Squem

Once I'd collected my bags at the airport, only slightly worried that history would repeat itself and I'd be left without my bags, I made my way to the taxi rank. I had told Michelle that I would make my own way to their place, and I was expecting to be ripped off by the taxi drivers, as had happened the last time. But no, the first taxi offered to take me at the "proper" price and off I went. He had the radio tuned to a local sports station and he filled me in on what I had missed during my flight. When I took off Uruguay were winning 1-0 and ended up winning 3-0. Once back at Michelle's I settled back in, and over an early dinner we planned the rest of my stay. ... read more

Michelle had another friend visiting her that week too, and as Sam was only in Ecuador for one week we decided to head straight for the beach. Michelle and I had done all the booking when I got to Ecuador, and following recommendations from José, Michelle's husband and some of his friends, we decided on Puerto Lopez. We also decided to fly instead of getting the overnight bus. It made sense, Sam had spent all of Friday flying down from Detroit, and we didn't think she'd want to jump straight on an 9 hour bus... and to be fair, neither did we! So instead it was a 30 min flight to Manta followed by a 2 hour drive to Puerto Lopez. I was a bit worried about the accommodation. Along with flying instead of getting the ... read more

Retrospective blog #2 I went to the Iguazú Falls back in December 09 when my Dad and his wife came to visit me... but I never got round to blogging about it. To be fair, even if I had blogged about it straight away, there wouldn't have been much I could say about it... the scenery is stunning, and it's a place where pictures speak louder than words... (and even then pictures struggle to capture the true beauty of the place). We flew up for a long weekend as I was still teaching and couldn't get any time off. Alex, my then next-door neighbour who is also a travel agent, arranged the excursions for us, ensuring that we would see both sides of the falls (the Brazilian and the Argentinian). The weather when we arrived in ... read more

As I awoke from an impromptu siesta I started thinking about the Christmas weekend I have just experienced, and how it was so very different from last year... December 2009 Two days after school finishing for the holidays and only slightly hungover, I was making my way to Ezeiza, the international airport here in Buenos Aires. The temperature? A balmy 33º. My destination? Madrid, Spain followed my a connection to London, England: home. I was going home for the first time in 18 months. Fastforward about 18 hours, and after the most turbulent-hit flight of my life, an extremely sleepy Emma hears over the tannoy as we land in Madrid "bienvenidas a Madrid, dónde la temperatura es menos ocho y las condiciones.... " I never heard what the conditions were, as my brain went into overdrive. ... read more

So, I can't even remember the last time I wrote one of these.... The last 18 months have been hectic to say the least. I've been studying for the Delta (Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults). I didn't have to. But it was the right decision. It was my way of deciding that I'm in this teaching business for the long run. I've just finished the 3rd and final module, and now am waiting for the results, having passed the previous 2 modules. Apart from studying work has been getting busier and busier. The school is also an IELTS centre, and has been steadily promoting the exam. Some of the teachers are examiners, testing the candidates on speaking and writing. Others, myself included, are clerical markers, which means we correct the listening and read... read more