My Ecuadorian Adventure

The Last Blog

2010-06-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

So here it is. After six long months in Ecuador, my last post. Right now, I am sitting in the Houston airport waiting for my connection to Portland.
So I guess I will start by saying that the last few days with CIMAS went off without a hitch. I rocked my Spanish final, so with that I was happy, and our paper and presentation seemed to turn out well. I wouldn’t say that it was stellar by any means, but definitely decent. So we’ll see how much arguing needs to happen after final grades come out.

I said goodbye to my family (well, all but Alejandra, and she didn’t seem too concerned with saying goodbye, seeing as Marco told her that I was leaving in the morning last night and she said, “Ok, I’m going upstairs.” Thanks for all the love Alejandra. Other than that, the other family members seemed genuinely sad about my approaching departure, and made me assure them that I would write.

As far as today goes, I almost didn’t get to leave Quito again, despite having all the correct documentation this time. I got to the airport late because Marco and Sandra forgot to wake up, so we left at about 4:30 in the morning. When I got to the airport, I found out that Continental’s systems were down and they couldn’t check anyone in (unless you had already checked in online the previous day, which I tried to do but just got a bunch of error messages). So I waited in line for about an hour, and finally got checked in at about 5:30. So we have a half an hour until it’s time to board and I haven’t gone through customs or security. Awesome. So by the time I get to the gate, it is about 6:05, and people are getting on the plane. I went through the usual search and pat down that the Quito airport does at the entrance to the gate without problem, and I was walking toward the plane when I heard a security guard behind me say “Ma’am, you need to come with me.” Awesome. Now what?
So myself and another little old lady went with this security guard and on the way to this mystery location, he told us that our bags were going to be searched for narcotics. I then told him that that was fine with me, he had my consent, but that I didn’t want to miss the plane (which is now leaving in 20 minutes) and was going back to the gate. He said no, that to search the bag I needed to be present. So we walked down all these back hallways that are clearly not for passengers and end up out on the tarmac with the national police and our two bags. So the police officer opened up my bag and started digging through it (even though it was meticulously packed and I knew that the stuff was not going to fit back in after he unpacked it). He was particularly interested in the rain sticks I got for all the kids, at one point really fixating on one in particular to the point that I thought he was going to take just one (leaving me with five cousins and four gifts). So after he tore up all my stuff, they called in the dogs (meanwhile the clock is ticking down, it’s about 6:15), and I had to stand by as the drug dog sniffed and pawed and got all up in my luggage. Again, awesome. So at this point I am getting frantic because I know that I will have to go through security again and there are only 10 minutes until this plane leaves. So I tell the officer that I need to go, and ask him if he is satisfied with the search (because neither he nor the dog could find anything, shocker). He finally says yes and I hastily shove the suitcase back together so that I can get back on the plane. I then went back into the airport, back through security (even though I was with a security guard and the police the WHOLE time), and got to the gate. I got immediately on the plane and literally sat down and we took off. It was literally with minutes to spare. The flight was relatively uneventful, I sat next to a smart little 12yr old boy who was pretty cool, and other than that there is nothing entertaining to speak of. Right now, I am sitting at Houston-Bush awaiting my 6:30 flight which is still hours away. But hopefully this flight again will be pleasant (I again have a window seat, which is nice), and I can end this adventure on a positive note.

Overall, the experience in Ecuador was a positive one, though the experience with CIMAS was not. At all. I think that in going to Ecuador, not only did I mature, but also I have more confidence in my abilities, and bonus, can speak Spanish. It is a shame that CIMAS was so awful, but still, now that it is over, I am glad that I went. Peace out Ecuador--thanks for everything.

Saying Goodbye to the Jensens

2010-03-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

I spent my last Saturday here with Marlo and her family, and I couldn't have asked for a better day. She called me on Friday and asked me if I would like to go to the park with them for a picnic the next day, and so of course I said yes. I got up and had breakfast with my family and then headed over to their house. When I got there, she was all packed up but told me that she was thinking of baking some cookies to take with us. So of course I encouraged her to make them (because her chocolate chip cookies are awesome), and she did. She also told me that the 10lb bag of chocolate chips that I brought her were almost gone. Wow. So she made some cookies and we went to La Parque Carolina for lunch. The kids brought their bikes and rollerblades, and so after we got done eating we walked around the park for a little while. After the picnic we went back to their house and hung out for a while, and she invited me to have dinner with them. And of course I accepted because I knew that anything she made would be a thousand times more delicious than anything we might have at my house, and of course I was correct. She made steak gorgonzola and a salad. It was fantastic. After that, I asked if I could use their Vonage phone to call home, and though my mom and Dana weren't there, I did get to talk to my dad, which was nice. After that I said my goodbyes to the family and headed home. It was sad to say goodbye, but the next time they are in Washington, we have plans to get together.

And so now I will be spending this day working on my portion of our 30 page essay, and after that I only have three days left. I am pretty much all packed up, so all I have to do is finish this program and I will be all done!

A Funny Story

2010-03-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

So since nothing seems to be going right, I am going to share the one bright part of my day today. In Spanish, we were having a conversation about "If you could be any animal, which would you be?" So we all started out naming real animals until one girl's response was that she would be a unicorn. So then everyone decided that they wanted to change their answers based on the fact that we could invent animals. So I jokingly said that I would be a liger (from Napolean Dynamite) and the only guy in the class told me that those were real. He then (and remember that this is all in Spanish, a language that we are not very good at) that depending on the sex of the mother, a combination between a lion and a tiger could be a tion or a liger. So I asked him if he meant to say "species," but he continued assuredly that the sex of the mother was the determinant. At this point we were all laughing, and he assumed it was because we though that ligers weren't real, when really it was because the SEX of the mother is always feminine. So we then asked him what happens if the mother was a little masculine, and he finally understood.

It was really funny and yet another example of how in trying to use a new language, there are always mishaps.

Coming Home

2010-03-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

So after much thought and consideration, I have decided that I am indeed going to come home and quit CIMAS. This is the worst program I have ever had the misfortune of being a part of, and I have decided I do not have the patience, emotional capacity, or will to continue. I have sorted out all of the details with my advisors, and though my decision makes Dr. Suarez very angry, I believe it will make me happy-or at least I won't be this unhappy anymore. And if I had any doubt remaining about my decision, I just found out that my grandma has cancer which would have made the decision for me anyways.

Unfortunately I do not really have anything to tell from the last few days as I have spent the majority of them sleeping. I usually come home from school, sleep until dinner, eat dinner, go to bed, and sleep until I have to go to school again. I can only think to chalk it up to unhappiness, and hopefully this will pass with my return to the US. I have completed almost every assignment with CIMAS, the only things I have left to do are the 30 page paper and presentation and the Spanish final exam...and then I am done. Thank goodness.

I changed my ticket from June 6th to March 18th, and my plane is scheduled to land in Portland at 9:07 next Thursday. I cannot wait to be back and put this behind me. All my love to my family, I cannot wait to see you all next week.

The Week From Hell

2010-03-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

This was the most god-awful week of my life. It started on Monday when we basically had a free day to work on our essays. It was this day that I started feeling sick, so since we didn’t have school I just went home and slept all day. And through dinner. And through the night. So I fell asleep at about 11AM, and I didn’t wake up until 7AM the following morning.
Tuesday morning was dedicated to presentations, and since mine was the only individual presentation (all the rest were groups), I was a little nervous and went first. It went well, everyone liked it….and then Dr. Suarez decided to comment (keep in mind he’s the grader). He said, “Though your topic was interesting, it has nothing to do with this program.” UMMM, thanks?? The theme for these presentations was “Current Health Issues in Ecuador” and I wrote about the lack of sexual education in public schools and the consequences in the public sector. How is that off topic? But the rest of the class agreed and they verbalized that, so I felt better. However, I was still a little worried about my grade in the class, so I went after to talk to him, and he basically told me that since I was so out in right field with my theme, I would be receiving a not very favorable grade, but that it was not a problem because maybe I could do better on the final. Ummm, not ok Dr. Suarez. So I sent an email explaining this to my advisor in the US, and she revealed that they have been getting nothing but complaints about CIMAS from this year, and that I just needed to keep a copy of all my work and the grades, and we could sort it out when I got back.

Also in this email, I was so frustrated that I asked what would happen if I came home early. I am so frustrated with CIMAS that even though I came here specifically for this internship, I would turn it down just to not be affiliated with this awful program anymore. Basically I found out that since I was not a full time student (because I wouldn’t complete the year) I would be on academic probation for the following year. However, this is only for financial aid purposes, and would not show on my transcripts or anything; only the finaid department would monitor my academic progress during next year. At this point, I think I will stay, but we have a 30 page paper coming up and if they pull the same bullshit with the final paper that they have with the previous three, I think I will have to leave because during my internship, I will also have to write a 30 page thesis, and I can’t have a bunch of bad grades sitting on my WSU transcripts, nor do I want to have to fight to have them changed. So we will see what happens, but I am not ruling out the option of coming home in March instead of June.
I hate this program; the only thing that is making it better is that everyone else hates it too and that WSU knows about the issues.
After this black Tuesday, Wednesday came. And it was no better. But that day the problem was Spanish, not Public Health. I have told my Spanish teacher on three separate occasions that I am in the wrong Spanish class and that I should be moved down. But she insisted that it was fine and that it was a correct placement. Well, we got a big packet of papers back (including the midterm) and she said that because my grade was so much lower than everyone else in the class, I would have to retake the midterm to try and recuperate some points, as well as redo all the other assignments that I clearly didn’t understand. She also said that I was clearly in the wrong class, but now it’s too late to change it. DUH! I told you that, and additionally I got a 25% on the placement exam we took. Who thought it was a good idea to put me in the highest level class??!? So I have been redoing assignments in hopes of a better grade…we’ll see how it turns out. But I cannot win here, so I have pretty much given up as far as CIMAS goes. I hate this program and cannot wait to evaluate it.
So after that awesome few days, Thursday afternoon finally rolled around. I was waiting for my driver, and some of the other students came out of the building talking about going to Cuenca for the weekend. I asked what they were going to do there, and they told me that they were going to go to Ingapirca, the Incan ruins in Ecuador. They also invited me to go, and considering how my week went, I decided that a little time away would be nice. So I left two hours later for Cuenca!
We got there on Friday morning after taking an overnight bus, checked into the hostel, and slept until 10. After that we got on another bus and went to Ingapirca, which was really cool. That was the one thing that I didn’t get to do last quarter that I still really wanted to see, so I’m glad we went. It was awesome and I had a good time. After that we came back to Cuenca and had dinner, and then just went to bed because everyone was tired from not sleeping the night before.
On Saturday, we just spent the day walking around the city. We ate at two really awesome restaurants and played a card game called “Presidents and Assholes” about a million times. It was again a really relaxed day and I had a lot of fun with the group I went with.

Saturday night we left and took a night bus home, arriving at about 6 this morning. I have been sleeping most of the day, and now I have a bunch of homework to do. Tomorrow we start week 9 with CIMAS, and I hope it just goes quickly. I dread going every day, so I hope that this week and the next just fly by and I won’t have to deal with Public Health anymore.

B-I-N-G-Oh!!!

2010-03-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I called Kelsey to see if she wanted to go do something because I was bored. We decided to go to the park and just spend some time in the sun. When 3:00 rolled around, it was no longer sunny, and therefore we decided not to go to the park. So the plan instead was to go see "Couple's Retreat" at the movie theater. So I picked her up in a cab and we went to the theater...only to find the huge metal gates that go over the doors pulled down and taped over. So out taxi driver helpfully says, "It looks closed." What was your first clue, taxi driver??

So we knew of another theater relatively close by, and we asked him to take us there. He did, but when we got to the ticket box, not only did they not have Couple's Retreat, they didn't have any other movies that looked entertaining (or that we hadn't already seen). So we left...but on out way out, we walked past a bingo parlor, and the temptation was just to great. So we went in and sat ourselves between the old ladies and played some bingo. It was hard because they were calling the numbers in Spanish and they were keeping pretty good pace, but it was fun nevertheless.

After that I came home and took a nap and then went back to Kelsey's to call home. And that was the rest of my day. Today I got up and went to CIMAS for an hour because we had to make our groups for the final essay, and then the rest of the day was a free day to work on our essays for tomorrow (but mine's already done, so I just had a free day).

For the final essay, we have a group of five, and the topic is "Autonomy." Unfortuantey, I have no idea what that even means, much less how to write five pages (my portion) on "The Autonomy of Healthcare." Great. I would like to point out that this was NOT my idea.

So tomorrow we have presentations and tonight I am going to chat with Di Adra and Tiffany (my real cousins) as they watch a show about the weird food in Ecuador. And that's pretty much all for now...

I Thought March Would Never Come...

2010-02-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

So yesterday morning there was a huge earthquake in Chile. It registered an 8.8, with aftershocks all day in Peru and Argentina at 6.7. An 8.8 is 1000 times stronger than the earthquake in Haiti, the aftershocks were of similar size. Because of the earthquake, the entire Pacific Basin was put on tsunami warning, which is the highest level of threat for tsunami, so we basically spent the day wondering if a tsunami was going to hit Ecuador.

Luckily, I live in the highlands, so even had there been a tsunami, we wouldn't have been affected. But it was a big deal here, and everyone was talking about it. The news was on EVERY TV, and that's rare because people don't really seem to care about the news here.

Yesterday, I walked down to my old neighborhood to go to the bank and buy some movies. I am on a quest to find "Song of the South," because since you cannot buy it in the US, I am determined to buy it here so I can watch it. But alas, the video stores didn't have it. One of them is looking into getting it for me, so I'll know next Thursday. I really hope they can get it!

After that, I came home and was bored. We are supposed to be writing an essay this weekend, due on Tuesday, but everyone decided to travel. I asked EVERYONE before they left if they wanted to be in a group with me, and no one seemed that interested, so since no one else is going to start until Monday anyways, I decided to do it myself. This means that I also have to present by myself, but hey, at least then I can make all the decisions. So yesterday evening I sat down and wrote my essay and did my powerpoint, so now I am ready for Tuesday. The only problem is that on Monday, we have an hour lecture at 9 on possible essay topics, then free time until 2 when we have Spanish. The free time is supposed to be to work on the essays, but since mine is done I am going to have to figure out something to do with the rest of the day. But that's fine, it's better to be bored than be at CIMAS.

Last night my mom had a dinner party for her friends and hired a chef to come over and cook. We had filet mignon and potatoes and rice (of course) and chocolate cake for dessert. It was FANTASTIC. Today, I am going over to Kelsey's to call home and that's it...I have no other plans. But I think I might go out an try and find something, because I really don't want to sit around here all day.

Happy 100 Day!

2010-02-25T20:27:00.000-08:00

And the double digit countdown begins...

So this was week seven at CIMAS, and for the most part the first two days were pretty normal. Suprisingly, they did not cancel one single lecture this week, so that was a plus. In Spanish, we watched "The House of Spirits" by Isabel Allende (she wrote the book, we watched the movie, but same thing). It was actually REALLY good, not to mention it had an all-star cast: Antonio Banderas, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, and Meryl Streep. I liked it.

On Wednesday, we took a trip to Pedro Moncayo to visit a flower farm. We had been prepped about flower farms and how bad they are for the environment and how they use chemicals that cause cancer in the workers...basically how they are really shitty places. So when we got there, the owner comes to give us a tour, and he is spewing a TON of bullshit about how "they don't use harsh chemicals and they properly treat waste water and they check all the ages of the workers" and such, but when we started the tour, EVERYTHING we saw said the exact opposite. All of the people working in this place looked about 14, and at one point when the tour got up ahead of me I asked one of the girls how old she was....after about a 15 second hesitation, she said, "18." Good answer, but not the truth. After that, we kept walking and we went into the greenhouses. The owner made a point to say that after they are sprayed with pesticides, no one without a complete protective getup is allowed in the houses for at least four hours. As soon as he finishes, a man walkes up to us, picks up a huge jug of drinking water, and proceedes to walk directly into the next greenhouse where the other guy is ACTIVELY spraying pesticides. How embarrassing.

So after that we went to a hospital, and they too were in the BS game, because they told us that they "had no numbers or statistics on the prevalence of cancer in the community" and that "cancer is not really a problem here." Ummm, I beg to differ! Cancer from pesticides in the water supply is a HUGE problem in that province. So overall it was a really interesting trip, but not very informative because no one would tell us the real scoop.

Today we had another trip to Tumbaco, and this time we just visited a farm. Not horribly interesting, and nothing to do with public health, but we did get to go out and pick our own veggies and make a salad for lunch, so the extra veggies I got in my diet today were good. Also, it was a short trip so even though I was bored all the time, I only suffered for four hours. (And I do mean suffered: there were NO bathrooms where we went and we had to hold it all day....actually not all day, they stopped in the morning at the tour guides house and we got to pee in his bucket toilet. You do your business, and then pour sawdust on top of that, and then someone else goes on top of that....)

Tonight, I was invited to Kelsey's house for tacos. When I got there, Kelsey was still at the store, so I was chatting with her family. Her mom came in and said, "You look really *something*." When I said I didn't understand the word, she repeated it and when I still didn't get it, her eight year old son (who is learning English in school) said "Wide! It means wide." So I made a sort of frown at being called fat, and then the mom, who was still trying to explain in Spanish said, "Flaca...el opuesto de gordo." So in reality she was commenting that I looked thinner, which was a nice thing. I then informed Diego that "thin" was the word he was looking for, and that "wide" was the opposite. So we all had a good laugh.

The tacos were delicious, and we ended up just hanging out and talking until almost 11. It was really fun, and a good way to celebrate 100 day. As of tomorrow, we are looking at only two digits in the countdown! Can't wait to celebrate 1 day!!!

My Family

2010-02-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

So this family now is officially driving me crazy. I guess because now they are comfortable with me they can let all their neuroses loose.

My parents are fine, except for the fact that they just let the kids (Christian especially) walk all over them. For example, since Christian STILL can't eat solid foods (more on that later), he makes himself essentially glorified milkshakes every day. Yesterday, while we were eating dinner, he made his milkshake and left the blender on for literally more than three minutes while he went and did something else. My mom turned it off and he came running into the kitchen and basically scolded her for messing with his milkshake, and when she took it off the base to pour it in a cup for him he grabbed it out of her hands and put it back on the blender, despite the fact that Marco and Sandra were both telling him not to. So instead of doing something about his blatent disobedience, they just shook their heads and continued eating. And it's like that always...the kids NEVER get punished even when they are so disrespectful it's embarrasing to be there.

Andrea is just a lot more immature than I had originally thought, but that is kind of a running theme here. All people act a lot younger than their actual age, so I guess I can let it go. However, she is on a diet....and I have no idea who this nutritionist is that she is seeing, but this diet is AWFUL. The nutritionist told her that she should drink at least 10% fat milk and drink these godawful herb-blended concoctions and eat things like tuna packaged in oil...I don't get it. It's bizarre and disgusting and not really very nutritious at all...but it's her life so whatever.

Alejandra just got a job at a meat factory, so now she thinks she knows everything about food. Tonight, she said that she liked margerine better than butter because it's healthier. And I told her that it depends on how you look at it, because butter is animal fat, which is less healthy, but margerine is filled with chemicals and coloring to make the plant oils solid. And she proceeded to tell me that margerine is not hydroginated and and all sorts of other facts that from a chemical or health standpoint are not even close to true. But whatever...again she can think whatever she wants. It's just really hard to talk to her now that she knows everything....

And Christian...oh my goodness Christian...he is the absolute worst in the whole family. He has NO manners whatsoever, and it is sickening to sit next to him at the dinner table. For example, today he decided that honey on his fish would be really good. So he proceeded to dip his spoon in the honey, spread it on the fish, and then redip the spoon in the honey for the next bite. So now there is no viable honey to use at breakfast because it has the unmistakeable flavor of fish. Awesome. Also, he is STILL playing the patient from his mouth surgery. Now don't get me wrong, I have never had mouth surgery, but I have had braces and teeth extracted and I happen to know that almost 10 days after a procedure, your mouth is healed. Because the mouth heals REALLY FAST. Even if he had leg surgery the wound would be well on it's way to healed...but no. He still only eats liquid food that ironically does not include anything good for you, but does have tons of sugar. Weird right? And on that note, if I hear Alejandra or Andrea say, "Come on Christian, you need to eat! You need the strength!" I am going to puke. He will not starve, he will eat when he's hungry (or when someone decides that this liquid sugar diet is bullshit) and he appears to have enough strength to play soccer with his friends, so I think he's fine.

So now that's off my chest....and I feel better. I am not necessarily looking forward to moving to a new family because I have known how it could be, and really I have it pretty good here. I am however looking forward to those "we just met and we are going to act on our best behavior" weeks.

Week 6

2010-02-19T18:37:00.003-08:00

So this week at CIMAS (because of Carnaval) was a two day week. But it might as well have been a week off, because CIMAS is stupid and we didn't do anything anyways. Allow me to explain...

So On Wednesday, when we got there, we had a lecture as planned, except that she went over by 45 minutes, thus taking out 1.5 hour lecture to way over two. Because of this, we didn't get out scheduled break, which turned out to be not such a catastrophe after all. You see, Dr. Suarez and his lovely wife decided to take an additional day at the beach for their vacation, and because of this, the scheduled "course evaluations" could not happen. So we had three hours of free time, and then Spanish. Now if you'll remember, this was the day that we were "compromising" for last week's lack of activities and beginning five minutes early. And that probably would have happened, except now CIMAS employs cooks to cook us lunch every day, and they didn't even get there until almost 2:00, when Spanish is supposed to start. So we were all almost a half hour late to Spanish because we had already paid for lunch and I at least wasn't about to forefit 1.50.

So that was Wednesday, and Thursday wasn't any better. We were supposed to visit SOLCA, the local cancer hospital, but then they announced (after we all got to CIMAS an hour early for this trip) that we couldn't go for health safety reasons. Ok, fair enough. So they told us that instead, the man from SOLCA who would have showed us around was coming to CIMAS in 15 minutes to give us a lecture instead. Again, ok, fine. So we waited. And waited. And waited. And when 11:00 rolls around (keep in mind we got there at 8:00), we colectively decide that he's probably not coming. So we again had free time until 2:00 Spanish. So for those of you who are keeping track, we were there from 8:00am until 4:00pm, and the only thing we did ALL DAY was Spanish. We did take a midterm in Spanish though, so at least it wasn't a total wash.

Today Kelsey and I went to the artesenal market in Quito so that I could begin my search for the alpaca chaps that Robert and Bob want so badly. Unfortunately, there were no chaps, but I did get some of the coolest shoes I have ever seen in my life, and I also got a Panama hat for my dad. So it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Afterward, I had dinner at Kelsey's house because my family went out somewhere. It was nice, Kelsey's family is similar to mine, and they are really nice people. After that they called me a cab and I came home (though not before being asked to go on a date with the taxi driver, which I politely declined). So now I am just hanging out, I have no plans for tomorrow or Sunday except to call home, so it should be a pretty relaxed weekend (like always!).

Back To The Grind

2010-02-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

So here I sit, enjoying the last few minutes of my holiday. Today, I woke up, had breakfast, and continued to read in the last book that I have, and it occured to me that there was no better day or time to go visit my friend Bill down at Confederate Books. So I did. I am now the proud owner of four new books, and that should last me about two weeks, so I am pretty satisfied.

On the way to the bookstore, I had who is possibly the most jolly taxi driver in the world. He kept saying "Buenos dias" and "It's a wonderful day!! (but in Spanish of course). He was funny. After I got done, I had the craziest taxi driver ever. He kept muttering my street name under his breath like he couldn't remember, and when I told him I could tell him where to turn, he said something about me having a lot of friends here.

In other news, I am thrilled to go back to school, because my family is DRIVING ME UP THE WALL. Alejandra is always all over her boyfriend and vice versa, and it's like "No one wants to watch you guys kiss and fool around while we're eating." Christian is milking this mouth surgery thing for all its worth (by the way, Christian, apparently no one told you but the mouth heals the quickest of any part in the whole body, so here at post op almost SIX days, you are FINE) and does stuff like soak all his food in his drink before he eats it. Like the bread with breakfast in his juice, his HAMBURGER in his HOT CHOCOLATE today at dinner...it's disgusting. Not to mention he is a SLOB when he eats and has no table manners whatsoever. Andrea and Christian also got into a hitting fight today when she asked him to pass the lettuce and he ignored her. She hit him in the face and he pinched her in the arm and then they argued like four year olds for a few minutes...I mean, how old are you????? (Answer: She is 22 and he is 14). Ridiculous.

I am ready to get out of this house! So despite the fact that I usually hate every minute at CIMAS and regard it as a waste of time, at least there I am surrounded by grown-ups who don't pinch each other. Uggg...

Valentines Day

2010-02-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

So seeing as yesterday was Valentines Day and I am single and away from everyone I know, I didn't really have high hopes for the day. And I was right.

I woke up and read because I didn't feel like having breakfast. When I went down for some water at 11, my family had just woken up and was eating breakfast. So I ate anyways, way later than I expected. After breakfast, I came back upstairs and read until lunch. And then at lunch was where all the fun started.

My grandparents came over for lunch and it was pretty normal until my mom started giving out the drink (a papaya batido, which is papaya blended with whole milk). I told her I didn't want any because batidos in general are gross, and they know I don't like papaya. So of course, my grandpa has to throw in his two cents. He asks me why I don't want any, and I tell him it's because I don't like papaya. He then proceedes on a 15 minute ramble about how I should be more opened minded, I should try all the things that Sandra makes, my sense of taste is obviously not very well developed, and that if I don't like papaya I must not like fruit. So then the grandparents band together to list EVERY FRUIT THEY CAN THINK OF and ask me if I like each one. So we go through ten minutes of that, and they come to the conclusion that the American does like fruit, just not papaya. Duh. And then again, my crazy grandpa has to throw back in that my taste for it would develop, "just like the people who like wine". Crazy knows no cultural bounds.

During this hell of a lunch, I also asked my sister Andrea if she wanted to go to the movies that night with me. She said sure, we could go see the 9:40 showing of Valentines Day, and that she was going to see her boyfriend for a few hours but she would come back to the house and we would go. Ok, perfect. So the rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful, I read more in my book (and am going to have to buy more soon because this is the last one I have) and we had dinner (just the family this time). My mom told me that her and Marco were going to a friend's house for a late dessert, but to have fun at the movie and she would see me tomorrow.

So when it was time to leave for the movie, I came down and found Andrea, who told me that all the movies were sold out. Ummm actually no, I just checked online and there are tons of seats. So then I asked her to call a cab for us and she tells me that she can't go. When I ask why, the conversation goes like this:

"No one is here with Christian."
"Alejandra is upstairs."
"Yeah, but she is not down here."
"So what, Christian can stay by himself."
"No, my mom said that I needed to stay and watch him."

Ok, so let me clear a few things up. Yes, Christian had surgery on his mouth on Friday. But that does not mean he's laid up by any means. He has been in the hallway hammering and painting on this junk project for three days now. He can eat, talk, and take his own pills. Not to mention he is 14, and Alejandra is in the house. Christian does not need taking care of. At all.

So she wasn't going. But at that point, I was so annoyed with the whole family that I decided she wasn't going to ruin my night and I went alone.

The movie was good, but in retrospect, Valentines Day is not a good pick for a movie alone on Valentines Day. I should have seen Percy Jackson. But oh well.

When I got home, I came up and read a little bit more, and then went to bed. Today is basically the same, I am going to hang out and get my homework done before we go back to school on Wednesday. It's been a pretty tame Carnaval holiday, but I am plowing through the books, so I am not to disappointed.

The Beginning Of Carnaval

2010-02-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

This weekend is a five day weekend for Carnaval. Yesterday I did absolutely nothing, in part because my brother had mouth surgery and my family just wanted to stay home and in part because I am lazy and reading all day usually sounds more appealing than going out. So that's what I did. I sat and read all day long.

Today was a bit more lively, I went to see Marlo and her family. It was really fun. We went out for ice cream and she made me lunch. Like always, it's nothing to eventful, but I really like talking to them and being in a household that is "normal" with normal things and food...

After that, I went to Supermaxi to get some food for my apartment, because with Christian recovering from surgery, my mom has not really been cooking much. And so after last night of tea and crackers for dinner, I decided I would get some food so I wasn't hungry if that happened again.

Tomorrow, I again have no plans, but seeing as Alice and Wonderland is out, I might take myself on a Valentines day date and go see it.

Week 5

2010-02-11T18:15:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we had our presentations. Well, sort of. CIMAS, despite the fact that there were eight presentations to be given (more or less 15 minutes a piece, plus five for questions) scheduled a lecture in the morning. So at 11, we finally began to present. Which means that we went WAY over into our lunch time (so what else is new) and had a whopping 35 minutes to go get lunch.

Our presentation was pretty rag-tag in my opinion, but I happened to be watching when the professor graded it and he gave us a 95%. So I'm certainly not complaining. We haven't recieved that score officially, and who knows. I wouldn't put it past CIMAS or Dr. Suarez to knock off a few points just because. But assuming that is our real score, I am happy, and I can only hope that our paper is returned with just as favorable results.

On Tuesday night while at dinner with my family, I mentioned that I had heard that the Cranberries (a British band popular in the 90's [famous song: Linger]) were coming to Quito the following night for on their reunion tour. My sister then told me that her and her boyfriend were actually going, and to my excitement she told me that if I had the money to pay for aticket ($25), I too could go. And so I was super excited because on Wednesday night, I was going to the Cranberries concert.

This week was also the week that we have to cook "traditional Ecuadorian food" for lunch for CIMAS. The actual lunch was Thursday, but my mom said we needed to go to the market in the morning before school on Wednesday. So I got up and we went to the market to buy the ingredients for Ceviche (a cold, tomato-based soup) with shrimp. After that, I went to CIMAS, and it was a pretty normal day. One thing that did happen though (and this is so typically CIMAS): Our Spanish professor has us for two hours each afternoon. On Wednesday, I guess she didn't plan very well and ran out of activities for us. So she announced we could leave a half an hour early because we were finished, but that the next time we have class, we will be staying for an extra half hour to make up the time. Ummm, no lady, we won't be. For one, that's not how it works, ESPECIALLY if YOU are the one who doesn't plan enough activities, and two, I have a driver that leaves at 4:00, and I am not going to pay for a taxi home (because you can't take a bus to my house from CIMAS) just because you didn't do your job. So we "compromised" and will be starting class five minutes earliler next week to compensate. Whatever...

Afterr school I went home and took a nap because I was tired from my early market morning. At 6:30, my sister and I and her boyfriend left for the concert. It was really cool. It took place in the Plaza del Toros, so basically it's a big, round, open air stadiu. It also happens to be about a block from the airport, and since there is no such thing as closed airspaces here, the planes fly over so close that you can basically count the bolts in the wings. It's like on the 205 bridge, except closer. Much closer.

The concert itself was really fun. I only know two songs (but in this I was the minority: everyone, even people who don't speak English, sang every word to every song) but still I really enjoyed it. It was a really nice night and the concert was really good. Afterwards, we walked to the car (my sister's boyfriend's cousin's car). He was supposed to take us home (it was already midnight, and I had to get up early to actually cook the ceviche in the morning), but decided that he was hungry and that we needed to go to Burger King. They all ate, and finally after 2:00AM, I got home. I set my alarm for 4:00 because I needed to shower because I smelled like an ashtray from the concert, and then my mom and I were going to cook. But of course, being as tired as I was, I slept through my alarm. When I did wake up a little after 6, all I had time to do was wash my face and brush my teeth because I knew we had to start cooking or it wouldn't be finished by the time my driver came.

All in all it worked out, we made the ceviche and I got to school. Today was really easy, we only had a seminar and then ate the lunch that everyone brought. It was good, and I am proud to report that the ceviche was completely gone by the end.

After school I was exhausted, so I took a nap. When I got up, I went to check my email, but for whatever reason my computer wouldn't let me log in. So I used safe mode and ran a repair, and after that it worked. After that, I cleaned my whole apartement (kitchenette, bathroom and other both bedrooms) and had dinner. Now I am going to go start a new book in celebration of the five day weekend that starts tomorrow for Carnaval! This weekend I have no set plans except to see Marlo and her family at some point, so we'll see what happens!!

CIMAS, Essays, Baking, Oh My!

2010-02-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

So on Monday when we went into school, even though we DIDN"T HAVE CLASS, Dr. Suarez decided that we were going to have a lecture anyways because everyone seemed so "frustrated". No shit, Dr. Suarez, you think you can put us through this stupid program and no one will be frustrated??? So he sat us down and announced that he was confused why we were all so mad about the rearrangement of the schedule.

Ummm newsflash: that's not why anyone is mad.

So basically after an hour of our time (that we were supposed to have for writing our essays), we finally got to work. We had Spanish from 2-4 in the afternoon, and basically the rest of the day was devoted to essay writing.

When I got home, we had dinner, but the new studnet Natasha wasn't there. I asked where she was, and they said she went to the hospital because her stomach hurt. Based on the fact that my mom and Andrea hadn't really felt well either, and also that my aunt and uncle (basically all the people who went to Natasha's orientation on Saturday) had thrown up, we determined that it must have been the food. I only had a hamburger, everyone else had hot dogs....and so the mystery is solved. Everyone had food poisioning from the hot dogs at the American World Teach coordinator's house. Bullet dodged for me. Phew.

Today I got up and went to Ida's house because that was where we were going to work on our essay. It took us six hours, but finally we are done. Our presentation is tomorrow and fingers crossed that this one turns out better than the last.

Kelsey told us today that she talked to her dad at home and he told her that he didn't even care if he had to pay for an extra quarter of classes at UW, this program seemed so stupid to him that he thought she should come home. And I agree. If I wasn't stuck here because of the quarter/semester conversion, I too would quit, take the incomplete and come home. We are absolutely wasting our time here with this program, and I plan to write a detailled email to Kate (the WSU abroad advisor) on why she should NEVER recommend this program to other students.

Now I am at Kelsey's house baking a peach cobbler because it is peach season here. We used a Paula Dean recipe that was really weird (you put the topping on the bottom and it rises while it bakes), but so far so good, and it smells good too. As of today, there are 116 more days, and I am praying that they continue to go fast, because I am at the end of my bullshit-taking rope.

Best. Day. Ever. Part Two.

2010-02-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

After we got back on Friday, I went home and unpacked, only to find that my Steri-pen, my MOST PRIZED POSESSION, was gone. I thought and thought and thought, but could not think of anyplace it could be. My only hope was that it was maybe in Kelsey's bag since she was my roomie and maybe somehow got misplaced. But she too had unpacked, and said that it was not in her stuff.

And so I was sad, but life moves on even without water sanitizers, and so we went out for sushi. This time it was Kelsey, Jessica and I, and we had a good time. Afterwards, we decided that dessert was on the menu, and so we went to Crepes and Waffles for ice cream. Again, delicious. Everyone else went out after that, but I went home because I really don't care to hang out with anyone else from this program anyways.

When I got home, I went into the kitchen and there was a woman standing at the sink....I said hello and then immeadiately went to my sister's room to get the scoop. And so...I now have a new roommate. Her name is Natasha, she is from London, and she is a little weird. But whatever. She only is living with us for three weeks and then she is moving to Ibarra to teach English.

On Saturday, we went to Natasha's welcome barbeque. It was alright, but I was definitely ready to get out of there by about the fifteenth minute. When I got home, I just hung out for the rest of the day because I knew that on Sunday we would have to work on our essay all day.

Which brings me to Sunday, which was the best and worse day yet. I got up in the morning and packed my stuff to go to Kelsey's to work on the essay. These six hours were nothing but frustration because they want us to write scholarly essays on information that we do not have and do not have access to. The Ministry of Health in Ecuador doesn't even publish the statistics on Malaria for each year, and so how we are even supposed to begin an essay on Malaria and Ecuadorian culture is beyond me. Did I mention that there are no public libraries here???

So after hours of struggles, we finally (hopefully) have a topic that is feasable, and will finish the essay tomorrow and present on Tuesday.

And then to back this day up a little bit: When I got to Kelsey's, I used her internet to Skype home because I could not get a good connection at the internet cafe I had previously been at. While talking to my mom (real mom) and telling her about my Steri-pen woes, Kelsey decided to take one more look in her bag....and lo and behold! My Steri-pen!! I knew I couldn't have lost or left it on our trip because I DON'T lose things. But it's back and for this I am happy.

Ok. So to then fast forward, while we were working on our essay, Kelsey's secret other student that lives in the house with her came in and said if we were interested, the American Embassy was holding a Superbowl party and we could go with him if we wanted. Ummm, is that even a question??

So at 6:00 (because the game started here at 6:30) we headed up to the Embassy. And it was AMAZING. They had pizza and beer and chips and salsa and guacamole and chocolate chip cookies....it was just like being at home. Everyone there was American...it was so fun. And to top it all off, my Saints won. Could it have been a better Superbowl? Probably not.

Afterwards, we just came home and now I am going to bed because I have to be at CIMAS at 9AM tomorrow to work on our essay, even though we don't have class. This is week 5 here, and the time so far has seemed like it has gone fast. Hopefully this will continue. Until then, 118 days left....

Welcome to the Jungle: Round Two

2010-02-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

So today we got back from field trip #2 to Santo Domingo de los Tsachillas. Which is in the jungle. Again.

This time, we left on Monday. When we got to our hotel, we were pleasently suprised at how nice it was. There was no air conditioning, so it was really hot and humid, but the rooms were really nice and we had a maid service. After we checked in, we had lunch and then free time for two hours. Kelsey (my roommate for this trip) and I watched Dr. Phil in English, and then went to the afternoon conference that was scheduled. The two hour conference took 30 minutes and the guy told us the most straightforward information on Malaria that it wasn't even worth going to. After that, we had more free time, so we watched the movie Crossroads (with Britney Spears from back in the day) and then went to dinner. Dinner was edible (as was the rest of the food we ate for the week), but not great. And they had cantaloupe juice. GROSS.

The second day, we got up and had breakfast and then left for some plantations. We learned how they grow pineapples and cacao, and the guy let me hybrid a cacao tree! After those, we went to a palm plantation and learned how they farm hearts of palm, but the guy who gave the lecture was really rude. One of the girls sneezed while he was talking and he said to her "If you don't want to listen, then you can just leave." Jeez, excuse you for sneezing....

It was fun and all, but had NOTHING to do with public health. In fact, there was not one mention of "public health" the whole day. After the plantations, we went to go for a "nature walk", which I knew was going to be a strenuous hike in the jungle. So this time I was prepared. We walked for a while, and then the guy turns to the mountain (like straight up, 90 degrees) and says we are going to climb. So we do, using the vines to reverse repel up the side of this mountain. At some point, I grabbed something thorny to avoid falling back down the cliff, and now I have infected slivers that I can't get out. But anyways...we all made it to the top, and then continued to hike. Other highlights of this so-called nature walk were the crossing of the bamboo bridge (two sticks of bamboo suspended 30 feet over a river with a rope to hold on to) and the wading chest deep through another. It sucked, but at least this time I was prepared.

After that half the group was positively jolly and the other half was pissed about what we had just done, so when we got back to the hotel, some people went to their rooms and some of us went swimming. The hotel had a little pool and it was fun enough for a little while. After that, we had dinner and then free time for the rest of the night.

On Wednesday, we went and visited a hospital, which was awful because it was PACKED with actual sick people and here we are invading everyone's privacy and taking up a LOT of space. After that, we were told that the guy who was lecturing us in the afternoon cancelled, so we had free time all afternoon. I watched the Northern Trust Open (golf), and Kelsey read. That night, we had dinner and then just went to bed.

The following morning (Thursday) we went and visited some small clinics and a hostel (which again has nothing to do with public health) and then went to a Malaria lab, which was actually interesting because for the first time in the whole week they gave us some information that was not blatently obvious. And as you may have already guessed, we then had the rest of the day off.

Today, we woke up, ate breakfast, and returned to Quito. So as you can tell it was the stupidest trip ever where I learned more from Dr. Phil on Munchausens by Proxy than I did about public health. It was a waste of time and money. CIMAS is stupid.

Now I am home, and besides unpacking, I have nothing to do today but attend to my mosquito bites. I just wasted a week, but this weekend will be busy because I have an essay to write, and we are going to try and watch the superbowl somewhere on Sunday. But I think that's it for the week long trip...hopefully we don't have any more of them.

The Weekend

2010-01-31T10:02:00.000-08:00

So this weekend, I have done absolutely nothing. Saturday morning I woke up, ate breakfast, and then hung out for the rest of the day. I really didn't feel well, which is why I didn't go to Tara's party, but that's fine with me, I wasn't too thrilled with the idea in the first place.

Today, I woke up and felt TERRIBLE. Luckily, my family has not yet suggested oregano tea, so I haven't had to force that down yet.

Today, I am just doing homework and getting things ready for tomorrow, becuase we have another trip. This time it is to Santo Domingo de los Tschillas, meaning more indigenous villages. Awesome. I cannnot wait.

And then today I found out that the milk that my family drinks has a whopping 11% fat content. Whole milk my ass, that is whipping cream. So when people wonder how I am sick all the time but am not really losing weight, that's how. Ugh...

My First Free Friday

2010-01-30T09:28:00.000-08:00

So I woke up yesterday morning only to find that our toilet won't flush. And of course, no one is home, so I scour the house for a plunger. There isn't one. When my mom finally gets back, she goes and gets it (out ot this little cubboard at the bottom of the stairwell (read: not in any of the apartments), and I get to work. What a gross job...but I did it, and now I can add "Plunged a toilet" to my resume of skills.

After that, no one but my mom and I were home for lunch, so we ate together and then went and got ice cream. She was showing me around the neighborhood, and mentioned that there was a salon that did pedicures, so after we got home, I went back and got a pedicure.

And eww. Worst pedicure ever. There is polish ALL over my toes, and after the lady finished with the towel on my feet, she washed her hair and used the same towel for her head. So I can only imagine how many other people have used that towel since its last cleaning. Never again.

After that, I pretty much just spent the day hanging out and being lazy. It was nice, especially after the awful Thursday I had. At dinner, my mom mentioned that my sister went to the pharmacy, and I told her that I too needed to go to the pharmacy. So we ate dinner (my mom, me, Alejandra and her boyfriend), and after dinner, he looked at me and said "So are you ready??" Apparently, my mom had told me that they were going to the pharmacy after dinner, and now I was going. Which was nice, because I didn't have soap or facewash or shampoo. So we went to the Fyebecca (a big chain pharmacy store) and I got all the things I needed. When I got home, I started to not feel very well, so I took a shower and then went to bed.

This morning still I don't feel very well, and I am supposed to go to a housewarming party for Tara tonight. I don't know if I will though because for one, I don't want to spend the taxi money, and for two, I don't want to go if I feel sick. So we'll see.

On another random note, I had an email this morning from a Jessica with the subject "Ecuador Blog". I opened it, and apparently this woman Jessica stumbled upon my blog, and thought it was really interesting because she too (in 1997) was a CIMAS student. She basically said that nothing changes and my experiences are really similar to hers. How weird!

And now I am sitting doing nothing...I should go do something but nothing sounds fun. Tomorrow I am going to go for a walk on 10 de Agosto and hang out in the Mariscal area of town. We have a trip all next week, and so if nothing big happens this weekend, I am not going to be too disappointed.

Quite the Day...

2010-01-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

Today started out as possibly the worst day yet. Nothing SUPER major happened, but it was kind of one of those "the-straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back" sort of things.

This morning, we had a lecture that was only marginally boring, and then during our break, they passed back our essays. We only got an 83%. Everyone else got at least a 91%. So we got the lowest grade, which I think is bull because we wrote a good research paper. So we took the paper to Dr. Suarez to discuss, and the gist of what he said was "We were more looking for an anylitical essay, not so much the research-fact based paper." WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US BEFORE WE WROTE THE RESEARCH PAPER THEN???? I am really done with CIMAS at this point. The people they hire (read-the people we PAY for) don't show up for lectures, and then they pull stuff like this. I can write an analitical essay, but don't tell me that we just have to write any essay on any topic that we want. Duh. Oh, and my favorite part of this whole discussion??? We lost points because our citations were "wrong". So we asked him how we should have done it (they were MLA to begin with), and he gave us a huge list of things to do for next time, and then finished with "In general, we just use MLA." Good. So do we. So why did we lose points again??? Ugh.

Then lunch was gross. It was some sort of tiny little chicken wings with huge chunks of yuca and yep, you guessed it, white rice.

Then, we had a trip to the supermarket to buy fruit for our presentations (we were all assigned a fruit to research). This part of the day went relatively smoothly. But when got back to CIMAS and was ready to leave, my driver wasn't there. So I asked the other girls where she was, and they told me that they had left 15 minutes before.

My driver specifically told me 4:30 today, but I guess they decided that since everyone but me was ready at 4:15, they would just leave. So in addition to paying for the driver, I had to pay for a cab also. Duh. On Monday, I absolutely intend on making her reimburse me for the $1.50 cab ride, and meanwhile my mom is looking for another driver.

When I got home, my mom asked me if I wanted to go look at her sister's possible new house. Of course I had nothing better to do, so I agreed. We went and toured the model home and also the one she wanted to live in, and it was really nice. The houses were really modern and it was a really cool setup- like every bedroom had it's own private bathroom. But you can definitely tell that the craftmanship here is not as good because there were things like stairs that didn't line up exactly and railing that had weird, unfinished edges...but still it was a beautiful house, brand new, for $150,000. I thought that they should buy it, and they are going to go into negociations tomorrow.

After that, we went to their actual house for tea and croissants, which was fun. Their house right now is in the richest neighborhood in all of Quito (and therefore all of Ecuador). It is a private neighborhood, and it is really pretty and safe.

After tea, they took us home, but they took us the long way to show me around El Centro Historico. It was really nice of them, and it was a fun drive.

Oh...and they have a 1.5 year old, and of course as is custom, she just played in the backseat and on the floor of the car this whole time. Not a carseat in sight....

After the drive we came to my house and I think they're downstairs chatting still, but I am going to bed, so I said goodnight. Tomorrow I have no plans but to sleep in...and we'll see what happens from there. I am really running out of soap and shampoo and almost everything else though, so possibly a trip to the pharmacy is in order.

Unit 2 at CIMAS

2010-01-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

So I have neglected this blog for a few days, which I try not to do, but it has been a pretty lame week and there really isn't anything to talk about. On Sunday and Monday, we spent the whole day working on our final essay for the first unit of the quarter. After we finished the essay and powerpoint, we make cookies at Kelsey's, and I am proud to report that they were much more successful than the brownies.

On Tuesday, we had presentations all morning. I thought everyone did a really good job, my group included. We did a good job splitting the talking part and everyone knew what they were supposed to be talking about. I am overall really happy with the result, and hopefully the grade reflects that. Last night, I was LOADED with homework, and it took almost the entire night to do. It was more in one night than I had the whole last quarter.

Today, school was a little more interesting than usual.We had a doctor come and give a lecture on population models, and it was really well done. He had definitions and statistics and charts, which none of the other presenters have had so far. After that, we were supposed to have another lecture, but whoever was supposed to give it didn't show. Suprise suprise. So we had free time from 11 to 2, which I am definitely not complaining about.

Tomorrow, I have to give a presentation in Spanish on Uvillas, which are called Gooseberries everywhere else but here. I have a poster that turned out really well, and think I am ready to go!

Since tomorrow is the last day of class for the week, everyone is leaving for different weekend destinations. But not me. For one, I don't really love any of the people in the group, for two, I don't have money, and for three, I don't want to take a 12 hour bus ride for a three day weekend. Been there, done that, and it was awful.

So I will be staying in Quito this weekend. I think that on Saturday, Tara and I are going to the Artesan's Market in Quito to check out the chap situation for Bob, and then on Sunday, I think I am going to walk down 10 de Agosto again. I don't think my butt is ready for another bike ride, but it would be a nice walk.

On a sad note, my roomie Tara is moving out tomorrow. She got an apartment closer to her school, which makes sense because she was spending $5 every night to get home. But still, she will be missed and my apartment will be super lonely without her.

So like I said, nothing that interesting has happened this week, but I'll try to still update more often to keep a more accurate record of this trip.

My Epic Day

2010-01-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

After a night out for sushi with Andrea, Jessica, and Kelsey, Andrea decided that she was going to go for a bike ride in the morning. Thinking that it wouldn't hurt me to get on a bike either, I told her that I would go with. And so begins my EPIC day...

We were supposed to go at 9, but being Ecuadorian, Andrea was late. Which was fine, because my mom made my FAVORITE breakfast (tortillas and honey), and she didn't have it ready until about 9:15. So Andrea's tardiness didn't bother me.

Finally at 10, we leave on our bikes...and head down to one of the main streets (read: busy and not for bikes). I didn't really get why we were going to the most dangerous place to ride bikes until she told me about the "Ciclopolis". Every Sunday, the city blocks off 10 de Agosto (a HUGE main street that runs from the Northernmost point in Quito to the Southernmost) so that people can ride their bikes. And boy do they. There was probably 1,000,000 people out on that stretch of road today, and it was AWESOME. The city sets up free water stands and there are tons of vendors with ice cream and goodies, and then of course the weather here is awesome, so it makes for a really fun day.

Now to the impressive part: We rode from Kennedy (my neighborhood in the North) ALL THE WAY TO THE VIRGIN (which is in the center of the city). Any guesses how far it is?? SEVEN MILES. ONE WAY. So I rode FOURTEEN MILES on a bike today. And that number has been confirmed by not only my dad, but also Google Maps.

I am paying for it though, I can hardly sit down now and don't forsee myself feeling better tomorrow. But still, I did it...and it was awesome.

When I got home, we had lunch, which was nothing spectacular, but was good nonetheless. Then Kelsey and Jessica came over because we had to write our essay. We got a good start, but this is the most ridiculous assignment because they want us to analyze our topic in 3.5 pages of text. Which is impossible. We already have two just with the introduction and background on the topic.

After we finished for the day, we decided to make brownies. So we went to the store and bought chocolate and got to work. We failed to compensate for the altitude, but I have no idea what else went wrong because there is NO way that these brownies could have come out as bad as they did just because we didn't put in enough flour. I have no idea what we did wrong, but they were god awful. Epic fail. So instead we settled for animal crackers and nutella. Not as good, but it did the job.

Tonight I have a diario to write and then it's off to bed! Tomorrow we have a 1 1/2 hour lecture on how to write an essay (thanks, we're in college, we all know) and then free time to do it because we have presentations tomorrow. In English. Thank god.

Riobamba and El Sur de Quito

2010-01-22T18:16:00.000-08:00

We have now officially finished this week of traveling. On Wednesday morning, we left for Riobamba with Amelia, my least favorite CIMAS staff member. When we got there, we toured a hospital of Tradtional and Andinian medicine, and once again heard the lecture on basically the world view of Ecuadorian indigenous peoples. And it is STUPID. I really do NOT care anymore about the lives of the indigenous, and probably cannot stand to hear another lecture on "pachamama" or the "living earth".

Overall, it was a really lame trip, at one point they took us into a villiage and actually let us try biomagnetism (a crock in which you ask someone's feet about the rest of their body to determine what is wrong) on this smelly indigenous woman. I guess it was more interesting than observing, but then I couldn't pay attention for the rest of the visit because all I could think about was how much I wanted to wash my hands.

The hostel we stayed at was alright and comfortable enough, but the restaurant was AWFUL. For lunch we had this chicken and super salty veggie medley, for dinner "spaghetti", which ended up being lunch on top of noodles. Gross...and it pretty much continued in that pattern from there.

On the way home, Amelia FREAKED out when we told her that we had to go to the bathroom (after three hours on the bus) and told us we wouldn't stop. But then when she wanted to get ice cream, we made an unscheduled half hour detour....reason 1,000 as to why I dislike her.

After 5 1/2 hours of bus on which should have taken a little over 3, we finally got back to Quito. The following morning (today), we again got up early to go visit yet another Traditional hospital, this time in the South of Quito. It was just as boring as all the rest, because after the first visit to a hospital, no one has anything new to tell you, and you hear the same information over and over.

I am really frustrated with the hospital system here. They have publically funded hospitals in which the treatments are FREE. And still, people choose to go to "healers" who "clean your bad air" with leaves. If you are an adult and make the decision to die of appendicitis because you choose an Andinian method over a FREE surgery, fine. But I am SO mad at the number of children that these people choose to use these bullshit methods on. For example, we had a kid (maybe Aidan's age) come in with his mom with a HORRENDUS cough...I think he must have had bronchitis or TB or pneumonia. It was bad. So what treatment do they choose? They basically pick a Yachak (healer) to CLEAN HIM WITH A CIGARETTE. A Marlboro, to be exact. This man smokes the cigarette, and blows the smoke on this boy (face and all), because tobacco is a sacred healing herb.

I am SO frustrated with this whole system, but the worst part is--there are PLENTY of medically trained doctors (many of whom studied in a 1st world country) that will provide care FOR FREE. So so many people die just because they refuse to try a legitimate type of medicine. It's awful.

I wish I had more to tell about the trip, but in all honesty sitting on the bus listening to my iPod was the most entertaining part. When I got home today, Alejandra made herself and me lunch, and we ate together. It was really good, and I hope she does the cooking more often. Not to mention she didn't use excessive amounts of fats or add sugar to anything.

Tonight, I think some people are going out, but I have no energy to use towards that sort of shenanigans. Tomorrow, Kelsey, Sarah (a new girl from Minnesota), and Andrea (my sister) are going to go have sushi. And then on Sunday, we are going to write our paper. The topic is comparing and contrasting horizontal, water, and vertical birthing methods. It's a good topic, but we are limited to 3 1/2 pages of text, and I feel like in so little space we won't really be able to write anything worthwhile. But whatever, not my problem I guess.

The First Trip Of Public Health

2010-01-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

So as of right now, I just got back from our first Public Health field trip. We went to Otavalo (which is the market town, but we didn't go to the market) and Cotacachi. Our first stop was a hospital tour in Otavalo, and it was really cool. The hospital is famous for it's "Vertical Birthing", which is when a woman can choose to stand or kneel to have a baby. Everyone thought it was super cool, but I thought it was weird and would not have enough faith in the person who is supposed to catch the baby as it basically falls from your body. Not to mention the stuff they had for props (like ropes from the ceiling and bars on the walls) looked more like something between a playground and a Petsmart. Not the way I will be birthing children, that's for sure.

The hospital was also really unsanitary, but still one of the nicest in the area. I hope to god that I never get hurt in Otavalo, but more than that I hope that if I do they take me to that hospital rather than the clinic we saw next...

The clinic was an indigenous, traditional medicine clinic. They told us about their use of herbs and "special powers" to heal ailments, and then we were really treated. We got to witness a traditional "Limpia Cuy" ceremony. Which means "Guinea-pig Cleaning", to clean the "bad air" from someone. Crock of shit? Yes.

So basically this woman asks for a volunteer (I did and THANK GOD I WASN'T CHOSEN), and picks a guy named Sam. He takes his shirt off, and this woman goes and gets a LIVE guinea pig. She holds it around the neck so that the body dangles, and basically uses this flopping guinea pig to beat and wipe down Sam. So as she's torturing this animal, it begins to pee. And she just shakes it really violently to "get it all out" and then continues to hit Sam in the torso with it. Meanwhile, this guinea pig's organs are slowly becoming dislodged, and you can see them start to lump up in the butt area. But it is still alive.

So after she finishes the whacking, she throws it on the ground and goes to get more supplies. The poor thing is huge at the bottom and tiny at the top because it's innards are all torn up, but still it is breathing and looking around.

She comes out with a knife and we assume she will finally put it out of it's misery. But no, it gets better, she starts to skin it ALIVE. I have no idea at which point this poor animal died, but I know that I am probably going to hell for witnessing it.

After she has completely skinned it, she begins to rummage in the intestines...I'll spare you the gruesome details, but basically the intestines are supposed to tell you what is wrong with you. She told Sam he has gastroenteritis, a bad back, and then pulls a HUGE parasitic worm out of the small intestine of this guinea pig and tells him he has worms. Sam, I think this is ridiculous, but you should still go to a doctor ASAP, just in case.

Meanwhile, I cannot watch anymore, and I turn around to see what the rest of the group who couldn't watch was doing. I did so just in time to see Whitney stiffen and fall over and then proceed to have a mini-seizure. So everyone runs over to her (including, thank god, a legitimate nurse from Germany that happened to be volunteering at this clinic) and tried to revive her. [Who also comes to help? The guinea pig woman with her NOT WASHED HANDS full of oil to put on Whitney's head "to help"]

Long story short, she was ok and refused to go to the hospital (wise decision), and seemed fine the next two days. After that we went to our hostel, which was REALLY cool. CIMAS really hooked us up on this one. We had free time and then a delicious dinner and then I went to bed.

This morning, we got up and had a delicious breakfast, and then left for Cotacachi. There we had a demonstration of the "Vertical Birth", complete with dolls stuffed up dresses. It was weird, we all got the concept without the demo.

After that we just had free time until lunch; the restaurant was really good, but I had been there on the last Zona Norte field trip, so I knew it would be. And then we came home....

No one is here, which means that probably there will be no dinner for me. Dumb. But I made it, so whatever.

Otavalo

2010-01-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we got up and took the bus up to Otavalo. I got what I needed and to my delight, when I was done shopping, so was everyone else. Since everyone was hungry after the market, we decided to find this "famous" pie shop there. We found it, the pie was expensive but pretty good. After that, we took the bus home. It was a pretty short trip, but fun and effective nonetheless.

When I got home I was going to take a nap, but then I remembered that the WSU scholarship applicaion deadline was fast approaching. I got online and did that, and then went down for dinner, only to discover that no one was home. I looked in the kitchen and found that not only was no one home, but that they had also left me with no food. But at that moment Kelsey called and asked if I wanted to go see a movie, and I told her that if we could go get dinner before, then I would go.

She suggusted a sushi place that she saw close to the theater, and that's where we went. And it was SOO good! It was more expensive than most food here, but for a non-Ecuadorian restaurant food, it was reasonable. And even if it was super expensive, it would have been worth it.

After that we took a cab to the theater and saw Sherlock Holmes, which was also really good. Overall, the day was more expensive than I'd hoped, but it was totally fun and totally worth it.

Today I am just staying home and preparing for tomorrow because we have our first trip. I think we are going North to Otavalo again, but we won't be going to the market, so it will be fine. I have some reading to do today and a diario to write, but other than that it will just be a lazy, relaxing day.

CENSO...

2010-01-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

So after a late night at the bars (which was really fun with the new group), I slept in today. When I got up, I took a shower and then my mom called me for lunch. And guess what?? We had TACOS!! Real tacos, with guacamole and ground beef. Sooo good.

After that, I decided to attempt and get my CENSO so that I can legally leave the country this time. Since CIMAS is no help whatsoever, I attempted to look up the list of things you need to bring with you online. Again, a huge bust. So I called Marlo, and she told me what she could remember, but they only have to renew theirs, so she didn't remember for sure what you need the first time.

So I took what I had and headed to the Immigration Office. When I got there, there was a list posted of all the things you need, but the list was in Spanish, and I didn't really understand what it said. Like what is a "sobre manilla"? "Sobre" means "about" and "manilla" means "envelope" so what is an "about envelope"? One of the things that Marlo said was that there was a little copy shop two buildings down that could help me and make copies if I needed, so I left the Immigration Office and went to try there. Before I left I tried to ask an immigration officer if I had the right things, but all he told me was that I needed color copies (not black and white copies, which I had).

When I got to the copy shop, the lady behind the desk looked at all my stuff and made copies of my passport that I didn't have done, and helped me put the packet together. [By the way, a "sobre manilla" means that they want your packet in an envelope with your personal info on the outside]. She also told me that my black and whites were fine, and I chose to believe her over the other guy at Immigrations. So with packet in hand, I went back to the office and got a number.

And then I waited....

...and waited....

...and after two hours, my number was called. In this time of waiting, I was talking to an English guy about this whole process, and he told me that he thought that you only had one month after arrival to get a CENSO or you had to pay a fine, which his wife told me was about $200. Great. So when my name gets called, I go up to the counter, and really the actual CENSO-obtaining was not terrible. I had to fill out a form and he looked over my documents, and then he printed it out.

Two hours and four dollars later, I have a CENSO. Apparently the fee is only if you have an unregistered VISA, but mine is registered so it was no big deal. And thank goodness, because I didn't have $200.

Now I am back at home, and I plan on doing laundry and reading for the rest of the day. Everyone is going out again tonight, but I will not be going becaue 1.) going out is expensive, and 2.) two nights in a row seems excessive to me.

Tomorrow morning I am meeting some CIMAS people at the bus station and we are going to Otavalo for the day. I really like the people that I am going with (they are the people who are NOT in the Greek system at home, Greek vs. non-Greek has created quite the divide in this group), so it should be a fun trip!

Best. Day. Ever.

2010-01-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

So today I went to school, and though it's better than last semester, still it's school and not that awesome. Except we were supposed to have 3 boring hour-and-a-half long lectures, but one guy didn't show, so we had free time all morning. Then we had nuggys (Spanish chicken nuggets) for lunch, so that was cool. Then after school, the real awesomeness started.

I decided that I was going to actually go do something instead of taking a nap after school, so I went to find the elusive Mr. Bagel. If you'll recall, Beto (our professor from last semester) told us of it's existence, but gave us the wrong address, so when we went to go there, we couldn't find it. So today, I looked up the address in the guidebook, and it was really close to the mall. So I went to the mall, and lo and behold, Mr. Bagel. I am now the proud owner of three bagels, and they are not half bad!!

Then, since it was rush hour and I was already downtown, I decided to try and find a bookstore with English books. So again, I consulted the giudebook, and took a taxi there. And oh my god it is the most wonderful store EVER. My new friend, Bill, is the owner and is from Chicago. And his store! There are MILLIONS of books, and ALL IN ENGLISH!!!!! It is a haven in this godforsaken city. I now own three new books and couldn't be more pleased.

Then on the taxi ride home, we drove past a Chinese restaurant called (seriously) Chifa My Fuk. And that made me laugh. Now I am home waiting for dinner, and then I am going to meet Kelsey at her house because we are going to go out with all the other students tonight. I don't really want to, but I feel like I should include myself in the group now and then. Tomorrow everyone but Kelsey and I have to go on a city tour, so I get to sleep in. Then on Saturday, I am going with some of the CIMAS people to Otavalo for the day.

I think that's all I did today, but it was still a lot more than all the other days!

Day 3 Of Classes

2010-01-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

So still since we are in the first week, most of the lectures we get are boring because they are either on indigenous life or the history of Ecuador. But when we do have group discussions about public health, I really like it. Today we met our Spanish professor, and this time there are two classes. I am in the advanced class. I think someone made a mistake, but oh well, I can deal. The professor is a little weird, but she seems competent. She listed off all of the papers and presentations that we have to do this quarter, and needless to say, I will be busy. We have something major almost every week. But whatever, that just means less downtime to spend missing home.

Today I also talked to Amelia about my internship, and it is now decided that it will be in Tena at the public hospital. So I will be spending my last 10 weeks here in another city, but it still is only two hours from Quito. I am excited, it is the internship that I wanted so I will finish this trip with a bang.

Everything with my family is good, Laura (the new student that is in my old house) is finding that all I told her about that family is true, and I am glad to be rid of them. This family is much better, and to top it all off, they have a coffee pot and make REAL COFFEE!! FROM BEANS!!!! It's wonderful.

The other students in this group have really taken to going out, and do almost every day. I feel bad for not going, but I've been there and done that and really don't want to spend the money. In this week that I have been here, I have spent $8. And I would like to keep my expenditures in a similar range for the rest of the trip.

I live a boring life now because I have tons of reading to do with this program, but even with my boring life this semester is much more enjoyable than the last.

First Day Of School

2010-01-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

So today was the first day of school...

The day started off alright, until I got to CIMAS. Ana (the secretary who is young and speaks the best English) told me that she needed to talk to Kelsey and I (the two returning students). So then I was nervous because I thought we were maybe in trouble because usually Ana is really fun and likes to joke around. So I said that she should just tell me because I was nervous about what she had to say (even though I couldn't think of anything that I had done wrong), and she said that at the end of last semester someone from the Washington program had stolen a bottle of whiskey from the kitchen and until they found out who it was, they couldn't release anyone's transcripts...

Well I told her I had no idea because I left early that day to pack because my return flight was at 6AM, and I had to pack. Luckily at that point, Kelsey arrived and after being told what happened, she said that she knew who it was. So our transcripts should be sent soon. Thank goodness.

After that was the first Public Health class, and it was AWESOME! Everyone in the class is smart and knows what they are talking about and we have tons of field trips. I think I will like this program a lot more than the language and culture program.

Also, CIMAS finally hired cooks for us so now we will have lunch at school instead of having to go find somewhere to eat.

I like the new students that are here but it's a little overwhelming because there are so many (19 in my program alone!) and it's hard to remember everyone. But hopefully we will all be friends just like in the last group--and I suppose if we're not, then there are plenty of other people there to be friends with.

I also got an email from the travel agent today that said my return flight gets in at 5 instead of 9, so that's a nice change. It will be a shorter day of travel that way. I think that might be all I have to tell about school, we have a reader that I have to read like six chapters in tonight, so I suppose that I should sign off and get to it. Much love to everyone!

My Not Family Family Reunion

2010-01-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

So today we went to Tumbaco for a family reunion...and it was quite possibly the most boring seven hours of my life.

However, before I get to the reunion, I would like to say that for all of you who did not believe me about how large the spiders are her, I now have photo evidence. In the picture is also my water bottle, which is 10 inches high. This spider is dead (thankfully), but it came straight from the jungles of Ecuador. Enjoy...

Told you so.

So then, the actual reunion....First of all, they asked Tara and I (my American roomie) to clean these potatoes. So we go into the kitchen and see the milk and cheese on the counter (as is custom) and decide that we are going to save ourselves some diarrhea and put it into the fridge. I opened the fridge and it was completely empty. Like not ONE SINGLE THING inside. And it smelled like something crawled up in there and died. So the milk and cheese proceeded to sit on the counter until they made it into a room temperature sauce. Gross. And people were eating said sauce with spoons.

For lunch we had salad (tomatoes and onions), boiled potatoes, little hot dogs, and pork chops. Tara took a bite of her pork chop and said "Wow, they really grilled this thing, huh?" Enough said.

After lunch, we literally sat there for four hours. Everyone chatted, but it was WAY too fast for me to keep up with, and so I basically spaced out for the entire time. One of my relatives asked my mom if I spoke Spanish or if I was just dumb. Luckily, my mom told her that my Spanish was VERY good, and that was the end of that. Worst barbeque ever.

So now FINALLY we are home, and I want to take a shower and finish my book, but I also have to pack for tomorrow because tomorrow is the first day of school! Ugh...five months here I come...

Saturday

2010-01-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I woke up and got ready, because supposedly my mom and I were going to meet one of the other CIMAS students who lives a block away. So when I went down, she was cooking lunch and said that we would go at 3. Ok, fine. So we had lunch (ceviche, yum) and then I went back upstairs to get ready to leave. When I came back at 3:05, she told me 3:30. Ok, fine. So then at 3:30, when we are supposed to leave, she calls these people. I thought it was to confirm, but no, it was to ask if we could even come in the first place! So we really had no official plans whatsoever, and I basically wasted the best (and safest) part of the day doing nothing. So instead I called Marlo and asked if I could bring the chocolate chips to her house (because I bought her some in the US).

Naturally, she said yes, and she also invited me to dinner. Yes. No catfood today!! So I went to her house and hung out, and then we had dinner (pizza, salad and breadsticks!!!!) and then watched The Princess Diaries. Awesome night, and STILL I am not sick!

When I got home (around 8:30), I came downstairs to tell everyone I was back, and my mom told me that we were going to go meet this new student at 10 the following morning. Again, fine. But then she apparently thought better of that idea and called them on the spot. They were home this time. So we walked over to this guy's house at 9 to meet this new CIMAS student.

His name is Joe, he's nice enough, but he doesn't know what program he's in yet. What?? Who doesn't know that NOW?! What program did you sign up for, Joe? Because the one you paid for is probably the one you're in. Duh.

After that I just came home and read a little in the weirdest book ever (The Shack, supposedly a murder mystery, but actually about god), and then went to bed. Today at noon (so probably around 1) we are leaving for a family reunion in Tumbaco, which is about 45 minutes outside of Quito. I am not super excited about this one, but still it's something to do. Hopefully we get back at a decent time; I really don't want to be there all day.

One More Small One

2010-01-08T16:41:00.001-08:00

So despite the fact that I slept an outrageous amount last night, I am still so tired and will probably go to bed at like 8 tonight. Also, the dinner we just had tasted like cat food. With rice. Welcome back.

Back Again...

2010-01-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

So as of about 11 last night, I am officially back in Ecuador. Let the next five months begin.

The airport and plane trips were pretty uneventful, I had a family of four with two LITTLE kids sit behind me on the first flight and let me tell you, those parents deserve a metal for how quiet they kept those kids. Kudos, parents, we all wish that there were more airborne parents like you in the world (and on our flights!). On the second plane [both of which were packed, and on both of which I had middle seats :( ], I sat between a woman who lived in Texas but was from Ecuador, and I got to practice a little more Spanish before I got to customs.

And then customs....So we all remember what a big hassle that it was for me to leave because I don't have a CENSO? Well guess who got the SAME customs official on the way back in?? I think he remembered me because of the look he gave me, but this time he didn't make things difficult and just let me go. Glad that's over and I will be getting my CENSO this week.

Also, I just found out that my former family (who told me week 1 that I had to leave because Gabi was coming in from London) has a new CIMAS student. So obviously they did have room for another student, apparently just not me. Wahtever, I like this family MUCH better. They were at the airport waiting for me when I got there last night, which totally saved me all the trouble of taking a taxi. And they put a desk in my room so that I have a place to work.

This morning, I woke up at 4 in the afternoon. How embarrassing. But since I really hadn't slept since about midnight on Thursday morning, I suppose it is alright. Still, I hope to not make this a habit because I have classes in two days.

But anyways, that's what has happened so far. I already miss eweryone and can't wait to come home in June!!

One Last One

2009-12-11T03:30:00.000-08:00

So I sit right now at the Quito airport stealing internet (though I don't know how) to type this last blog before I go home for Christmas.

Yesterday, we had our final. It went pretty well I think. I have no idea the difference between "subjunctive" and "indicitive" but that's ok because I'm pretty sure that I did well on the other parts. Either way, I have a C+ without the points from the final, so any points that I get only boost my grade. I predict that I will pull out of this first quarter with a B, so I am happy. After the final, they drug out the rest of the day (when we didn't really even have anything to do) for two more hours. We then had out "graduation" that the director of the program was supposed to do, but for whatever reason he didn't show. Awesome. Ecuador is just so reliable.

After that, I went home to pack, and then I went to Marlo's for a little bit. She made me white chocolate popcorn for Christmas and I made her (and her family) cookies. They were thoroughly impressed until I told them that I just used the recipe on the back of the JIF jar :)

When I got home, I just went to bed because today, I got up at 3 to get ready for the day. We left for the airport at 4 because everyone said to be there 3 hours early for international flights, only to find that the ticket counters don't even open until 5. Awesome. So I got all checked in and paid all the fees...all smooth until customs. At customs, the man asked me for my CENSO (which is an ID card that I haven't gotten because I didn't think I needed it for anything but ID, and I have a passport and liscense for that). I told him that I left it at home (lie, I don't have one) and he told me that if I didn't have my CENSO and passport, I couldn't leave the country. So after 20 minutes of begging with him (and truly believing that I wouldn't be able to come home today), he tells me that as long as I have it at home (I don't) and I promise to bring it next time (I WILL!) then he'll let me pass. PHEW!!! It was so scary...I honestly thought that I wouldn't be permitted to leave the country. So thanks to all the people (CIMAS included) who told me that ALL I needed was my documents, passport, and money to pay the exit fees.

Anyways, I am now sitting at the gate (through all the security) and ready to get on the plane in about a half hour. Things are looking good for no delays and I am keeping my fingers crossed that they stay that way. I guess that's everything...I am going home until January 7th, and then I will continue blogging when I get back...assuming I can re-enter the country sin CENSO. What a hassle...

2009-12-08T15:18:00.003-08:00

December 8, 2009:

So my bed at this house is the only thing that I could find to complain about. And that was because it was hard. Like if you knocked in the middle, you could literally hear your knuckles pounding against something hard. So last night, Tara and I investigated and discovered that whoever put the bed together put the box spring on top of the mattress. Which was why it was so awful. But now, we fixed it, and it is much more pleasant. Other than the bed situation, I really like it here. The family is SO nice, I am allowed to use all of the appliances and basically do anything just like a family member. It’s great. I think that next quarter will go much more smoothly because of this.

I gave my 13 year old brother (who I totally adore) peanut butter to try yesterday, but I don’t think he liked it. It’s so weird to me that no one here eats peanut butter. They think that peanuts are really bad for the liver, and even better: whenever someone eats peanuts, they complain that their liver hurts, as if you can feel your liver like your stomach.

Today was the inauguration for the new building of CIMAS. It was a big formal production that started at 11 and was supposed to end at 1 for lunch. At 3:30, we finally were in line for food. It was SO long. Not to mention that after I left the house sin jacket, it started to rain. So it was FREEZING cold (haha even though it’s like 30˚ there I am complaining that it is cold here) and raining, and did I mention that it was an outdoor event?? Anyways so after four hours of sheer torture of speeches and indigenous rituals, we finally got to eat…traditional Ecuadorian food. Blek. I HATE traditional food. It is SO greasy and all meat and starch. But I did finally try cuy (guinea pig) and it was AWFUL. I am glad I tried it, but more glad that I didn’t pay for it.

When we got home, my mom and I had biscocho (which is like if a biscuit and a biscotti had a baby) with dulce de leche (which is in essence caramel) and tea. And it was delicious. Now I am sitting here waiting for the lights to come back on so I can do my laundry, but since it is 5:11 and they were supposed to be back at 5, I am not getting my hopes up for lights for the rest of the night.

I think that’s all I have to tell…I really love this family and am really excited to be here with internet and hot water on command and water pressure. It’s awesome. But of course, there will be all that and more on Friday when I come back…at least now I have something to look forward to when I come back here. All my love to all for the next two days, because after that I can do it in person!

My New Home

2009-12-05T18:24:00.000-08:00

So as of yesterday, I moved in with my new family. And so far, I really like them. They all speak REALLY clearly and are really patient with my Spanish (or lack thereof). My mom's name is Sandra, she is really sweet and apparently got 6 of 8 years into studying to be a doctor, but then got pregnant and never went back. Huge shame. My dad is Marco, I like him, he is really robust and outgoing. I have a 25 year old sister, Alejandra; a 22 year old sister, Andrea; and a 13 year old brother who is without a doubt the coolest 13 year old I have ever met. Besides the family, Laura (another CIMAS student) lives here until she goes home in a week, and they have another student from Pensylvania who is here teaching English.

When I got here, we ate lunch, I unpacked, and then Alejandra invited Laura and I to go out with some of her friends for her birthday. We went to perhaps the coolest restaurant in Quito, the Western, and had DELICIOUS pizza and then played cards and Jenga. It was really fun. But then...I got sick. I continued to be sick throughout the night and today. And it is miserable. I am so done with being sick here.

Today, while I am being miserable, I attended Alejandra's family birthday party. That's one of the things that I like also about this family- they are actually a family, and have relatives. But anyways, they all came over and we had lunch, they had a tournament of Cuarenta (a really popular card game) and then brought out the karaoke machine. And everyone participated. It was fun, but I was too busy attending to my intestinal war to really care too much about the party. And the cake was AWFUL with homemade mango "ice cream", which was also horrible.

Other than that, it was a good day. I can actually live in this house (like I can get my own food from the kitchen and my own towels from the closet) which I am excited about. Hopefully I feel better tomorrow, because I have a lot to do to prepare for the last week of classes and my subsequent return to the US. Lots of love until next time!

Some Random Things

2009-12-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we went to the museum of Guyasamin, who was basically the most famous painter in Ecuador (but he's dead now) and what do you know? It was boring. Like all of the museums that we go to here. Ugh. And! Even though we have a BUNCH of work to do in the last few days (like more work than we have had in the whole time here so far), we didn't even leave until two. And so we didn't get home until like 5. Which is REALLY late when you are accostomed to being home by 1:30.

So then because I was mad, I got a full manicure and pedicure for $16. It was a huge splurge considering my spending habits here, but it was WAY worth it.

Yesterday for lunch, we went to an almuerzo (a restaurant with a set lunch for $1.50) and we had nuggys...i.e. chicken nuggets. Awesome...learning new words every day!

This morning, and every other morning, the man that goes to the same bus stop as me greeted me as usual, then refered to me as "Muneca" (for those of us who don't speak Spanish, that's "doll") and asked me how old I was. Too old for you sir, please don't talk to me. Luckily, this was my last day at that bus stop because as of tomorrow I am moving! I will be sad to leave my house that I know, but then again at my new house I will have internet and an oven, so I guess it's for the best.

It has kind of begun to rain here, so hopefully the light-cutting will end soon...until then we still have been living without lights. I think today we don't have them from 11-5...I am really excited to be back in the states if for nothing else, only to have lights 24/7.

Love to all, see you soon!

HOME HOME HOME HOME HOME!!

2009-12-01T05:53:00.001-08:00

So now after all the work to try and figure out where I am going to live over the break, my parents have suprised me with tickets to return to the US for Christmas. Meaning that as of next Friday (December 11th) I will be in Washougal until January 8th. And I really couldn't be more excited. I used my sister's computer to book the tickets last night, so it's all set!!! See you soon....

Changes

2009-11-30T07:59:00.000-08:00

Today, I finally figured out my living situation. I am moving into my new host family's house this Friday. Why I am moving so soon I have no idea. But my new mom is picking me up at 11:00AM at my current house so that I can move. This means that I will be living with them over the break (for $12 per day), and I am no longer homeless.

This also means that I do not necessarily have to stay with Marlo and her family. On one hand, I am happy that I do not have to intrude on their lives quite as much, but then again, I was looking forward to a "normal" Christmas. So who knows, but I feel like it would be a little silly to move in with this family, move out, and then move back in.

In other news, I am super overwhelmed right now. We don't really have that much schoolwork to be doing, but with all the moving and meetings with the staff, I am so tired and just want to sleep. Hopefully today I can get home a little early and take a nap.

Hope everyone is well...

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T09:26:00.001-08:00

It was definitely the strangest Thanksgiving ever, but surprisingly, it was really fun. I woke up in the morning to a text from Marlo saying that they wouldn’t have power until 10, which means that I wouldn’t be able to begin baking the chocolate chip cookies that I decided to make for our Dinner that night. So at ten, I went to her house and she helped me make cookies. I also met her husband and kids, and they told me that I was welcome to stay with them over Christmas, so now I am not homeless for the holidays. Since Quito is at about 11,000ft, baking the cookies was really different. The recipe called for 1 ½ cups of flour, we ended up using more than 3 cups per batch in order to have them look like cookies and not pancakes. I also had planned on making four batches as to use up as much of the ingredients as possible (because I have nowhere to store flour and brown sugar and baking soda). So we made four HUGE batches (because they had so much extra flour in them) of cookies, and they turned out REALLY well. I left all of the leftover ingredients at their house because in about a month, it will be my house too.

It was almost 1:30 when I finished baking, and we were supposed to be at CIMAS at 2. I took a cab home and changed as fast as possible, and then my mom called another taxi for me to head to dinner.

When I got to CIMAS, I rang the bell…and no one answered. First of all, there are supposed to be more than 80 people there, and second, CIMAS is in a relatively dangerous neighborhood, and the doorman is ALWAYS supposed to be there to promptly let people in so they don’t stand on the street for too long. So I ring again. And again. And again. And no one comes. Additionally, I only have my house keys and $2 to get home, but no cell phone because I am wearing a dress and have no pockets. Oh, and I have about 200 chocolate chip cookies.

Just as I am about to give up, the doorman comes running up the road (with bread, I can only assume he went to the bakery for lunch), and tells me that there is no one at CIMAS. So now I am really confused because I am not early and I know that it is the correct day. The president of CIMAS just happens to live one block up, so he suggests we go there to figure out what I am supposed to do.

When we get there, one of about seven housekeepers answer the door and let us in (this is the biggest house I have ever seen here) and basically she tells me that the location of Thanksgiving is at a hotel downtown, but though she knows where it is, she doesn’t know the address. This poses two problems for me. I cannot tell a taxi driver where to go if I don’t know the address, and also, I only have $2, because that is all I need to get home in a taxi from CIMAS.

So they discuss for awhile in really rapid Spanish that I don’t understand (meanwhile with no luck one of the other housekeepers is calling all of the CIMAS staff), and ultimately they decide that the CIMAS doorman will come with me and tell the taxi driver how to get there. Great. But I still only have $2, and now I am going to have to pay the taxi back for this guy too. Oh by the way, the reason that I was unaware of the location change was because the change was announced on the formal invitation to the families. And since my family decided that they weren’t coming, they threw it away.

So I ask the housekeeper if I can borrow some money and explain that I didn’t bring enough…and she gets in this cupboard and takes $5 from this cup. So to clarify, I ask her if this is her money…it’s not. I have just effectively “borrowed” without permission, $5 from the president of my program, who I have never even talked to.

So we hail a taxi and the guy gets me there, I pay the taxi for the trip and return trip, and head inside to explain to Dr. Suarez how I have borrowed money from him and will pay him back ASAP. He was really nice about it and told me that I didn’t need to worry about it (even though that will never happen)…and so the actual “Thanksgiving” began.

I went downstairs only to find that everyone had a table…with their families. And I was completely alone. Awesome. But previously in the week, I had found out that my next family for next semester was the same family that my friend Laura is living with now, so I went to their table to ask if I could sit with them. They said yes, of course, and in so I met my new family. And I am really excited because I like them a lot. They are REALLY wealthy (I have a chauffeur to get to and from school) and have internet and a working oven. I am stoked.

Anyways, after that we ate dinner. It was a really random smattering of food because all the students made traditional dishes (with improvised ingredients because you can’t really get the same stuff here, only similar) and the families all brought rice. Their instructions were to bring “a side dish” and so of course, everyone brought rice. So we had turkey, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green salad, and white rice. Sure, why not, right??

After dinner, all the students had to go around the room and introduce their families to all the other families. So since I have no family, I was like “Hello, I’m Kimberly from Washington, and my family isn’t here so I am sitting with my new family. But I do not yet know them well enough to really introduce, so I’ll let Laura take this one.” Awesome…not quite as graceful as I would have liked, but whatever, that’s what you get when your family doesn’t care I guess.

After the announcements, we had dessert. Everyone had made fun of me when I announced that I would be bringing chocolate chip cookies to Thanksgiving, so I wasn’t really very sure. When I got in line, I was looking around, and saw that all the cookies I had made weren’t even on the dessert table! So I grabbed one of the containers, and before I could even get it to the table, it was gone. People in line kept saying “Oh, over here!” And by the time I got to the table they were gone. So I put the other container on the table, and what do you know? My dessert was the first gone. Take that, naysayers.

After dinner, there was dancing, and the whole thing was very similar to a wedding reception. From the buffet lines to the waiters clearing plates to the song “Celebration” that we danced to. I know that they were trying for a “traditional” Thanksgiving for us, but the part that they missed is that it is supposed to be a really comfortable holiday that you celebrate with family. Ours was VERY formal (the turkey was all carved perfectly into perfect slices and served in one of those silver serving dishes with the warmer underneath, there were silver chandeliers lining the dance floor) and almost “stuffy”. Still though, I had more fun than I thought, and it helped that there was so much going on because I didn’t get a chance to be homesick.

Later that night, I went back to Marlo’s house to use their phone. They have Vonage, and so for $20 a month, they have unlimited calls to the US. And she said I could use it to call home, so I went back to her house and called the fam. It was nice to talk to everyone, but I still wish I could have been there (especially when Aidan throws out “Cousin Kimbuhly, I weally miss you”). When I got off the phone, it was almost 11:30, and though try as we might to call a cab for me to go home, no company was answering. So after 20 minutes of failed attempts, I ended up just staying the night at Marlo’s.

The next day, when I got home, we didn’t have any water (and really haven’t since) because there are men remodeling a bathroom here and they turn it off. So I haven’t showered in three days, and only can brush my teeth because I happened to have a bottle of water in my room. The toilet hasn’t been flushed in a while, and it’s starting to get pretty bad…hopefully this remodel is done soon.

In the meantime, I am reading my first book in Spanish: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The progress is unbelievably slow (after four days, I am on page 87, which for those of you who know me, I could have had the whole book in English finished in two), but I am learning lots of new words and phrases that I am going to try and throw into conversations if possible.

Some of the group left yesterday for Atacames, but I didn’t go because I wanted a weekend just to chill and finish up my final essay (which is now done, 6 pages of solid [and mostly correct] Spanish). I have a dairy to write and a composition to write, and then I am done for the weekend. Yesterday, I watched one of the bootleg movies that I bought (He’s Just Not That Into You) and was pleased to discover that it was really good quality and worked perfectly. So now I will be buying more and will actually have something to do here besides read.

I also asked my mom about what needs to be my last day here, and she said that I could plan on spending the night with my new family the night of the 11th (the last day of class). This was a little confusing for me, and so I explained that I don’t get a host family until January 8th. So she asked what I was going to do, and I told her I would find a hostel until I would be living with Marlo…and this made her furious. She didn’t know that I was going to have nowhere to live and was like “I’m calling CIMAS! They at least need to find you a place that is inexpensive and safe! They can’t just leave you on the street!” So this makes things easier for me, because now I won’t have to find my own accommodations. I was not really super worried about it in the first place, because they have hotels like Mariotts and Best Westerns here, so it’s not like the situation was ever that desperate…they’re just significantly more expensive to stay in. But that is the backup, anyway.

So we’ll see what happens on Monday when she calls. I am pumped because all we have left is three days of class this week and then 5 days (all of which are just jokes besides Thursday, when we have our final) next week, and then that’s it! I have finished 1/3 of this trip. Fantastic. Two more and I am done!

Random Things

2009-11-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

So first of all, I now have (and have figured out how to work) Skype, so if you too have Skype, add me. It's kimberly.lackey

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I will basically be alone. I mean, there will be lots of other people, but I will only know approximatly 12 of them. I am making chocolate chip cookies, and this means that I am to try my hand at high-altitude baking. Oh, also, I had to buy baking soda because during my shopping trip to Supermaxi, I bought baking powder by mistake. So I went back, and couldn't find it...I asked and got the funniest look...she said that they only sell baking soda here in the pharmacies..so I had to go to a pharmacy to buy baking soda. Weird, right?

This is week 8 of classes (well technically I just finished week 8 because we only have class m-th and this Thursday is Thanksgiving). Which means that I am on week 9 of 10 for school...and week 10 is basically nothing. So this quarter is almost over (thank goodness) and it is that much closer to being over. I think that I would have been a lot happier only participating in one quarter, but I guess this way it's a learning experience and I know better for the future.

Everyone else now is setting up for visitors (My mom is coming in two days!, my dad will be here next week! ect...) and I have yet to add anyone to the list...so if your interested in a little traveling...

Tonight I have homework, but I also just obtained a copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban en Espanol, so I think that rather than homework, it will be a long night of reading (and attempting to drown out the constant pounding that is our bathroom remodel).

Oh, and Kelsey, one of the girls here, got robbed, which marks the first time that any of us has actually had something taken. Caitlin was condiment scammed (meaning someone sprayed her with mustard and then attemped to take her bag while she was wiping it off), and we've had numerous instances where people try to stick their hands in our bags on crowded busses, but Kelsey was the first person to actually have money taken. Luckily, she wasn't hurt at all and they only took her wallet of cash, but still. We were told that the odds of it happening to one of us were really high, and I guess that proved to be true.

It is really hot here still, even though it is supposed to be the rainy season. Because of the lack of rain, we have been living without lights for different blocks of time during the past few weeks, and now they announced that if it doesn't start raining soon, they will be rationing water. So if it doesn't rain, we won't be able to do laundry or take sufficient showers, not to mention that this is all happening in the dark. Awesome.

Other than that, I dont think I have any news. I pray that there is lights tomorrow because I am to be baking cookies...but I think thats all. We have one more hour of Spanish for the day and then I am free to go home and read Harry Potter. Which makes me happy. If I don't get a chance to post tomorrow (which I think I will, but there is never a guarantee with the electrical situation) then Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

"Post Office" is apparently synonomous with "Sucking Hole of Time and Money"

2009-11-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

So I went to the post office yesterday because after seven weeks, I finally got the notice that my package had arrived. So first of all, even though there are main branches of the post office, there is no guarantee as to which branch your mail will go to. And apparently it has nothing to do with where you live. So I took a taxi, and the ride was so far that it ended up being $5, which is OUTRAGEOUS for here. When I got there, I went up to the desk and had to pay $1.85 in a tax for I don't know what, and then I proceeded to wait with the other patrons. For two hours. My number was 97, and they were on 58. So finally they called my number, and they took me into this back room. The guy looked at my paperwork (because you have to have the notice of arrival, two copies of your passport, and another form that they give you) and then showed me the package. But he didn't give it to me, he just let me look at it. Then I had to go to another desk, where another man pointed out the weight of the box listed on the paperwork, and asked me if I still wanted it. Of course I want it, why would I have waited two hours if I didn't even want it. So after I confirm that yes, I definitely want my package, I have to go to another line where they plug the weight and value of the package into a computer program and it gives you the ultimate cost of the package. So they compute it, and for my package of peanut butter and ritz, it is $55.22. This is absolutely not a joke. So upon seeing my expression, the man tells me that I dont have to pay it, they can just send it back to the US. But upon being returned to the US, whoever reclaims the package will have to repay whatever it cost to send it in the first place. So my options are effectively to pay the $60, or send it home for $70. I decide to save the $10 and just pay it, luckily I brought all the cash I had (about $60) and was able to. So after I again confirm that yes, I still want the package, I have to go to the bank branch that is conveniently located right inside the post office and pay the 55.22. But of course the bank takes another tax of about $2 while their at it. So now I have this stamped packet of papers and a reciept (not to mention NO money to get home) I go back and wait at the Customs window, and a man rechecks my paperwork. Then I get to go back into the back room and a man opens my package in front of me, digs through it, and re tapes it up. From there, I am escorted back to the main lobby with my paperwork, I stand in line at yet another window, and then FINALLY I recieve my package of freaking crackers. And the best part? The only part of the whole box that I really even cared about was the card in the bottom, which had conveniently been covered in applesauce when one broke and subsequently covered in mold during the next few weeks in transit. It was so moldy that I couldn't even open it. Awesome. So we paid in total about $130, I spent three hours at the post office, and I didn't even get to look in the card. Ugh.

So what I learned is that if you send something here, it HAS to be less than 4 kilograms. If it is, then I believe my fees would have only totaled about $8 instead of $60.

Anyways. My family is having someone redo their bathroom, and I was informed last night that they would be using mine, and furhtermore, I was basically not to interfere with David or Christina's morning routine, meaning that if I wanted to shower or use the bathroom in the morning for anything besides peeing, I would have to get up earlier and be done by 7 because that is what time David will need the bathroom. Kind, right? I just love this family...the things that they pull just keep getting better and better.

For Thanksgiving, I have recently found out that despite the fact that I told them WEEKS ago that they were invited to Thanksgiving, they forgot and now can't make it. DUH. So I am now spending the morning with Marlo baking cookies, and then I am going to CIMAS for Lunch alone, but with everyone else's families.

In other news, I have decided that I don't think that I will be going to Peru. The people that I would have been going with want to fly, and I just don't really think that is feasable on my budget right now. Not to mention that I don't really like one of the people that I would be going with...so basically I just think that I'm gonna skip. Which means that I have to find something to do with myself for the two weeks that I would have been in Peru. Ugh I have been really frustrated with everything lately, and I really dont see an end in sight. But the good news? 194 days left.

FRUSTRATED

2009-11-23T07:54:00.001-08:00

So I went to Supermaxi to attempt to find some ingredients for something for Thanksgiving, because we have to do the cooking. Jello Salad? Nope, no vanilla jello. Broccoli Salad? No cheddar (or any cheese besides "queso fresco", which is awful. So what am I making for Thanksgiving? Chocolate chip cookies. Awesome. Also, when I went to check out (and therefore take my cart through the line) I learned the lesson that grocery checkouts here are not the same as in the states and therefore got my cart stuck in the line between the shelf and the belt. Then I went home and worked on an essay for SEVEN hours, and I wasn't even daydreaming, I worked the WHOLE time. That night, I got rice for dinner; oh, bread too, but that was it. White rice and bread. Awesome. The next morning, I went into the hall closet to get a new towel, and my mom comes running out of her room saying "Ask me! Ask me!" And so I am not allowed to get in the closed to get towels without permission. Fantastic. I am SUPER frustrated, but hopefully this week gets better. Its already been 9 weeks! I can't believe it! And then I also have to wish Aidan a happy birthday, sorry it's so late, love you lots buddy!

2009-11-23T07:47:00.003-08:00

Sunday, November 22, 2009:

Last night, I went out with Marlo, my missionary friend that I met on the plane. It was SO fun, she is so nice. Also, the food at Crepes and Waffles (the restaurant we went to) was fantastic and really not too expensive. I asked her if I could live with her family over Christmas break, and she said she didn’t see why that would be a problem, but she would talk to her husband and let me know. So I am still homeless, but it sounded promising. Today, I am just going to go to an internet café to call home and then back home to work on my essay that is due tomorrow. Boring. But this week will be anything but boring…on Monday after school I have to go to the post office, and from what I’ve heard, that is always a three hour ordeal with tons of fees and who knows what. Then on Tuesday, I have to go get my CENSO, which again from what I have heard, will take three or four hours, and then Wednesday is the day before Thanksgiving, and I have to make a traditional dish to share at CIMAS, but I have to be able to do it without an oven, because I don’t have one. So it should be an interesting week…but for now I think I’ll head out to the café so I can stop procrastinating about this essay.

Also, the milk here comes in bags that sit on the shelf (not refrigerated for up to 9 months) and now I know why: In the US, when they pasteurize milk, they do it at a low temperature for a long time as to kill the bad bacteria but not burn the milk. Here, they do it at a really high temperature (like 135˚C) and for a short time, which kills everything, but also burns the milk a little. So because they kill EVERYTHING (good bacteria and all) it doesn’t need to be refrigerated until it’s opened. But it is a little burned, which is why it tastes funny. And then to top it all off: All the bags of milk are now marked with an A or B. They used to be marked with a 12345, and sometimes some of the numbers would be crossed out. The numbers that were crossed out were the number of times the milk had been taken off the shelf and repasturized, so if you bought a 4, it tasted REALLY funny (because it was almost three years since it had been taken from the cow). Now, apparently, they only do two repasturizations, with A or B. But still I will only be buying A’s from now on.

You Can Call Me Indiana Jones From Now On

2009-11-23T07:47:00.001-08:00

Friday, November 20, 2009:

Oh. My. God. We went to the jungle. And all I can say is oh my god. If anyone tries to make fun of me EVER again for being a wimp, let me forever remind them that I lived in the jungle for four days and I lived.

We left at the crack of dawn on Tuesday morning. It was a six hour bus ride that was actually really pleasant because it was pretty and the five of us composed the majority of the people on the bus, so we all had our own seats, which was nice. When we got there, we got off the bus in the middle of nowhere (literally) and walked up this gravel road to a town (if you can even call it that). From there, Beto (out teacher) said that we were taking a taxi. And we did, but the taxis in the jungle are pickup trucks, and you have to ride in the back. Also, none of them have shocks that work, and hardly any of the roads are paved. So it was outrageously uncomfortable (not to mention scary! The bridges there over all the rivers and creeks are one lane with two way traffic). We finally got to again somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but this time it was an indigenous village. So then we had to hike a mile or so uphill in three inches of sticky mud to get to our “house”. This house is more like a treehouse than any liveable house that I have ever seen, and they have NO electricity or running water. What do they have, you ask? Why bugs the size of cell phones and more ants that you could ever even imagine exist. Oh, and mud. They have a lot of mud too. So we eat lunch at this “house” on dirty dishes (well, they were washed in river water…) which was probably the highlight of the trip. After that, we are to go on a “nature walk” with a local guide. It starts out easy enough…and we eat different types of leaves and ants that taste like lemon pledge…and it’s a hike, but not bad at all. A side note: this is the first day we wear rubber boots, and I start a blister on the side of my leg. Remember this. Anyway, we are hiking and talking, and then there is less of a trail and more objects to climb over….

And then our guide announces that we are lost. Seroiusly. We are lost in the jungle. And he thinks the he maybe knows, but there is no trail to return. So we are climbing rock faces and into caves and jumping over rivers in these underground caves…like in Rambo. And I am neither exaggerating nor kidding. This is literally the most potentially dangerous and physically challenging thing that I have ever done. And one more side note: At one point the guide takes us into this cave with an underground river rushing through it, and he says he wants to show me something. So I climb further and further on this ledge over this river to see what he wants to show me, and guess what it is??? A cave spider the size of a small dinner plate. I don’t think I need to go into further detail, but needless to say poor Cheryle almost went into the river in my desperate attempt to flee the cave.

In addition to this Indiana Jones like horror story, we are sweating profusely. And it is about 200% humidity, so instead of evaporating, it’s just running in little rivers down our bodies. So eventually we get unlost (after four hours of hiking and climbing and jumping and wading) and return to the house. Where they tell us that there are no showers, only the river. But since it is almost night, and it’s a 15 minute walk to the river, we cannot go because it would be too dangerous to be at the river in the dark. So we sit in our sweat and hope it dries.

We eat dinner there in the dark, which is probably better because you could feel the bugs crawling on you, so you know they were in the food too. After dinner, we had to again hike to another location for our sleeping quarters, which was about a half hour. In the dark in the pouring down rain. And this is how all of my belongings came to be wet. And thanks to humidity, stayed wet through the entire trip. When we got to the building to sleep, there were thre bedrooms, each with two beds. So who gets their own scary room? Me of course.

The girls decide to use the “bathroom” (outhouse) which is in another little building just up the trail from our rooms. And I go in first. And who else might be in the bathroom??? Well of course there is another huge cave spider, but also four cockroaches that keep taking flight when the flashlight beam hits them. So with all the courage I can muster, I pee with cockroaches soaring around me and a huge cave spider two feet away on the wall. I don’t really know how much I got in the toilet, but that is definitely not my problem. The other girls went, and then we went back to the rooms.

And then in the room, I discovered that my bed was covered in ants. Oh yes, it just keeps getting better. So I attempt to shake out my sheets which is impossible because there are a million more ready to crawl in them. So I hang up my mosquito net and resign myself to a night of huge insects and ants, and it was terrifying. Hands down the most stressful night of my life. As I laid on my wet pillow with ants crawling over my face (that thank god I could not see because there is no lights anywhere in the middle of the jungle) I decided that I didn’t care that this was a field trip and that it was part of my grade, I was taking the next bus home in the morning.

During the night I had to pee four times thanks to all the water I drank in an attempt to compensate for all the sweat that I lost during the day, but I could not muster up the courage to go back into that outhouse where I knew that spider was. So I went outside and peed on the ground. Four times. Needless to say after getting out of the net, checking my shoes for insects, going outside (did I mention that it downpoured all night?) and taking care of business, coming back, taking off my shoes and rain jacket, getting back in the net and tucking it back in, I didn’t get any sleep.

In the morning, we got up, and I was told that we were going to a new place. So we eat breakfast (still have not showered and cannot brush our teeth), and leave for our new place. This time, we actually have a hostel and the man promises me hot water 24 hours a day, so I agree to not go home. But we don’t get to shower yet. We have to put on more rubber boots because we are going for another hike. This one is really challenging too because it is up creek beds and there is a ton of slippery mud, but it is pretty and fun. At the end, there is a huge waterfall and we got to swim in the pool below (think Multnomah falls, but the part that you could never swim in because you would be crushed by the water and dragged downstream; but this is Ecuador, and there are no safety regulations on anything). We hiked back out, ate lunch by the river, and then went to the Butterfly Gardens.

This part was really cool. You are basically in a huge netted room with about a million species of butterflies. And they land on you and you can touch them, it was fantastic. After that, we were done for the day, so we took out truck-taxi back to the cabanas (which were cool, like bungalows) and FINALLY got to rest and shower. In HOT water. It was possibly the best shower I’ve ever taken. That night, all we had to do was eat dinner, and it was really good (possibly the best food I’ve had in Ecuador so far).

The next morning, I woke up and threw up, so needless to say I skipped breakfast. No idea why, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with the insects I consumed…After breakfast, we again put on our boots (oh and remember my little blister? Well now it is a big infected wound because of all the boot wearing and sweating and humidity and lack of cleanliness) and headed down to the Napo river. So what is our method of transportation for today?? It’s not a truck –taxi, it’s a rickety river boat, like you would see in Thailand! No joke, I have pictures. So we go first to yet another village and learn by watching this lady make chichi (a drink from fermented yucca). She does not wash her hands, uses river water, and there are ants crawling all over in the bowl that she is using to mash the yucca. But still, she makes us a bowl to try, and it tastes like rotting bread dough. It is AWFUL…but the natives love it and are sucking it down as fast as she can dish it out.

We leave, and take out boat to a little museum of native traps for hunting, and get to try to use a blow dart, so that’s pretty cool I guess…though I am not really enjoying any of this because I have horrible diarrhea and only outhouses with NO TOILET PAPER to use. Not my best moment.

After that, they pull out some intertubes, and tell us that we can tube if we want to…which of course we do!! This was the best part of the trip by far, floating down the Rio Napo (which is a main waterway in the Orient) and watching the locals do laundry and bathe on the shores. It was definitely one of the coolest things I have done in my life.

After that, we had lunch on the beach, which was the worst idea ever because we were eaten alive by sand flies…so we now all have these bleeding bug bites all over our bodies (because of course we were all in bathing suits) that are like gigantic mosquito bites but with a bleeding hole in the middle.

For our last activity of the day, we went to an animal refuge, which was neat, but the tour was TOO SLOW. It was like going to the zoo and having to look at each animal for 15 minutes…it took three hours to look at 12 cages of animals. Way too slow.

Then we took our river boat back to the cabanas and chilled for the rest of the afternoon, I read in a hammock after showering and it was really nice (and I saw a bug that was somewhat of a cricket that was at least ten inches long and bigger than my flashlight).

We had dinner, went to bed, got up for breakfast (French toast!! REAL French toast!!) and then left the cabanas. We were supposed to go back to Quito, but Beto wanted to check in on two students from Minnesota who were doing their internships in Tena. So the first was a girl at a school teaching English, which didn’t really interest me…I just played with the kids and let them play with my camera (because kids here think that getting their picture taken is the coolest thing EVER). But the second student we checked on was AWESOME. He has a public health internship like I will have, and he works in a hospital in Tena. And he really works. He gets to learn just like the med students, which means that he gets to make casts, do stitches, drain fluids from abdomens, assist in surgery, and all sorts of awesome things. So I asked him about the bugs and he said that even though they were in the jungle, in the middle of Tena where he lived, it was just like being in any other city, but hotter. So maybe I’ll do my internship in Tena….

We took the bus home, and it was relatively uneventful, lots of people and our tire blew up, but it didn’t really cause too many problems. And so now I am home, trying to dry my backpack and other things, and trying to put things away.

I finally got the notice that my package (that my parents sent about six weeks ago) is at the post office, so this week I need to go pick it up. Also, I need to get my CENSO, which is my resident ID card since I will be living here for so long. We also have our final essay due this week for edits, so that needs to be done soon, and then tomorrow I am going to dinner with Marlo, the missionary.

And to cap it all off, I lost my flash drive, so now when I type blogs on my computer, I will have to take it to school to post them.

For the rest of tonight, I plan on doing nothing but perhaps taking off my nail polish and coating myself with another layer of calamine lotion. I just had dinner with my mom because she is the only one here, and I told her all about the orient and how much I hated it, an d she just laughed and agreed that it was an awful place. The more Spanish I learn, the more I like her. I am a little sad that I have to leave in less than a month. But for now, good night to all and be thankful that there won’t be cave spiders when you get up to go to the bathroom tonight 

2009-11-23T07:46:00.001-08:00

Monday, November 16, 2009:

Oh my god it has been a weekend…

We left Thrusday night after school for Montanita, which is a little surf town on the southern coast. The bus ride was ten hours, and to get to the bus station we needed to leave from, it was an hour and a half on the city bus. From Puerto Viejo, which is where our ten hour bus brought us, it was another hour and a half of bus ride on a different bus. That bus though infuriated me because the guy saw all the white people get on and charged the whole bus (locals and all) a dollar more than the normal fee. And despite the fact that I would have argued with him and refused to pay the extra dollar, the rest of my group are sheep and just decided to take it rather than tell the guy no. Ridiculous.

Once we got there, we checked into a hostel, or so I thought. We usually end up splitting into two groups, the one that goes to bed decently early and likes to read before bed, and the one that likes to party until 6AM every night. After I had paid for the room, I was informed that my usual group left and didn’t pay for another room because they wanted to go to a different hostel. Which left me in the room with the drunkies. Awesome.

After we were all checked in, we put on our suits and went to the beach. It was a little cloudy, but it didn’t feel cold so we went in the water and dodged the huge waves coming at us…they were really close to shore, but definitely big enough for advanced surfers. Afterwards, everyone went to take a nap and I sat in a hammock and read my book (Eat, Pray, Love). For the rest of the day, no one really did anything, and we got dinner and then went out at night. Montanita is not really that cool of a place but at nihgt all these little street bars and food vendors open up and they all play music, so people eat and dance in the street, which is pretty cool. Of course, as expected, my roommates all got trashed, and so I decided to talk to the owner of our hostel to see if I could have a different room for the night. He basically told me absolutely not, and that I couldn’t have a refund. But since I didn’t nap like everyone else that morning and we didn’t sleep on the bus the night before, I was exhausted and didn’t want to be woken up a million times by all the drunk people who would inevitably be coming in and out of the room all night. So I packed up my stuff and went to the hostel next door where the other half of our group was and asked the owner if I could have a single for that night and the next…and he was really nice, got me checked in, gave me the weekday price for the second night (even though it was Saturday), got me an extra towel and blanket and showed me the room…and so it came to be that I stayed in the nicest hostel ever (queen bed, private bath, constant hot water, a porch, a hammock, you get the gist). I paid more than I would have liked for accommodations, seeing as I paid for two rooms in one night, but it was ABSOLUTELY worth it to have peace and quiet. The only downside was that since the window didn’t have a screen (just wooden shutters that locked inside) I had to sleep in my mosquito net. I am pleased to report that I do not have even one bug bite and that it works like a charm.

Saturday when we got up it was REALLY nice…sunny and hot and not a cloud in the sky. At my new hostel with the half of the group that went to bed early enough to be up at a decent time, we decided to instead of buying breakfast, to go to the market and then utilize the hostel’s kitchen facilities and cook for ourselves. So we bought bread and eggs and fruit and made French toast, scrambled eggs with veggies and a fruit salad for $1.80 a person…and let me tell you we had a lot of food left over. It was SO good, and less than half of what we would have paid for a restaurant breakfast (food in Montanita is expensive because it is mainly a touristy area). After the dishes were washed, we packed it up and headed to the beach.

It was the most perfect beach day ever. We rented chairs and umbrellas and made a little circle with the stuff so that we had a little base, and then everyone did what they wanted to…some people rented surf boards, a lot of us just read and tanned the whole day; we swam, had ice cream, played in the sand, it was so fun. Definitely the most contented I’ve been since I got here. And as an added bonus, I am the only one who did not burn (thank you SPF 50).

That night, we had pizza and sangria for dinner and then went down to the dancing/food street. I didn’t stay long though because I was tired from all the sun. The following morning, we cooked again and had fruit, yogurt and granola parfaits (or in my case, granola and milk with fruit on the side because the yogurt here has about 50 added teaspoons of sugar per serving and is disgustingly sweet, like those tube yogurts for kids with an additional half cup of processed sugar). But either way, it was delicious and filling and only ended up costing us $1 per person. Again on Sunday it was really cold and rainy so we just spent out time looking at all the street vendors stuff (the majority of which had pot leaves in or on the design in some way, if that gives you any idea what kind of town and what kind of people Montanita has). I ended up buying some earrings that are cute, and found a bracelet that I would have liked but not in the color I wanted and therefore didn’t buy it.

**The people you meet in Montanita (and while traveling in general): We met a guy who was from Vancouver BC who worked for the Olympics as the “hire-er” for all the trainers for the next Olympics in Canada. We met a bunch of students from Boston University who were studying abroad just like we were and were in Montanita for the weekend. And to take the cake: we met a girl who was selling jewelry on the street like a local, but didn’t look at all like a local. We started talking to her. She is from Washington. And graduated from UW. And knew Rianne’s older sister because they went to high school together. And THEN, when I said that I was from southern Washington, she said, “Oh, yeah, I lived in Camas for a while. On Prune Hill. Cascade Street.” Really?!?! What a crazy coincidence that this random girl has so many connections to all of us, and of all places to meet her, in Montanita.

We again took a night bus back home, but our planning on this one was a little poor. We thought that we would be able to get a nonstop bus at 8PM and therefore get back to Quito at 7AM or so, therefore being able to go home, shower, get ready and then go to school (because we had school on Monday). Turns out that the nonstop leaves at 9:30PM, and basically we didn’t get back to Quito (South Quito, that is) until 7AM, and it’s still an hour and a half to where we live. Long story short, I didn’t get home until 8:45, and school is 20 minutes away (once you catch a bus, that is) and begins at 9. Not to mention that we had a police check the night before on the bus (which is routine, they just want to make sure that no one is trafficking drugs) and for whatever stupid reason made us put ALL of our stuff below the bus. So no one had any food or warmer clothes or anything. So I hadn’t slept at all, and then to top it all off, the bottle of rum in my bag that I offered to carry for Kelsey because I had room broke while under the bus and soaked my only backpack and ALL my belongings in rum. I also didn’t feel well (and ended up throwing up later in the day) and made the executive decision to not go to CIMAS that day and stay home and clean up the mess that was my belongings and also to take it easy because tomorrow, we have a four day trip to Tena.

** A few notes about Tena: the ecology program went there a week ago and had some crazy stories. For one, they had no electricity or running water the whole week, and therefore had to bathe in the river. They also complained of millions of bugs (and have millions of swollen red bug bites to prove it). There were ants in their beds and the climate is so humid that they were soaking wet the whole time. Sound fun to you? I know, I cannot wait either.

So today, my intestines have again decided that they hate me and are going crazy, and I have to ride the bus to Tena tomorrow at 6AM (and how convenient that it’s only a five hour ride so they don’t stop to go to the bathroom). Nevertheless, I am working on packing and got everything cleaned, so now all I need to do tonight is to write a two page “journal” to submit tomorrow and to shower and clean the remaining sand off of me. We don’t have lights again today, but hopefully they will come on again soon. Also, since there were no lights, there is no internet anywhere, so this blog will be posted about a week after it was written.

And a few last bits of good news: I called Marlow Jensen, the missionary that I met on the plane from Portland and we are going out to dinner on Saturday night. Also, I ran out of deodorant today and went to the little pharmacy down the street from my house. The lady that owns the shop started talking to me, and I stood and chatted with her and answered all of her questions in mostly correct Spanish! Yay! It’s one thing when you talk to people you know and who know your level of language, but this lady was a stranger, and we had a conversation that both of us understood! I am outrageously pleased. I am now so familiar with my area in Quito that not only do I know the streets by name, I have favorite places. And then in closing: there is a natural foods store on Rio Coca (the closest main street to me) and they sell the most AMAZING peanut butter that I have ever had. So I feel like there will be some PB&J’s coming my way, and any chance at normal food is a great day-brightener.

November 11th

2009-11-12T05:20:00.001-08:00

I am about at the end of my rope with this “no power” thing. CIMAS for whatever reason still cannot figure out how to get the wireless working and because they just shut off power to neighborhoods all the time now, the internet cafes are never open. So I have NO way to access the internet. And I am so frustrated with it! Also, because we have power about half the time, homework is usually only possible during the daylight hours. Which SUCKS, because who wants to start homework at the only time when it is possible (because of safety) to do anything?

In other news, Leah had her birthday yesterday, and it was fun, except that everyone bailed so it just ended up being the two of us. We all had cake together at my house, but then everyone left and just Leah and I went out. We went to TGIFridays and got drinks, and then to a casino and played nickel slots for a few hours. I won nine dollars, so I was pretty pleased.

Tomorrow we are going to Montanita, which is a surf town on the beach, after school. It’s a really long bus ride, but it’s supposedly a really cool place, so I am pretty excited. This blog is short, but I am typing it only to put off working on the assignment from hell…I’m pretty sure I chose science so that I would never have to do another literature analysis, especially in a foreign language. Ciao for now….

2009-11-12T05:19:00.001-08:00

November 9:

Today again we have no power...from 2-7PM. Great. So I sit here and type this on the little battery that my computer has and hope that it lasts until I am finished. I haven’t been online in what seems like forever because the new CIMAS building STILL hasn’t figured out how to set up the wireless.

Tomorrow is Leah’s 21st birthday. For those who don’t know, Leah is the person here that I like and get along with best here, and therefore spend most of my free time with. She is from LaConner, and goes to Western. To celebrate her birthday, we are going Casino Royale and getting all dressed up and going to the casino at the Plaza Hotel. Also, we ordered a HUGE cake (it supposedly is for 20 people) that is totally decorated and pretty, and it was $12. I’m pretty excited, it should be really fun.

Usually the assignments that CIMAS gives us are not that bad and don’t take that much time. But this week, in addition to having a midterm tomorrow, we were all given different stories to read and analyze (like defining characters, rising action, climax, theme and theme justification, ect). I tried to read my story today and not only do I not recognize half the verbs that they use, but also I don’t know what tense that they are conjugated in. So it will be a long night by candle light tonight with my dictionary trying to figure out what this story is about. From what I read though, it’s about feminism. Lucky me-it’s my favorite subject too.

On the brighter side of assignments, we all have a day assigned where we are the instructor and we have to plan an activity for an hour. My day is this Wednesday. So what is my activity you ask? Why Spanish vocab/Ecuadorian culture “Imagine If” of course. Just like the board game but with questions like “Imagine if Cheryle (one of my fellow students) were an indigenous group in Ecuador, which would she be?” I’m pretty pleased with my creativity with this assignment because the other student that has presented (who I also happen to REALLY not like) just had a bunch of “Let’s-conjugate-irregular-verbs-as-fast-as-we-can” for his day. And it was REALLY stupid.

And then a random thought…sometimes I feel like my Spanish is getting really good…for example I sat and shared my thoughts on graffiti to my Spanish teacher like it was easy and didn’t even have to stop in the middle of my sentences to think of the next words that I wanted. But then sometimes, I feel like I know nothing, like when Leah and I went to the bakery and asked for the cheesy bread with onions (which I have personally bought there before and my mom buys all the time) and the lady didn’t understand and told us that they didn’t have anything like that and that I must mean an Empanada. So we explained it to her again and she totally didn’t understand what we wanted. So I don’t know how good my Spanish is.

So while you sit here and read this in your well lit homes/office spaces, just remember how good you have it, and remember that I am sitting here trying to do homework and study for a midterm by the light of a candle.

The Last Few Days...

2009-11-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

So today Leah and I went to La Mitdad del Mundo because she had never been before. I thought the second time was really stupid and wish that I wouldn't have gone. We also got on the wrong bus coming back and ended up in the center of Quito, which is WAY far from where we intended to be. But by some grace of god, we happened to see a bus headed to our neighborhood- so it turned out alright.

CIMAS has now officially moved buildings...and the new place is SO amazing. It is US quality...it has stonework on the walls and big HUGE glass windows, it's amazing. Unfortunately, it is in a neighborhood that is pretty dangerous and really dirty. So we aren't really allowed off the property, and luckily the bus picks up and drops off right at the doorway. Also, there is only one bus that goes there in the morning, and the first morning my mom and I waited for 35 minutes for it.

Since CIMAS is new, it didn't really shock me that there was no electricity on Thursday. But then I got home and found out that there was none at my house either, because the city had turned off all the electricity. Turns out that almost 98% of Quito´s electricity comes from hydroelectric power, and there has been NO rainfall since I got here. So since there is no water in the rivers, there is no water to flow over the dams, and so to conserve energy, the government shuts off all electricity in different neighborhoods from 11AM to 5PM. Luckily for whatever reason you don't need electricity to get water, but still!!! Each morning on the news they announce what neighborhoods will be shut off and it is EVERYTHING in the neighborhood, even stores. But despite the lack of all power, no one seems to mind, and shops stay open. It's bizarre.

I bought my first bootleg movies yesterday, and then remembered that I have no TV to watch them on...and my computer is at CIMAS. So when we had no power, I basically sat and (literally) read the dictionary. How sad.

Tomorrow Leah and I are going to Latacunga for a daytrip because they are having the Mamá Negra festivals. It should be entertaining...we'll see. And hopefully on Sunday morning we can all get together and make breakfast again, because that was the deal last weekend and it was SO much better than the breakfasts that our family gives us.

I think that's all I have for now, but don't forget to get me your email if you want the picture link, because my fam has tried it and it definitely works.

Love to all!

The Adventure of a Lifetime

2009-11-06T11:40:00.003-08:00

Monday, November 2^nd:

First of all, I have some pictures up on the Kodak gallery online. I’m pretty sure that I just have to send you an email invite, so if you want to look at them, just comment one of the blogs with your email address (click on the “comments” link below the blog) and I’ll send an invite.

This weekend we went on a huge trip South to Cuenca, but we went to a million other places too. We left last Wednesday for Salinas (13,000ft), which is a little town in the middle of nowhere but has tons of different factories that you can tour. To get to Salinas, you have to go through Guaranda, which is a small town that has basically nothing in it. So we left after classes on Wednesday and ended up getting to Guaranda at about 9. Unfortunately for us, the last bus from Guaranda to Salinas leaves Guaranda each day at 6PM. So we went and found a hostel in Guaranda that could accommodate seven (because half of our group wasn’t with us and was leaving to meet up with us in Alausi the next day). The owner of the hostel we found was really high, but it was cheap and clean so we stayed. The following morning, we took a school bus to Salinas (like with the school children all dressed in their uniforms, one more way that Ecuador is WAY different than the US) and got there at about 9AM.

In Salinas, we got breakfast (and the pepper top broke all over one of the girl’s eggs). From there, we toured the factories (specifically wool, chocolate, soccer ball, cheese and yogurt, and bread) and bought enough food from the food factories that we decided to just have a picnic with all the food that we collectively bought. During our picnic, some of the group played soccer with some little kids in the town, and Kyler kicked the ball at one kid (accidentally) and broke his nose. We met a girl who had just graduated from Harvard Law (and who was traveling on a $25,000 stipend from her future employer who she starts with in January), she was going to travel with us because she was alone, but she decided to stay in Salinas and we wanted to get on to Alausi, our next stop. To get back to Guaranda (because that is the only place you can get a bus anywhere else) the owner of the hostel that we ate breakfast at offered to let us ride in the back of his truck for free because he was headed to Guaranda. So we rode back to Guaranda and then found a bus to Alausi, where we met the rest of our group.

In Alausi, we watched a parade of some school the first night and went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant (ironically, the Chinese food here is REALLY good). The next morning, we went to ride the train over the Nariz del Diablo, which is supposedly the most impressive feat in railway engineering in the world. You used to be able to ride on the top of the train, but then some Japanese girls were beheaded because they were “surfing”, and now you have to ride in the cabin. But it was still cool and scary. The tracks are RIGHT on the edge of the cliff and you basically look straight down the canyon hundreds of feet. To get down the canyon, the train goes down a bunch of switchbacks, so you weave forwards, then backwards, then forwards again. They stop and let you off a couple of times to take pictures, and overall it was a cool trip. We got a really cool group shot on the edge of a cliff at one of the stops. After that, we really had no reason to stay in Alausi, and we found out that our hostel reservations in Cuenca (which we had to make way in advance because this weekend in Cuenca there were festivals that thousands of people come for) would be negated if we didn’t show up for both nights (meaning that night and the following). We then found out that we had already missed the last bus to Cuenca from Alausi for the night. So we were told that if we hiked up to this road up at the top of the mountain (Alausi is in a valley) we might be able to catch a bus coming from Quito towards Cuenca. So we hiked in the rain with all of our stuff…and waited for two hours, watching a million busses pass, none of which were headed to Cuenca. Finally we saw a bus pull into the gas station about a mile down the road, and decided that we would go ask that bus, and if it wasn’t going to Cuenca, we would stay in Alausi for another night and worry about the reservations tomorrow. So we went to the gas station and fantastically, that bus was going to Cuenca. Unfortunately, it was already packed and didn’t even have standing room for one, and we had twelve (and it’s a 5 hour trip). Meanwhile, Morgan was chatting this guy up in the parking lot of the gas station, and ended up finding out that he was on his way to Cuenca. But he was driving a gravel truck. He offered to let us ride on the gravel, so we end up taking this guy up on his offer and riding in the back of a gravel truck (and yes, it was filled with wet gravel) all the way to Cuenca.

We arrive in Cuenca soaked and freezing (and SO dirty) at about 1AM, and take a cab to the hostel. After we checked in, the owner tells us that the hot water is turned on from 6-11AM and 6-11PM. Meaning that we have totally missed the hot water. So we all go to bed DISGUSTINGLY dirty, and fill our sheets (that we have to use again the next night) with little rocks.

In the morning, we got up and went out to breakfast and walked the city. The festivals were in full swing so we got to do lots of fun stuff like listen to live music and watch magic shows in the street. Also, we saw a bunch of locals dancing in the street and joined them which turned into a HUGE crowd of people dancing in the middle of the road (on a side note, we found a bakery called Dolce, and it had REAL cookies…which is really exciting because the cookies here [even if they are called “chocolate chip”] are HORRIBLE and not anything like any chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had). For the rest of the day, we just walked around and took pictures, and then went back to the hostel and took a nap. When everyone woke up, we went and got pizza and gelato for dinner (delicious), and then since it was Halloween (and we had all previously bought costumes in Quito) we got all ready to go out. In Ecuador, Halloween isn’t really celebrated, but they do have “Dia de los Brujas” (Day of the Witches), so there were a few people in costumes, but a lot of people out walking around. For a few hours we just walked around and wished people a happy Halloween all dressed up (and about a million of those people wanted pictures with us) and went into some random bars. Then somehow we met on the street some of the people we had been dancing with in the street in the morning, and they took us to the nightlife part of the city, where we basically just danced all night at random bars.

**And then a quick story about our lack of language skills on Halloween…While we were walking, we were telling people “Feliz dia de los Brujas!” Which translates basically to “Happy Halloween”. But at one point, we realized that one of the girls in our group had the words mixed up, and was shouting to people “Buenas dias brujas!” Which means she thought meant “have a good day of witches” but actually means “Good morning, witches!”

The bus back from Cuenca is 10 hours, so we got up really early and went to the bus station. So Sunday we basically rode the bus all day long, and watched this Korean-translated-to-Spanish soap opera for eight hours (which was torture, there was lots of sob-y crying from the adults in the show). Once you get back to Quito you end up at a bus station on the Southernmost tip of the city, so from there you take another bus for an hour to the area that we live. We ended up getting home at about nine last night.

This morning, we all went to Lauren and Andrew’s house for breakfast and cooked pancakes and eggs with veggies which was SO good because we are all so sick of the food here. Later today, I think I might go get a pedicure because they’re like $3 here, and then I have no plans for today or tomorrow. We don’t have school until Wednesday because we have been on some kind of holiday since last Wednesday. However, this Wednesday will be our first day in the new CIMAS building, which is supposedly REALLY nice. So we’ll see…this weekend was quite the adventure so I hope things settle back to normal soon.

The Bank

2009-10-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the bank because I do not have enough money to take a trip this weekend. So we went to the ATM next to CIMAS, and there was a HUGE black security guard next to the ATM with two guns. So I got my cash and it gave me four 20's, one 10 and two 5's. So I took three of the 20's into the bank to exchange for smaller bills. When it was my turn at the counter, there was money all over the teller's station. I asked for $40 in 5's, and the remaining $20 in ones. So she counted out the fives, and then grabbed this HUGE bag of Sacajawea coins to count me out the ones. I was like "En efectivo?" And she argued with me and wouldn't give me paper money. Finally she did and I took it back to CIMAS. But it was all disorganized and upside down...strangest bank experience ever.

Being Here

2009-10-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

Today is just another day sitting in class...tomorrow we are leaving for Cuenca...which should be fun. I guess it's cool to be here, but I feel like I'm missing so much at home. For example, Sami is pregnant again, and I will miss the entirety of the pregnancy and will olny maybe be back in time for the birth. I got a text yesterday that said "Oh my god...I was reading your blog and it's so crazy, it's like you live in a different world!" And it's true...I do live in a different world. For example, my mom doesn't refrigerate anything. Like anything at all. Cooked meat, eggs, fruit, veggies, nothing. Also, we have white rice at EVERY meal. Just plain white rice. Chocolate here is really expensive. I bought a bar (standard Hershey's) for cookies for 1.15. For some perspective, you could buy a loaf of bread for like half that, and my whole visit to the ER was only $30.

I have started to track my spending because I feel like for as cheap as everything is here, I have spent a lot of money. So now I write down everything that I spend, including bus fare.

I have started upolading pictures to Kodak.com, but it takes a LONG time to get any pictures up (like 3 hours for 40 pictures). But hopefully soon I can figure out how to get them all up, and you all will be able to see the pictures that I've taken.

2009-10-26T08:55:00.001-07:00

October 25th:
So on Saturday, I went to a movie with my friend Leah. It was a pretty cool afternoon, we saw “The Ugly Truth” and it was pretty good. That night we went out to La Mariscal, which is the neighborhood with all the bars, but after we got there I started to not feel well and made it an early night.

Today, Leah and I went to a bullfight. Biggest mistake of my life. I thought bullfights were about the show…like how daring the matadors were and the narrow misses as the bulls try and gore them. They are not. It is a big animal torture and murder show with very little action by the matadors and lots of knives and swords and horrible burred weapons. Apparently they kill six bulls during the whole thing, Leah and I could only stomach one, and even at that I couldn’t watch any of it. It was absolutely horrible and upsetting. One of the matadors got gored really bad during the one fight we watched, and I suppose I should feel bad for him, but all I can think is that he deserved it. After all, he had a CHOICE to go into the ring. If I could only give one piece of advice to anyone in the world, it would definitely be NEVER go to a bullfight. I repaid Leah’s family for my ticket and we left and walked back to my house. After that upsetting start to the day, we went over to Lauren’s house and baked chocolate chip cookies. It was really fun and nice to do something like that with other people who speak fluent English. We also watched the notebook, which is not my favorite, but was still fun.
I am now at home ready to start my homework, but no one is here with me, and I have no idea where they are. Today was kind of hard as far as homesickness goes, but hopefully tomorrow will be better…love and miss you all!

2009-10-26T08:54:00.001-07:00

October 23rd:
So I began this week by missing two days of class and going to the hospital. I had been sick and throwing up for a few days, and on Tuesday night I passed out in the kitchen. It was crazy…I have three siblings total, two of whom speak better English than I do (but one of whom lives in England). So who comes to the hospital with me? My Spanish-only speaking mother and my one sister who has barely any English. Great, that’s helpful. So the doctors are asking questions and I don’t know what’s going on, only that I have to drink this horrible apple flavored Pedialyte (and I use the term “flavored” lightly). They said I was just dehydrated, which is possible, but then why would I have been throwing up and sleeping all day in the first place. I think I possibly have Giardia, and if I start to get bad again I am going to try and see a doctor (preferably one who is fluent in English). On Wednesday, my first day back, I find out that at seven the following morning, I have to leave for a mandatory overnight fieldtrip. Awesome. And so I went.

We went to La Zona Norte, which basically means a bunch of really small towns and villages North of Quito. We started at a house where the people produce pan pipes, which was interesting. Except one of the guys demoed how to make a pan pipe for us and it took him all of three minutes, which means that the eight dollars that they cost is ridiculous. They also played some traditional music for us, and overall it was really cool. Then in Otavallo we went to the famous waterfall, and hiked up to the top. It was pretty cool; there was a cave and really good views. From there, we went to the crater lake that feeds the waterfall and went out on the lake in a boat. It was unbelievably beautiful…totally untouched and crystal clear. After that we had lunch in Cotocatchi which was gross, and went to a museum there, which was boring. I think CIMAS thinks that they’re being really generous by getting us guides at all the museums, but in reality they just end up rushing us through and telling us about things in words that I at least don’t understand, and I feel like I never learn or get to enjoy the museums. After the museum, we drove to San Clemente, which is a small village above Ibarra (a relatively big city) and below Imbabura, the volcano. We spent the night with an indigenous family, and it was totally amazing. The mom made us dinner, which was good if you like traditional Ecuadorian food, which I do not. Then we dressed in traditional clothing and danced around with them in this traditional circle dance thing…it was really fun. The next morning, we got up and ate breakfast, and then had to sit through a conference about the development program in the village. It was incredibly boring. And then, we had to go on this hike to learn about medicinal plants in the region. It was not the most fun day ever, but I have some amazing pictures. We stopped for ice cream on the way home and I had what is possibly the best coconut ice cream in the world. And now I am home, and just waiting for dinner. After that, it’s bedtime for sure…
This weekend, instead of traveling like usual, we are just going to stay in Quito and do the Teleferiqo and then a hike on Pichincha. It should be interesting. And next weekend we are going on a long trip (Wednesday to Monday) to Cuenca because they have some sort of festivals going on. It’s an eight hour bus ride, but it should be fun.

Baños

2009-10-21T06:49:00.001-07:00

October 18, 2009:
This weekend was really fun. We went on a trip to Baños, which is a small city in the jungle about three and a half hours South of Quito. On Thursday after classes, everyone left the city, except for Kyler and me, because we were on a field trip to the National Museum. When we got back to CIMAS, we immediately began to look for a bus to Quitumbe, which is the bus station in the Southernmost part of Quito, and where you can catch a bus to Baños. We could not find a bus, and just as we were about to give up and take the trolley (which we didn’t want to because we would have had to stand in the crowd of 200 other people on that packed bus), Kyler yells to a bus that is passing “A Quitumbe?” (you are going to Quitumbe?) and the guy on the bus says yes, so we jump on. So now we are headed South on a bus that may or may not be going where we want to, but still we decide to stay on it as long as it keeps heading South. Lucky for us, the last stop ended up being Quitumbe, and from there we got on a bus to Baños. When we got there, we found the hostel that everyone else was in, and though some people went out, the people in my room decided to stay in and watch “Mexico’s Next Top Model”.

The next day, we all got up at 4am, and went to the mineral baths that the town is famous for. It was all locals and us, and it was so cool. We left at about 6:30 and got breakfast, and then some of us went for a horseback ride. It was ten dollars, and we were gone for four hours. We rode up in the mountains to a waterfall, and then halfway back, where we took this little trail down to this hostel that had a swimming pool and all sorts of cool stuff. Ironically, as we got to this hostel, the other half of our group who had decided to go hiking that day, just happened to be on the trail just above this hostel. So without meaning to, we met up and hung out for a while at this bar in the hostel.

And by the way…to get to the hostel you had to cross a river, so they had this chair thing that was on a wire that you sat in and then a guy would pull the rope and pull you across the river, feet dangling from 30 feet above. It was really cool.

We rode our horses back, took showers, and went and got Mexican food for dinner. Everyone was tired so we all basically just went to bed.

The next morning, half went back to the hot springs, and half slept in. Then some people went hiking and the rest of us went white water rafting. It was $20, five hours and lunch included. And it was quite possible the most fun thing that I have ever done. The river ran right through the rainforest, so it was total jungle with tons of waterfalls and really steep canyon walls up each side of the river. And the river itself was all class four rapids, so it was really exciting. It was also pouring down rain, which was better because the water didn’t seem as cold. It was soo fun.

We were totally disgusting after the river (not to mention Kyler knocked an entire pitcher of rice-milk stuff on me at lunch) but we had already checked out of the hostel. So to take showers, we went back to the mineral baths and used the showers there. From the baths, we caught a passing bus back to Quito. The bus ride was pretty uneventful (I had to sit next to a man who was quite possibly the most smelly man on earth) but we got back alright. We were supposed to go out in Quito that night, but I was too tired to go.

Today is Sunday, and now I have nothing to do. Apparently, we are going to visit some relative later on tonight, but who knows…And more school tomorrow. Also, we have our first school trip this week to La Zona Norte. I don’t know what that means, but it should be fun!

El Teatro Nacional

2009-10-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

So my family so kindly took me to the theater last night, and while I am really happy that I got to go and have that experience, the play we actually watched was HORRIBLE. It was definitely the most bizarre thing that I have ever seen. I think that the best way to describe it would be an indigenous interpretive ballet. There were people who were dressed as crazy clowns and people with real animal heads on their heads--it was just weird. And then, we didn't eat dinner because it was really late. So I guess I am glad I didn't skip lunch yesterday. Today my sister left for Colombia, which means that the house will be a lot quieter for me because she is really the only person who talks to me when it isn't mealtime. I think I already said this, but on Sunday night we went and saw Year One with Jack Black, and it was outrageously stupid. I did however, learn all the slang for the male and female anatomical parts.

I am really sick of never knowing what is going on and cannot until my Spanish is good enough to understand what is happening around me.

The First Week And Some....

2009-10-12T12:19:00.001-07:00

Monday, October 5^th:

Yesterday was the first day of school. My mom and I took the bus together to CIMAS and she dropped me off on her way to work. At school, we started the day with a lecture from a CIA agent from the US about safety. And now I understand that you have to be careful, but this guy was nuts. He told us that how even in the US, if he sees a bum at a stoplight he looks all around his car because he thinks someone is going to steal his things from the backseat while he is looking at the bum. Paranoid much?

After that we got a lecture with the ecology students in English about *surprise* ecology. It was AMAZINGLY boring. Like about the different fertility levels of soil at different altitudes and how that creates diverse ecosystems. Who cares??? Definitely not me.

Then we had lunch, which I skipped because I still didn’t feel good and didn’t want to pay for it. So instead I went online and facebooked. After lunch, we had one more lecture in Spanish about the history of Ecuador. It was really confusing because the guy who gave it had a really thick accent and I didn’t know half of the words that he used. But I don’t think I was the only one so I’m not too worried.

After school my mom was there to pick me up and we took the bus back home. We both took naps and when I woke up we walked to the store for bread and milk. When we got home she cooked us dinner as neither of my siblings were home and then I went basically to bed. I think for the most part, this is pretty much how my days in this family will go.

Tuesday, October 6^th:

Today was my first day actually meeting the guy that will be my official professor. I really like him. And moreover, I REALLY like the program. Basically since we are here for language and culture, we get to do anything that interests us. So we have overnight and day trips and city walks and fruit tastings and all sorts of cool things to do. And we are going to have a Thanksgiving. Now normally I am not really a Thanksgiving-y person, but considering how much I crave something normal (like PB&J), I think this will be a Thanksgiving for the books. And I took the bus by myself today. Go me…I didn’t even get lost.

Some observations about Quito:

So first of all, the sidewalks and streets are treacherous. They have curbs that are perpendicular to the sidewalk that you have to step up and down and little lips to trip on and these ramp-like things that are just kind of weird. It’s like the sidewalk once had a few stairs and someone paved them over to be a steep ramp. And the drivers here are so crazy. You risk your life every time you attempt to cross a street, even at a crosswalk with the light in your favor. And the markings on the road mean nothing. People drive right down the middle of the white lines and on sidewalks and four across on a three lane road…the list goes on and on. I’ve never seen such daring old ladies and men.

All (and by all I mean EVERY SINGLE HOUSE IN THE CITY) has a huge gate and wall completely surrounding it. Every window is barred and every gate padlocked all the time. Our wall is about 12ft high and it has iron bars on the top of it. I told my mom that in the US walls like this were really uncommon and she replied “So then you can see the neighbor’s house?” And to top them off, literally, if a person feels that a fence isn’t high enough, they pour a layer of cement on the top of the wall and while it’s wet they stick broken pieces of glass (like half bottles and such) in the cement so that the sharp edges stick straight up into the air. Apparently it’s to deter all of the criminals who attempt to scale 12ft walls.

Instead of having house dogs or yard dogs, people keep their dogs on the roof. So you walk down the street and a million dogs bark at you from the roofs of random houses. No one shops at supermarkets, only these little hole in the wall places that sell fresh bread and junk food like candy and soda. Like imagine if AMPM had a bakery. And the other thing is that they shop every day. My mom and I and sometimes my brother go to random different stores every single evening and buy enough bread for dinner and breakfast.

I am lucky because my family eats dinner, but most families don’t. They have a HUGE lunch and breakfast and call it good for the day. Also (and this is not just my observation, the other students think it too): the amount of food that they eat here is amazing. My mom is convinced that I am on a diet because she thinks I should eat more, but it’s impossible to keep up with the servings! Like for dinner she gave me a bowl of soup, a big roll with ham and cheese on it, a plate of rice, a half chicken breast, a piece of fried plantain, and a radish-carrot salad. And then of course milk and juice and coffee or tea if I wanted it. And dinner is a small meal compared to lunch.

There is no such thing as personal space here. On the bus you are so close to people it’s like getting six hugs all at once. From strangers. And the capacity of the busses? Guess- they are just normal size busses. It’s 128 people. And since there is no one here to enforce that, they cram WAY more people than that on them.

Thursday, October 8:

So a little background because I haven’t written in a while…

I really like school and our Spanish classes, the professor is really nice and helpful and I think that I will learn a lot. It’s a little lonely here sometimes because it’s such an effort to talk to anyone but school is really fun and overall I’m having a really good time.

Today was our first field trip with the school. We took a bus to old town and toured two churches and the President’s house, both of which were amazing. I have tons of really cool pictures, but unfortunately I have not been able to find internet that is fast enough to upload pictures to the internet, so it might possibly be that no one will see them until I get home.

Tonight everyone else is going to the bars, but I am going to stay in and do finish my weekend homework because tomorrow we are going to Otavalo, which is a town north of Quito with a huge market. I think the plan is to meet at the bus station at seven tomorrow and when we get there go for a hike to a waterfall and swim. Then on Saturday we are going to go to the market and come home. There is a huge soccer game on Saturday that determines whether or not Ecuador goes to the World Cup, and some of the group is trying to buy scalped tickets. We have a hostel booked that will be $5 for the night per person, and the bus is $2 each way. So this trip should be relatively inexpensive. I’m really excited for the market because it is really famous and supposedly has tons of cool cheap stuff.

So that’s that for now…but on an unrelated matter, since I am basically completely cut off from the US, I wouldn’t mind getting texts from everyone more often just letting me know what’s happening. Even though I can’t reply, it would be nice to know.

Sunday, October 11^th:

Yesterday we got back from Otavallo, and it was a really fun trip. We left really early on Friday morning and took a bus the two hours to the city. When we got there we went to drop our things off at the hostel, and despite being the cheapest hostel in the city, it was really nice. I shared a room with Leah and we all shared the bathrooms. For $5, I really couldn’t have asked for more. We went and ate breakfast, which was HORRIBLE…and then we went to the market. The market is huge and has about everything that you could possibly want for REALLY cheap. And it was good for my Spanish too because you have to barter for everything. I got some cool things, like a bag and a woven blanket, so overall I’m really happy. We went back to the hostel and hung out for a while and then went out to this bohemian café and got falafel for dinner. After dinner, we all walked back to the hostel. One of the girls had brought a guitar and three people in our group can play the guitar really well, so we sat around on the roof and sang random songs like “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” and “Santoria” for a few hours.

In the morning, half of the group left on the early bus because they paid an exorbitant amount of money to go to the Ecuador vs. Uruguay soccer game to determine which team goes to the World Cup. The rest of us stayed with the intention of going to the market in the morning and hiking a waterfall in the afternoon, but we ran out of time for the waterfall by the time we went to the market and ate and packed everything up. So we took a bus back at like two, and some of my group then proceeded to head to a bar to watch the game. I went home and took a nap and woke up just in time to see Ecuador lose in overtime. So now everyone is really disappointed around here.

Today I am pretty much just hanging out because I finished all my homework on Thursday. I think I’ll walk to the internet café down the street and do a little web surfing, but that’s about it.

And a favor: I would really like to cook dinner one night for my family, but we don’t really have an oven that works. I think that you can bake things, but it doesn’t heat right and it takes a long time to cook stuff. Can anyone think of anything that I can make that is common in the US but doesn’t use an oven as the primary cooking method? From what I understand, the store Supermaxi should have any ingredient that I might need.

Day Four

2009-10-05T10:56:00.001-07:00

Sunday, October 4th:

Today my mom and brother took me to the mall to get a cell phone and some notebooks. The cell phone system here is very confusing, because you buy a phone (in my case the most OLD SCHOOL Nokia in the whole world), and then you buy SIM cards with minutes on them, kind of like a go-phone in the US. But since the whole transaction was done in Spanish, I have NO idea how many minutes I have, only that I have ten dollars worth. How helpful. So we’ll see how long “ten dollars” lasts…

I also got some notebooks and pens because I conveniently realized on the plane when it came time to fill out customs forms that I have not a single pen in any of my luggage. Wonderful. But now I do so it’s no longer a problem. Oh, they also took me to an electronic store to look at these mobile internet things…they look like a flash drive but it basically is an antennae for your own personal internet. Well the thing alone was $110, and then it was like $50/month after that. I’ve lived a pretty extravagant life this past week partying and getting ice cream and seeing movies all for $20. I think I’ll stick with the slow school internet thank you.

I think that the food and water here is starting to get to me now because up until now I have felt fine, but as of noon today, my digestive system decided to rebel. So my friend Immodium and I have had a date and hopefully I feel better soon. But keep your fingers crossed everyone.

After the mall (and some GROSS cafeteria food), we ended up at the movies. Which was cool, except I felt totally awful and just wanted to go home and sleep. But that didn’t happen and we ended up seeing “The Proposal” in English, with Spanish subtitles. Weird right? But incredibly convenient for me so I didn’t complain.

Since then, we have just been hanging out at home and I have been playing with my new cell phone…and apparently my sister is coming back sometime tonight, which will be nice to meet her. And my first day of classes is tomorrow! So I’m pretty excited for that.

And finally a story: At the bar last night, my friend Andrew went to order us all more drinks. When he came back he looked confused and said that he didn’t get the drinks because he ordered them, but the guy said something about kissing and he was confused so he left. I asked him what he said to order and found out that he had asked the bartender for three “bebesos”. The word for drinks is “bebidas,” the word for kiss is “beso”. So much for us and our lack of proper vocabulary…

Day Three

2009-10-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 3rd:

So it turns out that my mom and I didn’t end up going for a walk. She called one of the other families to see if we could come see their house on our walk and they said that a bunch of the students were going to go up on the Teleferiqo (which is like the hanging cab things that you can now take up to OHSU in Portland) and they were leaving really soon. So it was a total scramble to get to this house because I didn’t know where I was going or with who or what to bring, but my mom and brother were running around all rushed and telling me lots of things that I didn’t understand. But we got in the car and drove to Maura’s house (a girl in the ecology program) where I met up with Maura and two other people. The plan was to take the Teleferiqo, but it was really windy so we decided to take the bus up to La Mitad del Mundo (which is the monument that supposedly is at (0’, 0’) but is off by about 505m). It was pretty cool, there was other things to do there like an insectorium and little museums and shops. We got some good pictures, so it was pretty fun overall.

We rode the bus back to our neighborhood (the four of us that went all live in Jipijapa) and split up to go eat dinner with our families. Then everyone came to my house and we went down to “Gringolandia,” and no I am not kidding about the name, and went to a discoteca (which is like a nightclub). It was alright, but I was tired and think I would have had a better time just going to bed early.

Day Two

2009-10-05T10:52:00.001-07:00

Saturday, October 3rd:

Yesterday, I met my family. My mom came to CIMAS and picked me up and brought me really pretty flowers. But it is only now that I am with a woman who does not speak English at all (her son does) that I realize how terrible my Spanish is. I can usually tell her what I want to say in my broken Spanish with the aid of the dictionary (thanks again Profe ). My room is really big and I have my own bathroom. The house is actually a condo and it is relatively small, but overall it is really nice and clean so I cannot complain. In the house is my mom Patricia, my brother David (whose English is probably better than mine!) and my sister Crestina (CIMAS spelled it wrong on the info sheet that I got). But I haven’t met Crestina yet because she is currently in Panama. She either gets back tomorrow or the 15^th, I don’t know because I only understand about half of the things that are said to me. We also have two dogs, Kimmi and Esees, I have no idea the breed because again, I don’t understand very much, but they both look like the dog from “Fox and the Hound”. Esees (E –seas) is a puppy and is really cute and the family is good about gating my room so they don’t go in-so even though I am not really an animal fan, I think they’re alright.

In other news, my mom told me that she thought I was only staying until the 11^th of December, so it looks like I will be moving to another house for the next program.

Today we got up and had breakfast (papaya and more bread and gross white cheese, not good) and then we took the dog to the vet. The actual vet part was not that fun but the drive through the city was cool. When we came back I thought we were going to have lunch (I heard the word almuerzo in the car) but so far there has been no cooking to speak of so we’ll see. Which sucks because I am STARVING. Later my mom and I are (from what I gather) going to go on a walk and look at the places that all the other people in the program live (and she refers to them as my friends, which I think is funny since I’ve known them for all of two days).

So overall this is MUCH harder than I thought because I constantly don’t know what is going on or if people are talking to me. And even if they are I rarely know what they are saying and even if I do I usually have no idea how to form a response. Oh and when they tell you that random men will cat-call you on the street, they are not joking. I have been told I was “sooo beautiful” and wolf whistled and then some other things that I think I am glad I don’t understand so many times already that I am sick of it and it has only been a few days.

Day One

2009-10-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 2nd

This is basically a repeat of the last post but my internet crashed as I hit "post" on the last one, so I retyped it not knowing whether or not the crash was pre post or after:

So I have been in Ecuador for three days now and I love everything…almost. So I guess I’ll start from the beginning.

Someone puked on the plane from Portland to Houston and it smelled HORRIBLE for like three hours. But I met a lady on the plane who is a missionary in Ecuador (and whose in-laws happen to live in Washougal), who was so nice. She gave me all of her information and told me that I could use their phone whenever I wanted and that she would take me out to lunch a few times. Awesome.

The plane landing and customs were totally smooth, and a driver picked us up and took us to our hotel. That night was pretty much a wash, we just bought some water and went to bed. Since then however, I have been using the tap water for everything with so problems to speak of at this point.

In the morning (the first official day), we all went downstairs and had breakfast (scrambled eggs and breakfast roll-things) which was pretty good, no complaints so far. Then we went and walked around the city for a while and figured out where the malls were and our position in the city. After, we took naps and then went to an internet café (where I tried to post a blog but the internet conveniently crashed as I was about to hit “post”). We got dinner at the hotel (chicken with some sort of sauce and big oven fries and a salad) and then went out to a bar and sat and talked for a while. Then some of the group went home to bed and the rest of us went out dancing. It was fun and we met a bunch of people.

This morning, we were picked up and brought to CIMAS, and basically lectured about REALLY boring topics (like the political state of Ecuador) for a few hours in Spanish. We had lunch (a DELICIOUS potato cheesy soup) and then took the Spanish placement test, which I BOMBED…but oh well I guess that just means that my final will make me look like I learned a TON.

As of right now, the ecology students are reviewing their syllabus and my program (all four of us) is sitting in the lobby having “free-time” and then I assume we will review our syllabus. After all the reviewing, we are meeting out host families and going home with them.

So that’s the story so far…it has been totally smooth. We start classes on Monday, so more adventures to come. Ciao!

The First Days

2009-10-01T15:47:00.001-07:00

Oh man so it has been such a whirlwind for the past two days. But the good news is that I now live in Ecuador without any major hangups. Awesome. SO I suppose I will start from the beginning...

I got to the Portland Airport and ended up talking to a lady who is a missionary in Quito, and it turns out that her husband´s parents live in the gorge (the Hansens??) Anyways, after our chat at the airport and on both planes, she gave me her phone number and told me if I needed anything I could call her. Fantastic. She lives close, is American, and knows all about Quito. Yay :)

In other news, someone puked on my plane and it stunk for two hours. Most miserable flight ever.

When we got here, a bus picked us up and we went to the hotel and pretty much just went to bed. It´s not a fantastic hotel, but it will do for a while. There are five others here with me right now and the rest come tonight.

This morning we woke up and went down to breakfast of bread, coconut juice and scrambled eggs. Then we went and walked around the city for a while and met up with a lady that one of the girls knew; she took us around a little bit and showed us where the malls were and some other things. And for those of you who still believe burrows are the major method of transportation, this city is just as modern as Portland is. So there.

After our long walk, we went back to the hotel to take naps, which was amazing. And when we woke up we came to this internet cafe to send some emails home. After this we are going back to the hotel for dinner (my first Ecuadorian meal!) and then we may go to the bars, but I think more than likely I might be staying in with pj´s and a Spanish book.

Tomorrow, we get picked up at 9:30, and we have safety lectures and tours of the school and we meet and go home with our host family. I can´t wait.

So I would have to say that I officially love it here. Love and miss you all!

PS If you mail me anything, send chocolate chips. My missionary friend would love some and you can´t buy them here.

Orientation

2009-09-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today was the pre-departure orientation at Evergreen State. And oh man it was SO helpful. For one, I now know two other people who have the same flight from Houston as me. Sweet. I also met two of the three other people in my program (yes, that is four TOTAL). And (dun da da DAAA!) I learned who my family is!!! I don't have a father apparently, but I have a mom named Patricia, and a brother named David (25) and a sister named Cistina (28). So now all my questions are answered and I am mentally ready to go. Thirteen days and counting....

Everything is FINALLY Done

2009-09-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

I now have my VISA (after all the hassle!), shots, plane tickets, and a mosquito net. So I am totally ready to go. Only 23 more days until I leave. Oh man...I am so nervous now. I have a loan for $7,500, which unfortunately is unsubsidized (which sucks), but still I know that this will be worth the debt. Continental flight 242 here I come!

Ohh VISAs....

2009-08-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Finally I sent in my VISA after pouring over it and making sure that it was all perfect. Today I got an email saying that there were still two forms needed. Great.

I have all my shots (except a flu shot), my non-refundable plane tickets, and a student ID that is ready to log in so that payments can be made. What I do not have, and at this point is also the most crucial thing to have, is a VISA. FML.

The Payment Method

2009-07-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Today I got the email that had my Western account information...so I guess that means that
it's time to start making payments. I think that the loan that I am going to take out will be about $7,000, but I might make it a nice round ten so that I have some money to use while I am there. Ugh. But I guess things are moving forward at least.....

2009-07-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Yellow Fever shot...Check. Visa application....check and double check. Airfare....check. And so I am leaving for Ecuador on September 30th on Continental flight 653. Adios......

The Visa Process

2009-05-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

So I am now trying to get everything together to get a VISA...and the problem is that we are going to Puerto Rico in June. I cannot send my passport to San Francisco if I need it to go on a cruise. Oops...but in other news, I have an account started to save some money, the tickets should be booked by July and at this point I am on track to leave October 1st at 6:00 AM from PDX...more information soon....

And I have still yet to get my travel shots :(

The Next Steps

2009-04-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

So first of all, they were wrong, it IS October 2nd, and I have the long summer that I thought I would.

Today I started filling out the second round of paperwork...this was a little more fun though because I got to tell my family about myself and pick what I would and wouldn't like in a family. I also called the travel agent about booking a flight, so that should be sorted out soon.

The bad news? It is $130 for an Ecuadorian visa, and one of the requirements that I don't know if I'll be able to get around is making a $1000 deposit in a foreign bank based in Ecuador. I already have a passport so thank god I don't have to deal with that too...

This is getting so expensive. But I absolutely believe that it will be worth every penny.

Accepted!

2009-04-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today, I got the email.

Dear Kimberly,

Congratulations on your acceptance to the Washington State Cooperative Development Program in Ecuador. It is my pleasure to help coordinate the details of your program.

WOOO HOO!!!!

And so in SEPTEMBER, not October as I thought, I will leave for Ecuador. I am so excited.

These are the official program dates:

Fall Quarter, 2009 Spanish Language & Culture Program
September 2, 2009 – December 11, 2009

Winter Quarter, Public Health Program
January 8, 2010 – March 19, 2010

Spring Quarter, Community Internship Program
March 26 – June 4, 2010

Application Submitted

2009-03-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Woo-Hoo! I have everything submitted (application fees and all!). I am so excited and now just have to wait for an acceptance (or god forbid denial) letter! Oh my god this has been so much work already. Now, I have to figure out how I am going to come up with $15,000 to pay for this. My Regents Scholarship covers 3,000, and my new Vanderford Scholarship is $200, but that does not equal $15,000, meaning that the job search has begun. And I do believe that I am going to need two...

Everything is ready...

2009-03-19T15:38:00.000-07:00

So I finally have everything done. I have EVERY SINGLE FORM FILLED OUT. Which I think is quite the accomplishment considering that there was THREE seperate applications that all had seperate requirements. But I have three forms to collect and then the packet can be submitted. And then we wait....which is hard, because every day that passes makes me more excited and anxious.

In shot news, I was supposed to get the yellow fever vaccination and the rabies one over this break, but due to a bout of the flu, I have to wait. So I guess that in six weeks I will continue to get shots...ugh.

Health and Wellness Attempt 2

2009-02-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

So today, I went back for my appointment at the Health and Wellness Clinic. This time (thankfully) I actually had an appointment, and it actually started on time. I met with the travel lady and suprisingly, my appt. was REALLY helpful. She gave me a ton of information on all the shots I need (hepatitis A, typhoid, influenza, yellow fever, and pre-exposure rabies) and on malaria and cholera and a TON of other stuff. So all in all it was a good appointment. Except it made me late for lab and the typhoid shot I got hurt a lot.

So now all I need are academic recomendations, my credit sheets returned (hopefully completed) to me, and a copy of my insurance card and passport. Oh my god, had I known what I was getting into...and the funny thing is, I haven't really even done anything yet :)

The Health And Wellness Clinic

2009-02-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

So today, Monday the 9th, I was SUPPOSED to begin my travel shots at the Health and Wellness Clinic. First of all, they might have the most inconvenient hours for a college campus clinic...and they only have travel clinic from 8-9 in the morning. Which means that they can only have ONE, yes ONE travel appointment per day. So I went for my appointment equipped with my little card that had the time and date of my appointment on it...and when I check in, the nurse comes and tells me that the guy who made my appointment clicked on the wrong day and therefore I do not have an appointment today, but next Monday. Like the 16th. So I got up super early for nothing and STILL have no shots. I supposedly have another appointment tomorrow at 10, but my fingers aren't crossed.

In other news, I submitted my first paper scholarship application this morning so let's all keep our fingers crossed. Lord knows I could use some extra money...

The First Post

2009-02-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

So as of right now, I am in the process of applying to the program. There are three applications that have to be submitted: One to CIMAS for the actual program, one to WSU to apply to be an exchange student, and one to Western Washington University as a non-degree seeking student in order to have my transcripts decoded. The applications themselves are not so bad, but the endless meetings with department heads and advisors and doctors are awful (and time consuming). As of next Monday, I will begin to get my travel shots, and I hope to have the paperwork in by the end of the month.

I just found out that I will be in Ecuador by October 2, 2009, because that is the official start of the program. I am so excited to move forward with this process, and especially to meet my family!