A Postcard from... Quito, Ecuador

When I first got to Quito, just a week after finishing my CELTA course, I was both terrified and exhilarated (but more so terrified) at the prospect of what lay ahead. I kept thinking that this was going to be my new home for a while and what if I didn't like it. A lot of "what ifs" were running through my head as we prepared for landing. It turns out that it wasn't as terrifying as I had imagined it to be. I would describe Quito as a bustling city filled with the vibrant spirit of salsa dancing, the mouthwatering aroma of ceviche, and the inexhaustible kindness of the locals.

Kathy with her students

A week after I arrived, I started teaching English to businessmen who work for large corporations. I immediately took a liking to it, which is rare because I have had the urge to run away from jobs that I have had in the past. I work for an international company called Inlingua. Teaching has given me a chance to explore more of the city as I go to the students’ offices for our lessons.

My students are kind and enthusiastic to learn English. It's amazing how much adult students who are trying to learn the language can enrich your life. So far, I have only taught one-on-one classes, which I had never done before coming to Ecuador. I actually found this job even before I signed up to take the CELTA course. I researched schools in Quito on the Internet and just started contacting them, which led to me finding this job. I chose to take the CELTA in order to gain more skills and more confidence to teach. The CELTA course definitely helped me accomplish both of these goals. Whenever I plan lessons, I always consider the "necessary ingredients" of a lesson that we were taught during CELTA. The other day, one of my students asked me where I learned how to teach what he called" "interactive" and "interesting" lessons, and I was proud to tell him that this was due to the skills I learned during the CELTA course.

I'm not sure why, but I have always been drawn to places where I know I won't fit in. Perhaps because it's a challenge, or maybe it's because it's not that big of a deal to me since it has been a part of my past. For the first years of my life I lived in Russia, after which I immigrated with my parents to the U.S. I resemble a chameleon in the sense that I can quickly assimilate into a different culture. Right now, I'm living with a host family. They have been extremely hospitable, and I look forward to coming home at night after I'm done teaching to eat a home cooked meal with my host mom. One of my reasons for coming to Quito was to keep practicing Spanish. Living with a host family is helping me to achieve that goal. Also, I am learning so much about the culture of Ecuador.

On the weekends, I'm taking advantage of seeing as much as I can because Ecuador is truly a unique country with many diverse ecosystems. Quito is situated in a valley and is surrounded by majestic mountains. The mountains take on many different characters depending on the weather. When they loom out of the fog looking mysterious and forlorn. I've had the opportunity to travel to the mountains where I first hiked for seven hours with the South American Explorers club and later relaxed in natural hot springs. One of the highlights of the trip was seeing alpacas, which was probably. For a long time, I have been dreaming about living and working in South America. My dream has finally become a reality, which goes to show that you can do anything that you put your mind to.

Kathy Vinokurova
Teaching House CELTA Graduate, August 2009

With its incredible geographic diversity, living and teaching in Ecuador has been a great adventure for Kathy