fly around and snag bits of meat out of the air. 

This is a lagoon in an old volcanic crater....very touristic...we went for a boat ride on the water..pretty.

There are a lot of indigenous in Otovalo and I am too shy to take photos of them when they are looking so I snuck this one of this man on a bus.   A lot of men wear those hats and long braids.  I'll try to get some photos of the women and children...beautiful dresses and other clothing.   The old men and women are very interesting looking.  Some photos after i get my nerve up.

One of the many darling young women who are in this training with me.  She is from California but her family is from Afghanistan.  We have so many interesting people and stories.  Shows how diverse the US really is.  We were on a bus on our way to the bike trail. 

In another couple of weeks we will find out our assignments for the next two years.  Once we get those assignments, we'll know more about our futures and I, for one, will feel a lot more settled.

Here we are....ready to go.  It was a small but powerful group. Linda in the blue is my peer, a little younger.  She walked part of the trail.  Hope to get her on a bike soon.

A view from the bike trail.  It runs thru an area an Cumbaya along an old railway.  Actually, very scenic for the most part.

Views from the bike trail.

This is Brooke, she went with me today.  She's from West Va.

More bike trail views.  This is from a little park located beside the trail. 

A little birthday celebration for the daughter who turned 20.

THiis is a hostal in Quito...very unusual looking from the outside.  No idea about the inside or the price.

I found this dark beer...if you look real close on the the label it says Cacao...chocolate.  But it does not have a chocolate flavor at all....just a good flavor...1.50 a bottle.

He is not dead or injured...he sleeps there....crazy...and the cars drive around him...so far.

 I saw this from a bus...I looked at it and looked at it and finally figured it out.  In Spanish the letter "i" has our "e" sound so it, " Beemer parts."   duh. 

One of the beautiful dogs we have to walk past every day on our way to class.....He's just gorgeous and so so neglected.  He needs to be rescued.  He probably has a family but.......

We noticed these two electrical arrangements when we were waiting for our bikes today...amazing and it all seems to work...for the most part.   And, this is in Cumbaya...one of the upscale neighborhoods !!!! Can you imagine looking out of your window at this during an electrical storm ?  I guess that's  why they are all so religious.

 

 

Thats all for now,
Love, me