ramen noodles

In case you hadn´t heard, I found Ramen noodles in Loja. Things are much better now that I have Ramen noodles and I am not ill (for now, at least). I do apologize for not updating my blog very often, but it´s really due to the fact that I now just had a scheduled routine every day so I feel like there really isn´t much worth writing about.

This week, however, I am not only teaching my normal hours, but also at another school because one of the teachers is in Peru with her sister on vacation. The school I am teaching at this week is the most expensive private school in the city. It´s on the north side of Loja and on top of a pretty steep hill that I am glad I haven´t had to walk up. But anyway, the views of the mountains surround the valley from the school are a-ma-zing. Seriously beautiful. I am grateful though that this week is the exam week for the school so besides reviewing and giving test, I don´t have to teach at all, just babysit. There is a class of tween kids there (ranging from 10 to 16) and they are SO NAUGHTY. unbelievably so. I don´t remember any of my classmates being so bad when I was in middle school. I realize though I am just a substitute teacher, but they are awful and thankfully my last class with them was today. It´s a class of about 18 students, 15 boys and only 3 girls. The girls, of course, are well-behaved. One of the boys uses a mirror to try to look up their uniform skirts, which is totally inapprop. I yelled at him of course and I guess for some other reason, he almost got expelled from the school today. One of the girls brought her pet mouse to school and hid it in her sleeve all day except during English class. She asked me the other day if I liked mice and I said I do so I think that´s why she brought it. Another girl in the class said she wanted me to stay and didn´t want their regular teacher to come back, which I took as a very nice compliment. The other classes I´m subbing are fine. Little kids are super kid, 16 year old are cool and the 18 year olds who are just about to graduate seem to know more about English grammar terminology than I do. I can explain any part of English grammar in English or Spanish, but when it comes to knowing immediately what a grammar term is.... I have to think for a second. I took a grammar class so I know what all the terms are, but I haven´t been asked about any since I started teaching until this week... probably because I teach mostly level 1 classes and my level 4 class at Canadian House Center is filled with 10 delinquents who obviously should but unfortunately don´t know the difference between "is" and "are", that is, when to use either. Their lack of English ability more sad than it is annoying. "Be" is the first verb an English student is taught how to conjugate. You´d think that they´d know that by now.

Anyways, hope you are all doing well. I am planning on traveling with a couple of my roommates next Thursday because we don´t have class Thursday or Friday due to Holy Week. That should definitely give me something good to write about and nice pictures to post! Can´t wait.... I sure do hope I don´t get sick before we´re supposed ot go.

Peace-