My Spanish teacher called in sick today so I had to come back to the house this morning. MAN, I actually did some extra stuff on my homework last night and studied my behind off for today. Oh well, this was really a hidden blessing because I needed this day to recoup from traveling and hitting the ground running. So I had spent the day tying up a few loose ends that really needed my attention.
It also gave me time to move all the videos and pictures from my phone so that I can be post\update them soon to the website & blog (hopefully soon) .
The OTHER GREAT THING that happened to me today was that Caitlin (The Project Esperanza founder) sent me an email. The subject was titled "Ironically".
SIDE NOTE: Last week when I arrived in Santiago, I started looking\soliciting for someone to drive me up to Puerto Plata in April. I started by asking the school's student coordinator (Melyssa) since she's my "go to girl" for EVERYTHING. She recommended that our school taxi drive take me, but then she also mentioned that she and her dad can take me for much cheaper and that she'll double-check with her dad. The one big problem for me is that I have 3 VERY LARGE suitcases (shut up Indie) 2 of my bags weigh 100 pounds (shut up Indie). Melyssa already knows this because she and her boyfriend were the ones that picked me up from the airport. Her boyfriend carried my bags up 2 flights of stairs! Bless his heart - but he's a young'n - LOL!
Okay back to the point...while looking for a ride, I reached out to Caitlin to ask her if she knew of a reputable person/company that could drive me and my 3 large bags. She didn't know of any and recommended that I get a rental car (which are fairly inexpensive). Eh, I'm not too keen with driving yet in the DR by myself. So I didn't pursue that option any further. WELL TODAY, she sent me an email stating that ironically, she and one of her sponsor coordinators have an appointment with some schools in Santiago THE SAME DAY that I'm expected to be in Puerto Plata. She stated that they are renting a large SUV and asked me if I still needed a ride. I was surprised that she EVEN REMEMBERED that I was still looking. When I told my husband, he simply said "GOD is good". Amen to that!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Finally, In the DR!
I arrived today and will have to update you once I get settled in. So far I'm waiting for one more of my suitcases to arrive from Miami. Last time I was in the DR, American Airlines delayed my bag...dang!
I'm presently settling into my bedroom. As I mentioned in previous blogs, I'm staying with a host family. I'll be living with them for the next month.. I'm presently in Santiago for the next month staying with a lovely family of 3. They speak no English, which is perfect for me! I want to fully immerse myself!!
There's the husband, the wife and their 9 yr old son. The wife's cooking is SOOO FREAKING GOOD. She's a caterer\chef. I was greeted with a nice generous portion of homemade bread pudding and a tall, cold glass of coke. AWESOME!
I'll fill everyone in later...
PEACE, BLESSINGS and LOVE XOXO
I'm presently settling into my bedroom. As I mentioned in previous blogs, I'm staying with a host family. I'll be living with them for the next month.. I'm presently in Santiago for the next month staying with a lovely family of 3. They speak no English, which is perfect for me! I want to fully immerse myself!!
There's the husband, the wife and their 9 yr old son. The wife's cooking is SOOO FREAKING GOOD. She's a caterer\chef. I was greeted with a nice generous portion of homemade bread pudding and a tall, cold glass of coke. AWESOME!
I'll fill everyone in later...
PEACE, BLESSINGS and LOVE XOXO
TEFL ZORRITOS - I MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE!
During my time in Peru, I haven't blogged about the #1 reason why I chose to visit Peru. I chose it to complete my TEFL certification with TEFL ZORRITOS. They offered far more of a quality experience than ANY other TEFL schools that I had researched...and please trust me when I say I had RESEARCHED HUNDREDS all around the world!! Additionally, Ellie, our instructor, played a key role. SHE'S AN AMAZING INSTRUCTOR and she runs this company extremely well! This learning experience is like no other!! I simply can't say enough about it. I'm glad I made the right choice.
During my investigation and research of the course, she probably thought I was being ANAL due to the nature of my questioning. Nonetheless, she made me feel comfortable EVERY step of the way. I emailed her nearly a year in advance with questions. I even asked her to send me several names\contacts of past students I could question ( I think that caught her off guard a bit - LOL) She understands that some people are making a HUGE career change in addition to a major life altering decision. Ellie is simply an amazing person and will go out of her way to ensure you are satisfied.
At TEFL Zorritos, you actually get to teach REAL Spanish speaking locals whose fluency ranges from very basic to Intermediate. During my research, I learned that other TEFL courses have you teach your fellow classmates (that already speak English)...THAT'S STUPID!! This course was very challenging EVERYDAY, but worth it's weight in gold. Our days were long, but the weekends and the beautiful scenery made up for it!
Ellie offers and gives advice everyday. She goes over our teaching practice experience from the night before and offers beneficial criticism and helps you to THINK outside the box...even when you're tired from the night before and need much caffeine to get me to the 1st morning break. The fact that our classes were held outside each day on the beautiful beach (under a breezy gazebo ) won me over...not to mention that the course included breakfast and lunch! I told her "She should up the price, because this is hi-way robbery".
In my class there were only 4 students. I was so glad!! I prefer the small classes. If there were more than 6 students in our course, I probably would have not enjoyed it.
I stayed at the Sunset Hotel which is where the class is held each day. There were other options nearby, but spending the extra money to stay at the hotel saved me the headache of driving back and forth each day. I found that staying at the hotel was MUCH MORE CONVENIENT (hot water, English staff and an on-site awesome restaurant).
I must say HOLA to Juan who make THE BEST Pisco Sour drinks in all of Zorritos and the Tumbes area. Indie and I fell in love with his drinks immediately...mmmm. Man, I Miss this place already!! Feel free to send me an email to ask me ANY questions about my experience.
I'm not going to go into all the fine details of my research findings, but I will say that you get MORE than what you're paying for at TEFL Zorritos. Personally, the prices are too low to me. I told her this later..(smile). As such it may make you a bit skeptical. With this course, I truly walked away with a deal! The quality of the program is superb. Additionally, you have the option to complete up to 10 advance certifications for FREE. As of recently they now offer the option to obtain your Bachelors Degree on-line for TEFL too. This simply can not be match.
During my investigation and research of the course, she probably thought I was being ANAL due to the nature of my questioning. Nonetheless, she made me feel comfortable EVERY step of the way. I emailed her nearly a year in advance with questions. I even asked her to send me several names\contacts of past students I could question ( I think that caught her off guard a bit - LOL) She understands that some people are making a HUGE career change in addition to a major life altering decision. Ellie is simply an amazing person and will go out of her way to ensure you are satisfied.
At TEFL Zorritos, you actually get to teach REAL Spanish speaking locals whose fluency ranges from very basic to Intermediate. During my research, I learned that other TEFL courses have you teach your fellow classmates (that already speak English)...THAT'S STUPID!! This course was very challenging EVERYDAY, but worth it's weight in gold. Our days were long, but the weekends and the beautiful scenery made up for it!
Ellie offers and gives advice everyday. She goes over our teaching practice experience from the night before and offers beneficial criticism and helps you to THINK outside the box...even when you're tired from the night before and need much caffeine to get me to the 1st morning break. The fact that our classes were held outside each day on the beautiful beach (under a breezy gazebo ) won me over...not to mention that the course included breakfast and lunch! I told her "She should up the price, because this is hi-way robbery".
In my class there were only 4 students. I was so glad!! I prefer the small classes. If there were more than 6 students in our course, I probably would have not enjoyed it.
I stayed at the Sunset Hotel which is where the class is held each day. There were other options nearby, but spending the extra money to stay at the hotel saved me the headache of driving back and forth each day. I found that staying at the hotel was MUCH MORE CONVENIENT (hot water, English staff and an on-site awesome restaurant).
I must say HOLA to Juan who make THE BEST Pisco Sour drinks in all of Zorritos and the Tumbes area. Indie and I fell in love with his drinks immediately...mmmm. Man, I Miss this place already!! Feel free to send me an email to ask me ANY questions about my experience.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Heading to the DR now...
However, I had made a pit stop in Texas after I left Peru and boy did I pick a bad week to do that. It SNOWED! And it was just depressing when I arrived. I immediately started missing the 90 degree sun in Peru.
I was stuck in the Lima Airport for over 36 hours. That was the 1st time in my life I had to sleep in an airport...not to mention with very limited Food/water and NO CASH. I had absolutely no more cash on hand and needed to get back home to replenish my on-hand funds and MYSELF as QUICK as possible. For this trip I decided not to bring any debit\credit cards because I didn't want to over spend and start shopping for everything. So I took a specific amount - That was it! Well, Dumb idea. I Won't do that again. My funds lasted me up to THE LAST DAY, but I didn't like the feeling of not having ANY CASH available...
I was SOOO HUNGRY! During my time at the airport, I was skyping my husband...he kept me company. Luckily I had grabbed several snacks from my hotel room in Zorritos and placed them in my bag. I had 2 pack of crackers, 1 bottle of water and some cookies.
When I arrived at DFW airport yesterday morning, I was happy to see my husband's smiling face at the gate. He knew that I had craved a REAL Coke-Cola and a Whataburger SOO FREAKING BAD. He aims to please...so that was my 1st stop before we made it home...LOL!!! I got home and slept for at least 24 hours. I was extremely tired!
I was stuck in the Lima Airport for over 36 hours. That was the 1st time in my life I had to sleep in an airport...not to mention with very limited Food/water and NO CASH. I had absolutely no more cash on hand and needed to get back home to replenish my on-hand funds and MYSELF as QUICK as possible. For this trip I decided not to bring any debit\credit cards because I didn't want to over spend and start shopping for everything. So I took a specific amount - That was it! Well, Dumb idea. I Won't do that again. My funds lasted me up to THE LAST DAY, but I didn't like the feeling of not having ANY CASH available...
I was SOOO HUNGRY! During my time at the airport, I was skyping my husband...he kept me company. Luckily I had grabbed several snacks from my hotel room in Zorritos and placed them in my bag. I had 2 pack of crackers, 1 bottle of water and some cookies.
When I arrived at DFW airport yesterday morning, I was happy to see my husband's smiling face at the gate. He knew that I had craved a REAL Coke-Cola and a Whataburger SOO FREAKING BAD. He aims to please...so that was my 1st stop before we made it home...LOL!!! I got home and slept for at least 24 hours. I was extremely tired!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
My Peruvian Meals
Here are some pictures of the many wonderful meals I enjoyed while in Peru. I wish I would have taken more pics...
Grilled fish covered with shrimp and squid in a tomato basil cream sauce
Grilled fish covered with shrimp and squid in a tomato basil cream sauce
Fruit Plate with a side of honey
Dinner in my room: Char-grilled white fish with rice and salad
MY ULTIMATE FAVORITRE DRINK - PISCO SOUR!!
Yes...I HAD MANY MANY PISCO SOURS...LOL!
Stuffed Bell Pepper
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