I was paired with Christopher to reach at Chuchuqui, the furthest village from Otavalo. This meant that most or even all our kids would be indigenous-something i was hoping for. Our first day of classes was nerve raking since I had no teaching experience, especially with kids in intermediate. We drove up a dirty road to the school where we were welcomed by the principal-a middle aged indigenous woman. The kids were all sitting on the curb and we took attendance while we waited for the classroom to be unlocked. When the children were asked their name, a faint whisper came out of their mouths, and soon I realized the idea of me writing down their names was not a good one. Confidence would definitely be an issue to work on.
Posted from Ecuador:

posted Thursday August 2006