Well That’s…Different!

News flash!!! Ecuador is NOT the United States!! Crazy, right?!

(Haha! Sorry for the sarcasm, but I couldn’t help it!)

Here are a few differences that kind of caught me off guard:

1. Things at the grocery store are not in the same place (the stores are called Supermaxi and Megamaxi).  After being convinced that the store didn’t sell certain items, someone alerted me to this information haha! Somehow the Peanut butter is next to the margarine, while the nutella is next to jelly.  Oatmeal is not next to cereal, but is next to sugar and rice.  (and PB is sooo expensive here-not happy!)

2. When greeting people (anyone, even an acquaintance) you need to side hug and air kiss.  This made me a little uncomfortable at first, but now I am used to it. 

3. Random animals can be found in the park and made into house pets.  Example “A” meet “Fluffy” our new temporary chicken guest!  It was found at the park and did not have a home and was shivering, so we rescued him.  His name is not really “Fluffy,” but I forgot his real name so “Fluffy” will have to do for now ;)

Such a cute little guy!! 

4. “Volcano Eruption Evacuation” is a REAL THING!  I have no idea how I entered a country without looking into some important information.  If “Cotopaxi” (they even have names like hurricanes do) blows, we are IN SOME SERIOUS TROUBLE.  Stranded in lots of ash for days!! On a side note, training for Volcano eruption with staff here was so much fun!!

5. No flushing toilet paper down the toilet-not much else to say haha!

6. The coffee here is TERRIBLE.  This is the saddest thing ever! I was looking forward to some great coffee on a daily basis, but I have to walk a mile to get a good…errr decent Cup O’ Joe.  I’m glad I know Spanish and can ask for my “Café negro sin azucar o leche”   (black coffee without sugar or milk). Apparently they export all the good stuff L I’m probably going to hit the Starbucks pretty hard when I return-coffee coma here I come!!

No shortage of "Starbucks selfies" haha!

7.  Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way!! Unless you want to become a human pancake, WATCH out while crossing the street! 

I’m sure this is only the beginning of the differences that I will continue to encounter!

NEVER say “never”

…NO, not the song from JB!

(Justine-If you’re reading this you will appreciate this JB reference haha!!)

Have you ever thought about this statement and filled it in with a specific thing. For example…

            God, you’ll know I love you if I serve you in a COLD place.

The statement above would be a hard thing that God could ask me to do.

I think as humans, our minds are wired to detect threats and fear the unknown as we make decisions and go certain directions in life.  This may be natural, but as Christians, this cannot be the only thing that guides our journey in life.  We must be sensitive to the spirit’s calling, despite perceived danger (or sacrifices that need to be made). 

When people ask me where I want to end up teaching, I say, “I have no idea.”  And I am completely at peace with that response.  If I start to set my heart on something and make plans right now, then how will I be allowing God to lead me?  I wouldn’t be!!

I usually follow up “I have no idea” by saying that 3 years ago, if you would have told me that I would be spending my summers in FL living with my parents in a house with a pool, I would have laughed in your face!  Now, FL is a place I would TOTALLY consider living after graduation! (I’ve tasted the good life-I never knew that I didn’t have to be cold All. The. Time.)

Seeing our FL home for the first time-I've never been this pasty white since!

I’ve never been in a rush to finish any stage of my life.  As a high school senior, I was completely content to stay in High School, but I was also anticipating college with some excitement too.  I was ready to move on, but not trying to wish it all away by waiting for the next step in life.  I am not in a rush to figure things out after graduation, nor am I anxious about big decisions that will be made after.  Worrying will not help, so what’s the point in being anxious?!

When it comes to teaching, people also ask me what grade I want to teach-like I have a choice-wishful thinking haha!  To this, I say, “Well, if I tell you that I will never be a kindergarten teacher, I  know that is where I’ll end up!  After all, God has a funny sense of humor.”  Then I usually joke again and say, “God, please hear me out when I say I would llloooovvveee to teach kindergarten!” 

So, as I try to keep my heart open, I constantly remind myself:

Never Say “never!”

A Good Cup O’ Joe is Hard to Come By!

Yes, I am one of those people!  The people that obsess about coffee and get cranky when they don’t have it!  After my marathon a few weeks ago, my patience was wearing thin until my post race coffee stop! 

I NEED a cup of coffee to function each day.  Just one cup gives me that extra perk…and ability to keep up with a room full of 6  year olds haha!  Before coming to Ecuador I had assumed that the coffee would be amazing! (Oh to look back at and my naïve assumptions…)

Starbucks: My trusted companion on road-trips!

Within days I knew that my dreams of wonderful coffee everywhere were in fact very, very far from the truth.  L  BUT, if you know me very well-then you know that I do NOT give up easily.  I asked everyone I met where I could get good coffee, and yes, I walked at least a mile to every coffee place recommended to come to my own conclusions about the coffee.  Here were my results (As any teacher would, I graded my coffee with letters-no standards based rubric here!-If you are a teacher, you will understand this haha!)

School Coffee

Grade: D

The only thing going for this coffee is convenience.

Sweet & Coffee

Grade: C

The flavor was ok, but unable to fulfill my request for iced coffee.  It was basically a few ice cubs were put in a hot cup of coffee. No bueno.

El Español

Grade: C+

This was my first “close to iced coffee” drink I had in Quito.  Plenty of ice to be actually be an iced coffee, but the flavor was not very strong.

As you can see, the coffee situation was looking pretty bleak until I met someone in line at El Español one day from the States and told me that the “Starbucks” here is called “Juan Valdez.”  So, I immediately went to check it out!

Juan Valdez

Grade: B+

Out of all the coffee I have had in Ecuador, this is definitely my favorite.  When I ordered, I got exactly what I wanted EVERY time (it's called a tinto frio)  It is not quite the level of Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, but it is a good alternative well I’m here. 

 

My Juan Valdez iced coffee!  

Soooooo….. my coffee needs have been met, but I am still very much looking forward to my beloved Starbucks once I return….aaaannndd I have gift cards to use-thanks to my wonderful high schoolers from my last student teaching placement! What’s better than coffee that’s “free??”  Can I get an “amen?!”

My Typical Day in Quito

I’ve been here almost 2 weeks now, and I’ve gotten into a pretty regular routine.  

6:45 Wake up (5:45 if I do morning run)

7:20 Eat breakfast (Apple, eggs, or oatmeal)

7:40 Arrive at School-literally 1 minute walk from dorm to school

7:45-12 Teach my first grade munchkins. My name is either: ummmmm (my personal favorite haha!), Mrs. Teacher, Mrs. Gabriel, Ms. Gabriella…pretty much anything! Unfortunately, now I’ve been accidently calling MYSELF Mrs. Gabriel-oops!

My very first teacher desk!!

12:00-12:30 Lunch (usually a salad with fruit and coffee)

Might look boring, but the produce here will rock your socks off!

12:30-3:30 More teaching…err…trying to keep control of the crazy little ones hehe ;)

3:30-3:45 Leave school-it is always down-pouring rain at this time (yay for rainy season)

4:00-5:30 Lesson planning or afternoon run/workout

6:00-7:00 Eat dinner somewhere in here (Menu: Rice, rice, and Rice haha! But on a serious note: it IS a good think I like rice!)

7:00-9:00 Finish lesson planning, watch Netflix, and relax with HOT tea because I am always freezing!!

9:00-9:30 get ready for bed

10:00 SLEEP!

A First Time For Everything!

 First of all, this was truly a whirlwind of a weekend!  In true “KIM” fashion, I wouldn’t have it any other way ;)

My First Marathon (Saturday):

In mid-August after triathlon season ended, I decided to shift my focus to running.  For triathlon training, my long runs can be about 16/17 miles, so distance running (or marathon training) was not a super big stretch.  I was definitely in shape, and it would be easy to just keep running at school.  I had a little less than 2 months before leaving for Ecuador, so I looked at a few intermediate and advanced marathon running training plans online and used tempo and hill workouts from previous triathlon seasons.  All this time I knew that I might race in a marathon before leaving the country, but I was not at all convinced and committed.  ONE week before leaving for Ecuador, I officially signed up for a marathon in Libertyville, IL the day before my flight would leave!! I thought, “why not?! I know I can do the distance, so just get a feel for it and have fun with it!”  (Yes, I know this is DEFINITELY not a typical thought going into a marathon, but what can I say besides “I’m crazy!”)

Friday, the night before the race, I drove 7 hours from Kentucky to Chicago, arriving at 10 pm.  The kitchen is under construction, so our food was VERY limited.  I ended up having a bowl (well, actually 2 haha!) of Rice Krispies and a handful of TJ’s Pumpkin O’s cereal.  BEST PRE-RACE MEAL EVER!! I went to bed not nervous or anxious at all.  I didn’t care about what time I would run, knowing that the pre-race circumstances were not exactly ideal. Goal=finish!!!

Race day I woke up around 5:30 and we left the house by 6:00.  Since our food situation was nonexistent, we stopped at a gas station 15 minutes from the race site where I bought a banana with some peanut butter.  I at it quickly and we arrived at the race.  It was SO COLD-47 degrees!  I had NO CLUE what to wear and kept debating for 20 minutes.  I decided to wear shorts and a long sleeve Nike dry-fit top.  I was a little too warm at the end of the race, but comfortable for most of it. 

I got in the mob at the start and waited to start.  People were going off for a quick jog to warm up, and I thought I probably should too, but didn’t feel like it haha!  While in the starting area, I realized I forgot to put my BIB and timing chip on, so I quickly put that on a minute before start!  It was so much to take in, and I didn’t have a routine like I do for triathlons.

“GO,” said the starter, and we were off!  I was very relaxed and just taking in the whole experience.  I glanced at my Garmin a few times during the first mile, but I really tried to focus on feel and consistency.  My legs were pretty numb from the cold, which worried me a little since my knees tend to ache in the cold.  From mile one on, my spits were very consistent and controlled ranging from 7:50-8:00.  I did not feel that I was pushing too hard, and my legs felt pretty fresh.  I figured I would go at this pace as long as possible.  “As long as possible” ended up being 20 miles.  For the first 20 miles, I kept pace and felt awesome!  I was really enjoying everything, the fresh air, the people, my music, and the path.  I had NO CLUE what to eat/fuel with during the race, so I figured I would just adjust as necessary-similar to triathlon.  I had a small sip of Gatorade at every aid station and a few energy chews every 8 miles. 

Around mile 15, I started thinking, “At the pace I’m going, Boston might be a reality today.” Based on my running in triathlon half-marathons, I knew that my abilities might be in the Boston qualifying range.  But I really had NO CLUE what kind of pace I could hold for 26 miles! (Or in this race, 26.4-and YES, the EXTRA 0.2 drives me CRAAAAZZZZYYY!)  Therefore, Boston was not my goal in this race, but it was a time I was aware of in the back of my mind.  

At mile 18, I passed the crowd and was told I was the 6^th female.  This encouraged me more and gave me another boost! Around mile 20 is really when the fatigue started to set in.   I never hit the wall the way I have in past triathlons, but my pace slowed slightly to an 8:15/8:30 minute mile. This is when the countdown truly began.  At mile 22 I passed 2 more women, which gave me a second burst of energy to think that I was in 4^th now!  About 2.5 miles out from the finish, I knew I had enough in the tank to finish fairly strong.  Soon, the crowds encouraged me, knowing that I was SOOO close (btw: NEVER tell a runner that they are close to finish or they will be angry, “close” is never “close enough” haha!)

I crossed in a time of 3:32:08 and an 8:06 average pace! BQ time is 3:35:00.  I was relieved to be done and kept repeating, “I can’t believe I just did that!!”  Before the race I had told my mom that I would probably finish by noon (under 4 hours), so to finish waayyy faster than my general prediction was awesome!  I just went out there to have fun and run a “casual marathon” –the exact words I told my mom that day haha!  I can’t believe what happened and I still doubt my legs and how they ran that fast!-except the soreness makes it a little more believable now!!

 “Now when can I have Starbucks?!” ~Kim, 2 minutes post race!

Post Race Photo-Yes I have eyeliner and mascara on!

"Cheer-balloons" my mom brought! (But FORGOT in the  car...oh well, it's the thought that counts!)

My First day in Ecuador (Sunday):

Ok, so running a marathon less than 24 hours before riding in a plane all day was not the smartest decision I could have made!  I’m so incredibly stiff…ahhhh!  Got my iced coffee-which costs way too much at airports, which means I’m ready to leave!

By the time I got to the Panama airport, I was completely exhausted (it was only 2pm).  I had gotten very little sleep for the past few days, and with the excitement/craziness from Saturday-I was on the edge emotionally. I had a few panic moments throughout the day with thoughts like, “what on earth am I doing?”  (Come to think about it, I have this thought a lot, especially while racing haha!).  I had my complete meltdown in Panama when my flight did not have a gate for my next flight because it was too soon to have it ready (I had a 5 hour layover).  I was NOT a pleasant person that day and I was constantly on the verge of tears trying to hold myself together. 

Saying good-bye to Mom in Chicago!  

My airline ticket!

My next panic moment came in the Quito airport.  I worried about being picked up and if the driver would find me!  It all went smoothly, and I got to my dorm at about 10pm.  I SLEPT SO WELL that night and have passed out so tired every day this week.  

So what got me to this point???

Early this year, I was told that I would have the opportunity to Student Teach in ECUADOR after a loooonnnggg application process!  To be completely honest, I have NO IDEA what to expect, but over the past few years, I’ve learned to embrace the unknown and make the most of each situation.  After all, we cannot always control our situation, but we can control our reaction to it.

After receiving news that I would be going to Quito, Ecuador!

CCTECC orientation in April 2015  

I’m not exactly the most adventurous type-So why am I going to Ecuador to student teach?  Well, I am majoring in both Elementary and Spanish Education, so going abroad to a Spanish speaking country to teach 1^st grade is a great way to combine the two.  I am interested in teaching ELL students someday, or possibly in a dual-language/immersion type school.  This will give me the opportunity to see if international teaching is something that I would consider doing.  Only God knows where I will end up someday, and this may be his way of opening my eyes and heart to something that is not “on my radar” at this moment. 

As I am about to embark on this journey, please pray for:

-Safety/Health

-Adjusting to my surroundings

-Relationships with cooperating teacher and students

I will hopefully continue to post every few days with some updates and news about my experience and adventures here!