As unbelievable as it is, my time here is coming to its end...
Tomorrow I have my final test and evaluations of the program. Then, I will be off to watch the Huskies play their first March Madness game to distract myself as I await my family´s arrival! We will spend the weekend touring Quito and then head off to the Galapagos Islands next week. Then, HOME! Yay! I can not wait to eat some Chinese food, and Thai food, and teriyaki, and Indian food...basically anything non-Ecuadorian or from Trader Joe´s (how I´ve missed thee).
I have had an incredible experience here. From jungles to ruins to volcanoes to rivers to cities to beaches, I´ve pretty much seen it all! I will definitely treasure all the memories I have made and all the, probably, once in a lifetime experiences I have had. I am glad to have stepped off the normal paths of study abroads, as much as I am sure I would have enjoyed constantly eating gelato in Italy. I´ll still make it there someday! Mostly, it has been a huge growing experience where many times I have had to go outside my comfort zone. I hope I can carry back home the patience, spontaneity, flexibility and spanish speaking abilities that I have grown so much in.
I will look forward to catching up with all of you soon after I get back to the US (the 28th). Hope everyone does well on finals and has a safe and fun-filled spring break! Or that your next week of work goes smoothly if you´re no longer living the college life. Love to you all! Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Sleeping with Scorpions, Spiders and Cockroaches
Believe it! We did find and sleep with (after killing) all these creatures on our class trip to the Amazon. Despìte the creepy crawlies, I had an incredible time visiting the jungle region of Ecuador last week (as in the first week of March, not the week that just happened). School really can´t get much better than that!
We set off on Tuesday and arrived at the Cabanas Alinahui where we were staying for the week. Promptly after getting settled, and killing out first round of bugs, we headed out for a jungle trek with our guide, Pedro. He taught us about medicinal plants, how to identify ant colonies vs. termite colonies that seem to grow like tumors on the trees, how to swing on a liana (vine) and about the ¨walking trees¨that grow there that have roots above ground and constantly grow new ones to move towards the sunlight. We also saw a baby vulture that was nested among the giant roots of a tree. It´s mother was high above in the tree and the baby stays hidden in the roots (about 3 feet high) until it matures and flies out. We headed back for dinner and to get ready for more adventures the next day!
Wednesday morning we got the amazing surprise of being served pancakes for breakfast. We were all super excited and gobbled them up! Then, we headed out for another jungle hike to a waterfall. Along the way, we learned more about how the indigenous people use plants to build houses, eat, clothe themselves, etc. Pretty much nothing goes to waste and they´re pretty creative people, even if by necessity! The waterfall we finally arrived at was beautiful and we could climb on the face of it and behind it while big Blue Morph butterflies fluttered around. Afterwards, we ate a picnic lunch by the river that flowed out of the waterfall. Just another day of school...after lunch we headed to a mariposario (or butterfly house basically) where we saw all the stages of a butterfly and so many varieties it was dizzying try to photograph them all. Way of transport from the waterfall to the mariposario: the TOP of a bus. I have had some crazy bus rides but this by far was the scariest! The bus was too full for us to ride inside so the obvious solution to our guide was for us to all climb up on top. Even our teacher was a little sketched out but we all made it there safely after a couple close calls with tree branches. Our final stop was a small town by the river where Capuchin monkeys live in the city square by day to get fed by the locals and toursists and live in trees by the river at night. These monkeys were super smart and not afraid at all of humans. One guy in our class, Steven, had brought a bag of fruit and was trying to get it open to give to the monkeys when one of them jumped up on him, impatient to get the fruit he knew was inside the bag. Steven freaked a little and threw the bag towards the other monkeys. They all proceeded to open the bag and split up the fruit. One monkey even turned the bag inside out and licked up the mushed banana inside. Crazy smart!
The next day was a blast! We took a motored canoe down the Rio Napo, which flows into the Amazon river, and also got to float down in tubes for part of it. We picnicked again by the river, then visited a museum of indigenous people, where we got eaten alive by mosquitos. Finally, we headed to the AmaZOOnico, a rehabilitation, rescue and release place for animals that have been taken from the jungle as pets or to be sold in markets or are injured. It was sad to hear how people think an ocelot cub will be a good pet and then can´t handle it when it grows up or how birds are carried to markets and even if only 1 out of 10 lives, the smuggler still makes a profit. They had beautiful, rare animals like capaberas, the largest rodent in the world, picture the size of a pig but with the appearance of a guinea pig. We got to see a jagurundi, a small black jungle cat attack a piece of meat for lunch and drink blood!
After our class events officially ended, we all stayed one more night, went on another hike to a waterfall and lagoon and then headed home to avoid getting more bug bites. I must have had 50 or 60 by the end of the trip! Thankfully, they are healing up now! And all the itchiness was totally worth it...
We set off on Tuesday and arrived at the Cabanas Alinahui where we were staying for the week. Promptly after getting settled, and killing out first round of bugs, we headed out for a jungle trek with our guide, Pedro. He taught us about medicinal plants, how to identify ant colonies vs. termite colonies that seem to grow like tumors on the trees, how to swing on a liana (vine) and about the ¨walking trees¨that grow there that have roots above ground and constantly grow new ones to move towards the sunlight. We also saw a baby vulture that was nested among the giant roots of a tree. It´s mother was high above in the tree and the baby stays hidden in the roots (about 3 feet high) until it matures and flies out. We headed back for dinner and to get ready for more adventures the next day!
Wednesday morning we got the amazing surprise of being served pancakes for breakfast. We were all super excited and gobbled them up! Then, we headed out for another jungle hike to a waterfall. Along the way, we learned more about how the indigenous people use plants to build houses, eat, clothe themselves, etc. Pretty much nothing goes to waste and they´re pretty creative people, even if by necessity! The waterfall we finally arrived at was beautiful and we could climb on the face of it and behind it while big Blue Morph butterflies fluttered around. Afterwards, we ate a picnic lunch by the river that flowed out of the waterfall. Just another day of school...after lunch we headed to a mariposario (or butterfly house basically) where we saw all the stages of a butterfly and so many varieties it was dizzying try to photograph them all. Way of transport from the waterfall to the mariposario: the TOP of a bus. I have had some crazy bus rides but this by far was the scariest! The bus was too full for us to ride inside so the obvious solution to our guide was for us to all climb up on top. Even our teacher was a little sketched out but we all made it there safely after a couple close calls with tree branches. Our final stop was a small town by the river where Capuchin monkeys live in the city square by day to get fed by the locals and toursists and live in trees by the river at night. These monkeys were super smart and not afraid at all of humans. One guy in our class, Steven, had brought a bag of fruit and was trying to get it open to give to the monkeys when one of them jumped up on him, impatient to get the fruit he knew was inside the bag. Steven freaked a little and threw the bag towards the other monkeys. They all proceeded to open the bag and split up the fruit. One monkey even turned the bag inside out and licked up the mushed banana inside. Crazy smart!
The next day was a blast! We took a motored canoe down the Rio Napo, which flows into the Amazon river, and also got to float down in tubes for part of it. We picnicked again by the river, then visited a museum of indigenous people, where we got eaten alive by mosquitos. Finally, we headed to the AmaZOOnico, a rehabilitation, rescue and release place for animals that have been taken from the jungle as pets or to be sold in markets or are injured. It was sad to hear how people think an ocelot cub will be a good pet and then can´t handle it when it grows up or how birds are carried to markets and even if only 1 out of 10 lives, the smuggler still makes a profit. They had beautiful, rare animals like capaberas, the largest rodent in the world, picture the size of a pig but with the appearance of a guinea pig. We got to see a jagurundi, a small black jungle cat attack a piece of meat for lunch and drink blood!
After our class events officially ended, we all stayed one more night, went on another hike to a waterfall and lagoon and then headed home to avoid getting more bug bites. I must have had 50 or 60 by the end of the trip! Thankfully, they are healing up now! And all the itchiness was totally worth it...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Viva Peru!
If you ever get the chance, go to Macchu Picchu! I am extremely grateful that I took advantage of my proximity and decided to go. It was AMAZING! The Incas were truly a genius culture and their ruins are incredibly intact because of this. It was crazy to see almost whole buildings still standing after 400 years, including withstanding enormous earthquakes (in the 1600s and 1700s).
Josh and I flew first to Lima, Peru, then to the city of Cusco. From there, we took a number of buses around to other Incan ruin sites, Pisac and Ollantaytambo. One of the train routes to Macchu Picchu leaves from Ollantaytambo, so we stayed the night there. In the darkness of 4:30am we headed for the train station on Friday. The train arrived in Aguas Calientes, a town at the base of the mountain where Macchu Picchu is. A quick hair-pin turning bus ride and we were there!! At 7:30am it was still fogged in which lent a cool, eerie feeling like we were the only ones there and trying to discover what lay beyond our visiblity. Later in the day it cleared up and we were able to take amazing panoramic pictures and the typical postcard pictures too. After trekking around most of Macchu Picchu we hiked up Wayna Picchu, another ruin very close by that is at the top of a very, very steep peak. It was quite the climb! An hour and a half climbing straight up tiny stone stairways but simply astonishing views at the top. It´s so hard to describe in words all that I saw, really only pictures do it justice.
We spent the rest of our time in Peru in Cusco, a beautiful, very Spanish influenced city and also very touristy. We saw gorgeous churches and some more astounding Incan ruins where the stones fit so perfectly together you can barely see the creases where they meet. In the Cathedral there, we took an audio tour (super unseen here in South America! we were shocked!) and learned a bunch about how the Spanish mixed indigenous ideologies into the architecture and art to appeal to the native people. Also in the Cathedral is the first cross to ever arrive in South America which was brought on the expedition of Francisco Pissaro in the 1500s. For lunch one day, we tasted alpaca, an animal like a llama that is very popular in Peru. It was actually really good! Kind of like a more tender and juicy pork chop?
Well, I would love to write more but I´ve got to get going and pack for a school trip tomorrow to the Amazon jungle! Pray that I don´t get eaten alive by mosquitos!
Josh and I flew first to Lima, Peru, then to the city of Cusco. From there, we took a number of buses around to other Incan ruin sites, Pisac and Ollantaytambo. One of the train routes to Macchu Picchu leaves from Ollantaytambo, so we stayed the night there. In the darkness of 4:30am we headed for the train station on Friday. The train arrived in Aguas Calientes, a town at the base of the mountain where Macchu Picchu is. A quick hair-pin turning bus ride and we were there!! At 7:30am it was still fogged in which lent a cool, eerie feeling like we were the only ones there and trying to discover what lay beyond our visiblity. Later in the day it cleared up and we were able to take amazing panoramic pictures and the typical postcard pictures too. After trekking around most of Macchu Picchu we hiked up Wayna Picchu, another ruin very close by that is at the top of a very, very steep peak. It was quite the climb! An hour and a half climbing straight up tiny stone stairways but simply astonishing views at the top. It´s so hard to describe in words all that I saw, really only pictures do it justice.
We spent the rest of our time in Peru in Cusco, a beautiful, very Spanish influenced city and also very touristy. We saw gorgeous churches and some more astounding Incan ruins where the stones fit so perfectly together you can barely see the creases where they meet. In the Cathedral there, we took an audio tour (super unseen here in South America! we were shocked!) and learned a bunch about how the Spanish mixed indigenous ideologies into the architecture and art to appeal to the native people. Also in the Cathedral is the first cross to ever arrive in South America which was brought on the expedition of Francisco Pissaro in the 1500s. For lunch one day, we tasted alpaca, an animal like a llama that is very popular in Peru. It was actually really good! Kind of like a more tender and juicy pork chop?
Well, I would love to write more but I´ve got to get going and pack for a school trip tomorrow to the Amazon jungle! Pray that I don´t get eaten alive by mosquitos!
CARNAVAL baby!
Let´s just say that there is no comparison in the US to Carnaval here in South America. Never ever would American people tolerate, nevertheless enjoy, getting water balloons, buckets of water, eggs, powder and other various amunition chucked at them by total strangers for 4 days.
For Carnaval me, Josh and a bunch of our friends from our program headed to a beach town called Canoa. Distance wise, it´s probably only as far away as Spokane, but the bus ride took 21 hours! You can imagine what state of Madeline I was in by that time...long story short, a ton of rain here washed out highways to the coast so we had to travel all the way south thru the center of the country and then back up north along the coast. Buses here are not efficient and the drivers aren´t really too worried about getting you there as quickly as possible. If they get hungry, they will stop and pick up some food or have a smoke. I have learned here that patience is more than a virtue, it is a means of survival!
We arrived in time for a beautiful sunset which only tempered my inner rage a tad bit. We settled into our hostel, full of ¨character,¨ including a bar next door that played music at top volume until 3 or 4am every night that pounded into our room thru the bamboo slat walls. I spent the days laying on the beach, surfing, or getting rocked by waves more in my case, people watching and reading. After the first day I was FRIED despite reapplying sunscreen probably every hour. The sun is killer here! Thankfully, the beach was lined with little tents you can rent for $1 a day, so I gladly coughed up my coin and hid out. At night, there was the Reina (Queen) de Carnaval contest during which a bunch of ladies were put through rigorous amounts of dancing and included a token white blond girl who apparently immigrated to the Ecuadorian beach life from the US.
All in all, it was a blast, 99% worth the horrid bus ride there in my opinion. And the flight home was worth every cent!
For Carnaval me, Josh and a bunch of our friends from our program headed to a beach town called Canoa. Distance wise, it´s probably only as far away as Spokane, but the bus ride took 21 hours! You can imagine what state of Madeline I was in by that time...long story short, a ton of rain here washed out highways to the coast so we had to travel all the way south thru the center of the country and then back up north along the coast. Buses here are not efficient and the drivers aren´t really too worried about getting you there as quickly as possible. If they get hungry, they will stop and pick up some food or have a smoke. I have learned here that patience is more than a virtue, it is a means of survival!
We arrived in time for a beautiful sunset which only tempered my inner rage a tad bit. We settled into our hostel, full of ¨character,¨ including a bar next door that played music at top volume until 3 or 4am every night that pounded into our room thru the bamboo slat walls. I spent the days laying on the beach, surfing, or getting rocked by waves more in my case, people watching and reading. After the first day I was FRIED despite reapplying sunscreen probably every hour. The sun is killer here! Thankfully, the beach was lined with little tents you can rent for $1 a day, so I gladly coughed up my coin and hid out. At night, there was the Reina (Queen) de Carnaval contest during which a bunch of ladies were put through rigorous amounts of dancing and included a token white blond girl who apparently immigrated to the Ecuadorian beach life from the US.
All in all, it was a blast, 99% worth the horrid bus ride there in my opinion. And the flight home was worth every cent!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Long Overdue, I know!
Sorry for my lack of posts lately: at first, there was nothing really exciting happening to report on and then it´s been a whirlwind!
After Cuenca, I had a chill week of classes, nothing interesting. The following weekend, the weekend of Valentines day, Josh and I stayed in Quito for the first weekend since we have been here. On Valentine´s Day we went to Volcan Cotopaxi, the second highest peak in Ecuador. The peak of the mountain is the place furthest from the center of the earth in the world because the earth bulges at the equator and it is so close plus so tall equals far far away from the center of the earth =) We didn´t quite make it that high but we did manage to hitch a ride to 4000m (12000 ft) and then climbed to 4800m (almost 15000 ft). Quite the hike! We were past the elevation line where plants stop growing and it was snowing hard. So, basically, I climbed higher than the top of Mt. Rainier! Who would have thought, Madeline?! We met a couple our age at the entrance to the park while contemplating whether to walk in to the mountian. We decided on asking them for a ride (yes, I am also a hitchhiker now...) and good thing we did! It was a crazy long way to walk, the drive took probably an hour thru bumpy dirt roads and streams. The couple were from Quito and are students at the nicest university here, Universidad Catolica, so I didn´t think they were trying to rob or kidnap some gringos. We listened to awesome American rock music the whole way up. We hiked up with them, shared some mugs of hot chocolate and came back down. They offered to give us a ride back to Quito, which we gladly accepted. On the way back, the guy asked us if we minded stopping by his house so he and his girlfriend could change their shoes. Basically, we got to see the Yarrow Point/Cylde Hill area of Quito - if not nicer! It was crazy! All gated community with enormous houses with huge walls around them. When we drove thru this guys gate to his house is was like a compound with a courtyard in the middle and I was in total shock. Then, he told us the US embassador is his neighbor! I guess there are always rich people no matter where you go in the world...
At night, we went out to dinner a fun restaurant with funky chandeliers and paint on the walls and amazing food!!
Last week was another week of classes all in anticipation of being done and vacationing for Carnaval! More on that to come because I am running out of time and have to catch my flight to Peru...this weekend: Macchu Picchu! Miss you all!
After Cuenca, I had a chill week of classes, nothing interesting. The following weekend, the weekend of Valentines day, Josh and I stayed in Quito for the first weekend since we have been here. On Valentine´s Day we went to Volcan Cotopaxi, the second highest peak in Ecuador. The peak of the mountain is the place furthest from the center of the earth in the world because the earth bulges at the equator and it is so close plus so tall equals far far away from the center of the earth =) We didn´t quite make it that high but we did manage to hitch a ride to 4000m (12000 ft) and then climbed to 4800m (almost 15000 ft). Quite the hike! We were past the elevation line where plants stop growing and it was snowing hard. So, basically, I climbed higher than the top of Mt. Rainier! Who would have thought, Madeline?! We met a couple our age at the entrance to the park while contemplating whether to walk in to the mountian. We decided on asking them for a ride (yes, I am also a hitchhiker now...) and good thing we did! It was a crazy long way to walk, the drive took probably an hour thru bumpy dirt roads and streams. The couple were from Quito and are students at the nicest university here, Universidad Catolica, so I didn´t think they were trying to rob or kidnap some gringos. We listened to awesome American rock music the whole way up. We hiked up with them, shared some mugs of hot chocolate and came back down. They offered to give us a ride back to Quito, which we gladly accepted. On the way back, the guy asked us if we minded stopping by his house so he and his girlfriend could change their shoes. Basically, we got to see the Yarrow Point/Cylde Hill area of Quito - if not nicer! It was crazy! All gated community with enormous houses with huge walls around them. When we drove thru this guys gate to his house is was like a compound with a courtyard in the middle and I was in total shock. Then, he told us the US embassador is his neighbor! I guess there are always rich people no matter where you go in the world...
At night, we went out to dinner a fun restaurant with funky chandeliers and paint on the walls and amazing food!!
Last week was another week of classes all in anticipation of being done and vacationing for Carnaval! More on that to come because I am running out of time and have to catch my flight to Peru...this weekend: Macchu Picchu! Miss you all!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Cuenca
Last weekend was fantastic! Josh and I visited the quaint, colonial, old fashioned city of Cuenca. It had cobblestone streets and pretty squares and churches. It was a very walkable and safe feeling city which is a nice change from Quito. It is the 3rd largest city in Ecuador with a population of about 400,000. We took a 10 hour overnight bus which, thankfuly, I spelt almost all the way through. We arrived around 7am after a bit of a scare that we got off at the wrong city! We found an adorable hostel with a kind of courtyard cafe in the middle - real brewed coffee, not Nescafe! It was perfectly located to walk to see everything, which we did after getting settled. We visited a factory where they make panama hats, which actually originated in Ecuador. They are still all handmade, which takes 15 days-1 month depending on the quality and shape and style. I tried on a few, and even though I usually think I look awful in hats, I found a gorgeous, red-banded, Audrey Hepburn-esque one I couldn´t resist. We ate a great lunch at a Colombian restaurant and then very unsuccessdully tried to find an orchid garden. After 1 hour + on the bus and walking we gave up and went to a museum instead. They had an ethnographic exhibit, including shrunken heads, which used to be made by the Shaur people in the Amazon region oftheir enemies heads. The heads are shrunken down to about the size of a mans fist. Strange to see! For dinner we went to a beautiful, 2 story restaurant with twinkle lights all around and a fireplace. The food was so good! Me: chicken mole and Josh: coconut curry. I miss ethnic food tons!!
Saturday we had scrumptious omelets before heading out to hike in Parque Nacional Cajas. We took a cab to where Lonely Planet indicated we could catch a cheaper cus. It seemed like kind of a random corner so I started praying we wouldn´t have a repeat orchid garden experience. Well, God answers prayers! A green bus came around the corner, the one we thought we needed, so I waved to the driver to stop but he shook his head like he wouldn´t! I took off running after the bus with Josh behind me. Finally, halfway down the block it stopped and I asked if it was going to the park. No, the driver said but if we got on he would take us to where we could get the right bus. He took us to a bus depot where the right bus left in 10 mins. Plus, he didn´t even want the $1 we offered him for his help. Our guardian angel!! The hike in the park was beautiful and quite remote. I am growing in my adventureousness, that is for sure!
Saturday night we went out to a salsateca, club with salsa dancing, to test out our skills from our lessons at school. We were quite a bit out of our league but it was amazing to watch the really good couples and try to imitate them.
Sunday we relaxed before heading to the airport for our gloriously short 35 minute flight back to Quito. Totally worth the extra $50 more than a 10 hour bus!
Now I am all updated on my blogging! I love hearing how everyone is at home so let me know how you are! I miss you all! All my love!
Saturday we had scrumptious omelets before heading out to hike in Parque Nacional Cajas. We took a cab to where Lonely Planet indicated we could catch a cheaper cus. It seemed like kind of a random corner so I started praying we wouldn´t have a repeat orchid garden experience. Well, God answers prayers! A green bus came around the corner, the one we thought we needed, so I waved to the driver to stop but he shook his head like he wouldn´t! I took off running after the bus with Josh behind me. Finally, halfway down the block it stopped and I asked if it was going to the park. No, the driver said but if we got on he would take us to where we could get the right bus. He took us to a bus depot where the right bus left in 10 mins. Plus, he didn´t even want the $1 we offered him for his help. Our guardian angel!! The hike in the park was beautiful and quite remote. I am growing in my adventureousness, that is for sure!
Saturday night we went out to a salsateca, club with salsa dancing, to test out our skills from our lessons at school. We were quite a bit out of our league but it was amazing to watch the really good couples and try to imitate them.
Sunday we relaxed before heading to the airport for our gloriously short 35 minute flight back to Quito. Totally worth the extra $50 more than a 10 hour bus!
Now I am all updated on my blogging! I love hearing how everyone is at home so let me know how you are! I miss you all! All my love!
Field trips still exist!!
Last Wednesday and Thursday my class of 5 students, including me, and our professor took of in a minivan to travel through the Zona Norte, or the area north of Quito. We visited an Andean music workshop where we watched a woman make Andean flutes by hand and heard an Andean band. Kind of a tourist trap, I think, but still authentic and interesting.
Next, we travelled to the city of Cotacachi. It is very well known for its leather so I bought a purse as a momento. Only $39! Also, we spoke with the director of the Casa de Las Culturas (House of Cultures) who told us about all the development programs their mayor has initiated over the past decade. The mayor is an indigenous man who studied economicsin Cuba. It is a big deal that he is mayor and indigenous because indigenous people are at the bottom of the race hierarchy here, per se, sadly. The city has programs to develop tourism, virtual schools for people to learn to read, write and use computers, music programs to record music, and videos to teach more rural citizens literacy. Also, many programs are proposed first by citizens and then supported with government money. It seemed really successful and innovative.
Then, we headed to the indigenous village of San Clemente where the Caranqui people live, half an hour outside of the city of Ibarra. I was a bit skeptical as we drove past shanty houses on a tiny dirt road. However, when we arrived, the experience was truly magical. We stayed with families in their homes, which have been fixed up to have tourists with regular bathrooms and lights. My family´s dad is the president for the year of the whole communityof 600+ people so I really lucked out with learning a ton from him while dinner was prepared. We had a delicious dinner of soup with quinoa, then chicken with beans, rice, veggies, avocado and corn kernals and a sweet, jelly-like orange something for dessert. After dinner, the mom offered for me to put on her traditional clothes to head up to a music and dance presentation. I was thrilled! They wear skirts, intricately embroidered blouses, gold bead necklaces, a ponytail wrap and slip on moccasin like shoes. They usually buy only one new outfit a year because the whole thing costs about $200. Talk about limited retail therapy! We trekked up the hill to the main meeting building while watching tons of fireflies flicker in the fields. So beautiful! When I arrived, I found the other girls in my class also dressed up and the boys had on pants made of llama fur and ponchos. We listened to music for awhile and then were persuaded to get up and try dancing with them. It was basically hopping in a circle one direction until the leader whistled and then you switched directions. Afterwards, we had an early bedtime in order to get up at 6:45am to help make tortillas for breakfast. After breakfast, more yummy fruit, we got to see how the women do borderos or embroidery by hand. Pretty tricky! Next, we went on a nature walk to learn about medicinal plants. Super amazing how much they know and how much it made me realize us Americans love drugs! Then, we heard from the leader of the tourist department of the community how the community is organized and operates. Their whole mindset is of community and sharing, so some families produce dairy products, others clothing, others host tourist, etc. and they all share with what other people lack. Although they are not Christian, it made me think of how the Bible speaks of many people having different gifts. It was truly touching to hear about and made me wish more people in the world could be so unselfish, including myself. When they want to construct a road or someone needs to build a house, they all do it together for no money and share in a huge lunch while they are working on the project. We got to experience a taste of these lunches, called minga. A wonderful experience, something truly unique!
On the way back to Quito, we stopped in Ibarra, famous for its handmade in copper tub ice cream, or helado de paila. Yummy!!
If only US universities believed in fields trips...I guess that´s why there if study abroad!
Next, we travelled to the city of Cotacachi. It is very well known for its leather so I bought a purse as a momento. Only $39! Also, we spoke with the director of the Casa de Las Culturas (House of Cultures) who told us about all the development programs their mayor has initiated over the past decade. The mayor is an indigenous man who studied economicsin Cuba. It is a big deal that he is mayor and indigenous because indigenous people are at the bottom of the race hierarchy here, per se, sadly. The city has programs to develop tourism, virtual schools for people to learn to read, write and use computers, music programs to record music, and videos to teach more rural citizens literacy. Also, many programs are proposed first by citizens and then supported with government money. It seemed really successful and innovative.
Then, we headed to the indigenous village of San Clemente where the Caranqui people live, half an hour outside of the city of Ibarra. I was a bit skeptical as we drove past shanty houses on a tiny dirt road. However, when we arrived, the experience was truly magical. We stayed with families in their homes, which have been fixed up to have tourists with regular bathrooms and lights. My family´s dad is the president for the year of the whole communityof 600+ people so I really lucked out with learning a ton from him while dinner was prepared. We had a delicious dinner of soup with quinoa, then chicken with beans, rice, veggies, avocado and corn kernals and a sweet, jelly-like orange something for dessert. After dinner, the mom offered for me to put on her traditional clothes to head up to a music and dance presentation. I was thrilled! They wear skirts, intricately embroidered blouses, gold bead necklaces, a ponytail wrap and slip on moccasin like shoes. They usually buy only one new outfit a year because the whole thing costs about $200. Talk about limited retail therapy! We trekked up the hill to the main meeting building while watching tons of fireflies flicker in the fields. So beautiful! When I arrived, I found the other girls in my class also dressed up and the boys had on pants made of llama fur and ponchos. We listened to music for awhile and then were persuaded to get up and try dancing with them. It was basically hopping in a circle one direction until the leader whistled and then you switched directions. Afterwards, we had an early bedtime in order to get up at 6:45am to help make tortillas for breakfast. After breakfast, more yummy fruit, we got to see how the women do borderos or embroidery by hand. Pretty tricky! Next, we went on a nature walk to learn about medicinal plants. Super amazing how much they know and how much it made me realize us Americans love drugs! Then, we heard from the leader of the tourist department of the community how the community is organized and operates. Their whole mindset is of community and sharing, so some families produce dairy products, others clothing, others host tourist, etc. and they all share with what other people lack. Although they are not Christian, it made me think of how the Bible speaks of many people having different gifts. It was truly touching to hear about and made me wish more people in the world could be so unselfish, including myself. When they want to construct a road or someone needs to build a house, they all do it together for no money and share in a huge lunch while they are working on the project. We got to experience a taste of these lunches, called minga. A wonderful experience, something truly unique!
On the way back to Quito, we stopped in Ibarra, famous for its handmade in copper tub ice cream, or helado de paila. Yummy!!
If only US universities believed in fields trips...I guess that´s why there if study abroad!
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