Hey there...supposedly TEFL wants you to be my friend because I'm interested in teaching in South America.  I can book a flight for 100 bucks (aunt is flight attendant), how important is it to have the TEFL certificate?  I know a little spanish, and am a fresh young buck (23) right out of college.  What would you do? 

PS im desperate for friends on this thing...maybe I should put a picture up...

It was great to finally meet you. I apologize that you were not able to enjoy Guayaquil. If I had the weekend free, I could have shown you all of the cool places here. At first, when I came here, I did not like it either because the person that was showing me the city didn't seemed to know much about it (he was from Quevedo). However, after making some friends and hanging out with them, I started to like and appreciate the city more. I hope you can visit again in the future and give Guayaquil a second chance.

We will see each other again.... I'm quite sure about that. After all, I want to see Loja. Maybe I will come to see you in October or December for a few days. Who knows...it may be even sooner than that.  

Well, I did get a job before coming, which was good, but if you could possibly just get here you might find somrthing better paid.  Kallen would know more about that, he camr, got a bad job, got a work visa and then got a better job, so ask him about finding work, I dont think it was hard for him.  He teaches people from the coca cola company in Guyaquil.  Right now I´m in Guyaquil, saw Kallen for a short time last night but I dont like this town much so I`m off back to Loja soon. 

Quito is really cool but quite expensive.  Cuenca is great, fairly big city, night life, historic centre, etc. Loja is a small city/town, could get bored there but am appreciating it now I´ve been to Guayaquil! At least you can get a beer and good food just about whenever you like. There is plenty of work here, its just not really an internet orintated place, although there are cabinas on every corner.

What can I say6, you might just ahve to try and see, but do talk to Kallen, I think he can give better advice about job searching here then I can and he seems to know lots of people.

Hi Alix-

Hope everything is going well for you?  Are you on holiday for a little while ? I'm driving myself nuts over here in South Korea cruising the job boards as I think about what to do next.  Ecuador is so much more my style.  If I read right, you secured a job before heading there?  It's so overwhelming to try and figure out the right way to go about it.  I've heard that sometimes it's better to just show up? But then there's chosing the right place, etc.  The logistics of wandering Ecuador by bus, while I figure that out?  I sort of learned a little about what can happen when you get on the wrong chicken bus when I was in Guatemala, a couple of times I felt like I wandered onto a horror movie set.  Still have until the end of March 2011 to figure it out.  What cities might you recommend via personal experience or word of mouth? 

Hey again

My name is Denise. Look up Denise Velati. I'm the only one!

Ecuador sounds awesome!! Can't wait to see it some day!!

We have been in a few cities here and the floods have just missed us each time. Luckily. Encircled the city but missed it completely, you know?

Yea, gutted about my camera. Most of all gutted I couldn't take photos of that wicked skyline in Hong Kong!!!

School term started last Monday. I have 16 classes of 40 minutes each. Most are good kids. Some classes are great and I'm glad I'm a teacher, others go bad and I don't want to be here, haha.

Yea, don't like the apartment in the school. Will definitely put down that as a no-no for my next contract!! The flat itself is nice enough, just too many rules and regulations really!!

Hope the travelling is going well and you are seeing lots of Ecuador!!

Hey Alix,

How you doing? Long time!

How is Ecuador? Are you liking teaching? How is your apartment?

China is cool. Just started at the middle school this week!! Taught for a bit at a training centre when I first got here, but still wasn't really prepared!!

The kids are great though... some of them. Had two lessons today and had a great time, but the lessons yesterday were kinda average. Guess you gotta take the good with the bad eh?

Totally skint as we came early, didn't get as much money as we thought from work.. stuff like that you know? The trip to HK to do the visas cost a fortune but was worth it!!!

Will get paid at the begining of September.. but only will have worked a week... so not too much. By start of October should be okay! :)

Apartment is okay... but in the school... needed a good clean too!!

My camera broke soon after getting to china, so not many pics and none of HK!! I'm gutted!! do you have Facebook? I have some on there.

Take care xx

Hey,

It's a problem with the way Chalkboard communicates with our servers - it's a bit of an ongoing mystery which is getting looked into (slowly), but I haven't been given a time as to when it'll be resolved yet - in the meantime I can only apologise for any inconvenience caused by Chalkboard's slowness - just keep hitting refresh!

Honor

Yea....I felt the earthquake (it lasted no more than 5 minutes). Just a little rumbling. But you know how Ecuadorians are. They always exaggerate and worry "to the extreme".

Sorry...I didn't get a chance to call you this week...I've have been so busy with moving to Guayaquil and working at this new job. I have almost no money left for this month. So, it would have to be another time.

I really want to see you. Especially now that I know you will only be here for a year (I want to go to Spain too....I want EU nationality...lol). As far as Loja, maybe I will come to see you in late october or early november.

Hrm.. I'll have to see how that works.  I'm American so the UK site will do me no good except for the i-to-i documents. 

Thanks for that link though!!!

Hey Alix! Honor told me to ask you about the apostilizing documents as you had to do it.  Any suggestions or tips would be lovely!