Author: Newley

My New Classes
The new term is off to an excellent start. I’ve got three classes: a 103 level adult class from 7-8 a.m (you read that correctly–7 in the a.m.), a 403 (literature and creative writing) high school-age class from 3:00-4:20 p.m., and another 103 level high school age-class from 4:30-5:50 p.m. My students are great.

Funniest moments so far: yesterday, I prepared my 103 students for an in-class reading by brainstorming U.S. cities they’re familiar with. They threw out the ones they knew–New York, L.A., Chicago, etc.–and I wrote them on the board; they hit a wall after about 10.

And then, in both classes, in virtually the same reluctant, half-serious manner, someone volunteered another American town: Springfield. As in the home of “The Simpsons.” Or as they’re known here, “Los Simpsons”.

I’m Back from Peru
I’m back in Cuenca. It’s good to be home. My friend and I arrived here last night. Classes start again on Monday.

FlubTitles
My friend Jordan, who’s an extremely talented medical illustrator, it must be said, just sent me a funny site via her hilarious pal Pete. The site is FlubTitles–an amusing compilation of Engrish subtitles from Hong Kong DVDs.

And I can now say this with complete assurance: this moment, right now as I’m writing this, is the first time I’ve ever sat in a Web cafe in northern Peru and pondered East Asian linguistic gaffes.

More Links to War Coverage
I’m still in Peru. At the beach with my friend Mike. Waiting for the Ecuadorian consulate to process our long-term visa applications so we can continue traveling and then return to Cuenca. There’re worse places to be stranded, of course. So I can’t complain.

I’ve been using the Web to follow the war. The best sites I’ve found are: 1) Command Post, a frequently-updated Weblog with links to breaking stories; and 2) CyberJournalist, which features links to reporters maintaining Weblogs. The conventional news sites, like Yahoo News and CNN and the New York Times, are okay. But they don’t provide the breath of coverage that blogs offer.

Following the War from Rural Peru
It’s strange following the war in Iraq from rural Peru. I don’t have access to a TV, and Web connections are slow and sometimes elusive. Nick Denton, though, has put together a nice collection of Web sites posting reliable and up-to-date war news.

Report From Mancora, Peru
I’ve been in Mancora, Peru for the last few days. I had to leave Ecuador and re-enter the country in order to apply for a long-term visa, so I decided to travel for a week or so before returning.

Mancora’s a sleepy little beach town on Peru’s northern coast; lots of sun, good seafood, and plenty of relaxation. My friend and I might head down to Lima next and then make our way back to Ecuador. But we’re not sure yet.

The SELA Foundation
Last week, my friend Mike introduced me to the friendly, hard-working folks at The SELA Foundation, which is based here in Cuenca. SELA is involved in legal services, human rights, and conflict resolution for marginalized groups in rural and suburban Southern Ecuador. I look forward to learning more about their work.

I’ve finally gotten around to scanning in some photos of my various adventures here. In mostly chronological order, here goes:

—Me jumping over a fire on New Year’s Eve (a local tradition)

—Some Ecuadorian friends jumping over the same fire on New Year’s Eve

—An Ecuadorian guy dressed in drag on New Year’s Eve (also a local tradition)

—A cool trashcan (foreground) and a mother and son (background) in Gualaceo

—An impromptu jam session at a favorite Cuenca restaurant

—Me towering over some girls in Quito

—A really nice photo (if I do say so myself) of a funeral here in Cuenca (I wouldn’t have taken if I knew then that it was a funeral)

—A photo of me and my fellow TEFL classmates in Cajas National Park (yes, I’m wearing ridiculous red pants–and I’ve got a great story about a wild bull we encountered while backpacking there: he gazed at my trousers for some time; I was nervous)

—Me backpacking in Cajas National Park

—My friend Mike posing next to a bed in a very bad hostal in Riobamba

—Self portrait taken atop our bus on the way to Canoa

—Me at the beach in Canoa

—Me and a food vendor atop the famous “Nariz del Diablo” (Devil’s Nose) train (not sure who the guy in the back is)

—Sideways photo of the Nariz del Diablo riders

—A postcard of Cuenca (home sweet home)

“The Plague We Can’t Escape”
Larry Kramer, writing in the New York Times, notes that 50 million people around the world are infected with HIV, and that “in China, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Russia, the number of AIDS cases is predicted to double by 2010, with a total of 50 million to 75 million infected people in those countries alone.” Kramer says we shouldn’t allow drug companies to keep life-saving and life-prolonging drugs from people who need them.

Civil War Ninjas
“So, then, on to your central thesis. I certainly can’t dispute your assertion that the presence of ninjas at Gettysburg would have altered the outcome of the U.S. Civil War. However, it is one thing to make this statement and quite another to claim that a clan of ninjas indeed was present and was, in fact, the force that tipped the balance of power in the war to the Union. Your evidence is… scanty.”

From Civil War Ninjas! The Tenth-Grade History Report (via Reenhead).