Adventures in Ecuador

I just wanted to put up some pics, too...

2010-08-21T15:27:00.003-05:00

Rainbows over Loja

Mindo after party

You too can climb up the rock and jump off into the waterfall!

Ziplining in Mindo

Sneaky praying mantis, almost didn't see 'em.

Just for kicks...

2010-08-21T14:42:00.002-05:00

My blog smatterings have been infrequent, to say the least. So hows about one more before I throw in the hat and hang up the towel?

At 6:35am on Thursday, August 19th, I left Quito. Sad. After some vexing seat shenanigans on the plane, I squeezed myself into the middle seat, neither window nor aisle, and cried a little bit. Probably more than I'd like to admit. As the plane sped down the runway, I looked out of the window and thought "So that's where the golf course is!! Damn!" Sure enough, it was right next to the airport the entire time and I never once made it out for a round.

I am back home now writing this from Chicagoland and enjoying things like home cooked food, driving and my sister's little dog, Chewy (I've taken a shine to calling him Chewish.) Although, there happens to be quite the list of things I'm not enjoying... things like American prices. I just dropped 70 bucks so I can have a functional cell phone for the next month. I find myself saying, "In Ecuador..." a lot. For example, "In Ecuador, I put $6 on my cell phone and this amount lasted me anywhere from 2-3 weeks." Sigh...

I've been compiling a list of reverse culture shock moments for your amusement:

1. Fighting urges to say (or at least attempt to say) everything in Spanish. But I still talk to Chewish in Spanish... I think he likes it.

2. Epic battles between the left side and the right side of my brain on the issues of throwing toilet paper in the toilet. I'm still looking around for the trash.

3. Not expecting cars to stop for me when I'm in the crosswalk and then genuinely confused/surprised when they do.

4. Getting carded for buying a beer. What's the drinking age here? Do you really care? Interesting. Where's my ID?

5. There's XM in my mom's car and I've noticed one of her favorites is the 24/7 Elvis station. That's not so much culture shock, but just annoying. Sorry, mom. Love you!

6. Forgetting to lock doors and being somewhat okay with it. (this may be a Midwest small town, thing...)

There will no doubt be more to report but I think I'll leave the list at 6 right now. For those of you in MI, I will see you in less than a week! Feel free to call me at my same ole number... preferably after 9pm when I get free nighttime and weekend minutes....

After I go take my clothes off the line, I think I'll go for a bike ride.

Un abrazo,

Twenty-Four Days

2010-07-31T11:59:00.003-05:00

The first and most disheartening piece of news: the kitten is gone. Ella se fue. No se porque. Big bummer. Hypothesis 1 is that she climbed up the curtain (or really, any of the random fixtures on these walls) and escaped out of the window. There is no hypothesis 2. Just 1. I will attach a picture of her to this blog as a tribute to kitties who climb everywhere.

Next on the list of things to report, I'm about 90% sure that I'll be heading to an organic tea farm in the jungle near the city of Puyo. For at least a week, I'll be doing whatever needs to be done on this farm in exchange for free housing. I wasn't sure what I'd be doing during my last month in Ecuador, but this feels like a step in the right direction. There's a part of me that wants this month to fly by so I can be home and get on with my life, then there's another part that doesn't know how to say goodbye. To quote Will Ferrell post tranquilizer dart in the jugular in that memorable Old School moment "You're crazy, you're crazy man. You're crazy... I like you but you're crazy!"

Well, I'm off to grab some food, make some phone calls and enjoy this last day in July!

Hasta luego, teaching!

2010-07-22T20:15:00.003-05:00

The teaching portion of my Ecuador experience is over! Tomorrow is the final exam and Monday is the final oral exam. I must admit it is a huge relief. I've been told that I'm a great teacher, but regardless of this praise (which is lovely), it was still something that felt outside of my comfort zone. That said, will I miss teaching? Probably. Or more aptly, I will miss having a job and a routine.

In my last post, I mentioned the possibility of changing my flight. However, that probably won't happen. I just spoke with my travel agent today and my only options are to change my flight to July 29th or August 22nd, both with a $400 fee and neither date really appeals to me. One is too soon and the other is only 2 days before my actual date. So... it looks like I'll be traveling and looking for things to do for an entire month. As most of my friends are leaving, this will either be very difficult or very rewarding. I'm hoping for the latter, obviously.

Other developments include having a new housemate. I don't know her name but she's itty bitty, hairy, and really cute. I just call her kitty or gatita or linda. (No, not Linda like my mother's name.) She's a kitten, in case you were still confused...

Well, that's all for now! I'm currently doing laundry and looking forward to a full weekend of despedidas (or good-bye parties). I miss you all and am looking forward to a beauteous return home in a month.

Chao!

2010-07-05T10:17:00.003-05:00

Hey blog world!

It's a sunny Monday morning here in Quito. I just got back from my yoga class and had some time to scribble out some thoughts.

Yesterday some fellow CEC teachers and I celebrated the 4th of July together. It was a pretty great and typical 4th of July gathering, including things like meat, beer, pasta salads, potato salad and the ever-heavenly 7 Layer Dip.

But now it's Monday and I have a full work week to look forward to. Sigh... which bring me to my next thought:

I think I'm ready to be done with this teaching/Ecuador experience. I feel like I'm winded and dragging my feet to the finish line. It has been an epic year, full of ups and downs. But I am tired and craving familiar things and people and missing my good friends from home. I'm even contemplating moving my flight to an earlier date. I have 9 actual teaching days left and I will make it...

If you have any words of encouragement, I will gladly take them.

2010-06-21T04:52:00.002-05:00

An Eclectic Sampling of Thoughts (but this time about Ecuador):

What I thought was the alarming sound of women screaming in the street just now is actually a rooster. Good, good. Good to know.

I hate it when roommates take the last of something. I don't mind sharing, but leave me at least one. Eff.

But, I will miss my roommate, Katrien, who is moving out on Tuesday. She sojourns to the lovely isles of Galapagos for "x" amount of time. She'll be managing this and taking care of that. A visit is surely in order end of July or August.

I did some figurin' and I think I only have about 15 actual teaching days left (the rest consist of exam days, oral exam days, movie days and review days... and maybe a sick **cough cough** day or two).

__________________ . Humph. [This thought just left me.]

Many of the friends I've made in the WT program have left or will be leaving this week. Sad day. Their schools in their respective cities are finished for the summer so off they go. It's pretty surreal. It doesn't seem like that long ago we all met up in the Miami airport and played some stellar glass-breakers in the bar/lounge.... er, I mean ice-breakers.

I can think of about 3 people who will get the above reference, none of which read this blog, I'm fairly certain.

I'm diggin' Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" right now. Ten bucks for the first person who can tell me what modern-day singer emulates this song in one of his/her tracks.

_____________.... op. [This thought just left me, too.]

I keep forgetting that it's June. It has been so cold in Quito these past few weeks. Based off of my uneducated climatomoligical opinion, this is because the sun is hanging out in the northern hemisphere for what I usually call "summer." I miss you sun!

[Spell checker has no guesses for the above word... you know which one I'm talking about]

In two weeks, my family will be heading north to a little place I like to call Wisconsin. It's an annual trip that I can't remember ever not taking. (Lies: I missed it once when I was in India and I'll miss it again this summer.) Lakes, cabins, water skiing, bonfires, toasting "things" on bonfires, beer, Philipe. This is a tradition that not only courses through my earliest memories but also courses through my veins. It's practically part of my genetic make-up. My parents and their friends started this 4th of July tradition long before I was born. In any event, I will be missing that vacation this year but I am thankful for the "highlight reel" of last year's week up north which was sent to me about two months ago. It really captures the essence of this trip.... :)

Thank you for reading my thoughts!

G'night!

Deep Thoughts

2010-06-07T01:50:00.000-05:00

Well that was a fun two hours of lying in my bed wide awake. Time to get up at make a sandwich and drink some tea, I s'pose.

It's interesting because in the dark, I have all these thoughts that seem so fluid and beautiful and poignant. But now that I'm sitting in my kitchen I think I want to write about floods. Firstly, water is good. However, too much water is bad. A playful puddle may turn out to be a deadly sink hole. Bummer, huh? I was just day-dreaming (or laying awake thinking?) about the Great Flood of '08 which rocked western Michigan. It was June, I think, and I was welcoming the summer scene good and proper at my BFF Rhys' house. This was when she still dwelt on 21st Street. We all congregated on the cement front stoop, watched the light show across the sky and mused at how fast the water was climbing her driveway. So high it became that it began to graze the undercarriage of Ruby, my VW Passat, which sat parallel to that stoop. That was a fun and electric evening. Adrenaline invoked, we all danced in the rain, I'm pretty sure. Or maybe I didn't because I was wearing a white tee-shirt... or maybe I did. Not to mention I had some good beer... sigh... good beer... an IPA called Two Hearted to be exact.

Now the Great Flood of '09 was a different story. Same water, same rain but the power was out for days completely ruining the Pad Kee Mao leftovers I had in the fridge - a tremendous loss to be assured! On the night of the storm, there was no party in the street. I had to work a 3rd shift that evening, 8pm-6am, and watch helplessly as over $250,000 of damage crippled Hope College. The phones were ringing, the alarms were alarming, the science building no longer had an operational 1st floor, and every available custodian that ever existed was on-campus. The joys of working in a 24/7/365 office are endless, let me tell you. Nearly every single road was submerged in at least a foot of water, even at the center line, and some roads were just completely washed out. Our quaint little Holland community was literally at a stand-still because Mother Nature lost her shit. In the days that followed, I did order more Thai food carry-out, but the trip to pick it up took at least twice as a long, causing all kinds of headaches.

Well, those are my thoughts on flooding. I can't imagine you read my blog because you want to know what goes through my mind at all hours of the night. But there it is.

Why Am I Awake?!

2010-04-20T04:03:00.000-05:00

Who knows...

It's approximately 4am here in Quito land. I couldn't sleep this evening, so I decided to travel the road of productivity. It is a road less traveled and it is SO rewarding! I have shot off some lengthy emails, finished some paperwork and now I'm blogging! I'm just glad that tomorrow/today is Exam Day in classes. All I have to do is sit there and watch my teenage students like a hawk. I tell them this before every exam, but I'm not entirely sure they've ever learned the word 'hawk' which makes my simile somewhat ineffective. I think they catch my drift, though, when I do that universally understood motion of pointing to your eyes and then pointing at their eyes. You know the maneuver I'm talking about, the one made famous by that classic film Meet the Fockers.

Last Wendsthurserday... was Teacher's Day. This is a special day in Ecuador. At my institution, they were handing out chocolate, pens and a 10% raise! Unfortunately I was running a bit late and all I got was some attitude from my teenage pupils. Apparently the choice between giving me a cell phone or leaving my class is quite the mare's nest. The student finally opted for participation. At the end of class, I returned her cell phone and even threw in a nice chat. I'm sure my point was well-received as I kept it simple, without words like 'hawk', and explained that removal from my class is a very real and viable option for misbehaving children.

This past Sunday I spent a good six hours in the ever-trendy independent movie theatre here in Quito. I love this venue. I think it's safe to say that some of my happiest Ecuadorian moments have taken place there. Between Rocky Horror Picture Show and the currently running Alfred Hitchcock marathon, I have been well pleased. From 3pm-9pm, I watched Psycho, Rear Window, and Vertigo. One achey butt and sufficiently blown state of mind later, I left Ocho Y Medio. Next binge film venture? Why, the Mars Attacks/Edward Scissorhands double feature, of course!

In other news, my return flight to the U.S. of A. has been booked. Mark your calendars, folks. This girl will be rocking the US soil on Tuesday, August 24th. Not sure I'm ready to talk about that, though. It's going to be weird. But if you do have any suggestions for what my life should be like on such a day as August 24th, I'd love to hear 'em. I am now taking applications... of your applications... for getting me a job? Or just a future? Hmm...

Are those birds chirping? Oh no. I'm wearing headphones.

4:36am and I am signing off.

Semana Santa

2010-04-04T18:16:00.000-05:00

No, not Santa Claus week...Holy Week!

This past week classes were held Monday-Thursday with Good Friday off. For many various reasons, this shortened week was much more difficult to endure than any of the prior normal weeks I have experienced thus far. A lot of emotional rides, bouts with homesickness, and teaching burnout speckled and tainted any holiness that this week is known for. I did make it to the end, though. I'm here, Sunday evening, transcribing my thoughts in this blog as proof.

Thursday evening, after the last classes of the week, a couple of friends and I attended a Guns N Roses concert here in Quito. It was a pretty big deal, both for the locals and us. We arrived a bit late, just missing the opening Ecuadorian band, but making it just in time for the hour-long wait before Axel took the stage. We were sorely disappointed to discover the only things for sale were ham sandwiches, chips and Coke. We would have to just sit on the field and wait...and wait...and wait. Nearing 10pm, Axel finally took the stage and began singing songs I had never heard of before. Supposedly they released a new album a year ago and this was their idea of "showcasing" their new musical creations. My back started to hurt and the typical mountain-air chill settled on the crowd. Axel + band ran around the stage, waving an Ecuadorian flag and butchering the Spanish language. Words like 'estamos' and 'veinte' (translated: 'we are' and 'twenty' accordingly) sounded like 'estamoose' and 'viento' (translated: indecipherable word and 'wind' accordingly.) After one particular amalgam of not-quite-Spanish words, he said, "Did I just order tacos or something?!" This might be funny if the concert was in Mexico, where tacos are in fact part of the cuisine. But we're in Ecuador and, as it turns out, there are cultural differences between the Spanish speaking countries. Their first set ended around 11pm and based on my constantly decreasing satisfaction with this show, I was getting ready to throw in the towel. After another hour and ten minutes of waiting, now 12:10am, I was more than ready to leave. But, for some reason, we stuck it out. We were determined to stay until we heard a)Welcome to the Junge, b)Sweet Child of Mine or c)Paradise City. Our $50 tickets were at least worth that! Finally, at 12:15am, the second set started. And I am so thankful we stayed. The megatrons were actually displaying more than one image/video, the pyrotechnics were blowing my mind, the songs were recognizable and, most importantly, Axel stopped talking. It was a real show. We finally left the stadium at 2am which was before the show was over and also before it started to downpour. Our timing was impeccable.

The next day, Good Friday, I took an impromptu trip to Otavalo. Otavalo is a small community but has the biggest artisan, open-air market in...Ecuador? South America? I can't remember the facts, actually, but it's quite impressive. There's actually a store in Saugatuck, MI called Otavalito (Little Otavalo) which sells all kinds of products that are from this very market in Ecuador. Anyways, I specifically wanted to leave on Friday and stay the night because I heard there is also this really interesting Animal Market that you can only see Saturday morning between 6am and 8am. So, feeling restless and adventurous, I took the 2-hour bust trip from Quito, leaving at 4pm and arriving at 6pm. I packed light for this trip as I was traveling solo, bringing only pajamas, toiletries, a book and my iPod. After checking into this pretty sweet hostel, I wandered around the streets, observing all the Good Friday displays and activities. Apparently, Otavalo is known as one of the most Catholic/religious communities in Ecuador. After a while, I found myself on one of the main drags eating at this trendy organic food restaurant. I has just finished my Maracuya with rum and some nachos when in walks about 7 familiar faces - other teachers from CEC! At first it was a bit awkward with all the "why are you here alone?" type of questions, but then we all sat down and drank and chatted together. It was really amazing and bizarre to have this "small world" experience. Feeling a bit more rejuvenated and special, I headed back to my hostel, passing crowds of people who were celebrating Good Friday. There were people dressed as Jesus and soldiers, standing like statues on display, depicting various biblical scenes of Christ's crucifixion, people singing and worshiping in the streets and, right outside the doors to my hostel, a long procession passing through the streets.

The next morning around 6:30am, I went to the animal market. Finding the piglettes to be especially cute, I inquired as to their price. For only $35, I too could be a proud piglette owner. While this may be all the rage in Hollywood with types like Paris Hilton, I decided against it, leaving the piglette to be bought by some other buyer. Also for sale were cows, calfs, sheep, rams, cats, puppies, chickens (oh boy did they have chickens!), chicks, guinea pigs (the non-domestic kind. See: cuy), and rope. The latter being for the animals, I presume. I spent the rest of the day shopping around the artisan market, visiting Condor Park, hanging out with the CEC kidz and also running into more people I knew through the WT program. (What!? Small world again!?) Finally got back to Quito on Saturday night.

Today, Easter Sunday, I woke up rested and ready to join the Easter celebration here in Quito. I was so excited to go to church today, to do something that felt normal for me on Easter. I got up and made coffee, took a shower and got ready... then when I arrived at the church at 10:15 for the 10:45 service, I was told that they were only holding one service today, the 9:00am, which had just finished. I was crushed. I actually almost started crying. I just needed that so bad, I think. I was so ready and eager to be a part of that worship community and focus on God...and then I couldn't. I left, walking slowly back to the Trolle, feeling so distant and unfulfilled. Because, see, it's this day above any other religious holiday, which really defines what Christianity is for me. Everything else, any other tradition pales in significance. It's this idea of resurrection, of new life, of change and transformation, of Christ fulfilling his journey and creating a way for EVERYONE that sums up and single-handedly defines the Christian faith, and my faith as well. I believe that Christ conquered death...death in every sense of the word. And this is what gives me hope. So to not be able to spend this day focusing on that was somewhat depressing. I ended up taking that Trolle past my stop and all the way back to Old Town. I got out at Plaza Grande in the Historic District and just started walking around. There were tons of people there and I felt so alone. I wandered into one of the old cathedrals (can't remember the name) and just sat down. The sign on the door said No Tourists, but I figured since I live here, I'm not a tourist. Plus, it's not like I was taking pictures. Pretty soon more people started flowing in and, being the ONLY gringa in the place, I thought I should leave. I'm not Catholic and I'm not Ecuadorian and I felt this difference very strongly. But... I didn't leave. My legs wouldn't let me. So I just sat in the back row, like the loner, the outsider, like the minority, the one who didn't understand the priest and the one who didn't understand the Catholic practices, like the ones who Christ came to love. When the congregation stood up, I stood up. When the congregation sat, I sat. After the service, I left quickly. I headed back towards Plaza Grande, found an unoccupied bench and sat down. After a couple minutes of people watching, I put on my headphones and started listening to an old podcast from my church back home. It was calming to an extent, something to focus on and listen to but also something to make me miss home. After about 15 minutes, it started to drizzle so I got up, still listening, and headed toward the Ecovia bus. I paid the fare and boarded a bus, not sure of my destination. I rode for a while and then made the half-hearted decision that I should eat so I disembarked after Portugal Street and made my way to the ever famous Mr. Bagel: one of the only venues to sell bagels in Ecuador. A man opened the door for me at Mr. Bagel who looked familiar and spoke English but I didn't place him right away. Then I saw the table he came from at which sat three of my friends. That man was the father of one my friends! Of course! He came to the Guns N Roses concert with us. I quickly joined them and we chatted for a while. It was just kinda eye opening. This entire weekend...all the things I've done by myself, Otavalo and now, and despite my solo journeys, I've somehow managed to connect with tons of people I know. It felt like more than just fate or circumstance. It's like a nurturing that I just don't understand.

Well blog world, now my weekend is over and it's back to teaching. This week should be cake as tomorrow is review day, Tuesday is the written exam and Wednesday is the oral exam. Again, sorry for the down-time between updates! Turns out that being consistent is not my forte. Blessings to everyone and I hope you had a great Semana Santa!

PS - Just found out that April is Alfred Hitchcock month at the indy film theatre Ocho Y Medio. ..if I disappear for a while, that's where you can find me!

Keepin' It Real

2010-01-31T22:48:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Just a heads up that I made it to my new residence this weekend! The place is great! I feel so central to everything. I've already started taking private Spanish lessons and I plan on joining a local yoga studio. It literally takes me 2 minutes to walk to work and I love it! I have food, pharmacies, hospitals, transportation, information, theatres and many other resources within walking distance. I couldn't be happier! My two housemates are incredible and they do a lot of traveling which means I will have the apartment to myself a lot. They both work in tourism. Patricio is a tour guide by trade and has actually been taking some time off recently. Tomorrow he leaves for Guatemala and he will be there for 3 weeks! I told him to bring me back something cool :) Katrien, my other housemate, is from Belgium and has been living in Ecuador for about 18 months. She manages three hotels in the area, one of which my parents stayed at this past December. This is how I met her and this is also how I came to live here. During one of our meetings to plan my parents' trip, she mentioned that her apartment had an open room and that I should move in. One month later, I took her up on her offer and...here I am!

Last Sunday, the day after I moved in, Patricio and I went on the CicloPaseo. This is a huge biking/walking event that takes place every Sunday in Quito. They close off one of the biggest roads that runs North/South through Quito. It was the first time I'd ridden a bike since I moved down here and I won't lie, I was sucking wind. First, we biked all the way south, through the Old Town, to the neighborhood of Quitumbe (this is the southern-most part of Quito and is close to a major bus station). Then we turned around and biked to Patricio's dad's house. His father is a carpenter and all the furniture in his house as well as most of the furniture in my apartment now was made by him. It's pretty amazing! After that short break, we headed back, past my apartment, all the way to north end of the route. This is by the airport and my old house. At this point I was exhausted, but we still had to turn around and make it back. So...three and half hours after beginning this ride, we made it back home where I laid on the couch and didn't move for about an hour.

This is me, post sting ray, in the "clinic." (not pictured: flies)

This is the black eye I received the very next day. Handsome.

Another update and it's not even Christmas!

2010-01-28T00:21:00.001-05:00

Ok ok...I'm back. I really am bad at this blogging biz, huh?
But look! It's nearly 1:30am and I'm cranking out a good one for ya! It just simply must be done. So much has happened!

For those who were wondering, my dinner party/get-together was fab. I love hosting events like that! It's something I used to do in the states on a somewhat regular basis so it only seems natural to continue it here.

I can't remember if I mentioned this already, but my host dads have parted way. It has been a a sad and somewhat dramatic couple of months for them. After six years they are calling it quits. And no, it wasn't mutual. On a certain level, I learned rather quickly what it's like to be from a broken home. My allegiance formed instantaneously with the dad that stayed and I began to feel very weary of the dad that left. It was definitely an interesting process to experience for the first time. Now, with the inevitable selling of the apartment and dividing things (no doubt a messy process) looming on the horizon, I have decided to take my leave. For a couple of months my presence was without a doubt beneficial for the dad who stayed. We watched movies together and kept each other company, etc. But now, I am ready to move on out. Besides the break-up, I really want to live closer to work. This 40 minute bus ride each way is rather annoying and wasteful. Plus, most of the activities I take part in or want to take part in happen in the neighborhood where I work. So this Saturday I will be packing my things, calling a taxi and leaving "America." I'm sad to leave, but really excited for this change. Plus, I can't stand the dog here.

But that's the future. I would now like to take some time to regale you with the stories from this past weekend. Exactly one week ago my fellow WT volunteers and I gathered for our Midservice conference. This conference is about 4 days of "strenuous" evaluations and educational sessions on topics like Teacher Burnout and Re-evaluation of Goals...which all took place on the private ocean beaches of a beautiful resort called Alandaluz. This resort is located in a quiet coastal village called Puerto Rico which is just 20 minutes south of a well-known fishing/tourist community called Puerto Lopez. Needless to say, it was amazing and obviously too short. To those who are experiencing 20 degree weather with wind chills below 0...sorry. That really sucks.
This trip was relaxing. But. It was also adventurous...

On Friday of our conference, we had a break from 2-5pm. Most of us headed to the beach, cocktails in hand and freshly lathered with 80 SPF sunscreen tee-shirt in a can. I laid out on my towel for a bit just absorbing the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the heat from the sun, and the jovial conversations going on around me. I may have dozed off for a while...hard to say. Eventually, I found the energy to go for a swim. It was all I thought it would be...warm ocean water, crashing waves on my back and....a sting ray under my foot. Yup. Exactly what I was expecting. At first I thought it was just some slimy fish scurrying away from my size 1o's...but then I felt the piercing jab on my ankle. Expletives spewed forth from my mouth as I realized the initial puncture would not be the end of my pain. Apparently sting rays inject you with some volatile solution which is meant to incapacitate you for hours. I limped up the shore and headed straight to the reception desk for the local know-how. In Spanish, they explained that they were going to wash my foot and then they needed to get it really hot. They then started building a fire. I began to wonder what technique they planned on using. Then another guy said, "no, no, just use the candle." Ah, much better, I thought. As if the flame from a candle was more manageable than the fire in the fireplace. I gave them my ankle and they began dripping wax on the wound. Almost like a massage except I was in ample amounts of pain. They then took off the wax that had cooled over my wound and began this process again. After 20 minutes, they told me I could go rest in my room and continue the candle process if I wanted. Through gritted teeth I thanked them and hobbled back to the beach to retrieve my things and our room key. Once in my room, I grabbed my charging cell phone and decided to give my directors a holler just so they knew what was up. Well, they didn't take the news as nonchalantly as I had hoped and before I knew it, I was off to the clinic in Puerto Lopez with my director, Peter.
Well, all I can say is thank God for this clinic. (Drip that with sarcasm and you'll be on the right track.) We rolled into this hole-in-the-wall building with cement floors and completely open to the street outside. I sat on an examination table that, from my guess, was from circa 1978. There was a dirty baby scale next to me from that same era that I think was rejected from the Salvation Army ten years ago. Did I mention the flies? Yeah, they come standard with coastal towns. The doctor began examining my foot for any barbs which maybe still be embedded. After poking the puncture in my foot for about 5 minutes like it was a keyboard and he hadn't learned about the HOME keys yet, he began washing the wound. To do this, he reached for a used Gatorade bottle behind me that was filled with a yellow fluid. Soap? Sure. He then prescribed me some drugs. Not sure what. But we got them filled anyways and I took them religiously. Turns out these pills were anti-inflammitories mixed with a mild opiate. I was not complaining, let me tell you what.
This is probably why when this same director accidentally elbowed me in the eye on Saturday, I wasn't feeling too bad. But when I woke up Sunday and had a huge shiner, I knew the hit must have been harder than I originally thought.

In any event...it was a great weekend. Truly. For some reason lazy Sundays laying in hammocks, sipping on beer, being on the beach, hitchhiking with the friendly locals on the back of their trucks, eating Ceviche with shrimp and all sorts of other fresh sea food totally trumps the black-eye + sting ray attack.

And that's my story.

New Pajamas & Free Saturdays!

2010-01-09T12:14:00.000-05:00

Readers, readers, readers. I grovel before you in an attempt to win you back to my neglected, dusty, outdated, and dejected blog. I realize it has passed much time since I've written anything (that's how we sometimes word things down here...it's our Spanish brains bumping unapologetically into our English brains. While this collision produces ungrammatical sentences, it also produces laughs and good times. I always focus on the latter.)

Back to the subject of my blatant disregard for keeping my American homies updated: I apologize profusely. At times I think, "Maybe I should designate a specific hour each week for updates." And then I think, "Maybe I should eat dinner." (Thanks to comedian Mike Birbiglia for that reference.) Lets face it, the only thing I'm consistently updating these days is my Facebook status. So for those of you who are members of big brother Facebook, you can frequently find me on there. However, this is no excuse for my absence here.

So, in an attempt to win back your love, affection, and attention, I'm going to write one doozy of blog post chronicling my entire holiday vacation adventures and travels....

....right after I get back from the supermarket. I gotta go purchase some groceries in preparation for a movie/dinner party I'm hosting tomorrow. In the meantime, listen to this youtube of aforementioned Mike Birbiglia (because I just did). He's just the greatest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU2KRBh1MOA&feature=PlayList&p=5891AD1F5F01DA1B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=15

Rant!

2009-11-21T08:41:00.000-05:00

Up until now, most of my blogs have been mainly informative. They detail the highlights of my Ecuador experience and the events I have witnessed or been a part of. This blog may be a bit different. Why? Because I had a bad day yesterday and I want to be real with my readers about the ups and downs of this year.

What started off as a typical work day turned into one of the more frustrating days in Ecuador so far. It was around noon and I was on my way in to the neighborhood where I work. My bus was approaching my stop so I got up and waded through the standing crowd, heading towards the doors. The bust driver (who is inside a plastic enclosure, separated from the people) got on his microphone and started saying repeatedly "Miss, miss, keep going, keep going." (I think that's the rough translation) I wasn't sure who he was talking to and everyone around me seemed to be looking around, confused. A couple of seconds later, we arrived at my stop and I got off the bus. Before the doors had a chance to close behind me, I realized that my cell phone, which had been in my pocket, was gone. Someone had, in the confusion of that moment, been able to swipe it right out from my possession. I turned around and had the thought that I should jump back in the bus and confront everyone, demanding they return the phone. Then I realized, what thief is going to say "Oh :) You got me! Nicely done! Here ya go...you're cell phone. Man! Quickest gringo I've ever ripped off! Well done, well done."? I don't think that would happen. Ever. So instead of getting back on before the doors closed, I just eyed everyone in the bus that I could and gave them a look of disappointment that said "Really? REALLY? Did that just happen?!" I hope that look is now burning a hole in the back of the thief's mind.

So that's how my bad day started.

It continued to go down hill when my high-school aged students pushed all the right buttons. First, about three of them came in 10 minutes late. Instead of quietly going to their seats while I was talking, one went to the back of the room and started looking out the window and another was on her cell phone talking to someone. I stopped mid sentence and asked "What are you doing?!" I continued to show my frustration by explaining what being rude and disrespectful meant, using them as examples. About 10 minutes later, two more students came in to take the test they had missed on Wednesday. I had to again stop what I was doing and leave the room to get the correct tests from the secretaries (which is the protocol at CEC) so these students could take the exam. When I got back to my room with exams in hand, half of my class was in my room and the other half was in the empty room next door yelling out the window to their friends. No one was working on the exercises I had assigned for those 5 minutes I was gone. I told one particular girl that if she didn't want to be here, she could go home. No one's making her come here to learn English, except maybe her parents, and she clearly doesn't want to learn the language. After that particular outbust, I think the entire class got the hint that I was pissed off and they tried to work in their workbooks (for a record 10 minutes). Somehow, I made it through the day...but barely.

No doubt exacerbated by my bad day, I didn't have much patience for bad listeners when I was trying to vent afterwards. What people should be aware of is that I am a professional listener. I usually don't talk just to hear my voice. I'm not interested in one-upping people during dialog and I put much thought into the ideas I want to express verbally (especially when it's personal). So when it's my turn to talk, you should probably be on your A game. Don't redirect the topic back to yourself. Don't interrupt. Don't start talking to someone else while I'm in mid sentence. Because I won't be entirely motivated to continue should I feel like what I'm saying is not important. I refuse to shove my feelings into the 5-second window of your short-attention listening span. There. Rant DONE!

Ah, blogging. It's good sometimes to just blog it out! I feel MUCH better!

I heart Fridays

2009-11-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog entitled "I heart Fridays." It is, in fact, Friday and I'm really jazzed because today in class we're taking a field trip. Instead of the meticulous *cough cough* lesson planning I usually do, today I'm just relaxing at home, drinking coffee and catching up on some internet. My students today will be doing a Scavenger Hunt around the touristy part of town called La Mariscal (aka - Gringolandia). They will have to find answers to such questions as: What is the name of the MLB team from Boston? Krispy Kreme is what type of chain store? and my personal favorite, What is a mullet?

Last weekend I traveled a bit south of Quito to a small town called Latacunga for their Mama Negra festival. Now, I have asked several people what the significance of this festival is and I have gotten several different answers. At first I thought it was religious (and maybe it is), but after viewing the parade and shananigans that is the festival, I would hesitate to attribute any religion to it. One story I heard is that the Mama Negra Festival celebrates the first time the image of the Virgin Mary was seen as a black woman. The story goes that a forlorne slave woman trekked up to the peak of Cotopaxi and there witnessed the divine incarnation of Mary as a black woman, giving hope to all the slaves of that time. Other Ecuadorians I asked had no idea what the significance is.
The festival is an all day event (reminded me a bit of May Day/Spring Fling from my college years). People rise early in the morning and head toward the parade route to claim their seats. The parade starts around 10am and lasts for about 4 hours. In the parade, there men wearing black face and dressed in drag, people carrying hollowed-out crucified pigs adorned with cuy (guinea pigs), bottles of liquor and cigarette boxes. There are about a million marching bands, traditional dancers, people in parrot costumes and men who come around to cleanse any onlooker. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity to be cleansed. In my mind, I was envisioning some sort of meditative, patchouli-like ritual. What REALLY happened was three men danced around me chanting things like "long live mama negra! Viva Latacunga" and then, much to my surprise, a different man came up and sprayed alcohol all over me. The alcohol, which came out of his mouth mind you, got in my eyes as I didn't know I should avert my face. It stung for a couple of seconds, but I laughed at my foreign ignorance and spent the rest of the morning smelling like booze.
After the parade, people linger in the streets to eat, drink and have impromtu dance parties. We all had a really great time that day, ending our adventure at a club called The Galaxy dancing until about 1am.

Well, that's about it for now! Cheers to all my readers!

(Cleansing pre alcohol in eyes)

2009-10-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hola todos!

It has been a while since my last post. My deepest apologies! At this point, I now have two weeks of teaching experience under my belt. A typical day for me goes as follows:

I wake up around 8:30 or 9am. My beautiful morning personality and bead-head wanders out towards the kitchen where I make coffee and eat breakfast with my family. Around 9:30 or 10 I look through my lesson plan for that day and make sure I have all the materials I need, or have at least saved them to my flash drive. Around noon or 12:30 I leave the house and head towards the bus stop. Forty minutes to an hour later I arrive at work. I teach two classes per day, one at 2pm and the second at 4pm. Both classes are the same level: Intermediate I. Half the class is present at around 5 after the hour, and most of the class is there by 10 after. The few stragglers who show up after this are marked absent. Sorry, Charlie. What I hadn't anticipated was having to teach high school students. Most of my students are between 15 and 17. "Was I like that when I was 15?!" I wonder silently to myself. "Of course not!" comes the automatic reply. When I finish my last class at 6, I usually wander down to the teacher's office and either grade homework or start planning for the next day(s). This is because at 6pm traffic is horrible and it would take me over an hour to get home if I left then. I like to think I'm saving time by staying. This also gives me the chance to chat it up with other teachers. One particular evening, I met a guy named Scott whose grandmother is from the same town that my grandmother is from! Thats right...the Freeport Pretzels! Small world...who doesn't love those connections?! Finally, after getting home in the evening, I eat dinner, plan a bit more, maybe watch a movie or Skype it up a bit...then I'm off to bed around midnight or 1am.

Pretty sweet schedule, huh? I'm not complaining!

The reason I have time to update my blog at this particular moment is because we have a 4 day weekend this weekend. While Halloween is tomorrow, the real reason for this extra time off is a Latin American holiday called Dia de los Difuntos. Those who participated in Spanish Club in high school may be more familiar with the phrasology, Dia de lost Muertos. As for myself, I will be watching Rocky Horror Picture Show at a local indy theatre here in Quito, then after the show heading to a "suburb" of Quito called Cumbaya (pronouced exactly like Kumbaya, the song). My costume this year, you might ask? Well, you'll just have to wait for the pictures....I will say, however, that I'm not a bird, nor a plane...

pic: Iguana Park in Guayaquil. Just a bunch of iguanas hanging out. In a park.

New Closets!

2009-10-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

Ahh...My lovely host dads hired workers to fix my closet this week. Even though it took 3 days to complete the job (this seems unnecessarily long to me), it was well worth it! I can now, a month and a half into my stay, unpack my suitcase.

That said, tonight I have to pack my suitcase. This is because my dads are taking me to Guayaquil this weekend for their Independence Celebration. I´m pretty jazzed for this excursion to a more tropical climate (not in the mountains) and for the massive festival that is this weekend. Coastal cities are also known for their amazing seafood dishes which I plan to sample, as well.

On a more personal note, I was surprised yet not surprised to find my spirits a little lower this week. It´s strange the memories that pop into your head at a moments notice. This weekend is my best friend in the entire world´s wedding. Before leaving for Ecuador I even helped plan the engagement with her fiance. In short, I´ve known for longer than she has that I´d miss their wedding but this doesn´t seem to ease the lil pang of sadness I´ve felt all week. But I wish them all the best and hope the day is beautiful, full of friends, family and merriment! Rhys and Jon, I love you guys! (P.S. - Send pictures!)

This past Sunday, I went to a local church called English Fellowship. Nearly everything is in English as the name suggests and the pastor I think is from South Carolina. The story of how I got to this church is very telling of Ecuadorian society and worth sharing:

About a week and a half ago I was waiting at the bus terminal near my house after work. It was my first time taking the bus to my new Quito host family house. I knew the name of the bus I was supposed to be on and I knew there was a gas station with an orange sign on the corner where I was supposed to get off. While I was contemplating the best way to successfully execute this public transportation venture, the girl behind me in line started asking me questions in English. I turned around and began chatting with her about how she learned English and what her name was, etc. She told me she had actually studied abroad in the States and her name was Daniella. She then asked me, almost out of the blue, if I was a Christian. I said yes and she explained that she´s actually working towards becoming a missionary. Our conversation continued while boarding the bus, riding the bus, and also while missing my stop. Luckily her stop was the one right after mine, so after disembarking, she walked with me back to my corner by the gas station. I got her number and told her I´d call if I could swing church this week.
As it turned out, I could swing church. After a couple of text messages, she told me that she had a meeting on Sunday morning, but that her friend Ivan would pick me up at that same gas station. I was a little leary of this 3rd party especially because he would be driving me in his car to a place I wasn´t familiar with. This probably wasn´t an exemplary performance of street smarts, but I did it anyways. As planned, Sunday morning I jumped into Ivan´s silver Volkswagon (admiring the German craftsmanship and simultaneously missing my Passat, Ruby) and rode with this chatty Ecuadorian guy to church. The people were nice and I ended up having a pretty good discussion about American government with Ivan on the ride home. He invited me to have lunch with him and some of his friends the following Wednesday. That Wednesday (yesterday to be exact) I met up with Ivan again and met his buddy from the university, Antonio and also his new friend from Norway, Anneth. Two Ecuadorians, an American and a Norwegian enjoying almuerzo and each other´s company. Pretty amazing.

And this is just how it goes in Ecuador. You meet someone once and they introduce you to their friends and before you know it, the contacts in your cellphone have doubled.

Perhaps in another post I´ll tell you the story of how I came upon my guitar. It´s pretty interesting as well and involves a couple from Canada.

Well, I must be off. I have other lunch plans today and I have to run some errands before work and the trip to Guayaquil.

Chao!

This is gonna be a doozy

2009-09-27T12:11:00.001-05:00

Holy long time, Batman!!

(left: JUICE! It´s a big deal here. I wish I had taken a pic of the menu...sigh)

Sorry, kids. Life just swept me away down here on the equator. I just finished up the orientation portion of this experience on Friday. It has been a long, but fruitful month. Lots of info flying at me, lots of getting to know Quito and people and families. The focus of the last two weeks has been practice teaching which was a great learning tool for what to expect in the next year. We offered a free two-week English course at a local school in Quito. The volunteers then worked in teaching groups of three. The first and last days were group teaching days, then in between we each took a couple of individual teaching days. I don´t know if that made any sense. Long story short: I was responsible for three days of lesson planning and teaching for a 2 hour long class in Basic English. It is strongly recommended that we don´t use any Spanish even for the beginning students. This makes communication more......interesting. And def. more fulfilling. Lots of hand gestures, cognates, and encouragement so the students feel safe to test drive the language even if they make mistakes.

So for those three days of individual teaching, I woke up at 5am, got ready, made sure I had time to eat breakfast (so that my host mom wouldn´t freak out...no literally, one day the other volunteer in my house rushed out bc she was late and that´s all I heard about that evening when I got home ¨oh, pobrecita! Christine didn´t eat breakfast this morning!! She didn´t even drink her juice OR coffee!! Que lastima! She should have taken some bread with her! Oh my little girl!¨ etc., etc. Juice, by the way, is made fresh daily with allll sorts of fruits. It is a way of life. A blender comes standard with every house, I´m pretty sure.) I then took the bus at 6 or 6:15, arrived at the school around 6:40 and started class at 7. This schedule isn´t too terrible, but the kicker was then having orientation all day after class and then going out at night. The latter might have been a bit more optional, but ya know...ya kinda gotta. Bonding with everyone and all.

Entonces.... Ah yes! There has been some maneuvering going on down here with my placement site. After a somewhat awkward weekend trip to Portoviejo and the subsequent discussion with my site directors, I was offered the opportunity to stay in Quito for the rest of the year. I jumped on this opportunity. Porto wasn´t terrible, persay, but it wasn´t ideal for me. The family claimed they didn´t know I was coming during my weekend visit. Then they didn´t really offer me dinner the first night. The father was away ¨on business¨and when he returned there may or may not have been some tension with the wife. All I know is that they didn´t sleep in the same room and I´m not really sure he stayed at all. However, their kids were adorable. Two 6 year old twin boys who loved playing soccer with me and taking pictures with my digital camera. The decision to stay in Quito wasn´t the easiest, but at the end of the day, I´m really glad I´m staying. There is so much more diversity and things to do here.

So now that Quito is my reality, I´ve moved into my permanent host family for the year. They are amazing! Their names are Daniel and Diego. They have been together for six years and share the apartment with their dog, Teddy. I have my own room, my own bathroom and the internet! (hence this long ass post) There are a handful of other volunteers within a five minute drive from my place and I´ll have about a 20-30 minute commute to work in the mornings.

Since I won´t start teaching until October 20th, here is my list of things to do:

Buy a guitar

Day trip to Otavalo, the biggest open air artisan market in Latin America

Go to a DVD store where you can score movies for about a buck and buy the crap out of it

Check out Banos for a weekend, a really fun town that offers a plethora of outdoor adventure-type activities like horseback riding, canopy gliding (?), hiking, etc.

Go shopping. Since I packed for coastal weather, I think I might need to purchase different attire.

Oh and plan a Halloween party. Apparently on Oct. 31st there is going to be a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show at a local theatre. This should clearly be followed by a costume party. I´m stoked.

Ah I´m sure there´s more but I can´t type any more and I´m sure your eyes are tired.

Peace and Love,

2009-09-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

Sunday, August 30, 2009

(right: the cathedral of Santo Domingo in an area of historic Quito called La Ronda. This is about a 5 minute walk from my house)

Hola todos!
Today was a great day. It was my first full day with my host family. There two of us volunteers living here for this first month. When I leave for Portoviejo at the end of September, Christine (the other volunteer) will stay here for the entire year. It’s a really great set up. We each have our own rooms complete with a big-girl bed (aka a double), a tv and space for all the things I packed. The room locks from both the inside and the outside, which is nice, but I’m not terribly worried about it because the family is so respectful, caring and generous. They treat us like their own daughters and they’ve been hosting volunteers for over 20 years. Marco and Elisa are my host father and mother who live with us. We also get to spend a lot of time with their 25-year-old daughter Doris and her husband Edy. Doris is 7 months pregnant with their first child, Nicholas. Down the street are Edy’s parents. They are all super helpful in showing us how get around and which buses to take. Not to mention they feed us all the time! This morning I was journaling outside when a neighbor approached. He greeted me enthusiastically and when I told him who I was, he said he already knew! Needless to say, the people here are pretty great. Our house is in an area called La Loma Grande, which is located about 20 minutes south of downtown in the historic part of the city. The buildings and architecture here are very beautiful. Near our house is the touristy section of Old Quito called La Ronda. The streets are narrow and made of brick, there are lots of little shops and even more history. This is also where one can find the amazing old cathedrals like La capilla de Santo Domingo.
One of the biggest cultural differences I’ve noticed so far is how the family spends time together. Today, around mid afternoon, we all returned to the house after a group picnic. Christine and I were then ushered into the master bedroom where the entire family sat on the bed at watched TV together. It’s called un descanso, or a rest. With the Biography channel (in Spanish) highlighting Andy Garcia in the background, we all sprawled out on the bed and chatted, watched the program and even napped a bit. At first, it didn’t feel like much a rest to me because I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. But I went with the flow and eventually nodded off a bit. I think this practice, while somewhat strange to Americans, is something I could totally get used to. Who doesn’t like to siesta in the afternoon?! Well, there’s no doubt I could write more, but I need to get some sleep as tomorrow is our first real day of training, Spanish classes and probably much more. Hasta luego!

Tuesday, September 1st
These past few days have been rather full with orientation type things. Lots of discussions on safety and culture along with Spanish classes at a local school. Most of the activity happens in an area known as Gringolandia or Mariscals. It's a really fun, touristy part of town. Think 8th Street in Holland but busier, more places with live music and dance clubs. If I didn't emphasize this earlier, my host family is really great. On the 19th Christine and I are going to a baby shower for Doris. The entire family is so accommodating.
This Friday, the entire group of volunteers are going to a place called Papallacta. It's a famous geographical site with hot springs, gysers and the like. I'll know more after Friday :)
Funny story: I was trying to chat up the owner of this cafe to practice my conversational Spanish and she told me that she doesn't speak English. I guess I wasn't aunnciating well. But fear not, I can already tell my Spanish skillz are on the rise. I'm starting to think in Spanish, understand more and soon, I will probably be dreaming in Spanish. Maybe. It's up for debate.

I'm hoping to post more pictures soon. Unfortunately, the uploading speed is rather slow at the moment. If my FB album is successful, check out more there. If not...then just hang tight.

Day 2!

2009-08-29T18:42:00.000-05:00

I have made it to Quito safely and am enjoying myself thoroughly! I can't update a lot right now because we're waiting for our host families to come pick us up. Today we woke up at 7 and then had breakfast as a group on the balcony of this restaurant. It was beautiful with the mountains in the background and huevos revueltos (scrambled eggs) and fresh jugo (juice). We spent some time discussing safety and host families then we had lunch at a Mongolian sytle restaurant. The altitude threw me for a loop last night but I seem to be feeling much better today. I think I was just dehydrated. I'm so excited for this next year and I promise my next post will be longer and more detailed. Much love!

Portoviejo!

2009-08-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

This just in: my city of residence for the next year will be Portoviejo. It's a coastal town with a population of about 170,000. This, I just discovered, is roughly the size of Grand Rapids. I can only deduce, then, that this city will be just as cool as Grand Rapids. There's a proof somewhere to back that up, I'm almost positive. Additionally, Porto is located 1 latitudinal degree south of the equator. I've been told it will be hot and humid all year with a rainy season and a dry season. I can't wait!

Moving on....there are some other interesting facts and new information I also feel blog-worthy. The first being that my teaching placement is at the Universidad Tecnica of Mamabi. I will be teaching 3 days a week to students 10-18 years old. So when I went around telling everyone "adult ed, adult ed, adult ed", I was wrong. Based on what I've gleaned from past volunteers, Portoviejo sounds fabulous. I've been told that the people are super friendly (indicative of coastal towns), the beaches are stunning, the food excellent and the atmosphere is pretty laid back.

My mailing address for the first month of training is
WorldTeach Ecuador
Casilla 17-07-9715
Quito, Ecuador

Although, please know that mail can take up to a month to reach its final destination (aka -me) so it might be better to wait until I know my mailing address in Portoviejo. Also, sending packages can be tricky. Should you decide to send one, please make sure it doesn't weigh over 4 pounds, claim the value as $0 and write "personal items" on the customs form.

Below are my niece and I getting excited! Hasta luego!

Pre-Departure Post

2009-08-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
Welcome to my blog. I will be using this site to update friends and family on my travels in Ecuador. I have a lot left to do in my remaining days state side such as immunizations, purchasing a digital camera, banking and cell phone logistics, etc. Twice this week I have had the unfortunate experience of finding a spider crawling on me. One on my neck and one on my leg. As I shrieked "ew ew ew ew!" and did a spastic and shortened version of the cupid shuffle (see youtube "cupid shuffle" if you're unfamiliar), I realized that this is probably just a test of what's to come. I hear they have big bugs in Ecuador.

In any event, please feel free to subscribe and check this site for news, pictures and videos from yours truly. I will put up contact info as soon as I know what my future address will be!

Paz! (Peace!)
Chrissy