I forgot to say that one of my biggest highlights in Saraguro was that I met a local woman, who of course was dressed in traditional clothing, when I was out walking Sunday morning. We exchanged buenas dias and then began talking. She spoke a little English & was delighted to hear that I am teaching English here. Before I knew it, she asked if we could correspond via email & gave me her email address. When I got home Sunday night there was an email waiting for me from her!
Today I again went out with my friend (& tour guide), Hugo. We're kind of clicking. I think I am really helping him with his English & I love getting all the insights & details about the culture, historical sights, geographical info., etc. from him. We're a good match! Today we went to the Museo at Banco Central. We walked around the ruins and the beautifully landscaped grounds & I learned things that I didn't know even though I had been there 2 times before, but without a guide. We also often get some kind of food treat. This time we got a sanduche de mono, a monkey sandwich, a name that it got in Guayaquil. It usually is made of either be from pork or turkey, not monkey!
And yesterday I tutored English to the 12 year old daughter of a friend of my host family. This girl, Camelia, goes to a bi-lingual school and supposedly needs help with her English. I say supposedly because I think her English is quite good, in fact better than a number of my students who are 2x her age. I helped her with some homework & errors from a test, but they were minimal. Her social studies class is entirely in English. She is comfortable speaking English, catches on quickly, and is a delight. We will be meeting again tomorrow. I will have to set limits with the frequency that we meet & the length of each session because I think that she & her father would like us to meet more than will be realistic with my time demands.
Last, but not least, I continue to be SO impressed with my students. Their insight, worldliness, general knowledge never ceases to amaze me. I only hope that I am meeting their expectations. I work VERY hard & spend HOURS preparing......
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