There is a first time for everything...

Wow, A lot has happened since I last wrote.....I came back to Atlanta, for one. Now, I look back and I realize I got scared. The political Issues, a few changes at the school, and a friend who got sick while abroad all played a part. I do not regret leaving the school.....that was a choice I needed to make for myself. However, I DEEPLY regret leaving the country so soon. I actually was unable to leave for a few days ( I had a little run in with Immigration....Now I know the proper steps when registering a visa!)--that should have been a sign I should stay. Leaving is probably my one regret...ever. Now, I can always go back, and I will. I realize that I am not as independent as I want to be, so this has been a lesson for me for sure. I miss that country, and I am not done exploring!!

Since I have been back, I have started a J.Crew again, and I am looking for a job. I have decided I want to do non-profit, or something I can be proud of and help others. I like selling clothes, but at the end of the day, I just help people spend money, and that is not good enough for me. Oh goodness, Life is a total roller coaster.

MISSING HOME

Although I do love my adventures I am having down here in Ecuador, I have to admit I am starting to miss home more and more.... Yes, I realize I have been gone only 2 months. Fall is my favorite season...football, the air, the leaves, not to mention that I love fall clothes! I still frequent the J.Crew website....as well as the Anthropologie one:) I also miss my friends terribly, I happen to have THE BEST friends in the world and going this long without them is kind of painful at times.....Thank God for internet, atleast we can keep in touch that way. So, all this being said, I have never once wanted to quit here--Ecuador is a great country, with great people, and great places to visit.

It is funny, the idea of home to different people and the affect it has on them. Yesterday I had the chance to go on a little road trip to a few different towns north of Quito...what a treat! Ecuador has AMAZING countryside....it reminded me of Italy in many parts. The colors, the people....I am horrible at taking pictures, but I am for sure going to return to those parts and take pictures, and maybe even stay a few days:). Anyways, The my friend and I stopped for lunch and were talking about her work.....she travels to the states frequently and was saying how after about 2 days there, all she wants in some soup and good Juice (ok, America....so we can put a man on the moon but we cannot make fruit juice? It is true, Tropicana you stink in comparison). While, the whole time she was saying this I was thinking all I want is Whole Foods, or Chick Fil A.....I am sick of soup! It was an interesting conversation. I have come to the conclusion that while I love to explore and travel, I will never want to be away for long--Good thing I did not join the Peace Corps! ha!

Interesting....

There is one word for this week- Interesting. Well, it actually did not get interesting until the end, but there was enough interesting in a day to make the whole week interesting. Thursday started off as a normal day at school, and was going great until about 1pm. A letter from the director was being passed around saying that school was cancelled for Friday...my first thought was "Oh maybe i will go to the beach!!" everyone was excited....until we got the reason behind this no school thing....Thursday morning the president was kidnapped by the police. There were riots all over the city, and looters were going wild due to no police. The military was called in and everything shut down. The police got word that their benefits and salaries were being cut, and this is how they reacted....they kidnapped the president! Crazy. Thus, my beach trip idea came to a halt fast. Many of the students got so scared for their parents at work, and they all wondered how long they would be waiting for them. All of this came as a shock to me, although i knew there was political instability in Ecuador, I mean....kidnapping the president!!! Wowzas.

The part that really threw me off was when one of the teachers told me "Oh, there is nothing to worry about, these things happen all the time. It will blow over in a few days..." She said it so calmly it almost made me laugh, until I realized how sad that it was. Those kids knew exactly what was going on, they had witnessed this before, and the teachers seemed to be worried, but they too were all too familiar with this uprising. My first thought was "How can a country even allow this to happen?!" Imagine the U.S. with no police....and then imagine the consequences if Mr. President were kidnapped....goodness gracious. It is Sunday and things here are normal again. I have felt safe everywhere I have gone, everyone says this is a dangerous country, but I believe if you are smart it is no more dangerous than any other. This incident did make me realize I am so lucky to have grown up in America....not only did I grow up in America...I grew up in a great city and went to THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA (can I get a roll tide?!) I am one lucky gal.

I realize that most of these kids may never get out of their situation. Some of them have to get past their family issues, and all of them have to get out of the issues of their country. Education is in very bad shape in this country. These little nuggets do not have it easy. I have decided I am going to make hem keep a journal everyday. I saw the movie Precious last week and that is where i got the idea...write. Every day. In English.

After the interesting week I had, I decided I was going to treat myself this weekend. I checked into a hotel with a hot shower and a comfy bed, and a tv with cable (I have hot water in my apt. but only for about 3 minutes at a time). I now feel like a new person!!! Hey, I may be volunteering, but everyone needs to give themselves a pat on the back every once in a while. To me, it helps me appreciate what I have and I am able to go back to those kids and give them 100%. Volunteering is not about giving up everything you know and want, it is about giving your love to others who need it. Pure and Simple. I am focused on giving a little love to those kids, they need it!!

Life Is Grand Indeed....

Every week I have so many new adventures and stories....This week started off with a nice culinary surprise--really, I wish I could have seen my face when I found this surprise because it was totally unexpected. I went down the street to try a new lunch place on Sunday, and I could not wait to try the chicken and rice...it looked so good. It came with a side of soup (They LOVE their soups here in Ecuador) so I thought I would start with that, it looked good too! Well, as I was scooping up another spoonfull I realized that there was a funny shaped something in there.....I scooped it up and nearly fainted- there was a chicken foot in my soup!!! ahhhh I really did not like this surprise....apparently they are used to flavor soups, but I mean.... I did not eat at all on Monday. I do appreciate the food here....it is all so fresh and simple. It is amazing to me how America can put a man on the moon and not figure out how to make fruit juice. I have a few favorite things.....fried Bananas--they are so good. Cheese Empenadas--yum.....So most things here are very acceptable to eat.

This week was a long one at the school.....but good. I am getting comfortable in the class with my kids...some days I feel as though nothing gets done because they really are not the best at doing what they are told. They are still so cute though.

This weekend was great! Yesterday I met a lady who lives here and she took me to Mitad Del Mundo....the middle of the world!!!!! It is only about 20 minutes outside the city, so it is a perfect day trip. There is the coolest cultural museum there that has all the different regions in Ecuador and all the different customs of each....I loved it, and now I want to visit EVERY CORNER of this tiny country. Aftter the museum I did a little dancing in the middle of the world to a little bit of ecuadorian music. There is a big Crater near the Mitad Del Mundo and so we went to go take a peek....but the clouds were to heavy at this point, and so we could not see that:( However, we ate lunch at El Crater restaurant which was FABULOUS, so our trip had a very happy ending.

Today, I went to Pichincha! I woke up and it was sunny, so i hopped in a taxi and went! The weather here is very tricky....it will be cold, hot, sunny, and rainy all in one day--and foggy too. When I got my ticket I got in line and stood behind 4 people who seemed to be my age....one of whom was very good looking so I kind of researched them. Turns out they were staying at a local hostel and asked me to join them....friends for a day!!! All in all the week was good! I could have done without the chicken foot though....

BUSY!!!!

I love my students--they are insane, but great. Some of them are not the best at sitting still and not talking, but they are young and many have a difficult home life. The directors of the school are very strict about all the kids not talking, I understand you need order, but only being able to play and chat for 30 minutes out of a 7 hour day is hard, I know i would not be able to do that! Despite that, these kids are so loving, and they crave that. I get atleast 50 hugs a day, and they are so interested in America! It is amazing to hear their questions, and I love talking about it with them....Since I am here for a limited amount of time I want to make them so interested that they want to continue to learn on their own. I have come to the conclusion that my ultimate goal is not to teach them perfect grammer, but help them want more out of life and love them....and that is what they need.

This week I started to tutor after school....Well, I do help them with their homework but I talk a whole lot with my kids--which, we are not supposed to do, but I make them talk in English so I am helping them! haha. Anyways, I do not get back to my apartment until 5 now, which is great actually....as tired as I am I love it. This week we had Open House, and I had to get up and talk about me to all the parents who came...I made sense!!! My spanish is getting better and I am so excited!

I did learn that one of the boys in pre-k is autistic. This made me sad, because all the teachers know is to look him in the eye when talking....I do not know much about Autism, but I do know there is much more out there that can help him.....another project I am going to undertake!

This weekend my adventure was postponed, it was really chilly and cloudy early this morning, so I decided to just chill out today. I went to the mall to get some tennis shoes ( I was needing some) and for a few hours forgot I was down here working with poor children....this mall was similar to Lenox....many beautiful stores with many beautiful people walking around...just because i am volunteering in a 3rd world country doesn't mean my weakness for beautiful things has gone away! that will always be with me I am afraid, which is ok if I can put what is important first! I did try on a few things, and I am happy to report I think I have lost almost a dress size!!! Easy to do when you don't have all the processed food around! That is not even an option here.

I am learning so much that I do not even know how to explain it through my blog....It is all a little overwhelming to think about actually...But it is all positive. I am beginning to wonder if six months will be enough time!! I guess this is a good issue to encounter :)

First Week of School!!

this week was the first week of school, and all of a sudden I am an English teacher...kind of strange. It went very well considering I was more nervous than all of the students combined. The first day I had them go around the room and say their name and what they did on their summer vacation, which proved to be a bigger task than I thought. Most students did not know how to answer, and some knew how to answer but did not open their mouths--they just stared. So, I am thinking we will need to do a whole lot of review! Which, I remember coming back from summer and not remembering a whole lot. I decided we would do things as a group....something fun that would ease their nerves. Something simple. So, we sang the ABC's, sang head, shoulders, knees, and toes, and played other vocabulary games....success!!! Each grade took to this great, even if it was easy for them (which, I am not sure it was) it was fun and helped get them talking (a little). Tomorrow I will give them a review test from last year, so I hope to get a better idea this week of what they know....Maybe I can teach!

After I finished my week I decided to go on another adventure this weekend...It is my goal to do something new every weekend. This week I chose to go to the historic district....think Paris+3rd world country+ hills of San Fran and you've got the historic District! I loved it....there are zillions of churches and museums to explore. My favorite churches were the plain, old, dark ones....wow, that sounds pretty bad! Having been to Europe last year, these "plain" ones were so different but had so much character at the same time....simple beauty. I went into the San Fransisco monestary and Museum which, if you ever go to Quito it is such a cool little place....I am sure that will not be my last visit there. My adventure would not be complete without great food! I ate at the restaurant below the museum, which was so good and had a perfect view of the plaza. Another weekend escapade ends in success!!!!

This week I am starting to tutor English after school and I am meeting with the director to get this child/student sponsorship rolling. Weekend plans? Taking the cable car to the top of pinchincha volcano!! Stay tuned folks....

An adventure already!

I have not even been here a full month and already there are so many new experiences. When I first got to my apartment, I was terrified to take a taxi anywhere...they are the easiest way to get around the city, and they are everywhere. There is a bus system but that is totally out of the question....too many people and the bus drivers drive worse than the taxi drivers....which is really bad! After two days of going through all the bad things that could happen to me I hopped in one and went! Easy as that...Well, kind of. The first time I was so nervous i forgot to ask him to turn on the meter=overcharged. On my way home (second time) the driver went a different, longer way=overcharged again. Thank goodness I have a friend who is willing to explain the entire process to me....'Blair, you cannot forget to say Taximetro before you even get in, if they say no, do not get in and you have to watch the way they go, so they don't rip you off" he goes on... " Do not take them by yourself after 5, most of them are pretty nice but you have to be careful because many of them are not legal." Lesson #1- There is a science to taking a taxi (well, it is more like using good common sense i guess...). I am happy to report I now have this taxi thing under control.

Lesson #2- No matter how many years you study a language, you never really learn until you enter that culture....This one I always knew, but has been reinforced yet again.....Sorry Alabama, you know I love you, but your spanish department is not your greatest strength. The cool thing here is that my spanish is just coming back....Yes, i have looked over my books, but I will find myself saying things that i didn't think I knew....so cool! I hope to come back fluent in the language....Quito is said to have some of the best Spanish in the world, there is a huge expat culture here and a ton of Spanish schools.

Lesson #3-Exploring by yourself can be very rewarding! Fairly comfortable with my taxi-taking skills, and my guidebook in hand, I decided to take a little trip to the Mariscal district yesterday morning. The Mariscal district is also known as "Gringoland"....it is the most touristy part of Quito where many backpackers stay. There are tons of hostels, good restaurants, and stores, and markets. I started off at the artist market...where the first person I noticed was a man in a safari hat, jimmy buffet shirt, and his camera hanging around his neck....yes, I was in the right place! (I hope i never scream tourist like that, I kind of felt bad for him actually.) Anyways, after the market I wandered the streets going in stores and trying different foods along the way...chocolate covered mango anyone? how about fresh squeezed fruit juice from some fruit I can't even pronounce?.....Don't mind if i do... Yesterday was so fun! I ended my adventure with a big bowl of ceviche and cheese empenadas:)

Lesson #4- I can teach!!! Well, I think......I have decided I want to be a very hands on teacher. Think back to your favorite teachers....they were not the ones that gave you ten thousand worksheets. I have found lots of resources online for ESL and I plan on incorporating games as much as possible and just loving these kids...I am teaching 8th grade and so this is the last year these kids will be at the foundation, who knows were they will go next year but I need to be there for them this year! They come tomorrow!!! I am probably more nervous than they are so we will see how everything goes!

I'm Back..

I am in Quito and I am starting to get settled!!! Sometimes I think I am on a long vacation and I have to remind myself I will be here for a while! The first week here was spent on a farm 45 minutes outside of Quito in a town called Nono. Anthropologie needs to take their next photoshoot there.....it is pretty cool. I fell in love with the farm house....big old wooden floors covered with cow hyde rugs and vintage wall paper that was covered with black and white photos of the different generations....so cool. The first three days were a blast! we roasted marshmallows, rode the horse, and played soccer. I went on a really long walk one day and got some great pictures, which I will post later. After day three I was ready to go though....I learned that I can do many things, but taking a cold shower is not one of them. I also learned my stomach really does not like cauliflower soup.....yes, I was ready to go.

So here I am in Quito with a warm shower and feeling normal! This week I have been going to the school to plan for next week when the kids come....I will be teaching 8th grade! All of the teachers are wonderful, and have been so helpful to me.....listening to 8 hours of instructions in spanish requires a lot of skill, many of the words I do not know but It is a great way for me to become fluent for sure!! I am so excited about helping these kids, I have been thinking of creative ways to help them and I want to be a fun teacher....I want to give them a taste of American culture as I think that will inspire them to want more.

NEEDS FOR THE SCHOOL:

-English books!!!!! for all ages, they have none and reading is a very important part of learning a language. They also have a new Library but no books to fill it.

-English CD's- ranging from american music to educational.

-Teacher supplies- the teachers are so gracious and do not get payed much, having decorations for the classrooms and other items to help them would be great! (Posters, Foam letters, exc..)

I am going to put all the information for where to send things up as soon as I get it, but wanted to post these now for you all. The school wants to make English their priority, they believe English is the key for these kids to have better lives.

THREE WEEKS NOTICE

I went to J.Crew today to put in my three weeks notice...Dear 50% discount, you will be missed.

P.S....they have a pair of really pretty pumps in and great colors for fall.

I am excited about doing something worth getting excited about! I am working on getting all the information together for those of you who want to help out here, whether it be sponsoring a child or donating supplies, there is much to be done so stay tuned!

GETTING CLOSER!!!

This weekend, I made a little trip to Birmingham to meet some friends.....we had a great time! Friday night we ate at Bottega, a great restaurant and bakery that I have wanted to try for forever. If you ever go to Birmingham, you should try it!! Throughout the night I continued to run into old friends, and enjoyed catching up with them. On my way home, it hit me that I would be leaving in 5 short weeks for Ecuador--woohoo! I guess talking about it with everyone made it more of a reality, and let me tell you...I could not ask for a better reality check!!!!

All along, I have known this is what I am supposed to do... everything has fallen perfectly into place for this to happen, from my Job at CHOA (where this whole idea began) to my two nanny jobs (where I have gotten my funding) and let's not forget the wonderful people down in Ecuador whom I will be working for who have already accepted me as family. There is no doubt the big man is involved in this one!

WHY I LOVE AMERICA!

While I am so excited to travel to another country and experience a whole new culture for 6 months, I have to say, I love being an American. Tomorrow being july 4th, I thought it would be fitting to pay respect to some of my favorite American traditions.

1) Football- ok, so I admit I wasn't really into the whole idea of football until the later part of my college career. By my junior year, I had embraced this tradition... Getting breakfast at Rama-Jama's, getting all dressed up, drinking a few yellowhammers at a little bar called Gallettes, going to the game, then going back to Gallettes, then topping the night off with bbq nachos....those were some great saturdays! In the Gaddis house, we watch Ole miss, Vandy, and Alabama...Alabama being the best. I wonder what America would do if it took football out of the universities? Yikes.

2) Food- I am a big fan of food. My favorite class in college was my cooking class where, on the first day my cooking partner Susan and I ate are presentation before we knew we were supposed to present it-oops. While some of my favorite memories of food are those of me eating a Croque Monsieur in Paris, cheese fondue in Chamonix, or a cannoli in Rome....I love American food. There is nothing better to me than a low country boil at the beach in South Carolina, or bbq, or peach cobbler. yum.

3) J.Crew and Anthropologie- My 2 favorite stores. For 11 months I have folded and scanned the items in J.Crew, and I have yet to grow tired of their clothes, and jewelry, and SHOES! (we cannot forget the shoes, they have great shoes)....I will be sad when my days of working at J.Crew are over....I get a great discount. As for Anthropologie...well, I just love it.

Yes, I do love America...I am pretty thrilled to see what Ecuador has to offer though. So far I have heard that the people of Ecuador are amazing, They are very warm and and gracious. The city of Quito (where I will be living) is beautiful, and the culture is nothing short of vibrant. I also am told that there is so much potential for giving throughout Ecuador, as it is a country in great need. So, I am going to take everything that I have learned and been given in America, and give it to those in Ecuador. Anthropologie can wait....

HERE GOES!!!!!

Here it is!!!! I am finally getting my blog up and running.....woohoo! I cannot wait to share my thoughts and experiences as I travel to Ecuador to volunteer for 6 months (I leave August 14th!). I already have lots of juicy things to share, as planning for my adventure is an adventure in itself...from figuring out the best tour guide books to figuring out insurance, I am going to try to cover it all (move over Samantha Brown...). However, I feel like I should start from beginning, so here goes...

It was a cold January day about a year and a half ago, I was at home feeling a little blue and missing my old life as a college student (RTR!) when I got a phone call from the Volunteer services office at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. They informed me that I had gotten an internship there that i had applied for a few weeks earlier....YES! EMPLOYED!!! (even if it was at $10 an hour). Well, little did i know that this job just might make me want to be Better Every day. My job was to help train, schedule, and get to know the Volunteers that came through daily, as well as help with the activities for all the little patients within the hospital. To make a long story short, I met many volunteers who truly wanted to give back and had been giving back for many years, and I met many families that despite everything, were so grateful. This made me decide that everyone is capable of giving something, and we all should do what we can to help others who need it. AND, i admit, i want to travel!!! While I am young! and Single! and career-less!

So, here I am....leaving in a few weeks for my adventure! I cannot wait to see how this experience changes me...hopefully for the better.