People - Spanish Classes

Susy (in the green on the right), my Ecuadorian mother, never married or had kids, so the students who live with her are her children; she especially likes and spoils the guys. After selling her clothing factory, she decided to spend her money on travelling around the world. There is hardly a place she hasn't been and when you look around her house, it isn't hard to tell as her place is filled with knickknacks from all over the world....including her collection of over 200 swizzle sticks (used every morning with our fresh juice). Her current job, aside from being a full time mother to me, is going to offices to sell clothes. As I'm sure you've been able to tell, Susy is very proud of her country and enjoys nothing more than showing people how great Ecuador is.

Wendy (on the left in the picture), a 26 year old from Holland, had been at the language school the longest when I arrived. She was the ring leader as she seemed to always have a plan for what we should do; see a movie, go to the chocolate cafe, and join her while she travels in the jungle. She came down to Ecuador with the goal of learning Spanish, one of the very few who didn't come to do any volunteer work. When finished her four weeks of courses in Quito, Wendy was headed to the jungle for another language course combined with travelling, before joining her sister for some travel around Ecuador. Upon returning to Holland she hopes to use her masters in Sustainable Tourism to find a job in the Amsterdam area.

Anna (on the right in the above picture) came to Quito as part of her University program. Her program (Spanish with a minor in French) requires her to spend the third year abroad either studying or volunteering in her different languages of study. Anna, 22, spent the fall on the small French island, Reunion Island, north of Madagascar studying at a local university. In Quito she is taking 2 weeks of language training and then will head to a school for street children where she will teach them for the next 13 weeks. Once finished she is going to travel from Lima to Santiago, Chile before going back to Wales to finsih her studies.

Lee joined me in the kennel on Thursday but we didn't get to know him until Friday Night. After leaving school at 16, Lee has worked to help pay for travelling around the world. Now, 24, he has travelled extensively and worked almost every job available (including Tree Surgery....I'm still not convinced it is a real job). The nice thing about him is that these stories would come out slowly and you never knew what was coming next. An Englishman and white to the bone, Lee was up for everything....the perfect partner in crime. In Quito, Lee is studying Spanish for four weeks before he starts teaching English. Even he doesn't know how long he will be in South America.

Meredith (on the right in the picture) was my Candian saviour. Hailing from just north of Sarnia, this 26 year old has travelled extensively through Spanish countries. After spending some time in university in Costa Rica, she decided to learn everything there is to know about the culture. Now with a Masters in Spanish, she has spent the past couple of months travelling through Central America. Once she is finished her travelling in March, she will be able to say she has been to every Spanish speaking country in the Americas except Venezuela and Paraguay. She was a high school friend of my good friend Marcie, we clicked instantly and plan to bring Latin America to Marcie in Shetland when we get back to Canada. Once back, Mer hopes to find a job with the RCMP or spend 4 months teaching on a class afloat boat (and it will be my fault if she doesn't get the job since it was my photographic eye that created a view of her teaching an English class for her application).

Kat is probably one of the bravest people I have ever met. At 19, she has taken a gap year before University to come down to Ecuador (on her own without knowing the language) to learn Spanish and do some volunteer work at a local playhouse. In spite of all this (including not knowing anything about theatre) she came down with a big smile on her face and intends to travel solo for a few weeks once she finished her project. From Germany, Kat oozes confidence and is always looking for the next thing to do, especially if it involves being out in nature.

Susy's family welcomed me with open arms. I was invited over for dinner on Thursday night so that I could meet her niece (currently studying in Switzerland and with whom I was supposed to click because we both speak French and English). Susy's mother (playing the piano), at the ripe old age of 95, oversaw the proceedings with great pride. Susy's brother, Raul, made for the most entertainment in the family. As soon as I stepped in the door he knew I was the type of person one could torment. I managed to joke around with him in Spanish. He presented me with a CD that had a cover picture of him making music with a saw. He surprised me as I didn't think he was for real. It turns out that Raul is indeed the world's top "saw" player (it took a little bit of convincing before I believed them). Apparently he has travelled around the world with his saw and has made three CDs of his music.