Lynne and Courtney Circa 2007 - Cirie, Italy

Moving to a different country without a clearly defined plan is definitely the way to go, with one major exception: finding employment. On the job front, doing a little research before you leave can pay off BIG TIME.  It did for team Italy!

As of next week all four of us will be teaching English to Italian children at English immersion summer camps throughout Italy with a non-profit organization called ACLE.

JOB FACTS:

• I found ACLE through a Google search in 2007 and it was my ticket out of my corporate job.
• Lynne and I met in Italy working for this very same program three years ago. Our Jet Set Zero experience will be a reunion of epic proportions.
• Sarah and Perrin are ACLE newbies.  Hazing rituals likely.
• ACLE has an important mission: To prove that the “traditional Italian scholastic system of “chalk and talk” fails to stimulate the emotions and energy that an entertaining atmosphere can provide.
• Instead of  lectures and boring workbook lessons, we’ll be teaching English through songs, theater, art, games, sports and multi-cultural activities.
• ACLE + Italy = one delicious summer.

A lot more on our sweet summer job soon, but for now check out these excellent sites to begin YOUR international job search:

Jobs Abroad
Teach Abroad
National Association of International Educators (NAFSA)
Craigslist (Search Europe/International Jobs)
Dave’s ESL Cafe
Expat-Blog (read success stories and get tips from other expats)

We celebrated Freddie’s birthday on our rooftop with a beautiful view over Quito, a Mexican Mariachi band, Pilsener beer, Cuba Libre and a home-made chocoloate cake. It was awesome!

Then we had an after-party at a club in la Mariscal where some of us got very drunk and couldn’t walk home straight…
Such a good night!

* * * * * *
Freddie a 28 ans!

Nous avons fêté l’anniversaire de Freddie sur le toit de notre immeuble avec une magnifique vue de Quito, un Mariachi (un groupe de musique mexicaine traditionnelle), de la bière Pilsener et du Cuba Libre, ainsi qu’un gâteau au chocolat fait maison. C’était génial!

Ensuite, after-party en boîte dans le quartier de la Mariscal, où certains étaient bien soûls et ne marchaient pas droit en rentrant chez nous…

Quelle soirée!

One of my biggest goals this year was to explore the Andes mountains. This past weekend Laurene and I with the help of our trusty guide, Mauri and a burro made the ascent to the top of Mount Puñay which is about a 6 hour bus ride from Quito. Puñay is over 3 km above sea level and a hell of a hike if you haven’t hit the gym in a few months as was the case for me. The reason we chose this mountain was that at the summit was a long forgotten temple that only recently was rediscovered by surveyors flying over the area. Mauri, a university student majoring in Ecotourism was a wealth of knowledge on this trip and gave us a great deal of insight and perspective. We were told that the temple, known as Huacacñay, was built some 3,500 years BC as an observatory to study the stars and skies. At the top we were welcomed by clouds everywhere we looked. The views from the peak are simply breathtaking and rewarding after climbing for hours in the blazing Andean sun. We ended up camping on Puñay and setting up our tent behind a wall of the temple to avoid having the winds carry us away in the void while we slept. The views at sunset were among the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Can’t wait for Machu Picchu later this year.

One Sunday as we were walking around El Centro Histórico, we heard some lively folklore music coming from la Plaza Grande. From the distance, all I could see was patches of bright colors on a stage. As we got closer, the dancers looked like dolls with pleated skirts over their heads.

As it turned out, we stumbled upon Quito’s World Music Festival! Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Senegal, Jamaica, Spain! A festival of colors, music and dancing!

We mostly saw Ecuadorian dancing, which was performed by ”El Teatro Nacional Sucre.”

There were also indigeneous Aymara dancers from Bolivia, who seemed to enjoy the show after their own performance.

We also saw dancers from the Esmeraldas province, northwest of Ecuador. The population of Esmeraldas is Afro-Ecuadorian, and so is their music! They use percussion instruments very different from those typical of Andean music. The band performed a ”Seagull dance” in which the women moved their white garments so gracefully and elegantly that they looked like butterfly about to fly off…

Oh, the wonders of Ecuador!

* * * * * *

AU PAYS DES MERVEILLES

Un dimanche matin alors que nous nous promenions dans El Centro Histórico, nous entendîmes de la musique gaie folklorique, émanant de la Plaza Grande. De loin, je ne distinguais que des taches de couleurs vives sur une scène. En s’approchant, ces taches prirent la forme de poupées danseuses aux jupes plissées leur recouvrant la tête.

Il s’agissait du Festival de musiques du monde de Quito! Equateur, Bolivie, Colombie, Chili, Sénégal, Jamaïque, Espagne! Quel heureux hasard!! Un festival de couleurs, de musique et de danse!

Nous avons surtout vu du folklore équatorien dansé par la troupe du ”Teatro Nacional Sucre.”

Il y avait aussi des danseurs indiens Aymaras de Bolivie, qui semblaient bien apprécier le spectacle.

Nous avons aussi vu des danseurs de la province Esmeraldas, au nord-ouest de l’Equateur. La population d’Esmeraldas est afro-équatorienne, et leur musique aussi! Ils utilisent des percussions très différentes des instruments typiques de la musique andine. Le groupe a présenté ”La danse de la mouette,” où les femmes maniaient leurs jupes blanches si gracieusement et élégamment qu’on aurait dit des papillons prenant leur envol…

Oh, merveilles d’Equateur!

Dear people of internet, Hello my name is Ryan Preciado and I was told to write an introduction about myself. I Like long walks on the beach, ice tea, smooth jazz and fireplaces. My spirit animal is a sabertooth tiger and I am a Sagatarius.

I think you should know up front I will most likely be the dumpster fire of the show, and here’s why. Although I have a deceiving appearance I in fact do not speak any Spanish. Also unlike Everyone else on this cast I’ve never been on an airplane much less out of the country. Another reason is everything that could go wrong has, as far as getting my passport expidited , losing my birth certifacate and driving to LA to get it, forgetting about two tickets I have to pay off, having problems with my car right before I am selling it, and currently my ankle resembles a really bruised mango. So things seem to be going awesome.

I leave to Quito in what should be a week. Lets see if I can make that happen.

Wearing the ring and the shirt. Yesssssss.

Kevin started out with us in Seattle and worked, traveled and lived alongside us for over one year in almost a half dozen different countries.  It was in the last one of these, Korea, where he met his bride-to-be Katia.  Katia lived across the hall from us, is from Mexico, and is also totally awesome.  Katia quickly became a fixture in our lives and nights out and before long… MAGIC!

Magic – Korean style.

I don’t know a more down to earth and honest guy on this planet, or honestly a better couple.  I can say without doubt that Kevin and Katia are amazing together and I cannot imagine anything but an amazing future for them.

From everyone here, congratulations.  Here’s hoping we all find what you two have.

Mui Né is a hugely popular sea resort for tons of Westerners, but that’s not why I really wanted to go there.

Mui Né is a fascinating little piece of Sahara on the Vietnamese shore. That’s what I had read, and that’s what Mui Né actually is.

Mui Né red sand dunes.

The 22 km road along the beach is lined with hotels and guest houses. At the very end of that road, Mui Né fishermen’s village. The men go fishing during the day, either on cockleshells or actual fishing boats.

Young men going fishing on a cockleshell.

Starfish on the shore of Mui Né

Pigs among bay scallop shells.

Meanwhile, the women cut open bay scallops or sift tiny shrimps to let them dry under the sun.

Women cutting open bay scallops.

Women sifting tiny shrimps to let them dry under the sun.

Evan our cameraman.

* * * * * * *

MUI NE, UN PETIT BOUT D’AFRIQUE

Mui Né est une station balnéaire extrêmement populaire auprès des Occidentaux, mais ce n’est pas pour cette raison que je voulais absolument y aller.

Mui Né est un fascinant petit morceau de Sahara sur la côte vietnamienne. C’est ce que j’avais lu, et c’est tout à fait vrai.

La route longue de 22km le long de la plage est bordée d’hôtels. Tout au bout, le village de pêcheurs de Mui Né. Les hommes partent à la pêche sur des coquilles de noix ou de vrais bateaux de pêche.

Pendant ce temps, les femmes ouvrent des pétoncles au couteau ou tamisent des mini crevettes pour les faire sécher au soleil.

The Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia is amazing. Unlike the historical sites in Istanbul, you wander up to the massive cathedral–once the largest in the world–without seeing a hoard of tourists (we saw two), and walk inside without any ado. I would love to show you the interior, but the video didn’t come out. Needless to say, it looks unrestored and unadulterated.

Beautiful.