Hi everyone! Once again, I haven't been the best at keeping up with this thing...but it's only because I've been too crazy busy trying to cram in all the fun I can in my little time I have left in this amazing place. I got back from the Galapagos Islands on Tuesday night and can't wait to fill everyone in on all of the incredible experiences I had while there, but unfortunately pictures will have to do for now... As much as I'd love to spend all night writing about everything, that wouldn't leave me too much time to celebrate my Birthday. And seeing as the opportunity to spend it in a place as amazing as Quito probably won't come around too often, I figure I should probably take advantage. :)
I kind of took a lot of pictures (actually over twice as many as I even posted), so if it's too annoying to sit through the Slideshow, you can follow the link and it will take you to the site where you can see them all at once. Enjoy them!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Hey everyone! I just wanted to put up a quick post to say everything is still going great. Life has been crazy-busy, between school, volunteering (which I’m just now realizing I have yet to even mention…I promise more on this soon), Lodge business (which officially kicked-off last week!!), and other responsibilities that have been piling up from back home. Luckily I have the laid-back atmosphere of Ecuador to keep me sane, but unfortunately I haven’t been as good as I should about filling you all in on what has been going on here.
I’m off to the Bellavista cloud forest today (actually in 5 minutes) and will be there through the weekend! But when I get back, I promise to get catch you all up on everything.
I’m off to the Bellavista cloud forest today (actually in 5 minutes) and will be there through the weekend! But when I get back, I promise to get catch you all up on everything.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Loca en Baños y (Casi) Tranquila en la Playa
Sorry for the delay in the updates once again! I’ve been a little busy adventuring through the Rainforest :), which I just got back from today. More details on this absolutely incredible trip later…First I’ve got to catch you up on the past two amazing weekends.
After our tribal adventure in Otavalo, we spent a weekend at Baños, a city famous for its natural hot springs (with water directly from the volcano located in the city), extreme sports, and other tourist attractions. As you probably all know, I’m not exactly what you would call extreme…more just extremely wussy. But when in Rome……..
Yes, that is a picture of me bungee-jumping from a bridge. What was I thinking? I have absolutely no idea.
For those of you who don’t know, I am not the biggest fan of heights. But I also can never seem to resist putting myself in the most terrifying situations that I know I will hate every minute of. Not sure why I do it, but in this case, I couldn’t be happier that I did.
And yes, I did hate it. From the moment I was strapped into my harness my hands were shaking, my stomach was ready to explode, and my mind was racing a mile a minute as I pictured the rope snapping and my body crashing into the rocky creek below. Still, somehow with legs trembling I managed to climb onto the railing, take a deep breath, and throw myself off (of course screaming like a Kress the entire way down). All in all, it was such an incredible experience and something I never would have thought I would be able to do (but am glad I will never have to do again). :)
Beyond trying to terrify myself to death, I was actually able to enjoy myself as well. Cramming as much as we possibly could into the weekend, we spent an entire day mountain biking, hiked to an absolutely breathtaking waterfall, zip-lined across the river, rode horses through the mountains, and of course spent well-deserved time recovering in the amazing hot springs. Over all, it was a perfect mix of running ourselves ragged and kicking back and relaxing.
After surviving another 5 days of class, we were off again…this time to the playa! After a six hour bus ride, we arrived at the Coast in the beach town of Same. Expecting a beach pretty similar to those I had seen in the US (I mean, a beach is a beach, right?), with never-ending lines of chairs and crowds of people covering the shore as far as the eye can see, I was surprised to find that we had the entire beach practically to ourselves. It turns out that Same is a more secluded beach, set apart from the more touristy beaches of the coast. And as a result, even more breathtaking.
We stayed in little cottages located practically on top of the shoreline, with the most spectacular views of the ocean. Every time I walked out on the porch, I was totally blown away by how incredibly beautiful it was, as I’m sure you can imagine looking at the pictures. Not only that, but there’s just something incredible about falling asleep to the sound of the ocean’s crashing waves. Needless to say, I was in heaven and couldn't keep from smiling the entire weekend.
For the first time, we had no activities or side-trips scheduled. Our only plans were to enjoy ourselves, and we certainly did. We spent the entire weekend swimming, body-surfing, taking walks along the shore, and relaxing in the sun. It was an absolutely perfect weekend...
…That is, until the very end, which turned out to be a bit less “tranquilo” than the rest of the weekend had been.
It all started with our last lunch. We went to a restaurant located right on the beach that served amazing seafood. I had been told by almost everyone I had talked to before the trip to not miss out on the Ceviche, a supposedly delicious typical dish in many coastal areas of South America. I decided I should probably give it a try.
Bad call…Turns out my body hates Ceviche and decided to totally punish me for thinking it was okay to eat it. I was absolutely miserable within 20 minutes of eating, of course just in time to board the bus and start the long trek home. Luckily, I managed to only feel more and more awful as the trip went on.
To make things worse, about four hours into the ride the bus came to a sudden stop…and then proceeded to remain stopped for another three hours. The entire road, the only road between the coast and Quito might I add, had completely washed out and no one was able to pass in either direction. Still, all the while, I was feeling closer and closer to death by Ceviche… However, after a couple hours we began moving again very slowly. It wasn’t until after a bit of exciting off-roading that we were finally back on track.
Needless to say, by the time I finally made it back to my house after the miserable nine hour bus ride, I was a bit worse for wear. When my mom met me at the door, excited to hear about the weekend, I had no choice but to run past her, unable to get anything out other than a pathetic “Necesito vomitar…” (I’ll let you figure out the translation), and spent the rest of the night and next day doing just that (Sorry for the graphic details).
Luckily after a rough couple of days I was back to my normal Ceviche-free self…although I don’t think I’ll be giving it another try any time soon. Still, I would go through it ten times over for another amazing beach weekend.
After our tribal adventure in Otavalo, we spent a weekend at Baños, a city famous for its natural hot springs (with water directly from the volcano located in the city), extreme sports, and other tourist attractions. As you probably all know, I’m not exactly what you would call extreme…more just extremely wussy. But when in Rome……..
Yes, that is a picture of me bungee-jumping from a bridge. What was I thinking? I have absolutely no idea.
For those of you who don’t know, I am not the biggest fan of heights. But I also can never seem to resist putting myself in the most terrifying situations that I know I will hate every minute of. Not sure why I do it, but in this case, I couldn’t be happier that I did.
And yes, I did hate it. From the moment I was strapped into my harness my hands were shaking, my stomach was ready to explode, and my mind was racing a mile a minute as I pictured the rope snapping and my body crashing into the rocky creek below. Still, somehow with legs trembling I managed to climb onto the railing, take a deep breath, and throw myself off (of course screaming like a Kress the entire way down). All in all, it was such an incredible experience and something I never would have thought I would be able to do (but am glad I will never have to do again). :)
Beyond trying to terrify myself to death, I was actually able to enjoy myself as well. Cramming as much as we possibly could into the weekend, we spent an entire day mountain biking, hiked to an absolutely breathtaking waterfall, zip-lined across the river, rode horses through the mountains, and of course spent well-deserved time recovering in the amazing hot springs. Over all, it was a perfect mix of running ourselves ragged and kicking back and relaxing.
After surviving another 5 days of class, we were off again…this time to the playa! After a six hour bus ride, we arrived at the Coast in the beach town of Same. Expecting a beach pretty similar to those I had seen in the US (I mean, a beach is a beach, right?), with never-ending lines of chairs and crowds of people covering the shore as far as the eye can see, I was surprised to find that we had the entire beach practically to ourselves. It turns out that Same is a more secluded beach, set apart from the more touristy beaches of the coast. And as a result, even more breathtaking.
We stayed in little cottages located practically on top of the shoreline, with the most spectacular views of the ocean. Every time I walked out on the porch, I was totally blown away by how incredibly beautiful it was, as I’m sure you can imagine looking at the pictures. Not only that, but there’s just something incredible about falling asleep to the sound of the ocean’s crashing waves. Needless to say, I was in heaven and couldn't keep from smiling the entire weekend.
For the first time, we had no activities or side-trips scheduled. Our only plans were to enjoy ourselves, and we certainly did. We spent the entire weekend swimming, body-surfing, taking walks along the shore, and relaxing in the sun. It was an absolutely perfect weekend...
…That is, until the very end, which turned out to be a bit less “tranquilo” than the rest of the weekend had been.
It all started with our last lunch. We went to a restaurant located right on the beach that served amazing seafood. I had been told by almost everyone I had talked to before the trip to not miss out on the Ceviche, a supposedly delicious typical dish in many coastal areas of South America. I decided I should probably give it a try.
Bad call…Turns out my body hates Ceviche and decided to totally punish me for thinking it was okay to eat it. I was absolutely miserable within 20 minutes of eating, of course just in time to board the bus and start the long trek home. Luckily, I managed to only feel more and more awful as the trip went on.
To make things worse, about four hours into the ride the bus came to a sudden stop…and then proceeded to remain stopped for another three hours. The entire road, the only road between the coast and Quito might I add, had completely washed out and no one was able to pass in either direction. Still, all the while, I was feeling closer and closer to death by Ceviche… However, after a couple hours we began moving again very slowly. It wasn’t until after a bit of exciting off-roading that we were finally back on track.
Needless to say, by the time I finally made it back to my house after the miserable nine hour bus ride, I was a bit worse for wear. When my mom met me at the door, excited to hear about the weekend, I had no choice but to run past her, unable to get anything out other than a pathetic “Necesito vomitar…” (I’ll let you figure out the translation), and spent the rest of the night and next day doing just that (Sorry for the graphic details).
Luckily after a rough couple of days I was back to my normal Ceviche-free self…although I don’t think I’ll be giving it another try any time soon. Still, I would go through it ten times over for another amazing beach weekend.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
"Siempre Recuerda."
AH, I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve last updated you all…or how much has happened since then! Between our adventures through Ecuador (I’ll get to this), being miserably ill (I was waiting to let this slip to my parents until I was better…and yes, mom and dad, I’m finally better), and trying to keep up with my classes (I have since completed Professor Tarea’s final and turned in the last of the tarea he will ever assign me and am already in my second week –halfway through- my new class with my new teacher…who by the way somehow manages to load on even more homework) I haven’t had much time to do anything else. Regardless of my list of excuses, an update is way overdue.
The weekend after we took on Cotapaxi, we had planned a trip to a city called Otavalo. Otavalo is an indigenous town about 3 hours away known for its unbelievable artesian market held every Saturday (actually the largest in all of South America). I was extremely excited about this trip as I had already fallen in love with all of the handicrafts, tapestries, artwork, and jewelry I had seen since I have been here. However I soon found out that the things I would buy at the Otavalo market would end up meaning absolutely nothing to me compared to everything else I was going to be able to experience.
I had assumed, as had everyone else in the group, that we were going to be staying in a hostel or hotel, just like we would be for most of the other trips. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, we were going to be breaking up into groups and staying in indigenous pueblos in the huts of native families. My mouth definitely hit the floor when I found out, and I knew it was going to be an experience unlike any I had ever imagined.
When we arrived in Otavalo, we all split up into our groups and headed to our pueblos. The pueblo I lived in was called Tunibamba and it was love at first sight. Rolling down the dirt roads (in the back of a pick-up truck might I add), we were all speechless as we took in the vivid green fields, beautiful flowers, countless trees, and fresh air, none of which are found in busy bustling Quito.
We were dropped off in groups of three at different huts in different corners of the pueblo where we met our families. However when Sarah, Jenni, and I arrived at our new home, our family was no where to be found. We threw our bags down on our beds and decided to do some exploring. After venturing past the chicken coup, the pen full of “cuy” (guinea pig) –turns out it’s quite the delicacy there–, the giant bird cage, and through the garden, we finally found our mom working away over dirty laundry.
Her name was Digna and she stole my heart right away with her huge smile and even bigger embrace. She was so unbelievably sweet and so welcoming to us. I will never forget the time we spent talking with her over dinner about everything from her favorite food (of course, guinea pig) to everyday life in Tunibamba. We even shared languages, we teaching her some English, her teaching us some Quichua, the native language of the indigenous people of Ecuador. As corny as it may sound, it really felt incredible to be able to come together in that way, both of different native tongues, united by our second language of Spanish. It was such a neat experience.
As if our time with Digna wasn’t amazing enough, the weekend was full of plenty of other fun activities as well. We of course spent some time at the market (fortunately not enough time to do too much damage to my wallet) and were able to visit local shops of artisans and watch as they crafted their beautiful tapestries and carved their intricate wood sculptures. We hiked to a nearby lake, took a boat out on a volcano-formed Laguna, even went to a festival of native music, dancing, and games, all of which they of course wanted the gringos to join in on. We were even lucky enough to attend the wedding reception of the newest Tunibamba Mr. and Mrs. (which, by the way, didn’t lose steam until 8 the next morning).
Out of all that I was able to experience, as always I have to say that the most amazing part was the people I met during my time there. Whether it was over dinner with Digna or while exploring Tunibamba, every single person we encountered had such a way about them, a beauty that was indescribable but that you absolutely could not ignore. I was so moved by the way the people in the village live their lives, and it really made me give the way I live mine some thought as well. Every single brick in each hut, every bite of food they ate, every piece of clothing they wore, was made and shared within Tunibamba. There was just something so incredibly beautiful to me in the community they shared with each other.
On our last morning as we were packing to leave, Digna came into our room to say goodbye. We all sat down to wait for the truck that was going to pick us up when she pulled three bracelets she had made from her pocket. She put one on each of our wrists, asking that we always wear them and always remember.
I will never forget Digna and my time in Tunibamba, and every time I look at my wrist I feel so lucky to have shared in their community, even if only for 3 incredible days.
The weekend after we took on Cotapaxi, we had planned a trip to a city called Otavalo. Otavalo is an indigenous town about 3 hours away known for its unbelievable artesian market held every Saturday (actually the largest in all of South America). I was extremely excited about this trip as I had already fallen in love with all of the handicrafts, tapestries, artwork, and jewelry I had seen since I have been here. However I soon found out that the things I would buy at the Otavalo market would end up meaning absolutely nothing to me compared to everything else I was going to be able to experience.
I had assumed, as had everyone else in the group, that we were going to be staying in a hostel or hotel, just like we would be for most of the other trips. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, we were going to be breaking up into groups and staying in indigenous pueblos in the huts of native families. My mouth definitely hit the floor when I found out, and I knew it was going to be an experience unlike any I had ever imagined.
When we arrived in Otavalo, we all split up into our groups and headed to our pueblos. The pueblo I lived in was called Tunibamba and it was love at first sight. Rolling down the dirt roads (in the back of a pick-up truck might I add), we were all speechless as we took in the vivid green fields, beautiful flowers, countless trees, and fresh air, none of which are found in busy bustling Quito.
We were dropped off in groups of three at different huts in different corners of the pueblo where we met our families. However when Sarah, Jenni, and I arrived at our new home, our family was no where to be found. We threw our bags down on our beds and decided to do some exploring. After venturing past the chicken coup, the pen full of “cuy” (guinea pig) –turns out it’s quite the delicacy there–, the giant bird cage, and through the garden, we finally found our mom working away over dirty laundry.
Her name was Digna and she stole my heart right away with her huge smile and even bigger embrace. She was so unbelievably sweet and so welcoming to us. I will never forget the time we spent talking with her over dinner about everything from her favorite food (of course, guinea pig) to everyday life in Tunibamba. We even shared languages, we teaching her some English, her teaching us some Quichua, the native language of the indigenous people of Ecuador. As corny as it may sound, it really felt incredible to be able to come together in that way, both of different native tongues, united by our second language of Spanish. It was such a neat experience.
As if our time with Digna wasn’t amazing enough, the weekend was full of plenty of other fun activities as well. We of course spent some time at the market (fortunately not enough time to do too much damage to my wallet) and were able to visit local shops of artisans and watch as they crafted their beautiful tapestries and carved their intricate wood sculptures. We hiked to a nearby lake, took a boat out on a volcano-formed Laguna, even went to a festival of native music, dancing, and games, all of which they of course wanted the gringos to join in on. We were even lucky enough to attend the wedding reception of the newest Tunibamba Mr. and Mrs. (which, by the way, didn’t lose steam until 8 the next morning).
Out of all that I was able to experience, as always I have to say that the most amazing part was the people I met during my time there. Whether it was over dinner with Digna or while exploring Tunibamba, every single person we encountered had such a way about them, a beauty that was indescribable but that you absolutely could not ignore. I was so moved by the way the people in the village live their lives, and it really made me give the way I live mine some thought as well. Every single brick in each hut, every bite of food they ate, every piece of clothing they wore, was made and shared within Tunibamba. There was just something so incredibly beautiful to me in the community they shared with each other.
On our last morning as we were packing to leave, Digna came into our room to say goodbye. We all sat down to wait for the truck that was going to pick us up when she pulled three bracelets she had made from her pocket. She put one on each of our wrists, asking that we always wear them and always remember.
I will never forget Digna and my time in Tunibamba, and every time I look at my wrist I feel so lucky to have shared in their community, even if only for 3 incredible days.
Monday, January 26, 2009
En la Cumbre del Mundo
After going out with mi familia on Friday, I was so excited to write all about it…but then Saturday happened and with it even more I can't wait to share, so a few words and lots of pictures from the night will have to do.
After dinner, my family told me they were taking me to a part of Quito known as “Old Town,” or Centro Historico. I wasn’t exactly sure what we were going to be doing there, but I was pretty excited, and even more so when I realized how we were going to get there...
I followed everyone outside and waited for Regalo (NOT Rodrigo) to back the car (or what I expected would be a car) down the driveway…only to be awesomely surprised when he rolled out in a SCHOOL BUS!...a giant bright yellow real life school bus. Turns out my madre is a bus driver and is totally down with taking it out on the town. I thought it was awesome and couldn’t wait to take on Quito, school-bus style.
Once we got to Old Town (after Galo parallel-parked the bus of course), we headed to the main plaza where there was going to be live Ecuadorian music and indigenous dancing. The whole plaza was packed with people, but we somehow managed to find seats in the very front row! I had such a blast watching the musicians totally rock out and the dancers fly all around the dance floor.
After the show, I was so so happy and couldn’t stop smiling, but things only got better from there. After walking around for a bit, they took me on a carriage ride through the entire town! We got to see absolutely everythinggg and it was so much fun. The whole night was just amazing…
…But still, absolutely nothing compared to Saturday.
After waking up at 5 AM, I headed to my school, completely exhausted but too excited to care. I had been looking forward to the day since I had gotten here, as we had planned a trip to Cotapaxi, one of the tallest active volcanoes in the world.
After a 2 hour bus ride, we reached the bottom of the volcano. One hour later, the bus had taken us as far as it could go and we got off to hike the rest of the way. We finally reached the landing where there were bikes lined up and waiting for us. We were going to mountain-bike the entire way down!
The ride was hands-down the most difficult thing I have ever done and definitely something I never would have thought I would be able to accomplish, especially with my biking experience beginning and ending with Lodge Cruisers. The trail was like nothing I had ever seen before, let alone expected I would ever try to tackle on a bike. Between the insane incline (you definitely couldn’t let off the brake even for a second), the deep gullies running constantly throughout the rocky path, and the freezing cold rain pouring down all the while, the three-hour ride couldn’t have been a more exhausting (or exhilarating) experience.
I can’t even begin to explain the feeling I had when I finally reached the bottom and looked up to the very top, barely visible in the clouds, where I had first begun. But sweaty, exhausted, and feeling smaller than ever, all that I had put into conquering the volcano that now loomed so high above me rushed through me in a way I will certainly never forget.
After dinner, my family told me they were taking me to a part of Quito known as “Old Town,” or Centro Historico. I wasn’t exactly sure what we were going to be doing there, but I was pretty excited, and even more so when I realized how we were going to get there...
I followed everyone outside and waited for Regalo (NOT Rodrigo) to back the car (or what I expected would be a car) down the driveway…only to be awesomely surprised when he rolled out in a SCHOOL BUS!...a giant bright yellow real life school bus. Turns out my madre is a bus driver and is totally down with taking it out on the town. I thought it was awesome and couldn’t wait to take on Quito, school-bus style.
Once we got to Old Town (after Galo parallel-parked the bus of course), we headed to the main plaza where there was going to be live Ecuadorian music and indigenous dancing. The whole plaza was packed with people, but we somehow managed to find seats in the very front row! I had such a blast watching the musicians totally rock out and the dancers fly all around the dance floor.
After the show, I was so so happy and couldn’t stop smiling, but things only got better from there. After walking around for a bit, they took me on a carriage ride through the entire town! We got to see absolutely everythinggg and it was so much fun. The whole night was just amazing…
…But still, absolutely nothing compared to Saturday.
After waking up at 5 AM, I headed to my school, completely exhausted but too excited to care. I had been looking forward to the day since I had gotten here, as we had planned a trip to Cotapaxi, one of the tallest active volcanoes in the world.
After a 2 hour bus ride, we reached the bottom of the volcano. One hour later, the bus had taken us as far as it could go and we got off to hike the rest of the way. We finally reached the landing where there were bikes lined up and waiting for us. We were going to mountain-bike the entire way down!
The ride was hands-down the most difficult thing I have ever done and definitely something I never would have thought I would be able to accomplish, especially with my biking experience beginning and ending with Lodge Cruisers. The trail was like nothing I had ever seen before, let alone expected I would ever try to tackle on a bike. Between the insane incline (you definitely couldn’t let off the brake even for a second), the deep gullies running constantly throughout the rocky path, and the freezing cold rain pouring down all the while, the three-hour ride couldn’t have been a more exhausting (or exhilarating) experience.
I can’t even begin to explain the feeling I had when I finally reached the bottom and looked up to the very top, barely visible in the clouds, where I had first begun. But sweaty, exhausted, and feeling smaller than ever, all that I had put into conquering the volcano that now loomed so high above me rushed through me in a way I will certainly never forget.
Friday, January 23, 2009
¿Quién es Galo?
Before I write anything else, I have something to fess up to. I feel awful having to admit this, but I have recently realized that Rodrigo’s (my padre's) name might not really be Rodrigo? Not in a creepy Hollywood-thriller “dun, dun, dun” sort of way. But still a bit of a nightmare nonetheless. I’ll explain…
It started about a week ago when my madre kept talking to me about this man named “Galo” during dinner. I was a little confused as to why but thought he was just some friend of the family whose life story she thought I might want to know absolutely everything about. Plus, he seemed like a pretty interesting guy so I didn’t mind at all.
Then the other day she was telling me about how she was glad Galo was coming for dinner. I was so excited that I was actually going to get to meet this mysterious Galo guy after hearing so much about him.
That night, I headed downstairs around dinner-time to see if I could help out at all. Aware of my cooking skills (or lack of cooking skills), my madre and sisters just asked me to stay and chat as usual, which I was happy to do because Rodrigo had showed up and it was fun to catch up with him as he hadn’t been around all week. All the while, I was wondering when the guest of honor was going to arrive.
Dinner-time came, but “Galo” never did. Or at least I thought he hadn’t until my sister Sandi asked someone named ReGALO to pass the ensalada. I watched in horror, as confusion turned to shock, then to a lot of embarrassment, while “Rodrigo” passed the salad down the table. Moral of the story: I am a terrible hija.
Luckily, I don’t think I’ve actually ever called him by name (or by what I thought was his name) to his face, but who knows! Goodness gracious. I guess it just goes to show how confused I spend most of my days here immersed/lost in Spanish pretty much 24/7. Who knows what else I have misunderstood so far…
On a more exciting note, my family is taking me somewhere tonight. I’m not exactly sure where, and even if I thought I was sure I don’t think I would trust myself (or that you would believe me either). But I’ll be sure to let you know after the fact… :)
It started about a week ago when my madre kept talking to me about this man named “Galo” during dinner. I was a little confused as to why but thought he was just some friend of the family whose life story she thought I might want to know absolutely everything about. Plus, he seemed like a pretty interesting guy so I didn’t mind at all.
Then the other day she was telling me about how she was glad Galo was coming for dinner. I was so excited that I was actually going to get to meet this mysterious Galo guy after hearing so much about him.
That night, I headed downstairs around dinner-time to see if I could help out at all. Aware of my cooking skills (or lack of cooking skills), my madre and sisters just asked me to stay and chat as usual, which I was happy to do because Rodrigo had showed up and it was fun to catch up with him as he hadn’t been around all week. All the while, I was wondering when the guest of honor was going to arrive.
Dinner-time came, but “Galo” never did. Or at least I thought he hadn’t until my sister Sandi asked someone named ReGALO to pass the ensalada. I watched in horror, as confusion turned to shock, then to a lot of embarrassment, while “Rodrigo” passed the salad down the table. Moral of the story: I am a terrible hija.
Luckily, I don’t think I’ve actually ever called him by name (or by what I thought was his name) to his face, but who knows! Goodness gracious. I guess it just goes to show how confused I spend most of my days here immersed/lost in Spanish pretty much 24/7. Who knows what else I have misunderstood so far…
On a more exciting note, my family is taking me somewhere tonight. I’m not exactly sure where, and even if I thought I was sure I don’t think I would trust myself (or that you would believe me either). But I’ll be sure to let you know after the fact… :)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
¿¡Hay Más Para Subir?! y Más y Más y Más.....
Enough about classes, school, tests, and all of that boring (but okay, maybe important and kind of the reason I am here) stuff! Believe it or not, even with a teacher who goes by “Professor Homework” I do get to do more than just study my Quito-life away. A lot more!
I have had so many great experiences so far during my short time here. There is so much that I absolutely need to do and see that I have no idea how I am going to fit it all in! But I must say, things are off to a pretty good start.
This past weekend was full of making plans, breaking plans, and loving where the new ones led. Saturday was our first full free day in Quito, and of course we were not about to let it go to waste. We had all sorts of great ideas about what we wanted to do…
And then it rained. And rained and rained. The rain fell all day long, and with it our plans fell through as well.
Still, we decided we couldn’t let the rain stop us from taking full advantage of our first weekend here. Plan B: visit the nearby markets (covered of course) where we could check out the work of the local artisans. I had way too much fun looking at all of the jewelry and other crafts. I have decided that I must have been Ecuadorian in a past life, as every piece of jewelry I saw seemed to be made just for me. I would’ve bought out the entire market if I could have but decided to hold off on buying anything, let alone everything, until next time at least.
Sunday a bunch of the people from my program decided to head to the park and play some soccer, banking on the weather cutting us a break…which it did! The other people in the park however did not. The park we went to is called el parque Carolina and is absolutely ginormous! But somehow not ginormous enough to fit all of the people who wanted to play soccer. Every inch of the park seemed to be taken up with a soccer game, and there were at least 50 going on at once, probably more. A little bummed at our luck, we decided the day was too beautiful to waste and found an empty basketball court. After watching a little basketball, a couple of my friends and I decided to check out la Basilica.
La Basilica is the largest church in all of Ecuador, and we had heard it’s definitely something you have got to see while you are here. The church was absolutely beautiful from the outside and none of us could resist taking way too many pictures. I was already more than satisfied when I found out that you could not only go inside, but could also climb all the way up the huge towers for only 2 bucks! I was excited, but had no idea what was ahead of us.
The staircase leading up the first tower was definitely not what I expected. The staircase was small, dark, cramped, and dirty. It was so bizarre to think that it could possibly be inside of the overwhelmingly beautiful and intricate building I had just awed over. Still, we climbed excitedly for what seemed like forever until we reached the next level. There were a number of levels that you could stop at along the way where you could take pictures both inside and of the view of Quito outside.
With the first two levels reached by stairs, we were then led across a wood-plank bridge to a ladder-like staircase that definitely would not have flown in the US. It was at this point that I realized the climb wasn’t going to be quite as easy as I had expected.
With each level, reaching the next got more and more difficult and it felt like we were constantly being tested on just how far we were willing to go to get to the top. Each time, the ladder got steeper, the rungs further apart, and my heartbeat faster. Not to mention most of these ladders were outside as well, circling around the tower. I wish there was a way to describe it all that would truly get across just how terrifying it was. Had my hands not been shaking too much to do anything but keep putting one foot in front of the other, I would’ve taken pictures, but not a chance. There are a few in the pictures I posted, none of course that do it justice, so you will just have to take my word for it.
Anyways, against my better judgement and despite the Basilica’s apparent wish to keep anyone from making it to the end, I reached the top (which by the way didn’t even have a real floor to reward you with…only a grated metal covering that was anything but reassuring). Beyond that, I even crawled out onto one of the ledges (too terrified to even breathe at this point of course) to take some pictures (okay, maybe just one picture) before scrambling back inside. Overall, it was an awesome experience with some incredible pictures to be taken too and I’m so glad that I was able to do it.
I have had so many great experiences so far during my short time here. There is so much that I absolutely need to do and see that I have no idea how I am going to fit it all in! But I must say, things are off to a pretty good start.
This past weekend was full of making plans, breaking plans, and loving where the new ones led. Saturday was our first full free day in Quito, and of course we were not about to let it go to waste. We had all sorts of great ideas about what we wanted to do…
And then it rained. And rained and rained. The rain fell all day long, and with it our plans fell through as well.
Still, we decided we couldn’t let the rain stop us from taking full advantage of our first weekend here. Plan B: visit the nearby markets (covered of course) where we could check out the work of the local artisans. I had way too much fun looking at all of the jewelry and other crafts. I have decided that I must have been Ecuadorian in a past life, as every piece of jewelry I saw seemed to be made just for me. I would’ve bought out the entire market if I could have but decided to hold off on buying anything, let alone everything, until next time at least.
Sunday a bunch of the people from my program decided to head to the park and play some soccer, banking on the weather cutting us a break…which it did! The other people in the park however did not. The park we went to is called el parque Carolina and is absolutely ginormous! But somehow not ginormous enough to fit all of the people who wanted to play soccer. Every inch of the park seemed to be taken up with a soccer game, and there were at least 50 going on at once, probably more. A little bummed at our luck, we decided the day was too beautiful to waste and found an empty basketball court. After watching a little basketball, a couple of my friends and I decided to check out la Basilica.
La Basilica is the largest church in all of Ecuador, and we had heard it’s definitely something you have got to see while you are here. The church was absolutely beautiful from the outside and none of us could resist taking way too many pictures. I was already more than satisfied when I found out that you could not only go inside, but could also climb all the way up the huge towers for only 2 bucks! I was excited, but had no idea what was ahead of us.
The staircase leading up the first tower was definitely not what I expected. The staircase was small, dark, cramped, and dirty. It was so bizarre to think that it could possibly be inside of the overwhelmingly beautiful and intricate building I had just awed over. Still, we climbed excitedly for what seemed like forever until we reached the next level. There were a number of levels that you could stop at along the way where you could take pictures both inside and of the view of Quito outside.
With the first two levels reached by stairs, we were then led across a wood-plank bridge to a ladder-like staircase that definitely would not have flown in the US. It was at this point that I realized the climb wasn’t going to be quite as easy as I had expected.
With each level, reaching the next got more and more difficult and it felt like we were constantly being tested on just how far we were willing to go to get to the top. Each time, the ladder got steeper, the rungs further apart, and my heartbeat faster. Not to mention most of these ladders were outside as well, circling around the tower. I wish there was a way to describe it all that would truly get across just how terrifying it was. Had my hands not been shaking too much to do anything but keep putting one foot in front of the other, I would’ve taken pictures, but not a chance. There are a few in the pictures I posted, none of course that do it justice, so you will just have to take my word for it.
Anyways, against my better judgement and despite the Basilica’s apparent wish to keep anyone from making it to the end, I reached the top (which by the way didn’t even have a real floor to reward you with…only a grated metal covering that was anything but reassuring). Beyond that, I even crawled out onto one of the ledges (too terrified to even breathe at this point of course) to take some pictures (okay, maybe just one picture) before scrambling back inside. Overall, it was an awesome experience with some incredible pictures to be taken too and I’m so glad that I was able to do it.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Los Autobuses, la Escuela, y Mucho Tráfico! (Oh my?!)
Hola!
I can’t believe a week has gone by since my last post… Things here have been so so busy, and it’s nice to finally have a break to look back and share it with you all.
Last Monday was our first day of classes. I had to get up at 6 (yes, as in A.M.), as Rodrigo was going to take me to catch the bus by 7. Luckily my stop is only one street away, but the ride takes at least 30 minutes, often closer to 45 depending on traffic. Even though it’s one of the longest bus rides of everyone in the program, I have kind of started to enjoy the long ride (prime place for people watching as well as last-minute cramming). It can get pretty crowded at times and if I’m stuck standing (or constantly trying to keep myself from falling over) while the bus bounces through the roads and around sharp turns, it can makes things even more interesting.
Speaking of roads, traffic here is NUTS. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before (well, other than in Kenya…but Matatus are certainly in a league of their own). I’m not sure what their road laws are (if any), but they are certainly not enforced and so drivers are absolutely ridiculous. Friday I was waiting to catch a bus and I watched in horror as one of the workers from the bus jumped out to direct the driver through a stopped-up intersection (as all intersections seem to constantly be here, especially during rush hour). He was running through traffic, waving his hands, paying no attention to the oncoming traffic, which was paying no attention to him either, and he got hit straight-on by a car. He somehow landed on his feet, stood there for a second, obviously a little dazed, and jumped right back on the bus he had successfully gotten through the intersection and they went on their way. No one else paused for even a moment either. Except for me who stood there with my mouth gaping open. All I know is, I could never imagine driving like the people here. Or with them for that matter.
Anyways, as I was saying Rodrigo took me on the bus (and home) my first three days of class until I got the hang of doing it on my own...or thought I had the hang of it at least, as today was the very first time I actually got off at the correct stop by myself. Not that my lack of bus-taking skills would surprise any of you… Luckily, there are other people from my program who are often on the same bus and who have picked up on this as well, so they try to help me out.
School is still school, even in a country as awesome as Ecuador, although my classes are set up a little differently than they would be at OSU. We only take one class at a time (rather than 3 or 4) and they cram each class into 3 weeks (as opposed to the usual 10). It’s nice to only have to focus on one class, but at the same time it is insane how quickly we move through everything. We’re already almost halfway through our textbook and I’ve only had 6 days of class! We had our first midterm on Friday and will have a midterm (or final) every week from here on out. I’ve been learning a lot, but it has been a lot of work as well. Apparently they are actually expecting us to study while we’re “studying" abroad? Who would’ve thunk it?!
I think the best (or at times the worst) part of the classes here is that there are only 6 people in each one, so we are constantly forced to participate - not to mention stay awake. My teacher is AWESOME. He is this little tiny Ecuadorian man named Mario (or Profesor Tarea –“professor homework” – as he calls himself) and he is absolutely hilarious. Despite the stress of trying to cram in all of the information each day, he still finds time to make things fun and keep us laughing.
Well, that’s all I have time for now. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back on here later tonight or tomorrow and talk more about everything. I have pictures too, so cross your fingers for me and maybe they will finish loading one of these days.
I can’t believe a week has gone by since my last post… Things here have been so so busy, and it’s nice to finally have a break to look back and share it with you all.
Last Monday was our first day of classes. I had to get up at 6 (yes, as in A.M.), as Rodrigo was going to take me to catch the bus by 7. Luckily my stop is only one street away, but the ride takes at least 30 minutes, often closer to 45 depending on traffic. Even though it’s one of the longest bus rides of everyone in the program, I have kind of started to enjoy the long ride (prime place for people watching as well as last-minute cramming). It can get pretty crowded at times and if I’m stuck standing (or constantly trying to keep myself from falling over) while the bus bounces through the roads and around sharp turns, it can makes things even more interesting.
Speaking of roads, traffic here is NUTS. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before (well, other than in Kenya…but Matatus are certainly in a league of their own). I’m not sure what their road laws are (if any), but they are certainly not enforced and so drivers are absolutely ridiculous. Friday I was waiting to catch a bus and I watched in horror as one of the workers from the bus jumped out to direct the driver through a stopped-up intersection (as all intersections seem to constantly be here, especially during rush hour). He was running through traffic, waving his hands, paying no attention to the oncoming traffic, which was paying no attention to him either, and he got hit straight-on by a car. He somehow landed on his feet, stood there for a second, obviously a little dazed, and jumped right back on the bus he had successfully gotten through the intersection and they went on their way. No one else paused for even a moment either. Except for me who stood there with my mouth gaping open. All I know is, I could never imagine driving like the people here. Or with them for that matter.
Anyways, as I was saying Rodrigo took me on the bus (and home) my first three days of class until I got the hang of doing it on my own...or thought I had the hang of it at least, as today was the very first time I actually got off at the correct stop by myself. Not that my lack of bus-taking skills would surprise any of you… Luckily, there are other people from my program who are often on the same bus and who have picked up on this as well, so they try to help me out.
School is still school, even in a country as awesome as Ecuador, although my classes are set up a little differently than they would be at OSU. We only take one class at a time (rather than 3 or 4) and they cram each class into 3 weeks (as opposed to the usual 10). It’s nice to only have to focus on one class, but at the same time it is insane how quickly we move through everything. We’re already almost halfway through our textbook and I’ve only had 6 days of class! We had our first midterm on Friday and will have a midterm (or final) every week from here on out. I’ve been learning a lot, but it has been a lot of work as well. Apparently they are actually expecting us to study while we’re “studying" abroad? Who would’ve thunk it?!
I think the best (or at times the worst) part of the classes here is that there are only 6 people in each one, so we are constantly forced to participate - not to mention stay awake. My teacher is AWESOME. He is this little tiny Ecuadorian man named Mario (or Profesor Tarea –“professor homework” – as he calls himself) and he is absolutely hilarious. Despite the stress of trying to cram in all of the information each day, he still finds time to make things fun and keep us laughing.
Well, that’s all I have time for now. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back on here later tonight or tomorrow and talk more about everything. I have pictures too, so cross your fingers for me and maybe they will finish loading one of these days.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Demasiados nombres!!
I really can’t believe I have only spent 2 full days in Quito. Between all of the people I have been meeting, all of the new things I have seen, and trying to adjust to life in Ecuador, I feel like I have been going nonstop, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have absolutely loved every second of it.
Yesterday was my first full day here and to be honest, I was a little nervous when I woke up. I had no idea how things worked…whether I should get up early or sleep in…and then once I was up I had no idea what I was supposed to do from there. I debated hiding out in my room until someone came to get me but decided instead to explore the house and see if anyone else was up and just kind of go from there.
Luckily, I walked downstairs to find coffee and muchas frutas waiting for me. My madre was the only one up so far and it was nice to get to talk to her, as we didn’t have much of a chance to my first night here. She is so sweet and I feel so lucky to have such a great family to live with while I’m here.
From there I went for a run, of course keeping in mind all of the “safety suggestions” stressed by my dad (don’t worry, I was extremely careful). Unfortunately, we live on a ridiculous incline like nothing I’ve ever seen in little old Ohio, so battling hills on top of the high altitude, I was absolutely dominated. Still, it was worth it to be able to explore more of my neighborhood and just enjoy the warm sun and beautiful landscape.
No matter how many times I look out of my window, I still can’t get over how beautiful it is here. From the tall buildings of the city in one direction to the overwhelming view of the mountains looming over it all, it is absolutely incredible. Hopefully I will be able to put some pictures up soon.
Yesterday, I also was able to meet more of my family. It turns out that I do in fact have another sister (and brother-in-law and little nephew as well)! Unfortunately, I’m not off to a great sisterly start as I have absolutely no idea what any of their names are… I know that probably sounds awful, but they speak so quickly! Hopefully I’ll find out before too long… And hopefully I don't have any more family members out there, as I'm not sure how many more names I'll be able to keep track of.
I also met my madre’s boyfriend, Rodrigo. Rodrigo is awesome. He is so sweet and has such a peaceful Ecuadorian way about him. Plus, for whatever reason I understand almost everything he says. We talked about music (which he absolutely loves) and swapped tons of stories. It was so nice to actually be able to hold a conversation for once rather than “Sí”-ing and smiling my way out of things. Needless to say, Rodrigo rocks.
On that note, this chica is going to bed. I hope all is well in los Estados Unidos! I’ll try and send some sunshine Ohio’s way. :)
Yesterday was my first full day here and to be honest, I was a little nervous when I woke up. I had no idea how things worked…whether I should get up early or sleep in…and then once I was up I had no idea what I was supposed to do from there. I debated hiding out in my room until someone came to get me but decided instead to explore the house and see if anyone else was up and just kind of go from there.
Luckily, I walked downstairs to find coffee and muchas frutas waiting for me. My madre was the only one up so far and it was nice to get to talk to her, as we didn’t have much of a chance to my first night here. She is so sweet and I feel so lucky to have such a great family to live with while I’m here.
From there I went for a run, of course keeping in mind all of the “safety suggestions” stressed by my dad (don’t worry, I was extremely careful). Unfortunately, we live on a ridiculous incline like nothing I’ve ever seen in little old Ohio, so battling hills on top of the high altitude, I was absolutely dominated. Still, it was worth it to be able to explore more of my neighborhood and just enjoy the warm sun and beautiful landscape.
No matter how many times I look out of my window, I still can’t get over how beautiful it is here. From the tall buildings of the city in one direction to the overwhelming view of the mountains looming over it all, it is absolutely incredible. Hopefully I will be able to put some pictures up soon.
Yesterday, I also was able to meet more of my family. It turns out that I do in fact have another sister (and brother-in-law and little nephew as well)! Unfortunately, I’m not off to a great sisterly start as I have absolutely no idea what any of their names are… I know that probably sounds awful, but they speak so quickly! Hopefully I’ll find out before too long… And hopefully I don't have any more family members out there, as I'm not sure how many more names I'll be able to keep track of.
I also met my madre’s boyfriend, Rodrigo. Rodrigo is awesome. He is so sweet and has such a peaceful Ecuadorian way about him. Plus, for whatever reason I understand almost everything he says. We talked about music (which he absolutely loves) and swapped tons of stories. It was so nice to actually be able to hold a conversation for once rather than “Sí”-ing and smiling my way out of things. Needless to say, Rodrigo rocks.
On that note, this chica is going to bed. I hope all is well in los Estados Unidos! I’ll try and send some sunshine Ohio’s way. :)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
so far so AWESOME
HOLA from Ecuador!!!
I made it...and have no treacherous airport horror story to share. My layover involved NO frantic bus rides lost in London; I didn't lose my credit card; I didn't have to set up camp in the freezing cold airport all alone; I didn't even have to desperately beg my way onto the flight. All in all, I'd say things went a little better than last year's debacle. Thank goodness. :)
I got in earlier tonight and was greeted at the airport by 2 of my new sisters, Janeth and Sandra. They're both about my age (29 and 22) and made me feel totally comfortable right away. We took the taxi to the house (seriously less than 10 blocks away) where they introduced me to the rest of my new Ecuadorian family.
I was surprised by how incredibly nervous I was when I first stepped in the door, but it didn't last more than 2 seconds as I walked in and was immediately welcomed by my mom's big bright smile and outstretched arms. From then, I knew I had absolutely no reason to worry. Things only got better when I heard the most adorable giggle from under the table behind her and saw the cute little face of my little 3 year old nephew Marco Antonio peeking out. It took some coercing to get him to come out from his hiding spot, and even more to get him to talk, but now that he's warmed up to me I can’t get him to stop and I’m in love already. I met his father (my brother) Ricardo and his wife Leslee as well. I think they said there is another sister, but I have yet to see her and based on my Spanish skills I could very possibly be wrong.
From there, they showed me around the house and brought me to my new room where I dropped my huge bags that by then felt like they couldn't possibly weigh more. I unpacked and did my best to chat with Janeth and Sandra. I definitely gave a lot of blank stares, dished out plenty of awkward silences, and probably made even less sense to them than they did to me when I actually was able to try and say something. Even though I was totally stressed the entire time, trying to translate what they were saying, coming up with a response, and then trying to figure out how to say it in Spanish, they were so patient and understanding with me no matter how much I struggled. Luckily we could fall back on laughter. And there was plenty of that.
Well, I’m off to bed to try and get some sleep, which may be a little more difficult than usual as my mind is going a mile a minute right now. I’m too excited for tomorrow…I’m not sure what to expect, but I couldn’t have a greater feeling about whatever it is.
I made it...and have no treacherous airport horror story to share. My layover involved NO frantic bus rides lost in London; I didn't lose my credit card; I didn't have to set up camp in the freezing cold airport all alone; I didn't even have to desperately beg my way onto the flight. All in all, I'd say things went a little better than last year's debacle. Thank goodness. :)
I got in earlier tonight and was greeted at the airport by 2 of my new sisters, Janeth and Sandra. They're both about my age (29 and 22) and made me feel totally comfortable right away. We took the taxi to the house (seriously less than 10 blocks away) where they introduced me to the rest of my new Ecuadorian family.
I was surprised by how incredibly nervous I was when I first stepped in the door, but it didn't last more than 2 seconds as I walked in and was immediately welcomed by my mom's big bright smile and outstretched arms. From then, I knew I had absolutely no reason to worry. Things only got better when I heard the most adorable giggle from under the table behind her and saw the cute little face of my little 3 year old nephew Marco Antonio peeking out. It took some coercing to get him to come out from his hiding spot, and even more to get him to talk, but now that he's warmed up to me I can’t get him to stop and I’m in love already. I met his father (my brother) Ricardo and his wife Leslee as well. I think they said there is another sister, but I have yet to see her and based on my Spanish skills I could very possibly be wrong.
From there, they showed me around the house and brought me to my new room where I dropped my huge bags that by then felt like they couldn't possibly weigh more. I unpacked and did my best to chat with Janeth and Sandra. I definitely gave a lot of blank stares, dished out plenty of awkward silences, and probably made even less sense to them than they did to me when I actually was able to try and say something. Even though I was totally stressed the entire time, trying to translate what they were saying, coming up with a response, and then trying to figure out how to say it in Spanish, they were so patient and understanding with me no matter how much I struggled. Luckily we could fall back on laughter. And there was plenty of that.
Well, I’m off to bed to try and get some sleep, which may be a little more difficult than usual as my mind is going a mile a minute right now. I’m too excited for tomorrow…I’m not sure what to expect, but I couldn’t have a greater feeling about whatever it is.
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