Otavalo

Once we gathered our bags from school we made our way to the bus station to catch a bus to the north bus terminal where the buses to Otavalo leave. When we got off the bus and cross the street towards the terminal a man standing by a bus that was leaving yelled at our group asking if we were going to Otavalo. None of us were really sure if we should just get onto the bus or if we needed to buy a ticket from the station before getting on, but the man insisted that there was enough room for everyone and that we should hurry and get on. We all jumped on the bus and off we went. Once on the bus everyone began sitting in the empty seats, but Nate, Isaac and I were left standing. The bus driver’s assistant/money collector that had said that he was sure there was enough space said there were seats at the front. Once we got to the front he told us to sit on a ledge/bench behind the driver. It was extremely cramped but the three of us managed to hop over the gear box and sit down. He moved the driver’s seat forward so that I could put my legs between the driver’s seat and the ledge we were sitting on. We had a great view of the road and could see everything, which was really scary at times when we were driving near cliffs of the mountain and the driver was talking on his phone. It was really dangerous for us to be sitting there; if the bus would’ve hit anything I’m certain that the three of us would have flown through the windshield. Fortunately, the two-hour ride went by without any problems and we arrived safely in Otavalo.

When we arrived our large group broke up into two different groups: one group that wanted to stay in town for the night and another that wanted to stay at a place further out of town, but was supposed to be beautiful. Eight others and I chose the latter. We all decided to try to find a store where we could find beverages for us to enjoy that evening. Electricity in the area is really expensive so a lot of stores closed at sundown and many stayed open with candlelight. We walked into a store that was completely dark, but the people working had a flashlight. They directed us towards their drink section and we chose a few things and paid basically in the dark. It was a really bizarre experience. Once we located a taxi stand we separated our group into three small groups for the ride to the hostel, which was about a 15-minute cab ride. After being on buses all afternoon we were all really hungry and couldn’t wait to have dinner. The day before Mallory had called and they had a special where for $12.00 we could stay for the night and it would include dinner and breakfast, so it was a great deal! For dinner we had garlic cheese bread, pasta with meat sauce, and fruit for dessert. It was a really big change from all of the rice and corn meals that we are already accustomed to. After dinner we all went to our cabin, which was a huge room with 10 bunk beds in it. We moved the table into the room and we all sat around it and played some card games and other games for a few hours. It was really fun and I feel like I know everyone in the group a lot more now.

In the morning we got ready and had breakfast, which was just bread and tea/coffee. We all decided afterwards that we wanted to walk to a nearby waterfall and then we would go to the market area. The walk to the waterfall took longer than the expected 25 minutes because we stopped along the way to check the map to make sure we were going the right way and take pictures. On the way there was a long rock driveway leading to a house and with the hills in the background it looked like we were in Tuscany. We eventually made it to the waterfall and it was a really cool! It’s the first natural waterfall that I had ever been to. We put our feet into the water and it was ice cold! Sam and I decided that we were going to go in the water and stand under the waterfall. I can’t describe how cold the water was. We could literally only stand under it for a couple of seconds before having to move out of the way and it was almost impossible to breathe. It was really exhilarating and I’m really glad that we decided to do it. We got dressed and our group began our trek back up the path to the hostel. Once we arrived we packed up all of our things, paid, and waited for the taxi van to pick us up. The driver was really nice and gave us great advice about restaurants and things to do. By the time we arrived to the market area we were pretty hungry so Sam, Brittany, Dane, Anna, and I went to the taxi driver’s favorite restaurant called “El Otavalito.” We decided to try chicha, which is a local fermented corn drink, which the driver also recommended. It was really interesting, but surprisingly tasty. I had trout with shrimp and potatoes and it was delicious! After lunch we headed out to the market where the locals sell anything and everything. A few people got jewelry, clothes, and hats. I forgot my sunglasses in Minnesota, so I picked up a pair for five dollars—I thought it was pretty reasonable considering the starting price was $12.00. After we walked around a little longer and saw the historical part of Otavalo we found a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the bus terminal. After talking to him he recommended that we go to a different bus stop and just get on any bus that didn’t say Otavalo (or another place I don’t recall the name of). The second bus that came by didn’t say Otavalo or the other place on it so we hopped on. I’m not sure why or how, but the ride back was way faster, so the taxi driver was right, it’s way faster picking up a random bus on the road then going to the bus terminal and getting on a bus. I had a great time in Otavalo and look forward to future trips here in Ecuador!

School

This week went by really fast and it was the classroom portion was quite unremarkable. Monday night was pretty fun though! I went with my brother Santiago to play soccer with some of his friends at the south part of Quito. It was a small field with walls on the sides and it was 5 vs. 5. I got extremely tired and could barely breathe. My lungs felt like they were on fire and I played the whole time. It was the first time I felt the full effects of the elevation here in Quito, which is over 1,000 meters higher in elevation than Denver. I had a great time though and may be going back again Monday night!

On Friday instead of having classes our teachers took all the students on a “tour” of Quito. The tour was basically to become familiar with the bus system and learn how to get to the bus terminals so that we can go on trips to other parts of the country. It was a lot of fun, especially walking around the colonial part of the city. For lunch we ate at a restaurant in the center of the historical center that serves traditional Ecuadorian food. I had already had everything in the past few weeks, but never all at the same time. Ecuadorian food includes a large variety of corn prepared in many different ways and rice. I’ve had rice and/or corn everyday since I’ve arrived. The food is a lot more different from Colombian food than I expected. I can’t wait to be in Colombia in a couple of months to eat all of the amazing food! After lunch our group walked by the political center of the city, where the president lives and works. It was weird being able to basically walk inside the palace since even thinking about getting that close to the White House is probably a punishable offense. After taking a few photographs around the city we headed back towards to buses and made our way back to school!

Night Life

Last night our group went out for the first time. We all met up in the "Marisal" area of town, which is where many of the clubs, bars, and restaurants are. I shared a cab with Erin and Mallory because they both live relatively close. Once we arrived I was surprised by how many people there were. The plaza was packed with people and there were lots of cars and cabs driving through the area. I'm not really sure what to compare it to, but it was similar to what I remember downtown Disney to be like at night.

Our first stop for the night was an irish pub, which was interesting. They had a large screen where they were showing the Ecuador vs. Mexico soccer game and after they showed movies. I had never been to a bar where they had a movie playing. The people that worked there were cool, but part of our group waited about 20 minutes for the drinks to arrive. We all sat around and talked for a while and it was fun to hang out with everyone in an informal setting. After a while people wanted to go dancing to we headed out and looked for a club to go to. We ended up going to a club that played techno music and it reminded me of the night life in Milan, especially when they played Stereo Love, which was super popular there this summer. It was really fun and everyone seemed to have a great time too! At night Mallory, Erin and I shared a cab again and we made it back earlier than most of us do during the weekends back in the states.

Aside from that the rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful with one exception. Two of the girls from our group wanted to see more of the city and went on a walk near their home on a fairly busy street in this afternoon. As they were walking they were approached by two people who had a gun and they stole their phones, cameras, and some jewelry. I couldn't believe it when I heard the story! Hopefully that was the first and last incident that we will have while we are here! It definitely makes one realize that we aren't back at home and you really have to be careful all the time, even in the middle of the day on a busy street. I have some readings to do for tomorrow so I'm going to go start on them. Adios!

San Miguel de los Bancos

On Friday morning we left on our group bonding trip to a small resort area called "El Encanto" near San Miguel de los Bancos. It was amazing! It's in the forest in the mountains and the views were phenomenal. As soon as we arrived I dropped my things off in the room and went straight to the balcony that over looked everything. After breakfast (which was delicious) we went on a hike down the mountain to a river. It took over an hour and we descended over 3,000 feet. It was pretty muddy and slipper at times and I almost fell a handful of times. It was really humid inside of the forest and there were lots of birds and insects. Once we got to the bottom I was pretty tired and hot so we all swam in the river. It was pretty cold and so refreshing! After half an hour to 45 minutes of being in the water we made our way back up the mountain. It went much faster than I expected, but it was extremely tiring at times and definitely motivated me to get back into shape. Once we got back lunch was served and like breakfast it was delicious. Following lunch we were given free time and almost everyone went in the hot tub. We had over 20 people in it and the water was over flowing. After our free time ended we met up as a group and separated into our tracks (mine is public health) and each group had to show a talent and give a name for the group. After that was over one of our professors, Luis, gave everyone a short dance lesson and that was super fun! After dinner a large group gathered in one of the cabins and we talked about our families in the U.S. and played a home made version of a game (I can't think of the name of it at the moment) for a while. Once everyone was ready for bed I went outside and talked with a couple other students, Luis, and our guide Fernando. It was really fun and interesting. They are all such fun and interesting people.

The next morning the owner of the resort came and gave a presentation about the history of the Incas and it was amazing. I can't believe how smart they were and all of the things they figured out so long ago. They were the first people to operate on the brain and have survivors, but they receive recognition for it. They also discovered the Earth was round and they knew where in the world they were (near the center of the world on the Equator) hundreds of years before any technology was invented. Fernando also balanced an egg on a nail, which apparently is only possible along the Equator. I had an amazing time along the trip and I felt as though I really got to know most of my classmates, which was really nice! Overall I had a wonderful time and had an amazing experience!

Here is a picture of the view of the mountains from where we stayed:

This is a horse that we came upon as we hiked towards the river:

This is a small water fall near the river:

Settling in.

Hey everyone! The past two days were really long and I’ve had a headache almost the whole time. Yesterday morning my host mother showed me where to go to pick up the bus and where I should get off. It took about 10 minutes to get to school once we were on the bus, but we had to wait about 20 minutes for the bus to pick us up. We had a few different professors come and talk to us during the day and it was hard to concentrate because the subjects didn’t interest me too much and I was starving! Lunch is really late here so by the time lunch rolled around I could hardly wait. For lunch I walked to a bakery with a few of my classmates but Jeff and I were still hungry so we decided to go back to a nearby restaurant and have more to eat. We had rice and tuna pasta. Rice is served with almost every meal. In the afternoon we had a couple more classes and my group led a discussion on our part of the summer readings. It went surprisingly well considering how unprepared and unorganized we were. Once it was time to head home my mother met me outside the school and showed me where the bus stop was to return back home. She brought my niece along who is full of energy and makes everything more exciting! She’s super funny and really cute and puts the energizer bunny to shame! The bus ride home was absolutely insane. The bus was super old and didn’t have any noticeable suspension on the back and I was seated on the back row. The driver was going super fast and every time we would hit a hole I would literally go in the air. It was super scary going around the tight corners and it felt like we were going to tip over or something. When we got off my host mother was pretty upset with the driver and told the money collector to tell the guy to slow down. After my niece, Salomé said that it was just like a roller coaster and both her grandmother and I agreed! It was wild. Once we were home I grabbed my money and cards and we headed out to the mall. I once again forgot my jacket on another trip and needed to get another one along with a cell phone, contact solution, and shampoo. We spent over 3 hours at the mall walking around shopping and sitting at the cell phone store for a worker to help us. Once we returned home I talked to my family and went to bed.

This morning I during breakfast I told my host mother that she didn’t have to take the bus with me again and I ventured out by myself in Quito for the first time. Granted it’s only a 5-10 minute walk to the bus stop I felt very independent and it was great being to walk around unnoticed since I look like I belong. Once I got to the bus stop I wanted for a very almost 25 minutes or more until the bus came. I began to wonder if the bus had come but I didn’t read the sign correctly and missed it or something since it seemed like I was waiting forever. Luckily it eventually came and I was on my way to school. Once at school we had a lecture about globalization and then we had a Spanish test. It went pretty well, but there were a couple times I had to guess or just answer based on the context since the directions didn’t make sense to me since I never learned all of tenses and such. For lunch I went to the same restaurant with a few people and it was pretty good again. I can’t believe how cheap a full meal is; it’s $1.25 for soup, rice, plantains, salad, and fresh juice. That’s one thing I’ve loved so far, juice concentrate doesn’t exist and all juices are made with real fruit every single day. In the afternoon the rest of the groups presented on their sections of the summer readings and then we discussed a trip that we are going on tomorrow! I’m really excited! After the school day was over I decided to walk home with Rheanne and Erin who both happen to live right by me. It took us about 40 minutes, but it was great seeing more of the city and become more familiar with my surroundings. Once I got home I went upstairs and greeted everything then went downstairs and went straight to bed. They woke me up a few hours later for dinner and then we talked as usual for a little while. For some reason the power went out so we had some nice candle lit talks and shared jokes for a while until they came back on. I still needed to pack from my trip so I headed downstairs and began packing after I talked to my family. Once I was done I sewed the hole in the pocket of my jeans shut that I ripped at the airport in Tennessee on Monday with my wallet. It actually turned out amazingly well and I took it as a sign that I would be a great plastic surgeon. On a more serious note, we have to be at school at 6:45 in the morning for our trip and my parents graciously offered to drive me in the morning, but I still have to wake up very early and should get some sleep! Chao

New Family

Today was a really long day. We woke up at 8:00 to get ready and eat breakfast by the time the bus came and picked us up at 9:20. For breakfast they had eggs, a croissant, and papaya juice. I hadn’t had papaya juice in years so that was awesome! After breakfast we all loaded our things onto the bus and went on our way to CIMAS, which is the institution where we will have our classes everyday. We had a full day of orientation to the school and life in Ecuador in general. After a couple speakers it was finally time for lunch and I couldn’t wait! As soon as I walked in the doors I could smell the food right away and I knew we would be enjoying that aroma for lunch. It was a potato soup that’s very similar to a typical Colombian soup my mom makes and it was really good! After lunch we had a few more speakers talk to us; the most interesting part was when a special agent from the U.S. Embassy in Quito talked about safety and the services that they provide to U.S. citizens abroad. I learned a lot about all of the risks of being in Quito and how to minimize them and if need be, handle them. It was a great advantage knowing Spanish because everything at CIMAS is in Spanish and some of the other students had some trouble following along. As the time neared to meet our host families I began to get really nervous and anxious! As they took us around on a tour I could see the families starting to arrive and I couldn’t wait to meet them! Finally everyone was introduced to the families and my host mother, father, and niece came to greet me. They were all incredibly nice and welcoming. Once we arrived at their home they gave me a tour and I couldn’t believe how nice my area is. They have a three level home and each level is kind of a separate apartment and I have a whole level to myself. It has a full kitchen, living room, bathroom, dining table, everything! It’s really crazy. The father is an architect and he designed the home. Originally as the children got older they would move into a different part for more independence. Their daughter moved to Switzerland with her husband and children, which is why one of the floors was empty. After getting to meet the rest of the family we had dinner and it was even better than lunch! When I sat down there was a large bowl of soup that was incredible. I thought that was dinner and I would’ve been more than satisfied with just that, but that was barely the first course. They then brought out a huge plate with rice, fish, and fried plantains. The fish was really good and tasted very similar to veal. After dinner we talked for a very long time with the family about everything from life in the US and Ecuador to politics and sports. It was really fun. I was really tired after a couple hours of talking so I came downstairs and talked to family and Kayla for a little bit. I just got done doing a little bit of unpacking and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow I have to wake up pretty early to get ready and be upstairs for breakfast because my mother will be taking the bus with me to school so that I learn how to get there. I’m really excited for tomorrow and hopefully the rain will stop so the sun will shine the whole day! Good night!

Arrived!

I arrived in Quito today! It only took about 12 hours to get here. I met a couple of cool people on the plane from Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina and talking to them made the flights go by faster. As the little plane on the map started to get closer to Ecuador on the screen I started to get really excited! Quito has by far the most urban airport I’ve ever been to. It’s literally in the middle of the city unlike most other airports, which are outside of the city or in a suburb. I’ve met a few of the people that will be studying here with me. Tonight we are staying at a hotel and tomorrow we will meet our host families. My roommate for tonight seems pretty nice. We are really different people, so we’ve had some pretty interesting conversations! I’m exhausted from packing until late last night and waking up early and then traveling all day so I’m heading to bed. I’m really excited for tomorrow and meeting my host family!