Internship Site

Time flies!! I only have two more weeks of classes in Quito, followed by a week of spring break...and then I move! Today I visited the community where I am going to be doing my internship. The name of the pueblo is Tocachi, and it´s about an hour and a half outside of Quito. It´s a very small little town... with no internet... What it does have is a school, a church, a police station with 2 policemen, a big soccer field, a little health center and a center for the elderly, along with a few convenience-type stores.

I´m not completely clear on what I´m going to be doing yet. Most students work with a grassroots organization on an existing project. The plan has been for me to develop my own programs with the youth in the community, since I originally didn´t want to teach English and am more interested in counseling/other issues surrounding education (I want to be a high school counselor eventually). The school was closed today for some reason, so I have to go back another day to speak with the director of the school... but tentatively the new plan is for me to help out in the school, most likely with English (since it seems the current English professor only knows a little). I´m also probably going to start an after school program with extra English help, music class, sports, art...whatever the kids are interested in. Also, there is a group of teenagers that meet on Saturdays that I´ll be able to work with and develop some kind of program with. There isn´t a high school in the town, so teenagers have to take a bus to a larger town...Hence, the only chance I´ll have to work with them is on Saturdays. The school in Tocachi goes through seventh grade.

Since the school was closed today, I spent most of the day with the family I´ll be living with. It´s going to be a completely different dynamic than the host family I´m with now. The dad actually works at CIMAS, my school in Quito, and isn´t around during the week. The parents are in their early thirties, and have three kids. 2 girls, about 13 and 11, and a 9 year old son. I´m really excited about the family...I think it will be really entertaining and fun to have kids around (I know you´re thinking, Chelsea? Excited to live with kids?) But actually, since there isn´t much to do in the town, the kids will keep me busy. I´m hoping to play a lot of volleyball and soccer! Also...I think my new host brother is looking forward to having an English speaker around. His computer games are all in English, and he needs me to translate them so he can pass to the next level. Today he was playing Grand Theft Auto 3 and The Simpsons...I have to say, translating Bart Simpson is kind of a challenge. I think the significance of "Eat my shorts, man" is lost in translation....

Pictures next week! Hope you all have a great weekend....keep in touch!! I love email!!!


chels