News Querida familia, amigos queridos en Suiza!
I decided to finally return to Switzerland in the summer. There are good reasons to get back home. However, there were also several reasons to stay in Ecuador. For example, experiences of this kind:
Cayman You know, the Cayman is a bit like the Morpho my hobby and it remains a challenge a photograph of the two can. In the Cayman Islands is now a good picture of me succeed, at least when you consider that my camera zoom can not wait. On the way, is called the Cayman Kichwa lagarto. In high school we practice at the time including all the animal rescue center on behalf of the Kichwa, English and German. I've already learned a lot here - the students hopefully ;-).
Cocoa Cocoa is Anya's absolute favorite fruit in amaZOOnico and there are also some of them because of the secondary forest was formerly a cocoa plantation. From the cocoa fruit to eat only the white, slimy flesh into which the seeds are embedded. The cores themselves are purple and extremely bitter. The Kichwas they can dry in the sun (in the most unlikely places by the way: in the street in a wheelbarrow, etc.) and then sell them for processing. The paradox is that while cocoa is grown here, but really good chocolate is made in Switzerland. Thus, the fruit travels to Europe, where it is refined with honey, sugar, cream and, then, for example, in a package of a dear relative or friend (it was like to express once more) back in the Ecuador.
The first real snake So, now it is: I saw my first real snake. By properly I mean that they are neither locked up nor down and therefore less immobile was that they still had only the size of an earthworm. At night on the way to Huasi Runa, where a farewell party of volunteers took place, was this black fine specimen on the way, but he proceeded immediately from the dust. The brief encounter was enough that I walk in the dark now more cautious and actually put on my rubber boots. Anja is borne out of principle, ultimately be so a bite can not be challenged, even if the probability is quite low.
What you need geometry ...
This is actually an addendum to the blog "parent phone calls."
When we were with Ruben and his wife are the parents of Gloria and Abdón, I said a few words of praise to Abdon work habits in mathematics. Normally he does not expect so much, but the subject geometry, drawing with circles and the exact work to tell him much. Ruben was pleased at the praise, but wanted to know what you could do geometry. I thought of on the fly is nothing better than: for house construction. As Ruben looked pretty blankly - he had for his beautiful house he had built himself, probably needed nothing, that just sounded like geometry.
school mascot currently houses our classroom a tarantula of considerable size. This was two weeks ago, hanging from the ceiling, the poor Micaela made on the head and harvested a lot of laughter. As if that were not enough, a bit later, a Squirrel Monkey, who are actually looking to do in our classroom, his business done in Jan's book. Imagine this situation in Switzerland ...
visit from Misahualli During the holidays, I helped turn a day out with the volunteers. The coincidence was just that on this day the class of Misahualli that we had visited in September and wanted to look at our school. Unfortunately there was not much to see, except the offices and desks without children. Therefore, we made then still together amaZOOnico the tour and I tried in my meager English something to say about the various animals. The children listened with interest and asked several times, from which country the animals are for. They could not believe that, for example Trompeteros and spider monkeys in the Ecuadorian rain forest are domestic animals. I was very surprised.
The teacher helped me out often, if not for an explanation of my English enough. In order to shorten my long debauchery, why sea turtles are endangered, he asked the students: What happens when people see a turtle in the Napo? -Matanlo (you kill them), the unanimous answer. But there are too few of these reptiles, among other reasons, should they could not understand properly.
conclusion on this tour, I praised the country of Ecuador, especially the natural beauty of the jungle and tried to lay them to his heart, to guard this treasure for their own country. I felt like an Ecuadorian nationalist propaganda on tour.
Palm Sunday This is now so long ago that it will soon no longer true. Nevertheless, I want to show this picture yet. With such beautifully processed palm leaves could be seen on this sacred Sunday, the people in Tena stroll through the village.
Harry Potter movie night
To the English vocabulary and reading comprehension of the older to encourage students, we read together Harry Potter - La piedra filosofal. It was not an easy task, even though it made the kids fun. They saw as not see why they should read along, if someone read aloud. Or why should they even read alone, if all had the same book and could read to someone. And then of course there were
level differences very great, so I had to have a slow time and the other always a helping hand if we wanted to bring it to a joint degree. Finally it was done and we crowned the project with the film Harry Potter - La piedra filosofal.
The boys were on fire, the generator and the computer together with a good print of the film (there is nothing to buy other than copies in Tena) responsible for the girls for dinner and the subsequent clean up. My notions of fair division of labor which is not identical with those of Kichwakinder. After the girls - although
late - had arrived, had been in the Amazoonicoküche at lightening speed and with great skill a dinner on the legs, in the Rio Arajuno had bathed spend (on Clean place all Kichwas large value), making it even the fire of the guys. Apart from the fire made this their cause but also very good: We all had a pointed plug for the bread, the generator ran without Muck and the film print was excellent (she had only two or three dead).
We had teachers from the house, the 4 spare mattresses and Christine von Steiger dragged up old blankets and the students are taught a cozy. While watching the movie all captured on the laptop screen from Jan. Abdón Besides, who knew the movie by heart and always simultaneous voice and Gloria, his sister, sleep well for the same reason. After the film there was a short pillow fight and then the boys were allowed to play among themselves and the girls quietly among themselves something else. Approximately at 1:00 clock all were asleep, when moving it on a mattress to a liability under a blanket. Adrian could not understand why I slept between the boys and the girls, but they were j
ow already large, and would not need a minder. When I replied that I do it precisely because they are now just been great, he did not understand me. The others chuckled.
actually a sign that Adrian would indeed have needed no overseer ;-).
The next morning everyone was pretty tired, including me. The fact that we have made the first hour of instruction still in bed, was estimated. And Beata, the disabled, female spider monkeys, said the beds: In the ten-Clock-break they had made themselves comfortable in the soft beds.
Cristian's sister Cristian, Adrian, Randy, and Jerson Willinton have finally got a little sister, and are obviously proud of it! She has no name and will get even for the time being no. But now at last has Willnton short hair, which makes the Kichwa namely grow until the child is 2-3-year junior or just come.
Just as Randy tells us, was the midwife of Cristian! inconceivable to us Europeans. (How, incidentally, the pregnancy without ultrasound or regular doctor visits ...). In the early days it was Marisol, the mother, not good and the children (Randy and Jerson) were hungry. We gave Cristian Adrian and a loaf of bread and chocolate home with what she gladly accepted. She is now doing well but, at the Minga of last Thursday it swung in any case the machete again, the baby was in kindergarten in the hammock. Steffi and what got me thinking: the mother of six is the same age as the two of us.
night walk Steffi and I also nocturnal foray. We have searched, poked with sticks and leaves have turned, but not a single non-insect-like creature seen. But did the photo shoot fun.
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