Kait and I just finished the Quilotoa Loop, which starts and ends in Latacunga. At first, we we had to choose between two different paths to take: starting in Quilotoa, or starting in Isinliva, a small, 80-person town with only one hostel. Being that Quilotoa, with it´s massive crater lake, was the main attraction of our trip, we decided that we would start in Isinlivi, leaving the best for last.
To prepare for our trip, Kait and I generally agreed that it would be easier to condense our massive backpacks into one (and leaving the other bag in Latacunga at the hostel) due to the fact that we would be doing quite a lot of hiking. Unfortunately for me (the one who decided to carry it), it was actually heavier with both of our "essentials" than with all of my stuff alone. Next time we will pack much less. Anyways, after leaving Hostel and Cafe Tiana in Latacunga, we started on our two-hour bus ride to Isinlivi.
Now normally bus rides are nothing of particular interest to us; usually we try not to get too hot or nauseous while taking the necessary-but-generally-unpleasant trip between two places. This ride, however, was much different than any others that we have taken. Once we were on the bus for 30 minutes, we began the ascent into a vast network of mountain-top farmlands that continued unceasingly for the rest of our trip. For miles and miles, we could see that nearly every square inch of hilltops along the bus route were covered in farms, and particularly beautiful was that each individual segment of farm was a different color than the next. This combined with excellent views of nearby volcanoes with their peaks in the clouds made for one of the most beautiful bus rides (if not THE most beautiful) that we have taken. To make things even better, we met yet another awesome Canadian named Danny on the bus who ended up coming with us for the entire Loop.
Before too long, we arrived in Isinlivi, and stayed at a hostel called Llullu Llama, a hostel run by the same people that run the Hostel Tiana in Latacunga. Once we arrived, we found a Dutch couple volunteering to run the hostel as well as teach a few subjects at the local high school. After taking in the view of a gorge from a nearby peak, Danny, Kait and I decided to have a few beers before dinner, both of which were excellent.
The next day, after a delicious breakfast provided by the hostel, we immediately began our hike into the valley using a ridiculous set of instructions explained in broken English provided by the hostel. An example of one description was “Start going up when the wáter comes to the edge.” After only getting lost for part of the way – nice farmers helped us get on track – we eventually heade in the direction where we needed to go. Unfortunately for us, after traveling for so long at the bottom of the valley, we eventually had to go up… Normally this would be no problem, but I, with my 40-pound pack on my back, was dreading it, no matter how much it needed to be done. So up we went, and I, sending Kait and Danny ahead of me, took baby steps up to the top, stopping when I could to catch my breath. After what felt like 30 minutes of this, I finally caught up to Kait and Danny at the top where there was a road that would take us to our next stop: Chugchilan. Before that, though, we descended once again near the bottom of the valley to a very small village where we rested a bit, and learned that we, once again, had to climb an even steeper, longer hillside than before. After we all recovered from the shock that I did not collapse and fall down the hillside, we continued along the road (which was still generally uphill) and eventually made our way to our next hostel, The Cloud Forest Hostel in Chugchilan.
After consuming much-needed food and soda, we rested for the night and planned for our next trek to Quilotoa. All of us agreed, however, that with my idiotically heavy backpack, I should not nearly kill myself for two days in a row, and therefore we planned to take the next leg of the loop, the hardest leg, by horseback. So early in the morning after breakfast, we met our guide and got on our three trusty steeds. Our guide, a silly man who kept asking us if we were single or not, kept us going fast along the road to Quilotoa. (He would whip our horses for us; apparently he was in a hurry.) Danny´s horse, however, was a grumpy mother who, once whipped by the guide´s rope, would buck just enough to make things fairly uncomfortable for her… I couldn´t help but laugh just a little… My horse was a very smart one who, upon hearing faster horse hooves behind her, would speed up, likely out of a fear of being whipped, so I was always in the lead. I liked to think I actually had some control over the horse, but she basically just responded to the guide´s sounds behind her.
After a very short two hours, we made it to Quilotoa, got off our horses, checked in to our hostel after bartering to get a cheaper price, and promptly made our way down the crater´s rim. After a beautiful hike downwards, we found a cheery old guy at the bottom who was eager to sell one of us a horse ride with his horse back to the top for the same price as our room for the night. After declining, we made our way back to the top in an hour less than the guidebook said it would take. (We were quite proud of ourselves about that!)
Then we stayed the night, hiked along the road to Zumbahua to catch a bus back to Latacunga. The road hike was nice, but at the end of it, we were all really tired and ready to recharge our batteries, so we ate lunch, and caught a bus back here without incident. We are happy today, after all that hiking, that we have a chance to rest and get ourselves in order before heading to Banos, a city two hours south of us. Once there, we will likely do some trekking, visit some thermal baths, and possibly some other adventure tourism if it looks good.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Quito and Otavalo, Ecuador
So far so good! Ace and I arrived safely in Quito after 23 or so hours of travel. We missed one flight but were put o n one leaving an hour later, so made the rest of our connections.
We stayed in a friendly little Ecuadorian-run hostel named Chicago Hostal for $16 total a night . We spent our first full day in Ecuador exploring Quito, walking all around and between the old city and new city. There were a few lovely examples of colonialist architecture, but other than that I was a little surprised by the city- I was expecting something a little more Cosmopolitan, I suppose. The people are wonderful, though- friendly, always ready to offer good advice, and very patient with my Spanish.
The next day we grabbed a bus to Otavalo, a village about 2 hours north of Quito which is famed for it´s Saturday handicrafts market. During our two nights there, we wandered around markets, took pictures, hiked around a cráter lake, and bought some cozy wool sweaters and hats for when we move to higher elevations. We´ve been surprised at how quickly it cools down at night here!
Today we cruised around the animal auction and market in Otavalo, then moved on to Latacunga, a smallish city about 2.5 hours south of Quito. We´re enjoying the lovely hostel Tiana here, which has everything a traveller could want- an $8 place to sleep, hot wáter, internet, a book Exchange, helpful staff and places to hang out and talk to other travellers. Tomorrow we´re excited to do a walking tour of the city and then take a bus to a nearby village to start our several day trek around the string of quaint villages, mountains and the cráter lake that make up the Quilotoa loop.
A major highlight of everything so far has been getting to speak so much Spanish. I´m having so much fun getting to remember words and learn new ones, but even better is getting to chat with the cab driver, ask for directions, make small talk with the street food vender, bargain…all without too much trouble. So empowering! Ace is studying every night and picking the language up astonishingly fast. The food has been cheap and plentiful, but i would have to say that the two main food groups here are meat and french fries. Can´t complain about getting a huge meal for $3, though, and the soups and fresh fruit juices are really nice.
That´s it for now- we´ll write again after we get back from the Quilotoa Loop. I´m trying to upload photos on shutterfly, but I´m afraid the fact that only two photos have uploaded while i type this is a bad sign. All our love to everyone!
We stayed in a friendly little Ecuadorian-run hostel named Chicago Hostal for $16 total a night . We spent our first full day in Ecuador exploring Quito, walking all around and between the old city and new city. There were a few lovely examples of colonialist architecture, but other than that I was a little surprised by the city- I was expecting something a little more Cosmopolitan, I suppose. The people are wonderful, though- friendly, always ready to offer good advice, and very patient with my Spanish.
The next day we grabbed a bus to Otavalo, a village about 2 hours north of Quito which is famed for it´s Saturday handicrafts market. During our two nights there, we wandered around markets, took pictures, hiked around a cráter lake, and bought some cozy wool sweaters and hats for when we move to higher elevations. We´ve been surprised at how quickly it cools down at night here!
Today we cruised around the animal auction and market in Otavalo, then moved on to Latacunga, a smallish city about 2.5 hours south of Quito. We´re enjoying the lovely hostel Tiana here, which has everything a traveller could want- an $8 place to sleep, hot wáter, internet, a book Exchange, helpful staff and places to hang out and talk to other travellers. Tomorrow we´re excited to do a walking tour of the city and then take a bus to a nearby village to start our several day trek around the string of quaint villages, mountains and the cráter lake that make up the Quilotoa loop.
A major highlight of everything so far has been getting to speak so much Spanish. I´m having so much fun getting to remember words and learn new ones, but even better is getting to chat with the cab driver, ask for directions, make small talk with the street food vender, bargain…all without too much trouble. So empowering! Ace is studying every night and picking the language up astonishingly fast. The food has been cheap and plentiful, but i would have to say that the two main food groups here are meat and french fries. Can´t complain about getting a huge meal for $3, though, and the soups and fresh fruit juices are really nice.
That´s it for now- we´ll write again after we get back from the Quilotoa Loop. I´m trying to upload photos on shutterfly, but I´m afraid the fact that only two photos have uploaded while i type this is a bad sign. All our love to everyone!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wrapping it up...
15 days till we leave for Greece! Ace and I are both starting to get excited. I could definitely stay in Istanbul- I love it here- but am really looking forward to everything to come. Since I know I’m leaving soon, I haven’t found new students to replace the ones that have drifted away (average shelf life for a private student seems to be about 3 months) and I’m finding my last weeks pretty light on work and pretty heavy on….waiting. I’m taking the opportunity to see my friends as much as I possibly can without seeming to lonely and desperate!
Today I worked out, then met a friend of a friend who’s new in town. She’s looking for work and I’m looking for someone reliable to recommend to my students when I’m gone, so that worked out nicely. She’s a Midwestern mom whose kids just recently graduated high school, so she’s seizing “the ten years between when they graduate and when they reproduce” to see the world Very cool. We chatted for a long time about students, making it as a tutor, and life in Istanbul in general, then I walked up the hill to Molly’s Café, where I’m now sipping a latte and admiring the very preggers café cat. On the way up the hill, I had the fortune to run into two very lovely street kittens on a doorstep. I stopped to say hi, and within a minute both were lounging in my lap. A Turkish guy stopped to play with the kitties- I figured he was more interested in my low-cut shirt than the kittens, and I got kinda bristly- but it turns out I was wrong, as he stayed behind to bat at a pamphlet with them when I walked off. It’s nice to be wrong sometimes! I caught another Turkish guy- this one maybe high-school aged- stopping to admire another batch of kittens in our rather tough neighborhood. He snapped a picture on his cell phone, then turned the phone around to show the kitties the picture and get their approval. Adorable.
I’m getting kind of antsy to start packing, cleaning, and giving away stuff, but I’m going to hold out for another week. Hopefully I’ll keep a bit busier this coming week- Friday is graduation at Ace’s school, so I’ll meet everybody in the suburb for that, then we’ll spend the night at Erin’s and hopefully mooch off Melissa’s apartment’s pool. Ace is finished with conventional classes and testing, and is now pretty much just babysitting the few students who are still coming to school. His stress level seems to be a lot lower now, though he’s still having to deal with a healthy dose of school drama, and he’s pretty darn excited to be done so soon. Apparently the school has run out of money (again) and isn’t paying the primary and kinder teachers, so our friend Anna, a kinder teacher, has stopped coming to school (as well she should). That means that the upper level teachers are covering in shifts, so Ace has been recruited to help with the kinders two hours a day several times this week. Aw.
Greece planning (the little bit I’m doing) is going well. We’re planning on spending two nights or so in Athens, then island-hopping around the Cyclades island group for the rest of our vacation, working our way south, then back north to Athens to fly back to Istanbul. The trouble is choosing which islands to visit- there are 200 islands in that group alone, and pretty much all of them are awesome! I’ve booked hostels for Athens and Santorini, the two places most likely to book up, and we’re planning on just going with the flow and finding lodging a night or two ahead of time for the other islands. I’ve also contacted some Couchsurfers, and we’re really hoping we’ll get to stay with someone in Athens or on some of the islands.
Wedding planning is going well- the big stuff is done, and the little stuff we can do from here is under control. I’m sure we’ll get swamped with to-do’s when we get home, but everything’s under control for now.
Ace and I were pretty set on doing our backpacking-wwoofing-couchsurfing trip from Ecuador to Argentina next year, but it looks like there’s a small chance things will change. Ace found a job posting for an international school in Bolivia, one which looks pretty reputable. It’s in the capital of Bolivia, which looks like a pretty pleasant place to live. I’ve gotten pretty excited about the idea of the unlimited open road next year, but financial stability and a home in Bolivia wouldn’t be too bad, either. It sounds like Ace is probably going to apply, and if, by a small chance, they’ll give him a decent contract and a week or two to fly home for the wedding….well, we’ll see.
Much love,
Kait
Today I worked out, then met a friend of a friend who’s new in town. She’s looking for work and I’m looking for someone reliable to recommend to my students when I’m gone, so that worked out nicely. She’s a Midwestern mom whose kids just recently graduated high school, so she’s seizing “the ten years between when they graduate and when they reproduce” to see the world Very cool. We chatted for a long time about students, making it as a tutor, and life in Istanbul in general, then I walked up the hill to Molly’s Café, where I’m now sipping a latte and admiring the very preggers café cat. On the way up the hill, I had the fortune to run into two very lovely street kittens on a doorstep. I stopped to say hi, and within a minute both were lounging in my lap. A Turkish guy stopped to play with the kitties- I figured he was more interested in my low-cut shirt than the kittens, and I got kinda bristly- but it turns out I was wrong, as he stayed behind to bat at a pamphlet with them when I walked off. It’s nice to be wrong sometimes! I caught another Turkish guy- this one maybe high-school aged- stopping to admire another batch of kittens in our rather tough neighborhood. He snapped a picture on his cell phone, then turned the phone around to show the kitties the picture and get their approval. Adorable.
I’m getting kind of antsy to start packing, cleaning, and giving away stuff, but I’m going to hold out for another week. Hopefully I’ll keep a bit busier this coming week- Friday is graduation at Ace’s school, so I’ll meet everybody in the suburb for that, then we’ll spend the night at Erin’s and hopefully mooch off Melissa’s apartment’s pool. Ace is finished with conventional classes and testing, and is now pretty much just babysitting the few students who are still coming to school. His stress level seems to be a lot lower now, though he’s still having to deal with a healthy dose of school drama, and he’s pretty darn excited to be done so soon. Apparently the school has run out of money (again) and isn’t paying the primary and kinder teachers, so our friend Anna, a kinder teacher, has stopped coming to school (as well she should). That means that the upper level teachers are covering in shifts, so Ace has been recruited to help with the kinders two hours a day several times this week. Aw.
Greece planning (the little bit I’m doing) is going well. We’re planning on spending two nights or so in Athens, then island-hopping around the Cyclades island group for the rest of our vacation, working our way south, then back north to Athens to fly back to Istanbul. The trouble is choosing which islands to visit- there are 200 islands in that group alone, and pretty much all of them are awesome! I’ve booked hostels for Athens and Santorini, the two places most likely to book up, and we’re planning on just going with the flow and finding lodging a night or two ahead of time for the other islands. I’ve also contacted some Couchsurfers, and we’re really hoping we’ll get to stay with someone in Athens or on some of the islands.
Wedding planning is going well- the big stuff is done, and the little stuff we can do from here is under control. I’m sure we’ll get swamped with to-do’s when we get home, but everything’s under control for now.
Ace and I were pretty set on doing our backpacking-wwoofing-couchsurfing trip from Ecuador to Argentina next year, but it looks like there’s a small chance things will change. Ace found a job posting for an international school in Bolivia, one which looks pretty reputable. It’s in the capital of Bolivia, which looks like a pretty pleasant place to live. I’ve gotten pretty excited about the idea of the unlimited open road next year, but financial stability and a home in Bolivia wouldn’t be too bad, either. It sounds like Ace is probably going to apply, and if, by a small chance, they’ll give him a decent contract and a week or two to fly home for the wedding….well, we’ll see.
Much love,
Kait
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Update from the ‘bul-
As far as day-to-day stuff goes, things are moving along well for us! I’ve been teaching the owner of a business on the Asian side, as well as one of his employees, 8-10 hours a week. Now his nephew (another employee) wants 8 hours on top of that! I’m pretty thrilled with my schedule now, as they’re all right after one another, and in the mornings. Double the hours at the business definitely makes the transportation time and costs less icky, too! They’re all great guys, too, really rewarding to work with. It has been so cool for me to get the opportunity to start working with absolute beginners and watch them grow. I know that everything they learned, they learned from me-a very cool feeling.
Ace is hanging in there with work- he’s been seeing some major improvements in his students’ classroom behavior, which is a definite triumph for him, even though they’ve still got a long way to go. He’s definitely on the countdown now, though, as his last week of teaching real classes is the last week in May. The three weeks after that are mostly testing and helping the students are behind.
The job hunt has gone through some major changes- the contract that Ace was working on in Honduras fell through, but we’re both perfectly happy with that. It’s definitely a blessing in disguise, as we were pretty worried about quality of life in San Pedro Sula as well as discipline and management problems in the school. Now he’s applying to one school in the capital of Costa Rica which is miraculously still hiring, which would be fantastic. We’re pretty excited about plans if he doesn’t find a school, either, though. If we don’t have any definite plans come the end of summer, we’ll take some more time at home, have more time to relax (or frantically prepare) as the wedding approaches, time to enjoy our little honeymoon, write thank-you’s together….all things we wouldn’t be able to do if he had to rush off to a school in August and fly home for the wedding. Then we’ll head off to do the travelling around South America that I’ve always wanted to do- a combination of backpacking and WOOFing. WOOF stands for Worldwide Organization of Organic Farming, and it’s a worldwide program that hooks small organic farmers up with travelers who are willing to work the farms for a few days or more in exchange for meals and a place to stay. Ace is really excited about the possibility of getting to learn some farming techniques, and we’re both really interested in the off-the-beaten-track experience of South America that we could get this way. After we got tired of being on the move (or start getting short on cash) we would either pick a good place to stop and find ESL jobs or Ace would accept a position with this organization that finds emergency International School teachers for schools that lose a teacher mid-year. We could end up anywhere through them, which could definitely be interesting! I’m hoping we’ll find a way to stay in South America, though, for the sake of our Spanish. If he does find a steady position this summer, though, these plans will just have to be scooted back till next summer.
Istanbul has finally decided to accept spring, and we’re really enjoying the sunshine and longer days. Tulips are blooming, the birds are muttering as usual (ok, we only have pigeons), and the neighborhood kids are graffiti-ing local buildings with chalk sunshines and dragging each other around on cardboard pulled from the trash piles until 11:00 at night. Last weekend was a three-day weekend, and we managed to get in a beautiful walk along the Bosphorous, hang-out time with several different friends, and walk with our professor friend and his students as they visited and discussed different statues around the city. We also discovered a park that’s pretty nearby that we didn’t even know existed- pretty excited about that, as my only problem with living in the middle of the city is the major lack of green. We’re excited to check that out again soon. Ace posted some spring in Istanbul pictures a few weeks ago, so check them out on our photo site if you haven’t yet!
Much love,
Kait
As far as day-to-day stuff goes, things are moving along well for us! I’ve been teaching the owner of a business on the Asian side, as well as one of his employees, 8-10 hours a week. Now his nephew (another employee) wants 8 hours on top of that! I’m pretty thrilled with my schedule now, as they’re all right after one another, and in the mornings. Double the hours at the business definitely makes the transportation time and costs less icky, too! They’re all great guys, too, really rewarding to work with. It has been so cool for me to get the opportunity to start working with absolute beginners and watch them grow. I know that everything they learned, they learned from me-a very cool feeling.
Ace is hanging in there with work- he’s been seeing some major improvements in his students’ classroom behavior, which is a definite triumph for him, even though they’ve still got a long way to go. He’s definitely on the countdown now, though, as his last week of teaching real classes is the last week in May. The three weeks after that are mostly testing and helping the students are behind.
The job hunt has gone through some major changes- the contract that Ace was working on in Honduras fell through, but we’re both perfectly happy with that. It’s definitely a blessing in disguise, as we were pretty worried about quality of life in San Pedro Sula as well as discipline and management problems in the school. Now he’s applying to one school in the capital of Costa Rica which is miraculously still hiring, which would be fantastic. We’re pretty excited about plans if he doesn’t find a school, either, though. If we don’t have any definite plans come the end of summer, we’ll take some more time at home, have more time to relax (or frantically prepare) as the wedding approaches, time to enjoy our little honeymoon, write thank-you’s together….all things we wouldn’t be able to do if he had to rush off to a school in August and fly home for the wedding. Then we’ll head off to do the travelling around South America that I’ve always wanted to do- a combination of backpacking and WOOFing. WOOF stands for Worldwide Organization of Organic Farming, and it’s a worldwide program that hooks small organic farmers up with travelers who are willing to work the farms for a few days or more in exchange for meals and a place to stay. Ace is really excited about the possibility of getting to learn some farming techniques, and we’re both really interested in the off-the-beaten-track experience of South America that we could get this way. After we got tired of being on the move (or start getting short on cash) we would either pick a good place to stop and find ESL jobs or Ace would accept a position with this organization that finds emergency International School teachers for schools that lose a teacher mid-year. We could end up anywhere through them, which could definitely be interesting! I’m hoping we’ll find a way to stay in South America, though, for the sake of our Spanish. If he does find a steady position this summer, though, these plans will just have to be scooted back till next summer.
Istanbul has finally decided to accept spring, and we’re really enjoying the sunshine and longer days. Tulips are blooming, the birds are muttering as usual (ok, we only have pigeons), and the neighborhood kids are graffiti-ing local buildings with chalk sunshines and dragging each other around on cardboard pulled from the trash piles until 11:00 at night. Last weekend was a three-day weekend, and we managed to get in a beautiful walk along the Bosphorous, hang-out time with several different friends, and walk with our professor friend and his students as they visited and discussed different statues around the city. We also discovered a park that’s pretty nearby that we didn’t even know existed- pretty excited about that, as my only problem with living in the middle of the city is the major lack of green. We’re excited to check that out again soon. Ace posted some spring in Istanbul pictures a few weeks ago, so check them out on our photo site if you haven’t yet!
Much love,
Kait
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted! I’ve been keeping really busy with work lately. All of the students studying in England and such are home for spring break, so there is lots of test prep to be done.
Last weekend I took a long weekend with two girlfriends and went to Plovdiv, Bulgaria (again). We did pretty much all the same things as last time. We stocked up on stuff at the grocery store that you can’t get in Istanbul (Easter goodies, different cheeses, cheap oatmeal, good beer), roamed around the pleasantly empty streets (there are twice as many people in Istanbul as there are in the entire country of Bulgaria), visited the local monastery (very crowded with people lighting candles for Easter), and enjoyed just roaming the cobblestone streets and munching on Bulgarian food. It was cool to be there for Easter- church bells were ringing and hundreds of loaves of sweet bread hung out in the central areas, waiting to be given out courtesy of some political party. As the only place you could buy return train tickets was closed for a 5 day vacation, we were a bit worried about getting back. We ended up getting tickets on an overnight bus, though, which was really good considering what it was. Reclining seats, personal TV’s, a bathroom…pretty much just like a plane. We all returned sleepily but safely with shiny new stamps in our passports.
Other than that, not much new…we’re still trying to figure out what we’ll be doing next year (ugh), I’m taking my weekly Turkish lessons and inching along, and we’re getting wedding stuff slowly checked off the list. I recently found shoes for myself and the bridesmaid’s dresses, and we’ve been working on our vows! Fun.
The weather has just turned nice, and the city is an entirely new place. Tulips are popping up everywhere, there are boxes of kittens all over the place, and Ace and I actually have a desire to leave the apartment! We’re excited to go check out the palace that we still haven’t made it to this weekend. Erin also has friends visiting, so hopefully we’ll get to take over guide duties some and have excuses to get out and about our beautiful city.
Much love,
Kait
Last weekend I took a long weekend with two girlfriends and went to Plovdiv, Bulgaria (again). We did pretty much all the same things as last time. We stocked up on stuff at the grocery store that you can’t get in Istanbul (Easter goodies, different cheeses, cheap oatmeal, good beer), roamed around the pleasantly empty streets (there are twice as many people in Istanbul as there are in the entire country of Bulgaria), visited the local monastery (very crowded with people lighting candles for Easter), and enjoyed just roaming the cobblestone streets and munching on Bulgarian food. It was cool to be there for Easter- church bells were ringing and hundreds of loaves of sweet bread hung out in the central areas, waiting to be given out courtesy of some political party. As the only place you could buy return train tickets was closed for a 5 day vacation, we were a bit worried about getting back. We ended up getting tickets on an overnight bus, though, which was really good considering what it was. Reclining seats, personal TV’s, a bathroom…pretty much just like a plane. We all returned sleepily but safely with shiny new stamps in our passports.
Other than that, not much new…we’re still trying to figure out what we’ll be doing next year (ugh), I’m taking my weekly Turkish lessons and inching along, and we’re getting wedding stuff slowly checked off the list. I recently found shoes for myself and the bridesmaid’s dresses, and we’ve been working on our vows! Fun.
The weather has just turned nice, and the city is an entirely new place. Tulips are popping up everywhere, there are boxes of kittens all over the place, and Ace and I actually have a desire to leave the apartment! We’re excited to go check out the palace that we still haven’t made it to this weekend. Erin also has friends visiting, so hopefully we’ll get to take over guide duties some and have excuses to get out and about our beautiful city.
Much love,
Kait
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
PodCasts
Oh, I almost forgot to mention my new discovery! I know I'm a few years behind on this, but I just started listening to Podcasts (the free radio-ish channels you can get through ITunes). They're AMAZING. I've been able to get an unlimited supply of absolutely fascinating history lessons, random funny quiz shows, interviews with intellectuals, cool stories told by average people, and fun mini-lessons on everything from how bail systems work to how carbon credits work. Ok, I know I'm a nerd, but I'm so excited- this makes all the time I spend cruising around Istanbul on the bus so much more interesting, fun and useful! Who knows, I may even end up being able to hold a moderately intelligent conversation about history, politics or current events one of these days!
Ace and I have both been busy bees lately. He is continuing with the endless stream of job applications, planning, and grading. He’s had some success with his students lately though- through a ton of hard work, he’s gotten some of them producing pretty decent 5 paragraph essays! Our friend Erin is taking her Model United Nations club to Russia next week for a competition- both cool and terrifying. I picked up yet another-also awesome- student in my area, and am probably going to be getting a few more hours with a former student- so I’m doing really well, and about to be doing even better. Hooray!
I’ve also been working on resumes and cover letters, as I found a job advertised online for an Online Writing Lab Tutor starting in August or September. It’s through SMARTHINKING, Inc.- a really reputable American company that provides online tutoring services to high schools and universities, and I’d basically be doing exactly what I did in the writing center. If I got the position, I could work anywhere from 9-35 hours a week (I think 10 or 15 would be plenty, though- don’t want to spend all day on the computer) from anywhere in the world with a reliable internet connection. So that would guarantee me at least some work at a decent wage while in South America next year! They look like they’re pretty choosy, but here’s hoping!
Last weekend I got to hang out with some new friends- a bunch of Americans working at various language schools. It was really great to find some people who are on similar schedules as me- it’s been hard knowing mostly high school teachers who are working hardest when I have free time! I’m planning to go on a weekend trip to Bulgaria with two of the girls soon Ace and I also had a Mexican food night at Anna’s on Friday, worked and celebrated Missy and Hussein’s birthdays on Saturday night, and lazed around the house all day Sunday. I cooked up a massive batch of super-veggie pasta sauce to keep us fed for those busy days. I also started up my Turkish lessons again- I know I don’t have that much time left, but I really feel like I should leave here knowing more than I do.
This weekend we’re looking forward to a scavenger hunt planned by a friend I met while subbing at the international school and yet another birthday (another teacher we met on the last Bulgaria trip). The weather is supposed to start looking up again this weekend, so I’m hoping we’ll be able to start exploring again- it’s just been too icky and cold lately to try to climb to any viewpoints or visit nearby cities or anything.
Anyways, things are good here-Ace is surviving school and squeezing in some fun on the weekends, and I’m getting more work and getting to spend more time with friends. Keep your fingers crossed for our future job prospects, please!
All our love!
I’ve also been working on resumes and cover letters, as I found a job advertised online for an Online Writing Lab Tutor starting in August or September. It’s through SMARTHINKING, Inc.- a really reputable American company that provides online tutoring services to high schools and universities, and I’d basically be doing exactly what I did in the writing center. If I got the position, I could work anywhere from 9-35 hours a week (I think 10 or 15 would be plenty, though- don’t want to spend all day on the computer) from anywhere in the world with a reliable internet connection. So that would guarantee me at least some work at a decent wage while in South America next year! They look like they’re pretty choosy, but here’s hoping!
Last weekend I got to hang out with some new friends- a bunch of Americans working at various language schools. It was really great to find some people who are on similar schedules as me- it’s been hard knowing mostly high school teachers who are working hardest when I have free time! I’m planning to go on a weekend trip to Bulgaria with two of the girls soon Ace and I also had a Mexican food night at Anna’s on Friday, worked and celebrated Missy and Hussein’s birthdays on Saturday night, and lazed around the house all day Sunday. I cooked up a massive batch of super-veggie pasta sauce to keep us fed for those busy days. I also started up my Turkish lessons again- I know I don’t have that much time left, but I really feel like I should leave here knowing more than I do.
This weekend we’re looking forward to a scavenger hunt planned by a friend I met while subbing at the international school and yet another birthday (another teacher we met on the last Bulgaria trip). The weather is supposed to start looking up again this weekend, so I’m hoping we’ll be able to start exploring again- it’s just been too icky and cold lately to try to climb to any viewpoints or visit nearby cities or anything.
Anyways, things are good here-Ace is surviving school and squeezing in some fun on the weekends, and I’m getting more work and getting to spend more time with friends. Keep your fingers crossed for our future job prospects, please!
All our love!
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