Lauren's adventure in Ecuador

Argentina and Chile bound

2007-06-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

I´m back! I have so much to say, but I'm going to attempt to keep it short. (Right, Lauren, right.) I'm currently in Córdoba, Argentina, and I'm with my peach, Kjell, so things are fabulous. Kjell and I met up in Buenos Aires on June 8th, and after some initial obstacles (airport being closed, cancelled flights, etc.), we had a marvelous rendezvous. It had been almost six months since I had seen him. We immediately turned to our Lonely Planet Argentina and Chile guides, and started planning away. Yes, that's right, we had nothing planned before we got here, but things have turned out well for flying by the seat of our pants. On the first night Kjell treated me to an amazing steak dinner at a place in Buenos Aires called La Cabelleriza. This place can make a meat lover out of anyone. It was muy sabroso, and I'm still dreaming about it. This has been the best meal we have had to date because food and just about everything is twice as expensive as Ecuador, and I am missing my home away from home and the $1.25 meals and 5 cent bananas. Buenos Aires is like any other major European city. The architecture is stunning, and I couldn't get over it's extreme contrast to Quito and all of Ecuador for that matter. The difference is night and day. Designer shops line the streets, people talk on cell phones without hesitation in public, leather goods abound, and there are multitudes of cultural events. The only downside was that it was COLD, and that practically everything was closed that we wanted to see. I'm not kidding. We had high hopes for Buenos Aires, but after going to the Teatro Colonial, the Casa Rosada, etc., and seeing that they were closed, the wind was taken out of our sail. I just began to laugh as we walked around and saw huge "Cerrado" (closed) signs in the windows. We should have heeded the forewarning, because Buenos Aires was only a precursor for what was to follow. Buenos Aires did treat us to many memorable things. We saw a tango show, took a really fun tango class, saw an awesome, bohemian antique market, visited an interesting artesan fair, went to a fútbol game (Boca Jrs. v. Belgrano) in the stadium of the in/famous Maradona, visited an Evita Perón museum, walked across the famous space-age bridge, tested out some steaks, acted like true tourists in a boulevard called "El Caminito", passed through the famous La Recoleta cemetery (where Evita is buried), and ate in the very hip and eclectic El Palermo barrio of Buenos Aires. In spite of every other thing being closed, we made the best of the city, and we're still seeing how traveling in the low season has it's benefits but disadvantages as well.

We then headed to the most remarkable waterfalls I have ever seen: Iguazú falls. My mouth has never dropped in front of waterfalls before, but I serioulsy couldn't marvel enough at the mammoth drop-offs. Kjell and I spent all day there, winding around the paths and taking the sights in from all possible angles. We even went on a motor boat directly into the falls and were freezing like the tourists we are, but it was worth it. One of the falls apart from the rest was called The Devil's Throat, and it captivated me. I'll hopefully put a picture up later because it was an abyss that I can't describe. It's absolutely amazing- a convergence of all the rivers that falls into a massive hole in a two-tiered drop. You hopefully can get the idea.

After Iguazú we headed on our first overnight bus, which was a bit of a haul. It was a 22 hour journey, but it wasn't so bad because we were able to sleep, and following Latin American tradition, they entertained us with the most horrible movies known to man that we laughed about. Kjell and I do a lot of that it seems. We're just about always laughing. I told him today that people must look at us and think, "What can those two kids possibly be laughing at so much all day long?" I love it. Anyway, we stopped over in a rather dull town called Tucumán, but we found a gem of a restaurant and tried locro, this crazy mystery stew. It came to us with all kinds of strange meat that we put to the side. It was a foray into adventurous eating that doesn't need to be repeated, but it was fun. Empanadas (love of my life) are better! We then headed to Cafayate, a town known for it's white wines. There are Rutas del Vino (wine routes) in both Chile and Argentina, so we wanted to see what a wine town was all about. But hey, what luck, it was a national holiday, and all the wineries were, you guessed it, c-l-o-s-e-d! We laughed again. We did have enough luck to go to one, however. We also went on a great, 46 km bikeride through a gorge of scenery like no other. We saw unbelievable rock formations and mountains. It was a tough journey, but it gave us needed exercise after so many bus rides. We had a lovely tuna picnic (note, tuna is our best friend), and really enjoyed being insane and biking the whole gorge. Only wimps take cars!

Kjell really wanted to go paragliding, so we went to a town that is famed for it's flying. La Cumbre treated Kjell to a majestic overlook and lush valley as he tandemed with the guide. It was a REALLY relaxed town, and this means, haha, most things were closed! We really enjoyed the free breakfast though:) They are nothing like Ecuador's feasts, but we are appreciating all of the endless, calorie-laden bread products Argentina has to offer and it's world class hot chocolate (called The Submarino). They serve it as a hot glass of milk, and then you're able to dunk a whole bar of chocolate into it (hence, the submarine).

We spent today in the college town of Córdoba, and it treated us well. It has seven universities, so we checked some out. (Don't worry, the idea of law school here crossed my mind, but it quickly left). Kjell played some chess in the plaza like a champ, and I enjoyed watching him play with the Argentinians, and he won! We wandered around the market and bought amazing meat and cheese for lunch. They have tons of that here, but we made the mistake of eating cured, but raw meat a week ago because we didn't realize that meat was served crudo, or raw, here. Hmnnn. We've since learned to ask before ordering.

General observations about Argentina so far:
1) The men´s haircuts are awesome. They sport some serious mullets, and it makes me laugh. We're both waiting to find a good place to get our hair cut in true Argentine fashion. We need to work on the clothes though so we pull off the trying-but-not-really grunge, chic bohemian thing.
2) The country is enormous, and I am already starting to cringe when I see the double-decker overnight buses that I can now begin to call my second home.
3) The accent cracks me up. It sounds more like Italian than Spanish, and they pronounce the y, ll, and j differently.
4) It's difficult to eat both well and cheaply. Hello tuna.
5) I should have checked into the whole southern hemisphere´s winter in June and July thing. About that...
6) People are really helpful and go out of their way to greet you and say "Buenas tardes" with mucho, mucho gusto.
7) Everyone smokes, and that's how the women stay so thin I'm convinced.
8) They serve agua con gas (carbonated water) with all coffee/café drinks, and I love it! I also love the really cute little spoons they have.
9) Everyone drinks maté. It's awesome. I read a lot about maté in my Argentine lit classes in college because the famed gauchos of the Pampas used to drink it and pass it around the bonfire to stay warm. The tradition has stuck, and everyone walks around with a thermos of hot water, their gourd with maté in it, and the bombilla (self-straining straw). To the North American this seems to be a cumbersome load to carry, but it's second nature for everyone to carry the thermos and gourd around here. High-school ages kids drink it on the bus, older people drink it on benches, salespeople have it behind the counter, young 20-somethings take it on dates-the works! It's a maté obsession here, but what a healthy way to go, right?
10) There are sweets and candy stores on every corner, and they always tempt us. We give in daily.
11) Poverty is not as apparent as in Ecuador, and I still can't believe Ecuador and Argentina exist on the same continent. The physical indigenous characteristics aren't as apparent as in Ecuador, and there is an obvious European descendency. It's nice for once that people can't pick me out as a foreigner just by looking at me. When I speak it's a different story- I'm caught!
12) Wine is sold on every corner, and it's possible to buy wine-by-the-glass for $1.25.

I told you I'd try to keep it short! Next off is Mendoza on a night bus. I hope everyone is doing well and is ready to eat mountains of salads with me when I come home. I get back July 12th in Tampa. More to come soon!

Getting in touch with the Pacha Mama

2007-05-27T15:54:00.001-07:00

I love Ecuador. This country is merely a dot on the map, but within its borders exist such biodiversity and beauty that it’s hard to believe Ecuador is only the size of Colorado. Where else can you find volcanoes, jungle, beach, highlands, and Darwin’s famed islands all in the same place? One of my treasured friends, Jessica Cornett, came to visit me to embark on a beach tour of Ecuador. It was amazing. I don’t even know where to begin. I saw so much of Ecuador that I literally haven’t left a rock unturned now in this awesome country. Jessica is a flexible, spunky, active (yet capable of being totally lethargic, which is awesome), bare-bones traveler, and we were a formidable pair. We relished not having a plan, a watch, or a place to be. Our days consisted of absolute relaxation. The biggest decisions we had to make were if we were going to pay six dollars or eight dollars for our hostel, if we wanted the pineapple or coconut milkshake, if we wanted to sunbathe now or later, if I wanted gummy snacks, or if I should start reading a new book. (I’ll stop now.) We started our adventure in a tiny beach town called Canoa, and I have to say that getting there was the most frightening Ecuadorian bus experience I have ever had. We literally escaped crashing into an oil tanker by the skin of our teeth at one point during the almost 10 hour bus ride to Canoa. I loved how a really sassy woman on the bus marched up to the driver in an irate fury due to his driving. I had never seen such hip-popping, finger snapping, oh-no-you-don’t, hand waving in the face spiciness since my arrival here nearly eight months ago. We all applauded her. Jessica was beside herself, and I was laughing because I have developed this irrational and all-too-trusting confidence in bus drivers here. The whole “near death, hey let’s pass ten cars on a blind curve” thing really just doesn’t phase me. I always seem to assure myself that no matter how crazy the ride, I probably won’t die. I’m way too okay with the driving. Canoa was awesome. We stayed in this tiki hut hostel loft thing, and it was our first introduction to the cold-water showers of the coast. Jessica proceeded to burn herself like the royal lobster that she is, so the rest of our days on the beautiful beach of Canoa were spent pilfering tons of aloe plant branches for her. We got quite good at it. I wish I had pictures to put on the blog, but I’ll get into that later. It’s a tragic story.

Jessica is marvelous. She cracks me up (and herself, which is oftentimes even funnier). She also makes really keen observations and insights, so I really enjoyed hearing what she had to say about the country that I have come to love. Her first obsession began in Quito when she awoke the first morning to the “fruit and randomness truck”. These trucks are all over the country, and they’re fun to watch. Someone drives the truck while droning on into a microphone that is attached to a massive megaphone/loudspeaker mounted on top of the truck. They drive really slowly down residential streets advertising the myriad products they have on the back bed of the truck. Usually it sounds something like this: “aguacates, bananas, tomates, comprame los aguacates”. If you’re lucky, they might just be selling underwear, toilet paper, or even chickens or pet turtles (lucky charm!). I’m getting off track.

After Canoa, we explored the beach town of Bahia, and it’s a small, but charming pueblo. We made it our mission to eat Pinguino brand Magnum ice-cream bars. It was great while it lasted, but we tired of Magnums after a while like the toddlers that we are. We climbed up the ridiculously tall, imposing cross on the hill that serves as a lookout point over all of Bahia and walked along the beach beneath a precipice of natural beauty that we lovingly termed “The Prettiness”. We also checked out a beach soccer game, and it is always fun to see girls playing with the guys and their proud moments when they actually pass the ball or defend a male opponent. It gave us a good laugh to witness their glee. I forgot to mention that Jess and I began our costal culinary tour in Canoa and Bahia. We tried specialties like Viche (a peanut based soup with fish- read amazingly delicious), encocado, arepas, etc. Jessica is a fan of looking at a menu, identifying what she has never seen or heard of, ordering the unknown items, and relishing in the delight of the surprise. This creates for fun eating.

After Bahia we ventured to the rather uneventful, but tranquil town of Crucita. I had heard tons about it, but it actually turned out to be our least favorite town. The only thing there is to do there is paraglide, so Miss Jessica had a go. I am in my ridiculously frugal stage of traveling now that money is running out, and I still have 1.5 months left, so I stayed back and took pictures of Jessica riding the winds in her massive purple sail. We also observed the throngs of fishermen and fishmongers in Crucita. It’s the primary industry, and there are literally fish everywhere. Boatloads of fish come in, and the fishermen bring the fish fresh off the boat right to the shore, where there are tiki warehouses set up for the scaling and cleaning of fish. Scales fly everywhere, and a small stream of blood trickled down from the cleaning shacks into the sea. The men all work together to transport the fish, and they systematically and methodically push the boats onto the shore using the method of logs underneath the boat to roll it up. Meanwhile, birds swarm in dizzying numbers over the fish cleaning stations and the boats in the hopes that they’ll find a tasty scrap. It’s a colorful, chaotic, hot mess, and I loved observing it.

Puerto Lopez was next on the list because it’s the starting point to go to the poor man’s Galapagos, or Isla de La Plata. There is no comparison between the two, but we did have the good fortune of happening upon a few blue footed boobies, and the crowning moment was seeing the albatross. It’s an enormous bird/almost mystical looking animal. The views from the island were impressive because the deep indigo and turquoise waters swirled and crashed against mammoth black rocks and cliffs. There were many smaller islands as well that created sweeping, curved archipelagos. We went snorkeling there as well, and we saw amazing diversity that Erica and I missed out on the Galapagos a little bit. There were so many different kinds of fish! We hung around Puerto Lopez a little too long. We joked with each other that when we started to recognize people in the towns and when we noticed when new waves of tourists had come in that it was definitely time to go. We started to not even be able to drink a soda on the street corner without seeing people from the town that we knew. Speaking of colas, Jessica was quite fond of Inca Cola, the yellow, bubble-gum tasting favorite of Peruvians, and we had the ritual of sharing a cola in a glass bottle some nights. We’re too cute. A lot of cola is served in glass bottles in the little convenient, corner store type “variety” stores that offer everything fried and trans fat. The best is when the stores have little tables inside them so the townspeople come and hang out. I likened it to getting a Slurpee at 7-Eleven and sitting at an indoor table in the middle of the isle. How strange, right? Anyway, serving the colas in glass bottles has many advantages. For starters, it tastes worlds better, the shops can send the bottles back to be cleaned and re-filled, the cost can be lower for consumers due to the savings in material, and Ecuador can actually take part in small-scale recycling because lord knows it’s lacking here. I have become painfully unaware of throwing plastic bottles and paper away now because it’s been so long. The only downside is that you can’t take the bottle home with you because it needs to be returned to the store. Therefore, you have to enjoy the drink on the premises. Jessica was about to walk off with the bottle, and I thought it was really funny. Again, I’m getting off track.

Puerto Lopez served as a great home base for lots of activities. We also attempted to go to a town called Agua Blanca because there was a good hike we had read about in the Lonely Planet. Speaking of the Lonely Planet, my advice is to not take everything they print to be fact. Jessica and I are convinced that the writers didn’t go to some of the towns we were in since the last edition. Anyway, Agua Blanca was a flop, but my fiesta-ready eyes saw the preparations for a big party that was to take place that night for the patron saint San Isidro. People were adorning the entrance of the church with crazy palms and they were constructing a big tent and stage. It looked all too much like the Mexican wedding party scene from the movie Babel, and ever since I saw that movie I have wanted to go to a party like that. So we went! It was an event, let me tell you. Getting there was an effort, as the only way to go is on these little motorcycle-taxi things. We had shamelessly cajoled our motorcycle guy, Luis, into taking us to Agua Blanca. So here were are in this sputtering, moto-taxi, and Jessica of course had her supafly, fake Chanel, pink sunglasses on even though it was 10 pm (for the dirt and dust, claro). We arrived, and surprisingly we didn’t receive the stares I thought we would for being the only gringitas in the middle of the most in-the-sticks town celebration that two girls could possibly happen upon. The people were happy we were there. Lots of people wanted to know who we were, and I was happy to be in this rustic, dirt-floor fiesta with the people of the community. Old couples danced next to young teenagers. Young boys danced with their moms and weren’t embarrassed in the least. Ladies tried to stand upright in spite of the really tight jeans, sparkly halters, and high heels they were wearing in the dirt. I swear though, even the toddlers dance better than Jess and me. It’s such an important part of their culture that I’d be hard pressed to find an Ecuadorian that can’t dance. They went so far as to announce us over the speaker system (multiple times), and this infinitely amused us. I even got Jessica to dance some salsa! You know it had to be a good party to get her dance. Everyone was drinking the famed (disgusting) Pisener beer of Ecuador, and Jess and I found it funny that when someone ordered a beer, the beer man brought out a small, wooden table with the one bottle of beer (and 10 cups because everyone shares). So for the price of one beer you get a whole set-up! That’s hard to beat. We also went to the most picturesque beach that we saw during beach tour ’07 called Los Frailes. Los Frailes is untouched by man. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and we basically had the whole beach to ourselves. Moto-boy Luis drove us again, and we were a bit upset by the early closing time of the park. We had tried to go the day before, but the guards wouldn’t let us in due to the San Isidro party, and the day we went was Mother’s Day, so they wanted to go home. (Read: they were finding good excuses to not work). I’m actually really glad that we were there during Mother’s day because we saw the most awesome karaoke truck. A big, blue Ford truck with speakers and karaoke equipment in the back just drove around the town and parked in front of houses, and the people came out and started celebrating wherever the truck went. They seemed to really be enjoying themselves! I don’t think that this truck would have much success in the majority of the U.S. Puerto Lopez on the whole treated us rather well, and it’s hard to resist the charm of a quaint harbor town situated on a beautiful bay with hundreds of bobbing, floating blue boats anchored in the water. We had bad luck with the place we stayed, but breakfast is included. “Breakfast” here is kind of funny. I am way too spoiled now. Ecuadorian breakfast always includes coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, and fresh fruit juice. It comes with scrambled eggs and bread with jelly and butter, and if you’re lucky, fresh fruit. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I love instant coffee here! No, you read that right. I’m in a country with decadent coffee, but it’s mainly exported, as with most profitable products in developing nations, and what do the locals drink and get left with? Nestle instant, soluble coffee. I love it in hot milk though. Anyway, I am tired of the traditional breakfasts now, but it was nice while it lasted. Another funny thing in Puerto Lopez were the many young guys transporting fish around town. Jess and I were off in our own little world, when all of a sudden I saw a swordfish inexplicably approaching Jess and dry land! What?! These MASSIVE fish were piled high on a bicycle-buggy, and the poor kid was working really hard to pedal the weight of the fish. It was really odd to see the fish right next to the motorcycles and cars that passed by. Jess also really found the random stores funny. She bought a hat, for example, in a store that sold shirts, hats, crackers, toilet paper, lettuce, tea, batteries, shoes, dog food, pots, and figurines. There are so many of these stores that I don’t understand how any of them stay in business and why they don’t specialize in and offer one product is beyond me. They all want to offer a little of everything though instead of only offering one kind of item. They must have their reasons.

Another funny thing we noticed was how people open up their houses for their businesses. It makes better financial sense to open up a room of your house to have a business and live there as well, but this created for interesting times when we did laundry, bought snacks, or tried to use internet. We were just sitting there at the computers when in the next room over the whole family eating dinner, the kids were doing homework, and people were watching dubbed versions of the Simpsons in Spanish on the t.v. that sat right below the gigantic poster of Jesus and Mary framed in a huge, cracked, bronze frame. We also dropped our laundry there, and the lady told us that we’d have to come back in about 8 hours because she needed to wash all the clothes and hang them out to dry. She returned the clothes to use in a piecemeal fashion as she remembered where she had hung different articles in different places of the house to dry. Or, one time I tried to buy an creamcicle, and I had to knock on the gate of a door to alert the woman who was sitting on her couch watching television that I wanted to buy something from her store. A frustrating thing about Ecuadorian purchases is the change issue. I can’t stand it. Vendors and taxi drivers alike are notorious for NEVER having change for larger bills. And by large bills I mean a 5 or a 10. No joke. I wanted to buy a Twix once because I was having a U.S. craving day, and I just flat out couldn’t buy it because the vendor didn’t have change. The pain of walking away from that piece of chocolate was too much to bear! It amazes me how these people lose out on sales because of merely not having the energy to go get change for the day for their business. Nobody wants a big bill. I’ve entered a store and tried to buy something more than a handful of times and have had to leave the item there because of this. What I don’t understand, however, is if these people are charging people in small coins all day long (taxi drivers especially), how is it exactly that they don’t have change!? Argh.

After being in Puerto Lopez too long, we ventured on off to the most touristy beach town in all of Ecuador called Montañita. It’s the epitome of laid back, surfer dude chillness. In the Tracy’s words, more sounds come out of the mouths of the surfer boys than actual words. (“The waves were like whoooooaa, and I was like, chaaaa.”) It was absolutely adorable though, and I really liked the town minus the boom, boom, boom, thumping of techno music until 5 a.m. right outside our window. I felt like I was literally sleeping in the subwoofer. The town had tons of great food (which was well received because Jess and I were a little tired of the fixed Ecuadorian meal of rice, beans, meat, and some kind of strange salad). I need not say more when I tell you that the very first thing I did was buy an entire watermelon when I arrived, and I practically ate the whole blessed thing myself on the rocks. If you know me well, you know that little brings me more happiness than single handedly devouring a watermelon with no utensils. Another great addition was the random baker on the corner who had the most decadent treats. Jess and I indulged practically ever time we passed him, and we usually had the good luck of getting something that came right out of the oven. He baked for the lazy, unproductive and shamelessly hedonistic crowd at the beach though and didn’t start baking until wake-up time, or 12 p.m, since that’s when breakfast is anyway. He also had the fabulous 6 p.m. sunset treats when the air got a little chilly. He’s a genius. It got a little pathetic when we knew what was old and had tried almost everything. Life doesn’t get much better than freshly baked goods if you ask me. I feel like it’s right up there with cuddling with hot laundry that’s just come out of the dryer. Anyway…the highlight of this city was my fatal attempt at surfing. Holy cow, surfing is impossible. I took a “lesson”, and I thought life was good since I could stand up and ride in a few waves while my instructor was helping me. The minute he left and I was left to my own devices, I was doomed. I was laughing all day long as I almost lost my bathing suit multiple times and took some seriously noteworthy, completely ungraceful and ungodly falls. I felt like I had hung out in a washing machine all day long by the end of it.

The good thing about these towns is that even though there are tourists, there are still locals who keep on living their normal lives, so you never feel like you are too far removed from normality. When we were in Montañita we observed the fiestas of San Isidro as well. This San Isidro character is pretty popular apparently. There was a carnival-like celebration in town, and the church was the happenin’ spot. I just love how people are inside praying and outside a band is blaring at fully capacity while people dance in front of the church doors. These are the kids of scenes that I would love to capture on film, but it’s impossible to show the juxtaposition to do it justice. Oh wait, and I don’t have a camera. We just walked around the town because that’s precisely what everyone else was doing- walking around and looking at everyone else. There were a lot of salchipapa (hot dog mixed with potatoes) stands as well as other makeshift “restaurants” on the road, which basically means women with a portable stove and the biggest pots known to man with weird meat mixes in them. They put up tents with plastic chairs, and there was the essential cord of light bulbs hanging above. I smiled when I saw tourists mixing with the locals and eating at these local joints. There was also a cotton candy stand, and being that I am a sucker for anything sweet, and especially pink and sticky cotton candy, I had to try some. I noticed an older couple standing by me watching my every move. I asked them if they had even tried cotton candy before, and not only had they never tried it, they had never seen it, and they thought it was some freak, alien creation. It made me laugh. I offered them some, and they didn’t quite know where to put their fingers. Then they feared putting the pieces they had torn off into their mouths. After the lady tried some I saw the glimmer in her eye for more, so I offered her more, so we stood there and shared cotton candy together. She kept taking more. It was really funny. There were also all kinds of corn (choclo) stands because people eat them as snacks. I think we should too in the U.S. The funniest part was this big dance floor that had been partitioned off with fencing. There were female dancers inside the entrance and really loud music, but the confusing part was that nobody was entering. Everyone was standing outside the entrance as if they were waiting for something. We were really confused; if the party was inside, why was everyone staring at an empty dance floor from the outside? Then we saw a poster on the fence that said, “Entrance: 1 dollar”. It was kind of sad. People eventually entered though. The best part of the whole thing was a fireworks show called the “vaca loca”. That means crazy cow in English. Tracy and I saw a similar event in Baños, but this was 1,000 times crazier. It’s essentially a really unsafe fireworks display, and a daring man gets into a wooden contraption (that looks like a cow) with explosives all over it and runs around the town square like a crazy cow. The best though was this tower that they had constructed of all kind of fireworks, and it exploded in the middle of the town square. At the top was an icon of San Isidro, and once the fireworks reached the top, his image appeared in all of its divine, farming (haha, and flaming) glory. The people think it’s really funny to play with fire, and they laugh when things go wrong and flaming rockets comes hurtling toward their faces. I don’t get it.

Next on the list was Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador and the business capital of the country. While Quito is the cultural and political capital, it still pales in comparison in terms of population. I had heard that Guayaquil was very dangerous and rather uneventful, so we only spent the afternoon there. We walked along the Malecón 2000, which is a 3 km boardwalk that is absolutely amazing. It is the nicest public space that I have seen in all of Ecuador. There were playgrounds, zen gardens, restaurants, and just generally cool architecture. It impressed me that such a restoration project exists here. After our jaunt in Guayaquil, we went to Cuenca! What an awesome city. It reminded me a lot of Cusco in Peru, but it’s still entirely different. It has quaint cafes and shops and cobblestone streets. It also has 30 churches or something and all are different styles. It was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the efforts to keep it pristine are amazing. Coming from Quito, I can really appreciate recycling efforts, and Cuenca has it right. There are trash cans on every street corner (gasp, what a concept), and the streets are clean. We took days trips to thermal pools, Inca ruins (called Ingapirca), and we went to Cajas National Park. This beauty of this park is seriously beyond my descriptive capacity. If only we had pictures to show for it, which brings me to the tragic loss of Jessica’s camera. My camera is broken, and like I said, I’m in a frugal state now, so I decided to rely on the people’s cameras who come and visit me. Well, it was just our luck that her camera broke as well. She is obsessed with photos, so we immediately went to buy another camera. We took 300 pictures of awesome scenery in the national park, Cuenca, and a really cool market in the middle of nowhere called Cañar, but then she lost the new camera. (It’s okay, Jess.) We were beyond sad, and she was especially devastated to have lost a camera and such awesome pictures. Oh well. Cajas was unbelievable, and the best part is that we got lost, but then we found the path again after tromping around in the muck. The trees in the forested areas were unlike any kind of vegetation I had ever seen. It rocked. (Get it?) The best part was hitching a ride back with an Ecuadorian family back to Cuenca on the back of their faltering pick-up truck. They were a hilarious bunch. There were literally 10 or so of them, maybe more including the little ones, and they even had a mattress and blankets in the back of the truck for comfort. It was really nice of them to offer us a ride. The truck put-put-putted up the hills, and I wouldn’t doubt if it broke that day after we got off, but they were a jolly bunch, and they were traveling as a family around this beautiful country, and you can’t ask for much for than that. Plus, they were happy to help some gringitas out. They’re always surprised when I can hold a conversation with them. Ah! I forget to mention something that continually makes me happy when it comes to national parks here. Being that I am more Ecuadorian now than some nationals (kidding), I have a census and an I.D. here, which means that I pay like a national in all the parks, i.e. I paid $1.50 and Jess had to pay $10. I just think about that when I’m feeling poor! Jess and I also tried some good food in Cuenca, namely a Colombian specialty called “arepas”. It’s a corn tortilla with just about anything sweet or savory that you might desire on top of it. They also had this great oatmeal drink that we loved, although the malt-flavored soda wasn’t so great. Another interesting thing about Cuenca is that the indigenous women dress differently than the women in Quito and other parts of Ecuador. They wear really elaborate, vibrantly colored (and heavy) skirts with all kinds of hand-sewn sequins and embroidery decorating the bottom hem. They also wear different hats and shoes. The hats are more rounded, and instead of the Otavalan, triangular shoes, a lot of them wear tennis shoes with ridiculous USA socks. Seriously, there were so many ladies wear this one particular kind of sock that it made me wonder where the big U.S. sock sale was. I felt like we were in a completely different country when we were in Cuenca.

Next we traveled down to Loja (en route Jess lost the camera), and we then went to Vilcabama, a famed town because of the number of centenarians who live there. Many say that there is specious evidence because many of the really old people can’t generate a birth certificate and don’t really know when they were born. In any case the scenery is breathtaking, and Jess and I did our fair share of hiking. I really liked that there was honestly nothing more to do than go hiking; it creates for healthy, uncomplicated living. All of the people that we met during our travels were very helpful and kind for the most part. I find Ecuadorians to be really affable. We were in a taxi once, and the driver asked me where I was from, and I told him that I had spent six months in Quito. He immediately jumped into how the Quiteños are cold, hypocritical, and while they are very well-educated, they are not so helpful and giving. He said that on the other hand, the Costeños, the people who are from the coast, may be vulgar and a little dirty, but they are genuine, straightforward, and loyal. He made me laugh. I had heard about the highland/coast divide for a long time, but he was the first person I have met to be so vocal about the stereotypes. I also met another woman on one of the buses we took along the coast, and she asked me where I was from. After only the second question I noticed that her hand was on my lap, and soon after she was holding my hand. I know it’s a simple gesture, but I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. I just thought about how nice it is here that people do that. She wanted to know all about me and my parents and how I felt about being away from my mom on Mother’s day. I think she held my hand for a good 20 minutes. I quite liked it actually, and I surely have never had that happen to me in the U.S. People like to be with people here, and the good ones look out for travelers and spread a little love when they can. Oh, and there’s one more thing that I think needs to go down in the books. Jessica and I were on the bus, and it was only a short bus ride (an hour I think), but I made the mistake of drinking a whole bottle of water a good half hour before we left. I’m usually good about dehydrating myself so that I don’t have to worry about bathroom emergencies on buses. I forgot this time though. I didn’t know what to do, so I just asked the bus driver to stop the bus. I got off, went to the back of the bus so nobody could see me, and successfully went to the bathroom. It was liberating! Jessica was horrified I think (as was everyone else on the bus), and more importantly, so were the people in the truck going the opposite way that drove by at the perfectly wrong time. Awesome.

So this has been beach tour ’07 in a nutshell. I hope you’ve enjoyed if you’ve made it this far. I figured I owed you a long entry after a month break. I’ll be in Quito until June 7th. I then leave to meet up with Kjell in Argentina for some more backpacking, and then it’s back to the U.S. on July 12th. I have a huge adventure ahead of me still, which I’m really looking forward to, but I’m also looking forward to catching up with everyone when I get back. E-mail me so we can make some dates! Abrazos y besos a todos.

Row, row, row your boat

2007-04-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

My time at the lodge has come to an end, and I´m surprisingly a little sad to leave. I was supposed to volunteer for a month, but instead I cut my stay short by a week because a friend of mine, Tracy, came to visit, and I decided to leave with her! My time at the lodge was great, and the best part was getting to know the staff and the tourists who came from all over the globe. I think I´ve met people from 15 different countries in just three weeks. Living with the staff at the lodge afforded me the opportunity to have really interesting conversations about HIV, education, family structure, natural medicinal remedies (especially for the machaca bug), teenage pregnancy, etc. One of my favorite ladies who works there is only 29 and she´s already a grandmother. I couldn´t believe it. But then I listened to her story multiple nights after dinner, and I came to know one of the strongest women I have ever met. She shared with me a little about the pain in her life, what living in a tiny community is like, and how it was to be pregnant at 13 and now have a daughter who gave birth at 13 as well. When I was leaving I wanted to leave some of my clothing and bathroom things for her, and I gave her a bag of stuff. At first she was really grateful, but then I could tell that something was wrong. I had never anticipated that giving her things would make her feel bad or would be insulting. That obviously was never my intention, but I think I embarrassed her by giving her things. She lamented that she had nothing to give me in return, and I just laughed and told her that she had given me her friendship and dinner conversations and that I had learned a lot from her. She didn´t understand. Anyway, I learned a good lesson with the giving of my clothing that I had never anticipated. I think I should have been more cautious and tactful about giving. It wasn´t charity. I was just trying to help someone that I admire.

Having the opportunity to be in Tena has also been a good experience. It is worlds away from Quito, and I was able to learn about a different community in Ecuador. The town is really small, and everyone knows everyone (seriously). Practically everyone has a child slung around their hip. Most people are very hot, tired, and looking to make a dollar or two. There is literally a brigade of popsicle salespeople, and people roam the streets hawking whatever object it is that they got a good deal on and are trying to sell this week. The people have much darker skin here, and the Kichwa descent is very apparent. Some poeple including guides at the lodge are 100% Kichwa. They also seem to look older to me than they are because of thier thick, leathered skin and multiple children in tow. They are very hard workers, and their posture and finger nails attest to their work ethic. They are also big drinkers, and when they drink it´s not the occasional cocktail, it´s two days of debauchery. Sometimes I stare at the young mothers on the street or bus because I can´t believe how full thier hands are; their babies are usually quite dirty and crying, and they usually have a burlap bag that weighs a ton with some kind of vegetable in it. Likewise, older women walk down the street with no shoes, and I look at their weathered, calloused feet, thier deep, almost chiseled wrinkles, and I think about what kind of life they have had and what they have gone through. I wonder if they´ve ever seen an iPod, if they´ve ever traveled outside of Tena, if they´ve ever had a day to rest, take a bath, and eat chocolate cake. I doubt it. But their life is rich in many other ways. They look at the yucca and corn plantations and smile because they can tell it will be a good harvest, they take their kids canoeing to fish, they drink chicha, and they´re happy to have lived a fruitful, sun-filled day. I really love how life is so slow here. People eat when they´re hungry and sleep when they´re tired. It sounds simple, but it´s a beautiful thing. They take life day by day, and they don´t worry about tomorrow because they´re too worried about making ends meet today.

Tena has been a bit of a shock for me because it´s been dirty, trying, and outside of my comfort zone, but I´m glad I came here and met such wonderful people. I learned tons about medicinal plants and Kichwa cooking, and I saw some of the most amazing sunsets on the Andean range framing the Amazon basin. It´s time to move on now though. Tracy and I went to a small town that we had heard a lot about called Misahualli, but it turned out to be a flop. The best part were the monkeys and not because we ooed and ahhed over them. Quite the contary! I was seated on a bench enjoying a nice ice cream cone when, whoosh!, someone stole my crackers! It wasn´t a person though. It was a sneaky thief. I hate those monkeys! It then started to throw my crackers to break them in the pack and then proceeded to try to open them. Meanwhile, I was confused because I´ve never exactly had to con a monkey into givng me my things back. Fine, take the crackers I thought. But apparently they are intelligent little devils, and he started opening the zippers on my backpack. I saw he was going for where the malaria pills are, and that´s where I drew the line. I just started to throw things to distract him, but this was no small nor stupid monkey, and it bore it´s teeth. I was honestly scared but also upset because I really wanted my ice cream! But at this point I was wearing my ice cream (and so was my backpack). To make matters even more wonderful for me, the poor foreigner, I was smack dab in the middle of the town square, and my hooting and hollering was drawing attention, and people were having a good laugh and the dumb North American. I laughed later becuase I honestly must have looked like a complete idiot fending off this silly monkey, but I was scared it would bite me. A nice boy finally came over and helped me, and my anxiety lowered. Going to the city was worth the monkey experience. Now Tracy and I are getting read to take a four day, white water kayaking class, and I´m psyched. I just hope that I don´t break something or get hurt.

I also wanted to mention that I read online about what happened at Virignia Tech. I honestly couldn´t believe it. I sat back and thought about how many people have expressed how concerned they are for my safety here in Ecuador, and then this happens at a university. I just happened upon Yahoo news and saw the headlines, and I had to take a doubletake because I couldn´t believe what I saw. People down here ask me what is wrong with the United States. First Columbine, now this, they say. Do parents not spend time with their kids? Is it because you all eat fast food? Is it because you are obsessed with success and working a lot? I don´t really have a good answer for them. They have a point though.

Simple pleasures

2007-04-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

I´m still surving the Amazon, and I´m learning how to unwind. Who knew it could be so hard to learn how to do nothing and relax? I know, I know, you must be thinking, right, Lauren, poor you. Seriously though, there´s an art to doing nothing. I think there´s even a book by that name, and if there isn´t , I will be more than qualified to write it in about three more weeks. I´m learning how to really appreciate the poeple who come to the lodge. As you know, I´m very much the talker, so I chat away with the guests, and I´ve met some really great people. I know it may sound funny, but I think that people should travel with business cards because I´ve met so many scientists, engineers, and other professionals who´ve met other great contacts from their field at the lodge. I also thought that maybe it´s also because people are on vacation with nothing else to do at night, so they actually give everyone a chance, aren´t caught in the hustle and bustle of their lives, and resign themselves to hammocks and conversation. It´s a beautiful thing to see how people actually listen and entertain themselves by asking people about the most interesting parts of their lives. Everyone really does have a story. Max Ehrmann is right.

I´m also really enjoying the cacao fruit. I know I already mentioned this, but I seriously cannot get over how much I love this fruit. It´s almost better than the chocolate that it later produces. Almost! The mazorca, or the body of the fruit, has this impressive red-orange watercolor look to it when it´s ripe. The most amazing this is that the fruit grows right from the trunk of the tree and not from a branch. (Maybe look it up-it´s neat). Then the fun part comes of whacking it open with a machete. I am getting good at this. Then you finally get to devour the fleshy pulp that cover the beans. I love walking around with my cacao fruits and then taking them tubing with us. La da dee dee doo, just floating down the river with some great fruit. I´ve also made it my business to get a batido (great fruity milshake made with WHOLE milk-yikes) every time I come to town. I´ve had three different kinds so far and plan on trying all 15. Like I said in the title, simple pleasures.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch life is good. I have found which hammocks I like best, and I´ve started to make friends with the staff. It´s funny how a day with nothing planned turns into something. I´ve done a lot of reading, and I especially like Isabel Allende these days. Most people know her for The House of the Spirits, and I´m currently reading her book called Paula (dedicated to her daughter). It´s a good read. I´m also really beginning to learn to love the rain. It´s torrencial here. When it rains, it really rains. Most people want to enjoy the rainforest without the rain part, but that´s why it´s called what it is. I love listening to the rain now though. I can spend a good hour in the hammock listening to the changes in the rain. Then comes the sunset if it´s an afternoon rain, and then what´s a girl to do? That takes another hour.

As I mentioned last week, I´ve been meeting tons of international people at the lodge. I had to translate for a old Norweigan couple these past three days, and it was trying. First off, not only did they not speak Spanish, but they didn´t speak English well either, so this created some fun times. The woman also had leg problems, so walks that take three hours took five. Think nightfall in the jungle. Yeah, I´ll get to that. So we go on a walk with the couple and four other guests. The guide, José, shows us a plant called Ortiga, or stinging nettles. He tells the group that it´s good to put Ortiga on the body to help with blood flow. So what´s the most logical thing for the Norweigan lady to do? Drop her pants of course. I really wish I were making this up. This 60 or 70-something lady undid her pants and proceeded to rub Ortiga all over her thighs while we all watched with mouths agape. It´s one of those morbidly interesting things that you really wish you weren´t seeing but you can´t seem to take your eyes off of. (Preposition). Then, because of her slow walking, so didn´t get going to head out of the jungle until late afternoon. The guide went ahead with two Italian people, and left me with the other four people, and we had to follow the path out of the jungle in the dark. I finally got fed up with being really scared and yelled at by the guests, so I yelled for José to come back at the top of my lungs. We all knew that there was no rational reason to get more scared just because it was dark outside, but you can´t help being a little concerned in the jungle at nightfall. The guests were a little upset to say the least.

So that´s the week in review. Meanwhile, I´m having way too vivid dreams because of my malaria pills and hoping not to get dengue. Wish me luck!

Being Jane isn´t as fun as I thought it would be

2007-04-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

I safely arrived in the Amazon, but the past week hasn´t really been what I had wanted or expected. I´m never good with change, so I´m trying to stay positive while duking it out loads of spiders and ferocious conga ants. The lodge that I´m at is absolutely gorgeous. Amarongachi tours owns two sets of cabins, and I´m currently at the really nice ones (electricity), but the threat of going to the bug infested, more rustic cabins looms. Anyway, the nice cabins are called Shangrila, and the place deserves the name for sure. They have a whole floor of hammocks, a full bar, and a sight that literally takes your breath away. One man who I was translating for sat in front of the view for hours. After about three hours I noticed he was still sitting there. He wasn´t reading or listening to music. He was just sitting there taking it all in. He made a really great analogy and noted that he could stare off into the jungle basin much in the same way that he can look at the burning embers of a fire forever. Even though the jungle is composed of immobile objects, the landscape and the mirage of clouds is always changing, especially after a rainstorm. I saw the most amazing red sky last night after the rain, and I got frustrated because there was just no way to capture the beauty on film. (Which reminds me, there will be no more pictures on the site for the next three months because of my technical ineptitute. Sorry. More reason to see me when I get back!)

The lodge, like I said, is gorgeous, but the problem now is that it´s low season, and there aren´t many tourists. I went from a very hustle and bustle life in Quito into the middle of nowhere, so I´m having to learn how to find things to do and be patient. For example, I had to literally wait for the bus to take me into town for an hour yesterday! I was seriously dreaming about how glorious it´s going to be to drive a care again when I get back. I was talking to my mom about this, and she advised to fully appreciate this time, but I just laughed at the irony of the situtation. When I was drowning in my studies/thesis/volunteering/jobs during college all I wanted was a week of mindlessness, and now that I have a month of it, I want something real to do! I think I will dedicate myself to studying Kichwa (dialect of Quechua), the indigenous language here. The people who work at the lodge are indigenous, and they are fully bilingual in Spanish and Kichwa, and I think it´s a good opporutnity to learn. This past week there were some tourists, so I was able to go on hikes and on the river with them. I´ve already met people from Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Cuba in the short week that I´ve been here. I´m just hoping that more people come.

Working in a travel lodge has made me laugh a few times because it´s worlds away from the five star, five diamond service that I was used to giving at the Broadmoor hotel last summer. I serve the people and eat with them at the same time. I really kind of just do my own thing, and whatever that is is fine with the staff! You have to love it. The staff also doesn´t really concern itself with the details. If the people want cold water and there is none, well, sorry. And that´s that. The guides bring water on the hikes, but they only bring two or three cups for the people, and it´s funny to watch their expressions when they realize they have to share the cups! Erica would have a fit with the lack of sanitation. I´m getting my share of all kinds of bacteria though, so I think I am going to have the world´s strongest immune system in the U.S. You can´t exactly be fussy, for example, when you´re on the bus, and there´s a chicken sitting next to you on the next seat. I just laugh. I was sitting yesterday on the bus, and I happened to look down, and there staring at me were two chicken heads! Oh my.

So we´ll see how the next three weeks in the jungle go playing Tarzan. I´m learning about all the medicinal plants and am loving the beauty. Who knew that the jungle had so many leaves and roots to eat? I love eating the cacao fruit as well (where chocolate comes from). The jungle really is a playground, but when I saw a rainbow boa beaneath me in the caverns yesterday, I just about lost it. I´m still very much a GIRL when it comes down to it! Happy Passover to my family, and happy Easter too. I´m dreaming about Jelly Belly jelly beans right now. Take care.

Por Fin!

2007-04-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

I know it´s been all too long since I´ve updated you all, so I apologize, but life has been a bit busy on the equator. I finished my scholarship some time ago, and now I´m gearing up for new adventures. It´s crazy that six months have passed already. The time has seriously flown by, and I can´t believe that I´ll be leaving Quito. I also think I haven´t written as much as usual on the blog because things haven´t surprised me and shocked me. I’m kind of getting used to life down here, so I haven´t been so flabberghasted (wink). I think this a good thing.

This photo has nothing to do with anything, it's just a little taste (literally) of the culinary delights. Yummmm.

Regardless, even if I´m not commenting on the good and bad of Quito, rest assured that life here has a way of sending me little surprises almost every day. I don´t know if any of you have been keeping up with the political situation here, but there is still no resolution. The congress was dissolved, and they protested saying it was unconstitutional and dictatorial. There is supposed to be a vote for the Asamblea Constituyente April 15th to officially create a checks and balances system (somewhat), so the sneaky, ousted congress members have found a few judges to rule in their favor and block the vote. I don´t understand how this happens. How is it that a random, local judge in the coast or the jungle can make such an important decision that affects the entire country in this especially heated time? Why isn´t the supreme court here deciding these matters?

I also want to touch on crime a little more. I find it fascinating that people here are very hesitant to help when they witness crime. Firstly, people don´t want to involve themselves because they don´t want to put themselves in harm´s way. I can fully understand this. What I don´t understand is the police. I´ve heard of cases when good Samaritans have helped someone seriously hurt by taking them in their car to a hospital. How nice, right? Wrong, the police make them their first suspect. One of my favorite professors, Monica, told me that one of her good friends was recently murdered on the street. He was an elegant man, always dressing in nice suits and with jewelry. Three men attacked him and killed him in broad daylight only to take his wallet. Even if these criminals are caught on camera, etc. it doesn´t matter. The afflicted person has to file a report and go to the police before anything can be done. So what happens in the case of murder then, you ask? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. A dead person can´t exactly get themselves to a police station to press charges. Sometimes, just for appearances, the police apprehend the criminals, but then they´re set free four days later because nobody has come to incriminate them.

So now that I´ve painted this lawless picture in your mind, I want you to consider just how many wealthy people live in Quito. It´s amazing. With all of the chaos and lack of order or rule, there still exists a very wealthy class of people that risk driving their Mercedes and wearing white pants. This dichotomy still fascinates me and depresses me at the same time because it´s made me see how very “dog-eat-dog” a society can be. I also see how it´s really every man for himself. Mind you, I´m saying this after also witnessing the amazing acts of Rotary here, so I’m trying to put it in perspective I think.

On to a more amusing topic…names for romantic relationships. I think it´s really funny when people ask me if I have an “enamorado” (meaning someone you’re wildly lovey about), and I say yes, I have a “novio” (boyfriend). I didn´t realize that the chain of seriousness went as follows: pasatiempo, pelado, enamorado, novio. In English it would translate as: someone to pass the time, someone to flirt with, someone to lust after, and someone who actually has your heart. But it gets better because just yesterday I heard someone say that her friend was her “amigovio”. This really made me laugh because it´s a combo of amigo and novio. Anyway, none of this really matters and it’s juvenile, but it amuses me.

I also had the opportunity to go to the Universidad Central, the main public university here, and I sat in on a class to see what a Spanish literature class is like. It was a really great experience because the professor was a riot. His method of teaching was really similar to what I had experienced at the University of Florida, but he was far more frank and open with his students, which called my attention. I also though it was hilarious that after an hour of class he just decided to stop for a second to go smoke. He literally just put the book down and walked out. The kids were totally used to this. But then he must have had a great, fleeting thought, because he came running back and stood at the door, one arm in, one arm out, so that he could technically smoke without being in the room. Hehe.

So, Lauren, if you´ve finished your scholarship, what are you up to these days? Ah, good question, thanks for asking…

After my scholarship ended, my sister came to town, and we can a grand, albeit short, exploration of Ecuador and the Galapagos islands. As many of you know, she´s quite the go-getter, so resting was not an option. We went to the jungle and to another nature town, and then we embarked for one of the most stressful and unfortunate experiences of our lives: the Galapagos. Yes, you read that right. One of the world´s most precious treasures really through us for a loop. We got on the plane happy as can be in Quito, and when we arrived in Baltra and found out that OUR BOAT WAS BROKEN; we were not happy campers. The other people on the boat had apparently already found out, and we were the only people who came without knowing. Four people on the boat found out in good time and opted to not even go. Erica and I were furious. A representative from the boast didn´t even have the courtesy to come to the airport to receive us. We only had Miguel, the most horrible guide ever, to tell us what was happening. Usually when something like this happens, the boat company is supposed to put its passengers on another boat of equal or better quality, but our company did not do this. They gave us a revised itinerary that included day trips to islands that we didn´t even want to go see. So basically we were going to have to stay in a hotel on the main island, wake up at 4 a.m., and take day trips. I really wanted to cry. The company said that there were no spaces on the other boats, but I didn´t believe any part of it.

To top it all off, I was the only one who spoke Spanish, so I had to be the translator for our group, and that was a task and a half. A woman from the boat finally had the respect to come meet our group, and she told us that we all had to come to a unanimous decision about what we wanted to do. And I had to mediate it all. It was such a tense environment because everyone had thousands of dollars invested in the trip, and we all had different interests. We finally came to an agreement four hours later that the company should refund half our money. We made the lady write up a contract, and she signed it. After all that stress, we finally an agreement- or so we thought.

We got up and ready by 5 a.m. the next day, and the got us on a plush day boat. Great. At least we were on water. Then came the lady, except this time she had a written contract. She passed it out to the group, and the first thing we all thought was, how interesting. This is WRITTEN IN SPANISH! The contract basically would forbid us to ask for any more money back etc. The dates were wrong, my name was misspelled, and it was a disaster. She told us that if we didn’t sign it there would be no trip. We got off the boat. How horrible. I finally got in touch with my travel agency (where I booked the trip), and they got a first-class boat for Erica and me, and we were elated. It wasn´t what we wanted, and it would mean one more day in the same island, but we took it. We had no other option. So a five day tour turned into two solid days in the islands, but what can you do?

The photo to the right is my "Whahoo! We got a boat dance!"

Erica and I tried to make some serious lemonade out of our lemons. Well, we’ll actually call them pina coladas, if you will. We got on a different boat and we saw the northern islands. I had wanted to see the southern islands, but what I was really after was the famous blue-footed booby, so I didn’t care where we went at that point. I just wanted to see the coveted booby. Yes, the name is fun. I know. We saw a sampling of the astounding beauty that the Galapagos has to offer: boobies, frigate birds, penguins, a shark, turtles, tons of fish, families of sting rays (awe-inspiring), loads of sea lions (Erica’s favorites), and some other treasures that I’m forgetting. The islands themselves are amazingly beautiful. We hiked up to a simply gorgeous lookout point one evening, and we could see the sunset and its reflection on both sides of the sound. It was pure tranquility, but then I remembered that I was surrounded by tourists speaking every language known to man. It’s fascinating how many people come from all corners of the globe to see these islands. We met all kinds of Europeans and others from Israel, etc. Erica and I met quite a few people on awesome, long-term, South American or worldwide adventures, and it really inspired us to travel the world for a year. We’ll see if it comes to be, but I’d like to dream about it for the time being:) The Galapagos really gave us a good run for our money, but at least we got to take part in a little of its magestic beauty. It really made me more appreciative of all the times that things go right it life. We tend not to notice because things are going as they should, but when something like this happens you realize that you should be more grateful for all the times when it was smooth sailing (haha. Get it?).

My birthday passed as well, as I was happy to spend it in Quito. The Rotarians actually sang to me (in English), and that was cute. People here sing in English first and then they sing feliz cumpleanos in Spanish. I find it entertaining. I did a lot of things that made me feel good like running at the gym, getting my hair cut, and eating! I also went out dancing (salsa of course), and danced until I couldn’t move my poor feet anymore. You know it’s a quality place when they serve chicken soup at 2 a.m. to give “fuerza” (strength/endurance) to the dancers! Feliz cumpleanos a mi!

I’ve been gearing up to leave Quito, and today is the day (wish me luck). I’m headed off on the 8 a.m. bus to the jungle. That has a funny ring to it. Seriously though, I’m going to a lodge to work for a month as a translator. I went to this lodge (Shangrila, http://www.amarongachi.com/), with my language academy, and I absolutely loved it, so now I’m going back in a different capacity. They need English/Spanish translators for their guests who come and don’t speak any Spanish. That’s where I come in. Meanwhile, I’ll be helping lead tours through the Amazon (neat, right?), canyons, rivers (in tubes), and the like. I’m really looking forward to it, but it has its dangers, like bed bugs (not joking), boas, tarantulas, and generally disconcerting people who give me a strange look. Anyway, I will really feel worlds away, so email me! Send me love! I’ll send you a monkey.

No words can do it justice…

2007-02-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

But if I had to pick one it would be “transformational”, both for the wheelchair recipients and the donating team. This past Monday I began a four-day trip with Colorado Springs Rotary members and members of a truly inspirational organization called Adopt-a-Village (formerly known as Hope Alliance). I was so impressed and inspired by this wonderful group of people. It was a motley crew, and each person had their strengths and something to contribute to the group. They all came with the single goal
of distributing wheelchairs to disabled Ecuadorians, and for many it was their third trip to South America because they had done similar projects in Peru in prior years. I thought my Saturday experience was great, but the four days that we spent delivering chairs in Santo Domingo, Bahía, Portoviejo, Ambato, and Latacunga made an impression on me that I had never anticipated. This trip made me so grateful and so painfully aware of how fortunate I am to have the gift of complete health and mobility. The warmth, kindness, and true appreciation of everyone we came across, be it other Rotary clubs, wheelchair recipients, or their family members, had a way of filling me with a sense of purpose that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before. The wheelchair recipients we met all had unique stories, and some just made me want to scream with anger when I learned why they were in a wheelchair. I had the opportunity to do a bit of interviewing and translating into English, which was wonderful way to learn about the stories of many of the recipients. I think the cases that struck me the most were those of young women because their reality hit all to close to home. I could very easily be in their condition. It made me consider the injustice of chance and circumstance. Why did I receive the good fortune of health, education and a stable life while other young women find themselves immobile and painfully poor? I deserve these things no more than they do. I met one young girl (26) who simply got sick one day. The next day she woke up paralyzed. For the past seven years her loving and dedicated brothers have transported her by carrying her wherever she needed to go. With the chair she said that she can now sit and have a small store maybe, or better yet, she can do simple but important things, like going shopping for clothes with her mother.

The girl who had the largest impact on me, however, was unable to speak. We all went to a local hospital to deliver a chair to this young woman. We entered the hospital, and just by looking at the quantity of people, feeling the stifling heat, and seeing the dirt on the walls, I knew that I needed to try really hard to put the judgment card aside and just take in what I was experiencing. We entered the room and spoke to her mother and father, who were dutifully by her side tending to her. They told me that she was a perfectly healthy, pregnant 20-year-old girl, and she actually was in such good condition that she walked herself to the hospital to give birth. Due to complications, she had to receive anesthesia for a Cesarean section, but the anestigeologist gave her too much, which not only paralyzed her but affected her mental capabilities as well. This occurred five months ago, and the parents are still paying to keep their daughter in the hospital. They are thousands of dollars in debt, which is money they don’t even have. To make matters even worse, the baby died shortly after birth.

As with anything, we experienced the good and the bad. Fortunately, we saw, in my opinion, many more joyous cases than cases like the one I mentioned above. For instance, we met a law school student who was very excited about his new possibilities for mobility. We met grandmothers and grandfathers who came with their families to receive the chairs. We met young children in need. One boy in particular stands out because he had no legs and only one arm because of a horrible fire that he was in. We met people of all ages and needs, and giving the chairs was a beautiful sight to be had. They were so proud to begin anew, and sometimes their loved ones cried in happiness. I honestly believe that we witnessed countless liberations- liberations of spirits and physical bodies that had been confined for years. In some cases we literally saw an instant smile and transformation as the person lifted their head to face the world with new confidence. Others cried. The touching part was to see this change regardless of how it manifested itself. Some people were carried in on the backs of their loved ones. One man in particular crawled in; he literally came in on his hands and knees. Another was rolled in on a chair that his family had made with furniture wheels on the legs to create a make-shift wheelchair. I just stood in the hallway and watched as a flood of recipients passed by me. How does one go unchanged after seeing so many people who have battled with disability? It wasn’t their need that spoke to me most, however. It was their strength, perseverance, ingenuity, determination, and tenderness. Seeing such varied human conditions spoke to me. They are amazing people.

The organization for this project was remarkable. The U.S. clubs had raised the funds, and the Ecuadorian club arranged for the logistics. Every chair recipient had to register themselves, so when the day came to deliver the chairs, we had exactly the right number of chairs (big and small), which is a feat of organization. It was heart wrenching, however, when people showed up to the events who weren’t registered to receive a chair. In many cases they were worse off than those on the list, but we had to refuse them. I was elated when in some of these cases we could spare an extra chair, but how exactly do you tell a 90-year-old woman that you can’t help her when you look at her obviously abused and almost gangrened feet? It was the reality of the situation, and I think this fueled inspiration to return again.

I had never experienced this kind of humanitarian and philanthropic giving in the past. I think that during this trip we all felt like actualized agents of change. It was simple: we treated others how we wanted to be treated. We gave metal and rubber- nothing more. But human interaction is never that simple, and it’s always greater than the sum of its parts. We experienced humanity. People helped people- again, nothing more. It made me consider how complicated we make our lives sometimes, and how in the midst of noise and haste, we lose sight of the simple importance of looking around us. As many recipients commented, they received new legs. They also received independence, confidence, and a new willingness to positively change their life.

We thrived off of tearing open the wheelchair boxes, assembling the chairs, creating our assembly lines of adjustments and tweaking, and finally, taking Polaroid pictures of the recipients and their families. I know this is painfully cliché, but this week was as much a gift to me as the chairs were to the people I think. I changed because of it. On a final note, after a week of giving of themselves to their last shred of energy, the members of the Colorado Springs group donated a massive amount of clothing to give to a local foundation. The hearts of these people are so enormous that, using the words of a trip member, I don’t know how they continue fitting in their chests.

A huge THANK YOU is due to the North Colorado Springs Rotary club, Adopt-a-Village, Quito Rotary Club, and finally, the Rotary Club of Downtown Gainesville for making this all possible. Pockets of peace and change are possible. They are taking place right before my eyes in Ecuador.

The Wheelchair Foundation

2007-02-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

I’ve been really busy with my Rotary club lately because their capstone project just kicked off yesterday. In conjunction with a Colorado Springs Rotary club and Hope Alliance, my Quito club arranged for the purchase and delivery of 576 new wheelchairs for adults and children in Ecuador. It has been a huge undertaking for them, as it involves three international organizations, a whole lot of people, and a lot of dinero. I have really been looking forward to this week-long project for many reasons. Firstly, the idea of seeing a matching grant project in action is exciting, and secondly, I lived in Colorado Springs with my sister this past summer, so I was especially excited to work with this North American team. The project officially began yesterday (Saturday) at the Quito city hall. It was an unorganized, chaotic frenzy. There were wheelchairs everywhere and throngs of people lined up to receive them. The city police couldn’t assemble the chairs fast enough. I thought it was kind of ironic that the wheelchairs were shiny red. It made me feel like Santa Claus way too much, and I don’t like the idea of pure charity without some kind of reciprocating effort on behalf of the receiver, so it made me sit and think for a while.

I’m not really sure why, but about five or ten minutes after I arrived I wanted to cry. It wasn’t because the people were horribly poor- quite the opposite actually; many came with their own, albeit used and abused wheelchairs. It also wasn’t because we lacked chairs to give people. We have extras in fact. It also wasn’t because I saw a transformation in the eyes of the people receiving chairs; like I said, many of them had had chairs before. I think I had selfishly wanted to see these life-changing moments with the poorest members of society. I suppose I just felt like we hadn’t found the people in Quito who needed the chairs most. I felt like I hadn’t tried hard enough. I knew that for every person who had the wherewithal and ability to receive the wheelchair in city hall, there were five more people who simply didn’t have the strength, assistance or money to get a chair. I realize that you can only help so many people, and that surely many more truly needy people will go without wheelchairs, but it left me to think. Giving out wheelchairs is easy. Finding the truly needy is the hard part. Seeing disabled children also stung a little more than usual. I think it’s because I saw how much their parents cared for them, and how they were almost afraid to place their kids in wheelchairs. They have been so used to carrying or tying their children to their backs that having the separation of this red object between their needy child and them was a little to much to handle for them. They always had one hand on the handle, one hand on the child. They wanted to enjoy the new apparatus, but I think they were scared of change and ironically felt like they had less control over the care of their child. I think the immensity of the project just overwhelmed me.

After city hall we went to La Comuna, a very poor sector of town. One of the Rotarians is helping to modernize and expand a grade school there, and this would be our second event to give chairs. There were considerably less people, and I preferred this experience because I could really see and meet the people of the community. We gave the majority of chairs to children, and many were so tiny that they didn’t even fit in the chair, but they will grow into them in the coming years. We saw a traditional folk dance put on by some girls of the community, and I enjoyed the interchange between the Rotarians and the community. It was a beautiful event. I noticed, however, that some of the designated chairs for the Comuna remained parked without a new owner. I asked, and apparently there were transportation problems and the people would be really late. Better late than never, because they had an entrance that I will never forget. I could hear the truck before I even saw it, and for some funny reason I knew it was a Ford. It came peeling around the corner, and all of the family members in the back swung around the corner with it. The man driving literally couldn’t put the car in park fast enough, and he sprinted out. The kids unloaded out of the back, and so did the ladies. I didn’t see anyone in need of a wheelchair, so I was a bit confused. But then I noticed that the kids were maneuvering a wooden plank, and seated like an aged princess was their beautiful grandma. My heart sank. They slowly carried her to the wheelchair, and her eyes were glued to it. I don’t think an earthquake could have broken her gaze. She slowly lowered herself into the chair. He calloused hands that had gripped the wooden plank for ages slowly passed over every inch of the armrests, the wheels, the seat, everything. She literally just sat in her own little paradise caressing the smoothness of her new chair. Her family circled her, a woman obviously adored and loved, and they were speechless.

So this has been the start of a great project. I am planning on traveling with the group during the next four days as we deliver 450 more chairs throughout Ecuador. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to write about so check back soon.

(Me with Hans Hisgen, a member of Adopt a Village in Colorado Springs.)

Politics as (un)usual

2007-01-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

What a day not to have my camera with me. Quito was absolute chaos. The congress here is completely corrupt, and the people are tired of it. Usually congress members aren’t politicians, lawyers, or anything of the like. Instead, they are television personalities and other members of society who have celebrity status for one reason or another. They are VERY well paid by Ecuadorian standards, but what do they do to deserve this $3,800 a month? Interestingly there are no checks and balances within the different branches of government, and therefore, the congress has its autonomous power to do whatever it wants. For instance, the congress recently breached a constitutional law when they decided to re-instate a notoriously corrupt man as the “fiscal”. The constitution states that 1) the fiscal must be elected from a group of three highly qualified people, and 2) a fiscal can never serve the position more than once. This fiscal who was recently appointed, Cucalon, has served as fiscal in the past, and surprise, surprise, he wasn’t elected this time among two other candidates. Error numero uno of the congress. The second error, and that which incited the Ecuadorian public, occurred last night. The Ecuadorian public has been asking for ages for a raise of $10 for the lowest paid laborers of society. The congress decided that $10 a month was just too much and that $4 was more reasonable. Fine. What did them in was their simultaneous decision to raise their own salaries $1,000 a month to $4,800! And who can stop them? Nobody. The interesting part is that Rafael Correa, the new president, voluntarily decided to halve his own salary. Usually presidents in Ecuador make $8,000 a month. He decided that this was unjust in such a poor country and decided to pay himself $4,000. He also included a clause with this decision, however, that states that nobody in a public office can earn more than or equal to his salary. Hmnn. This leaves the congress where then exactly? The congress has enraged the public, breached the constitution, and put themselves at odds with the president. Brilliant.

In light of their decision to stuff their own pockets while allowing the majority of Ecuadorians to live in poverty, the people took to the streets. And I, being the political science student, was just dying to observe. So we went to the protest to see what all the hullabaloo was about. There were literally masses of people screaming, waving banners, chanting vulgarities, throwing eggs at the congress building, violently fighting the police, and escaping the tear gas when it finally came. I am really dangerously nonchalant about tear gas now, which is probably bad. The congress was in session inside the building, but all of the members fled through the back door when they realized their lives were in serious danger. What started out as a peaceful protest slowly evolved into an anarchic, irate display of lawlessness. At this point we decided to call it a day, and it’s a good thing we did.

I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The congress had defied the people and the president. The people were fighting each other, and what was it really all about? $60,000 a year. Would this sum cause complete chaos and anarchy in the U.S.? I don’t think so. But it’s not just about the money. It’s about a system of corrupt “politicians” who have ruled the country for years. It’s about poverty. It’s about a polar divide in society. It’s about not trusting a single member of the government or police. It’s about living off of less than $2.00 a day.

So I got to thinking. What exactly would be the problem with installing a dictatorship here? What would be the benefits and drawbacks? In all honesty, democratic governance has not been effective here on the whole. How can it be when the congress is as corrupt as they come? I honestly can understand why many people would opt for a dictatorship. The president could dissolve the congress, clean up the nation, and try to start anew with democracy in a few years after giving the nation the heavy hand that it needs maybe. I don’t know. What I do know is that prior to coming here I didn’t ever know the reality of a truly faulty democracy. I think as Americans we automatically assume that democracy is best because it’s our system and it works rather well for us and has for generations. After living this reality, however, I can honestly say that I’d rather support an effective dictatorship that a completely corrupt democracy. But what if Ecuador turns into a dictatorship? Tourism will likely come to a standstill, and many people will suffer in their businesses. More people will starve. Ecuador will lose international support, and the U.S. will likely enforce an embargo. What is Ecuador to do? Should they reform the country and rid the nation of corruption while simultaneously potentially alienating themselves from the United States and other major world powers? Who would this really be helping if Ecuadorians would just be more adversely affected? Would it cause more poverty? They're stuck between a rock and a hard place as they battle with choosing between the worse of two evils.

This situation has made me realize how important it is to thoroughly investigate foreign news because in the U.S., our news is limited, and we sometimes only hear the end result of foreign affairs. In the case that Ecuador turns into a dictatorship, U.S. citizens would likely only hear how Ecuador is a dictatorship and nothing more. What we wouldn’t be told in the news is that the congress was highly corrupt and made unconstitutional decisions that negatively affected the country. As a student and tourist I probably would opt to travel somewhere else. As a north American, the word “dictator” scared me. But now I can really see the value in complete political control in a developing nation.

I will leave you with a thought in light of today’s events. Is it better to have an open, democratic, but corrupt government, or a dictatorial, but efficient government? We’ll find out soon I suppose.

(I forgot to add that I saw Correa in his armed car today. It passed me on the street just by chance, and I couldn’t get over how he had the window down. That’s very trusting. I waved at him and got “the nod”. I usually hate “the nod”, but this was the best nod ever! I don’t think Bush would ever drive through the streets to see how the public was really living.) Buenas noches a todos.

First funeral…

2007-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

Politics are changing in Ecuador. With drastic change come hit men and death apparently. On Wednesday night, while at the Rotary meeting, a Rotarian received a very important phone call, which informed him that the Minister of Defense and her daughter had just died in a “helicopter accident”. I put this in quotes because I find this highly unlikely. When Jaime Roldós, a past president here recently took office, he was killed in a small commuter jet. Funny that Correa and Roldós are very similar in ideology, no? The Minister and her daughter were in two separate helicopters (new, state-of-the-art, armed forces helicopters), and they crashed for some unknown reason. It’s interesting that Nobot, Gutierrez (past ousted president), and Noboa (corrupt candidate for this presidency), all had a meeting last weekend, and now this tragic “accident” occurred. It’s also interesting that both of the helicopters didn’t have black boxes. How exactly does a brand new helicopter not have black box?

The death of this legendary die-hard socialist really hit Quito hard. The President declared a national period of four days to publicly mourn her death. All flags were put at half staff, and there was even a funeral service Thursday in Quito not even 12 hours after her death. I really wanted to go to find out more information. So I went. I was able to see President Correa in person (15 meters away). I am so astounded that the common public can be so close to the President here. My only point of reference is the heavily guarded President Bush, so this “mix with the commoners” deal really has piqued my interest. I sat among the schoolmates of the daughter of the Minister, who also passed away. It’s funny how funerals are really sad even if you never knew the person. I watched all of her classmates hug, cry, and try to console each other, and I just thought to myself that I’ve been rather lucky not to have had to experience the death of a best friend. It was kind of surreal actually to be surrounded by the chants and red flags of the members of the Ecuadorian socialist party. In all honesty, I was kind of uncomfortable to be surrounded by chants calling for Marxism and socialist reform. The irony though was that in a sea of black and mourning, the intense red color of the party stuck out like pulsating, vibrant, bleeding life.

I sat in the stands observing all the people: indigenous leaders, diplomats, congressmen, past presidents, family members, schoolmates, political revolutionaries, members of the press, etc. It was a conglomeration of all members of society. The members of the press really made an impression on me though. They seriously behave kind of like bloodthirsty animals. They scramble, scatter, stretch, and sprint to get that million dollar picture of the Minister's sister who can’t hold in the tears any more. I found them to be a bit ruthless, although I understand that they have stories to write. For crying out loud though, is it so hard to honor silence? As I was saying, it was surreal to hear the chants of the socialists while watching the bishop walk up the path to the coffins. He was carrying a white and a red rose, one for both the mother and daughter. He approached the public in complete, solemn calmness, but to his left were paparazzi and the throngs of disrespectful chanters. Then came the protests. It really was the most interesting funeral service I have ever been to. I just hope that the President exercises good caution, because if history repeats itself, he is the next to go.

I also wanted to fill you in on some other little things that have happened recently. I noticed a sign in the bus the other day that really made me laugh. It said, “Be respectful, and keep the bus clean please; throw your trash out the window”. I wish I were joking! This may explain why Quito is so very dirty. It’s incredible. Anything that has a convex surface is considered to be a perfect resting place for all kinds of garbage. I really don’t understand why they don’t have better recycling initiatives here. So much plastic, paper, and glass goes to waste. It really pains me to throw these products away. There are just so many other pressing needs that recycling has always taken a back seat, which is a shame.

I recently had an interesting conversation with my new professor about prostitution in Quito. He told me that it is technically illegal, but there are certain sectors that go conveniently overlooked by the police. In order for prostitutes to pass under the radar, they must work only in these certain sections and they must carry a medical card with them, which shows their blood work results every three months. If they are caught outside the zone, or without their card, they are doomed. I find this really interesting. The government officially states that prostitution is illegal, yet the same government also has a rubric of official requirements for this business. Makes you wonder…

That’s all for now, folks. It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I’ve found a new love of ping-pong, and pretty soon I’ll be ready to take on Forrest. Forrest Gump, that is. Seriously though, it’s fun. I challenge you all when I get back!

A season of many firsts

2007-01-19T17:22:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of random, disjointed anecdotes to share with you, so bare with me.

I’ll start with some really stirring images I saw on the television concerning robbers in an indigenous town. The robbers had apparently stolen some tools and chickens, and their misfortune was that they were caught. Worse yet, they weren’t apprehended by the police, but rather by the indigenous locals. Stealing in indigenous villages is a serious sin. The three core mandates of many indigenous groups are the following: 1) do not steal, 2) do not lie, and 3) do not be lazy. I think I commented earlier about how indigenous members of a town called Pelileo attempted to burn a criminal alive at the stake. It’s a sad reality that many of the indigenous are forced to take justice into their own hands because they know the “police” will not intervene. I think that many actually prefer that the police don’t intervene because they want to practice their age-old system of justice. Whatever the real reason is for the lack of real police presence, I don’t know, but what I saw made an impression on me that will be hard to shake. The whole town congregated (including young, old, infirm, disabled, the WHOLE town), and they even brought lawn chairs, drinks and visors. This was a spectacle, sport, an interesting Saturday afternoon’s activity that would teach their children a good lesson. The two robbers were stripped to their underwear. They were first lashed with really hard straw whips. Then came the most terrifying part for me. They were completely smothered with stinging nettles. I had a small taste of stinging nettles in the jungle, and the blisters the plant caused hurt like mad. I can only imagine how it must feel all over your body. Then, to finish off the lovely castigation, the two men were both doused with ice cold water (I saw the ice cubes) just in case the bleeding wounds and prickling blisters all over their bodies weren’t hurting enough.

I didn’t really know what to think. On the one hand, I had to blink and remind myself that I am living in the 21st century, but on the other hand, their system of reprobation is serious, and I doubt that those two men will be repeat offenders. I can also guarantee you that none of those children who were present will even think twice about stealing. There is definite merit in this. Sometimes people need to be singled out to make a lasting impression for the whole.

Moving right along…I had the chance to go with my professor to the numismatic museum here, and I thought it was really intense to see her reaction the exhibit. Ever since dollarization, the people here have talked about how much better it was to have the Real and Sucre. The Sucre, when it was strong, enabled a middle class, and 100 sucres could buy groceries for a family of six for a week. In 2000, when the cunning economists had waited long enough during the inflationary process, 25,000 Sucres was equivalent to one dollar. Insane. College tuition cost about 500 Sucres in the past, then in 2000 the tuition was thousands upon thousands of Sucres. I saw my professor’s face and demeanor completely change as we walked into the room with a collection of old Sucres. I listened to her recall a happier, more prosperous time. She looked at all the bills and told me what she could buy with them in the past. They were also gorgeous colors of the rainbow, and she said that people never even looked at the number value; they knew the value by the color. This has caused many problems here because people weren’t used to looking at the number ($1, $5, $10, etc.), so they were kind of confused at first (and many were conned). I tried to imagine what the experience must of felt like for her. Here she was, standing in a room full of currency that used to be completely valid. Now the money is a tourist attraction. How would I feel if all of a sudden I were looking at millions of American dollars that meant absolutely nothing because the U.S. had been more or less forced to adopt the currency of the world’s superpower? I sometimes gather that the people feel like they lost part of their Ecuadorian identity when dollarization place. What had been theirs for a very long time was suddenly taken away and made null and void. I guess the situation wouldn’t be so bad if they liked the dollar, but the majority don’t.

Another issue that I think is kind of interesting is that the highest level of education that is offered here is the Masters degree. Sure, there are law degrees and medical degrees, but for students to receive a Ph.D. in any other field, they have to leave the country. Basically this means that if a student isn’t fortunate enough to receive a scholarship, the highest level of education they can obtain is predetermined, and only the wealthy can enjoy the luxury of pursuing higher degrees.

Ah! Big news in the world of Rotary. I finally gave my first presentation. I kept asking for months, and there was never a good time for them, so I finally insisted and presented this past Wednesday. I practiced on all the students at my school (there are actually a lot now). In spite of having practiced, I was surprisingly nervous! It went really well though. I was glad that I finally got to explain what my purpose is here, because I hadn’t really had positive Rotary experiences here so far. I go to the meetings every Wednesday night at the Swissotel, but nobody really tries to include me and involve me in conversation or in the club for that matter. This is in part because the club is ALL men. Well, there is one woman, but she rarely comes. I am always very uncomfortable with the club, but after the presentation I felt much better. I found it very funny as well how everyone paid so much attention to me from the minute I walked in the room because I was wearing a suit. My my my how a suit changes everything. (I usually wear less formal clothing, and coincidentally, no one makes an effort to speak to me). This night though, the whole club wanted to know my name and they “introduced” me to the club. I laughed because many of them didn’t even realize I was the same girl that had been attending their meetings for the past three months. Anyway, I talked all about my host Rotary club in Downtown Gainesville (6970), and I spoke about Gainesville, Florida, the U.S., and all about my experiences in Ecuador and the cultural differences I have experienced. They were really laughing during some parts that I hadn’t even anticipated. I’m really glad that the presentation finally broke the ice, because a Colorado Springs Rotary club is coming to Quito early February for a wheel chair project, and I really want to travel around Ecuador helping them with the distribution of chairs.

This past Thursday I went to my volunteer site, a refuge for adolescent mothers. I am just starting with the organization, so it was my second visit. I first felt very uneasy because I was thinking about how the girls would view me. Unfortunately, my predictions were right. I entered and saw about four mothers and their babies staring me straight in the face. What exactly should I say? Do I just smile and try to find something to talk about? Should I be nervous that I don’t speak Spanish perfectly? Should I just keep my distance and let them approach me if they want? I don’t know the next thing about being pregnant or the hardships that these girls have had to go through. The very reason they’re there is because they have nowhere else to go. Their families have kicked them out because their pregnancies are shamed. So how exactly do I go about relating to these girls who are the same age as me (or younger even)? They just looked at me with somewhat questioning, yet primarily disinterested eyes. Maybe it was just because of my own uneasiness there, but I felt like they were thinking “Who is this north American girl who knows nothing about us? How could she possibly help us? She knows nothing about our lives. I bet she’s just here to fulfill some volunteer requirement or to feel good about herself.” That’s the definite impression I got, so this is going to be a hard one, folks. The most striking part of the visit, however, was completely unexpected. Before going I was thinking that I would primarily help the mothers by teaching English classes, listening to their stories, helping in workshops, etc. I quickly found that there is more need that what I had anticipated. I walked into a common room and noticed one girl helping three young mothers. I didn’t focus on what they were doing because I just wanted to sit down to see if the group would be nicer that the last one. I finally asked what they were doing (naively), and the girl who was teaching responded point blankly, “learning how to read and write”. I took an audible gulp. I hadn’t even considered the illiteracy factor of some of the mothers. Here I was thinking about the babies of these women, but the women themselves have elementary levels of education as well. I immediately felt a strong wave of disbelief come over me. These three ladies were in their 20s, and they have children. And they don’t know the difference between blue and yellow. I then looked at their adorable children and felt my heart sink. How can I hope for these children when their mothers can’t help them? Then I thought, no, Lauren, you have no right to judge these women, just as you don’t want them judging you. But this is a hard situation. Illiterate adults with the cognitive development of young children are having more children.

Another interesting event in Ecuador is that the new president, Rafael Correa took office on January 15th (Monday). It was a grand day of meetings and much pomp and circumstance. I wanted to experience all of the hullaballo, so I went, well, attempted, to go to the congressional building in the morning. I heard that practically all of the South American presidents would be there. Indeed, Chavez, Uribe, Bachelet, Lula, Garcia, and Morales were there. The president of Iran also came. Yes, you read that right. It seems as though in Correa’s infinite political wisdom, he decided to invite all the world leaders to his inauguration, and that includes the president of Iran. I can’t believe I was within meters of both Chavez and the president of Iran. I know it’s silly, but I was actually a little on edge because of my U.S. identity. You never really know what can happen. I saw loads of posters with Correa and Chavez shaking hands and embracing, and this also made me take a few deep breaths. Anyway, the police were blocking passage on the road that leads to the congressional building, but I decided to be my persistent self and get us in. The funniest thing is that the only I.D. I had on me was my ISIC card! Ha! I flashed it to the police and told me that I was a representative of U.S. students and that I was writing an important report on the election. He believed me and let me through. That ISIC card really saved the day. I had perfect timing because as soon as we entered we saw Correa’s brigade- the whole bit. It was great. I’m interested to see if/what things will change in the coming months under his presidency. I’m optimistically hoping that he will be unlike most of his predecessors.

I hope 2007 is treating you all well. E-mail me or send me snail-mail. I like hearing from you!

GO GATORS!!!

2007-01-13T04:35:00.000-08:00

I know this is long overdue, but I just wanted to say Go Gators! I watched the game with other Gators here in Quito (as well as Buckeyes), and it was really great. My dad graduated from Ohio State, so bets were going strong, but alas, the BETTER TEAM WON!

I know this picture is blurry, but can you see the time and quarter? 1st quarter, 14:45 on the clock, and what's the score? 7-0!! I honestly thought it was all over...

More to come soon!

Holidays, Peru, and Parasites…oh my

2007-01-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

I am so sorry that it’s taken me almost a month to update the blog, but it’s been a whirlwind month in the life of Lauren. Being in Quito during the holiday season was an eye-opener, as it was a really different experience. Pictured at left is the Rotary Christmas party, and it was quite a grand event. Quito was very alive with the Christmas spirit. Many people put their Christmas trees outside on their terraces, and practically every family had a nativity. The churches also constructed massive nativity scenes, and there was even a scene in the local market made out of only fruits and vegetables! The streets turned into seas of green and red, and a shopping frenzy really did hit the city. It was interesting seeing the families that had the financial means to buy gifts and those who didn’t. Many poor families came from the smaller towns to beg for money, and the highways and city streets were literally packed with begging children asking for charity during the holidays. Some kids even held ropes across the roads to force cars to stop (and hence make the driver pay the children to drop the rope). I’ve never seen so many begging children in my life. Many Quiteños that I’ve talked to have said that they really dislike Christmas because it’s hard to see so many needy, starving families. Others protest the consumerism that hits the city, and I even saw a Santa Claus (stuffed) being hanged from a bridge in the city with a sign that said “consumerism will suffocate you”. My impression is that there are very mixed feelings about Christmas. A lot of people hand out little packages of candy and animal crackers, but I was so tired of seeing people give the children candy that Kjell and I went to buy toothbrushes and toothpaste to hand out to the children. We went with an Ecuadorian friend of mine to an orphanage to hand them out (pictured below), and we later just walked the streets and gave them to the children. (A lot of the beggar families come prepared though, and we even saw them toting sacks full of hand-outs they had received). I didn’t see anything at all relating to Hanukkah, which was sad, but thanks to the people who sent me such beautiful cards.

Quiteños celebrate Christmas more on the 24th than on the 25th. This seems to be the case with most holidays here, as I think they prefer to sleep and recover on the actual day. I helped Juana (house mom) a little to prepare Christmas dinner, and I made my grandmother’s famous potato salad and lemon pudding. Juana liked the Thanksgiving dinner I made so much that she insisted on fresh pumpkin pie again! The whole family came to the house, which was really nice because I hadn’t met any of the family prior to Christmas. The tradition is to eat at 12 a.m. on the 25th, but we gave in at 10 p.m. We also exchanged gifts after dinner. It was really nice to spend this time with them, and I loved seeing how another family celebrates the holiday. They don’t really lavish each other in gifts. It’s more about cooking and being together all day.

As many of you know, Kjell came on December 16th, and we traveled around Ecuador and Peru. We had such a great time, and it was such a treat to have my own body guard for two weeks. We saw all of the highlights of Quito (the virgin statue, parks, museums, the Teleferiqo, markets, malls, etc.), and we even squeezed in a salsa lesson at my favorite place. We traveled to Mindo, a very tranquil jungle-ish town that has tons of birds, butterflies, and orchids. It was literally one street long, so it was really quaint. We saw absolutely amazing waterfalls, and we went on really long hikes (one of which was straight up the side of a mountain with only a rope to help us along). It really was a nature lover’s paradise, so it was a much appreciated change from Quito.

After having gone to the very touristy Otavalo market in the north, I wanted to go to a more authentic, indigenous market, so we went to a town called Saqusilí, and it was a sight to be had. We were two of six tourists (yes, we counted), because the town was pulsing with indigenous people buying their weekly goods, and we stuck out like a sore thumb. There were four markets in close proximity: a potato maket, a textile market, a fruit/veggie/miscellaneous market, and an animal market (which completely blew me away). The animal market had a very distinct smell of fish mixed with chicken, guinea pig, and rabbit, so you can only imagine how long we lasted there. We saw tons of people crowded around big cloth sacks, and we didn’t understand what was going on. Plus, where were all the animals? It turns out that the rabbits and guinea pigs (cuy) were in the sacks because the sacks were moving! We saw tons of live chickens and cuy, and I still can’t get used to the idea of eating guinea pig (but we did- keep reading).

After the Saqusilí experience, we ventured to the Cotopaxi volcano, which is close to a town called Latacunga. It was a stressful adventure just getting there, but it was worth the anxiety because we hiked to the refuge, in the snow no less, and it was an impressive sight! One day we are hiking in tropical forests and the next we are half-way up an active volcano. We definitely hadn’t planned for snow, and we were in our tennis shoes and jeans. We, the two bumbling Floridians, quickly realized that we were in for it and succumbed to wetness and extreme cold. When we entered the refuge we saw everyone else in their Gore-tex and super-human strength hiking equipment, and we felt really ridiculous. The next day we ventured off to a volcanic crater lake called Laguna Quilatoa. We went with the brother (and family) of my favorite professor, so it was an interesting experience to spend the day traveling with an Ecuadorian family (advantages and disadvantages). After getting horribly lost, we finally got to the most beautiful lake I have ever seen. (Other than Bear lake). Its piercing blue/green color coupled with majestic rock/mountain formations circling it created for a truly unique sight. We hiked down to the bottom and took “donkeys” back up the almost vertical climb. The donkeys were a riot because we rode them bareback, and they were really lame, so were laughing the whole way.
(Yes, that's snow and ice behind us. Can you see the snowflakes on my eyelashes?!!!)

Kjell and I also had the chance to go to Otavalo so he could see the craziness that goes on there as well. Otavalo doesn’t even hold a candle to Saquisilí, however. We later went to Cotocachi, a small town to the north of Otavalo, because its specialty is leather goods. Kjell is now the best-equipped French teacher in the state of Florida! Later we went to a lake near the town called Cuicocha. I had to haggle with the taxi driver (why do they all try to take advantage of tourists without fail?), but we got there. It was another stellar view. We hiked up the ridge a little bit, and as we ascended we had a 360 degree panoramic view of the beauty of Ecuador. Amazing!

On Christmas day, Kjell and I ventured to Peru. This was an adventure and a half. We flew to Lima, and I had heard that Lima was really dangerous, so I was on high alert. We had the taxi driver take us to the center to town for a short tour, and Lima is really a beautiful city. I had been so scared of it that I was really surprised to see how much it offered. The town square was amazing, and the supreme court building, along with the colonial style buildings, are truly worth visiting (more than a night, that is). We then moved on to Cusco, the hub and starting point of the Machu Picchu adventure. Cusco is a really quaint city, and we walked the whole thing in one day. We were completely museumed out by the end of the day. We tried coca tea for the first time, and it tasted like normal tea. It’s entirely legal, as cocaine production relies on other chemical agents and literally tons of coca leaves. We tried some mystery soups and food in Cusco as well, and we paid dearly for this. While in Cusco we saw really interesting remnants of Inca architecture and stonework. The Spanish colonizers built on top of the Incan ruins, which created for really interesting structures of stone on the bottom and Spanish architecture on the top and for the walls. The streets are cobblestone and are really narrow. Some streets still have the old, Incan walls, and we even saw the famed 12-sided stone and the “puma” shape that’s said to exist in the rock wall. (The puma was one of the most important and sacred animals for the Incas.)

The next day we went to a valley that certainly lives up to its name: the Sacred Valley. It is a valley of gorgeous scenery and Inca ruins. We first went to Sachsaywaman and saw the amazing, ragged (yet purposeful) creation of the Incas. Some of the rocks were 5 times my height (which yes, I know isn’t that much of a feat given my stature, but you get the point). We then went to Pisaq, which was my favorite. We saw old Incan “baths”, and I learned more about the ingenuity and precision of the Incas. They constructed conduits for running water, and they figured out exactly what kind of architecture was necessary to withstand earthquakes. Amazing. From there we traveled to Ollantaytambo or “Ollanta” for short, and this was another remarkable Incan fortress. By the way, I learned that there were only 13 real Incas in history. Only the kings of the tribes were called Incas. The people they ruled over were called Quechuas, and they never received the title of Inca, for it was only reserved for the kings. Also, the women never wore gold in these times, as gold was the symbol for man, and silver was the metal for women. Our tour guide’s wedding ring, for example, still carried this tradition, as it was a mix of silver and gold. It also wasn’t believed that gold was very precious (more precious was the spondylus shell). The Incas believed that gold was the earthly representation of the sun, their deity. It was thought to be masculine while the moon was feminine. Thus, the earth was in perfect harmony between sun and moon (woman and man).

The next day (day 3) we began our Machu Picchu adventure. It was absolutely unforgettable (for good and bad reasons)! The travel agency I had booked with overlooked us, so we had some glitches, but needless to say, we arrived at kilometer 104 of the train, and we began our two-day Inca trail adventure. We hiked for about seven hours the first day. The trail itself was more exposed than I would have liked, as power lines were visible, but after a while we climbed further into the mountain, and the beautiful landscape slowly revealed itself to us. We trekked through about four different climates, as some parts were quite dry, others were tropical, others were downright rainy and muddy, and others were so thick with fog that we could barely see ten feet in front of us. I learned that in olden days there was not just one Inca trail, but rather about eight trails existed, and they spanned from the northern tip of Colombia through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and more to the south as well. They were paths for the Inca tribes and warriors to travel from tribe to tribe. They moved goods and really vital information through these paths. Runners in the day used to carry ropes that had been tied in knots in a special way (but a trained person) to another tribe, and there used to be only one person who understood the knots and who could relate the message to the town. This way if the runners were captured with the message, the captors would not be able to decipher the message written in knots. The runners used to run on the Inca trail with a satchel of coca leaves to give them energy without having to eat because the leaves contain iron, calcium, and other vital nutrients.

The rain at the end of the day was really quite strong, so I was really worried that we wouldn’t be able to see Machu Picchu. However, as we approached the “postcard” lookout point, the clouds opened, and there was one of the most awesome sights and feats of human creation staring me in the face. After walking all day thinking about what it was going to look like, Machu Picchu revealed itself to us, and I was completely overwhelmed by its grandeur. Kjell and I literally stopped in our tracks to soak it all in. The mountains that surround it are enormous, and they make you feel like you are simultaneously trapped and free in the valley. We stayed in the nearby town of Aguas Calientes, and the next day, we rose with the roosters and were at Machu Picchu at 6:30. It was a perfect time to go, as the dense clouds slowly began to lift, and we were able to witness the transformation of Machu Picchu practically by ourselves because the throngs of tourists hadn’t arrived yet. Our tour guide explained the many parts of Machu Picchu to us, and then we had a few hours to roam. We saw the living quarters of the nobility and commoners, the common areas, the amazing condor creation and many other things. The sun-dial was quite impressive as well. Apparently, the creators of the national Peruvian beer, Pilsen, wanted to film a commercial in Machu Picchu and somehow “sneaked” a crane into the ruins. The arm of the crane fell and chipped off the most vital part of the sun-dial, and we could see the damage. Can you believe that the company ruined one of the best sun dials of all time just to make a measly beer commercial?

Kjell really wanted to climb up Waynapicchu, the mountain that frames the ruins in the background of all the pictures. They only allow 400 people to climb every day, so we were really lucky to go up, STRAIGHT up, that is. We ascended in record time, and we were able to see Machu Picchu from a really neat angle, as we were perched really high above the ruins. I can’t say enough about Machu Picchu. It completely blew me away. On the way back to Cusco, we took a really hilarious tourist train, and the attendants gave us a song and dance show. As if that wasn’t enough, they then put on a ridiculous fashion show trying to entice the customers to buy alpaca goods. By the way, alpaca is absolutely amazing. I know understand why the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, wears it everywhere.

After our amazing Machu Picchu triumph, we decided that it was time to finally try the Andean delicacy that we’ve been fearing for so long: cuy (guinea pig). We decided to have it oven baked instead of fried because we really couldn’t stomach the idea of biting into crunchy guinea pig skin. It was presented to us in traditional fashion- head, teeth, paws and all. Yummmm. It was then quartered for us, and we dug in. Firstly, there really isn’t much meat on a guinea pig, and secondly, it had a really distinct taste, and I didn’t like it one bit. I should probably try it again, but it may be a while, because I associate it with severe food poisoning. Who knows what exactly it was that we ate, but Kjell and I became violently ill on the way home to Quito. Nothing really is as embarrassing as fainting in the isle of a packed plane. Yep, that’s precisely what I did. I thought I was dreaming but then I realized that all of the Spanish-speaking people that were crowded over me were real (as was the orange juice that was running down my face). Fainting+trying to speak in Spanish after fainting really just through me for a loop. Poor Kjell was worse off than I was, and he got to such a point that I decided to take us to the hospital. Going to a hospital at 3 a.m. in a developing nation is kind of a scary thing, but everything turned out fine. It turns out that we both had severe bacterial infections and parasites! I like to think it’s E. Coli because that sounds more interesting, right? I was really disappointed that we were so sick because I had been looking forward to New Year’s eve so much. The Ecuadorians have so many fascinating superstitions. They burn huge, stuffed dolls, change into yellow underwear, eat 12 grapes, and run around the block with packed suitcases at midnight. They also cross dress a whole lot, and it’s more like the U.S. Halloween. Oh well, next year! Anyway we’re back to normal now. I’m studying again at my academy, and life in Quito has resumed.

A happy, healthy, and prosperous 2007 to everyone!

Superstitions and...TEAR GAS!

2006-12-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

This has been a rather calm week after the Quito fiesta-ing last week. I had to accustom myself once again to eight hours of daily Spanish class, and there was a lot of coffee involved (which I know is bad). Ecuadorians are big coffee lovers, and they often drink “esencia”, or “essence”, which is a reduced, extremely potent coffee syrup to which they add water or milk. I especially love the steamed milk varieties. They have all kinds of yummy drinks actually. I recently tried one called ponche, and it consists of a raw egg that is slowly cooked in boiling milk. It kind of tastes like egg nog. They also drink “morocho”, which really sticks to your ribs. It is made from corn flour and all kinds of interesting stuff. I have had a bit of a cold lately, so I decided to take the plunge and try one of the really scary tea concoctions on the street with my professor. I honestly felt like I was drinking some kind of green goop you would see on Double Dare (you know, the old T.V. show). The man first asked me what all of my symptoms were, and then he mixed all of these different kinds of liquids together (although I think he makes the same drink regardless of what the client describes). To this viscous mixture he added pollen seeds and other flaky things that scared me. Then he topped it off with aloe! I drank the whole thing and waited to die, but I was perfectly fine, if not even a bit better. They also have awesome fruit drinks here, and I really like “batidos” because they are made with milk and sugar. Yummmm. The fruit here is unreal. It is so fresh, and there are so many types that we simply don’t have in the U.S. Pitahaya, Maracuya, Babaco, and Granadilla are just a few examples of what the U.S. is missing out on.

I don’t think I’ve really touched on the highly superstitious nature of the people here, so I thought I’d share my experience on the bus today that I thought was impactful. I was sitting with my professor and I was admiring a really cute, chubby baby that was swaddled in a blanket. I kept staring at the baby and the baby caught my gaze and wouldn’t avert his eyes. His mother realized that he was looking at me and immediately covered his eyes. She then let me know in a not-so-subtle way that it was not okay to be looking at her baby. I was kind of taken aback, because usually people are complimented in the U.S. when you tell them that their baby is adorable. My professor told me that the reason she covered his eyes was to prevent my energy from entering her baby. Being that adults are older and stronger than babies, some people believe that adults can easily transfer their bad energy to babies. Many parents also put a red bracelet on their children’s wrists, because the color red is believed to ward off bad energy. I also noticed in some situations that people do not shake hands. I found this odd because people are typically very warm and welcoming here. I was told that negative energies can pass through the hand, and if a person is having a really good day, they hesitate to shake hands in fear that they will lose their good energy. Likewise, people do not want to receive potential negative energy, and they may not shake hands. Another interesting practice involves the famed guinea pig, or cuy. Sometimes people go to a shaman if they aren’t feeling well. The shaman will pass a live guinea pig over the entire body of the infirm, and then he will kill the guinea pig. He will then cut open the animal and observe all abnormalities with its organs. They say that the guinea pig instantly changes and absorbs the disease or problem of the sick person, and the shaman can find out what’s wrong with the patient by looking at the now sick guinea pig. I’m skeptical. Another superstition is not bathing after eating. I’m rather sure this derived from the common-held belief that swimming after eating is dangerous. I was not too surprised by this thought because the same thing happened in Costa Rica. My house mother, Juana, is always waiting for something fatal to happen when I shower after dinner, but I’ve survived unscathed so far, thank goodness. I can’t think of any more superstitions, but there are tons more.

The Christmas season is picking up here, and it’s been fun too see all of the nativities, lights, and trees. Ecuadorians celebrate Christmas much in the same way that Americans celebrate the holiday. Many people have never heard of Hanukkah though, which is funny. I was describing the dreidel game to a professor, and he told me that they play a similar game in Ecuador with a four-sided top. I looked into it a little more, and I soon realized that it is actually a derivative of the dreidel game. Exiled Jews from Spain brought the game here, which I think is really neat. It’s lost its religious significance today in Ecuador, but its roots are with the Spanish Jews centuries back. Many people here are dreading the holiday season because they don’t have anything to give to their families. The more fortunate also dislike seeing the sadness and poverty in the streets. I was told that many indigenous people come from their homes in the farms and fields to Quito to ask for charity. It has been interesting to see the shopping malls here and to observe the people who have the resources to shop in them. They compose such a small percentage of the population.

I also want to touch on an interesting conversation I had over dinner with my host family tonight. My roommate, Karin, is from Switzerland, and her Mexican friend, Sandra, flew in from Mexico D.F. last night. We all had dinner with Cesar and Juana (dad and mom), and we talked about stereotypical slang. Cesar asked me if I was offended when someone called me a gringa. It truly depends on the intent and tone of voice in my opinion because I’ve come to see that not everyone intends to offend when they use the word gringo. Nevertheless, the word still has negative connotations, and I’m not quite sure why. Ecuadorians use the word to describe all foreigners of lighter skin, not just North Americans. I’ve always thought that being called a gringo was an insult because it assumes that as Americans we are brutish, arrogant, insensitive, egotistical, and unaware of other nations. I’ve never really thought about it or asked fellow Americans about it though. My house father thinks it’s a synonym for foreigner, devoid of all negative connotation. Who knows? I’d like to hear your feedback about this if you get a chance. Are you or would you be offended to be called a gringo? What kinds of connotations does the term hold for you? (I’ve also observed how important it is not to say “American” to refer to someone living in the United States. NORTH American or Estadounidense is preferable because all South Americans are Americans technically as well).

Oh! I almost forgot to talk about my first experience with tear gas! Yikes! That stuff is horribly immobilizing. I was walking to the bus in my own little world last Friday when, all of a sudden, I noticed that everyone was walking away from the main street covering their mouths and wiping their eyes. How strange, I thought. I kept on walking (like a complete idiot), and then I saw a massive protest. Behind the mob were clouds of tear gas. I quickly realized that I probably needed to not be in the middle of a protest, so I jetted and ran. Tear gas is so fast-acting it’s amazing. It affects your throat more than it affects your eyes, in fact. I honestly felt like if I didn’t drink something my throat was literally going to fall out of my body. It comes to find out that college students all over Quito are protesting because the city bus drivers want to raise the rate from .25 cents to .35 cents. All of this rioting is over a mere ten cents, but when a Quiteño rides four buses daily, this increase can add up. Needless to say, the protests are still going on, but I’ve found a better way to get home tear gas free.

This is the week in review. I hope everyone who is still in university isn’t stressing too much over final exams. It sure is nice not to be in those shoes right now! For any and all who want a silly laugh, I’d recommend seeing “Happy Feet”. It’s a movie that combines a little Latino culture with penguin life…something we all could use.

¡Viva Quito…Viva!

2006-12-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

The fiestas de Quito are in fully swing, and I am thoroughly wiped out because I’ve been all over the city festejando in the past week. Wednesday was my first Corrida de Toros, or bull fight. I had heard that bull fights are kind of vulgar town events, but I found the bull fight to be thoroughly entertaining and in good taste. The corrida is still going on, as there are nine days of activities, and I went on a day when six different toreros (bull fighters) from Spain, Ecuador, and Mexico fought. Bull fighting really is an art. People really dress up to come to the plaza de toros, and not a single man is caught without his Panama hat (by the way, “Panama hats” are really from Monticristi, Ecuador). It’s quite the who’s who. The first fight we saw was a Rejoneador, or a torero on horseback. He never actually got off the horse, but rather killed the bull and did everything else on horseback. He was only 22! There are actually five stages to a bull fight. (I never knew this.) The “autoridad” decides how long each stage will last, and he has a quorum of bugle-blowers that announce the stages. The bull first comes out and the helpers to the torero taunt it with their capes to tire it a bit. Then come the “picadores”, men on horseback (not the toreros) who jab a spear in the back of the bull, which begins the bleeding process because it’s a profound wound in their backs. Then come the “banderillas”, the little spears that the “banderillero” (another person who is not the torero) puts in the back of the bull. Then, FINALLY, comes the torero with his (or her) cape, which is technically called a “muleta”. During this stage, the torero displays his/her ability with the cape, and it is a sight to be seen. The bull is thoroughly tired by this point, so it’s not as if the torero has complete domination over the bull in a sense, but on the other hand, they do some really amazing things with their cape that I don’t really care if it’s not completely legit. I had the chance to see a woman bull fighter, and she actually prefers to be called a “torero” and not a “torera”, as if to signal her complete equality with the men I think. She was fearless.

As I’ve mentioned, this week holds the fiestas of Quito, which commemorate its founding in the 1500s by the Spanish. Many indigenous groups oppose this holiday because it signals the perversion and conquest of their people, and for this reason, there is a concerted effort to praise and honor the indigenous tribes. Thursday, November 30th, marked the official beginning of the holiday, and my friend, Karin, and I went to the Pregón, a HUGE festival in the center of the city. There were all kinds of traditional dances and presentations. There were so many people though that I was holding on to my purse like a madwoman while trying to push and shove my out of the throngs of people. Being here has taught me the importance of traveling light! I try not to take anything that won’t fit in my pockets, and if I do I have to leave the house knowing that it might not come back with me later. On Friday I went with friends to a wooden car race for children. It was a great event because the kids make the cars themselves, and they launch down an insanely steep hill. There are different heats for kids between 10-16 years old, and the kids have car racing uniforms and helmets and everything. We watched with baited breath sometimes though because the kids crashed, but nobody got seriously injured I think.

I also had the opportunity to go a fundraising party for a friend of an Ecuadorian friend of mine. We don’t have similar things in the US, so it was a neat concept for me. It’s a called a Fiesta de Solidaridad (Solidarity) The girl who organized the party has been battling with cancer for a while now, and in order to raise funds for medical costs, she invited everyone she knew to a dance hall. She charged a cover, and she also charged for alcohol, etc. I think it’s a really good idea because her friends can donate money to her while also celebrating having a good time.

Saturday was chock full of activities. I went to a traditional parade in the morning called “Desfile de Confraternidad”, and we saw all kids of school bands, beauty queens, traditional dances, colonial costumes, and traditional Inca dress as well. I learned that some indigenous communities here refuse to inter-marry with other groups, and they have maintained their pure blood since the founding of Ecuador. We also went to a concert called QuitoFest because I wanted to see what the punk rock scene was like here (just out of curiosity), and it was insane. We didn’t stay long, which is good because today I found out that ten people were stabbed in the mosh pit. Apparently there is not only great hostility between the roqueros and the police, but been the different roquero groups themselves as well.

The capstone of the Fiestas de Quito, was, without a doubt, seeing SHAKIRA! All I have to say is that if every woman danced like her the world would be a much happier and beautiful place. She is amazing. We arrived 2.5 hours early because we thought that this would give us PLENTY of time, but we were wrong. We were sitting in the third to last row! The coliseum was really small, which was perfect because we could see her really well. She sang most everything in Spanish, which I loved, but the good ol’ “Hips Don’t Lie” was in English, and I was glad. She is half Lebanese, and she is a trained belly dancer. This training, combined with Colombian blood, is fatal!

Sunday was my second fútbol game here, and it was a poorly played game. The best part of the games is the fans because they are absolutely loco. They have fireworks galore, huge flags that cover entire sections of the stadium, and they throw toilet paper on the field like it’s their job. I learned the Liga (Quito team) chant, so now I can sing with the best of them!

I almost forgot to write a quick note about the Chivas here. Chivas are open-top buses that have live bands on them, and they go around the city during this week. People pay to ride on them, and it’s truly a madhouse. The people drink and blow whistles while riding in the streets of Quito at literally all hours of the day. Yesterday’s big celebration involved the victory of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. He was re-elected as president there, and many of the Venezuelans here and Ecuadorians took to the street to celebrate. I felt a bit uncomfortable because of the U.S.-Venezuelan tension.

Needless to say, it’s been a busy week in Quito, and it makes me wish that we had such town pride in the U.S. Tomorrow is dancing in the street! Take care everyone…and an early Feliz Navidad.

Quito fun times

2006-11-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

First things first. GO GATORS!!!!!! I watched the entire UF vs. FSU game on Saturday at a sports bar, and I was muy orgullosa of the Florida Gators. I screamed and was the ugly American in the bar, but oh well, it was really funny. People tend to not have any interest whatsoever in American football here, and they really didn’t know why I was so engrossed in the game. They were watching Ronaldinho on the other T.V. (Barcelona vs. Villa Real), which was also an amazing game. That man scored some beautiful goals. Anyway, it was a day full of sports, which usually isn’t my cup of tea, but it was a much needed taste of Americana I think.

Thanksgiving was a fiesta! Emily and I cooked up a storm. We made turkey, sweet tea, peas, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, BBQ beans, potato salad, cranberry sauce (well, from a can), spiced apples, seven layer bars, chocolate pudding, and the crowning achievement….PUMPKIN PIE from a real pumpkin. We rock. We tried finding the ingredients for other things, but it was a quest for the holy grail, so we were content with what we could actually find. The family I’m staying with had never tried most of the food we prepared, and it was really fun sharing the holiday with them. We even had little Thanksgiving placemats and pumpkin colored candles. I was sad to be away from my family, and especially my sister, but it was good fun to bring the tradition to Ecuador and to prove ourselves as qualified cooks. The family told me that, in light of such tasty culinary achievements, it appears as thought I am now prepared to marry. I laughed because I knew there was a shred of sincerity in their comment. (In the past here, men had to prove their hunting skills and women, their culinary skills, in order to be deemed ready for marriage). I’m glad the times have changed! I brought some of the leftovers to school the next day, and the teachers and students also really liked trying pumpkin pie. It was really funny fielding their questions about the food because it’s typical food to me, but they looked and poked at it like it was an alien creation.

Sunday was the second round of the presidential elections. As I noted in a prior blog, the election appeared to be HIGHLY corrupt, but I’m really happy that Rafael Correa won. The election was between two highly controversial men, Alvaro Noboa and Rafael Correa. Noboa is the wealthiest man in Ecuador and one of the wealthiest men in the world. He owns about 130 businesses here and runs the great majority of the country’s banana plantations. He has run twice before in the past, and has lost, so many speculated that he would bribe and buy his way into the presidency this time, as to not risk losing face for the third and final time. He has claimed that he has been sent by God to run this country in public speeches, and while the Quiteños laughed, many of the people from the pueblos believed him. He made some really outlandish promises, like his initiative to build 300,000 homes in a year. Many pointed out that this would require an almost impossible construction rate as well as land that Ecuador simply doesn’t have, especially in the city. I recently watched a documentary that a Swedish woman made about Noboa’s mistreatment of his banana plantation workers. I swear I watched the entire thing with my mouth agape, and I vowed to never buy bananas again (but then I thought about how much I love bananas). I saw the plantations and the decrepit living conditions of his workers. They receive about $20 a week, if that, live eight people to a room (two to a single bed), use cardboard for their mattress, store water in banana plastic bags with toxic chemicals, use bathrooms with fecal matter spilling over onto the floor, and are covered with pesticides that fall from aerial sprays. Granted this documentary showed only one person’s point of view, but what she captured on film was undeniably grotesque. When the workers rioted and striked due to their horrible living conditions and pay, Noboa paid off assassins in Guayaquil to start shooting at the plantation. She got this all on tape. The police stood idly by as killers invaded the plantation. What really struck me about this story was not only Noboa’s explotation of the people, but that the workers don’t have any other options for work. They subject themselves to these conditions, these chemicals, and this mistreatment because they view this as their only option for work.

The sad part is that Noboa had a compelling and effective way of garnering the votes of the poorer people of this country, which far outnumber the wealthy. And in a country where everyone has to vote, wealth and education don’t win, numbers do. Thankfully the numbers were in Correa’s favor. By appealing to his divine connection to the Almighty and by literally handing out food and clothing, he won the support of many. When I was in the jungle last week, for example, I noticed that the only shirts that the people at the camp wore were political advertisements in support of presidential candidates and others political offices. Why wouldn’t a person vote for a candidate that gives them food, clothing, and the promise of shelter?

The Ecuadorian economy is not the strongest, and many people fear the influx of foreign businesses and free trade. I’ve seen “No T.L.C” (free trade) grafitti everywhere because the majority of the people prefer Ecuadorian, not foreign, products on the market. They already have problems with Asian products flooding the markets because producers of similar products here are going out of business because they simply can’t produce the same product at such a low cost. Noboa wanted to open the borders completely, which would definitely have it’s benefits, but many Ecuadorians would lose immensely and their economy would really have to reshape itself. A temporary shock for a permanent gain? Who knows? The same was said about dollarization here, and the people are still suffering.

I’ve talked more about Noboa (thoroughly criticized really) because I’ve read and had conversations mostly about the threat of his coming to power here. He was the more sensational and controversial figure. Rafael Correa was the favored candidate in Ecuador more for his not being Noboa than for his merits actually. He is an economist by profession, and he’s come into the political sphere kind of by surprise. While he doesn’t have any glaring downfalls, the people are skeptical because he is like many other presidential candidates of the past who have won and have robbed the country blind. Correa is said to be on good terms with Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, and many Americans here fear this friendship, which also extends to Fidel Castro. Correa made quite a few lofty promises in his platform, so time will tell.

During this election I have really come to think about the American electoral system.
For instance, voting here is mandatory, and you don’t vote, you’re fined (both times). Is it better to mandate obligatory voting, or does the American system of voluntary voting engender better results? Is one form more “democratic” than the other? Is it better to only have the informed and opinionated at the voting booths? I really don’t know.
Good news! These upcoming days (leading up until the 6th of December) are the “Fiestas de Quito” for the founding of the city. There is so much going on that I can’t even keep track of it all, let alone see it all. Tomorrow I am going to my first bull fight, and I am really looking forward to it. A woman “torera” will even be fighting! That’s exciting because it is extremely rare to see a woman in this arena. Shakira is also coming this weekend, and I am going to see her with my new roommate. Que suerte to see Shakira in South America! I hope it’s all in Spanish…

I hope all of your Thanksgivings were tasty and full of fun and family. Please let me know how you are doing if you get a few free moments. Take care.

(Apologies for not having pictures. I have tons, but for some reason the blog won't upload them. Maybe next time:)

Amazon Jungle

2006-11-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

It doesn’t get much better than this. The last two weeks were introductions into two other worlds that I really didn’t know much about. Before going to the Amazon jungle for a week, I spent some time visiting different potential volunteering sites, and I was touched by what I saw. I first went to a shelter for adolescent mothers called Talita Kumi, a refuge that many Rotary scholars have visited. It was a humble building that is in great need of repair and finances, and the couple that runs the shelter couldn’t have been nicer. They took me on a tour of the home, and I noticed in their kitchen that they didn’t even have enough food to last them through the week. They aren’t financed by the government (laugh), and provide this refuge for serious circumstances (for young women) with their own money. They teach them how to make chocolates and traditional foods so that they can sell their goods on the street to provide for their children. The other place I visited was called “Enseñame a pescar”, which means Teach Me to Fish. It is essentially an after school program for truly needy children. I entered a class of 30 children of varying ages, and let me tell you, I didn’t know how poorly I understood and spoke Spanish before meeting them. They laughed at me so much I couldn’t help but be put in my place. It comes to find out that I was the first visitor they have ever had at the school, and I was the first North American that many of them have ever met. They asked some of the most endearing questions- What color is the sky? Do you have cows? Does it snow there? Can you salsa dance? Do you eat a lot of oranges in Florida? Do you have Superman cartoons there? How far did you go in school? Why do you want to be in Quito? Can you speak English? They also sang songs they had learned in class, and of course they wanted me to sing and dance with them, so what’s a girl to do? I realized though that choosing a volunteer activity here is going to be harder than I thought. There is just so much need all around the city that I feel like I’ll be neglecting a worthy cause when I choose to spend my time in another.

Before going to the jungle I also had quite a few conversations with my professors about race issues in Ecuador. I’ve noticed that people often use the “vos” form of speaking, and it turns out that people sometimes use this very informal tone to address people who are of more indigenous descent because it’s insulting. The color of skin here is far more important than I had anticipated. Practically the entire population is mestizo, but the visible amount of indigenous blood that people have differentiates them. People often judge others simply based off their last name. If the name is more indigenous sounding, the person is assumed to be of a lower class. My professors agreed that there is more racism toward the indigenous here than against the Afro-Ecuadorain population. I find this interesting because it seems that people are prouder of lighter, Spanish skin, which goes to say that they value the physical traits of their colonizers. Food for thought.

Speaking of thought, I had a lot of time to think this past week in my adventure in the Amazon. I still cannot believe that Ecuador is home to such a variety of landscapes. The Amazon seemed like it was worlds away from civilization, but it was just a five hour bus ride away from Quito. I went with three other students from the Academia de Español and two of the professors. We first went to a lodge called Shangrila, which was an apt name because I fell in love with that place. There was a whole loft of hammocks! My paradise. We had a really knowledgeable guide, and he taught us about the medicinal uses for many of the plants we saw. The jungle reminded me a lot of the Costa Rican rainforest, but we didn’t see any monkeys (or anacondas for that matter, thank goodness). We went hiking, tubing, and canyoning. I had never been canyoning before, and the whole time I was thinking that this activity would never fly in America. It was quite dangerous, and I wouldn’t believe we were all hoisting ourselves up crevices of canyons that had no visible bottom. The rain made it even more interesting because flash floods can apparently occur. We were also able to walk to an indigenous community that was near. The people spoke only Quichua, the most popular indigenous language. Our tour guide was bilingual in both Spanish and Quichua, as are many people in Ecuador (only Spanish is taught in the schools). The town had only about 80 inhabitants, and the “mayor”, Monica, prepared a traditional drink made of mulled yucca root called “chi cha”. Indigenous women used to chew the root and then spit out the root into a bowl. This was stirred and served! Today it isn’t made with saliva (thank goodness), and I didn’t like it, but it’s very high in calcium, and very poor communities can survive off of only two bowls of this drink a day. Yucca is ubiquitous, and I’m beginning to like it more. After Shangrila, we went to a more rustic site without electricity called Amarongachi. I liked it equally as well because it was perched right on the Napo river, and we woke to birds, chickens, and the owner’s 10, that’s right, 10, children. We went on awesome excursions. We climbed waterfalls and swam in a lagoon. The best part was having a local guide who has lived on the land his entire life. We were able to be a part of their family for three days and play cards (a popular game called “cuarenta”) by candlelight. I was sad to go because I love nature so much, but Emily and I were off to Baños for her last weekend in Ecuador. We got a hostal for $6 a night (breakfast included), and we were quite proud of this conquest. We kind of missed the boat in Baños because we thought there would be a lot of thermal baths. Wrong. Instead, we went biking and seemed to get lost even though there was really only one road. Oh silly Lauren and Emily with their map. We saw some great waterfalls and went to see the Pailon del Diablo, an amazing waterfall that’s the convergence point of two main rivers. After our nine days in nature that re-inspired us, it was time to head back to good ol’ Quito. Next are Thanksgiving preparations!!! Emily and I have planned a menu, but we haven’t tried shopping yet. I have a feeling we won’t be able to find a few important things, so it might me a more Ecuadorian Thanksgiving than we think. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. It is by far my favorite holiday, so I will be missing my cranberry sauce, family, and famous gratitude circle. I’ll be there in thought. Wear your Turkey pants and eat some extra in my honor!

Mama Negra, the Devil's Nose, and more...

2006-11-06T17:45:00.000-08:00

I don’t even know where to start because this past week has been completely packed with new experiences. Thursday was the Day of the Dead, and it was amazing. I went to an old, indigenous village in the north of Quito, and I was able to experience the age-old traditions of indigenous families who came to clean and paint the graves and tombstones of their loved ones. They also brought massive portions of plantains, soups, special breads and fruit to eat with the dead. I don’t really like cemeteries, so it was kind of creepy seeing so many people standing on and eating over the graves. Some of the graves were very humble, and others were ornate, but many were simply forgotten. That was sad to see, especially if I could see that it was the grave of a baby. The people really weren’t crying either, as it was more of a celebration, and the people were happy to be there. I also had the chance to visit two of the major churches here to see the catacombs (San Francisco and the Basilica). The catacombs are only open during this day, so family members can only visit their dead one day a year. The catacombs are kind of eerie because they were kind of humid and there were practically innumerable hallways of mausoleums. Mausoleums are basically the only way to contain the dead because there simply isn’t enough land for burials (except in the north). In order to secure a space for a dead family member, the family has to rent the space. From what I understand (and I hope I am horribly mistaken), a person cannot buy the space forever. So when the family forgets, ceases to exists, or simply forgets to “pay the rent”, the caretakers empty the space in the mausoleum and throw away the bones. Just like that! There were some really old graves though, and some even dated back to the 1800s. While it’s not exactly my cup of tea to hang out in cemeteries all day, I enjoyed this very unique Latin American experience, and I admire the respect the people display for their loved ones.

This weekend was pure craziness. I went with another Rotary scholar, Emily, to Latacunga, a town about 1.5 hours south of Quito (on a good day). Latacunga is a small town compared to Quito, and everyone was talking about an insane fiesta that would be going on called Mama Negra (Black Mother), so we made it our mission to go. It took us forever to get there, but the excitement was palpable on the bus, and it was worth the trek. I don’t know the history too well about this parade, but apparently, during the founding of the city, the people found a statue of a woman that was covered in what they thought was black paint. After trying to wash off the “paint”, they realized that it was indeed a statue of a black woman. They then honored this statue and a fiesta followed called Mama Negra. I might have this wrong, but that’s what I understood from the woman next to me in the parade! Honoring a woman, especially a black woman, is unique and surprising in Ecuador because of both machista attitudes and strong, prejudicial stereotypes against the black population, which constitutes a small portion of the total population. We could hardly move in the streets because of all the people, but that kind of made it all the more fun. Basically, the whole parade (about four hours), honors the Mama Negra, who actually is not even a woman! It’s a man that paints himself black and rides on a horse. The honor of being the Mama Negra is supreme, and it’s passed down every year to important figureheads in the community. The star is not the only one who cross-dresses. There are tons of men dressed as women, complete with wigs, sequins, and dresses who entertain the crowd. And…the people in the parade don’t throw out candies like in the United States. Instead they are all equipped with bottles of alcohol, and they pour their lot in the mouths of the crowd or in their cups. Another favorite was .75 cent boxes of wine that they threw out instead of candy. As you can imagine, I’ve never seen so many drunk people in my life, but it didn’t get dangerous. People (and I especially mean the MEN) just went to the bathroom anywhere they deemed fit, which made us really careful of where we walked. Right. It was an awesome parade, and I’m glad that we got to see traditional dances and costumes. How could I have missed a parade honoring a cross-dressing, painted man?

(This is basically a crucified pig that is surrounded by skinned guinea pigs that all have packs of cigarettes and alcohol tied to them)

Sunday was a trek to a city in the southern region of Ecuador called Riobamba. Emily and I wanted to be adventurers and go on the acclaimed “Nariz de Diablo” (Devil’s Nose). I wish I could tell you that we ventured into the unknown and almost escaped death, but it is actually a train ride through tranquil towns and countryside. The reason it holds such a formidable name is because at the end of the 7 HOUR ride (I’m not kidding), we scale down a mountain with switchback rails, and it’s a sight. I’m sure if I were a railroad engineer I would have appreciated it even more. Anyway, we caught the train at an early 6 a.m. and it wove through really poor areas to the south of Riobamba. We saw many poor children that ran alongside the train and clapped as we went by. At first I thought it was really cute that all of the children of the villages came out to see the train, but then I realized that they came to wave to the tourists to try to beg and receive candies. Many vendors came up on the train (we rode the whole way on the roof), and when they saw that we were approaching a pocket of children, they would sell lollipops and other candies to the tourists to throw to the begging children. Some people said that the vendors and the children work in tandem and that the kids returned the sweets to the vendor so they could make more money without having to buy more candy. I don’t know if that’s true. What I do know is that I don’t think people should be throwing candies. If they really wanted to help these children they should throw toothpaste and toothbrushes. Or they could throw books, socks, underwear- whatever would actually help the children. Sure, what child doesn’t like candy, but when I saw two year-olds left abandoned to beg from the train, it just made me think that the tourists are promoting a sort of unhealthy hope and system for the children. We also saw breathtaking plots of land that people cultivate with their herds of animals, and it amazes me that people of such humble resources can exist with so little and yet have everything they really need. Their homes barely exist, and some are literally tied together, but they know how to cultivate almost impossible pieces of land. I hope I can include some pictures of what I saw in the future. Anyway it’s been a packed week, and next week is a week in the jungle with my school, so my next update won’t be for another two weeks. Hope everyone is doing well and is getting ready for Thanksgiving. I’ll miss being home, but I’m planning a killer feast with Emily that we’ll cook for our friends and family here. Hasta luego!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T17:25:00.000-08:00

I decided to make my first photo a good one... salsa classes!

As many of you have been asking me about the food situation here, I thought it necessary to write a little because I imagine you’re thinking that I’m eating guinea pig every day. Don’t fret, I’m being very well fed, and regrettably I haven’t even eaten “Cuy”, or guinea pig, yet. It is the national delicacy, and I frequently see the cuys being roasted on a rotating rotisserie spit. It’s quite a sight seeing skinned guinea pigs with their little teeth and paws, but the Ecuadorians seem to love it. It’s an indigenous specialty that dates back to Inca times and is supposedly high in protein and low in cholesterol. I’m actually really excited to try it. My experience with Ecuadorian gastronomy so far has been really positive, and I haven’t been sick thankfully. The diet is amazingly well balanced. It’s really fun to roam the isles of the markets and grocery stores and see things that I didn’t even know existed. The diet here is primarily based on varieties of protein rich strains of corn, which is really interesting. “Chochos” are a corn variety, and kids eat them as snacks. The Ecuadorians have found a million and one uses for corn. They toast it for tostadas, pop it for popcorn, mill it into cornmeal, and boil it for other uses. As you can see, it’s a corn-crazy country. They also rely on quinoa and other amazing grains that NASA has even used to send with astrounauts in space. They’ve found really light, complete protein grains in the Amazon here. Anyway, I eat a lot of tamales, empanadas galore, and a national specialty, humitas, which are kind of like corn dumplings. I also eat tons of soup. It’s served as an appetizer before every meal and we usually put popcorn in it, which is the traditional way to eat many soups. So basically I am full all the time.

I’ve been to quite a few food markets, and they have been really colorful. The fish markets are really lively and there are usually about 20-30 vendors all trying make their fish the most attractive to clients. Fish heads fly everywhere and the vendors hurriedly clean the fish, which means you can’t escape quite a few fish scales in your hair. It’s a beautiful thing. You also have to delicately walk around the fish blood, ice, and fish bones, but it’s really fun. The meat markets are a little harder to stomach. Fully skinned cows and pigs hang next to segmented cow spines, chicken feet, cow tongues, and many other bright red pieces of meat. Many Ecuadorians cook with ALL parts of the animal, so nothing goes to waste. This is an admirable method of cooking, but I am used to my sheltered process of buying perfect, cleaned meat from Publix. It’s great to go to these markets though because usually the meat is less expensive, and the taste is amazing because the meat is so fresh- sometimes too fresh! (For example, blood still dripping).

On to more recent events…
Today is Halloween, and it’s been really fun seeing the Ecuadorian decorations for us silly Americans. Ecuadorians do not celebrate Halloween. Instead, like most other Latin American countries, they celebrate the Day of the Dead (Nov. 2), which has completely different roots than our pumpkin-carving and candy day. It’s more of a celebration of life while also remembering and honoring those who have died. The typical way to celebrate the day is to make “Colada Morada”, a really thick berry drink with corn flour, and “Guaguas de Pan”, or basically huge pieces of bread in the shape of dead babies. Yes, that’s right. The tradition is to dip the head of the baby in the Colada Morada and bite it off! I had some issues with this. An older tradition involves going to the tombs of loved ones to clean them and to cook a humongous lunch for the dead. The indigenous cultures here believe that the spirits of their loved ones will rise and that they will eat and celebrate with those still on earth. I am really looking forward to seeing how the town celebrates on November 2nd.

The past couple weeks have continued to be really great, and I finally got to meet my Rotary sponsor and attend a meeting. My sponsor, it turns out, is 86 and is the oldest Rotarian in Ecuador and quite possibly all of South America. I thought that was really funny. He has been a Rotarian for 53 years, so I have a great source of information. He is a renowned orthopedic surgeon in Ecuador, and he still practices! The man can hardly walk, but his grip and concentration are amazing. I’m not so sure this is safeJ I accompanied him and his wife to a hacienda in a nearby town (Puembo) for a special, bi-annual Rotary meeting. It was great to hear them review the pillars of Rotary. There were so many similarities between their club and the club in Downtown Gainesville that it made me marvel and how interconnected Rotary is. I thought what one man in particular had to say was interesting. He traveled to Evanston, Illinois, in the past to see the Rotary headquarters. He said that he had expected an opulent, grand monstrosity of a building in true American style, but he was pleasantly surprised to see a somewhat humble, yet obviously multicultural headquarters building. After the meeting they treated us to an amazing, who-knows- how-many-courses lunch, and I was able to meet other scholars and youth exchange scholars as well. It was a great introduction to the host club in Quito, whose emphasis is “dar de si antes de pensar en si” (give of yourself before thinking of yourself). Next step is making my presentation!

I had some other general tidbits of information for you all of things that struck me funny in the last week. For example, we talked about women who opt to be drug-trafficking mules to make a living. If you haven’t seen the movie María Full of Grace, I’d suggest it, as it deals with this topic, and it’s practically a spitting image of where I live. I learned that there is a really strong American military presence in Manta, a base in Ecuador. Plan Colombia has placed such a stronghold on Colombia that many of the drugs are now coming into Ecuador to circumvent the anti-drug efforts. Export of drugs is less easily detected in Ecuador because most of the attention is given to Colombia. The jails here are full of foreigners who, almost 99% of the time, have been caught for attempting to export drugs. As you can imagine, many boats leave the coasts here full of drugs, and it’s common that they sink. So what is to become of the floating packages of drugs? “Fishermen” go to fish drugs (or “pescar la droga”). This produces a whole lot of truancy, as kids would rather spend the day fishing for drugs. Speaking of drugs, I was told that they don’t sell anti-depressants (don’t worry, I’m happy) because of religious reasons. I don’t really understand this yet.

I’ve also had many conversations with women about the woman’s role in society. In all honesty, I’ve found the culture to be far less machista than I had anticipated. What I’ve found most interesting that it is extremely common for married me to have lovers (yet if women commit adultery, it’s seriously shunned, and their basically outcasted). It’s just shocking to me how open the men are about their infidelity. For instance, I was making copies the other day, and I saw a poster listing the top twenty reasons to have another lover! It was copyrighted! I have to admit I laughed at the jokes, but I was shaking my head at the same time. As in many other foreign cultures, children live with their parents until they marry. It’s kind of a nice arrangement. Mom still does your laundry and cooks. What could be better? In all seriousness, this creates a bit of a problem for some Ecuadorians in regards to marriage. Many women become so used to not having to do laundry and cooking, that having to fill this societal role is horrifying for them. Most young women in Quito are well-educated, and they simply don’t want to have to begin to conform to the traditional role of women here. On the other hand, many women rush to marry because this means they can finally move out of their parents’ homes. More often than not, these couples have serious problems later. One of my female professors told me that one of the most horrible things in life is to never marry because society will think that there’s something wrong with the woman. She said that it really is a goal of every woman more or less to marry to avoid this societal stereotype. Anyway, the women that I’ve met are typically strong willed and are active members of the work force. I’ll leave you with the most recent quote from my house mother, Juana, “Laurencita, the men here may be the heads, but the women are the necks!”

Yeayyyy!!! The first post...

2006-10-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Finally, the first update! I’m so sorry that I have neglected this site, but I’m going to try to have updates every week from now on (fingers crossed). Internet is a little tricky here, but we’ll see how it goes.

Before I continue, I want to thank any Rotary members who may be reading this site. Thank for again for making this experience possible. I’ve only been here for three weeks, and it’s already been such a gift. Thank you.

The last three weeks have been an experience. I feel like I’ve done so much every single day that by the time 9 o’clock hits, I’m ready for bed, which is pathetic, but a combination of negative oxygen, thinking and trying to speak in Spanish all day, suffocating pollution, and walking to and fro makes an American girl quite tired (not to mention pick up soccer games). The family I’m living with has been extremely generous and kind. The mother is an amazing cook from the coast, the father is a soccer fanatic, and their daughter works in a casino, so I rarely see her. They’ve gone out of their way multiple times to show me the city and to make me feel welcome, and they make me laugh all the time.

Adjusting to Quito is going to take some time I’ve come to see. At first, I honestly thought I was going to get robbed at every corner, but I’ve become a little more (but not fully) used to walking around town. People never cease to stare at me and whistle in that oh-so-lovely way of calling a dog. Walking ahead without giving the man the satisfaction of replying has taken some getting used to, but I know I need to or else six months of cat-calls is going to get old very quickly.

The most striking, negative differences I’ve noticed so far have been the level of extreme poverty, corruption (at all levels), the amount of children who work on the streets, the filth, and the men who think it’s perfectly fine to harass women. On the other hand, I’ve noticed a sense of family that doesn’t exist in the U.S., daily interaction among people who are genuinely pleased to see each other, ingenuous ways of making a clean living, and a happiness with what one has that has already begun to make an impact on me. From what I’ve experienced and heard in the last three weeks, I am beginning to see how Ecuador really is a land of extremes. Being middle class is a struggle when the great majority of the people constitute the haves and the have-nots. Dollarization was implemented in 2000 here, and it has had overwhelming effects on the people. The job market is horrible, and people consider themselves lucky and blessed if they have a job. While a two dollar lunch to Americans seems unreal, it’s a special treat to some Ecuadorians when the baseline salary for some is $170 A MONTH. Additionally, while healthcare is “free”, many people know that in order to get any kind of decent health care they need to go to a private clinic. Many doctors merely work in public hospitals to obtain a retirement stipend after 30 years of service. They shortchange the patients and make their real salary in their own private clinic because they really have no interest or incentive in serving the public community. What this translates to is a lot of poor people receiving inadequate treatment in public facilities. Education here is also “free” to some extent, but in the public, free, university close to my school, students are packed in the classrooms taking the class while standing up. People hawk their wares outside the classroom doors while men urinate two feet away in the rose bushes. Across the street in the private university, the students are seated and enjoying polished floors, air conditioning, and are not plagued by the slightest annoyance, for there are ample security guards and fences.

Of recent interest in Ecuador is the presidential “election”. I put election in quotes because it really should be called presidential purchase. Out of 13 candidates, it’s no coincidence that the richest man in Ecuador, Alvaro Noboa, came in first place in the first round of elections (the run-off will be at the end of November). Additionally, Gilmar Gutierrez, brother of past president Lucio Gutierrez (who was ousted), came in third even though he was no where on the map prior to the election. The headline in the papers after the election was plain and simple: “ELECTORAL FRAUD”. How can the people expect their government to be just when the president buys his way into office? The Ecuatorian tribunal hired a Brazilian company to administer the election. The company, called e-vote, claimed that their equipment didn’t function as planned on election day, and that there is no way to manually re-count the votes because the ballots have already been sent to recycling! The police officers are corrupt as well. For instance, when getting pulled over, it is common knowledge that bargaining wage for pay-off is two dollars. Simply slip the two dollars between the registration and the cedula (I.D). The police officer will skillfully palm the two dollars while glancing at the documents, and the driver may say “Para sus colas” (for your Cokes). They then will both go on their merry ways- as simple as that. For many Ecuadorians paying a fine is torture for some unknown reason. They would rather pay a bribe (say of two dollars) instead of showing up and paying of fine of .25 cents.

I know I’ve mentioned pollution quite a few times in my e-mails, but I haven’t spoken about the initiatives to clean up Quito. Two modes of public transportation, the trolley (Trole), and the Metrobus, both use clean energy. These have been recent improvements, so the effects are just beginning to show. The city also allows for a “Ciclopaseo” every 15 days, where one of the major roads is closed for cars, and bicyclists are able to ride their bikes all day long. This promotes both well-being and a cleaner city. The public parks also offer quite a bit. The largest park, Parque Carolina, is one of my favorites because I go to a hilarious outdoors aerobics class on Sunday mornings with quite the spandex-loving crowd. I can also run (or attempt to run because of the altitude), and play in soccer games. There are literally 30 going on at one. It’s amazing. They also have these crazy caterpillar trolley buses for kids that always make me laugh, and I’m really tempted to hop on one next time. Another reason for going to the Parque Carolina is the watermelon! There are fresh slices everywhere I look. I have to be careful though because watermelons are often injected with city water before they are sold so that the store can charge more (by weight), and city water works magic in my tummy.

Before coming to Quito I thought that I would have quite a few conversations about President Bush and my views on government. I am asked about Bush occasionally, but the people here seem to differentiate between the man America elected and Americans themselves. Of greater concern to people is my religion. I never thought that being Jewish of all things would spark such debate (all the time- literally). In a country that is 90% Catholic, people find it fascinating that Jews do not believe in Jesus. It’s really hard to describe Jewish beliefs in a nutshell while tactfully imparting the core beliefs. Many times we’ve had to just change subjects because people really just don’t understand. Anyway, these conversations have been trying, and I thought about just not answering the religion question anymore because it always begets a lengthy conversation, but I think it’s important that I at least try to describe what Judaism is because for many people, it’s the first time they’ve ever heard of it.

I’ve traveled a bit on my weekends and during the week as class trips, and the trip have been beautiful. I was able to go to Otavalo, and indigenous market with all kinds of interesting goods and handicrafts. I need to go back to do some serious shopping. I also went to Ambato last weekend and to a great Baptist camp that my friend took me to. We went to a really interesting outdoor church there, and I literally slept at the base of the most active volcano in Ecuador, Tunguraghua. It was an experience, especially when we traveled to see the refugees of the last volcanic eruption that many of you may have heard about two months ago. They are living in homes and tents (Rotary sponsored, no less) in the nearest town to their devastated homes. It was a really humbling experience to meet these people and to see that they literally have nothing. On the whole, their days consist of walking back to the ruins of their home and land, sitting there for a while and lamenting the loss, remembering what once was, and coming back to the refugee camp to play some volleyball and start the process again the next day. After meeting these people, we went to nearby Banos, a thermal bath town, and we quickly left on an escape route because the volcano I mentioned earlier decided to produce two landslides that were about to trap the city. It was insanity I tell you. Thank goodness that the man (Pastor Steve) knew a back road and got us out of there safely. It was a bit too much to handle as he was flying up the side of the mountain trying the escape the converging landslides. It was pretty cool to be Indiana Jones for a day, but I could have done without almost peeing my pants.

This past week I went to some other, safer, thermal springs called in a town called Papallacta. It was absolutely amazing, and the scenery was unreal. I was soaking in natural baths all day while gazing at a volcano. What more could you ask for? (Watermelon). Being the Floridian that I am, I didn’t think that I needed excesses of sunblock to bother myself with, but this Floridian looked like a British tourist after a long day at the beach. I have now realized just how strong the Andean sun is, and being that we were 10, 500 feet closer to it didn’t help.

So that’s the last three weeks in review more or less. There have been eight hours a day, five days of week, of classes in between, and some salsa lessons. I’ve also taken the black market up on some one dollars D.V.D.s, which is fabulous. The coming week brings my first Rotary meeting (finally), and beginning some volunteer things in the city, which I am looking forward to. Take care everyone, and send me pictures of Halloween if you get a chance. I promise to be better about updating the site.