Jefe on the Premises

Justin, our Director of English in Quito, flew in for a couple days to check how things are doing in here in Guayaquil. We had a good time. Justin is a fascinating man. He also has a fascinating accent.

He was born in Iowa, heart of the American mid-west. He studied at several prestigious acting programs in New York and London, with the hope of becoming a stage actor. That never worked out, so he got a job doing the European “Live Statue” For those who’ve never seen these, people come to fairs and special events, dressed in a wide range of fanciful “Statues” They stand on a pedestal, posing, staying absolutely still. People drop money and sometimes pay extra to have a phot with “The Statue.”

Justin was an elf. If you ever meet him you’ll know why he chose that persona for himself. He merely needed a set of Spock ears to look the part!

So he ended living in Barcelona for a couple years, being a statue, and began teaching English. Then he took up a job in Ecuador. He no longer acts or plays a statue, but he’s progressed to be the Director where he works.

His accent is part Iowa, part classical/Shakespeare English and one part American ex-patriot. He calls it his Mid-Atlantic Accent and it is probably true. He’s probably got the same accent still used by the ghosts of the Titanic.