maddie in ecuador

Took my last overnight trip to Mindo last week with some friends. Mindo is located in the "subtropical cloud forest region" of Ecuador and is home to over 500 different species of birds, although we never did get around to birdwatching. We did get to see an organic coffee farm, where a kind old French man explained the coffee-making process, we visited an orchid farm, where another kind old man showed us around and joked with us about his dog and bunny rabbits. We also enjoyed some chocolate at a cafe where we were shown the process of cultivating cacao to make chocolate (we met a girl there a few years older than us who grew up near Corvallis, OR). We also got to participate in El concierto de las ranas (Concert of the frogs) where we first sat down and listened to many different species of frogs croaking (it was so incredibly loud that at first we thought it was a tape recording). The man leading the presentation used a recording device to trick one species of frog into croaking for us, even though they usually only croak during the rainy season (which is supposed to be right now). We also went on a night hike and were able to see a few different species of insects and also some decomposing wood which glows in the dark as it decomposes...very cool. The next day we paid a visit to the mariposario (Butterfly refuge) where they have hundreds of colorful butterflies fluttering about. We finished of the day with a visit to one of the waterfalls where we were able to swim around, and Megan and Dan decided to jump off a 45 foot cliff into the water below (I just couldn't bring about the courage to do it myself).

Now, with less than 3 weeks left here in Ecuador, I'm focusing my time on finishing my ten page paper over my social work job at the elementary school I volunteered at, and getting ready for finals at USFQ. Next weekend I want to take one last trip to the artisan market here in Quito to finish up my Christmas shopping, and would also love to take a trip to Guapulo and the church in Guapulo, which was built in the 17th century and is often referred to as the "most beautiful church in Quito," one of the choice spots to get married as well.

Suppose I should update about the past few weeks:
21st Birthday: I flew home to the Tacoma area on Oct. 23rd to visit Garrison and celebrate the sacred birthday of the 21st year in Seattle. It was a very enjoyable but very fast trip home, and I flew back to Quito on the 29th, nearly missing my connecting flight in Houston because of some thunder storms hovering over the airport. I did get some good exercise running across the airport, however...

Cuenca: On Halloween, we all took our program-included trip to Cuenca, a city in the south of Ecuador, still residing in the Andes mountains. After a half hour flight, we arrived in Cuenca and proceeded to drive three hours outside of the city to stay the night in Saraguro, a primarily Indigenous town, where we took a tour in a "Chiva" to visit an authentic Indigenous village, learned about the Agave plant (which is what Tequila is made from) and drank "Chicha," passing a clay pot around to share the drink until it was finished. I personally didn't care for the chicha much. That night, chilled by the cool night air, we dined in an Indigenous restaurant with dirt floors and some live music (a drum and a fiddle). The next morning we participated in a two hour long cleansing ceremony with a shaman from Saraguro- which included many herbs, incense, aqua ardiente (liquour made with the purpose of staying warm in the mountains...not very tasty) and prayers to God, mother nature, and other Indigenous/Incan gods. After a lunch of cuy (guinea pig), chicken, mote (corn), and potatoes we stopped in the center of Saraguro to do a bit of tourist shopping and then drove back three hours to Cuenca.
Cuenca is a beautiful city, primarily full of colonial buildings and cobbled streets in the center of the city. I felt much more comfortable there than I do much of the time in Quito and felt completely safe using my camera wherever we went. There was also hardly any pollution to speak of, so it was nice to spend some time in a lovely colonial city, breathing clean mountain air. We were visiting during the days of festivals in Cuenca, celebrating the city's independence, so we were able to see some military bands and fireworks as well. We also got to visit Cajas National Park, and hiked through part of the park where our guide talked about the many types of plants and birds native to Ecuador or specifically to Cajas.
On our last day in Cuenca we visited a Panama Hat factory/museum and learned all about how sombreros de paja toquilla  are made- many people don't realize that the Panama hat comes from Ecuador, and can only be made from a type of straw, the toquilla plant, that only grows in Ecuador. The hat was called a "Panama hat" because workers wore the hats when the Panama canal was being built in the early 20th century. I was able to purchase a sombrero de paja toquila for myself for just $15.
After the factory we drove another few hours, past Canar (where the Canari people have lived in Ecuador for thousands of years), to some Inca ruins known as Ingapirca, which included a perfectly accurate Sun Temple and a tomb where some Canari people were found to be buried as a sacrifice.
We nearly missed our flight on the way back to Quito, but luckily, because there were about 15 of us, the plane waited for us before taking off.

After a nice long break from classes, I headed back to USFQ. From now till the end of the semester, I only have 3 weeks left of my Spanish conversation class and 4 weeks left for literature and yoga, and then it's time to head home on Dec. 11th.
Last weekend I took a trip to the Quito Zoo with some friends, which is actually located in Guayllabamba about an hour outside of Quito on the way to Otavalo. I saw a Tapir, a Leopard, and a Kangaroo! Very exciting...but I forgot to apply bug spray to my feet so I have some lovely itchy souvenirs from that little adventure.
We had our Host Mothers' Tea tonight, at a ritzy hotel about 15 minutes from my house. It was nice to see all the host mothers and host students all joined together for some tea, coffee, and treats.
This weekend I'm headed to Mindo, about an hour and a half outside of Quito, with some friends. We plan on some inner-tubing down a river, zip-lining, visiting a butterfly sanctuary and possibly an orchid farm.
I've almost finished with my social work hours at the school where I've been volunteering, and once that's done, I'll just need to finish a 10-12 page paper in Spanish to review my social work experience.

After nearly 4 months in Ecuador, the end is in sight.

The following is the second of two required blog-entries for an assignment from Willamette while I'm here studying abroad:

2. How is the education system you are experiencing different from what you are accustomed to in the U.S.? From your perspective as a student in the U.S. how is it beneficial and disadvantageous?

 

In order to describe the main difference between education in the U.S. and education in Ecuador, I should explain that the university I’m attending feels much more like a high school than a college. This is probably mainly due to the fact that students don’t live in dormitories when they go to college in Ecuador, instead, they continue to just live at home. Thus, there’s this feeling of immaturity in the air around campus at USFQ (Universidad San Francisco de Quito), in place of the atmosphere of independence one feels on Willamette’s campus.

     Professors also don’t seem to challenge their students as much. The literature class I’m in is only a bit more challenging for me because it is completely taught in Spanish, however, the concepts being taught are literary concepts I studied in high school. The professor analyzes the majority of the literature for the class, and even included an article straight from Wikipedia.com in her photo-copied text book.

     None of this criticism is to say that USFQ isn’t an accomplished university. It includes a liberal arts college, a school of culinary arts, an orthodontics school, and even a medical school. Furthermore, the students do appear to be enjoying their education and are excited about becoming a professional in whichever field they’re studying.

     I feel that I should say something about the early childhood education I’ve been exposed to here in Quito while volunteering for La Fundación Entrega, a preschool and kindergarten for impoverished children. The teachers at this school act more like they are caregivers than teachers: allowing the students to leave the classroom and wander about, having them do art projects without explaining what is meant to be learned by the project, or simply having them watch The Lion King for the duration of class. Discipline is also something that is very disorganized, and I have also witnessed a teacher yank a child by the arm to get him to behave, or push the child away in annoyance. I understand that these differences mainly derive from cultural differences between here and the U.S., but it is sometimes incredibly frustrating to be volunteering for a school that at times doesn’t appear to be teaching its students.

     For the most part, Ecuador’s education system, especially with higher education, seems to be flourishing quite well despite the many economic struggles in the country throughout the past decade. However, taking part in the education system here has also made me realize how grateful I am to have grown up attending the schools I did, and how lucky I am to attend a university like Willamette.

Something very strange has happened in Quito in the last few days: It's really reeeally cold and rainy. The strangest part is how quickly the weather shifted. One day I'm walking around the city sweating and then next day it's cloudy and pooring down rain for hours. Now, why am I so cold? Don't I live in a comfortable home with Ecuadorians? Well yes, but apparently the window in my room that takes up an entire wall doesn't keep out the cold too well...so I'm sitting here right now, wearing leggings, sweat pants, socks, a long sleeve shirt, a second long sleeve shirt, and a sweatshirt, and I'm still cold. There's something wrong with this picture....especially since I come from the land of rain and cold known as Portland, Oregon....

Other than that news, here are a few more updates:

Passed my Siglo de Oro Lit. exam, and actually did really well on it.....but I'm pretty sure the professor graded easier on the gringos in the class, because the Ecuadorians looked much more concerned about their grades than we did....coincidence? I think not. But then again....the Spanish in that literature can be extremely challenging, so I'm not complaining.

I'm realizing how shy and timid of a person I really can be. My other host brother, Carlos, moved back home a few weeks ago, and since then, the atmosphere in the house has changed completely...a lot like the weather lately. Carlos has friends over all the time- and he's barely made an effort to speak with me, let alone invite me to hang out with him and his friends. Although, I do admit that I haven't made that huge of an effort to step out of my comfort zone and try to hang out with him either. I did talk to his girlfriend a bit though, and she was really nice. It's just really frustrating sometimes because it feels like neither Carlos or Carmen want anything to do with me. Then again...maybe it's me and I just need to suck it up and make then effort to try to hang out with them.

I went on a 6 hour hike last weekend. It was amazing and I felt so incredibly accomplished (as well as completely exhausted). We didn't completely summit Pasachoa, but we made it high enough to experience a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and country side. It still baffles me that people farm all the way up the sides of the mountains here...to a point where their farmland lays at a huge angle. It was also just so nice to get out of Quito again and be able to spend some time in clean, fresh air, listening to the nature around us.



I'm so looking forward to turning 21 soon and getting to go home to celebrate with Garrison for a week. This semester really is flying by, even if it feels like it's in a standstill at times when I'm really homesick. I'm getting excited thinking about Christmas/winter time back at home though. But that doesn't stop me from looking forward to some more experiences here in Ecuador, like Cuenca, Mindo, and Cotopaxi national park.

Tonight I realized how truly important soccer is to Ecuadorians. There were many soccer games that occurred today in South America, and one of them was Ecuador vs. Uruguay. It was Ecuador's last chance to qualify for getting to the World Cup, and after being tied at 0 and 0 for most of the game, Ecuador scored, and then promptly Uruguay scored, and finally at the bitter end, Uruguay scored once more, taking away Ecuador's last chance.
I watched the game on TV with some of my host family, and afterwards, they spent the next two hours revisiting and discussing every detail of the game again and again. Although it seems monotonous to me (after a while I just had to zone out), I have also realized how soccer brings people together. Ecuadorians talk about the members of the soccer team as if they know them personally, and root for them, even whispering prayers to God for them to score a goal, calling them "mi hijo" (my son). Its actually really heart-warming to experience.
In conclusion: Ecuadorians really really love their soccer.

The following is a first of two required blog-entries for an assignment from Willamette while I'm here studying abroad:

3. What have you done to learn about your host-country’s culture? What parts of the culture are you learning about? What do you feel you are missing? What can you do to explore the parts you feel you are missing? What parts of the host culture do you enjoy the most? What are the least enjoyable parts? Why do you dislike these aspects of the culture?

The best way, I feel, to really learn about a culture other that your own, is to participate in it- so some of the things I personally have done to learn about Ecuador’s culture is to converse with my host family, converse with other Ecuadorians outside of my host family at markets or while traveling, trying new foods, and paying attention to how things appear different to what I’m used to in the every-day activities of people in this country. I have mostly been learning about the significance of religion, the ways that families function, the ways people appreciate food and what food they enjoy, and especially the importance of fútbol (soccer).

In a country where over 90% of the population is Christian or Catholic, it’s not hard to see how important religion is to the history and culture of Ecuadorians. Even non-practicing Ecuadorians demonstrate respect for God, and there is an incredibly strong subconscious of Catholic history in this country that can be found in the names of streets, buildings, and the names of people- but this is something that is probably not uncommon for most Latin-American countries today. I have yet to accompany my host family to Catholic Mass, but I am looking forward to the day I do. I have only been to one mass before, and it was in Beaverton, Oregon, and completely in English, so it will be interesting to see how mass is carried out in a Latin American country. I did get a chance to catch a glimpse of mass on a Saturday morning at the Basilica in Baños de Agua Santa, a pueblo with a large amount of religious significance to the Catholic peoples of Ecuador.

I’ve been amazed to discover how closely bound Ecuadorian families are. Children continue to live with their parents until they’re married, and so my host sister, who’s 30 years-old still lives at home, must let her parents know where she is at all times, and has a personality more like a teenager than what most North American’s would expect of a 30 year-old woman. Once children do move out and start their own lives, they remain very close in proximity as well as emotionally to their parents and extended family. I’ve noticed how frequently my host mother Rosie is on the phone with her siblings or children every day. It’s incredible how much families depend on each other here- something completely opposite to the independent mind-set of the average U.S. citizen.

The food here is simple, usually involving meat, rice, potatoes and possibly other vegetables- and one thing I absolutely love is Ahí, a spicy hot-sauce that is included with every meal at home, and in every restaurant in the country. I have yet to try cuy (guinea pig) but I believe I’ll get the chance when we take a programmed trip to Cuenca on the 31^st of this month. Music is lively, and young Ecuadorians especially love Reggaeton, which is basically Latin-infused hip-hop. The Indigenous people’s of Ecuador are especially fascinating, with a culture and language all their own. I would really like to learn more about them before going home, and make the effort to have more conversations with them when I go to the markets to buy souvenirs. From what I know already, I absolutely love how literally colorful their culture is- women, men, and children all wear richly colored clothing of reds, turquoise, purples, and more, and art and talent are things that go hand-in-hand with their culture.

The only dislikes I have about the culture of Ecuador include the enormous amount of male to female attention and cat-calling, and the incredibly high amount of poverty, causing many young children to have to start working to help their families before they hit age 12. For the most part I’ve enjoyed being part of my tightly knit host family, and I know I could still personally do more to learn about the culture by way of immersion and really conversing with Ecuadorians before I head home in December.

Our trip to Baños this weekend was definitely one of my favorite experiences in Ecuador thus far. Baños de Agua Santa, the city's full name, is a smaller pueblo tucked between mountains south of Quito. Cartoon-like drawings of the city depict the volcano nearby, Tungurahua, exploding with lava and overshadowing the city, when in truth, we barely saw the top of the still active volcano, hidden amidst the clouds, at the peak of our hike the first day we arrived.
Although I'm still struggling with homesickness every day, going to Baños really helped me to relax, reflect, and enjoy the natural beauty of this country. The mountains and waterfalls and rolling green hills were breathtaking, and I'll never forget how calming it was to bath in a hot spring set directly beneath a waterfall with the full moon watching over me.
On Saturday, I woke up early with the other girls while they planned and executed their trip to go water rafting for just $25. I stayed back and ventured out on my own into the pueblo. I first went to see the Basilica of the city, but discovered that mass going on so I wouldnt be able to walk around inside. I did get a good glipse at the architecture inside though, and was greeted by one of the churche's ushers with a huge hug and a blessing in spanish. I spent the rest of the morning shopping around a little, enjoying fresh juice on the rooftop terrace of our hostel, conversing and exchanging contact information with on of the maids, Mary, in our hostel, who told me that the next time I visit Baños I'm welcome to a bed and a meal in her home, and finally, I ate at a Swiss cafe before meeting up with everyone else to go on a four hour bike ride to see various waterfalls and other spectacular scenery.
The bike ride was what  I had been looking forward to most about going to Baños, and it ended up being much more than I could have asked for. Riding our bikes down hill most of the way, feeling the clean, fresh air, and finally ending our tour at Pailon del Diablo, Ecuador's most famous waterfall, where we hiked about 20 minutes to cross a roped bridge to see the enormous waterfall, and then hiked further to end up directly behind the waterfall crashing down infront of us. The power and noise of the water was overwhelming and incredible- it was the first time I had ever been behind one, and it was amazing.
The next day I went "Canyoning" on the Rio Blanco with some other girls for just $20, and ended up repelling backwards down 3 waterfalls, climbing down one, and sliding down the last consecutive waterfall. In total, we started at about 200 meters of height at the very top (my estimate); I really battled with some height fears, but the experience was thrilling, and I felt so incredibly accomplished at the end of the day. Not to mention that the waterfalls and colorful vegitation were absolutely beautiful as well.
Aside from our trip to the Galapagos, this trip was most definitely my favorite. It was really hard to turn around and take the bus back to Quito after being in Baños, a city of friendly, loving people, and some of the most beautiful nature I've been witness to in my life. I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to go back this semester, but I know I'd really love to. Other traveling goals include Mindo, Papallacta, Cotopaxi, and possibly Canoa beach.

Just thought I should post a link to my photobucket where my lovely collection of photos from Ecuador can be found.

s613.photobucket.com/albums/tt217/maddieLou27/Ecuador/

The newest pictures are from an old military hospital that has been completely renovated and turned into a museum-- I went there today with my host mom, Rosie, and a friend of hers from Chile. The building was quite lovely, but the museum itself was, sad to say, kind of boring. It might just be because I wasn't really in the mood to do a lot of reading about Ecuador/Quito's history of independence in spanish...who knows.

Classes are going pretty well still, looks like I have an exam coming up next week that shouldn't be too difficult, and in 30 days I'll be flying home for a week to celebrate my 21st birthday!
Oh, also, I finally started my social work volunteering at the Fundacion Entrega, which is a school for kindergarden/first grade aged children who come from poor families. It was quite the experience. When Ashley and I arrived the kids immediatley started to come up to us and hug us and hold our hands and ask us all kinds of questions-- it was so adorable, but also surprising how quickly they seemed trust us and want our attention. The four hours or so we spent there were incredibly chaotic. We were told to teach the kids how to use the computers...which turned into 30 children vs. the two of us...a dangerous combination, and really stressful. We also helped out during the kids' snack/recess time...also very disorganized, messy, etc. And the both of us left the school feeling like we hadn't really helped all that much. Perhaps when we figure out a more organized, less chaotic way of teaching the kids, things will get better. I will say that it was definitely fun to be around all those kids, smiling and laughing. Although it was exhausting, they definitely brightened my day.

Not much else has gone on; right now some of us are trying to plan trips to Mindo and Banos at some point, and I think I'll pay a visit to La Casa de la Cultura (museum) this weekend with some friends.

OH, I guess I could rant about the supposed "mandatory" meeting with the US embassy that I attended today, and the gentleman who spoke about security in Ecuador....but all I would end up saying is how incredibly rude he was, trying to scare us by telling us horror stories about being kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint, and how he told us nothing of value that we could really use to protect ourselves, and also how terrible he was about answering questions. We KNOW that Ecuador is a dangerous country, but freaking us out and telling us that we need to be prepared to fight for our life is NOT productive. Also, this was the THIRD safety talk I've heard while here, and I am certain that I know enough now that I could talk about safety in this country for probably an hour. I know they want to make sure we stay conscious of our surroundings and aware of the dangers here....but drilling it into us multiple times is just frustrating.

The title of this entry is the name of the first Chakra, which we're learning about and practicing in my yoga class currently. At first, because of all of the Spanish, I was having a difficult time enjoying my yoga class; it was stressing me out more than relaxing me, because I was trying to listen to and understand what the professor was directing us to do. I finally realized in class yesterday, how our class is progressing, in terms of the seven Chakras, and yesterday's class transformed into a very calming and energizing experience for me. Since the first Chakra is called "Muladhara" and respresents the base of the spine, as well as earth, survival and grounding, we spent the entire class in a circle with our hands clasped, dancing and stomping and sweating; connecting with the earth. Afterwards, while still holding hands, we relaxed into several different Asanas or positions. I'm really excited about this class, and really relieved to have it as my last class of the day, to help center myself and calm down before returning home.

Here's a website that gives a little bit of information about the different Chakras: www.chakrasyoga.com/chakras/

Leaving for Atacames on the coast early on Friday morning. I'm excited to go whale watching, swim in the warm ocean, and go "banana boating" (where you're pulled through the water by a speed boat while hanging onto an inflatable boat- oh and also, to relax. A weekend away from the polluted air here in Quito will be really nice.

An “Interesting Difference” that I discovered today:

Instead of my host family buying dog food like we’re used to feeding our dogs (you know, the pellets of dried food?) they make the food for their dog using left-over human food from various meals throughout the day, blending it in the blender, adding salt and a couple other ingredients I couldn’t recognize, cooking it all in a pan on the stove top, and stirring in flour. Might I also mention that the spoon my host mother was using to stir this concoction was the same spoon she used to scoop out the flour (the same flour I used a couple weeks ago to bake cookies with some friends). Like I said, interesting cultural difference, yes?

 

On another note, I’m having a hard time getting a lot of practice in speaking Spanish. I only have classes in Spanish two days a week and the rest of the time I only really speak a small amount with my host family, use it when I’m in public on the bus, in a restaurant, etc, and when I’m with my Willamette friends we tend to just speak in English, and when I call home or go on the internet, all of that occurs in English as well. I guess before I came here I just assumed that my Spanish would magically improve to a higher level of fluency, but although my Spanish is improving, it really hasn’t improved all that much. I even had a vendor at a market tell me that my Spanish wasn’t very good and asked how long I’d been studying it, and when I told him I’ve been studying it for 6 years he looked like he didn’t believe me. I felt really embarrassed, and now I realize that if I really want to improve here, I need to start speaking more. period.

So it's been almost two weeks since classes ended at ACLAS, and since then we've gone as a group to stay and shop in Otavalo, visit a volcanic crater lake called Cuicocha, and started classes at the University San Francisco de Quito (USFQ). I think we all feel really lucky to have had an entire month here in Quito before starting classes at the USFQ- we definitely have an advantage and we had a LOT of help with our Spanish. We were all a little frustrated going to orientation because we already pretty much knew about safety and health and politics here in Ecuador, and a lot of us have even gone through or are currently going through the "Culture Shock" or "I don't even care anymore because this is so frustrating" phase. But besides all that, and some schedule changes that are still going on, I think everyone is really enjoying USFQ.

It's definitely a strange feeling to be a minority and an outsider for the first time in my life. It's still a bit overwhelming to walk down the sidewalk at school and not feel like I really belong there. I have managed to talk to a few Ecuadorian girls in my classes, but it's a struggle to really reach out and make friends. I have a completely new found respect for the TIUA students at Willamette, and when I go back home, I think I'd like to get involved with them because I now understand how it must feel for them to walk around Willamette and only really feel truly comfortable when talking to their fellow Japanese students and friends. It takes a lot of strength to just maintain a short "how are you, what's your name, what classes do you take?" conversation with Ecuadorians here.

I do really like my classes. I dropped my social psychology class, however, because the class was really big and the professor and students spoke so quickly that I knew I would really struggle to understand and participate in the discussions. I have an intermediate Spanish Conversation class that should be really good for practicing speaking and learning lots of new vocab. Then I have my Siglo de Oro Literature class, which will definitely be challenging, but manageable and reallt interesting. Finally, I just have Yoga, which is really enjoyable so far, and I'm the only gringa in that class. I've only got classes on Tues/Thurs, so that leaves lots of extra time to do my "Trabajo Social" or my social work at the school I'll be volunteering at with Ashley. I'm also hoping to atleast make a few trips to Banos, Mindo, and Montanita Beach, and maybe the Jungle as well.

I guess I should also talk about my experience in Otavalo/Cuicocha. We only stayed one night, with the primary purpose of going shopping at the Indiginous market there. We woke up at about 6am to get started shopping and looking around, and believe me, 6am to noon was barely enough time to really get around to seeing the entire market. I spent quite a lot of money on gifts and souvenirs for myself, and as the morning went on I learned how to be a more aggressive barterer of prices. The first thing we went to see that day though, was the animal market. They had pigs, cows, dogs, cuy (guinea pigs, which roam wild in the mountains of Ecuador), sheep, chickens. It was quite an experience to wal through and watch the poeple selling/buying animals- wish I'd brought along my camera.
Later that day we drove to the crater lake Cuicocha, and had a delicious lunch and went on a dingy ride in the lake around the two little islands. Made me realize that I should really pay a visit to Crater Lake in Oregon when I get home, since I've lived there my whole life but never gone and seen it.

Since that trip, I've just started classes and had a few more adventures here in Quito. This last weekend I went with some friends to see the Musuem of the Ecuadorian painter Guayasamin. I absolutely loved it. We had to take a taxi, because it's situated next to the house he lived in at the end of his life which is up a huge hill on the NE side of Quito. The artwork was all very interesting, portraying many difficult themes of war, death, and poverty, with a thread of hope weaving through it all. I took a lot of pictures there, and I'm really glad we went.

The next day I went with Megan and Kyla to see the Basilica, the largest cathedral in Quito, and walk around the historic center. In the church, for just a dollar, we were able to climb all the way up to the belfry at the top of one of the clock towers...was a pretty breathtaking view, and our legs were really shaking after the hike to the church itself and then after climbing all the stairs and ladders. Aftwerwards we went to a cafe in La Plaza de la Independencia to have a snack and some sangria. After finding La Ronda, one of the oldest, cobble stoned streets in Quito, we headed home to relax.


Tomorrow we'll have been in Ecuador for seven weeks. Hard to believe, but true. And it's already September. I'll try to update again soon after a few more adventures and out program trip to Atacames on the coast.

It's been a while since I last updated--I have a feeling I won't be so reliable with the online blogging. However, a lot has happened in the past few weeks. It's hard to believe that I've been here now for over four weeks, and that on the 21st, there will be four months left. I've been having a hard time with homesickness and the occasional feelings of loneliness and especially missing what is familiar and comfortable. I'm definitely grateful, though, that I'm studying abroad in a homestay program, instead of living in a dorm or an apartment. This way, I actually feel like I'm being integrated with a family and within the culture.
The Galapagos were incredible. It would be very difficult to describe the entire experience right here, but lets just say that I've never seen so many beautiful animals and landscapes in my life, and I fell completely in love with the sea lions, who reminded me of puppies, and were so incredibly friendly, sometimes getting close enough to us to sniff our toes and make flirtatious noises and poses at us.
Since coming back to Quito from the week in the Galapagos, we've been taking spanish class five days a week, every morning for three hours. It's hard to believe that those classes at ACLAS will be over with this Friday, and that sooner than we think, we'll be starting classes at the USFQ in Cumbaya. Yesterday I took a tram ride on something called the Teleferico up to the top of some mountains, including Pichincha, that surround Quito. At the top, we were at over 13,000 ft altitude, and it was definitely an experience trying to hike and breathe regularly. I'd like to go back later in the semester to try and hike further up.
A few of us here have also discovered a couple of really neat places to go and enjoy a coffee, food, and a movie. El pobre diablo is a restaurant and bar that has live music on certain days each week and a great cozy atmosphere, and Ocho y medio is a cafe/movie theater that shows independent films from all over the world. Last week I saw a childrens film that was made in the netherlands about a little girl and her horse, and this weekend I went back and saw part of a student film festival from Uruguay. There was also live funk music the other night....it might be my favorite place to go with friends here in Quito so far.
My host family has been extremely kind this entire time, taking me in just as one of their own family members. Although I do miss my family at home in the states, its comforting to be living in a household with warm, loving people.
I have come to realize that this will be one of the most difficult experiences of my life, if not the most difficult, but that it will be completely worth while as well. I've never been this far from home before, or had as many moments of sadness and homesickness, but the weeks pass quickly, and the experiences are priceless.

I finally landed in Quito last night at about 11pm local time, which is two hours ahead of Portland. Everything happened so quickly, from getting off the plane, going through customs, having my temp. taken to make sure I don't have swine flu, getting my luggage, and meeting my host parents. We basically met, they drove me home, showed me to my room and the bathroom, and told me to sleep well...but I didn't fall asleep until almost 2am. My heart was racing and so was my mind. When I woke up this morning I just couldn't believe that I was actually in South America.
My host parents are this really sweet older couple, Rosa and Fernando, with grown children, one of which lives at home-her name's Carmen. The breakfast I had this morning was delicious...cereal, milk, fruit, and fresh made juice made out of an Ecuadorian fruit that is super yummy! They have a dog too!
Well, that's all a really have time to report right now...hopefully I'll have more time later on, and more to tell :)

So there's one more week left until I leave--been running all kinds of last minute errands/organizing my documents/making lists/visiting friends/and just generally acting very OCD about this whole thing. I have yet to be able to picture myself in Ecuador, which is strange, because I know I'm going, but it just doesn't feel real yet. This means that the airport experience may be an emotional one for me. But we'll see.
I will try and update this as often as possible, but I make no promises. I'll probably post pictures mostly on facebook, maybe some on here, and I was going to start up a photobucket account as well. The odds of me having internet available frequently are not so good though, so we'll see.
I'm just getting really excited (as well as staying nervous) and looking forward to the adventures and the new experiences.