Goals for Ecuador

I’m starting a new job in Quito and I am SO FRICKIN’ EXCITED!  Latin America has been my top spot to teach ESL since I got into this field, but the jobs there pay so poorly that I never viewed it as a financially viable option.  So when I was selected to be an English Language Fellow again, this time in Ecuador, I jumped at the opportunity.  Teaching and doing teacher training in South America, with a U.S. State Department paycheck?  Si, por favor!

Goals for the next 10 months:

1. Really improve my Spanish. It’s conversational (albeit rusty) right now, but I want to nail it.  That includes you too, pasado y subjuntivo.  Grrr.
2. Learn a few words of Quechua, one of the main indigenous languages spoken in Ecuador.  When I was living in Indonesia, I usually spoke Indonesian with locals.  But I found they LOVED it when I threw in a few words of Javanese.  So I will attempt this feat again by adding a little Quechua vocabulary to my Spanish.
3. Become a better salsa dancer. Awwww yeah!
4. Visit the Galapagos Islands. When I was a secretary in IU’s Economics Department my first year out of college, one of the profs went on vacation to the Galapagos Islands.  He showed me his photos.  I was astounded and went home vowing to go there myself someday.  This IS happening!
5. Take more people pictures. This is an ongoing goal for myself, and extends beyond photographing friends, coworkers, or students.  I’d like to capture more of the people I see and meet in my travels.  And since I can speak Spanish, engaging people in conversation and asking permission to take their photos should help.  Ojalá.
6. Go snorkeling. For someone who claims not to be much of a beach/water person, I sure find myself snorkeling a lot.  But as I saw in Mexico, Alaska, the Caribbean, and Indonesia - there’s a lot of cool stuff under the water.  And I’d like to see more of it off the coast of Ecuador.
7. Go hiking.
8. Eat lots of Ecuadorian food. Duh.  Right now I’m particularly looking forward to locro de papa (soup), muchos batidos (fruit shakes), and ceviche.   Also, I will try cuy (guinea pig).
9. Learn to cook some Ecuadorian dishes. They don’t call me Cooky for nothin!
10. Visit local markets. One of my favorite things to do in new places.  And one of the top markets in Ecuador is the huge one in Otavalo.  Gotta go there.
11. Travel to Cuenca.
12. Not get malaria. Or yellow fever.  Or any other tropical disease.
13. Have some gosh-darn visitors. One person visited me during my 10 months in Indonesia (terima kasih, Carolyn!).  And one person visited me during my 4 months in Turkey (teşekkürler, Adam!).  Come on, people -  I’m living in some really interesting places here!  Not only can you see cool parts of the world and ME, but I can also offer lodging and tour guide services.   How can you pass this up?  This last goal is now in your hands, people.  Your hands.

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