My arrival

I arrived in Guayaquil late Thursday night (1/21), and the first thing I noticed was the heat! It is a big change from the cold winter weather, but I love it. I am living in the neighborhood Las Penas, it is a cute, colorful, artsy neighborhood located right on the Guayas river. All of houses are painted different colors, which I love! I am currently living in my own room, in a families home until a single apartment becomes avaliable. The apartment buliding is located right on the river, when I look out the window all I see is water!!! The family is very nice, and has a daughter my age. On Friday, Joyce a girl my age that is the daughter of one of my coworkers, showed me all around the city. In the neighborhood I am living there is a hill with 444 steps to the top that overlooks the city and the river. The climb up was a great workout and the view is amazing. There is also a park that is full of iguanas, they just run around like squirrels except they are not scared of people at all! If fact I was warned several times not to pet them. After some exploring I went to the CEN, the school where I will be teaching. It is a very nice place and the staff is very friendly. However, my dream of having 3 day weekends won't be coming true right away. During my meeting with the director he mentioned the schools need for teachers on Saturdays, and how American teachers often do not want to work on weekends. Due to this conversation, I volunteered to work on Saturdays, at least for the month of Feburary. So far I love Guayaquil, the people are nice and the city has a lot to offer. I will be posting pictures soon! I miss everyone, but I am also very excited about being here!