Things I miss from home and things that challenge me here often go hand-in-hand.
To just ramble... I really (REALLY) miss blue skies. I also miss clean, fresh air. I miss what that blue sky, and clean and fresh air does for my lungs, my skin and my attitude. I miss clean streets and I cringe seeing people toss trash out of their cars and the bus as if Mother Nature is their trashcan. I miss vegetables and having more energy. I get frustrated when the first bus passes me in the morning and just mad when the fourth does. I miss being invisible. I miss being able to wear sweatshirts and I miss my wardrobe (who would've thought). I miss some aspects of my old concept of time, and not being cut in lines. I miss drinking water out of the tap. I get extremely frustrated at my agency every morning, which makes me miss structure, discipline and respect. I miss having control and having some power. I miss not being able to communicate exactly how I want. I get frustrated thinking about the politics here, and my own country, although I miss the steps we've made. I miss thinking that I understood a good amount.
and then there are the things that I love...
I love saying that I live in Ecuador. I love catching the bus and riding it - probably one of the most successful feelings ever. I love when my host parents play loud bachata or reggaetone music in the house. I love feeling more comfortable walking down the street and people not staring at me as much (or me not noticing). I love swimming in the pool at the university, sitting on the many beaches in Ecuador and feeling the warm air whip my hair in my face on the bus. I can't believe that I can communicate in Spanish. I love laughing with my host mom because she thinks it’s crazy that I like green salads, especially with ‘big’ pieces of vegetables. I adore my ceiling fan and often say hello to it when I walk in my room. I smile when people sing along to songs on the radio in public, when little children pass out on their mothers shoulder on the bus, and when I bargain down a taxi ride. I love hanging out with my host sister and her boyfriend, and sometimes his mom and grandma. I love learning and traveling. I love looking at the lights on mountains when traveling at night. I love the terrain of Ecuador and its transportation. I love all of the conversations I've had. I love that my friend and I wrote down 30 questions about Ecuador that we hope to answer by the end of December. I love that I still have about 20% of my experience left. I love the relationship I have with my 80 year old host dad who makes me laugh when he asks me, everyday, if I've gotten a boyfriend yet, or when he helps me with my bug bites and stomach problems, or when he makes a joke that I don't really understand but I don't want to ruin the moment so I smile anyway. I love that my 'loves' outweigh my 'misses,' and that, in the future, I'm pretty sure they're all that I'll remember.
domingo, 23 de noviembre de 2008
The Galapagos Islands...
The Galapagos Islands were absolutely stunning and I am so glad I had the opportunity to go. I'm going to write just a little bit about what we did and what we got to see, but I've posted two photo albums from facebook on the bottom of this post, which will be able to show how beautiful it was, probably better than my writing.
I stayed on a boat, The Rumba, for 5 days and 4 nights with 6 other students from the international group at my university, a Canadian couple and another student from Germany. The boat was very nice, and one of the cheapest from the others that we saw. It was cozy and small, and many of us had some seasickness so, when on the boat, we spent the majority of the time soaking up the sun and feeling the fresh salty air sitting on the top. Our cook, Carlos, made spectacular food that I couldn't wait to eat at every meal, and our tour guide, Leonidas, was great. Our days had a pretty basic pattern of waking up early for breakfast, taking the small boat out to an island, walking around for a little, then coming back for lunch, and going back out in the afternoon for snorkeling.
The most exciting thing about the first day was what we saw at night. This was the only night we didn't travel, and so we went out to the top to look at the stars. Absolutely stunning. I've never seen clearer or that many stars before. There were absolutely no lights except for 2 cruise ships nearby (who eventually turned their lights off) and the water was very calm. After enjoying just talking and watching for shooting stars, one of us discovered tons of small, flashing and shiny things in the water. This was so cool! My friend, who's a biology major, explained that it was some sort of fish (possibly plankton?) that soaks up the sun in the day and then emits the light at night. We had stars not just in the sky but also in the water. :)
The next day was full of seeing sea lions, which were very entertaining. There was an island full of them and they would do silly things like climb all over each other, or use what seemed like a lot of energy to roll, horizontally, to the water to just stop right before and lie there. They cracked me up, although the dominate males were slightly terrifying with their loud cry and huge amount of weight. We went snorkeling that afternoon and I saw a SHARK!!! I was a little ways away from the group and it slickly swam about 10 feet under me. Don't worry, everyone! The sharks are very nice to humans in the Galapagos because they have such an ample supply of food, that they don't touch humans. Later, we hiked around on a different island, which was very dry and had a crazy looking iguana (there's a picture). That night, the Canadian couple played some songs on guitar and I actually ended up getting quite seasick (not fun at all).
The next morning I woke up and took a sea sickness pill, which made walking around on the island very hard, but still enjoyable. We saw tons of iguanas and the famous blue footed boobies. Once again we went snorkeling, and had some time lie on the beach along with the sea lions. :) When arriving at our next destination, we had a very rare and incredible experience. A huge (I mean HUGE), group of dolphins surrounded us and the surrounding boats. All of a sudden there were 5-10 dolphins playing and racing with our boat and there were probably about 100 total out in the bay playing with each other and the other boats. It was SO COOL! Even our tour guide and some of the other crew members got their cameras and came to the front to enjoy the dolphins. Our tour guide at the end of our trip said they came because of the good energy we had. :)
The fourth day we went to an island that had a post office where whalers used to leave their mail in a barrel. The idea is that you write and address a postcard, without a stamp, and stick it in the barrel so that the next person who lives near you that comes by, can pick it up and hand deliver it! So, you have absolutely no idea how long it'll take to get to you, or if it ever will. Luckily, it didn't matter that I didn't know the zip code of the new house in Connecticut. :) After writing postcards and taking some, we walked through a lava cave, and ended up scaring the next young group by hiding in the pitch black. It was fun. That afternoon we traveled farther to get to the best snorkeling spot. Here we saw tons of sting rays, starfish, a couple turtles and a handful of sharks! The sharks swam quite close to us. A couple times you'd be swimming along and a sea lion would swim right in front of you as well. Haha. We went to another island to see a flamingo lagoon and turtle beach, but ended up only seeing the turtles swimming in the water.
We parked near one of the islands, where people live, for the night and went on land the next morning to see HUGE and old turtles. One of which is named George, who is apparently the last turtle of his species (good news though, they put a couple of female turtles in with him and a couple of months ago some eggs were found!). We ended the trip with seeing an exhibit on Darwin.
Some of us actually ended up staying for another 2 nights on the island. For the extra day, we went to an extremely remote beach, and walked around the town during the other time. All in all, the trip was stunning and worthwhile. I could use many more adjectives to describe the Galapagos Islands... I'm so happy I got to go. If you ever get the opportunity to go, take advantage of it! It was really an interesting type of vacation that involved a lot of education, pure nature, and seasickness. :)
I have posted the two albums that have already been put up on facebook. If you highlight and paste these two links (one at a time!) into your internet browser it should work. Let me know if it doesn't.
Hope you enjoy them!!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032898&l=83681&id=1143060069
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032903&l=e02fd&id=1143060069
I stayed on a boat, The Rumba, for 5 days and 4 nights with 6 other students from the international group at my university, a Canadian couple and another student from Germany. The boat was very nice, and one of the cheapest from the others that we saw. It was cozy and small, and many of us had some seasickness so, when on the boat, we spent the majority of the time soaking up the sun and feeling the fresh salty air sitting on the top. Our cook, Carlos, made spectacular food that I couldn't wait to eat at every meal, and our tour guide, Leonidas, was great. Our days had a pretty basic pattern of waking up early for breakfast, taking the small boat out to an island, walking around for a little, then coming back for lunch, and going back out in the afternoon for snorkeling.
The most exciting thing about the first day was what we saw at night. This was the only night we didn't travel, and so we went out to the top to look at the stars. Absolutely stunning. I've never seen clearer or that many stars before. There were absolutely no lights except for 2 cruise ships nearby (who eventually turned their lights off) and the water was very calm. After enjoying just talking and watching for shooting stars, one of us discovered tons of small, flashing and shiny things in the water. This was so cool! My friend, who's a biology major, explained that it was some sort of fish (possibly plankton?) that soaks up the sun in the day and then emits the light at night. We had stars not just in the sky but also in the water. :)
The next day was full of seeing sea lions, which were very entertaining. There was an island full of them and they would do silly things like climb all over each other, or use what seemed like a lot of energy to roll, horizontally, to the water to just stop right before and lie there. They cracked me up, although the dominate males were slightly terrifying with their loud cry and huge amount of weight. We went snorkeling that afternoon and I saw a SHARK!!! I was a little ways away from the group and it slickly swam about 10 feet under me. Don't worry, everyone! The sharks are very nice to humans in the Galapagos because they have such an ample supply of food, that they don't touch humans. Later, we hiked around on a different island, which was very dry and had a crazy looking iguana (there's a picture). That night, the Canadian couple played some songs on guitar and I actually ended up getting quite seasick (not fun at all).
The next morning I woke up and took a sea sickness pill, which made walking around on the island very hard, but still enjoyable. We saw tons of iguanas and the famous blue footed boobies. Once again we went snorkeling, and had some time lie on the beach along with the sea lions. :) When arriving at our next destination, we had a very rare and incredible experience. A huge (I mean HUGE), group of dolphins surrounded us and the surrounding boats. All of a sudden there were 5-10 dolphins playing and racing with our boat and there were probably about 100 total out in the bay playing with each other and the other boats. It was SO COOL! Even our tour guide and some of the other crew members got their cameras and came to the front to enjoy the dolphins. Our tour guide at the end of our trip said they came because of the good energy we had. :)
The fourth day we went to an island that had a post office where whalers used to leave their mail in a barrel. The idea is that you write and address a postcard, without a stamp, and stick it in the barrel so that the next person who lives near you that comes by, can pick it up and hand deliver it! So, you have absolutely no idea how long it'll take to get to you, or if it ever will. Luckily, it didn't matter that I didn't know the zip code of the new house in Connecticut. :) After writing postcards and taking some, we walked through a lava cave, and ended up scaring the next young group by hiding in the pitch black. It was fun. That afternoon we traveled farther to get to the best snorkeling spot. Here we saw tons of sting rays, starfish, a couple turtles and a handful of sharks! The sharks swam quite close to us. A couple times you'd be swimming along and a sea lion would swim right in front of you as well. Haha. We went to another island to see a flamingo lagoon and turtle beach, but ended up only seeing the turtles swimming in the water.
We parked near one of the islands, where people live, for the night and went on land the next morning to see HUGE and old turtles. One of which is named George, who is apparently the last turtle of his species (good news though, they put a couple of female turtles in with him and a couple of months ago some eggs were found!). We ended the trip with seeing an exhibit on Darwin.
Some of us actually ended up staying for another 2 nights on the island. For the extra day, we went to an extremely remote beach, and walked around the town during the other time. All in all, the trip was stunning and worthwhile. I could use many more adjectives to describe the Galapagos Islands... I'm so happy I got to go. If you ever get the opportunity to go, take advantage of it! It was really an interesting type of vacation that involved a lot of education, pure nature, and seasickness. :)
I have posted the two albums that have already been put up on facebook. If you highlight and paste these two links (one at a time!) into your internet browser it should work. Let me know if it doesn't.
Hope you enjoy them!!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032898&l=83681&id=1143060069
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032903&l=e02fd&id=1143060069
lunes, 27 de octubre de 2008
Ah, The Weekends.
As I've already said (numerous times) - I can't wait for the weekends! Seriously, if you want to travel around in South America, I definitely recommend Ecuador. I think it's one of the best countries to travel in - it's small, has all types of geography (the coast, mountains, jungle!), there's GREAT transportation, and it is very inexpensive. Since I've already written about what my week is like, I'm just going to write week by week what I've done on the weekends...
Weekend #1: Libertad.
I already wrote a little about this town in 'Traveling Adventures'. My friends and I were supposed to meet up with the group in Salinas (a very touristy area on the beach), but never made it there. Libertad, the town next door, offers almost nothing. We went just for a night and ended up hanging out along the ocean and making friends with the local townspeople (mainly children). It was a good first trip to practice our Spanish, traveling skills and experience being gringos.
Weekend #2: Guayaquil.
This weekend the group stayed in Guayaquil. This actually worked out perfectly for me since I moved families this weekend. The international students hung out on the malecon (walking place along the river in Guayaquil) and climbed Las Penas (444 stairs up to where you can see the city). The next day I hung out with my new family and got to know them a little.
A view of the city (Guayaquil) from on top of Las Penas.
You also see this: a hill of poverty, named Santa Ana.
Weekend #3: Cuenca.
There are two trips this semester that are included with my program that are through a travel agency. One is to Cuenca and the other is to Quito, the next two largest cities in Ecuador (after Guayaquil). Cuenca was absolutely beautiful, and it made me want to live there sometime in the future. It's an older town in the mountains with about 400,000 people. Lonely Planet describes it as "that colonial jewel of the south - Its narrow cobblestone streets and whitewashed red-tiled buildings, its handsome plazas and domed churches, and it setting above the grassy banks of the Tomebamba Rio, where women still dry clothes in the sun, all create a city that's supremely impressive." The temperature was perfect and the fresh, crisp air reminded me of fall. For this weekend, which was lead by a tour guide, we stayed in a beautiful hotel and ate in very good restaurants. We took a bus tour around the city, visited a lady who handmakes scarves and blankets, ate cuy (cooked guinea pig!), shopped in the famous indigenous market for a morning, saw an animal market, and met a man who hand makes the famous Panama hats (which are actually Ecuadorian).
The beautiful city.
Hats
In Cuenca, I felt much safer than in Quayaquil, and the people were easier to understand. There's a LITTLE resentment (not really the right word) between the mountain and coast people. Around the city and in the mountains, we saw tons of women who were dressed traditionally. They wore big skirts, hats, had long braided hair, and were very short. Often, they were carrying a child on their back and selling food/items in the street.
Mom and child.
The last day we hiked in the Cajas Mountains (in the Andes), which are a little outside of the city. The group had not prepared well for the fairly chilly mountains. Nonetheless, the hike was absolutely stunning and worthwhile. The mountains had tons of lakes, lots of green and we ran into a group of llamas! I now have the nickname of llama from some friends because I love mimicking how llamas eat. Haha. :D
One of the many lakes in the mountains.
Llamas.
Weekend #4: Montanita.
I've also already written a little about Montanita. It's a very touristy beach area that attracts mainly hippies in their 20's. We went for two nights expecting to stay in a hostel that's owned by one of our Ecuadorian friend's friend. But, when we got there, it was fun, so we ended up staying at his aunt's. :) The next night more people came and we stayed at Claudio's, which was a pretty crummy $5 stay. The first day the weather wasn't that great and it rained a little, but we swam anyway. The next day was much warmer, and we enjoyed laying on the beach til we had to catch the bus.
Weekend #5: Puerto Lopez & Ayampe
This weekend was definitely one of the best!! A group of us went together to Puerto Lopez in hopes to see the whales, but it was uncertain because it was the last weekend of the season (end of September). We stayed in a beautiful hostel with the sweetest woman who owns it and her two dogs. Early in the morning you can watch the fisherman bring back the fish to the beach. It was so fun to see all the fish, people, and birds surrounding the beach. It felt so nice to be on a beach early in the morning. Later in the morning we went to see the whales! Most tourists pay about $40 to see the whales and visit an island, but we ran into a guy named Wiston (yes, Wiston) Churchill (haha), who said he'd take us to see the whales and to snorkel for $20. Perfect! So, around 10 am we got our gear together and went out with a few other tourists, Wiston, his driver, and his 5 year old son. This experience was amazing - we saw TONS of whales! We saw them swim, stick their faces out of the water and even jump. It was stunning. I attempted to take some photos and decided to stop after about 10 pictures of only water and just enjoy the experience. The whales were so beautiful and so big. You could hear them breathing from far away and their impact on the water, when landing, was huge. We have named Wiston's son, Little Whale Whisperer, because he sang little songs to the whales, ("ballenitas") and they came out! We had met his family the night before - tons of little children, a grandma, a kitten, a chick, and a parrot. When we returned they were all there. Our group couldn't have been more happier with our experience with Wiston and his son. (If you ever get a change to see whales, do it.)
In the morning with the fish.
The Whale Whisperer preparing.
Weekend #6: Quito.
I'm definitely jealous of those who get to study in Quito - Guayaquil just doesn't compare. Quito is the capital with about 1.5 million people, "Spread across a spectacular Andean valley and flanked by volcanic peaks, Quito's setting alone is enough to strike you speechless" (Lonely Planet). Quito is more modern than Cuenca, and a little louder, but the weather was perfect, the sky was blue, and enjoyed being in the mountains. The first day we saw a village in a volcano, and went to the equatorial latitude, which has a museum! The tour guide showed us some really cool things that happen here because of the equator - she balanced an egg on a nail, showed us how water spins down opposite directions on either side of the equator, and gave examples of how your strength and balance are much weaker on the equator. It was fascinating! Quito was also a beautiful guided tour, so we learned a lot about the city, ate great food and slept in another nice hotel. Just by chance, that afternoon, we ran into a festival in the main square! There were parade floats, tons of children dressed in traditional clothing, dancing, music, and a horse that sparkled (pictures below...). We were so happy to have ran into this - it was beautiful seeing this part of Ecuadorian culture.
The city.
Dancing!
The horse.
The lake in the volcano.
Visiting some animals. I loved this llama!
(and I obviously only have one outfit for chilly weather)
The fog rolling in on the mountains...
Weekend #7: Hacienda & Guayaquil.
The following weekend we stayed in Guayaquil, which was actually pretty lucky, for me, since I had the flu that week. We had planned to stay in Guayaquil because it was the weekend to celebrate its independence! So, we though we'd give Guayaquil a chance and see some of its culture/art, etc. On Thursday evening we went to a fair, which consisted of tons of food, music, and some dancing. Friday we went to an hacienda (a farm - larger than a finca), that's owned by one of the students at my university. There were lots of animals (horses, geese, ostriches, peacocks, dogs), and it was so relaxing to just hang out with the animals, play some soccer, and eat some yummy food. That night we went over to our friend's house and hung out. The next day I had an extremely relaxing - probably one of the first times I've ever felt truly relaxed and calm here - with my friend Gesa. We went to the university's gym and swam in the pool. Somehow our cards let us in, but the guard came to us when we were swimming and said it had closed early (since it was a national holiday) but he would let us stay for an hour. It was perfect! Since the university bus doesn't run on the weekends, we have to take 2 public busses to get there - which was a little bit of an adventure. But, on the way home, whenever I am in the bus terminal, I always go to the food court to the station called "American Deli" and ask them to make me a $1 salad of all the greens and veggies they have. I'm pretty sure next time I go, they'll know what I want before I speak. I think I just stayed at home with my family on Sunday and ran some errands around the neighborhood. Geeze, I hope I'm not forgetting anything exciting!
I'll post some pictures of the Hacienda later - but first I have to put them on facebook so I can transfer them here. Sorry this was a long read! I hope you enjoyed it...
Weekend #8 & #9: Galapagos Islands!
--> This is going to have an entry by itself.
Weekend #1: Libertad.
I already wrote a little about this town in 'Traveling Adventures'. My friends and I were supposed to meet up with the group in Salinas (a very touristy area on the beach), but never made it there. Libertad, the town next door, offers almost nothing. We went just for a night and ended up hanging out along the ocean and making friends with the local townspeople (mainly children). It was a good first trip to practice our Spanish, traveling skills and experience being gringos.
Weekend #2: Guayaquil.
This weekend the group stayed in Guayaquil. This actually worked out perfectly for me since I moved families this weekend. The international students hung out on the malecon (walking place along the river in Guayaquil) and climbed Las Penas (444 stairs up to where you can see the city). The next day I hung out with my new family and got to know them a little.
Las Penas
A view of the city (Guayaquil) from on top of Las Penas.
You also see this: a hill of poverty, named Santa Ana.Weekend #3: Cuenca.
There are two trips this semester that are included with my program that are through a travel agency. One is to Cuenca and the other is to Quito, the next two largest cities in Ecuador (after Guayaquil). Cuenca was absolutely beautiful, and it made me want to live there sometime in the future. It's an older town in the mountains with about 400,000 people. Lonely Planet describes it as "that colonial jewel of the south - Its narrow cobblestone streets and whitewashed red-tiled buildings, its handsome plazas and domed churches, and it setting above the grassy banks of the Tomebamba Rio, where women still dry clothes in the sun, all create a city that's supremely impressive." The temperature was perfect and the fresh, crisp air reminded me of fall. For this weekend, which was lead by a tour guide, we stayed in a beautiful hotel and ate in very good restaurants. We took a bus tour around the city, visited a lady who handmakes scarves and blankets, ate cuy (cooked guinea pig!), shopped in the famous indigenous market for a morning, saw an animal market, and met a man who hand makes the famous Panama hats (which are actually Ecuadorian).
The beautiful city.
Ana showing us how she makes her scarves.
(I'm wearing one in my profile picture!)
Pigs at the animal market.
Potatoes, pig and cuy roasting on the side of the road.
(I'm wearing one in my profile picture!)
Pigs at the animal market.
Potatoes, pig and cuy roasting on the side of the road.
Hats
Mom and child.
One of the many lakes in the mountains.
Llamas.I've also already written a little about Montanita. It's a very touristy beach area that attracts mainly hippies in their 20's. We went for two nights expecting to stay in a hostel that's owned by one of our Ecuadorian friend's friend. But, when we got there, it was fun, so we ended up staying at his aunt's. :) The next night more people came and we stayed at Claudio's, which was a pretty crummy $5 stay. The first day the weather wasn't that great and it rained a little, but we swam anyway. The next day was much warmer, and we enjoyed laying on the beach til we had to catch the bus.
Weekend #5: Puerto Lopez & Ayampe
This weekend was definitely one of the best!! A group of us went together to Puerto Lopez in hopes to see the whales, but it was uncertain because it was the last weekend of the season (end of September). We stayed in a beautiful hostel with the sweetest woman who owns it and her two dogs. Early in the morning you can watch the fisherman bring back the fish to the beach. It was so fun to see all the fish, people, and birds surrounding the beach. It felt so nice to be on a beach early in the morning. Later in the morning we went to see the whales! Most tourists pay about $40 to see the whales and visit an island, but we ran into a guy named Wiston (yes, Wiston) Churchill (haha), who said he'd take us to see the whales and to snorkel for $20. Perfect! So, around 10 am we got our gear together and went out with a few other tourists, Wiston, his driver, and his 5 year old son. This experience was amazing - we saw TONS of whales! We saw them swim, stick their faces out of the water and even jump. It was stunning. I attempted to take some photos and decided to stop after about 10 pictures of only water and just enjoy the experience. The whales were so beautiful and so big. You could hear them breathing from far away and their impact on the water, when landing, was huge. We have named Wiston's son, Little Whale Whisperer, because he sang little songs to the whales, ("ballenitas") and they came out! We had met his family the night before - tons of little children, a grandma, a kitten, a chick, and a parrot. When we returned they were all there. Our group couldn't have been more happier with our experience with Wiston and his son. (If you ever get a change to see whales, do it.)
In the morning with the fish.
The Whale Whisperer preparing.On the second day, we went to a place called Agua Blanca which is the territory of an indigenous community. In the morning we tried to look for 7 bikes to rent for the day to get there, but the town didn't have that many (haha, no joke). So, instead, we tried to find the cheapest (and, of course, the safest) way to get there, and ended up riding in the back of some guy's camioneta (pick-up truck). This was so fun! When we arrived, we were guided through an archaeological museum with all kinds of different artifacts. After, we went on a little hike through the woods and saw a beautiful sulfur pool. We had made a deal with the 'chauffeur' that he would wait for us during the tour and after we would go to a national park to see one of the most beautiful beaches in Ecuador. The day we went was the country's election day for a new constitution, so park was closed when we got there. However, the only thing keeping us out was a metal chain, in which are driver simply moved away and drove past. Three minutes into the park we were chased down by a security guard on a motorcycle, who actually let us pass through ("just for an hour, please!") with a discount! (We think he probably pocketed the money.) The beach was beautiful, as expected, and we returned to Puerto Lopez in our little truck.
Our ride... with custom-made benches.
Yes, very safe.
Me, not using the benches. :)
The beach from above.
A few hours after this adventure, half of the group had to return to Guayaquil and half of us stayed back to go to Ayampe. Ayampe is a short bus ride away from Puerto Lopez and is a small village of about 300 people on the coast. My friend, Hayley, knew about this place from some of her friend's who visited this summer and told her to go and look for "Cuatro Estrellas" (Four Stars). The 6 of us were dropped off in the dark at the end of a dirt road, leaving the only option to walk forward. It was obviously a very quiet and relaxed place. We asked a couple of people about Cuatro Estrellas, and they directed us down another road. We reached the hostel and met a guy in his 40's named Cuatro Estrellas, because he has four gold stars on his teeth!!! Haha. Cuatro Estrellas is a delightful person, and he and his wife immediately made us feel at home. We unloaded our stuff in our huts ($5 per person), and went to grab some dinner at the only restaurant open, with Cuatro Estrellas. He told us a little about the town, his huge family, his children and his finca (farm)! Afterward, we went to bed, in preparation to wake up early for a full day with him.
In the morning, we got up, ate at the same restaurant, and played with the neighbor's puppies. I could barely contain myself from touching all of the different animals around (puppies, cats, chicks, roosters, horses, cows). We talked with a man who told us about a documentary they're making about the river that runs through the town (named Ayampe River) and he invited us to join him in camping along the river. Being in this small village was really cool - it was a good example of semi-rural living in Ecuador. After hanging out in the morning, Cuatro Estrellas showed a few of us his finca. His finca had all kinds of trees: banana, lime, cocoa, papaya, yuca. It was so much fun walking around with him. Unfortunately, he told us we were lucky to have gotten there that day because he had sold his finca to an American who was supposed to come that week to take over. This made us really sad. Over a snack (of ceviche - a doughy ball thing with fish and peanut butter inside), we had a nice conversation about what he wishes for his children and the children in the village. We kept walking by people and he knew everyone - he also seemed to own a lot of property and have a pretty high status. On the way home we ran into a guy (who Cuatro knew) selling breads and pastries from his bike, so we bought every kind to try. When we returned, he went to a meeting, we ate our pastries, and then, Hayley and I wanted to swim in the river so we asked a girl on the street where the best place was. She ended up showing us where we could swim and had a small smile on her face while Hayley and I were making fools of ourselves sliding all over the slimy bottom. All in all, Ayampe was fabulous and I definitely want to return to visit Cuatro Estrellas and to go camping along/swimming in the river!
Cuatro Estrellas (look at his teeth!).
Some of the puppies.
The boy who owns them.
Cocoa fruit! Tastes nothing like what you think...
This is how you get a papaya down...
And this is how you look when you've caught it.
Me, excited to finally have caught a little chick!
Our ride... with custom-made benches.Yes, very safe.
Me, not using the benches. :)
The beach from above.In the morning, we got up, ate at the same restaurant, and played with the neighbor's puppies. I could barely contain myself from touching all of the different animals around (puppies, cats, chicks, roosters, horses, cows). We talked with a man who told us about a documentary they're making about the river that runs through the town (named Ayampe River) and he invited us to join him in camping along the river. Being in this small village was really cool - it was a good example of semi-rural living in Ecuador. After hanging out in the morning, Cuatro Estrellas showed a few of us his finca. His finca had all kinds of trees: banana, lime, cocoa, papaya, yuca. It was so much fun walking around with him. Unfortunately, he told us we were lucky to have gotten there that day because he had sold his finca to an American who was supposed to come that week to take over. This made us really sad. Over a snack (of ceviche - a doughy ball thing with fish and peanut butter inside), we had a nice conversation about what he wishes for his children and the children in the village. We kept walking by people and he knew everyone - he also seemed to own a lot of property and have a pretty high status. On the way home we ran into a guy (who Cuatro knew) selling breads and pastries from his bike, so we bought every kind to try. When we returned, he went to a meeting, we ate our pastries, and then, Hayley and I wanted to swim in the river so we asked a girl on the street where the best place was. She ended up showing us where we could swim and had a small smile on her face while Hayley and I were making fools of ourselves sliding all over the slimy bottom. All in all, Ayampe was fabulous and I definitely want to return to visit Cuatro Estrellas and to go camping along/swimming in the river!
Cuatro Estrellas (look at his teeth!).
Some of the puppies.
The boy who owns them.
Cocoa fruit! Tastes nothing like what you think...
This is how you get a papaya down...
And this is how you look when you've caught it.
Me, excited to finally have caught a little chick!I'm definitely jealous of those who get to study in Quito - Guayaquil just doesn't compare. Quito is the capital with about 1.5 million people, "Spread across a spectacular Andean valley and flanked by volcanic peaks, Quito's setting alone is enough to strike you speechless" (Lonely Planet). Quito is more modern than Cuenca, and a little louder, but the weather was perfect, the sky was blue, and enjoyed being in the mountains. The first day we saw a village in a volcano, and went to the equatorial latitude, which has a museum! The tour guide showed us some really cool things that happen here because of the equator - she balanced an egg on a nail, showed us how water spins down opposite directions on either side of the equator, and gave examples of how your strength and balance are much weaker on the equator. It was fascinating! Quito was also a beautiful guided tour, so we learned a lot about the city, ate great food and slept in another nice hotel. Just by chance, that afternoon, we ran into a festival in the main square! There were parade floats, tons of children dressed in traditional clothing, dancing, music, and a horse that sparkled (pictures below...). We were so happy to have ran into this - it was beautiful seeing this part of Ecuadorian culture.
The city.
Dancing!
The horse.I can't remember where this was in the trip, but we went up to a beautiful lake inside of a volcano. Here we had a delicious lunch, and then went on a boat ride out on the lake. It was a little chilly, but gorgeous. The driver had us slow down near a little island and showed us bubbles that were coming up from the ground through the water, which meant the volcano is active. Oh, Ecuador. We also had a free day during this weekend, in which my friends and I wanted to wake up early and try catch the sunrise from the mountains, but we heard it was too gray, so instead, we slept in a little. Cristian, a guy working at the hotel, was nice enough to show us around Quito a little. We went up on top of a mountain to climb a little and to have a delicious picnic of bread, cheese and fruit. We met a guy from Germany (we love running into other travelers), and hiked and ate with him. Although it was hard to breath because we were thousands of feet in the air, it was beautiful. The fog was so fast - one minute it'd be sunny and the next you couldn't see off the mountain. After this trip, we went and walked around one of the many parks in Quito. We drank warm drinks and enjoyed all the different artwork and crafts that were being exhibited.
The lake in the volcano.
Visiting some animals. I loved this llama!(and I obviously only have one outfit for chilly weather)
The fog rolling in on the mountains...
Weekend #7: Hacienda & Guayaquil.
The following weekend we stayed in Guayaquil, which was actually pretty lucky, for me, since I had the flu that week. We had planned to stay in Guayaquil because it was the weekend to celebrate its independence! So, we though we'd give Guayaquil a chance and see some of its culture/art, etc. On Thursday evening we went to a fair, which consisted of tons of food, music, and some dancing. Friday we went to an hacienda (a farm - larger than a finca), that's owned by one of the students at my university. There were lots of animals (horses, geese, ostriches, peacocks, dogs), and it was so relaxing to just hang out with the animals, play some soccer, and eat some yummy food. That night we went over to our friend's house and hung out. The next day I had an extremely relaxing - probably one of the first times I've ever felt truly relaxed and calm here - with my friend Gesa. We went to the university's gym and swam in the pool. Somehow our cards let us in, but the guard came to us when we were swimming and said it had closed early (since it was a national holiday) but he would let us stay for an hour. It was perfect! Since the university bus doesn't run on the weekends, we have to take 2 public busses to get there - which was a little bit of an adventure. But, on the way home, whenever I am in the bus terminal, I always go to the food court to the station called "American Deli" and ask them to make me a $1 salad of all the greens and veggies they have. I'm pretty sure next time I go, they'll know what I want before I speak. I think I just stayed at home with my family on Sunday and ran some errands around the neighborhood. Geeze, I hope I'm not forgetting anything exciting!
I'll post some pictures of the Hacienda later - but first I have to put them on facebook so I can transfer them here. Sorry this was a long read! I hope you enjoyed it...
Weekend #8 & #9: Galapagos Islands!
--> This is going to have an entry by itself.
domingo, 26 de octubre de 2008
My Week
This is what a typical week looks like:
Every Monday-Thursday I wake up around 6:45 am from a usually restful evening with a sheet and light blanket (at night it gets to be a nice cool temperature) and begin to get ready until my host mom comes in and tells me breakfast is ready. Every morning, I eat 2 scrambled eggs, a roll (with a choice of cheese and/or marmalade), freshly squeezed juice (tomate de arbol (tree tomato)), and hot chocolate. In the beginning, I was really excited about this meal, especially coming from the first home that barely fed me. However, my diet here is dominated by carbs (rice and bread), enough that, one day I asked my host mom if I could have fruit in place of my bread. This worked for one morning, but then the next, it was back to bread.
Side note: Health here is extremely different than at home. From what I can see, it seems to be funny or cute here to be overweight and there's very little concept of restricting types of food/eating healthy. I think this is definitely because of poverty, and also lack of education. I've experienced a couple of things here that are very different. My host brother (who doesn't live with us) is in his late thirties and has 2 children. When he's over, I usually only see him horizontal on the couch, and I often hear about how he eats the last of the dessert. His son, who's about 5, was eating bread and stuck his finger in the butter and ate it - my host mom saw this and giggled. While this used to surprise me, I have gotten used to it. But, I try to be careful with my own diet. My host sister's boyfriend last night told me that if you don't have a belly you are thought to be gay (oh no). There are many things here that make me think Ecuador is about 20 years behind the US (health education, religion in schools, sex education, social politics). While my host mom does have some kind of concept of what is good and bad for you (for example, once we ate cholesterol free sausage), there are times when we eat things that are not as healthy (hotdogs cooked in coke and ketchup (I kid you not) or a lunch that is bread, rice and spaghetti). There are some things my host mom hears from her doctor (although only those who are well off have doctors) - water is better to drink than soda, olive oil is better than butter (doesn't mean you should douse your rice in it), or that 'pan negro' (black bread - meaning multigrain bread), is better than white bread (but not a substitute for fruit). Anyway, it's been interesting eating here, and sometimes I have to be (what I feel like is) rude and ask if I can make a fresh green salad. I feel a difference in my energy when I eat fruit/veggies. While I do think this lifestyle is unhealthy (obviously no blame), there are definitely times when I am happy that I don't feel judged eating dessert, or when I wish there were more instances in the US when it's okay to have "piernas grande" (big legs), which I was told I have last night at the dinner table by my host sister's boyfriend's mom. Haha. (Don't worry everyone, I work out everyday at the university gym!)
After breakfast, I get ready (a white t-shirt, my chacos, and either a skirt or my gouchos) and make sure I have money for the bus (50 cents there and back). I walk a short distance to where I have to wait for the bus - which I dread every morning. This includes flailing my arms around in the street, getting passed often, and resorting back to my tree stump. Eventually I do catch the bus and once I'm on, there's always music playing and usually only about 5-10 other passengers.
Side note (another!): I talk a little more about my bus experience in a different post, but I just wanted to explain more. To catch it you have to walk out into the street, make eye contact with the driver, stick out your arm with a pointed finger and shake your wrist (at least this is what I've learned). You either get it or you don't. If you're a woman and you catch it, the bus stops for you, but if you're a man the bus only slows down. So, the men have to run and find the matching speed to the bus, then grab a handle on the door and swing themselves up. Sometimes the ride is very enjoyable and sometimes extremely terrifying - I had some very scary dreams the first few weeks. When the bus driver is not so nice or in a rush to make his deadline, people are thrashed around on the bus, which makes it necessary to hold on to something. I'm always really impressed with the little children who have learned that to make it to a seat you have to be a monkey and pull your way through while trying to stay balanced. I will say though that while the drivers may not be my favorite, that they are masters at getting around in a city with very few traffic laws (or at least those that are followed), with pedestrians, cars and tons of other buses around.
I then hop off right in front of the airport, which is right next to my foundation. My goal is to get there by 7:45 am so that I can meet with the other volunteers to decide what game we want to play with the kids that morning. 8 am rolls around and we begin a game (usually Duck Duck Goose (or Pato Pato Ganso) (it's a favorite)), with the same 10-12 kids, which lasts for about 10 minutes. Then we try to think of something else that will be entertaining and play that. We've learned that because the majority of the kids have not eaten yet, that they are often tired and don't want to run. Also, the girls wear skirts, so we have to mindful of that (*please read below*). At "8:20" the kids line up for formacion (formation), in which they recite some sort of morning prayer and then go to breakfast. On Monday and Tuesdays they have religion (which basically teaches them that abortion is wrong), and then after, class begins. While they're eating breakfast and in religion, the other volunteers and myself go to la biblioteca (the library), in which we plan our day and help each other with lessons. Then we begin 'the day.' Our director, Johnny, visited us a few weeks ago to see how things were going and we ended up making a schedule for me together. This is what I've been trying to do during the class hour times Monday - Thursday at the foundation. I tutor one-on-one with Melissa, the girl who's having trouble with math (I think because she only has one arm), and Jefferson, who has trouble reading/writing. The past week and a half (before my vacation week), I had been working with them and making progress. It's much easier working one-on-one with the students. We can actually accomplish something! However, I don't want to jump to conclusions, and I'm obviously not certified for this kind of diagnosis, but I'm nervous that Jefferson has some sort of learning disability. I'm hoping that's not the case, since I have no idea how they would diagnose that, and even if they could, how they could assist him with the challenges the foundation already has. (I'll keep you posted!)
We've started to plan a mural that we want to make in the back of the school. The plan is to have every student take some time to draw a picture with their own idea about growing, community, friendship, and learning. Once we've collected them all, one of us (I think me), is going to draw three different pictures from their ideas, and have them vote on what they think should be painted. Then, we'll paint the scene in the back, and have them come out in small groups to help. Normally you'd think I'd be cautious that this would be disruptive to their class time, but it is so unorganized that it doesn't really matter. They have class from literally 9:30 - 12:30, with no break ("because if they had a break they would have to go outside and then they would never come back in"). Finally, after Dia de la Bandera and their week of vacation, I've seen progress in the classes, but their is still a lot of class time wasted (in my opinion). I've been on vacation for a week, and there are supposed to be some sort of test for the students at the end of October - this week! I end up leaving between 12 and 12:30 and usually get home around 1 pm.
Shortly after I arrive back home, my host mom's sister walks over and we (including my host parents), eat lunch, which always begins with a warm soup of some vegetable, and then eat some kind of meat with rice, and usually there's bread and sometimes cooked vegetables. During lunch we usually have some light conversation, and there's often loud music playing in the background (this cracks me up). After, I have a couple of hours for my siesta. My host parent's go to their room, and the sister leaves. I usually fall asleep for a little, then do some homework. Then, around 4 o'clock I begin a 10 minute walk to a different bus stop for the university bus.
I attend UEES (Universidad Espiritu Santo), which is the wealthiest school in town. Ha. This sometimes makes me uncomfortable, like when I'm waiting in public for the (air conditioned) bus with my fellow peers who obviously have a lot of money, though it also makes me laugh. The students dress so nicely for class. They must think I have no idea how to dress myself since all I brought is cotton, semi-conservative, plain, and comfortable clothing. Anyway, a good portion of the students speak English, have blackberry's and look like they're going out for the night. Many students also have full time jobs during the day, since class is in the evening (because it's too hot during the day and because of jobs), so they're dressed very nicely. I have Spanish class from 4:30 (more like 4:40) to 6 pm with about 9 other international students (Germany, Japan, Canada, US, Belgium). I really love this class! My professor, Carmen Rosa, is very nice and I think she really likes us. She knows very little English, which is sometimes frustrating, only because her exams and quizzes are very difficult because she doesn't know what kind of concepts are hard for us. It seems very easy to her (before she hands out the test we usually get a little song from her that goes like this "Muy facil, facil, facil... (looks at it) Si! Muy facil!" ("Very easy, easy, easy... Yes! Very easy!")), but when WE see it all of our faces turn into frowns.
After Spanish class I go to the gym, which always makes me feel better. In general, I'm very tense here from the combination of taking the public bus, walking around in public (Guayaquil is dangerous), and speaking in Spanish. For working out, I either swim in the beautiful outdoor pool or run. Sometimes I opt for swimming more than running because the gym can be very crowded. There are a couple of funny things about the gym: the guys rarely work on cardio, all they do is muscle-build, and the ladies do only a little cardio with all of their make-up on, sometimes matching outfits and even ribbons in their hair. They all look so good while working out! In the beginning I was slightly embarrassed with the buckets of sweat that dripped down my face (it's so hot!), but now I just don't care. There have also been a few Ecuadorian boys, who were a little bothersome at the gym, that I've been able to successfully avoid.
I then catch the 7:30 pm bus home and walk in my not-so-well-lit neighborhood back to my little house. I eat supper, which is usually the same meal (without soup) as there was for lunch. My host mom and/or dad sit with me while I eat. Supper (dinner) here is a very light meal, and so usually my host dad just has hot chocolate with bread. Sometimes I don't think my host mom can believe how much I eat. After, I basically hide in my room for the rest of the night, and either do some homework, check my email, or just pass out.
Friday rolls around and I'm usually pretty tired from the week, and from going out the night before :). I catch the 8:15 am bus and have class from 9 to 1:15 pm. This is the class for my program (IPSL), titled "Institutions in Ecuadorian Society." A man named Jorge teaches the class and although I think he's very interesting, my peers and I (4 other Americans) have titled the class "4 hours of story-telling from Jorge." Education here is SO (SOOOOO) different from home. I attend one of the best university's in the city, and the amount of, what I consider, unprofessionalism amazes me. The professor knows a lot (the class is in English) and he has done a lot in his lifetime, but there's absolutely no structure to the class. We have to write a journal, and read 2 different readings for each class, and we rarely get to the readings because we usually just go on tangents. I love how relaxed the class is in that it's mainly discussion, but I do miss learning things in a structured manner (who would've thought I'd ever say that!).
When 1:15 rolls around, I'm usually quite relieved. I go home, eat, and pack my bag for whatever exciting adventure awaits me that weekend. And now that I know how to do it, I usually take the public bus to the bus terminal...
*** Please post ANY ideas you have for games that children ages 8-14 would like outdoors that does NOT involve a lot of running (for the children's sake) or talking (for my sake)! ***
Every Monday-Thursday I wake up around 6:45 am from a usually restful evening with a sheet and light blanket (at night it gets to be a nice cool temperature) and begin to get ready until my host mom comes in and tells me breakfast is ready. Every morning, I eat 2 scrambled eggs, a roll (with a choice of cheese and/or marmalade), freshly squeezed juice (tomate de arbol (tree tomato)), and hot chocolate. In the beginning, I was really excited about this meal, especially coming from the first home that barely fed me. However, my diet here is dominated by carbs (rice and bread), enough that, one day I asked my host mom if I could have fruit in place of my bread. This worked for one morning, but then the next, it was back to bread.
Side note: Health here is extremely different than at home. From what I can see, it seems to be funny or cute here to be overweight and there's very little concept of restricting types of food/eating healthy. I think this is definitely because of poverty, and also lack of education. I've experienced a couple of things here that are very different. My host brother (who doesn't live with us) is in his late thirties and has 2 children. When he's over, I usually only see him horizontal on the couch, and I often hear about how he eats the last of the dessert. His son, who's about 5, was eating bread and stuck his finger in the butter and ate it - my host mom saw this and giggled. While this used to surprise me, I have gotten used to it. But, I try to be careful with my own diet. My host sister's boyfriend last night told me that if you don't have a belly you are thought to be gay (oh no). There are many things here that make me think Ecuador is about 20 years behind the US (health education, religion in schools, sex education, social politics). While my host mom does have some kind of concept of what is good and bad for you (for example, once we ate cholesterol free sausage), there are times when we eat things that are not as healthy (hotdogs cooked in coke and ketchup (I kid you not) or a lunch that is bread, rice and spaghetti). There are some things my host mom hears from her doctor (although only those who are well off have doctors) - water is better to drink than soda, olive oil is better than butter (doesn't mean you should douse your rice in it), or that 'pan negro' (black bread - meaning multigrain bread), is better than white bread (but not a substitute for fruit). Anyway, it's been interesting eating here, and sometimes I have to be (what I feel like is) rude and ask if I can make a fresh green salad. I feel a difference in my energy when I eat fruit/veggies. While I do think this lifestyle is unhealthy (obviously no blame), there are definitely times when I am happy that I don't feel judged eating dessert, or when I wish there were more instances in the US when it's okay to have "piernas grande" (big legs), which I was told I have last night at the dinner table by my host sister's boyfriend's mom. Haha. (Don't worry everyone, I work out everyday at the university gym!)
After breakfast, I get ready (a white t-shirt, my chacos, and either a skirt or my gouchos) and make sure I have money for the bus (50 cents there and back). I walk a short distance to where I have to wait for the bus - which I dread every morning. This includes flailing my arms around in the street, getting passed often, and resorting back to my tree stump. Eventually I do catch the bus and once I'm on, there's always music playing and usually only about 5-10 other passengers.
Side note (another!): I talk a little more about my bus experience in a different post, but I just wanted to explain more. To catch it you have to walk out into the street, make eye contact with the driver, stick out your arm with a pointed finger and shake your wrist (at least this is what I've learned). You either get it or you don't. If you're a woman and you catch it, the bus stops for you, but if you're a man the bus only slows down. So, the men have to run and find the matching speed to the bus, then grab a handle on the door and swing themselves up. Sometimes the ride is very enjoyable and sometimes extremely terrifying - I had some very scary dreams the first few weeks. When the bus driver is not so nice or in a rush to make his deadline, people are thrashed around on the bus, which makes it necessary to hold on to something. I'm always really impressed with the little children who have learned that to make it to a seat you have to be a monkey and pull your way through while trying to stay balanced. I will say though that while the drivers may not be my favorite, that they are masters at getting around in a city with very few traffic laws (or at least those that are followed), with pedestrians, cars and tons of other buses around.
I then hop off right in front of the airport, which is right next to my foundation. My goal is to get there by 7:45 am so that I can meet with the other volunteers to decide what game we want to play with the kids that morning. 8 am rolls around and we begin a game (usually Duck Duck Goose (or Pato Pato Ganso) (it's a favorite)), with the same 10-12 kids, which lasts for about 10 minutes. Then we try to think of something else that will be entertaining and play that. We've learned that because the majority of the kids have not eaten yet, that they are often tired and don't want to run. Also, the girls wear skirts, so we have to mindful of that (*please read below*). At "8:20" the kids line up for formacion (formation), in which they recite some sort of morning prayer and then go to breakfast. On Monday and Tuesdays they have religion (which basically teaches them that abortion is wrong), and then after, class begins. While they're eating breakfast and in religion, the other volunteers and myself go to la biblioteca (the library), in which we plan our day and help each other with lessons. Then we begin 'the day.' Our director, Johnny, visited us a few weeks ago to see how things were going and we ended up making a schedule for me together. This is what I've been trying to do during the class hour times Monday - Thursday at the foundation. I tutor one-on-one with Melissa, the girl who's having trouble with math (I think because she only has one arm), and Jefferson, who has trouble reading/writing. The past week and a half (before my vacation week), I had been working with them and making progress. It's much easier working one-on-one with the students. We can actually accomplish something! However, I don't want to jump to conclusions, and I'm obviously not certified for this kind of diagnosis, but I'm nervous that Jefferson has some sort of learning disability. I'm hoping that's not the case, since I have no idea how they would diagnose that, and even if they could, how they could assist him with the challenges the foundation already has. (I'll keep you posted!)
We've started to plan a mural that we want to make in the back of the school. The plan is to have every student take some time to draw a picture with their own idea about growing, community, friendship, and learning. Once we've collected them all, one of us (I think me), is going to draw three different pictures from their ideas, and have them vote on what they think should be painted. Then, we'll paint the scene in the back, and have them come out in small groups to help. Normally you'd think I'd be cautious that this would be disruptive to their class time, but it is so unorganized that it doesn't really matter. They have class from literally 9:30 - 12:30, with no break ("because if they had a break they would have to go outside and then they would never come back in"). Finally, after Dia de la Bandera and their week of vacation, I've seen progress in the classes, but their is still a lot of class time wasted (in my opinion). I've been on vacation for a week, and there are supposed to be some sort of test for the students at the end of October - this week! I end up leaving between 12 and 12:30 and usually get home around 1 pm.
Shortly after I arrive back home, my host mom's sister walks over and we (including my host parents), eat lunch, which always begins with a warm soup of some vegetable, and then eat some kind of meat with rice, and usually there's bread and sometimes cooked vegetables. During lunch we usually have some light conversation, and there's often loud music playing in the background (this cracks me up). After, I have a couple of hours for my siesta. My host parent's go to their room, and the sister leaves. I usually fall asleep for a little, then do some homework. Then, around 4 o'clock I begin a 10 minute walk to a different bus stop for the university bus.
I attend UEES (Universidad Espiritu Santo), which is the wealthiest school in town. Ha. This sometimes makes me uncomfortable, like when I'm waiting in public for the (air conditioned) bus with my fellow peers who obviously have a lot of money, though it also makes me laugh. The students dress so nicely for class. They must think I have no idea how to dress myself since all I brought is cotton, semi-conservative, plain, and comfortable clothing. Anyway, a good portion of the students speak English, have blackberry's and look like they're going out for the night. Many students also have full time jobs during the day, since class is in the evening (because it's too hot during the day and because of jobs), so they're dressed very nicely. I have Spanish class from 4:30 (more like 4:40) to 6 pm with about 9 other international students (Germany, Japan, Canada, US, Belgium). I really love this class! My professor, Carmen Rosa, is very nice and I think she really likes us. She knows very little English, which is sometimes frustrating, only because her exams and quizzes are very difficult because she doesn't know what kind of concepts are hard for us. It seems very easy to her (before she hands out the test we usually get a little song from her that goes like this "Muy facil, facil, facil... (looks at it) Si! Muy facil!" ("Very easy, easy, easy... Yes! Very easy!")), but when WE see it all of our faces turn into frowns.
After Spanish class I go to the gym, which always makes me feel better. In general, I'm very tense here from the combination of taking the public bus, walking around in public (Guayaquil is dangerous), and speaking in Spanish. For working out, I either swim in the beautiful outdoor pool or run. Sometimes I opt for swimming more than running because the gym can be very crowded. There are a couple of funny things about the gym: the guys rarely work on cardio, all they do is muscle-build, and the ladies do only a little cardio with all of their make-up on, sometimes matching outfits and even ribbons in their hair. They all look so good while working out! In the beginning I was slightly embarrassed with the buckets of sweat that dripped down my face (it's so hot!), but now I just don't care. There have also been a few Ecuadorian boys, who were a little bothersome at the gym, that I've been able to successfully avoid.
I then catch the 7:30 pm bus home and walk in my not-so-well-lit neighborhood back to my little house. I eat supper, which is usually the same meal (without soup) as there was for lunch. My host mom and/or dad sit with me while I eat. Supper (dinner) here is a very light meal, and so usually my host dad just has hot chocolate with bread. Sometimes I don't think my host mom can believe how much I eat. After, I basically hide in my room for the rest of the night, and either do some homework, check my email, or just pass out.
Friday rolls around and I'm usually pretty tired from the week, and from going out the night before :). I catch the 8:15 am bus and have class from 9 to 1:15 pm. This is the class for my program (IPSL), titled "Institutions in Ecuadorian Society." A man named Jorge teaches the class and although I think he's very interesting, my peers and I (4 other Americans) have titled the class "4 hours of story-telling from Jorge." Education here is SO (SOOOOO) different from home. I attend one of the best university's in the city, and the amount of, what I consider, unprofessionalism amazes me. The professor knows a lot (the class is in English) and he has done a lot in his lifetime, but there's absolutely no structure to the class. We have to write a journal, and read 2 different readings for each class, and we rarely get to the readings because we usually just go on tangents. I love how relaxed the class is in that it's mainly discussion, but I do miss learning things in a structured manner (who would've thought I'd ever say that!).
When 1:15 rolls around, I'm usually quite relieved. I go home, eat, and pack my bag for whatever exciting adventure awaits me that weekend. And now that I know how to do it, I usually take the public bus to the bus terminal...
*** Please post ANY ideas you have for games that children ages 8-14 would like outdoors that does NOT involve a lot of running (for the children's sake) or talking (for my sake)! ***
martes, 30 de septiembre de 2008
Ninos
Some photos of the children hanging out and playing after Flag Day...
A couple families
Some face shots
Dia de la Bandera and Super Models
Finally, Dia de la Bandera has come! After the kids had worked hours and hours of learning the procession for Flag Day, they got to present it last Thursday. The event consisted of some parents and children watching on the sides, a table with the administration (I think) at the front, teachers speaking, and the students performing what they had been practicing the previous three weeks. They presented the various flags, sang a few songs (himno nacional - national hymn), and there was even a guest choir from a different public school (who had a hilarious, enthusiastic director (slightly reminded me of my middle school music teacher, Ms. Carpentar)).
Presenting the flags. Each child memorized a paragraph explaining the flag and its importance.
They stood in this formation for about an hour...
It was actually great to see something performed that the kids had worked hard on. So far, this has been the only progress I've actually seen from the foundation. I just wonder what their goals were in doing this event. Though, I think it may have just been to preform the event. If there were none, I think the estimated 45 hours spent on practicing this could have been much more productive.
I'm glad Flag Day is over, and although we were given Mon-Wed. mornings off for this week (which let me extend my weekend), this Thursday we should all be going back and are supposed to 'work as an assistant to our assigned teachers.' Hopefully, my next post will be much more uplifting and I will be able to talk about how I feel like I'm helping and learning with and from the foundation.
Some photos
Processing in... this is definitely the cleanest I've seen them.
Processing in... this is definitely the cleanest I've seen them.
Presenting the flags. Each child memorized a paragraph explaining the flag and its importance.
They stood in this formation for about an hour...I'm glad Flag Day is over, and although we were given Mon-Wed. mornings off for this week (which let me extend my weekend), this Thursday we should all be going back and are supposed to 'work as an assistant to our assigned teachers.' Hopefully, my next post will be much more uplifting and I will be able to talk about how I feel like I'm helping and learning with and from the foundation.
*****
There were a few mornings when a bunch of models walked into Fundacion Crecer to see the kids. Some of the kids dressed up and were photographed by the professional photographers. I had heard that the models were for a fundraiser in which the students chose who they liked the best.
The night before Dia de la Bandera, the fundraiser happened, titled, "SUPER (of the world) MODEL." Apparently it's the Ecuadorian version of America's Next Top Model (a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry (taken from Wikipedia)). So, we, the volunteers, showed up to the Crystal Palace on the Malecon after classes wearing jeans, black shirts (attempting to look uniform), and our huge backpacks, in which we found ourselves sticking out like sore thumbs (is that the saying?) because we had just arrived to an event that had, what we were told, the most wealthy people in Ecuador attending.
We laughed and made some jokes about our appearance and the event, and were reminded from another volunteer that everyone there can speak English. We thought we were going to have to actually volunteer (which, by the way, is not a verb in the Spanish language), but all we had to do was watch. So, we ended up watching a show of models walking back and forth in expensive clothes for the wealthiest people in Ecuador, who, by the way, look very white, so that money could be donated. I was really amazed by how light the people were. It makes me sick how much white skin is prefered here (I'll write more later about it).
Unfortunately, because the other volunteers and I came right after class we ran to eat something, which caused us to miss my students who had been photographed earlier and chosen to walk as models. Melissa, the girl who I've actually worked with most at Fundacion Crecer, who's missing a forearm, won the model for the children. The sociology/critical side of Anna wants you to make your own reflection on that...
There are a few things, that I'm sure those of you who know me well can guess, that I felt about this event. Here are children who have previously worked on the streets, many of them, if not all, have experienced starvation, they eat meals at school that no American school would ever serve, and there's a fundraiser for them featuring models. I understand, money's got to come from some place. But isn't it ironic that the most wealthy people came to this event to watch girls who looked like they were going to fall backwards, who didn't even have bodies to fill out the dresses they were supposed to be modeling, and couldn't or weren't allowed to smile, to make it possible for Fundacion Crecer to run another year.
I'm going to ask how much money was raised and will let you know. I've posted pictures, just so you can get some kind of idea.
The night before Dia de la Bandera, the fundraiser happened, titled, "SUPER (of the world) MODEL." Apparently it's the Ecuadorian version of America's Next Top Model (a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry (taken from Wikipedia)). So, we, the volunteers, showed up to the Crystal Palace on the Malecon after classes wearing jeans, black shirts (attempting to look uniform), and our huge backpacks, in which we found ourselves sticking out like sore thumbs (is that the saying?) because we had just arrived to an event that had, what we were told, the most wealthy people in Ecuador attending.
We laughed and made some jokes about our appearance and the event, and were reminded from another volunteer that everyone there can speak English. We thought we were going to have to actually volunteer (which, by the way, is not a verb in the Spanish language), but all we had to do was watch. So, we ended up watching a show of models walking back and forth in expensive clothes for the wealthiest people in Ecuador, who, by the way, look very white, so that money could be donated. I was really amazed by how light the people were. It makes me sick how much white skin is prefered here (I'll write more later about it).
Unfortunately, because the other volunteers and I came right after class we ran to eat something, which caused us to miss my students who had been photographed earlier and chosen to walk as models. Melissa, the girl who I've actually worked with most at Fundacion Crecer, who's missing a forearm, won the model for the children. The sociology/critical side of Anna wants you to make your own reflection on that...
There are a few things, that I'm sure those of you who know me well can guess, that I felt about this event. Here are children who have previously worked on the streets, many of them, if not all, have experienced starvation, they eat meals at school that no American school would ever serve, and there's a fundraiser for them featuring models. I understand, money's got to come from some place. But isn't it ironic that the most wealthy people came to this event to watch girls who looked like they were going to fall backwards, who didn't even have bodies to fill out the dresses they were supposed to be modeling, and couldn't or weren't allowed to smile, to make it possible for Fundacion Crecer to run another year.
I'm going to ask how much money was raised and will let you know. I've posted pictures, just so you can get some kind of idea.
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