This weekend started out interesting. On Friday, I was teaching Science and all of the sudden everyone felt a shaking sensation and a bit of noise. I experienced my first earthquake while teaching. It was very small and didn't last but a few seconds. I've checked the US Geological Survey site and it isn't even listed. The worst thing that it did was move water bottles. Nonetheless, it was interesting and an experience that I have never had before. I left Friday after school to go to Montañita to spend the night and then off to Puerto Lopez the next day to go whale watching and to go to Isla de la Plata. Humpbacks are in the middle of their migratory pattern, and were easy to find. I was very fortunate to be on the correct side of the boat to get a perfect view. It was pretty amazing. I couldn't believe how easily we found them. I got some pretty good pictures. However, in typical Jeremy form, I missed the most spectacular shot. A whale breached, with a whole half of its body out of the water. What was I doing? Playing with my camera, of course. It looked like one of those old Prudential commercials . . . just stunning. I feel priveledged just being able to see it. I do plan on doing it again (and again), so maybe next time. From there, we went to Isla de la Plata. Some guide books refer to it as "the poor man's Galapagos".
I thought that I would give everyone an idea of where I live. I live in a gated community outside of Guayaquil. My neighborhood is called Puerto Azul. The school where I will be teaching at is also inside Puerto Azul. The neighborhood is nice, but the thing that I was most impressed with has been the school itself. The campus is gorgeous. There are tons of green space and the grounds are impeccable. There are flowers, shrubs, and palm trees. My future classroom is in an amazing position. It is located above the library and lined with windows that look out over the campus. My apartment/condo is really nice. It is way more room than I could possibly use. It is set up in a horseshoe configuration. It has two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, and a small living room. Both the living room and my bedroom overlook the pool and barbeque area. Guayaquil is a hard city to describe. It is beautiful and eye-opening in different instances. I'll explain it further once I've experienced it more. For now, here is a video of my place with a few photos. Enjoy and take care!!
***El español que estoy escribiendo no es una traducción exacta de mi “post” que he escrito en ingles. Los dos contienen el mismo concepto con torcidos diferentes.
Pues, pensaba que daría una idea de donde vivo a todos. Vivo en una comunidad cerrada en las afueras de Guayaquil. Quiero decir que hay puertas en las entradas con oficiales de seguridad. Mi vecindario se llama Puerto Azul. La escuela dónde estaré enseñando, también está colocada en el mismo vecindario. El vecindario se ve bonito, pero me fascina mas la escuela. El campus es muy bonito. Hay montones de espacio verde y la tierra es impecable. Hay flores de colores diferentes, arbustos, y palmeras. Mi aula está situada en una posición perfecta. Está colocada encima de la biblioteca con muchas ventanas que tienen vistas muy buenas del campus. Mi apartamento es muy bueno también. Hay demasiado espacio para solo una persona y nunca podría usar todo el espacio disponible. Es en la configuración de una herradura. Tiene dos cuartos, dos baños completos, una cocina/comedor, y un salón pequeño. Los dos, el salón y mi cuarto tienen vistas de la piscina (alberca) y del área de barbacoa. Guayaquil es una ciudad muy difícil describir. Es muy bonito y sorprendente al mismo tiempo. Explicaré cuando la conozca mejor. Por ahora, aquí hay un video y unas fotos de mi apartamento. Disfrútenlos. Cuídense.
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