Trip to Baños

Other than some throat/cold thing that's been running around and trying to catch me, I am feeling much better since my last blog post. My dad had his surgery and is doing well. He is already walking! I'm hoping he will recover quickly and I will be able to share the last part of my trip with him. My mother bought her plane tickets and is coming to see me in October! I am very excited about showing her around Quito and going to the Galapagos with her. She speaks about as much Spanish as I do German (which is none at all, despite the fact that much of my family is from Germany and it is my mother's first language. She even wrote a book about my family's emigration to the from Germany.)

This past weekend, 3 of the other girls and I took a trip to the adventure city of Baños. What about those crazy emotions I mentioned feeling last week? Well, I threw them off a bridge. When I jumped, I decided to leave all the stuff that is beyond my control at the bottom. I am pleased to say that it worked, I feel much lighter without the burden. I guess some people are into meditation for their woes, but mine respond to adrenaline. Baños is an amazing city, and I want to try to visit it again before I head back to the states. There are more things to do in Baños than one weekend allows. Here's what we did get to do in our short time there:

Bike ride on a highway, through tunnels and up a mountain (getting very dirty in the process). Take a box truck back when we were too exhausted for the last 12k or so.

Zip line toward a waterfall in a superman pose (the photo isn't me, but the copy I have doesn't photograph well, I will post once I'm near a scanner)

Go puenting, as seen in the video. It means jumping off of a bridge (adding an English ending to the Spanish word for bridge, puente). Puenting is like bungee jumping, with ropes instead of bungees. No "bo-oi-oi-oing," swinging instead.

Put on wet suits, practice repelling down the side of a 4 story building, then go canyoning (rapelling down waterfalls. It was really fun, but I was really bad at it. The harness kept me safe, but I did end up with a few battle scars.)

We wanted to rent dunebuggies and visit the hot springs, but it was getting late, and was cold and rainy. We decided to head back instead. Next weekend, I plan to visit the beach and see the Pacific Ocean for the very first time. :D Lots of firsts in Ecuador. The following weekend, I want to see the Amazon. This cold has got to go! I only have 9 weekends left here, and so much to see!

On an academic note, it is the third week of school. My amazing collaborating teacher has been letting me take over classes regularly. I have a lot of typical new teacher issues (pacing the lesson appropriately, allowing students enough think time, giving clear, but brief instruction). I think I'm getting better. I am learning a little each day, and reflecting a lot at home. I had a teacher tick! I over-used the word "absolutely," but now that I know, I think (I'm not absolutely sure) that I'm getting better about it. I get to take over entirely next week, teaching my own lessons! I know my mentor will be there to catch me when I stumble, and I am super excited about it.