Thursday 27 September 2012
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16:19 Went and bought my bus ticket to Yantzaza. There isn’t a 6am bus on saturday, so I had the choice between the 5 or 8… Since I need to be there for 9. The 8 doesn’t cut it. I have to go for the day to teach another day to the teachers.
5 am it is…. Now I have to figure out how to get to the bus station that early.
Wednesday 26 September 2012
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12:53 Just booked my flights back to Ecuador. I will be in Ontario from the 15th to the 27th.
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by Glenn Specht via Facebook
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17:50 Wondering how many students will show up tonight… Two big football games tonight between local teams and teams from Brazil
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by Glenn Specht via Facebook
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20:14 Booked my return to Ecuador today. I do not understand how airline pricing works.
I ended up using expedia.ca but the exact same flights varied between $50 to $500 more depending on the site.
Just to see if it made any difference I played around with the return date ( I don’t have a date in mind, but I like to have a return paid for, in case….). By changing it a month I ended up with different routing… And a saving of over $125
In my routing it was important to me that I did not fly through the states… Having to clear customs twice is not my idea of a good time. And I also get to fly a longer distance with Air Canada. Hopefully the areoplan miles I get will add to the ones I have to get me some other flights
Tuesday 25 September 2012
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16:18 He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, his head, and his heart, is an artist. –St. Francis of Assisi
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by Glenn Specht via Facebook
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21:48 Information- secrets- what do I know…..
In the past day I have been given information about people both here in Ecuador and at home in Canada that may change their lives… Both for good and bad. I have been asked not to pass on this info, for various good reasons.
I always look at life changing and challenging events and wonder how I would deal with them.
I hope that I would be strong, but when I look back on some and see the way I collapsed I am not so sure. Is this why I am more of a leaf on the river then a fish swimming against the current?
Some times I try to make changes, to control things, but it seems to come in spurts, and then I float along based on the currents.
Monday 24 September 2012
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15:07 First day back at school for a new cycle, and as usual the boss has thrown a curve at me.
I wanted to teach 6 hours a day, he has given me 5. Ok not a big deal. But he is trying to arrange another 2 hours with some teachers, at their high school.
I could use the coin and it will be interesting. We will see how this works out.
20:38 End of the first day… It gets tiring about now. I have the students doing a writing exercise so I fill the time writing this. I find that one of the most important things is to give students time to do the work….
Sunday 23 September 2012
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7:49 I am waiting for a bus to take me back to Loja from Yantzaza. I have a bit of time…as usual I am way early
I have enjoyed my week here, it was warm, and relaxing…. Except for the stress of trying to deal with my domain renewal.
The teachers here were good to work with. They have a tough road ahead. They have to bring their English skills up to a very high level, without the infrastructure and training to accomplish this goal.
I try to help them as much as I can but in 20 or 30 hours you can’t teach skills that take years to acquire.
Places: Loja – Loja, Loja, Ecuador
Yantzaza – Yantzaza, Ecuador
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8:08 I am off to Canada in less then a month. I would like to say I am looking forward to it, but I am not.
The idea of seeing my parents is really good, and I am excited about that, and it will be great to see friends again!
Just the thought of traveling, and the hassles of that are not exciting. I figure it will take me about 36 to 48 hours or so to travel from loja to Waterloo. This includes an overnight bus ride, waiting in airports, and a change of planes.
I am concerned about my change of planes… It is only 40 minutes which means I might make it, but I doubt my luggage will.
I still have to book my return to Ecuador. This is something I need to do in the next week or so.
And then there is the funding. It never fails… Whenever I try and do some type of foreign exchange the cdn dollar VS the currency I am interested in is never in my favor.
The currency of Ecuador is the us$ and the cdn $ keeps climbing. Arrrrrgh
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13:15 I arrived back at my casa in Loja safe and sound… To a nice cold rain.
As I sit here I realize I have not found the place I am looking for… Yet.
And what am I looking for? A place where I can be me, be comfortable and happy.
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20:28 I am back in Loja…arrived to a cold rain. Getting ready to start another cycle of teaching in the AM
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by Glenn Specht via Facebook
Saturday 22 September 2012
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20:19 Planning my short visit to Toronto. i will be cleaning out a storage locker on the 16th of October..anyone interested in helping in exchange for free stuff? 🙂 Then I will be looking for a couple of places for couch surfing between the 22nd and the 28th…. also will be wanting to get together with people.. 🙂
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by Glenn Specht via Facebook
Friday 21 September 2012
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20:38 It was a warm day today…hot actually… High 30’s. I went for a walk in the morning that ended up being longer then expected.
I am a little “pink like a gringo”… Nothing serious but the sun can be intense here. Staying hydrated is critical for me… I learned my lesson about that from my run in with kidney stones… I won’t let that happen again!
I had a talk with my students tonight about continuing to teach them…they would like me to be here in Yantzaza. As I sit here in the park on a nice evening, I think I would like to make it work… Just not sure how.
It is interesting how dogs and people interact in Ecuador.
There are dogs that are pets… Usually lap dogs, that are carried or on a lead, but these are rare.
There are guard dogs… They are usually tied up or kept within a compound.
And then there are the dogs that run loose. The majority. I don’t know how many are street dogs and how many just wander from homes. They are street smart, they can deal with traffic… Most of these dogs do not interact with people, and people do not interact with them. No one pets these dogs, and they do not look for affection. Not sure about how I feel about this, but it seems to work for all.