Sunny Weekends

It’s incredible that when the sun comes out in Cuenca, everyone is happier and more activities are done. Also when the sun comes out, it reminds me of what I’m going to miss so much about this beautiful place. This past week I took on two extra tutorials, making my days busier and yet more enjoyable. My first tutorial in the morning was a 76-year-old man, learning English for the first time since high school. I have had almost two weeks of classes with him, and although it’s slow going, he’s a joy to work with. My other tutorial, that only lasted three days, was with a young man from the coast brushing up on his English. Doing tutorials reminds me of what I love about teaching English, the one-on-one time, and reaffirms my future choice to be a speech pathologist. And after a busy and full week, I had an even fuller and more enjoyable weekend. It started out well on Thursday night, when I had plans to go out for a bite to eat with two of my conversation class students. What I thought was going to be the three of us (speaking in English) turned into a large group, speaking quick and funny Spanish. We were myself, my two students, one of their friends, their friends’ parents, and a new Argentinean friend that was passing through Cuenca for a month. Not at all what I was expecting, yet wonderful. Friday morning I met with my 76-year-old tutorial, and afterwards met up with some friends for a Friday adventure: a trip to Turi. Turi is the lookout point of Cuenca, and although I’ve already been a couple of times, we went this time for the view as well as the Vega Studio, and the giant swing. Let me explain… So up at Turi is the studio and gallery of a famous potter from Cuenca, something that I have been dying to see. And even further up the viewpoint, there is a small “adventure park”, complete with a small “zipline”, a big slide, and a giant swing. The giant swing is pulled back by the operator, and for just $1, you can sit in the swing and be launched over a small cliff, an adrenaline rush for sure. Kelsey, Maggie, Kyle, Jeff, and myself took first a bus and then a taxi up to Turi, enjoyed the view, went up to the swing, and then stopped at Vega’s studio on our way down. It was a perfect and beautiful morning for Turi. After the Vega studio we taxied down, and I joined Maggie and Kyle for lunch while Kelsey got a traditional “cleansing”, which is supposed to rid one of the bad spirits in their lives. This cleansing consists mostly of getting beaten by herbs, getting water spit on you, and having an egg rolled on your body, which, when cracked open, tells you the state of your spirit. Very interesting. After lunch I went home and did some planning for my class, and then went to my second CEDEI dance class. I don’t know if my bachata and meringue abilities are getting better, but it was fun. After class, Laura, Molly and I went for ice cream, and I headed back home to shower and relax for the night, ended by a movie with the roomies.

         Saturday I started with conversation club again, going to another coffee shop with my group. They’re a great group of students, and I’m very thankful to have this kind of a class; no grading, no attendance, just relational conversation. After conversation class I came home and had lunch, graded papers, and took my laundry to Doris. By 2:30pm Annie, Kelsey and myself were leaving to meet some friends at Parque Paraíso for a game of Ultimate Frisbee. I hadn’t played Ultimate Frisbee since high school, and although I had forgotten most of the rules, realized it’s easy to pick up. We were about 20, mostly CEDEI teachers, and had an exhausting yet fun afternoon of running around in the sun, and getting competitive here and there. After Frisbee I went home, showered, and met up with some friends for a bit. I was exhausted from the long weekend, and when my friends saw me yawning, they suggested I take a little nap before going out for the night. Good idea. I came home, napped, and started my Saturday night. The roomies plus our friend Jessa hung out for a bit at the house, and then we headed out for a night of drinks and dancing. My Saturday night finally ended around 3am, meaning Sunday was spent sleeping, eating, or watching movies; the perfect Sunday to end such a full and fun weekend.