Ecuador... I am finally here!!

I know that it has been a long time since my last update. Sorry for the delay. For a while I did not have access to reliable internet and then school started so....

Well, here we are after 3 1/2 years of raising support and language school, I am finally here in Ecuador. It has been a big transition but I am loving it here.

In the last month I have:

1. Finished Language School
2. Moved Continents
3. Furnished a house
4. Moved into my house
5. Learned to use a gas stove- I still don't know how to work the oven (I don't know how to light it with a match)
6. Setup my classroom
7. Started School
8. Gotten a parasite
and much much more!

Yes, that's right. On the first day of school, I woke up with a fever. I got a parasite. (Very common here in Shell. I just had to get some medicine for it from the hospital. However, I felt very crummy for a few days )

However, I love my little class. The kids are wonderful. They are so excited about school and even begging for homework (I have 1st and 2nd graders- they will change their opinion soon)

Below I added some pictures of my classroom and my house. Enjoy!

The front of my house.

The Kitchen and the oven I don't know how to operate

The patio, backyard and grill

The passion fruit plant on my back porch

The pineapple that is growing outside my bedroom window

The 1st and 2nd grade classroom at the Nate Saint Memorial School

Math Calendar Board

Classroom Computer and Cubbie Holes

Word Wall and all of the animals painted on the walls. It's a jungle in there!

Test Results- End of Language School

I mentioned on the last blog that I had 2 big tests coming up soon. Well, the first one was last Friday, and was a 30-minute oral exam. You can't really prepare for the test, because you just have a conversation with a teacher.In order to pass the oral test, I needed to achieve an 'advance' rating on my speaking abilities. (A teacher told a friend of mine that an 'advanced' level is when a Spanish speaker who has never talked to a gringo (English Speaker) before can walk up to me and hold a conversation, and I can understand and make myself understood.) Considering that I came to Costa Rica to study Spanish only 10 months ago, and that I knew absolutely no Spanish at the time, getting an advanced rating would be pretty huge.

The second test was last Tuesday, and was a comprehensive, 3 hour, 300 point written exam. It covered everything: present tense, past tense, future tense, subjunctives, parifrases, comparatives, quoting people... everything! In order to pass the written test, I need at least a 70% as a final score. Most students take both exams after their third semester at the school, but since I am leaving  this coming Monday, I decided to take them now. 

Well, thank you for all the prayers and encouraging notes. I did pass both tests so now I can focus on getting ready for the start of the school year in Shell, Ecuador!

The End of Some Times and The Beginning of Some Times

So its that time again. Time to start packing and looking forward to getting settled in a new place! That's right. I leave Costa Rica on Monday, August 6. I am very excited about this next step, but I am sure going to   miss my life here in Costa Rica as well.

Coming up this week: Exams Exams Exams... I will be taking the Final Exams for the Language School. On Friday, July 27 I will be taking the Oral Exam and the following Tuesday, July 31 I will be taking the 3 hour long Grammar test.

School starts August 23. I will be teaching 1st and 2nd grade this year, and I am beyond excited. So far, I will have 2 first graders and 2 second graders. I have been having fun thinking and planning for the new school year.

Below are some pictures of my apartment and the school. I don't have pictures of my actual classroom yet but you will get the idea below. :) These pictures are of the kindergarten classroom a few years ago.

The Front View of My House

The Patio