Back to the grindstone...

So I've completed the first two days of class, and so far, so good. I've taught 4 of my classes, the fifth one meets only on Wednesdays. That's my gourmet foods class, and I am excited about it. Everyone in the department is such a pleasure to work with, I feel really grateful for the opportunity to work at MCC!

I'm going to post some more photos from our trip below - see? It only took me a couple weeks...

Hang in there - have a great week everybody!

Jenny

Old Town Quito - Day Two of The trip

Our tour of Quito began at the Basilica - part of Old Town, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

This is the Virgen of Quito - the only Virgin in the world with wings. This is Hilary's host family - we had lunch with them at a restaurant on Panecillo, where the Virgen of Quito is located.

This is the Basilica de Voto in Quito. The basilica is less than a hundred years old, and reflects the character of Ecuador. Animals on the outside are from the different regions, such as the jungle and the Galapagos. The window shown above represents the 2000 kinds of orchids found in Ecuador...

Quito, Part Deux

We toured the Museo de la Ciudad - Museum of the City -
and learned all about the history of Quito. Travis and Hilary took turns beating each other with the free posters we received with our tickets.

We ate unique and tasty fruit in Ecuador - a fresh fruit lover's paradise. Travis thought this fruit tasted like slime, but I really liked it.

After Quito, we headed to Lago Agrio for our jungle tour. Here is a view of the city of Quito as we were leaving. Definitely looks different than home!

Professor Watson...

So my first day at MCC (Mesa Comm College) was yesterday, and so far so good. I've met my department, who all seem like they're a great bunch of ladies (no male professors in DFCS). We had a breakfast with all the faculty, then a couple of department meetings, and I got my office into rough shape to start the semester. I'm just happy to have an office - it took an act of congress just to get it!

I don't have a phone or computer yet - I hope to get those today. I'll be teaching 3 sections of FON 241, Principles of Human Nutrition, 1 section of Food for Fun and Fitness (healthy cooking) and 1 section of FON 144 - Gourmet Cooking. I am really looking forward to classes, though I know it will be a challenging semester as a new teacher.

In the meantime, we've been working on the house - Travis and I finished up the patio roof this weekend, and the entire thing is clear coated. We still need to find some kind of lattice or shade cloth for the end, paint the exterior wall, and acid wash the floor, but we're definitely making progress! We'll also be putting in a new sprinkler system and turf once the weather cools off a bit.

Hope everyone's doing well - have a good semester!

JRW