May 2005 Newsletter

1. CEDEI
This month promises to be an exciting one for CEDEI and its students. Our group programs will be visiting amazing sites around both Ecuador and Peru, several new individual students will arrive from both the US and UK, and our 600+ English students will be finishing up this term, with sights ahead on the summer. In addition, there are several cultural activities planned, such as a visit from a women?s cooperative of weavers, a shamanism demonstration, an indigenous politics lecture and much more.

2. Semester in the Andes
It?s almost over for our Semester students, as they have bid tearful farewell to friends and families in Cuenca and headed off on another adventure, this time in Peru. There the lucky participants will visit Pre-Incan ruins and nice beaches on the country?s north coast, then fly high into the Andes to visit Cuzco, the capital of the Inca empire, the Sacred Valley and, of course, Macchu Picchu. The trip and the semester end in the city of Lima, from where the students will finally make their way home.

3. Medical Spanish in Ecuador
Our Medical Spanish program has been creating a lot of interest among both medical professionals and students, all of whom recognize the importance of communicating effectively in Spanish. Along with the next program, beginning on May 15th, we have dates up through 2005 posted on our web page at http://www.cedei.org/cuenca/programs/spanish/medical.php. This two-week program includes specialized Spanish classes, visits to a variety of healthcare locations, field trips and outings to places of cultural interest. After the program students have the option of academic or travel options, including visits to the Galápagos or rain forest. For those unable to make the May date, our next program begins on July 23rd.

4. Ohio University
The hectic lives of our Oho University students continues apace. Having visited Ecuador?s largest Inca ruins at Ingapirca, spent a laughter-filled weekend getting to know the charming people of the Andean village of Principal, haggled for ?chompas? at the market in Gualaceo, and had their fill of sun and sand during a week on the Ecuadorian coast, more treats still lie ahead. This month they will venture high into the mountains of both Sangay and Cajas National Parks, to hike around breathlessly in some of the most stunning landscapes imaginable, and learn firsthand about the regions? fascinating ecosystems. The program draws to a close with an 11-day trip to the Amazon rainforest, the capital city of Quito and the famous indigenous market of Otavalo. Along with suitcases of souvenirs, they?ll take some amazing memories back home to Ohio.

5. Augustana College Summer Spanish Program
Time?s almost up to enroll in our longstanding and popular Summer Spanish in the Andes Program, co-sponsored by Augustana College. This program blends intensive Spanish instructions with an exciting array of travel, cultural activities and field trips. The program ends with an 11-day trip to Peru, taking in the capital city of Lima, Cuzco (the oldest continually inhabited city in the New World) and the ?Lost City? of the Incas, Macchu Picchu. To enroll, call us now at +1-877-2-CUENCA (toll free in the US and Canada).

6. Summer TEFL
Summer has always been the time to travel. Whether to visit relatives for a barbecue, take a road trip across the country, or set out on a new adventure in a different part of the world, the summer beckons those with itchy feet. This year?s Summer TEFL program promises to be a great jump-off point for those whose horizons stretch a bit farther than most. Recent graduates of our TEFL programs have worked in Taiwan, Mexico, Argentina, as well on the Ecuadorian Coast and here in Cuenca. Complementing this year?s program is the return of instructors Bea Jacobson and Kathleen Mcinerney, http://tefl.cedei.org/instructors.php, who will start yet another group of students on lifetime of adventure and travel.


7. Ecuador! Latin American History and Culture for Today's Spanish Classroom
An exciting opportunity for educators to learn firsthand about life in South America. The program offers travel, the cultural and language immersion that is living with a host family, and workshops that will equip them with skills and resources directly applicable in the classroom. Co-sponsored by the renowned Taft Educational Center, this program should not be missed. For enrollment information, go now to http://www.cedei.org/cuenca/programs/taft/ or call us directly and toll-free at +1-877-2-CUENCA.

6. Race and Ethnicity in the Andes
Enrollments are almost closed for this truly unique program, encompassing travel, culture, language and investigation into the timeless issue of race and ethnicity in this special part of the world. Don?t procrastinate! Enroll now at http://www.cedei.org/cuenca/programs/race_ethnicity/ or call us at +1-877-2-CUENCA (toll free in the US and Canada).


7. Individual Students
Individual students have been quite diverse this month ? including an English teacher who came straight from Chile; a retired math teacher who came to learn Spanish to facilitate her service work; two medical students; and a woman who came to visit relatives of her ESOL students. Two students here this month connected to Cuenca originally through Ecuadorians living in or visiting the U.S.

One student, Carol Rogers, made the most of her short 2-week stay in Cuenca, supplementing her time in Spanish class with volunteer work. She volunteered in a shelter for women and children helping with homework and teaching a short-term English class for the women. Despite her limited time and beginning level Spanish, she was able to connect quickly and genuinely with the women. She is now teaching Math in the Amazonian jungle, where her daughter is a volunteer teacher.

Other volunteers this month have worked at orphanages, early educational centers and centers for street children.

April 2005 Newsletter

CEDEI

Our English Department has welcomed 14 new teachers in advance of the next cycle of classes, due to begin in the first week of April. On 18 April the Arts School also begins a new term, with courses in Classical Guitar and Handmade Jewelry slotting alongside more classes in theater, recycled paper and Latin dance. Our Training Center begins the second phase of its courses in English language teaching for elementary and high school teachers in Cuenca, while the Technical College starts new terms in International Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Television Production this month.


Semester in the Andes

The Semester in the Andes students' adventure continues. The month began with a mid-term trip to Vilcabamba, the lush and fabled "Valley of Longevity," where residents are rumored to have the longest life expectancy anywhere in Ecuador. There, students hiked in the cloud forest of Podocarpus National Park and up Mondango Mountain. But it was not all exertion--a lot of time was spent in the hammock and by the pool, too.

Back in Cuenca, the group took classes in Andean gastronomy, learning all about the vast array of fruits and vegetables in a local market, and cooking various local delicacies with a view to producing an Ecuadorian meal to wow their host families. The group also attended guest lectures on migration (a topic of huge interest in both Ecuador and the USA) and on the root causes of the guerrilla situation in Colombia.

In the coming month, participants will take daytrips to the neighboring villages of Gualaceo and Chordeleg, and hike to the waterfalls of Girón. They also begin a series of conferences on aspects of Peruvian culture in advance of their departure for Peru on 29 April.

For more news on what our Semester students are up to, including photos, visit the program blog.


Medical Spanish in Ecuador

We are still accepting registrations for Medical Spanish in Ecuador, which begins 15 May, but you need to act quickly! The program is designed to enable medical professionals and students to communicate effectively with patients, and it complements course work with field trips and visits to places of cultural and professional interest. After the program, students have the option of academic or travel options, including visits to the Galápagos or rainforest.


Ohio University Spring Quarter

Another group of students from Ohio University program arrived in Ecuador on 20 March. They spent a few days traveling, taking in the colonial buildings and churches of capital city Quito's old town and spent the Equinox at the Equator itself. The group then traveled down the length of the "Avenue of the Volcanoes" in the Central Valley of the Ecuadorian Andes, pausing in the village of Patate for spectacular views of Tungurahua Volcano before continuing on to Cuenca. In Cuenca, students met their host families, with whom they spent the Easter weekend before starting classes the following Monday.

The Ohio Spring Quarter's schedule for the next month is as exciting as it is packed. Travel includes daytrips to the Inca ruins of Ingapirca and waterfalls of Girón; an overnight trip to the typical Andean pueblo of Principal, where students will get to observe weavers of Panama hats at work; and finally, a weeklong journey along the coast of Ecuador, taking in the city of Guayaquil, mangrove swamps at Churute, various beaches, and Machalilla National Park (including the "poor man's Galápagos," Isla de la Plata).


Ecuador! Latin American History and Culture for Today's Spanish Classroom

Attention, educators: a great opportunity to experience the culture of South America, travel in the Andes, live with an Ecuadorian family, and sharpen your Spanish skills awaits you this summer! All of this is wrapped up in a teacher education workshop co-sponsored by the Taft School and CEDEI that will arm you with resources and knowledge that you can put to use in your classroom. This program commences on 1 July, so enroll now! At the end of the program, participants also have the opportunity to go to the amazing Galápagos Islands or the Amazon rainforest.


Race and Ethnicity in the Andes

Travel, adventure, culture, language--this anthropological program has it all. Race and Ethnicity in the Andes begins on 17 July and offers visits the three regions of mainland Ecuador--Sierra, Costa and Oriente--along with Spanish study in the beautiful colonial city of Cuenca, where participants will live with a local family to experience Ecuadorian culture firsthand.


Individual Students

Students participating in our Full Immersion Spanish and Spanish Immersion Volunteer programs continue to thrive during their time in Cuenca. Their days are busy with Spanish tutorials, extracurricular activities and volunteer placements. This month, we have had students from throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Several students are volunteering with local community organizations: one works in a center for disabled students, another at a center for street children, and several at daycare centers. Another student spends her afternoons assisting at a center for abused and endangered women. Volunteering is a rewarding way for students to practice their Spanish, learn more about life in Cuenca and give something back to the community.

Our Latin American film night continues to thrive, with recent screenings of films from Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. Our weekly social activity for international students has taken them to galleries, restaurants and a local symphony performance.

During the past few weekends, students have taken advantage of several eco-tourism sites in Azuay province, hiking, horseback riding, exploring small rural towns, learning about local flora and fauna, and supporting viable community development initiatives. Other students have spent weekends exploring the high altitude environment of Cajas National Park and the site of the most significant Inca ruins in Ecuador, Ingapirca.