Wednesday

So, it's Wednesday night in Quito, and in honor of, well, Wednesday, I thought I'd show you a bit of what my Wednesdays look like (not to be confused with Windsday, of course).

Wednesdays are special days for me because I get to do something here that I never felt I had the financial resources to do regularly in the States: yoga. A lovely British woman here teaches a private class to about 8 of us on Mondays (I teach an extra class after school and wasn't able to get in on this class) and Wednesdays.

So here's how the day-to-day looks:

I get up at about 6:20 to start the coffee cookin' and the bagels toastin' or the oatmeal boilin'. . .

I start begging Tim to get up at about 6:35. It usually only takes him about another 5 to roll outta bed. We are out the door at 6:54 to catch the "Teacher Bus" a block up the road. Understand that since our move to the new apartment, our morning walk is now only 3 minutes and we're not sweaty and tired when we get on the bus. Big plus for me!

Wednesdays at school mean an extra hour in the morning with no kiddos. So we arrive to quiet, birds chirping here and there, and smiles all around. Wednesday mornings = professional development.

I begin my day in my classroom where I greet Dr. Freud, who is always there waiting for me.

I teach a total of 4 classes: 11th and 12th grade IB psychology (sooooo fun!!) and 11th and 12th grade theory of knowledge (TOK--soooooo confusing!!) But the 12th graders have already taken IB exams, so I only have two classes which means I am only teaching one or two classes out of the entire day. I think I probably have the easiest job in the entire school.

Most days, Tim and I eat lunch together. If he's out of bed by 6:39, he has time to fix a hasty salad for us to share. Sometimes we eat in Tim's room and have lunch with Megan, my sister in law, over Skype. Today, we ate in the teacher's lounge. Yes, the TV is super-grande, but it's rarely on.

After lunch, I resist the urge to surf the web and actually have time to dream up some pretty alright lesson plans.

After school, we take the sardine-can teacher bus out to our old stomping grounds: Guapulo. The new Shakti Center boasts an Organic Farmers Market on Wednesdays (morning :-p) and Saturdays, Korean massage tables, children's art classes, and our yoga studio.

They even sell spirulina in case we decide we need some.

After browsing the Organic wares and handmade soaps, we meander up to our "studio."

Somehow, we manage to fit 8 students and one instructor into this space. While it's not the most mod space you've ever seen and has no mirrors, it certainly comes with a certain charm and character and we've all become quite attached to it.

However, the weather is turning around lately and we'll have half days in June, so I think I'm going to abandon yoga class until September rolls around again. I figure I've done enough that I can lead myself through the beneficial poses I've come to depend on, and I would totally have the power to avoid Hero pose, Camel pose, Half-frog, or anything else that requires severe pain in my knees. But of course, isn't half the point of taking yoga classes to teach yourself how to be okay with your body and level of expertise in any pose? I'm not necessarily convinced. I think June = running!

After yoga, I catch a cab home where Tim will make some sort of scrumptious dinner--or we'll have sushi delivered. Tonight: steak fajitas and mango margarittas!!

And while cooking, eating and cleaning, we do one of the following:

--Watch the news online (States news)

--Watch news video podcasts

--Watch episodes of Arrested Development (OMG--soooo funny!)

--Watch episodes of My Name is Earl (Again, funny beyond belief)

--or engage in stimulating conversation about life, politics, or where we want to live after Ecuador. Oh yes, we already have list. . .

Tonight? It was MSNBC online.

After that, pretty much every night, no matter what else is going on, I spend the rest of my time playing with, squishing, and snuggling this little princess right here:

And that's about as typical as Wednesdays get around here. Maybe not glamorous and overtly multi-cultural, but I love it just the same.

Current nightly obsession: Getting through the second Harry Potter in Spanish before I have to give the book back for the summer.