I've been trying to find the internet for three days, and now, on day four, I've finally succeeded. The internet cafés are closed on Saturdays as well as Sundays, and yesterday there was no internet in the city. Yes, I wish I was kidding. I went to three cafés and halfway across town, being told at each one that "It's not working today." Really!!
Some random notes on life in Ecuador…
Flashing the headlights of your car means the opposite here as in the US. Back home, if you see that, it usually means “Go ahead, I’m feeling nice today.” Here it means “Don’t even think about it, I’ll run you down and enjoy doing it." I also learned that they call bad drivers "camarones," which means shrimp.
Contrary to what you probably think, the coffee here is complete crap. I haven’t seen any coffee anywhere that’s actually made with ground coffee beans; it’s all that instant Nescafé from a jar. My mom here uses decaf instant, and I have to wonder…what is the point? Not only does it taste like the underside of an old bus, it doesn’t even wake you up.
Peluqerias, panaderias, and Movistar/Porta stations are insanely common here. That means you can get your hair done, eat some bread, and recharge the minutes on your phone about every thirty feet. My mom tells me that most of the hairstylists are gay men, but I haven’t actually seen that for myself, so it’s still a rumor.
There are some places in the US that won’t change $50 or $100 bills. Here, most places have a hard time changing $20s, and some refuse entirely. That’s understandable, given that a taxi to most places within the city is $2 or less, but as an American who showed up with a wallet full of $20 bills, I’ve made myself most unpopular in several places.
Private homes seem not to have printers. There are copy/print shops everywhere, and I’m not the only person to routinely walk in with a thumb drive and ask to have a file printed. It’s only .04 a page at the right place, though.
The one thing that isn’t common is instances of the post office. I had to walk about forty minutes to find the post office on Saturday, and when I got there, it was closed, so I walked back home, letter in hand.
All the houses here are behind walls and gated gardens, and you have to have the key to let yourself out as well as in. This means that on that morning when you’re not paying attention and you walk out without your keys, you have locked yourself in the garden with no way in or out. That’s when you hope the maid can hear you knocking on the front door…yes, this is the voice of experience talking.
P.S. Note from a day later: I have managed to find good coffee! There’s a shop right across the street from the school that has awesome coffee and desserts. Things are looking up on the food front.
Good coffee:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1290.jpg
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sunday January 27th
I woke up this morning at 7am and had to force myself to go back to sleep. I listened apprehensively for the gas truck, but it apparently doesn’t run on Sundays. Thank god for small miracles.
I met Marie and Liz at the school at 9:30 – Braulio decided he would rather sleep – so we could catch a bus to Cotacallao, and from there to La Mitad del Mundo (the magnetic equator). After waiting for forty minutes, though, we gave up and took a taxi to Cotacallao. There we did find the bus we wanted, and rode another half hour south.
The last time I was in Ecuador I went to the Mitad del Mundo, but I figured why not go again, as I didn’t have anything else to do. We spent a couple of hours there, took the obligatory dorky pictures with one foot in each hemisphere, did a little shopping, and had lunch in a café overlooking the square. There were live music and dancers in the square because it’s Sunday, and we had a good view from the restaurant. Marie and I also had a very good view of a dead guinea pig, which was our lunch.
I’ve been wanting to try cuy since the last time I was here, and I finally got my chance. There was very little meat on it, and what there was had an odd sort of salty, fishy taste. I don’t think I’d order it again, but at least I tried it.
Eventually we caught the bus back to Cotacallao, but decided once we were there to stay on and see where it went. It ended up at a bus station nearby, where we caught the blue line into Quito. Liz got off near her house and Marie and I continued all the way to the next station, where we caught the Ecovia. Marie got off at school to catch her bus home, and I stayed on the Ecovia until my stop in Jipijapa, which is the last one before the terminal. So we spent more time in transit than we actually spent at the equator, but I’m glad I went.
There’s a type of tea here that mom serves me after dinner every night, called cedrón. It’s an herb tea, and I know I’ve had it before, but I can’t remember the English name or where I’ve had it. Mom, is cedrón something you have at home?
Now for pictures.
Me and Marie at La Mitad del Mundo:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1259.jpg
Liz, me, and Marie:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1266.jpg
One of many tourist-trap shops:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1267.jpg
Local ketchup. Read it closely, it says squeezie with a Spanish spelling!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1271.jpg
Chifles, fried plantain chips:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1272.jpg
My lunch:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1275.jpg
Me looking the part of the dorky tourist:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1276.jpg
Entrance to Mitad del Mundo monument:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1281.jpg
Random cool gardening:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1282.jpg
I met Marie and Liz at the school at 9:30 – Braulio decided he would rather sleep – so we could catch a bus to Cotacallao, and from there to La Mitad del Mundo (the magnetic equator). After waiting for forty minutes, though, we gave up and took a taxi to Cotacallao. There we did find the bus we wanted, and rode another half hour south.
The last time I was in Ecuador I went to the Mitad del Mundo, but I figured why not go again, as I didn’t have anything else to do. We spent a couple of hours there, took the obligatory dorky pictures with one foot in each hemisphere, did a little shopping, and had lunch in a café overlooking the square. There were live music and dancers in the square because it’s Sunday, and we had a good view from the restaurant. Marie and I also had a very good view of a dead guinea pig, which was our lunch.
I’ve been wanting to try cuy since the last time I was here, and I finally got my chance. There was very little meat on it, and what there was had an odd sort of salty, fishy taste. I don’t think I’d order it again, but at least I tried it.
Eventually we caught the bus back to Cotacallao, but decided once we were there to stay on and see where it went. It ended up at a bus station nearby, where we caught the blue line into Quito. Liz got off near her house and Marie and I continued all the way to the next station, where we caught the Ecovia. Marie got off at school to catch her bus home, and I stayed on the Ecovia until my stop in Jipijapa, which is the last one before the terminal. So we spent more time in transit than we actually spent at the equator, but I’m glad I went.
There’s a type of tea here that mom serves me after dinner every night, called cedrón. It’s an herb tea, and I know I’ve had it before, but I can’t remember the English name or where I’ve had it. Mom, is cedrón something you have at home?
Now for pictures.
Me and Marie at La Mitad del Mundo:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1259.jpg
Liz, me, and Marie:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1266.jpg
One of many tourist-trap shops:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1267.jpg
Local ketchup. Read it closely, it says squeezie with a Spanish spelling!
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1271.jpg
Chifles, fried plantain chips:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1272.jpg
My lunch:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1275.jpg
Me looking the part of the dorky tourist:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1276.jpg
Entrance to Mitad del Mundo monument:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1281.jpg
Random cool gardening:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1282.jpg
Saturday January 26
Yesterday was my last day of classes for the week, a day that seemed to take forever to reach. I hope next week doesn’t drag on like this one did; maybe it’s just that I’m used to having only four days of classes a week, but I felt like this week took at least two. And it’s still only Saturday.
There’s a truck that sells propane tanks around the neighborhood, and every morning it starts driving by at about 6:30am, honking incessantly. This continues for about an hour every day. I’m slowly learning to sleep through it, but I still wake up every morning cursing. Lucía said that most of the exchange students she’s had have wanted to kill the driver, and I must say I agree.
The four of us from Keene stopped in María Isabel’s office after classes yesterday to ask about getting our Censos and to see if I could connect to the school wireless network. The answer to both was “Yes, later.” By the time I left school to go home, it was 1pm, the time when all the local middle and high schools let out. The Ecovia stop was so crammed I could barely fit myself in…and it was nothing compared to the Ecovia itself. The first train passed by so crammed that no one else could get in, so we waited for the next one. That was also crammed, but somehow a few of us managed to squeeze in. I wore my backpack forwards, as I always do, and I was squeezed in so tight I didn’t have to hold onto the bar when we took off, because I literally couldn’t move. The entire mass of human sardines leaned one way or the other when the bus moved, but nobody could fall. I rode all twelve stops just as squished as when I got on.
Eventually I made it back to the house, hot and feeling distinctly skinnier than I had twenty minutes earlier, and I had lunch with Lucía and Meri. Then I took a shower and got ready to go out, because Marie, Braulio and I were going to meet Liz and her brother in a dance club that night. I took a taxi to El Jardín, and I got one of the creepy drivers who kept looking over his shoulder at me every time he stopped. It looked like he wanted to say something, so I deliberately stayed on the phone the whole time, and he kept his mouth shut.
I met Braulio, and then Erin and Aime, and the four of us caught the bus to Marie’s. We hung around and had a couple of beers, then headed out to find dinner. We left too late, and the buses weren’t running, so we actually walked most of the way into town – and she lives way out the north-west end of the city, actually off my city map. I wished I hadn’t worn heels.
We wound up back at El Jardín somehow, eating Domino’s pizza for dinner. Then we headed to Tonic, the club Liz told us about, arriving at about 9:30. It was raining by that time, and then we learned that the club doesn’t even open until 10:10, and even then they don’t let everyone in. So we hung around under a little tent waiting for Liz, who eventually showed up at 10:30. By that time I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed, and Marie and Braulio agreed with me. We went in for a little while, though, just to try it out. The two of them woke up, but I didn’t, so I left just a little past midnight, hailing another taxi and getting lucky that the driver was of the normal variety.
There’s a truck that sells propane tanks around the neighborhood, and every morning it starts driving by at about 6:30am, honking incessantly. This continues for about an hour every day. I’m slowly learning to sleep through it, but I still wake up every morning cursing. Lucía said that most of the exchange students she’s had have wanted to kill the driver, and I must say I agree.
The four of us from Keene stopped in María Isabel’s office after classes yesterday to ask about getting our Censos and to see if I could connect to the school wireless network. The answer to both was “Yes, later.” By the time I left school to go home, it was 1pm, the time when all the local middle and high schools let out. The Ecovia stop was so crammed I could barely fit myself in…and it was nothing compared to the Ecovia itself. The first train passed by so crammed that no one else could get in, so we waited for the next one. That was also crammed, but somehow a few of us managed to squeeze in. I wore my backpack forwards, as I always do, and I was squeezed in so tight I didn’t have to hold onto the bar when we took off, because I literally couldn’t move. The entire mass of human sardines leaned one way or the other when the bus moved, but nobody could fall. I rode all twelve stops just as squished as when I got on.
Eventually I made it back to the house, hot and feeling distinctly skinnier than I had twenty minutes earlier, and I had lunch with Lucía and Meri. Then I took a shower and got ready to go out, because Marie, Braulio and I were going to meet Liz and her brother in a dance club that night. I took a taxi to El Jardín, and I got one of the creepy drivers who kept looking over his shoulder at me every time he stopped. It looked like he wanted to say something, so I deliberately stayed on the phone the whole time, and he kept his mouth shut.
I met Braulio, and then Erin and Aime, and the four of us caught the bus to Marie’s. We hung around and had a couple of beers, then headed out to find dinner. We left too late, and the buses weren’t running, so we actually walked most of the way into town – and she lives way out the north-west end of the city, actually off my city map. I wished I hadn’t worn heels.
We wound up back at El Jardín somehow, eating Domino’s pizza for dinner. Then we headed to Tonic, the club Liz told us about, arriving at about 9:30. It was raining by that time, and then we learned that the club doesn’t even open until 10:10, and even then they don’t let everyone in. So we hung around under a little tent waiting for Liz, who eventually showed up at 10:30. By that time I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed, and Marie and Braulio agreed with me. We went in for a little while, though, just to try it out. The two of them woke up, but I didn’t, so I left just a little past midnight, hailing another taxi and getting lucky that the driver was of the normal variety.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Photos, Attempt 2
Today has been pretty quiet. I haven´t been getting enough sleep, so instead of going wandering around after school, I went home, had lunch with Lucía and Meri, and took a nap. The one exciting thing that happened today is that I had a really good conversation with Lucía over lunch, with only a couple of those moments where I waved my hands uselessly without words.
Now that it´s not after dark and getting close to dinner time, I´m going to try the photos again. As much as I´d like to post them so they actually show up here, Blogger doesn´t seem too fond of that idea, so I´ll just post links.
My garden:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1138.jpg
El Mall la Espiral:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1213.jpg
El Club Las Arrayanes:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1176.jpg
Also in the club:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1177.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1187.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1190.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1191.jpg
Braulio, me, and Marie at school:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1204.jpg
Clouds over Pichincha:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1207.jpg
My room:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1214.jpg
My garden from my balcony:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1221.jpg
I also have pictures from the Museo de Guayasamín, but since they're not all uploaded yet, those will be in a different post.
Now that it´s not after dark and getting close to dinner time, I´m going to try the photos again. As much as I´d like to post them so they actually show up here, Blogger doesn´t seem too fond of that idea, so I´ll just post links.
My garden:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1138.jpg
El Mall la Espiral:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1213.jpg
El Club Las Arrayanes:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1176.jpg
Also in the club:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1177.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1187.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1190.jpg
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1191.jpg
Braulio, me, and Marie at school:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1204.jpg
Clouds over Pichincha:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1207.jpg
My room:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1214.jpg
My garden from my balcony:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh276/keskipper/100_1221.jpg
I also have pictures from the Museo de Guayasamín, but since they're not all uploaded yet, those will be in a different post.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Photos
Hey all! Thanks for the comments you´ve left me. I realized I had my settings set to prevent non-members of Blogger from commenting; I´ve now fixed that. Anyway, nothing too spectacular has happened the last two days. More classes, more exploring the city with the other three Keene-staters. We went to Marie´s house today, which is way out on the edge of the city, and had a picnic in her backyard with chips and beer. We also went to the Museo de Guayasamín. This didn´t strike me as particularly interesting until I walked into the art exhibit and realized I had been there before, on my last trip to Quito! I had this sudden epiphany, and I said as much out loud, and got some really weird looks from the other three.
Anyway, what IS exciting is that I´ve finally managed to upload my photos to the ´net. I tried to post them here but they got cropped. I´ll try again when I´ve got a little more time, so check back!
Anyway, what IS exciting is that I´ve finally managed to upload my photos to the ´net. I tried to post them here but they got cropped. I´ll try again when I´ve got a little more time, so check back!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Phone
Just a quick note to let you all know that I have a cell phone now. It´s a prepaid jobber with not too many minutes on it, but I get free incoming calls. So if you would like to give me a holler, pick up your phone and dial 011 593 956 72147. You´re most likely to get me after 9pm my time (east coast time, GMT -5).
Monday January 21st
Hoy empezé mis clases en la universidad, a cuales estaba casi tarde porque mi alarma de reloj se murió.
Whoops, other language.
Today I started my classes at the university, and I was almost late because my alarm clock died. I carefully pressed snooze when it sounded at 7:00am, and was startled to become conscious again at 7:33. I ate a hurried breakfast with Lucía, and then she drove me to school so as to point out the building I needed to be in. It wasn’t the building that was the problem; I already knew the location of the International Language building. But once I was there, I had no idea what room, or even what floor, to be on. I wandered around for a few minutes, hoping I would find it before I was spectacularly late, and I came across what looked like another American student with an Ecuadorian mom.
Hazarding a guess, I asked if they were looking for the Spanish classes, and they said yes, so I tagged along with them. With the help of the mother, we were able to find María Isabel’s office on time.
I have two classes a day for the next two weeks, one language and one culture. They start at 8:30, but I’m out by 12:10, so I still have a good chunk of the day free. Today’s schedule wasn’t usual, though, as we started with our placement exams. There are seven of us American students, four from Keene and three from Oregon. For some reason they felt it necessary to divide us into two different classes, never mind that that gives us a class of four and a class of three. I placed into the advanced class, with Braulio and two of the Oregon students.
After classes, Braulio and I found the cafeteria and got lunch, and while we were sitting outside eating and enjoying the warm, sunny weather, we were joined by Marie and Liz. When we were finished with lunch, Liz and I went to find the US Embassy to register ourselves, but they were closed due to Martin Luther King Day, which all four of us had forgotten about. In the afternoon we had a short orientation with Rocío, the director of International Exchange. She started by asking us how well we understood Spanish, and then did her speech in the slowest, easiest Spanish I’ve ever heard. After several hours of barely keeping up with our two professors, it felt like Rocío was speaking English. I didn’t have to concentrate much harder than I do at home to understand.
Once she had given us enough dire warnings about not going to el Nobar alone and carrying our backpacks on our fronts on buses, we were free to wander the city. Braulio and Liz went off with their parents, and Marie and I headed for the Mall el Jardín. We had a late lunch, really more like British tea, at a nice but inexpensive restaurant in the mall, and then went to Movistar to get me a cell phone. I’m a little behind the times on that one; the other three already had theirs by Sunday. It’s a prepaid phone, which I’m not used to, but I don’t plan on using it all that much anyway.
Marie didn’t like the idea of walking through the city alone, having never been out of the country before, so I went with her back to the school and waited with her until her bus showed up. Then I caught the Ecovia north back toward Jipijapa, but I got off about six stops early. Realizing my mistake, I got on again, and this time got off three stops early. I had forgotten the name of the stop I was supposed to take, and in the interest of not overshooting it, I did the opposite and ended up walking the last mile back home. Not that I really minded; it was a nice walk.
While Lucía and I were eating dinner, Raquel returned from Otavalo, and the three of us sat and ate and talked for an hour. Her Spanish seems to be right about the same level as mine, and the three of us managed to converse pretty efficiently. We only reverted to English a couple of times, and even then it was just long enough for a “What’s this word?”
Whoops, other language.
Today I started my classes at the university, and I was almost late because my alarm clock died. I carefully pressed snooze when it sounded at 7:00am, and was startled to become conscious again at 7:33. I ate a hurried breakfast with Lucía, and then she drove me to school so as to point out the building I needed to be in. It wasn’t the building that was the problem; I already knew the location of the International Language building. But once I was there, I had no idea what room, or even what floor, to be on. I wandered around for a few minutes, hoping I would find it before I was spectacularly late, and I came across what looked like another American student with an Ecuadorian mom.
Hazarding a guess, I asked if they were looking for the Spanish classes, and they said yes, so I tagged along with them. With the help of the mother, we were able to find María Isabel’s office on time.
I have two classes a day for the next two weeks, one language and one culture. They start at 8:30, but I’m out by 12:10, so I still have a good chunk of the day free. Today’s schedule wasn’t usual, though, as we started with our placement exams. There are seven of us American students, four from Keene and three from Oregon. For some reason they felt it necessary to divide us into two different classes, never mind that that gives us a class of four and a class of three. I placed into the advanced class, with Braulio and two of the Oregon students.
After classes, Braulio and I found the cafeteria and got lunch, and while we were sitting outside eating and enjoying the warm, sunny weather, we were joined by Marie and Liz. When we were finished with lunch, Liz and I went to find the US Embassy to register ourselves, but they were closed due to Martin Luther King Day, which all four of us had forgotten about. In the afternoon we had a short orientation with Rocío, the director of International Exchange. She started by asking us how well we understood Spanish, and then did her speech in the slowest, easiest Spanish I’ve ever heard. After several hours of barely keeping up with our two professors, it felt like Rocío was speaking English. I didn’t have to concentrate much harder than I do at home to understand.
Once she had given us enough dire warnings about not going to el Nobar alone and carrying our backpacks on our fronts on buses, we were free to wander the city. Braulio and Liz went off with their parents, and Marie and I headed for the Mall el Jardín. We had a late lunch, really more like British tea, at a nice but inexpensive restaurant in the mall, and then went to Movistar to get me a cell phone. I’m a little behind the times on that one; the other three already had theirs by Sunday. It’s a prepaid phone, which I’m not used to, but I don’t plan on using it all that much anyway.
Marie didn’t like the idea of walking through the city alone, having never been out of the country before, so I went with her back to the school and waited with her until her bus showed up. Then I caught the Ecovia north back toward Jipijapa, but I got off about six stops early. Realizing my mistake, I got on again, and this time got off three stops early. I had forgotten the name of the stop I was supposed to take, and in the interest of not overshooting it, I did the opposite and ended up walking the last mile back home. Not that I really minded; it was a nice walk.
While Lucía and I were eating dinner, Raquel returned from Otavalo, and the three of us sat and ate and talked for an hour. Her Spanish seems to be right about the same level as mine, and the three of us managed to converse pretty efficiently. We only reverted to English a couple of times, and even then it was just long enough for a “What’s this word?”
Sunday January 20th
I slept in again today, and when I got up and went downstairs for breakfast, Lucía’s granddaughter Isabela was here. She’s fifteen but looks as least as old as I do. Lucía tried to tell me where we were going to go, but I didn’t entirely understand. Isabela explained to me that they were talking about a club with pools, and though I at least understood the words of her fluent English, it still didn’t make a whole of sense. I wasn’t worried, though, and just went along with whatever was happening.
The three of us went out to a shopping center on Av. Amazonas so Isabela could get a Munroe piercing. She had had one before, but it came out when she was drinking water and she swallowed it. The guy in the piercing shop, however, said he only did tattoos and to come back tomorrow.
Lucía drove back to her house and picked up her neighbor, whose name I have forgotten despite spending the whole day with her. I want to say it was Estrada, but I’m not entirely sure of that. We drove to the private community where Sylvia, Lucía’s daughter, lives, and dropped off Isabela, and then left Quito and drove into the valley, to Cumbaya. In Cumbaya we went through another private community called La Jacaranda and picked up another of Lucía’s friends, Pelito.
The club she was talking about was another ten or fifteen minutes past Cumbaya, in Puembo. I was told several times that it’s the best private club in Quito and the surrounding area, for members only, and very expensive. To get me in without questions, Lucía told the guard at the gate that I was her daughter, Kati Bermeo.
The place was huge and beautiful, at the top of a mountain. We wandered down to the riding ring to watch the guy who was there jump his horse, and then we walked back up to the main clubhouse. I took lots of pictures out back, where there was part of their golf course with an incredible view of valley and mountains, sun and clouds. The four of us had lunch at the restaurant and then found a deserted dining room upstairs in which to play cards.
I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to learn a card game without English, but I gave it a go anyway, and I was glad I did. They taught me Mexican Rummy (Rumi Mexicano), and I watched the first game and played the next two. They play with real money, but the stakes are very small, so I wasn’t worried. I lost the first game pretty spectacularly, going from two dollars to thirty cents, and I was on the verge of having to bow out of the second game due to lack of coins when I started winning. By the end of the game, I had actually made ninety-five cents, and Lucía had bought two of my American quarters off me because she found them interesting. They teased me that I learned too fast.
By that time it was almost 6:30, so we dropped off Pelito, then Estrada, and then went home. I was about to take a shower when Lucía said she was going to visit Isabela and asked if I would like to go. I said sure, and we went back into the fancy gated community. It was the Ecuadorian version of the Flume in Amherst; huge, fancy houses hidden behind high walls. Lucía’s house is very nice, but I walked into Sylvia’s place making an effort to keep my mouth from hanging open.
We weren’t there long; visitors are frequent in this country, but they never seem to stay more than twenty minutes. Lucía visited with Sylvia, who she told me afterwards is sick with multiple sclerosis, and I went upstairs with Isabela. We watched TV and talked, and I met her older sister María. When we returned to the house, I did finally get my shower – and there was even hot water.
Tomorrow I start classes with my Spanish placement exam at 8:30 am. Lucía’s going to go with me to the school so I can find my classroom, but I’m on my own after that. Wish me luck!
The three of us went out to a shopping center on Av. Amazonas so Isabela could get a Munroe piercing. She had had one before, but it came out when she was drinking water and she swallowed it. The guy in the piercing shop, however, said he only did tattoos and to come back tomorrow.
Lucía drove back to her house and picked up her neighbor, whose name I have forgotten despite spending the whole day with her. I want to say it was Estrada, but I’m not entirely sure of that. We drove to the private community where Sylvia, Lucía’s daughter, lives, and dropped off Isabela, and then left Quito and drove into the valley, to Cumbaya. In Cumbaya we went through another private community called La Jacaranda and picked up another of Lucía’s friends, Pelito.
The club she was talking about was another ten or fifteen minutes past Cumbaya, in Puembo. I was told several times that it’s the best private club in Quito and the surrounding area, for members only, and very expensive. To get me in without questions, Lucía told the guard at the gate that I was her daughter, Kati Bermeo.
The place was huge and beautiful, at the top of a mountain. We wandered down to the riding ring to watch the guy who was there jump his horse, and then we walked back up to the main clubhouse. I took lots of pictures out back, where there was part of their golf course with an incredible view of valley and mountains, sun and clouds. The four of us had lunch at the restaurant and then found a deserted dining room upstairs in which to play cards.
I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to learn a card game without English, but I gave it a go anyway, and I was glad I did. They taught me Mexican Rummy (Rumi Mexicano), and I watched the first game and played the next two. They play with real money, but the stakes are very small, so I wasn’t worried. I lost the first game pretty spectacularly, going from two dollars to thirty cents, and I was on the verge of having to bow out of the second game due to lack of coins when I started winning. By the end of the game, I had actually made ninety-five cents, and Lucía had bought two of my American quarters off me because she found them interesting. They teased me that I learned too fast.
By that time it was almost 6:30, so we dropped off Pelito, then Estrada, and then went home. I was about to take a shower when Lucía said she was going to visit Isabela and asked if I would like to go. I said sure, and we went back into the fancy gated community. It was the Ecuadorian version of the Flume in Amherst; huge, fancy houses hidden behind high walls. Lucía’s house is very nice, but I walked into Sylvia’s place making an effort to keep my mouth from hanging open.
We weren’t there long; visitors are frequent in this country, but they never seem to stay more than twenty minutes. Lucía visited with Sylvia, who she told me afterwards is sick with multiple sclerosis, and I went upstairs with Isabela. We watched TV and talked, and I met her older sister María. When we returned to the house, I did finally get my shower – and there was even hot water.
Tomorrow I start classes with my Spanish placement exam at 8:30 am. Lucía’s going to go with me to the school so I can find my classroom, but I’m on my own after that. Wish me luck!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Exploring Quito
I slept in this morning, at least by Ecuadorian standards. Ten o’clock is still early for me, so I’m going to have to learn to go to bed earlier. After a short struggle to get warm water out of the shower, I finally washed off the travel dirt, then unpacked. Lucía made breakfast (an interesting combination of fruit, coffee, and grilled-cheese sandwich), and then she showed me around.
We took her car along the bus route to the university so that I’ll know where to go come Monday, and then she showed me other major streets and parks. I got thoroughly lost after a while, but at least the school is very easy to find, and the bus ride is only 25 cents. After that I got to experience the local auto mechanic, which is one of those things that seems so small but is different enough to be no end of amusing. They change your oil while you wait in the car, then wash it, engine included. Then they dry the car, clean the windows, and vacuum the inside…and all of this for $18!
I’m understand a lot more of the language I heard than I was afraid I would. I had imagined being practically unable to communicate, wandering around completely lost and frustrated, but that thankfully has not been the case yet. Sometimes I have to ask Lucía to explain a word or a concept differently, but in the end she always manages to make me understand.
I’ve learned more about her today, because we chatted for a while over breakfast. She has two sons, both married with children nearly my age, and a daughter who is a diplomat. One of the sons is a computer engineer and I think the other is a bank manager. She’s originally from Guayaquil, but married a man from Quito, which is why she lives here now. Her husband died three years ago – I didn’t catch the reason – but from what I gather, she’s almost never alone here. Her maid works Monday to Friday, and she always has exchange students. She says most of the students are from Belgium, but she’s also hosted people from Germany, Austria, England, the US, Japan, and Holland. I think I’ll get to meet Raquel, the girl from Colorado, on Monday.
When we got back to the house, Lucía made lunch, and explained to me that lunch is the largest meal of the day here, unlike in the US, where it’s usually dinner. She makes her own ají, a hot sauce that is wonderful on pretty much anything. It contains “canchos,” something whose equivalent I didn’t manage to come up with in English, but they’re sort of a cross between lentils and chickpeas, or maybe lima beans.
After lunch I took a nap, and then the two of us went for a walk around town. Many of the shops were closed because it’s Saturday, but not all. Now I know how to find the internet spots (I can’t use my own computer, but at least the use of theirs is cheap), clothing stores and bakeries and restaurants. Lucía suggested that us four students and our families go to La Mariscal tonight, a tourist district that apparently parties on Saturday nights, but Marie isn’t feeling well. Braulio’s mom said he would call us later, though, so we might still go.
Since I got the internet card to work on my computer last night, Lucía asked me to get it to work on hers as well. She doesn’t know a lot about computers, and to makes things worse, her operating system is in English, which she doesn’t speak at all. So I have become the bilingual tech support. I got her internet working and ran a standard cleanup on her machine to try to make it faster. I’m a geek no matter where I go!
Her grandson Pablo Javier came over with two of his friends a few minutes ago. I thought they might be staying for dinner, but they’re on their way out. He seems nice, but I can’t understand his friends, who speak Spanish as fast and as slurred as I speak English.
I did find a place from which I can make calls to the US at .09 a minute, so I will probably wander down tomorrow and put it to use. I can also use the computers in the internet stores for calls and web chat, and I bet I can upload my photos that way, too, since I brought my thumb drive. Then I can post them in the blog and you can all see where I am!
We took her car along the bus route to the university so that I’ll know where to go come Monday, and then she showed me other major streets and parks. I got thoroughly lost after a while, but at least the school is very easy to find, and the bus ride is only 25 cents. After that I got to experience the local auto mechanic, which is one of those things that seems so small but is different enough to be no end of amusing. They change your oil while you wait in the car, then wash it, engine included. Then they dry the car, clean the windows, and vacuum the inside…and all of this for $18!
I’m understand a lot more of the language I heard than I was afraid I would. I had imagined being practically unable to communicate, wandering around completely lost and frustrated, but that thankfully has not been the case yet. Sometimes I have to ask Lucía to explain a word or a concept differently, but in the end she always manages to make me understand.
I’ve learned more about her today, because we chatted for a while over breakfast. She has two sons, both married with children nearly my age, and a daughter who is a diplomat. One of the sons is a computer engineer and I think the other is a bank manager. She’s originally from Guayaquil, but married a man from Quito, which is why she lives here now. Her husband died three years ago – I didn’t catch the reason – but from what I gather, she’s almost never alone here. Her maid works Monday to Friday, and she always has exchange students. She says most of the students are from Belgium, but she’s also hosted people from Germany, Austria, England, the US, Japan, and Holland. I think I’ll get to meet Raquel, the girl from Colorado, on Monday.
When we got back to the house, Lucía made lunch, and explained to me that lunch is the largest meal of the day here, unlike in the US, where it’s usually dinner. She makes her own ají, a hot sauce that is wonderful on pretty much anything. It contains “canchos,” something whose equivalent I didn’t manage to come up with in English, but they’re sort of a cross between lentils and chickpeas, or maybe lima beans.
After lunch I took a nap, and then the two of us went for a walk around town. Many of the shops were closed because it’s Saturday, but not all. Now I know how to find the internet spots (I can’t use my own computer, but at least the use of theirs is cheap), clothing stores and bakeries and restaurants. Lucía suggested that us four students and our families go to La Mariscal tonight, a tourist district that apparently parties on Saturday nights, but Marie isn’t feeling well. Braulio’s mom said he would call us later, though, so we might still go.
Since I got the internet card to work on my computer last night, Lucía asked me to get it to work on hers as well. She doesn’t know a lot about computers, and to makes things worse, her operating system is in English, which she doesn’t speak at all. So I have become the bilingual tech support. I got her internet working and ran a standard cleanup on her machine to try to make it faster. I’m a geek no matter where I go!
Her grandson Pablo Javier came over with two of his friends a few minutes ago. I thought they might be staying for dinner, but they’re on their way out. He seems nice, but I can’t understand his friends, who speak Spanish as fast and as slurred as I speak English.
I did find a place from which I can make calls to the US at .09 a minute, so I will probably wander down tomorrow and put it to use. I can also use the computers in the internet stores for calls and web chat, and I bet I can upload my photos that way, too, since I brought my thumb drive. Then I can post them in the blog and you can all see where I am!
Arrival
Now that I’m no longer panicking about trying to avoid panic back home, I can actually take the time to write something a little more detailed than “I’m here, yay!”
Mom and I arrived at Logan airport at about 8 o’clock this morning. I waved goodbye as I went through security and she took off…and then they found my Swiss Army knife in my backpack. I thought I had left it in my room, but apparently it had fallen to the depths of my bag. She told me I could check my backpack (not a chance) or mail it to myself. I decided to go back out and use the self-mailer, but I couldn’t figure it out, and the staff member I asked was so utterly unhelpful I wondered if she’d ever been in an airport before that day. Frustrated and anxious to get to my gate, I gave up and chucked the knife in the garbage. Already annoyed, I was more so when I had to go through security a second time.
I reached my gate by about 8:30, but the flight was late getting in and late taking off, and thus nearly an hour late arriving in Houston. I was grateful to have a long layover, because I was still able to get lunch and have plenty of time to board the next flight. I was standing in line for boarding call and listening to a girl behind me talk about how her pants nearly fell down when security made her take her belt off. Amused, I turned around to get a look at her belt, and realized it was Marie…and Braulio and Liz. When I realized that Braulio had been sitting in front of me on the last flight because I recognized the pattern of his shirt, I felt immensely unobservant, and we all had a laugh.
The flight from Houston to Quito was on time and uneventful. The four of us disembarked and went through immigration and customs together, then walked out into the waiting area, where we were forcefully parted with our luggage tags. I found a woman holding a sign that said, “Katherine Skipper, Bienvenidos!” She gave me a hug and a kiss and a bouquet of flowers, and we walked out to her car. While she paid the parking fee, I dug out the Spanish book mom got me for Christmas, that I had been reading on the plane. I wanted to tell her that I was excited, but “excitada” is not the word to use for simply looking forward to something, and I couldn’t remember the right one.
I did eventually find it, and we chatted while she drove to her house. I understood the vast majority of what she said and was able to make my replies understood as well, which felt really good. It felt even better when she told me my Spanish was good!
We arrived at her house, which is tucked behind a gate on the corner of a block, covered in pretty wrought iron and vines. It looks small from the outside, but is surprisingly spacious once you’re in. She lives alone with one “employee” (I’m guessing a maid-type), and another exchange student. The other student is from Colorado but is leaving in five days. I haven’t gotten to meet him or her yet.
I tried to call home, but my calling card didn’t work, and I didn’t understand the error. My cell phone of course will neither call nor text, though I did try. No one was signed into Skype, and no one I had agreed to call was signed into AIM either. There’s no broadband connection in the house; the only way to get internet is to buy a card ($5 for 16 hours) and dial up. Apparently there is free WiFi at the school, though, so I should be able to do things that require a lot of bandwidth during the day if I need to. Lucía is going to take me to campus tomorrow and show me around so I know where I’m going. I did finally manage to get on MSN and find Craig, and had him call home for me so that mom wouldn’t worry. Sorry to wake you up at that hour, mom!
Anyway, I’m going to try and post this now before my internet card runs out. I only have a two-hour one right now, and I forget what time I signed in. Will update again when possible!
Mom and I arrived at Logan airport at about 8 o’clock this morning. I waved goodbye as I went through security and she took off…and then they found my Swiss Army knife in my backpack. I thought I had left it in my room, but apparently it had fallen to the depths of my bag. She told me I could check my backpack (not a chance) or mail it to myself. I decided to go back out and use the self-mailer, but I couldn’t figure it out, and the staff member I asked was so utterly unhelpful I wondered if she’d ever been in an airport before that day. Frustrated and anxious to get to my gate, I gave up and chucked the knife in the garbage. Already annoyed, I was more so when I had to go through security a second time.
I reached my gate by about 8:30, but the flight was late getting in and late taking off, and thus nearly an hour late arriving in Houston. I was grateful to have a long layover, because I was still able to get lunch and have plenty of time to board the next flight. I was standing in line for boarding call and listening to a girl behind me talk about how her pants nearly fell down when security made her take her belt off. Amused, I turned around to get a look at her belt, and realized it was Marie…and Braulio and Liz. When I realized that Braulio had been sitting in front of me on the last flight because I recognized the pattern of his shirt, I felt immensely unobservant, and we all had a laugh.
The flight from Houston to Quito was on time and uneventful. The four of us disembarked and went through immigration and customs together, then walked out into the waiting area, where we were forcefully parted with our luggage tags. I found a woman holding a sign that said, “Katherine Skipper, Bienvenidos!” She gave me a hug and a kiss and a bouquet of flowers, and we walked out to her car. While she paid the parking fee, I dug out the Spanish book mom got me for Christmas, that I had been reading on the plane. I wanted to tell her that I was excited, but “excitada” is not the word to use for simply looking forward to something, and I couldn’t remember the right one.
I did eventually find it, and we chatted while she drove to her house. I understood the vast majority of what she said and was able to make my replies understood as well, which felt really good. It felt even better when she told me my Spanish was good!
We arrived at her house, which is tucked behind a gate on the corner of a block, covered in pretty wrought iron and vines. It looks small from the outside, but is surprisingly spacious once you’re in. She lives alone with one “employee” (I’m guessing a maid-type), and another exchange student. The other student is from Colorado but is leaving in five days. I haven’t gotten to meet him or her yet.
I tried to call home, but my calling card didn’t work, and I didn’t understand the error. My cell phone of course will neither call nor text, though I did try. No one was signed into Skype, and no one I had agreed to call was signed into AIM either. There’s no broadband connection in the house; the only way to get internet is to buy a card ($5 for 16 hours) and dial up. Apparently there is free WiFi at the school, though, so I should be able to do things that require a lot of bandwidth during the day if I need to. Lucía is going to take me to campus tomorrow and show me around so I know where I’m going. I did finally manage to get on MSN and find Craig, and had him call home for me so that mom wouldn’t worry. Sorry to wake you up at that hour, mom!
Anyway, I’m going to try and post this now before my internet card runs out. I only have a two-hour one right now, and I forget what time I signed in. Will update again when possible!
I Am Here!
I'm sorry to everyone I agreed to call or text tonight, but I have almost no connection to the outside world. There's no way for me to make phone calls right now and the only messenger I can sign into is AIM. But the important thing is I am here and settled in and safe! I hope you all check this before you start freaking out and worrying about me. If you do see this, please spread the word that I'm fine - I agreed to call/text Mom, Craig, and Alex. I will try to pop this stupid bubble of isolation tomorrow.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Contact Info
I'm making the bold assumption that some of you back home may actually want to contact me. Crazy, I know. So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to put some of the following to use so I don't get too lonely!
IM me!
AIM screen name: AceExMachina
MSN address: spacedoutrocker6936@hotmail.com
Email me!
kskipper@ksc.mailcruiser.com
Skype me!
Download and install Skype (http://www.skype.com/) to be able to make free phone calls to me. My Skype name is Katherine Skipper, or you can search my username: kskipper88.
Send me snail mail (for those who still know what it is)!
Katherine Skipper
c/o Mancero
París # 747 y Luis Pasteur
Jipijapa, Quito
ECUADOR
IM me!
AIM screen name: AceExMachina
MSN address: spacedoutrocker6936@hotmail.com
Email me!
kskipper@ksc.mailcruiser.com
Skype me!
Download and install Skype (http://www.skype.com/) to be able to make free phone calls to me. My Skype name is Katherine Skipper, or you can search my username: kskipper88.
Send me snail mail (for those who still know what it is)!
Katherine Skipper
c/o Mancero
París # 747 y Luis Pasteur
Jipijapa, Quito
ECUADOR
Friday, January 11, 2008
Host Family
I finally found out this afternoon who my host family is going to be, although I still don't know a lot about it. If I'm reading the information right, I'm staying with a single woman named Lucia Mancero, in Jipijapa. Along with her address was a note saying that I should send her an introductory email, so I will probably do that later tonight.
...I have also just discovered that blogger doesn't allow me to type special characters like accents. Given the language of the country I'm going to be in, that could be rather annoying. Lucia is supposed to have an accent over the i, after all.
...I have also just discovered that blogger doesn't allow me to type special characters like accents. Given the language of the country I'm going to be in, that could be rather annoying. Lucia is supposed to have an accent over the i, after all.
Introduction
I think every blog I've ever had has started with a post called "Introduction." Unimaginative it may be, but I can't think of anything more appropriate.
Anyway, this is to be the blog of my adventures in Quito, Ecuador, where I am spending the spring semester of 2008! I'm leaving on Friday the 18th, in just eight days, and I'm going crazy preparing. I went to Needham, MA yesterday and got my visa from the Ecuadorian Consulate. I was pleasantly surprised to find it $150 cheaper than I had expected.
I'm trying to simultaneously clean, organize, and dejunk my room, pack for my trip, and pack my room enough that it can be moved should mom manage to sell the house while I'm gone. This is just as huge and irritating a process as it sounds, but I'm actually doing all right with it.
I probably won't have much to say here until I'm actually in Quito, but then I hope to be updating fairly frequently, so check back often. And keep in mind that I love comment candy!
Anyway, this is to be the blog of my adventures in Quito, Ecuador, where I am spending the spring semester of 2008! I'm leaving on Friday the 18th, in just eight days, and I'm going crazy preparing. I went to Needham, MA yesterday and got my visa from the Ecuadorian Consulate. I was pleasantly surprised to find it $150 cheaper than I had expected.
I'm trying to simultaneously clean, organize, and dejunk my room, pack for my trip, and pack my room enough that it can be moved should mom manage to sell the house while I'm gone. This is just as huge and irritating a process as it sounds, but I'm actually doing all right with it.
I probably won't have much to say here until I'm actually in Quito, but then I hope to be updating fairly frequently, so check back often. And keep in mind that I love comment candy!
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