Baños y el loco

Viernes 7/25-Domingo 7/27

We took a weekend trip to Baños today, a lush vacation spot popular to both Gringos and local Ecuadorians. It is located in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by mountains, trees, and waterfalls. There are so many things to do here, including mountain biking, kayaking, white-water rafting, canyoning, puenting (bridge-jumping), thermal springs, massages, horseback riding, jungle touring, hiking, motorcycling, volcano-watching, etc. What more can you ask for?! It’s paradise.

For 5$, we rented mountain bikes to begin our descent to Puyo. It was sprinkling out, but that only made our ride that much more enticing and thrilling. The ride was mostly downhill, so it wasn’t too strenuous. The only scary part was biking through a pitch-black tunnel with semi’s zooming past you at 55mph. The descent was one of the most beautiful and exciting (and dirty) rides I’ve ever been on. We biked through dirt paths, cement, main roads, back roads, through towns and villages, jungles, waterfalls, huge puddles, tunnels, and hiked through the jungles for delicious empanadas de choclo. I noticed that many Ecuadorian women like to wear heels…everywhere. My feet started hurting just watching them.

Good food and good company:

Not the smartest thing to do:

Why?!?! No entiendo!

Descending for empanadas!

Cascadas en la selva:

The tunnel that we biked through earlier:

Un loco threatened to beat all 7 of us (2 local Ecuadorians, 4 ½ Gringos) today when Eliah stared him down after the loco grabbed Jocelyn’s behind. We had just gotten a couple cheap bottles of Zharmin and manzana soda, and then this loco threatened to punch our teeth out and beat us up, telling us he is the “Diablo” or devil. We continued walking, and a moment later he came charging towards us with his fists up. I had my thumb firmly pressed against the pepper switch. We saw a random door leading to someone’s kitchen/house, and ran into it. The people in the house were probably really confused watching 7 foreigners (well, 2 locals, 4 ½ Gringos) bombard into their house around 9 o’clock at night. The father headed out to scan the situation, along with his little kids, of course. The loco acted as if they were his best friends, shook the little kids’ hands, and then headed out. Maybe he just didn’t like Gringos? 20 min later, he came marching back with another family. We moved from the street corner to the snack shop across the street, and stayed there trying to blend in with the other Ecuadorian families (who probably thought we were all locos). We knew we are safe with the Ecuadorian babies protecting us. Next time pepper, next time.

We ended our weekend excursion with Dark Knight. If you haven't already, GO SEE IT. You'll actually be in Gotham for the full 2 hours and 30 minutes).

Coco note

Jueves 7/24

Lesson of the day: use a drill to extract coconut juice from a coconut

(My memory stick adapter got stolen, along with my favorite 3$ sunglasses, so pictures may be delayed for a few days. Lo siento!)

the Ecuadorian mindset

Miercoles 7/16

So Dunc’s padre, Cristobal, was held up by gun point today by the panaderia shop close by our casas. Awesome. And apparently, it may be dangerous to take a taxi alone porque there have been cases when girls traveling alone have been drugged by taxi drivers, then violated and robbed.

On a lighter note, we went to the cultural museum today and checked out some really amazing art, classical and modern. I’m not an art expert, but I enjoy and appreciate it mucho. My favorites were “la Apercicion,” “la Sed”, y “Desolicion.”

Random note: buses never actually really “stop.” They “roll,” and people jump off and jump on them whenever they want. They also like to change routes, so you never really know where you’ll end up. It’s a good thing I inherently have amazing spatial orientation skills. HA.HA.

Lunes 7/17

I learned the past tense (preterit) today. It was like a whole new world opened for me.

Seth, Holly and I visited Alinambi today (poor Joc was sick, and Eliah and Dunc went to meet with a microfinance contact), the school/clinic where we will be holding a lot of our programs, and where I’ll be spending most of my time working. Alinambi is located in the valley close to Conocoto, and houses about 30 or so children that come from impoverished backgrounds, with about 180 (double check) or so, grades 1^st-8^th, that attend school here on a daily basis. We met with the owner of Alinambi, who outlined the history, vision, and objectives of Alinambi. It took painstaking effort to take apart his sentences...the most I got out of his speech was that Alinambi had no biases, and was open to people of all social, cultural, religious, political, and economic backgrounds. We got a tour of the school, which consisted of colorful buildings in a square-like arrangement surrounding a grassy field for recreation aka futbol. There was a classroom area, the clinic, dormitory space, a greenhouse, a small playground, and the administration office. We met a few of the kids there, really sweet and witty. Two of them, Merienda and Brian, were somehow really fascinated that I was from China, and made me speak/write to them in Chinese. Mark tells me everyone will be calling me “Chino” here. Well at least they think I look Chinese contrary to the Chinese-speaking couple at Bogota (whom I am really hoping will find their way back to China knowing only how to say “hola”).

Every time I look at the kids, a big smile is planted on their faces. Such a simple life, yet so much more rewarding. The kids help the adults paint and clean the houses, without one word of complaint. I’m thinking back to the kids in middle-class Northern American society with their Wi’s, ipods, iphones, and PCs…what a dichotomy.

There’s only 1 doctor, Julia, the owner’s daughter, who works on site, along with a dentist that comes in once a week. We’ll be working with her to coordinate the clinic’s needs with our resources in attempts to meet their wishes. More to come. Can’t wait to start!

Holly and I went back to my place afterwards (took a bus all on our own!) and had an amazing yogur con pan de yuca y helado at mi madre’s prima’s little snack/restaurant. Delicious. And luck had it, MTV was on, so we mindlessly watched “Engaged and Underaged” (there really are no limits to reality television anymore). I think we both lost a piece of our minds and sanities in those 30 minutes.

Viernes 7/18

El telefériQo/Volcán Pichincha. Almost 4800m. Never had my hemoglobin worked so hard in my life. ¡Qué increíble! The views were absolutely spectacular. I felt like I was floating amidst the clouds. The magnificent mountains atop the colorful, tranquil city floating among the clouds, made me feel like I just dove into a children’s storybook. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire 3 hours we were there.

We attempted to climb to the top of the Pichincha (on average, takes 3 hours roundtrip to climb to the top after taking the Teleferiqo). We started late, so decided it was best to try another day. Instead, we took a nap halfway to the summit. Felt really, really good.

Apparently, there was a serial robber/rapist that wanders the Pichincha scavenging for climbers. Fortunately, he was just caught a few weeks (or months?) ago. I propose we all get chastity belts loaded with ammunition, embedded with ladrón-sensitive radar detection.

Climbing this mountain definitely made the commute to school a whole lot easier. Afterwards, we went to a sushi restaurant (yes, 4-5$ sushi is expensive with my Ecuadorian mindset) and a “Beatle’s Bar.” Entonces chilled at Mark’s place playing “turrets” (thanks Jocelyn) and “that’s what she said.” Don’t ask. Dunquito = turrets champion. I also discovered a whole new meaning to my name according to urban dictionary.

Sabado 7/19

We spent 2 hours playing on a snail today. Brought me back to the good-ol’ CTC times (St. Paul shout-out). Really can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I got a hat for $2.50 (non-Gringo price!). Thank you China for my bargaining skillz.

Domingo 7/20

Guayasamin = one of my new favorite artists. Google him. He is absolutely fantastic. At first I wasn’t thoroughly impressed, but once I learned the deeper meanings behind each painting, and studied them more meticulously, I began to appreciate them one-by-one, more and more. I was hooked. Every painting told its own story—socio-economic, political, religious, moral, personal struggles…you name it. The amount of imagery, symbolism, and detail in each painting was mesmerizing. “respeK”

Martes 7/22/08

Personal record: 5 cups coffee in less than an hour

I learned to not carry bills over 10$. 10$ is even a stretch. Every time anyone uses a 5$ bill, people will check them under the light (you’ll see three clear “5s” to the left side of Lincoln’s face if it’s real) to confirm its authenticity. That’s how much worth a 5$ bill is. We are already arguing over dimes and quarters (por ejemplo I was in debt for 55 cents, then down to 20 cents, but I paid Holly back, so I think now she owes me like 10 cents). Every cent counts. People here live by the quarter (can get you one or two delicious panes, or bread, or a ride to the other side of Quito). It’s already starting to get tough imagining life back in the States…

Uno dos tres…cinco seis siete!

Martes, 7/15/08

I learned how to SALSA today!!! Oh man, I love it. Definitely hitting up some salsa clubs in the nearby future. Shakira’s got nothin’ on these hips.

On a more serious note, one of our PDs, Dunc, got mugged today in broad daylight (around 5pm or so) while walking home from school. We shouldn’t have let him walk alone. He was cornered by two men, who pushed him against the wall and took all his money (about $150—which would have lasted a LONG time here in Quito, no joke). Risk management is a huge issue here. Quito is a very dangerous city, especially at night. Pickpocketing is so common that all but 1-2 of the Manna’s here haven’t been pickpocketed or robbed. I’ve heard so many horror stories, kinda scares me. But if anyone tries to lay a hand on me or my friends, I’ll pepper the living crap out of them, and that’s no joke either. No more walking alone anymore, even if it’s only 1-2 blocks. Some parts of Quito, especially Mariscol (an area where most “Gringos” hang out), is notorious for robberies and muggings. Some people have been stabbed and held at gun point, others were lucky to just get a few dollars taken. But we all have to take extra precautions here. Hopefully the pepper spray will be our last resort.

El primer dia de la clase de espanol

Lunes, 7/14/08

Today was my first day of Spanish class! Me gusta mucho mi profesora, Jenny. I didn’t realize how rusty my Spanish was. (Gracias Consagra haha). By the end of the intense 4-hour lesson, I had 6 pages of my notebook filled with new vocab. (Many of them basic verbs like dar and hacer…that is where my level is at right now). But I think I can improve quickly. One of the other people living with me, Michelle, a 27-year old Swiss teacher who has been traveling the world with her boyfriend since January, came to Ecuador with no Spanish background. But after taking only 2 weeks of Spanish, she has already been able to hold full conversations with our families...gives me hope! We will see. Maybe one day I’ll have to think in Spanish and translate Spanish words into English. That will be my goal.

After class, the other Manna’s and I went through a training session, which will be ongoing for the next 3 weeks. Entonces, we hung out at Mark’s apartment close by our Spanish school, called la escuela de Guayasamin (Guayasamin was one of the most famous Ecuadorian painters). Jenny told me to put azucar (sugar) on top of my lips and lick my tongue over it back and forth for cinco minutos every night before bed, in order to help my pronunciation (I can’t roll my R’s). Hmm, we’ll see how that goes. Everyone seems to think this is a huge joke and makes fun of me. But I’ll show them. RRrrrrrrr

Day 2: Visits to Sangolqui, San Francisco y Conocoto

Domingo, 7/13/08

I am getting quite familiar with the kids very quickly. The younger one, Daysi, has already started teasing me (ie, tripping me, tickling me, etc.). We will get along perfectly. Alexandra and I even played “bubbles” for an hour last night. I really don’t know how I managed to blow bubbles for a whole hour, pero es posible.

The Manna’s and I went to Sangolqui, a local Quito market. Now this is what you call “hustle-n-bustle.” You must hold your stuff close, or else your things will somehow disappear one-by-one. These Ecuadorians are very sneaky and very experienced…many of us have found out the hard way. (Almost all of our coworkers have been pickpocketed, mugged, or robbed at least once. One got held up by knifepoint.) Never have I ever seen so many exotic fruits, vegetables, carne, and PEOPLE (not including Shanghai)—I cannot wait to try all these different types of foods. The coconut milk, oh wow, the coconut milk, is orgasmic—for 25 cents a cup. Trust me, it’s worth every cent. I am definitely coming back here. I do want to try the guinea pig and pig testicles.

After Sangloquil, we took the bus (most common place to get pickpocketed) to San Francisco, a rural town just South of Quito where we will be holding our after-school programs for the children. Definitely a 180 from the hustle-bustle city of Quito. At this point, I still felt like I was in a dream, not sure how or when to wake up. The bus system is very, very confusing. Many times, it will stop in random places not enroute, and will take unexpected detours. You really have no idea where you’ll end up, unless you have a decent grasp of Spanish. Really gotta step my game up.

San Francisco. Definitely not the San Francisco I know from Cali. Donde estamos?! Sand, dust, some beaten-down houses, stray dogs, and occasional kids juggling a soccer ball. The mountains in the horizon make the scene seem even more surreal. As we approach our program site, a small boy runs towards us, his dog scurrying behind him.

“Hola jeffe hola!!!” He jumps into Seth’s arms, like he is being reunited with his family. He will be one of the poverty-stricken children we will be working with. We are basically his family. I look around me. Everything is so basic and simple—the houses, the trees, the clothes, the classrooms, the playgrounds…I see no signs of “civilization” except an occasional truck roaming the streets. Yet, everyone greets us with smiling faces and a friendly “buenas tardes.” Kids play futbol on the desolate streets (most are as good as or even better than the soccer players in my college—no kidding. Send some scouts over. I’m keeping my eyes open.), men chat on the street curbs, and daughters help their mothers with household chores. What a dichotomy in comparison to the corporate world. This is all these kids and their communities have ever seen, and frankly, a part of me is relieved that they haven’t been exposed and corrupted by commercial materialism.

We loaded a truck full of stuff from last years’ programs (book shelves, folders, books, etc.) and bounced over to Conocoto, where the Manna house is located.

I can’t really complain. In tres semanas, I will be moving into a 6-bedroom house, equipped with a full kitchen, 2 atriums, a room with just hammocks (with sky view), 2 living rooms, 3 bathrooms, and a rooftop with breathtaking 360 views of the mountains and Quito. And we’re only paying 300$/month…for the entire house. Not a really bad deal. I met the rest of the MPI crew: Zac, Craig, Luke, and Annie, and a few summer volunteers. Everyone was very sweet, very accommodating and divertidos. We spent the afternoon barbecuing old fashioned American food (burgers, deviled eggs, barbecue chicken, potato salad, etc.), then headed over to the local park to play whiffle ball and fútbol. Many of the the local kids riding their bikes stopped by to watch; a couple joined us (and whooped us, unsurprisingly). Most of the locals know who we are, as we have built a positive reputation over the past year. Hope we won’t let them down in the years to come. The community makes me feel so much like home; everyone is so warm to us, very welcoming, and open to let us into their culture, and vice versa. I’m really excited to start programs in August, but first, gotta get my Spanish goin. Can’t wait for Spanish class tomorrow!

Hasta pronto,

Serenita

Quito: Day 1

Sabado, 7/12/08

Wow. That’s about all I can say for my first day in this beautiful city. I’m obsessed with my host family—they make this place feel like home. I live with a mother, Mary, the father, Nixon, and two adorable children, Alexandra (12 yrs) and Daysi (11 yrs). I’m forced to speak Spanish, and I feel bad because all I can say (besides si and bueno, which has not taken me very far) are basically “tengo veinte y dos anos,” “me llamo Serena,” “gracias,” and “me gustan los perros.” I have never had to rely on body language so much before in my life, but I’m gradually picking the language up after hearing it 24/7. The family owns a small gym downstairs, and a cute little restaurant/snack bar upstairs. There are stray dogs literally everywhere—many of them knocked up. The family has a hyperactive boxer appropriately named “Shakira” that lives on the roof.

La ciudad de Quito has one of the highest altitudes in the world, so acclimating may take a few days/weeks. I met with the rest of the Manna group this morning—Jocelyn, Holly, Dunc, and Eliah—the other four Program Directors that I will be working with. The rest of the group, Mark, Seth, Craig, Annie, Zac, and Luke, will be training us for the next few weeks to get us ready for work in August/September. Mark and Seth will be staying an extra year with us. Everyone is so simpatico, cool, laid-back, humorous, low-maintenace, and adventurous. I am so thankful to be working with such a fun and passionate group. We all cliqued immediately. It’s the Real World without the lame people, superficial materialism, and petty drama.

I will be living with my host family for the next 3 weeks and receiving intense 1-on-1 Spanish lessons as well as Manna training sessions before moving into the Manna house located in Conocoto, which is a 30-40 min bus ride away (30 cents) South of Quito. We will be visiting the house tomorrow. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for Spanish lessons before in my life.

A mi me encanta Quito so far! (Be prepared for the Spanglish… or maybe even Chinspanglish). Holy hombre. Las calles kind of remind me of San Francisco—they practically run vertically up and down, and like China, pedestrians never have right-of-way. My thigh muscles are definitely feeling it after lunging up the 70 degree hills every morning, but I’ll need the extra exercise on top of the pounds and pounds of pan, rice, empanadas, beans, phe city comes alive as soon as the sun comes out, ollo, plantains y pig skin fat I am inhaling every 1-2 hours. The view is breathtaking. Every morning, after being awoken by canine mating calls and local bus patrollers, I am greeted by a 360 degree view of vast mountains that seems to come right out of a painting: oil on canvas. It is so surreal. Taround 6am. Pigeons don’t even flinch when you run towards them.

We explored a few typically famous touristy sites today: la Basilica (an antique, HUGE castle-like church that was never finished due to some sort of curse--please see slide show), la Plaza Grande, la Plaza Roch y la Ronda. La Basilica was definitely my favorite. Talk about breathtaking, in the most literal and figurative way. We climbed all the way to the top. (This would never be allowed in the US—way too much liability.) Air is overrated anyway. You can see the entire city from up here—simply fantastico. Of course, I found a perfect view on the top edge of a gargoyle (or maybe it was an iguana), and took in the moment with full force. Not a bad start.

Lunch (almuerzos) was a whopping $1.70 for chicken soup (you never know what part you’re gunna get…ANY part is possible. Always a surprise, and tastes different in every restaurant), rice with avocados, salad, and chicken or beef, plus jugo with some sort of fruit. Not a bad deal (although this was considered expensive). We explored a few more markets and touristy places, the “white” house where the Ecuadorian President Rafael lives, and had some café y te at a cutesy little restaurant in La Plaza Foch.

Ah, so much more to explore. Looking forward to tomorrow…

Hasta manana,

Serena

Bienvenido a Quito!

July 11th, 2008

After 3 layovers, 2 airlines, and 13 hours of gruesome traveling, I finally arrive at my new home bordering the equator. I met a few interesting people along the way—an elderly lady visiting South Carolina from Florida, a 22-year old Colombian native in the Miami-Bogota tire business, an older Ecuadorian couple, and a Chinese couple from Guang Zhou. Once in Fort Lauderdale, I switched airlines from US Airways to Avianca (be careful--you will be charged an extra $25 for having 2 bags if you switch from domestic to international), a South American-based airline. Thus, even in Florida, everyone, and I mean everyone, spoke to me in Espanol. All I did was nod, smile, and respond with enthusiasm, “si, bueno!” It seemed to work 8/10 times. I did not hear one word of Ingles, except for the occasional overhead translation that made sense 3/10 times.

Fortunately, everyone has been so accommodating and amicable—something I am not used to going to school on the East coast. The Colombian man Geff (pronounced “Heyff”) gave me an introductory Spanish lesson on the plane from Fort Lauderdale to Bogota, Columbia, and made sure I got onto my connecting flight without trouble. While waiting at the gate in Colombia, I started feeling awkward, until a group of 40 or so Asian tourists arrived at the gate and crowded around me. I peeked at their passports. They were either from China, Japan, or Korea. A couple with Chinese passports sat across from me, and I started to speak to them. "Ni hao, ni men jiang zhong wen ma?" The lady said I don't look Chinese. I bit my impulsive tongue. They came alone and were here for “travel” around Quito. An Ecuadorian man sitting across from them tried to teach the Chinese lady how to say “buenos dias.” The lady started sounding out each syllable in ping ying, with the speech fluctuations and all: “boo-en-yoes-dee-as.” I chuckled to myself trying not to laugh out loud.

Before I knew it, for the next 30 or so minutes, I became their translator for the Ecuadorian man. The Chinese couple wanted to look for a translator, and was trying to figure out what to do after they got to Quito. I’m really not sure how the hell a Chinese-speaking couple with no English or Spanish speaking skills have been able to make it this far, and what they are going to do once they get to Quito. The lady had a Chinese-Spanish dictionary, which she was flipping through trying to look up the Chinese translation to “hola.”

Of course, on the final ride to Quito, I was put in an emergency exit seat. The flight attendant came by and spoke something to me in Spanish, so I nodded and said “Si, bueno.” Then she repeated the same thing to the men sitting on the same row, and gave us a pamphlet to read and follow while she gave us instructions. I had no idea what was going on, so I just kept smiling and nodding. Luckily, the Ecuadorian man was sitting across from me, and told me that I shouldn’t sit on an emergency exit seat if I couldn’t understand a word the flight attendant was saying to me. I switched seats with a native Spanish-speaker, and just so happened to be placed next to another Chinese couple. "There are no accidents."--Kung Fu Panda

The Ecuadorian man helped me through customs (although customs is a serious joke in Ecuador…) and even carried my bags for me, before making sure I was in safe hands. Before I knew it, Mark (the MPI Ecuador Director) was welcoming me “home”, along with Luke (MPI board member) and my host family, with warm open arms. I think I am going to have plenty to look forward to in the next 13 months…