Where am I?

Hello America!

I have been in the States now for 8 days and it has been quite the whirlwind!  Little blurbs of blog ideas have been going in and out of my brain lately but I think it's all finally clear enough to write down... enjoy!

The goodbyes...
Leaving Ecuador was hard!  The whole last week was full of hugs and notes from my 21 students!  My last day at school was very eventful from a birthday party to game day to a surprise goodbye party.  Each student wrote me sweet words about my time there with them and gave me little gifts that I hold so dear!  I also had to say goodbye to most teachers and staff on that Friday - a very odd feeling.  I realized as I looked into each face that these are people I love whether the custodian I talk to after school each day, our cook, or fellow teachers.  How quickly friendships and relationships can develop.  My last day in Quito was spent with friends - going out to brunch, going to the market, spending time together, and going out to dinner.  Mentally I knew how sad I was to be leaving everyone but it was so hard to make it all feel real.  In a sense I still feel like tomorrow morning I am going to wake up, walk to school, and be right back with my first graders.

Travel adventures...
Leaving early Sunday morning should have been very smooth but... there was a marathon going on in Quito and so lots of roads were closed!  It took us over half an hour to get out of the city and we were getting pretty nervous we wouldn't be able to get to the airport on time but we made it!
My second bag which was supposed to cost me $70 actually turned out to be free which was a pleasant surprise!  Smooth travels with an  inevitable delay in Miami but all went well.

Getting to Wheaton...
Two of my friends, Emily and Maddie, picked me up from the airport and took me back to Wheaton where a little surprise party was waiting.  How good it was to see so many wonderful people that I hadn't seen for 6 months!

Transitioning back...
Well I still delay every time I go to use the sink water to brush my teeth and I get a little uh-oh feeling when I through my toilet paper in the toilet hoping it will flush smoothly!  I am still so happy when I can easily read everything in the store and can answer all the cashier questions without second-guessing myself.  It was a whirlwind of a week when I got back.  I had two days off before classes started and I had to jump into the swing of college life.  My brain was foggy and overwhelmed by everything going on.  As each day goes by the transition is smoother.  I am less surprised to wake up to suburbia instead of car horns, barking dogs, and screeching cats.  I still catch myself looking at all the pictures trying to soak in each memory I have.

Thank you for being a part of my time in Quito.  Thank you for reading my blogs, praying for safety, and encouraging me along the way!  I could not have done this all alone.

More blogs? who knows!  Feel free to unsubscribe as future blog posts will be more on the ponderings inside the mind of Laura Copeland as opposed to Ecuadorian adventures!
So grateful for each one of you!

My Ecuadorian Life

Where to begin?

The last three weeks (since my last blog) have been incredibly busy but wonderful all the same!

I have been in Quito for over 10 weeks now and have less than 2 weeks left!  This is a truly unbelievable feeling.  In some regards I feel as if this is my life now and I have been here forever.  However, at the same time, the past 3 months have just flown by and I can't believe it is already (almost) time to head back to the States.

Reading Group

I finished four weeks of full-time teaching last week and am teaching just a few subjects this week and tapering off even more next week.  Full-time teaching was a big challenge with tons of work and lesson planning but I loved every minute of it.  My students are so wonderful and I love each of them very much.  They made all the long nights of planning worth it!  Those four weeks (along with my entire time teaching here) have taught me so much about myself, my students, being a teacher, behavior plans, and much more!  At times I felt as if I was teaching in a "normal" (whatever that means) school in the States but then there would be moments where it would hit me.  I would have this ah-ha moment of shock that I am actually living and teaching in SOUTH AMERICA!  I know this sounds so obvious as I have been preparing for this time for so long and have been here for 2 and a half months but it would still hit me at random moments.  I am incredibly thankful for this experience and know I will carry all of these moments with me wherever I go.

All my Latino kids got the futbol moves!

As I prepare to leave I have realized that I am ready to be back, yet I am not ready to leave.  This leaves me in quite a conundrum.  This week I had to begin telling my students that I only have 2 more weeks with them.  This led to questions like "why do you have to go?" "who will be Mrs. Bastidas' other teacher?" "can I come with you?" and so on.  These questions tug at my heart as I know that I do not want to leave these precious students.  As my remaining days here in this beautiful city fly by, my schedule is filling up with last-minute to-dos like concerts, parties, shopping, and dinners!  I am so thankful for all of the friendships and experiences I have had here and plan to soak up the next week and a half too!

Two of the sweetest kids!

A quick recap of the last few weeks...

* We had a long 3 day weekend a few weeks back so we indulged and went to stay at the Marriott in Quito!  Three other teachers and myself went for a relaxing weekend laying by the pool, going to the spa, and sleeping in.  We also went out to a little Italian restaurant where we ended up meeting the owner and he made us our own special meals and gave us free calamari!  The weekend was also full of movies, Chinese food, disaster brownies, and manicures and pedicures!

 

* Mariah, another student teacher and my roommate, went back to the States two weeks ago.  We were able to have a big goodbye dinner with a group of people from the school.  It was a great night to just reflect on how blessed I have been to meet so many wonderful people!







* I went out to a small town called Nono and stayed at my supervisor's new ranch house for a weekend trip.  We were completely secluded from our normal city-life and were surrounded by mountains and valleys and the great outdoors!  We hung out by the fireplace, had great conversations, read a great book, and went horse-back riding.  I was able to step back from the normal busyness of life and take time to rest.


* Last Saturday was Parent Teacher Conferences.  This made for a long day (7:30am-2:15pm) but was very rewarding.  It was great to meet all of my students' parents and hear from them.  Talking with the parents made me realize how much I have learned about each of my students individually and how much I care about them.

"Teacher, teacher!"

I am unsure whether the idea of "eyes in the back of her head" first originated in regards to a mother or a teacher, but this I have learned: it is true for teachers!

In the past few weeks as I have immersed myself in my soon-to-be profession, I have truly grown those eyes in the back of my head.  I know which voice is calling out my name when I am working at my desk.  I see which student is spacing out as opposed to eagerly engaged in my lesson.  I see the first grade girls passing notes.  I see the boys hiding their toy cars in their desks.

I multitask like none other... helping one student with a math even-number timeline, while explaining exclamation points to another, while telling one to sit down, while thinking of which lesson is coming next, while pleading one to stop eating crayons.

I can guess which students will need to use the bathroom after Spanish versus those that need to go during math versus those that seem to need to go every five minutes!
I know which students will ask me a million times when lunch is, and I know the precious students that will begin asking "when time to go home?" even when we have only been in the classroom for 1 hour!

Yet even in all of these crazy moments... I can't help but to be thankful and overjoyed with my privilege to be here with them.

It is them running up to me during their after-school soccer practice to give me a quick hug or to tell me they are beating the other team 2-0!
It is the drying of sad tears when a student has to take the bus instead of being picked up by her mom.
It is the joy in hearing one say to another, "It is okay, you're never alone, Jesus is with you!"
It is the delight of them learning those big, English words or those tricky addition problems.
It is the cringing at ALL of those loose teeth hanging out of their mouths!
It is the reoccurring event of cutting dozens of students' lunch during my lunch duty.
It is my sweet boy always asking me, "You can tie my shoe?"
It is the quick thank-yous when I pass out a paper.
It is the relief that comes with finally challenging my advanced student.
It is reading their sentence saying "I lik mrs copeland techng me at skl." (translation = I like Miss Copeland teaching me at school.")
It is the constant translation of their misspelled words and messy handwriting.

It is every moment they smile and I have no doubts of where I am supposed to be.

Teaching is such a joy.
I already know how hard the goodbyes are going to be.  When my students ask me why I'm leaving or why I can't stay all year, I wish I didn't have to say goodbye in just four short weeks.

As this is my second week of full-time teaching (with two more to go), I am incredibly busy, filling my afternoons and evenings with endless lesson planning.

This four-day week definitely is a blessing.  I am looking forward to refueling this weekend and getting my energy up to finish the next four weeks well!



As for my weekend adventures...

Last Saturday, I went with some friends to Teleferico.  Teleferico is a gondola (cable-car) ride beginning at 9,678 feet and going up to 13,297 feet!  From the top of Pinchincha volcano, you get a beautiful, breath-taking view of the city.

 Once at the top, we continued to climb leading us to meet three Germans (traveling in Ecuador/Galapagos Islands for 3 weeks).  A bit later, we met a wonderful family of 4 who had just months ago sold everything they owned, packed 1 suitcase plus a carry-on, bought round-the-world tickets and are traveling/teaching their kids for 1 year!

Following our decent back down to oxygen, we took a cab over to La Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World).  This is where the equator is (only about 30 minutes from where I am living)!  We learned about indigenous people in Ecuador, saw tons of beautiful artifacts, and got to stand on the equator!

 

A few cool experiments from the equator were...
* while draining water on equator, the water went straight down
   while draining water in the Northern hemisphere, the water went counter-clockwise
   while draining water in the Southern hemisphere, the water went clockwise
* an egg can balance on a nail (I didn't have enough patience to accomplish this)
* you loose your balance while walking on equator with eyes closed (such a weird feeling)

 That's the extent of my adventures for now.  I best be getting back to planning math lessons... yay subtraction!

Blessings!

6 + 6 = 12

Six weeks down and six weeks to go!
I am officially halfway through my time in Ecuador which is pretty unbelievable!

I am into our 5th week of school here at Alliance and the rhythm of day to day life is becoming routine and I am figuring everything out more and more.  Currently I am teaching Bible, Grammar, Writing, Handwriting, Math, Social Studies, and Science.  I am loving my classroom and all of my students.  It is great to continue to get to know them in an academic setting and as individual children.  Figuring out classroom management for the class as a whole as well as for individual students is always a challenge but is becoming more natural.  Combining that with a classroom full of English Language Learners and every day has its own unique vibe to it!

My daily schedule during the week typically looks like:
6:15 am - wake up (and hopefully the showers are working... 50/50 chance)
7:00 am - breakfast with the dorm
7:30 am - arrive to my classroom and take a deep breath before the day begins
7:40 am - students begin arriving and doing seat work (somewhat) independently
8:00 am - school officially begins and all students have arrived
teach, teach, teach
12:00 pm - lunch break (twice a week I have lunch duty for the elementary kids)
1:00 pm - back to the classroom
teach, teach, teach
3:15 pm - dismissal begins
3:30 pm - all students are dismissed or go wait in the atrium for their parents
4:00 pm - leave school and head back to the dorm to lesson plan until dinner (at 6pm)

With getting up early and going all day long, I usually hit the hay about 10 pm for some much needed sleep!

Beginning next week, I am full time teaching all day for three weeks.  It will continue to get busier but I am excited to take on the challenge.

Some highlights (and some low-lights) over the last few weeks of my life in Ecuador:
* one friday afternoon about 2 and a half weeks ago, my phone was stolen while I was at the local grocery store :( not a good experience at all... very stressful, emotional, and kind of made me feel like I was really alone here in this foreign country

* faculty/staff and family retreat for the day at Calacali (rural land owned by the school) - full of good conversation, people, and delicious food!

* visit from my professor, Dr. Egeland, from Wheaton College - he was here for 2 days and did some observations of my teaching and touring the school

* went to the Ecuadorian symphony (for free!) with some other teachers from the school

* Open House Saturday where all the parents and students came to school on a Saturday (kind of like back-to-school night)

* going to Mercado Artesenal, a local market, to buy more souvenirs

* Quito Bus Tour - a 4 hour tour of the city!  We stopped at La Basilica (a Gothic-style church) and climbed to the top of the church!

* attending La Fuente weekly - a great Spanish church where I am practicing my Spanish and learning a lot!


My apologies for the somewhat longer post but thanks for sticking through and reading it!
Hitting the halfway point in my time here is a very odd feeling!  Loving the people and places here but also missing all my wonderful family and friends back home.
I am so thankful for each one of you and your constant communication, encouragement, and support while I am here!

A few pictures for you:

Chao!!

The Clock

Time.  

At times it stands still, like a clock barely ticking as you hear each little tick... tock... of your watch.

At these moments I urge time to go faster, to get to the next moment, or day, or month.

Time.

At times it whizzes by like a flash before your eyes and the turning pages of a calendar.

At these moments I plead for time to slow down, to be able to take a breath and be present.

How does this constant thing that we call time seemingly go at different rates throughout our lives?

How can time both feel sluggish and speedy in the same moment?

By the constant measure of time I have been in Ecuador for 

5 weeks now... 

=35 days... 

=840 hours... 

=50,400 minutes... 

=3,024,000 seconds...

I feel as if yesterday I was walking off the plane into a whole new world full of mixed emotions.

Yet, at the same instant, I feel as if this is my new world and I have been here forever.

I know that my 7 remaining weeks here are going to both fly by faster than I can imagine and seem like an eternity.  

So in this moment, I take a breath.

Learning how to hold both my joy in my present place and my longings to be home is difficult.

My deep desire is to hold to both tightly but I know I must learn the appropriate grip to have on both.

It is in these moments that I know the one constant, far greater than our confines of time.

My Creator, my Father, my source of strength, identity, love.

It is He who I can cling to tighter than my present situations and tighter than my desires to be with friends, family, and the familiar.

It is He whom I desire to sit with in these moments outside of time.

I urge you to pause too.  

Take a breath. 

Sit in this moment with your Maker.  

Take in your surroundings.  

See His creation for you and give thanks.

Whether today you feel pulled in a million directions or you feel you have ample time to spare, soak this moment up.

~ Psalm 131

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;

     my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy  myself with things

     too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

     like a weaned child with its mother;

     like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord

     from this time forth and forevermore.

Veintiún Caras (Twenty-One Faces)

My day to day life has changed drastically since I last blogged!

As opposed to having twenty-one names (and books and desks and notebooks and pencils and crayons) before me, I now have twenty-one precious faces before me everyday.  Twenty-one children with whom I get the privilege to learn as I teach them.  As school began last Tuesday, September 3rd, we are already in the second week of school!  It is wonderful to put faces to the names that I have been reading, writing, and memorizing for the past few weeks.

Here's a glimpse of my students: 21 students
~ 15 EL (or ESL) students = English Learners (or English as a Second Language)

~ 15 Ecuadorian students
~ 3 Americans
~ 2 Korean students
~ 1 Chinese student

All of my students (except for two from the US) are fluent in Spanish and at times try to use Spanish in our classroom.  However, due to the structure of the school, the students are only allowed to speak Spanish during Spanish class (which they have daily) and they must speak English in the homeroom classroom and all Specials classes (Music, Art, P.E., Computers, Library).  The school has an Immersion style of teaching which forces the students to practice and use their English often to increase fluency.  Teaching a majority EL class poses its challenges yet is also teaching me so much about accommodations and language support for my students (and their families too).

Last week was mostly observations for me but this week I began teaching Bible everyday.  In the coming weeks I will continue to add one subject each week until I am full-time teaching for four weeks.  I am very excited about my remaining time here but know that it will include endless hours of lesson planning, countless cups of coffee, and bountiful amounts of joy (which makes it all worth it)!

A few verses that have been encouraging to me during my time here:
(Thanks to those of you who shared these with me before I left!)

Ephesians 3:16-19
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses all knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

These verses from Ephesians are not only my prayer for myself, but also for my students.  While I can teach them to read and write, to add and subtract, and to explore awesome science experiments, my deep desire is that they would be "rooted and established in love" and be able to "grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ" for them.  If I walk away from this experience and at least one student knows they are truly and unconditionally loved by their Maker, my heart will be pleased.

1 Corinthians 15:58
"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

At the present time, my "work of the Lord" is in the classroom, impacting these students' lives.  If I do this faithfully everyday, my labor is not in vain.  However, as I have quickly learned after only 5 days of school, I must stand firm not on my own abilities, but instead I must stand firm by resting in Christ's strength.

As always, I ask, and thank you, for your prayers during my time here.  Prayers for strength, peace, and perseverance in planning and teaching, as well as safety and health are continual requests for me.
I would also love to lift you up in prayer as you are doing so for me.  Please let me know specifics of how I can be praying for you!

So much love!

Ecua-Kiss

I have officially survived two whole weeks in Quito!

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind and it feels like I have been here both for an eternity and for just a few days. I am becoming more accustomed to cultural norms and ways of living including, but not limited to:
flagging down taxis,
bartering at markets,
rarely having hot water,
Spanish sayings/phrases,
coffee being available 24/7,
rooftop views of the mountains and city,
all of the wonderful carbs - bread, rice, potatos,
paying MUCH less for most everything than in America,
and the Ecua-kiss (the way to greet people with a kiss on the cheek).

I am sure there are many more things that just seem so natural now that I cannot even think to include them here. Quito is a beautiful city with so much history that I have been slowly learning.

As school does not start until this upcoming Tuesday (September 3rd), my week days have been filled with teacher meetings, classroom preparation, and planning. I am definitely ready for the students to come and to get this whole student teaching adventure started! As I am living in the dorms, some of the high school boarding students have already moved in and things are starting to pick up here.

The weekends have been our free time to enjoy! Last weekend, my roommate and I went to Serano's, a scrumptious sandwich/coffee/gelato shop where we spent the afternoon talking and eating. We also were able to meet up with another friend and go to Mercado Artesenal, a local market not too far away. While everything is so cheap you get to learn the art of bartering (which I think is so fun!) and somehow money quickly leaves my hands in exchange for Ecuadorian mugs, alpaca blankets, turquoise rings, and coin purses. Last Sunday all of the new teachers at the school had a cookout at one of the family's houses in Tumbaco, Ecuador. They had a beautiful plot of land filled with avocado trees, an indoor swimming pool, and tennis and volleyball courts! We were living in luxury for the afternoon!

Yesterday I climbed Volcán Ilaló, a 10,450 foot volcano outside of Quito. It took us about 2 hours to summit before going down a valley and up another mountain and descending into a neighboring town. On the hike up, there are 12 crosses by the path and at the top there is a huge metal cross, overlooking the valley!  I went with my cooperating teacher (Tricia), her husband, and her two sons. After this adventure we went into downtown, historic Quito where we ate a late lunch, toured the city, walked the plazas, and went into a small art exhibit. Her Ecuadorian husband knows so much history and legends from Quito so it was as if I had a personal tour guide all day! 

This morning, Sunday, I successfully took 2 buses to get to La Fuente, a Spanish church, which I absolutely LOVED! I even followed along the sermon fairly well, which was a great success! As far as the rest of the afternoon goes, I will do some laundry, go slack-lining, and walk to a local cafe/bakery.

That's all for now, the next update will include a detailed description of how the first week of school went!

Thanks again for reading, and all your prayers are much appreciated!

Salty Coffee & Nutella Oatmeal

Hello from La Mitad del Mundo!

I have been in Ecuador for over 4 days now and felt it was time for an update!

On Saturday I was able to spend time in Wheaton with friends before heading out Sunday morning for a 30-hour travel day (Chicago to Miami to Quito).  All went fairly smoothly with only minor international travel glitches!  Biggest highlight from travel day was getting to meet and talk to Marcello (my plane buddy) who is a Christian Ecuadorian.  He loved sharing about his conversion from Catholicism, his faith, favorite bible verses, and even helped me practice my Spanish!  It was such a blessing to meet a man so passionate about his personal relationship with Christ.

Once landing in Quito and finally arriving at the school (about an hour drive from the airport), I met several people here before heading to bed and getting some much-needed sleep.  Monday was a free day for me while others had meetings so I thought I'd be all domestic and make breakfast which brings me to the title of this post: "Salty Coffee & Nutella Oatmeal."  Using the dorm parents' kitchen I made oatmeal and instant coffee (oh so fancy) and after adding some sugar I about spat all over the kitchen when that 'sugar' turned out to be salt!  Good thing Monica, our cook, is now preparing the meals!

The past three days have been full of teacher orientation and meetings.  While these can be long and cumbersome I am learning a lot about AAI, their philosophy, and all the changes for this upcoming year.  Being a Christian school there is much talk about integration of faith and learning which sounds like distant echoes from all I hear at Wheaton College.  So far, my favorite seminar has been on Biblical Worldview ~ too much to share in an already long blog!

Thankfully my Coloradan body did not have any altitude sickness here and I have even been able to go running.  The views from the soccer field where I run are breathtaking!  The people here are wonderful and very welcoming!  I am enjoying getting to know everyone more - roommate, dorm parents, faculty, staff, etc. - and begin building relationships with them all.  It is odd to know I will be here for a full 3 months so I have the desire to build relationships yet knowing that I will be leaving before everyone else and this time will go so quickly!

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58


Prayer Requests:
~ I am fighting a cold and bad allergies here - prayer for healing
~ My relationship with my cooperating teacher (Tricia)
~ All the students about to return to school in a week

Hetoimazo

In less than a week I will be arriving at my new home for the next three months in Quito, Ecuador.  As many of you know, I am Student Teaching First Grade at Alliance Academy International.  Recently more and more people have asked more and more questions about this upcoming experience which only makes me realize how little I know about the coming months.  Because of all the uncertainty, my current, repeating prayer is "Lord, prepare me."  The Greek word Hetoimazo (etoimazo) means to make ready, prepare, make the necessary preparations, and get everything ready.  It is used throughout the New Testament (1 Timothy 2:21, 1 Corinthians 2:9) to refer to the preparations God has made for His people. I can rest easily in the truth that the Lord knows every moment in the next three month and will prepare me as well as go before and beside me.  Yet in this rest, I must also be diligent in doing all I can to be ready.  Not only are there the normal traveling preparations - flights, errands, packing - but there are also the emotional preparations - goodbyes, 3 months alone, new culture, new language, new people.  I am trying to balance all of these preparations in the next few days as I leave home, say goodbye to family, visit Wheaton, say goodbye to friends, and begin this new journey.

While I have traveled overseas before - Guatemala and Haiti - this will be my first experience living in another culture for an extended amount of time.  I am excited to be able to build deeper relationships with my students in my class, the high school students in the dorms, the faculty and staff, and all those I meet.  

Many people ask why Student Teach overseas? why Ecuador? why senior year?  Some of these people ask with sincere interest and excitement (which I much appreciate) yet others ask with harsh tones (less appreciated).  So here are my brief answers...

Why Student Teach overseas?  My initial response is: why not?  I am a young, 21 year old, naive, excited college student that just wants to travel and meet new people.  Plus, if not now, then when?  While I do not (at this time) see myself moving overseas post-college and never coming back, I want to still be open to anywhere God so chooses to direct me.  In taking this leap of faith and trusting Him now, I hope it will allow me to continue to trust Him as I accept teaching positions after graduation.

Why Ecuador?  My basic goal in location was somewhere in South America.  However, this turned out to be more challenging than I thought as school after school had some reason to turn me away ... they didn't have room for more student teachers... they weren't accredited with the right places ... they only took national student teachers... so on and so forth.  Bumskies.  Yet, through much patience and trust, I found someplace!  Woo-hoo!  It was a sigh of relief knowing that I had a place to go!  And now I could not be more excited to spend time in the BEAUTIFUL mountains in Quito!

Why senior year? Well... that's my only option for Student Teaching really!  Unlike studying abroad, the timeline for student teaching is a bit more specific.  So here I am, entering my Senior year, heading out to save the world, before returning to Wheaton to finish one last semester.

Well enough for now... after all, I'm not even there yet!
I hope that this blog allows me to share some of my experiences with you!
So as I sign off for now, I would MUCH appreciate any well wishes, prayers, etc. for preparation!

~ laura

P.S. - in case you want to see the school where I will be:
Alliance Academy International - http://www.alliance.k12.ec/