4th of July BBQ

Again, these are backwards in time. Please scroll down and work your way up. Next time, I´ll upload the photos in opposite manner.


Hands Free Watermelon Eating

3 legged race.

Young machismo. The kid is Fausto from my morning class, and the girl on the right is Gabriella from my afternoon the class. The other two kids are in Alexis´class.

So, to celebrate the 4th of July (all 4 english teachers here are american), my school decided to have a bbq by some waterfalls in Otavalo (the town next to Ibarra).

Over 100 students came to the picnic. It was a blast. We grilled hamburgers and chicken, while playing ¨traditional american games¨such as watermelon eating without your hands, egg toss, and three legged race. The kids really got into it. It was also a really nice opportunity to get to know the kids more outside of the classroom, and see how the kids interact here with eachother. It was very similiar to when I went out with the Scouts. Its always always mixed groups of guys and girls, even when they are 11-12. It´s hilarious seeing the guys always trying to be very chivalrous and macho for all the girls when they are 14 yeras old. Also, it was great to see how much the kids enjoyed the burgers. It´s such a novelty for them.

Here is one of the waterfalls. I went under this one. It was really fun and refreshing, although really cold. I couldn´t breathe while under it.

View from my room. That small forested hill is where I run everyday, La Parque Guayabillas. It is a hill, but the top is more like a plateau. So there is a good 1.5 mile dirt loop up there where I do all of my running. The 5 minute climb sucks tho to get to the top, however, at the top, its the perfect place to run.

All the rooms in CECAMI are these kind of yurt-like structures.

Here are some pictures of my school, CECAMI.

Here is my room. It is a really nice, well-equipped and clean facility.