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".

It was a little rough where the whales were. In this particular trip, I went by myself. So, I decided to take the earliest bus from Montañita on Sunday. I left at 5 o'clock in the morning and got back around 7.

Montañita is the type of town where people were still out and about from the night before as I was leaving on the morning bus. Everything else is going well. I am meeting some very nice and interesting people. I'm enjoying the school and the students, but at the same time I really miss my old school, friends, and student population.

Here is a link to the rest of my pictures of whale watching and the island:

Pictures of Whale Watching/Isla de la Plata

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!!