Yesterday Rosa kept telling me to come home to eat lunch, which sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. She wanted to serve me a special dish, caldo de pata... I was pretty sure that meant cow feet soup. I couldn't turn her down, it's also a rule to try to say yes to most things while studying abroad. So I came home for lunch. It was cow feet. The broth was pretty good, but I struggled with the actual cow foot. The texture was so squishy and it reminded me of very thick glue... I couldn't finish it. I'm all up for chicken feet and fish eyes but cow feet is beyond me.
I really enjoy family dinners. Genesis is usually doing something silly, i.e, eating with her hands and screaming about something. All the while my Ecua-parents enjoy asking me about the United states and Taiwan. Last night we talked about the differences between China, Taiwan, and Japan. We also talk about day-to-day life in the States, such as if Pepsi or Coke is more popular, and what schools are like. Last night we also talked about machismo, Rosa told me that Juan Carlos isn't very machismo because she wouldn't let anyone who was her husband be that way. My Ecua-siblings were joking that their father is a mandarina, which means a man who gets ordered around by women. I thought it was an interesting and insightful discussion to gender relations.
I want to try to help set the table and clean up but it hasn't happened. I tried to wash my dishes a few days ago, Josue told me to leave it and I said no it's okay. So he joked that I can just wash all of them. Then he went to tell Rosa that I was going to wash all of the dishes. I heard her scream, the next thing I know she's in the kitchen telling me to leave the dishes. Juan Carlos always says that I will get sick if I wash the dishes because it's cold and wet... I think they feel like I'm delicate since I was sick for so much of the time that they've known me. Anyway, I'll just have to ease my way into the house chores I guess.
The final count is in, I have over 40 bug bites just on my right foot! When I told Josue he started laughing so hard that he started to cough. Anyway, I hope I remember to spray repellent on my feet this weekend. Also that I don't get bit by anything too crazy. It's sometimes unbelievable, that I can say, "oh I'm going to the Amazon rain forest this weekend, no big deal." Living in Ecuador is pretty awesome.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Mindo y Esmeraldas
Things are getting busy here in Ecuador. This past weekend I went to Mindo, Puerto Quito, and a beach in the coastal province, Esmeraldas.
We left at 10am on Friday for Mindo. On the way we had some delicious bread with chocolate and juice boxes. We first went to a butterfly garden. The butterflies were giant and super friendly! After the butterfly garden we went "tubing" down the river. It felt like extreme rafting on large inflated tires. We had life vests and much needed helmets. To stay on the craft we held on to little rope loops. It was a lot of fun, but not the safest thing ever. We were steered by two men on either end of the craft, they were wearing rain boots and steered with their feet. My feet could not reach the other end of my tire so every time we bounced up my legs would go flying into the air. At one point, we went under and everything was strangely calm. All I could hear was the water. A second later we were above water and all was well.
After Mindo we went to Puerto Quito. The halfway point between Quito and Ecuador's coast. We spent the night there. It was very hot and humid. During the day we walked through a tropical rain forest. We stopped at a waterfall to swim, I was too scared to go under the cave next to the waterfall with everyone. The current was strong just standing, and I'm not confident enough about my swimming skills. Something to work on. After the long walk we made sugar cane juice with orange and lime, delicious! After lunch we went to a cocoa farm, and tasted fresh cocoa seeds. Then we made chocolate! It was a soupy concoction that we ate with small bananas. Yummm.
From Puerto Quito we headed to a beach in the Esmeraldas. On the way there we popped a tire, no big deal. The road conditions were pretty bad. Just about when everyone was falling asleep we would hit a giant pot hole and everyone would be airborne. Once we got to the beach, we hopped in the back of a pick-up truck and drove to our cabins. Our cabins were right on the beach, it felt like we owned that part of the beach for the next day. The food we ate was delicious, and everything was amazingly clean and beautiful. Some of us woke up early on Sunday and swam in the water or went for a walk. I walked for a while and realized that the tiny lines in the sand were the tracks of tiny snails heading towards the ocean. I felt kind of bad since I had been stomping all over them... sorry little guys. Then I got a little philosophical, because when you're walking on an empty beach by yourself it's bound to happen. All the marks on the sand made me think of the marks that people leave during their lifetimes. Some people have the opportunity to leave more marks then others, but in the end as time passes and the tide rises the marks disappear. Some may stay longer than others, maybe I'll be blessed to leave one of those.
Anyway, we all took a walk on the beach after breakfast and it was unreal. It felt post-apocolyptic as one girl pointed out. It felt like our program was the only group of people in the world. We saw tiny crabs running around, apparently they had just hatched. Again, sorry little guys.. we're just going to walk all over you.. may the luckiest and fittest survive. There was also some quick sand. We took a boat around some mangroves. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, swimming, "studying," and relaxing.
On our way back we boarded the same tiny open air boat as before but this time we went through some serious waves. It was actually really scary since no one had life jackets and the boat was tilting a lot. By the end of it I was soaked and feeling quite salty. In retrospect it was fun. We had a strange group of people greet us when we got to shore. One shirtless Ecuadorean holding a sickle yelled "Hello" in Japanese "to the Japanese looking girl." I would be the Japanese looking girl. When I got close to him, he shook my hand using his non-sickle hand and started talking to me in Japanese. I told him I'm not from Japan and he said, "Fake-Ass Japanese!" I would have been more offended if the situation hadn't been so ridiculous.
The bus ride back home took almost 8 hours. It was a little miserable by the end, but we got home safely. When I was walking home 2 usually calm Lumbisi dogs that I always walk past during the day got aggressive and ran at my heels barking angrily. Quite scary, but I just kept walking and once I crossed a certain point they fell back. Apparently the dogs barking alerted Rosa that I was back. I made it through the weekend with less bug bites than I thought I would have. Unfortunately the majority of my bites are on my feet, specifically my right foot. I think I have about 10 bites just on my pinky toe. It looks slightly diseased and it itches terribly. Also I'm slightly sunburned, the combination of bug bites and sunburn is unfortunate.
Pictures should be posted soon to the same February album. I'm going on another trip ( http://tiputini.usfq.edu.ec/) this weekend... a little tiring but it's too late to change my plans. I asked Rosa where I can buy loose fitting long sleeve shirts for the trip and she told me she would take me this morning before classes. Well, before I knew it I was being measured in a small shop in Lumbisi. By "let's go buy shirts," my host mom apparently meant, "let's go get shirts made." Anyway, blogging time might be limited this week. Hope everyone is doing well!
We left at 10am on Friday for Mindo. On the way we had some delicious bread with chocolate and juice boxes. We first went to a butterfly garden. The butterflies were giant and super friendly! After the butterfly garden we went "tubing" down the river. It felt like extreme rafting on large inflated tires. We had life vests and much needed helmets. To stay on the craft we held on to little rope loops. It was a lot of fun, but not the safest thing ever. We were steered by two men on either end of the craft, they were wearing rain boots and steered with their feet. My feet could not reach the other end of my tire so every time we bounced up my legs would go flying into the air. At one point, we went under and everything was strangely calm. All I could hear was the water. A second later we were above water and all was well.
 |
| Giant butterfly on my hand |
 |
| Walking through the forest. Ecua-Pants! |
Anyway, we all took a walk on the beach after breakfast and it was unreal. It felt post-apocolyptic as one girl pointed out. It felt like our program was the only group of people in the world. We saw tiny crabs running around, apparently they had just hatched. Again, sorry little guys.. we're just going to walk all over you.. may the luckiest and fittest survive. There was also some quick sand. We took a boat around some mangroves. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, swimming, "studying," and relaxing.
On our way back we boarded the same tiny open air boat as before but this time we went through some serious waves. It was actually really scary since no one had life jackets and the boat was tilting a lot. By the end of it I was soaked and feeling quite salty. In retrospect it was fun. We had a strange group of people greet us when we got to shore. One shirtless Ecuadorean holding a sickle yelled "Hello" in Japanese "to the Japanese looking girl." I would be the Japanese looking girl. When I got close to him, he shook my hand using his non-sickle hand and started talking to me in Japanese. I told him I'm not from Japan and he said, "Fake-Ass Japanese!" I would have been more offended if the situation hadn't been so ridiculous.
The bus ride back home took almost 8 hours. It was a little miserable by the end, but we got home safely. When I was walking home 2 usually calm Lumbisi dogs that I always walk past during the day got aggressive and ran at my heels barking angrily. Quite scary, but I just kept walking and once I crossed a certain point they fell back. Apparently the dogs barking alerted Rosa that I was back. I made it through the weekend with less bug bites than I thought I would have. Unfortunately the majority of my bites are on my feet, specifically my right foot. I think I have about 10 bites just on my pinky toe. It looks slightly diseased and it itches terribly. Also I'm slightly sunburned, the combination of bug bites and sunburn is unfortunate.
Pictures should be posted soon to the same February album. I'm going on another trip ( http://tiputini.usfq.edu.ec/) this weekend... a little tiring but it's too late to change my plans. I asked Rosa where I can buy loose fitting long sleeve shirts for the trip and she told me she would take me this morning before classes. Well, before I knew it I was being measured in a small shop in Lumbisi. By "let's go buy shirts," my host mom apparently meant, "let's go get shirts made." Anyway, blogging time might be limited this week. Hope everyone is doing well!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Cotidiana
There are small daily things here that I usually forget to blog about because in my mind they don't quite fit into a post (I like write in themes or at least events).
So here they are:
Ecuadoreans kiss each other on the cheek as a form of greeting and saying goodbye. This is something that has sort of become habitual for me, I almost want to kiss my friends' cheeks who are also international students. However, there have been awkward encounters. The first time a girl went in for the kiss on the cheek I realized I had no idea which side I was supposed to lean towards... right or left... a potentially terrible mouth to mouth situation flashed in my mind. But I chose correctly: always go towards the left.
Situation number 2: My host family had two friends visiting. I went out to say hello and kissed them on the cheek. But then when they were leaving they only shook hands with my host parents, no kissing occurred. So the same man came to the house a few days ago and I thought I would just get away with shaking hands. Not quite, he was going for the kiss on the cheek but I was already pulling away so he ended up kissing my head, above my right ear. Woah, I hope my hair didn't smell.
I sleep a lot here. I go to bed at 10pm, sometimes earlier, and I sleep til 7am. I don't know what's up, but I literally cannot stay awake if I'm trying to do homework and it's later than 10pm. One Friday when I stayed out late, I woke up at 8pm (which is considered sleeping in here) and then took a nap after breakfast and another nap after lunch. Rosa joked that I'm going to be una gordita by the time I go home.
I have already twice misjudged the length of my bed and crashed my head into my headboard. It hurt a lot.
I also hit my head on a mystery part of the bus while trying to exit. Riding the buses is probably the most dangerous thing I do on a daily bases. For men, buses don't come to a full stop, and they have to hop on or hop off. Also, to get a bus to stop where you want it to, you stand near the front and repeatedly say gracias. The bus drivers like to go really fast around tight curves. For a good scare I'll look out of my window to stare down sheer cliff as we speed around it. I am so glad there's no black ice in Ecuador.
And finally, not a daily occurrence, but there was a slight earthquake yesterday during dinner. By the way, I will be traveling to the coast this weekend so I won't be posting until next week. Hasta luego!
So here they are:
Ecuadoreans kiss each other on the cheek as a form of greeting and saying goodbye. This is something that has sort of become habitual for me, I almost want to kiss my friends' cheeks who are also international students. However, there have been awkward encounters. The first time a girl went in for the kiss on the cheek I realized I had no idea which side I was supposed to lean towards... right or left... a potentially terrible mouth to mouth situation flashed in my mind. But I chose correctly: always go towards the left.
Situation number 2: My host family had two friends visiting. I went out to say hello and kissed them on the cheek. But then when they were leaving they only shook hands with my host parents, no kissing occurred. So the same man came to the house a few days ago and I thought I would just get away with shaking hands. Not quite, he was going for the kiss on the cheek but I was already pulling away so he ended up kissing my head, above my right ear. Woah, I hope my hair didn't smell.
I sleep a lot here. I go to bed at 10pm, sometimes earlier, and I sleep til 7am. I don't know what's up, but I literally cannot stay awake if I'm trying to do homework and it's later than 10pm. One Friday when I stayed out late, I woke up at 8pm (which is considered sleeping in here) and then took a nap after breakfast and another nap after lunch. Rosa joked that I'm going to be una gordita by the time I go home.
I have already twice misjudged the length of my bed and crashed my head into my headboard. It hurt a lot.
I also hit my head on a mystery part of the bus while trying to exit. Riding the buses is probably the most dangerous thing I do on a daily bases. For men, buses don't come to a full stop, and they have to hop on or hop off. Also, to get a bus to stop where you want it to, you stand near the front and repeatedly say gracias. The bus drivers like to go really fast around tight curves. For a good scare I'll look out of my window to stare down sheer cliff as we speed around it. I am so glad there's no black ice in Ecuador.
And finally, not a daily occurrence, but there was a slight earthquake yesterday during dinner. By the way, I will be traveling to the coast this weekend so I won't be posting until next week. Hasta luego!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Feliz Dia de Amor y Amistad
First, Happy Valentine's Day! Here it's also called Day of Love and Friendship.
It's been raining a lot in the past week, which lowers the temperature. Not always sunny in Ecuador I guess. I'm feeling much better. It's about time, I've been sick for so long that I've started seeing the humor in the situation. Also, I have fully learned my lesson: the next time a doctor tries to give me a Penicillin shot I will kick them in the throat. Just kidding, I'm a peaceful person, I will say no thank you.
I told myself to take it easy this weekend and get homework done, since I am traveling the next two weekends (woah!). The plan didn't work out. Below are some high lights of the weekend:
Saturday felt like 3 days to me. I left Lumbisi at 8:30am and returned at 7:00pm.
Quito to buy yarn (by the way, I sometimes knit) and more Ecuapants.
Lunch at Guido's house (my Ecuadorean friend, his name... some of you may think it's funny, it's pronounced Gido) This lunch turned out to be an epic 6 hour event. The four of us from Lumbisi were an hour late and still the first to arrive. Guido and his friends are from the Oriente, which is the East of Ecuador (Rainforest area). We helped a little, but they cooked most of the meal (delicious). We didn't actually start eating lunch until after 2pm. It was fun, but definitely some awkward situations. Such as when we struggled to find a good way to exit graciously 2 hours after we had eaten. Also, during lunch Guido's friends kept telling me to relax, and I had no idea why. Apparently I looked scared/tense because I was concentrating so hard on understanding the conversation... I need to work on managing my facial expressions.
Valentine's Day Dance in Lumbisi. It was held in the stadium. It turned out to be fun, there was a mixture of dancing and sitting and watching people perform (sing). Guido and one of his friends actually came for a while. Fun.. awkward.. certainly entertaining.
Sunday I had crab for lunch. Rosa bought them live and a few hours later they were sitting fully intact but cooked on plates. Delicious! I think I might be spoiling my Ecua-family. I'm used to eating crab the way they served it, but I would venture to say that most people from the States would be scared and/or have no idea how to eat crab that way. It was a fun meal for sure. Crab parts flying everywhere. Banging the shells open with our spoons. At the end of the meal I had crab meat in my bangs. Pretty violent way to eat, I guess.
 |
| Flowers from Andrew :) |
I told myself to take it easy this weekend and get homework done, since I am traveling the next two weekends (woah!). The plan didn't work out. Below are some high lights of the weekend:
Saturday felt like 3 days to me. I left Lumbisi at 8:30am and returned at 7:00pm.
Quito to buy yarn (by the way, I sometimes knit) and more Ecuapants.
Lunch at Guido's house (my Ecuadorean friend, his name... some of you may think it's funny, it's pronounced Gido) This lunch turned out to be an epic 6 hour event. The four of us from Lumbisi were an hour late and still the first to arrive. Guido and his friends are from the Oriente, which is the East of Ecuador (Rainforest area). We helped a little, but they cooked most of the meal (delicious). We didn't actually start eating lunch until after 2pm. It was fun, but definitely some awkward situations. Such as when we struggled to find a good way to exit graciously 2 hours after we had eaten. Also, during lunch Guido's friends kept telling me to relax, and I had no idea why. Apparently I looked scared/tense because I was concentrating so hard on understanding the conversation... I need to work on managing my facial expressions.
Valentine's Day Dance in Lumbisi. It was held in the stadium. It turned out to be fun, there was a mixture of dancing and sitting and watching people perform (sing). Guido and one of his friends actually came for a while. Fun.. awkward.. certainly entertaining.
Sunday I had crab for lunch. Rosa bought them live and a few hours later they were sitting fully intact but cooked on plates. Delicious! I think I might be spoiling my Ecua-family. I'm used to eating crab the way they served it, but I would venture to say that most people from the States would be scared and/or have no idea how to eat crab that way. It was a fun meal for sure. Crab parts flying everywhere. Banging the shells open with our spoons. At the end of the meal I had crab meat in my bangs. Pretty violent way to eat, I guess.
 |
| Om nom nom |
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Medica Tonta
Still sick, suffering symptoms from seriously stupid shot. In my last post I mentioned that the doctor prescribes strong medication, and indeed she did. Along with my flu-like symptoms I now have to deal with my angry stomach. However, I would still like to think that I am on the mend (at least I really hope so!)
Rosa must be worried about me, because every time I leave the bathroom she comes out of nowhere to ask if I'm doing alright in her high pitch "I'm fretting about you, and I'm not sure you understand what I'm saying" voice. The first time this happened was around 4:30 in the morning, I came out of the bathroom and noticed a shadow to my right that looked a lot like Rosa. "JOY HOW ARE YOU? ARE YOU OK?" Yes, I was okay, and then you almost gave me a heart attack. The next time it happened (an hour later) I came out of the bathroom and suddenly Rosa was talking right behind me, "JOY, ARE YOU STILL SICK?" Woman, you must be a ninja.
Onto more exciting news, I'm pretty sure Carnaval has started early for the children in Lumbisi. Carnaval is celebrated before lent, and in many parts of Ecuador Carnaval is celebrated by throwing water balloons (sometimes at your friends, but also at strangers/women walking on the street). In some places I believe it's illegal to throw water balloons at people who aren't voluntarily playing, such as in Quito. Of course, Lumbisi sounds like a free for all. Officially the dates for Carnaval are at the end of the first week in March. My Ecua-Family (a.k.a host family) told me that some times girls will stay in the house because they don't want to get attacked by water balloons. Apparently, people "play" Carnaval using non-water as well... including eggs and wonderful assortment of liquids and foods. Well recently in English classes for Lumbisi kids, some boys have been bringing water balloons. They mostly throw them at each other, but it's quite the challenge to manage. During free time a little boy ran and hid behind me because his friend had a water balloon. His friend stopped suddenly, and I could tell from his face that he was considering if he should throw the balloon anyway. Not sure how I got out of that one. Maybe my face said the consequences if he did throw it at me.
I thought it was just the children in class who had started Carnaval early, but when I got home all of my siblings were soaked. They had just played Carnaval. Carlos had gotten an egg to the head, too. I asked my Ecua-parents, what's up? Carnaval's not for a month? They told me that the kids start "playing" Carnaval now UNTIL the end of Carnaval. That's essentially a month-long water balloon fight.
If things really get as crazy as some people say they will, I plan on carrying an umbrella AND getting a few water-balloons for myself. Interesting tradition right? Imagine this going down in Illinois. Well actually it wouldn't because the water balloons would freeze and everyone would be upset.
Rosa must be worried about me, because every time I leave the bathroom she comes out of nowhere to ask if I'm doing alright in her high pitch "I'm fretting about you, and I'm not sure you understand what I'm saying" voice. The first time this happened was around 4:30 in the morning, I came out of the bathroom and noticed a shadow to my right that looked a lot like Rosa. "JOY HOW ARE YOU? ARE YOU OK?" Yes, I was okay, and then you almost gave me a heart attack. The next time it happened (an hour later) I came out of the bathroom and suddenly Rosa was talking right behind me, "JOY, ARE YOU STILL SICK?" Woman, you must be a ninja.
Onto more exciting news, I'm pretty sure Carnaval has started early for the children in Lumbisi. Carnaval is celebrated before lent, and in many parts of Ecuador Carnaval is celebrated by throwing water balloons (sometimes at your friends, but also at strangers/women walking on the street). In some places I believe it's illegal to throw water balloons at people who aren't voluntarily playing, such as in Quito. Of course, Lumbisi sounds like a free for all. Officially the dates for Carnaval are at the end of the first week in March. My Ecua-Family (a.k.a host family) told me that some times girls will stay in the house because they don't want to get attacked by water balloons. Apparently, people "play" Carnaval using non-water as well... including eggs and wonderful assortment of liquids and foods. Well recently in English classes for Lumbisi kids, some boys have been bringing water balloons. They mostly throw them at each other, but it's quite the challenge to manage. During free time a little boy ran and hid behind me because his friend had a water balloon. His friend stopped suddenly, and I could tell from his face that he was considering if he should throw the balloon anyway. Not sure how I got out of that one. Maybe my face said the consequences if he did throw it at me.
I thought it was just the children in class who had started Carnaval early, but when I got home all of my siblings were soaked. They had just played Carnaval. Carlos had gotten an egg to the head, too. I asked my Ecua-parents, what's up? Carnaval's not for a month? They told me that the kids start "playing" Carnaval now UNTIL the end of Carnaval. That's essentially a month-long water balloon fight.
If things really get as crazy as some people say they will, I plan on carrying an umbrella AND getting a few water-balloons for myself. Interesting tradition right? Imagine this going down in Illinois. Well actually it wouldn't because the water balloons would freeze and everyone would be upset.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
La Basilica Voto Nacional, Liga-Barcelona
On Friday we celebrated Eboni's 21st birthday with cake and ice cream. Then we hung out in Lumbisi, we talked about the street dogs and how to avoid them. Also we discussed our difficulties in trying to find an appropriate Spanish word for "awkward" since so many things really are awkward when you study abroad.
Saturday a couple of us from Lumbisi went to La Basilica del Voto Nacional. It's an amazing Gothic style cathedral, that has animals such as anteaters instead of gargoyles. The inside reminded me of the book Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. We climbed to the "top" along the way there were beautiful views of the city. In order to get to one of the towers we had to walk across a creaky wooden plank and climb a ladder. Then we climbed up stairs/ladders to get to the top of a tower. In my Ecuador guidebook (Lonely Planet) it describes the climb up the tower as an activity for daredevils. Definitely scary but worth it. From the top of the tower we could see the 2 clock towers which almost perfectly framed the hill with the statue of the Virgin Mary. Picture perfect :) After the Basilica we went to a artisans market. Everyone bought "ecuapants" which are extremely comfortable and lightweight.
Sunday almost the same group of us got up early to go to the Liga vs. Barcelona soccer game. I invited a friend (Ecuadorean!) who is also a conversation partner. Turned out to be a good idea, because him and his friends knew the way to the stadium and they helped us buy tickets. Since there were no "official" tickets being sold anymore, we had to buy from ticket scalpers. There were so many of them! It felt a little shady, considering our Ecuadorean friends kept checking to see if our tickets were fake. Also, the rivalry between the two teams is really intense. There were policemen in full riot gear on horses and other policemen with shields near the Barcelona entrance. Barcelona (yellow) team is from Guayaquil while Liga (white) is Quito. There were public announcements that essentially said, "For your personal safety, fans wearing their team's jerseys should sit with others wearing the same color." We cheered for Liga. Whenever someone wearing a Barcelona jersey came near our section everyone would stand up and shout angrily. For U of I folks, the entire crowd felt like the Harassing Illini Club (I think that's what they're called).
After the game we ate lunch (pizza with corn as a topping, delicious!) with our Ecuadorean friends. It was awkward, they talked about us and we talked about them in our respective languages. We would all sort of understand each other and everyone would just laugh. A good intercultural experience I suppose.
Well when I got home wearing my new Liga jersey I found out that members of my Ecuadorean family are not Liga fans, instead they are Nacional fans (which is another rival of Liga). Oops! Josue asked me how much my jersey cost, after I told him he said, "Well that's not too much to burn!"
Unfortunately I've been sick again. I'm working it out though, I seem to be on the mend today. I saw a doctor yesterday, who I believe over prescribes medication. I slept most of yesterday, occasionally some members of my host family would come into my room to make sure I was okay. My host family was making fun of me last night, they said that I got sick because I wore the Liga jersey.
I have pictures but Blogger won't let me upload them right now. I will see if I can get them on Facebook and post a link later :)
Check below for pictures taken in Feb:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=612838&id=774675412&l=1c8b8d19e3
Saturday a couple of us from Lumbisi went to La Basilica del Voto Nacional. It's an amazing Gothic style cathedral, that has animals such as anteaters instead of gargoyles. The inside reminded me of the book Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. We climbed to the "top" along the way there were beautiful views of the city. In order to get to one of the towers we had to walk across a creaky wooden plank and climb a ladder. Then we climbed up stairs/ladders to get to the top of a tower. In my Ecuador guidebook (Lonely Planet) it describes the climb up the tower as an activity for daredevils. Definitely scary but worth it. From the top of the tower we could see the 2 clock towers which almost perfectly framed the hill with the statue of the Virgin Mary. Picture perfect :) After the Basilica we went to a artisans market. Everyone bought "ecuapants" which are extremely comfortable and lightweight.
Sunday almost the same group of us got up early to go to the Liga vs. Barcelona soccer game. I invited a friend (Ecuadorean!) who is also a conversation partner. Turned out to be a good idea, because him and his friends knew the way to the stadium and they helped us buy tickets. Since there were no "official" tickets being sold anymore, we had to buy from ticket scalpers. There were so many of them! It felt a little shady, considering our Ecuadorean friends kept checking to see if our tickets were fake. Also, the rivalry between the two teams is really intense. There were policemen in full riot gear on horses and other policemen with shields near the Barcelona entrance. Barcelona (yellow) team is from Guayaquil while Liga (white) is Quito. There were public announcements that essentially said, "For your personal safety, fans wearing their team's jerseys should sit with others wearing the same color." We cheered for Liga. Whenever someone wearing a Barcelona jersey came near our section everyone would stand up and shout angrily. For U of I folks, the entire crowd felt like the Harassing Illini Club (I think that's what they're called).
After the game we ate lunch (pizza with corn as a topping, delicious!) with our Ecuadorean friends. It was awkward, they talked about us and we talked about them in our respective languages. We would all sort of understand each other and everyone would just laugh. A good intercultural experience I suppose.
Well when I got home wearing my new Liga jersey I found out that members of my Ecuadorean family are not Liga fans, instead they are Nacional fans (which is another rival of Liga). Oops! Josue asked me how much my jersey cost, after I told him he said, "Well that's not too much to burn!"
Unfortunately I've been sick again. I'm working it out though, I seem to be on the mend today. I saw a doctor yesterday, who I believe over prescribes medication. I slept most of yesterday, occasionally some members of my host family would come into my room to make sure I was okay. My host family was making fun of me last night, they said that I got sick because I wore the Liga jersey.
I have pictures but Blogger won't let me upload them right now. I will see if I can get them on Facebook and post a link later :)
Check below for pictures taken in Feb:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=612838&id=774675412&l=1c8b8d19e3
Friday, February 4, 2011
Feliz Cumpleanos Juan Carlos
Yesterday was my host dad's birthday. I am ashamed to say I don't know/remember how old he is, but I do know that he's in his mid forties. There was cake! We re-used a candle from Josue's fifteenth birthday. Genesis started eating the cake (with her hands) soon after Juan Carlos blew out the candle.
So I think it's a good time to do a little family profile:
Rosa- Host Mom mid forties
I interact with Rosa the most, since she is home the most. She's a homemaker as well as a part time maid for my program director (which is how she found out about hosting international students). For years (?) Maria Teresa (program director) has wanted Rosa to host a student, but Rosa continually turned her down. Reasons: house is too small, there were no doors, kids wouldn't be used to it. But finally, Rosa decided to give it a shot and I am lucky to be the Picho family's first international student! Rosa frets about me like my real mother would. The more she worries and frets the higher the pitch of her voice. She is really sweet and helpful. She's lived in Lumbisi her whole life, and most of her family is in Lumbisi or surrounding areas.
Juan Carlos- Host Dad also mid forties
A very nice man, who has a jolly laugh. Both times when I've had friends over to play UNO with my siblings, he has laughed and laughed (I don't know at what). He is a junior high teacher, I think he leaves the house around 5:30 am everyday during the week to take at least 3 buses to Quito. He also regularly cooks and does laundry (by hand we don't have a machine), which I think is very unusual for men (in general) but especially in Ecuador. A loving family man. [Tangent: when I got the e-mail introducing my host family, my host dad's name was listed as Freddy... I think it was just a mistake]
How they met: Apparently Juan Carlos liked Rosa a lot and for a long time but she always turned him down. Rosa dated someone else for 8 years, but he left Lumbisi and she stayed. Then she finally started to see Juan Carlos, and 4 months later they were married.
Josue- Host Brother- 15
The oldest of the family. He tends to shout when he talks. I think it's entertaining. Rosa worries that he's being too noisy and "La Joy is studying!" He loves watching soccer and yelling at the TV. He attends high school in Quito, and leaves around when Juan Carlos leaves. I have helped him with English homework, it's 100 times more rewarding than teaching English classes (so far). Josue jokes around a lot, half the time I don't get it, but I laugh anyway. Juan Carlos tells everyone that Josue will cry if he loses a card game. He made a bracelet for me the other day.
Carlos- Host Brother -12
Middle child. Not as loud as Josue, but very dramatic. One evening I was eating dinner with Rosa and we heard heavy steps close to the door. Carlos came in and sprawled onto the floor. He crawled into his room saying that he was going to die because his feet hurt so much. Carlos is into traditional dancing, I've seen videos of annual celebrations in Lumbisi, he's pretty good! He really likes to play Rummy and UNO. Although he does not shout, he does talk to himself a lot. His nickname is "Gordo" or "Gordito" because he eats a lot and very fast. He is slightly "heavier" but nothing that would be considered fat in the U.S.
Genesis- Host Sister, almost 5
I have suspicions that Genesis might be slightly crazy. But I'm biased because I feel like all small children have some craziness in them. She'll be fine one second and the next she'll start crying. Or she'll wander into my room and ask me why I have black hair. Sometimes when we're eating I'll look up to see her using her hands to tear apart a fruit. She's also a little spoiled by her parents. Genesis will "sneak" meat off of her dad's plate (kind of funny) and every morning Rosa struggles with Genesis for her to eat breakfast. The good news (I guess) is that she likes me a lot. She touches my arm and hugs me whenever she can. She occasionally calls me "Mamita" (little mama). Genesis can almost be summed up by the picture below.
So I think it's a good time to do a little family profile:
Rosa- Host Mom mid forties
I interact with Rosa the most, since she is home the most. She's a homemaker as well as a part time maid for my program director (which is how she found out about hosting international students). For years (?) Maria Teresa (program director) has wanted Rosa to host a student, but Rosa continually turned her down. Reasons: house is too small, there were no doors, kids wouldn't be used to it. But finally, Rosa decided to give it a shot and I am lucky to be the Picho family's first international student! Rosa frets about me like my real mother would. The more she worries and frets the higher the pitch of her voice. She is really sweet and helpful. She's lived in Lumbisi her whole life, and most of her family is in Lumbisi or surrounding areas.
Juan Carlos- Host Dad also mid forties
A very nice man, who has a jolly laugh. Both times when I've had friends over to play UNO with my siblings, he has laughed and laughed (I don't know at what). He is a junior high teacher, I think he leaves the house around 5:30 am everyday during the week to take at least 3 buses to Quito. He also regularly cooks and does laundry (by hand we don't have a machine), which I think is very unusual for men (in general) but especially in Ecuador. A loving family man. [Tangent: when I got the e-mail introducing my host family, my host dad's name was listed as Freddy... I think it was just a mistake]
How they met: Apparently Juan Carlos liked Rosa a lot and for a long time but she always turned him down. Rosa dated someone else for 8 years, but he left Lumbisi and she stayed. Then she finally started to see Juan Carlos, and 4 months later they were married.
Josue- Host Brother- 15
The oldest of the family. He tends to shout when he talks. I think it's entertaining. Rosa worries that he's being too noisy and "La Joy is studying!" He loves watching soccer and yelling at the TV. He attends high school in Quito, and leaves around when Juan Carlos leaves. I have helped him with English homework, it's 100 times more rewarding than teaching English classes (so far). Josue jokes around a lot, half the time I don't get it, but I laugh anyway. Juan Carlos tells everyone that Josue will cry if he loses a card game. He made a bracelet for me the other day.
 |
| Left Josue, Right Carlos. Carlos smiles a lot more in real life. |
Middle child. Not as loud as Josue, but very dramatic. One evening I was eating dinner with Rosa and we heard heavy steps close to the door. Carlos came in and sprawled onto the floor. He crawled into his room saying that he was going to die because his feet hurt so much. Carlos is into traditional dancing, I've seen videos of annual celebrations in Lumbisi, he's pretty good! He really likes to play Rummy and UNO. Although he does not shout, he does talk to himself a lot. His nickname is "Gordo" or "Gordito" because he eats a lot and very fast. He is slightly "heavier" but nothing that would be considered fat in the U.S.
Genesis- Host Sister, almost 5
I have suspicions that Genesis might be slightly crazy. But I'm biased because I feel like all small children have some craziness in them. She'll be fine one second and the next she'll start crying. Or she'll wander into my room and ask me why I have black hair. Sometimes when we're eating I'll look up to see her using her hands to tear apart a fruit. She's also a little spoiled by her parents. Genesis will "sneak" meat off of her dad's plate (kind of funny) and every morning Rosa struggles with Genesis for her to eat breakfast. The good news (I guess) is that she likes me a lot. She touches my arm and hugs me whenever she can. She occasionally calls me "Mamita" (little mama). Genesis can almost be summed up by the picture below.
 |
| Cute with a hint of crazy? |
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Rufino and Una Familia Chistosa
Hilarious evening! Context: yesterday morning, I was about to hang up my bath towel on the terrace so that it can dry when Rosa told me that her dog is up there. A little dog that someone gave to her as a gift. I walked up the steps to find an itty bitty puppy staring at me... So cute!
During dinner we talked about the dog, he's been named Rufino. My host dad explained the name, but I don't understand enough to re-explain it. Anyway, we continued to eat when Rosa set down her silverware suddenly and loudly. Some of you know that sudden movements and loud noises scare me. So, of course I flinched. Then I started laughing at myself for being so ridiculous. Rosa realized that she scared me, and started laughing too, so I laughed more. I had a mouthful of rice and corn which made me laugh more. Then Juan Carlos joined in on the laughter. Then Josue found out what the dog was named, and he kept saying Rufino! Why Rufino, it's a terrible name! He went upstairs to feed the dog and all we could hear downstairs was "Rufino! Rufino! Take your food!" Then there was a sudden yelp from Josue, and Rosa joked that he had been bitten. Also, I was told that we have a neighbor named Rufino. I could not deal with it, after everyone had stopped laughing I started laughing again which set everyone off. It was a vicious cycle. After things had settled down for a bit, we realized that Josue had been on the roof with the dog for a while. Rosa joked that they're both asleep, Josue cuddling with the puppy in the cardboard box that is its home. Juan Carlos said Josue was singing the dog to sleep. That's when we heard Josue talk to the dog and that set everyone off again.
After dinner, I helped Josue with English homework. I guess I was still in a laughing mood. Josue had to practice grammar with If-clauses and conditional sentences. Two of the sentences were: "If you climb a tree that is touching a broken power line, you will get shocked." And "If you touch a fallen power line, you will get injured." I could not stop laughing at the sentences, I could barely explain them in Spanish.
On the subject of laughing out loud. Monday morning Rosa was running around the house trying to get ready to leave for work. I left my room just in time to see Rosa grab and heave a full size mop from the floor we live on, up the stairs to the terrace. She turned around to see me looking at her and we both just laughed.
During dinner we talked about the dog, he's been named Rufino. My host dad explained the name, but I don't understand enough to re-explain it. Anyway, we continued to eat when Rosa set down her silverware suddenly and loudly. Some of you know that sudden movements and loud noises scare me. So, of course I flinched. Then I started laughing at myself for being so ridiculous. Rosa realized that she scared me, and started laughing too, so I laughed more. I had a mouthful of rice and corn which made me laugh more. Then Juan Carlos joined in on the laughter. Then Josue found out what the dog was named, and he kept saying Rufino! Why Rufino, it's a terrible name! He went upstairs to feed the dog and all we could hear downstairs was "Rufino! Rufino! Take your food!" Then there was a sudden yelp from Josue, and Rosa joked that he had been bitten. Also, I was told that we have a neighbor named Rufino. I could not deal with it, after everyone had stopped laughing I started laughing again which set everyone off. It was a vicious cycle. After things had settled down for a bit, we realized that Josue had been on the roof with the dog for a while. Rosa joked that they're both asleep, Josue cuddling with the puppy in the cardboard box that is its home. Juan Carlos said Josue was singing the dog to sleep. That's when we heard Josue talk to the dog and that set everyone off again.
After dinner, I helped Josue with English homework. I guess I was still in a laughing mood. Josue had to practice grammar with If-clauses and conditional sentences. Two of the sentences were: "If you climb a tree that is touching a broken power line, you will get shocked." And "If you touch a fallen power line, you will get injured." I could not stop laughing at the sentences, I could barely explain them in Spanish.
On the subject of laughing out loud. Monday morning Rosa was running around the house trying to get ready to leave for work. I left my room just in time to see Rosa grab and heave a full size mop from the floor we live on, up the stairs to the terrace. She turned around to see me looking at her and we both just laughed.
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