Manta and Palma Morena

This is the first of my attempts to write more brief and frequent posts. Easier to write and read. We'll see how it goes.

I went with Paul and Vladir to Manta yesterday. It is a bigger, wealthier city than Bahía about 1.5 hours down the coast. I don't particularly like Manta. It has big American-looking malls, movie theaters, large fancy gated housing developments. It also has American-looking price tags. But at the same time there are a lot of areas downtown that are dirty and rundown and look like some of the poorest parts of Guayaquil. And even the big developed department stores look kind of cheesy and fake. So it seems to have the worst of both worlds... unless you like to play tennis. The tennis club is HUGE and beautiful. We went to the sport shop there because Vladir needed new shoes. He and his daughters are all really into tennis. So he bought new shoes... and then ended up buying a new racket, socks and wristbands. Then we went to the mall to buy a new bathing suit for Vladir's daughter Nina. I don't know what kind of thirteen-year-old girl thinks it's a good idea to send her father out to choose a swimsuit for her but apparently it's the Nina kind. So I picked it out. I hope she likes it. Then we went to the Manta airport to pick up Kathy, a new volunteer from Canada. She seems very nice so far. She is a high school biology teacher in British Columbia about Paul's age.
After we got back from Manta we went out to meet Yajaira, Diego and Karen (who was the English teacher at Genesis before Diego) and the six of us went out to a club called Palma Morena. As I think I mentioned before it is the only night club left in Bahía. But it is a very nice one. It is pretty small but the music is good, the admission is free, the drinks are cheap and the decor is cool. All of the tables are antique treadle sewing machine tables and the walls are covered in art and messages written by customers as well as a lot of antique metal work and various gadgets. And all the tables are lit with candlelight.
We talked all night. In English and Spanish. And I was very pleased with my ability to speak and understand. My progress has been so gradual that it's been hard for me to notice and sometimes I have a really hard time and get discouraged but I definitely think my Spanish has improved. A Lot. I also danced some salsa and merengue with Diego which was great fun. It was cool because he has been my partner/assistant teacher in the swing classes with the kids and I'm used to having to help him with steps but when it came to salsa/merengue I discovered yesterday he can outdance me by a mile. He was very patient though and taught me a lot. Today has been very relaxing. I went swimming on the ocean side of Bahía for the first time today with Paul and Kathy. It was lovely. It's always surprising for me to walk into a warm Pacific Ocean and it's a bit cleaner than the estuary. And also when I went swimming in the estuary last time a fish swam into my suit which was... distressing. So yep. I like the ocean.

That's the last two days. I'll be meeting Rachel probably within the next two hours and then tomorrow it's back to school.

Chau
Tía Kelsey