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Blogs from Bahía de Caráquez, West, Ecuador, South America
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Changing Tides and Adventures on the High Seas
Published: September 11th 2012South America » Ecuador » West » Bahía de Caráquez
September 10th 2012
It’s been a while since my last entry, and ironically as soon as I wrote about my daily work life, everything changed. Long story short, the English team at Génesis dropped from three to four mid-August, changing all of my classes. For the start of the new semester, which began last Monday, we grew back to four with the addition of a lifesaving assistant named Gustavo. My schedule has changed as follows: 1. No more adorable first graders!! Instead I have adorable second graders, but I’m still grieving the loss. 2. The tornado-like third grade class that was split in two has been put back together. Gustavo saves me from running for my life. 3. No more fourth grade. It was sad to lose them after all the progress we’d made, both in discipline and English. ... read more
July 30th 2012
So far, I’ve blogged about special days at school and the tropical paradises Keiron and I have visited since our plane touched down in Quito two months ago. But you may be wondering what our everyday life has been like. I was asked by one friend, for example, if we have running water and electricity. I cannot let fundamental questions like this go unanswered, so I’ve decided to post an update, in several installments, about the every day activities that make up our new lives. Part One: 6:00 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. or “the Job” Every morning, I wake up at 6:00 a.m., listen to some NPR during breakfast and head off to work. You’ll be happy to know that we do have running water and electricity, so I can make toast and wash ... read more
July 7th 2012
The past few weeks have brought Keiron and I into the clutches of hundreds of tropical birds and hundreds of dancing elementary school students in traditional Ecuadorian dress.It’s hard to say which experience was more vibrant and exotic - the first was a trip to the nearby nature reserve of Isla Corazon, or Heart Island, and the second was the celebration of Family Day at the Genesis school. Amidst the prehistoric-looking mangroves off the coast of Bahía is Isla Corazon, where frigates, pelicans and foreign birds who’ve come to Ecuador “without visas” fill the air and sea with the sounds of splashes and flapping feathers. As we explored the lush wilderness by boat with a local guide, the birds literally surrounded us. Pelicans swooped towards the water and plucked fish from its surface, only to be ... read more
Bongos, Bamboo and Booty-shaking
Published: June 6th 2012South America » Ecuador » West » Bahía de Caráquez
June 6th 2012
Part One: Bongos The weeks since our arrival to Bahía de Caraquez have been rife with exploration, saltwater and boisterous children. Getting accustomed to all of my classes at Genesis has made the weeks alternately challenging and rewarding, and exploring the surrounding area has made the weekends an exciting reprieve. During our first real weekend, Keiron and I headed to the nearby beach town of Canoa, where dread-locked expats and Ecuadorian surfer dudes abound, and the waves call tourists like Keiron and me in for some solid boogey-boarding time. We arrived in Canoa the safe way – by taxi – and were greeted by the sound of bongos from one of the many open-air stalls lining the beach. The tattoo-faced, pony-tailed man behind the tables of natural rock jewelry called Keiron “brother” and sculpted my name ... read more
May 19th 2012
It’s impossible not to feel the salt air in all corners of Bahia de Caraquez. The lively little town occupies a peninsula on Ecuador’s west coast, surrounded by the River Chone on one side, the Pacific Ocean on the other, and the estuary where the two meet at the very tip. From the doorstep of our house, for example, sand, warm water and jutting mountains are just a few blocks away in all three directions, and views to both bodies of water line the horizon as I walk down the central street. I can’t believe my own luck that fate twisted our lives this way, and deposited us here at the sunny edge of South America. I say fate because it really seemed to be destiny that brought Keiron and I here at this very moment. ... read more
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July 18th 2011
Over the weekend I took the bus into San Vincente and a little boat across the river to Bahia de Caraquez. They just recently finished constructing the longest bridge in Ecuador connecting Bahia and San Vincente but the boat was more fun and only cost 30 cents. Everyone raves about going to the market in Bahia but they left out the part that the markets are typically closed on Sundays so we didn't get to see the market as we hoped. From across the river in San Vincente the town of Bahia looks like it has nice tall buildings and is completely different than the other areas of Ecuador. Once we walked the streets, it was not much different at all. A lot of rundown buildings, small homes lining the streets, nice beaches and the tall ... read more
