"It's a blog, yo."

Today's guest blog comes from a one Miss Shawn Fagan - our resident Brooklynite, indescribably dedicated Yankees fan, dog-lover, and creator of epic 90s music playlists. Shawn graduated from Columbia University with a degree in neuroscience... a fabulous major, if I do say so myself. Recently, during her free time, she has been spotted huddled around her computer listening to every Yankee game, indulging me in nerdy neuroscience conversation, religiously rocking her daily New York Times crossword, and dominating us common folk in Catch Phrase. I admire her for all of the aforementioned tidbits... but, perhaps most of all, I admire her relentless pursuit in tracking down the internet lady... a feat that I'm pretty sure only Shawn could accomplish. (No, really. She's probably called the woman 50+ times. It's loco.)

Pretty standard Shawn:)

"It’s late October, and I think we all know what that means… time for my guest blog and time for the baseball postseason to start heating up. As a life-long New Yorker, there is nothing that feels more like fall than sitting in my living room, watching the Yankees and listening to my dog bark every time my dad or myself scream at the television. Clearly, this postseason has been a different experience than what I am accustomed to. Rather than sitting around the television on the edge of my seat, throwing toy after toy to my insatiable dog, Foster, I now find myself crowded around portable speakers in the kitchen, desperately fawning over every word spoken by John Sterling via a crappy internet-radio connection. Coincidentally, my parents are also having a different postseason experience. At this point, they’ve attended at least three games. I’m sure that them miraculously acquiring an endless supply of game tickets has nothing to do with me being away for the year.

In an effort to avoid the topic of programs and Manna, I’ll quickly summarize my role here in Ecuador: I’m tight with the Ministry of Health, I idolize Billy Blanks, and I love to hang out with hormonal Ecuadorian teens.

Shawn showing off her guns and trash picking-up skillz during the community cleanup Minga

Each volunteer has his or her own set of bizarre quirks that has helped distinguish us from one another. But it is these same quirks that keep us grounded and connected to our lives in the U.S. I love travel, and I think that every person, at least once, should force themselves out of their comfort-zone in order to experience a new environment, cultural or ecological. I could argue that living in a house of 10, with only one other companion from the Northeast, has been more “culturally shocking” than actually moving my life to Ecuador. While I sometimes find myself explaining the mechanism behind Fresh Direct to my housemates, and desperately missing the fast-paced, fashion-obsessed New York City lifestyle, these distinct ties to my upbringing help me feel more at home in this foreign country. Everything that I brought with me to Ecuador -- be it personal experience, an epic DVD collection, or Yankees pajama pants -- has given me strength and made me more comfortable and capable in my new environment.

- Shawn"

Profe Appreciation

Today was a pretty monumental day in the library: it was Dana's last day teaching children's English, a class she started for MPI-Ecuador last January. Dana wanted to make her last class focused on learning about American culture, history, and personal insights about us as volunteers. The kids were allowed to write anything and everything they wanted to know on small sheets of paper and then we would read (anonymously) and answer them as best we could. Dana, Bibi, Shawn, Sonia, and I sat around the table with the kids and had a wonderful exchange of customs and culture.

Dana and I watch as the kids brainstorm their questions

Dana leads the lively discussion

Shawn, Dana, and I pose with our class

I also decided to interview Miss Conway after dinner (while she sipped one of her nightly dozen cups of tea) to inquire about the origins of English, what she's taken away from it, and more...

Me: When and how did you start teaching children's English?

Dana: Starting a children's English class came about last January because of demand from the community. Even though I had never taught before and wasn't very comfortable around children in such an intimate setting, I felt like I had the time to take it on while others didn't and I really wanted to do it for Manna. I tried to persuade another PD to do it with me but no one was really available, so I took it on myself. The first month was extremely nerve-wracking as I had never done anything like it before, but with every class I felt more comfortable and it got easier. The most comforting thing for me was realizing how non-judgmental the kids are. I have easily learned as much from them and they have learned from me.

Me: How do you think children's English has changed since last year?

Dana: When we first started we didn't have our own space. Now that we have classes out of a Manna-specific space we're able to draw more people and have built a consistent group of attendees. This consistence in attendance has transformed the class into an actually course rather than scattered lessons, which results in better retention from students. Within the last few weeks we have also split the class into two because of the wide variety of ages and levels. This allows us to cater to children's specific needs and move at a faster pace.

Me: What's your favorite part about teaching?

Dana: I love the feeling of accomplishment at the end of courses when students show how much more than know than when they came in. I also love when the kids become curious and are eager to question things outside of just what I'm teaching them and I'm able to draw upon their interests to explore other topics.

Me: Do you have any advice for future children's English teachers that will be taking over your position (ie: me)?

Dana: When you get frustrated by the difficulty in lesson planning or the chaos that is inevitable by the way we teach since we cater to such a large range of ages and levels, just remember that getting them excited about learning English is just as important as what they actually learn. Whenever you find yourself struggling realize that these kids love this class and you're the reason why.

A special thanks to Dana for being such a great children's English/agriculture/daily life mentor and apartment-mate! I definitely have huge shoes to fill as I take over her class next week.

- Jackie

Playing Futbol at an Altitude of 2500m...

Krysta, Jackie, Haley, Chet, Mike and I were pumped about the idea of joining an Ecuadorian soccer league when Bibi mentioned it about a month ago. The six of us joined the respective men's and women's Ruminahui teams... and have gotten ourselves into quite the adventure. In the last few weeks we've paid our dues, received our uniforms, and participated in our first games.

I can't speak for the men, but I will say that being on the women's team has been pretty funny thus far. We had our first practice two weeks ago, which entailed scooping the entire field clear of dog poop before starting drills. Our coach placed the order for our uniforms, and subsequently got us jerseys an average of 2 sizes too big per person (Chet, Haley and Krysta wear the same size, if that gives you any idea...). And our starting lineup includes Bibi (who is surprisingly good), Krysta (who is known for her volleyball skillz), Jackie (who is chastised by the coach about 98% of the time), Haley (who has never played soccer) and me (who last played soccer in the non-scored YMCA league in 3rd grade). We're clearly a force to be reckoned with...

Here's a brief list of the good and the bad:
Good -
1. Jackiepants scored our first goal of the season. Perhaps the coach won't be able to yell at her as much...
2. The 6 of us have super sweet matching uniforms (even if they're HUGE). I, for one, will be sporting mine with pride. We're so legit. (Too legit to quit. En serio.)
3. The other teams don't know what we're saying when we yell to each other on the field. (Or if insults are tossed around after being knocked to the ground... several times...)

Bad -
1. Both teams lost last Sunday. But since we've added hill workouts and soccer drills to our daily routines, I expect big turnarounds. :) Ha.
2. Sprinting up and down a very uneven soccer field is just not the same at 2500m altitude.
3. Soreness. Lots of it. Who knew those muscles existed?

Our team meets for a huddle before the game
(Bibi is #8, Jackie is next to Bibi, and Sarah is #7)

Bibi dominates the mid-field

Taking a breather... the ball was probably booted into the highway or something similar.

Both teams are playing this weekend... we'll keep you posted.

Thanks for checking in!
ss

Nutrition, Art, and Everything in Between

This week's guest blog comes from Sonia Patel (or Soña as the library kids like to write), our token vegetarian. For a petite person, Sonia's laugh and/or screams can be heard all the way from the apartment. Sonia leads weekly inspirational nutrition charlas, helps run Art class, goes out of her way on a daily basis to make sure she does not step in animal feces, AND is in the process of applying for Med school. Not to mention, wrote us a guest blog during quarterly report week. For all of these reasons as more, I adore her and after reading this I know you will too!

Krysta, Sonia, Dunc and Shawn way back when in Mindo

"When I first came to Ecuador, I reveled in the beauty that surrounded me, from the geographical setting of the Andes Mountains to the colorful clothing of another culture. There was so much to observe and reflect upon that during my first couple of weeks, I found myself exhausted and ready for bed at 7:30p.m. much like a newborn baby. As time passed, I metaphorically grew up; my senses were no longer faced with a slew of new sounds, sights, and smells left time and energy for a more productive organ: my brain.

Deciding which major to pursue at the University of Virginia, was one of the most conflicting and confusing tasks I had to accomplish, precisely because there were too many options. In my biology classes, I felt as if a philosophical background would soften scientific thinking. While in the economics classes, I know that a sociological study would strengthen economic theories centered on human behavior.

I was finally absolved of the restrictive feelings and college mandate of specialization when I began working for Manna. Anything was possible and like a greedy child on Thanksgiving I piled a varied assortment on my plate: I'm working with Sarah on opening a preventative health clinic, co-teach Children's Art classes with Chet, giving nutrition presentations before Haley's yoga classes, occasionally acting as Jackie's gardening partner, shadowing the emergency room at the public Sangloqui hospital and supporting Krysta on the beginnings of a nutrition program at Aliñambi.

Such an agenda provides for constant knowledge and entertainment. For instance, I learned that doctors are required to work for a year in rural communities, most Ecuadorian meals are not balanced with enough vegetables, Jackie accidently killed (and mourned) the one worm we found for composting, and that in every art class one particular girl will cut out her drawings and hang them by a string of yarn.

However, using that productive brain doesn't completely suppress the inner child within. Whether it is indulging myself in the pleasures of a Magnum ice cream bar (America you are really missing out... a comparison to say Haagen-Dazs would only be 10% accurate) or hitting everyone's butt in the Manna house, sometimes my senses, missing that initial onrush, beg for more.

Sonia with some of her fellow health programmers

[ Side note: apologies for the list of activites. It's specifically meant for my family. It's funny how during our Skype conversations, they congratulate me more for learning how to cook (shh.. don't tell them about cooks.com) than for working on programs. ]

- Sonia"

Fossilized Fun

Have you ever tried to make a homemade fossil? Because that's just what we did this afternoon in natural science class (insert inquisitive stare about when we started this class). I apologize for not mentioning this educational addition earlier, so let me back up a little. Krysta and I really wanted to start a natural science class for kids in our community to combine our respective loves of science and the environment. We were conflicted when trying to decide when to hold it with two other very successful twice a week classes and eventually decided to make it an extension of Children's English for two major reasons: it's easier to retain foreign language vocabulary when it revolves around a theme and the most direct application of English here in Ecuador is eco-tourism, one of the fastest growing industries in the country.

Every Friday we combine the younger and older children's English classes into one large experimental hour of fun, and English vocabulary. Previous class topics have been mixing oil and water, focussing on how this affects our environment in terms of oil spills and other pollution, and a lesson on food chains and evolutionary adaptations. Today, our third lesson, was learning about how fossils are formed and making our own!

We spent the better part of last night (during bouts of procrastination towards writing quarterly reports) boiling partially rotting chicken carcasses to retrieve bones and making "clay" which consisted of flour, salt, cold coffee, and used coffee grinds. During this process we had to convince a few housemates, who will remain nameless, to refrain from eating our mixture and that it was not in fact crushed up Oreos.

We started the lesson by asking the kids to tell us what they know about fossils and helping us label fossil pictures with what kind of animal/plant/insect they thought it was. Afterwards we hid chicken bones, leaves and twigs in two tupperware containers of dirt for the kids to come up, find and dust off with paint brushes to provide an archeological feel. We then showed the kids how to make our artificial soil/clay and rolled out pieces for the kids for them to imprint their findings. Though some of the kids were a little grossed out by our artificial soil (one kid legitimately said "tengo ganas de vomitar") overall it was a big hit.

Future archeologists Kevin and Evelyn dig for fossils

Alejandra imprints her leaf carefully

Me and the kids showing off our masterpieces on the roof

Los fósiles left on the roof to transform into "rocks" in the sun

Krysta and I are really excited to continue developing this class as the year goes on. Though we like having our class attached to English, we hope to begin attracting other kids as well. We hope to build upon this foundation of interest in natural science to branch out into other environmental awareness projects. We also love the idea of introducing these children to ideas and experiments that they most likely aren't exposed to in school.

If you have any experiments or science lessons from your childhood that you remember being particularly fond of (ie: making tornadoes out of soda bottles...we're working on that, don't worry!) please feel free to comment or send me your suggestions!

Mil gracias,

Jackie