Monday, March. 17, 2003 - 4:28 p.m.
A Host No More!
The next day it was amazing, I felt so much better. I was still tired and had a headache, but I could move around without feeling like I was in the process of dying. I tried to correct my student’s final exams, since I had planned to have their final grades completed that day to give to them on the last day of class. Although I started to grade the exams (even had my family help a little), it didn’t get done. I had the unfortunate task of informing my students that due to my illness I didn’t have their grades (or who had failed or passed the class). I told them I would try to have them done the next day but they would be completed for sure on Monday. My teenagers were the most distressed by this news. Perhaps because once grades were completed, it turned out that out of a class of 9, two students failed and four squeaked by passing with .03 to 5 %!
On the last day of class (Thursday, March 13th) I suggested to my teenagers going out for ice cream, but most were so distraught with the news of not knowing their grades, and also being teenagers, too cool to spend leisure time with their “strict” English teacher, no one took me up on the offer. I had a party for my ninos which included music of the latest popular Latin singer and art projects in the book we never had time for during the term and lots and lots of stickers, which they love. They hardly seemed to care that I didn’t have their grades done or whether they passed the class or not (one student almost didn’t. I decided to pass him, but told my boss that I suspect he has a learning disability, based on his performance during the course of the term). As for my young adults, they were not happy that I didn’t have their grades, but most did take me up on the suggestion of going out for ice cream (they had wanted to go during class all term). We met my family at the ice cream parlor, it was really nice.
One side-effect of the amoeba-killing medicine that I discovered was that everything had a slight metallic taste to it for the next several days, quite an annoyance, although I was glad to get over the amoebas. I was a host no more! That night I would’ve loved to have gone out with the other teachers to celebrate the end of the term, but I was re-cooperating and still had all my grading looming over my head to do the next day.
Friday was spent grading final exams and calculating grades, it took me most of the day. I had planned to take the family to Cajas National Park, near Cuenca, that day, which would’ve happened had I not been sick and gotten the grades completed. That evening my housemates and I had an end-of-term party at our house, scheduled to start at 8pm. But I was at school and finished the grades at the last possible moment, at 10pm when the building closed. Then I went to the party where my family and friends were waiting for me. I was glad that my family was able to meet almost all of my friends, but unfortunately, the altitude was affecting my dad and he wasn’t feeling well. So the parents returned to the hostel (just down the street from my house), but my sister Heidi stayed. Of course, my friends Chris and Berni arrived 15 minutes later, so unfortunately, they never got to meet my folks.
I had asked my family to bring me a lot of items from back home, mostly food (herbal teas, chocolate & peanut butter) and clothes, things that either I can’t get, or it’s really expensive to buy here. I didn’t realize before coming here to Cuenca that most clothes are really pricey here, especially ones that they import from the states (like name brands: Levis, Gap, etc). I also requested that they bring 2 cans of Guiness for my Irish friends, Frank and Berni. Guiness is not imported to Ecuador (and probably S. America), so they really appreciated it, which I presented to them at the party. It was a grand evening, but a little bittersweet since for some people, it was the last night I would see them, as they were leaving after 6 months of teaching in Cuenca. I couldn’t believe that six months had already passed since I’d arrived. I also couldn’t imagine ending my time in Ecuador now.
