Performing (ish)

Because I fear that people may only read the beginning of posts, I'm going to put my request here. I need you to all think of simple songs in English (ex: Old McDonald, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc) that I can use to teach English. Also, if you can think of games that might be fun, that would be neat too. My one idea is Simon Says. Email them to me at brandt.amelia@gmail.com. Thanks, you guys are the very, very best :)

This Monday marked my official start of work. I went to the Hazel McCallion School where I'll be teaching English and had a tour and met the kids and other teachers. If I understand things correctly (which is always a stretch of the imagination), I'll be co-teaching with another teacher named Belen (who also happens to be 24). I'll be teaching grades 2, 3, and 4 and the word on the street is that I'll be putting in around 10 hours a week there. I have a feeling that the school could end up taking up more of my time, but we'll see.

I fell in love with the school as soon as I started going around and meeting different students. I forgot how much I love working with kids. If I had any doubts about working with these kids, they were absolutely dashed when the kids all kissed me on the cheek when they left the class. That's typical in Ecuador for saying hello and goodbye, but it's unbelievably adorable when 6 and 7 year olds do it.

After some lunch with Cesar and Paty I decided to go look for the South American Explorers clubhouse. I heard about it from someone at my language school. It's a little place for travelers and ex-pats to get together and hang out, I guess. They have different events and they plan trips once or twice a month. It seemed like a pretty cool deal, but there's a $50 membership fee. I decided I would think about it. As some of you know, I'm worried about not having any friends here, which was why I considered it in the first place. However, I met two Americans around my age at church, and Belen is exactly my age, so assuming that I work my charm I could very possibly have THREE friends. Wow, where WILL I find the time to hang out with everyone? Anyway, I decided I would wait until the end of the month to see if I want to become a South American Explorer.

I took on the Ecovia bus to go down to the South American Explorers clubhouse and I definitely did great on the way there. I'll spare you the details, but on the way back the Ecovia won by a landslide. Stupid buses. In other news, I took the advice of an Ecuadorian about my showering situation and I found that if I reduce the pressure, I can get a semi-warm shower. It's a discovery that will make my life infinitely happier.