Moving Day!

What was lost is once again found. I have been urged back to writing on this here blog by my fan base. Mom and Mimi this is for your guys! Hope this fills your "Todd Tank" until I write another blog post or at the very least come home . With my attention span however, it's probably going to be the latter...

I am not going to take up much of your time but I do want to describe the progress on the English A/V lab in my high school. For those of you that are new to this blog I will try to bring you up to speed. About a year ago a fellow volunteer and I had the idea to create an English Lab at our school that would bring English education into the 21st century, or at least the mid 1990s. We asked for a classroom, desks, a whiteboard, a projector, a computer, a printer, speakers and microphones. Most  of that list is not available in the average Ecuadorian classroom.  The grant was approved by the National Peace Corps Association and publicized on their website. Thanks to great friends, wonderful family members and even the generosity of random strangers we raised the all the funds for this undertaking.

I took this photo the day we acquired the room

The grant is aimed to help those that help themselves. The school had to raise or provide at least 25% of the overall budget. This makes the school community involved and more importantly, invested in the project. My school went above and beyond by providing a full third of the budget through much needed "in-kind" donations and labor.

We have run into a few speed bumps along the way but this was to be expected. At one point the classroom was appropriated to a different subject. After a few weeks of negotiating and politickin' we were able to reclaim was what rightfully ours. I now have a written letter of agreement from the Rector that states our right occupy and use the classroom as we see fit.

Today we just finished moving all the furniture that the English area has accumulated over the 50 years our school has been in existence. All in all we have a dusty book shelf and a half broken cupboard. We aren't the best equipped English Department but we have to start somewhere. Also, when I say "we" moved the furniture it should be noted that I mean the collective "we". That is what I call using the "student body" in a productive manner.

Starting tomorrow I will begin installing the electronics and figuring out how it all works. I am still not very tech-savvy. After getting it all set up I plan on having a few training sessions for my English teachers in the lab. I want them to understand how everything works but more mainly I want them to know how to apply appropriate, engaging activities with this new technology.

Improving the feng shui

My goal is to have everything up and running smoothly before January 1. Also, by the same date I want to establish a regular teaching schedule for my English Professors. My hope is to have the lab full of students learning and broadening their horizons on a rotating schedule by February

Finally got the whole bunch of us together

As I am working on the implementation of this lab I realize how little time I have left here in Ecuador. I cannot believe that almost 2 years has gone by this fast. Thinking about my future is both exciting and frightening. It is exciting because the my future is full of different possibilities and paths. On the other hand it is frightening. What will it be like leaving all of my great friends behind? Will it be another culture shock going home? How will I cope with rapid lifestyle back in the States? These questions and many more slip into my thinking and I start to feel overwhelmed. Luckily, I have this lab to focus on until then. Speaking of, I should get back to work!

Oh, and one more frightening question. Where will I find grilled guinea pig in the good ole US of A!?