Cuenca and Guayaquil-

We went to Guayaquil first. Although it is the biggest city in Ecuador I was not as impressed as I thought I would be. We did a few cool things, but mostly the city is just huge and goes about its own business. There is a body of water in Guayaquil, and there is a pretty modern boardwalk along the waterfront. At one end of the boardwalk there is a lighthouse that no longer functions, but has historic significance to the city. We visited that at night, and the view was spectacular. There is also an iguana park in the middle of the city. We pictured maybe 2 or three iguanas, or some enclosures with lizards. There were more iguanas then people in this park. It was not what I expected at all, but it was sweet. There were iguanas everywhere—in the trees, the walkways, the statues, the grass, at your feet—the San Diego Zoo should reconsider their petting zoo, because this definitely showed them up.






The highlight of Guayaquil (for me) was being able to visit the LDS temple. I have been seeing catholic churches like I never thought possible (the conquistadors meant business when they brought Catholicism), but seeing the Temple was really special. All my friends ended up wanting to visit with me, which made it really neat also. The temple grounds were tranquil, and the building emanated the simplistic beauty of the Lord’s house. Seeing the careful craftsmanship of the architecture, and being so near to a sacred place reminded me how important it is to center my life around Christ.





Cuenca has been my favorite city in Ecuador, hands down. The buildings are old colonial style, and the churches are beautiful. There are little park plazas all over that give the city a really green feeling, and it is much more sunny than Quito. It’s a big city, but it feels small. Wandering around the streets was great just because I liked the feel of the area so much.






On our way back from Cuenca we went to some Incan ruins. Pictures will ell the story better than I can.




We stopped for dinner In the little pueblo outside the ruin area. I half jokingly told my friend that I didn’t want to order the chicken because in the little communities like this you never know which part of the chicken you are going to get. We kind of joked, but ended up ordering the chicken anyways because it was the cheapest, and it’s chicken—almost always a safe bet. The soup came out, and in my friends soup there was a whole foot, and in my soup I found the neck. It was nasty, but between the four soups we ordered, I am pretty sure we could have reconstructed the chicken.

This past weekend we went on our last group excursion to the Galapagos Islands. Incredible. I took zero pictures because my camera needed batteries and I never took care of that, but as soon as I thieve a plethora of images from my comrades I will write a post about the Islands of Charles Darwin’s finchtastic discoveries (even though I will be home soon enough to tell you about them in person).

Chau!

Two days ago I sat at lunch with Sole (my host mom), and she says, “Ariel, we have to start doing all the things we have said we were going to do….you leave in less than a months…” and then she started to tear up when I said, “¡Olvidalo! Pensamos en otra cosa.” I cannot believe I have less than a month left in Ecuador.

With my study abroad group I have gone on two trips since San Clamente. First we went to the Amazon, and stayed at this awesome hotel on the Napo river. While we were there we visited several indigenous communities. The Zapara community was my favorite. Someone from their group spoke to us for a long time about how the Zapara people were dwindling, and trying to regain their culture. There are very few Zapara left because during some tribal type wars with other indigenous groups the Zapara women fought at the front lines, and many of them died. Due to the small number of women the population fell sharply over the next several years, and even now struggles. There are only three old women who still speak their language fluently.

While we were in the Amazon we were able to hike a bit in the selva, visit another mariposario (butterfly sanctuary), see indigenous methods of making ceramic pieces, and rope, and a native drink called Chicha which comes from a yucca plant and is fermented to become an alcoholic drink, we also got to go tubing down a river, and visit a zoological reserve. The Amazon may be my favorite trip thus far. Here are some pictures!





The other group trip we went on was to some afro- Ecuadorian towns, and then to the mostly afro-Ecuadorian populated beach area called Esmeraldes. Helen, my friend from high school, came and visited that week, and it was awesome to have her in Ecuador. In Playa del Oro, one of the communities we visited, a group of kids performed a marimba dance. There was live music, and the drum beats were incredible. The boys’ feet hit to the floor as the drummers palms sounded out the rhythm- the thuds echoed around the small community center, and the girls hips
swayed side to side, dictated by the music. Their dance was my favorite part of our visits to the communities. After their performance they invited us to dance with them at their town bar. It was tiny, but a lot of fun. I danced with an older man, probably in his late 50’s, and he was AWESOME. He spun me all around, and laughed when I couldn’t follow his steps, and moved our arms all over the place. His white hair, and missing tooth might have been unattractive to some people, but I thought they were entirely endearing, especially when his face lit up in laughter.
We went to the beach from there, which was overcast, but still great just because it was the beach. Here are some pictures!




I have also gone on some self-organized trips. Right before we went to the afro-Ecuadorian communities we went to a lake called Quilotoa. The lake formed a few hundred years ago in the crater of an old volcano. It is 250 meters deep at its deepest point. We hiked down the crater until we were level with the water. Even when you are there, the lake looks fake because it is unbelievably picturesque. Don’t we look cropped in?




Then a few weeks ago we went on another trip to a volcano called Chimborazo. It is the closest point to the sun in the western hemisphere due to the equatorial bulge. At the base there is a small graveyard for climbers. Some of the headstones have ice picks on them… We stayed the night in a refuge a little ways up the mountain (maybe an hour hike), that is at 5000 meters elevation. The air was noticeably thinner. We didn’t realize that we were meant to bring our own sleeping bags or blankets. Luckily the owner found some blankets to lend us, but I wore all my clothes to bed (three pairs of pants, and like 5 shirts), we slept cuddled up close, and it was still freezing. The next morning was so clear, and I could only wonder at the majesty of the mountains. I said a little prayer of gratitude for the beauty of the earth. Pictures!






Then last weekend we went to Guayaquil, the biggest city in Ecuador, and Cuenca, another of the notable cities in Ecuador. I will write more about those in a few days. Also, last night I went to a Juanes concert. If you don’t know who he is, you should youtube some of his songs (Camisa Negra, Fotografia, A Dios Le Pido) and google some of his pictures. He is beautiful, and I love his music.

I miss everyone, and can’t wait to be home!

I should be doing homework right now, but I realized that I haven’t made a Blog entry in quite a while, and I would rather do this than write a report in Spanish.

Some of the highlights form the last few weeks:

Guapalo-

Some of the major roads in Quito are named after important historical dates, 12 de Octubre, 6 de Deciembre, and 18 de Septiembre, just to name a few. Someone explained to me in my first few days that most of those dates were significant in Ecuador’s struggle for independence. Apparently most towns also have their own day in which they gained their independence. There is a little area, kind of like a suburb of Quito, called Guapalo, and every year they have a big festival to celebrate their independence. Luckily we were in Quito when it happened. We climbed down a long rock laid road, past houses staggering on the steep hill, and shops with their lights on. With each step your toes slid to the front of your shoes, and you tried not to think about the hike back. When we got to the plaza there was a band playing brass and string instruments, smoke rising from the food tents, and hot canalazo being sold along the back wall (canalazo is an alcoholic cinnamon drink). Some people were dressed in costumes, and masks. At one point we noticed that in the center of the plaza, around what might have been a tall flag pole the people had started running in circles- not unlike the characters in Alice in wonderland before the flood comes. The people were close together, purposefully bumping into each other, and praying not to be the poor person who trips and gets stampeded. My friends and I ran in, arms linked tightly in an attempt to protect each other from the violence. Every so often the circle switched directions, which only made people excited about the circle running all over again. I was wearing some flats that kept getting stepped on from behind. A few times I lost my shoe, but knowing the area of the circle I lost it, would found it on the next round- except the last time, when I actually lost one, but found a hat that I ended up wearing as a shoe the rest of the night. See picture. At some point during the night fireworks starting going off right over our heads; I felt the sparks hot on my skin, and my friend’s shirt had a hole burnt through it. When the circle wasn’t going we danced to the music, and shouted, VIVA GUAPALO!






San Clemente-

San Clemente is a small pueblo outside the city Ibarra. There are only about 700 people in the town, or 150 families. They are all indigenous, and their way of life is completely different from anything you would find in the city. The women wear traditional Incan clothing, and the men wear panchos. All the milk we drank was from the cows in the back yard, and the eggs were “de la casa.” We were able to stay with host families in San Clemente for three nights. The parents in our host family, Mateo and Magdelana both spoke Spanish and Ketchua. They had four kids: Inty, which translates from Ketchua to Spanish as sol, and to English as sun, Sumac, which is the Ketchua word for beautiful, Sabina, and Edison. Their house was two stories, but the upstairs wasn’t finished for people, and so the only things that lived there were guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are important animals in festivals, and most families try to raise them, because a few times during the year they are very valuable- both as symbolic gifts, and culinary delicacies. While we were there we had the opportunity to celebrate with them, and learn about their calendar, and the way they view nature. They view themselves as a part of nature, and do a lot to try and preserve that connection in a rapidly changing world. We made food with them by digging a big hole in the earth- the earth in their ideology is feminine. Then we heated rocks, which normally are masculine, but because they were porous were feminine, and laid them in the hole. Then we layered potatoes, corn, and other vegetables over the rocks. Then we added more hot rocks, and food. On top of the hole we laid a cloth, and dirt then let it cook for two hours while we danced around the mound, and played instruments. The food was great.









Mindo-

A few weekends ago we went to a little river town called Mindo. While we were there we went to a mariposario, which is an enclosed area where they keep butterflies. In Ecuador there is an insane amount of different butterflies, and it was really neat to see them up close. Later we went hiked a bit until we came to some waterfalls. They were beautiful, and the best part was that we were able to jump off of some of them. There was a man working there who showed us where to jump, and went fist, then we followed. The highest one we jumped from was about 35 feet, and the shorter one was 12 feet. The water was freezing, but it was incredible. I think that scarier than the jump was the tiny old ladder we had to use to climb back up. We also went tubing down a river, but that was pretty tame.





This weekend we are taking a group excursion to the Amazon! I am really excited, and I have heard that we get to bungee jump while we are there…!

Rock Tango, Hymns, and Sand

Well, I feel like I have finally settled into things here. I have gotten to know my host family much much better, and I am happy to report that I feel really blessed to have been placed in their home. The other American students in my program are way fun, and the Ecuadorians that I have met have been more than welcoming. I can’t believe that I have already almost been here a month, and I think this semester is going to fly by.

On one of the first nights we were here (maybe in the first week of classes?) we found an advertisement for a live, free concert in the centro de cultura near the university. Javier Calamaro, a famous Argentine singer, was going to be performing. His declared genre is RockTango, and none of us really knew what to expect. His band consisted of an accordion player, two guitarists, a pianist, and two drummers. Together they were amazing. When I think of an accordion player, an image of an old man in tavern, playing polka music pops into my head, but this guy was the farthest thing from that. He was wearing a black cut off t-shirt, a long silver chain necklace, and his hair was cut in a pseudo 1980’s voluminous rocker style. It was awesome. He played the accordion over his knee, and during his solos he rocked it. The pianist was on our side of the stage, and we could see the way he artfully bounced his fingers up and down the entire piano, jumping, sliding, and caressing the keys. One of the highlights of the show was definitely when the guitarist from the back had a solo. He was probably pushing fifty, wearing a Hawaiian print shirt under a black jacket, and looked slightly awkward holding his guitar. He started out slow, and it wasn’t very impressive, but just when we thought he was through the singer, Javier, yelled, “Dáme Más” and the guitarist went crazy. It was incredible. The lights were flashing on him, the crowd was echoing the increasing speed of his fingers on the chords, and he was lost in the music. I loved it. It was the kind of show that makes you wish you could play music. I have yet to mention the singer-- don’t let that make you think he a was let down. One girl described him as the Latin Josh Grobin, and I have to agree. He was a great performer. He walked all over the stage, dramatically extending his arm, and pumping his heel. He went off stage once and waited for us to demand he return, and when he did he had taken off his shirt, leaving only his under tank-top. Definitely a crowd-pleasing moment. I am not sure that I would buy his CD, but the live energy was phenomenal.

A group of 11 of us went to the beach this past weekend. We took an over night bus that lasted about 8 hours. From the next bus station we were meant to catch a short hour and a half long bus, which according to the website departed every half hour, to a ferry that would take us to Canoa, the beach we wanted. When we got to the bus station we followed one of the men who was saying, “Canoa, Canoa.” We ended up having to wait two hours for that bus to leave, and then once we were on the bus we found out that it was going some round about way, there was not going to be a ferry, and the ride would last for at least 4 hours. After driving for a bit, and then stopping at a station we had already visited the night before, the driver stopped for an hour for lunch. One of the things that is kind of fun about the buses, is that periodically someone will jump on selling food, or CD’s, or glasses. There were a few times that people were selling empanadas (so good), or one time we got this hollowed out starchy ball with goo inside, also really tasty. We got to see some parts of the Ecuadorian mountains that I am sure I wouldn’t have seen otherwise, but I am not sure that the saddled donkeys, and scattered bunches of cows were really worth the 18 total hours of transit it took us to get to the beach. At least it only cost $14 total for the bus rides? We got to the beach on Friday afternoon, checked into our $5 per night hostel, and went to the beach. It was overcast, but still nice. The water was amazing. We figured out the buses for the ride back, and got there in 8 hours, thank goodness.

Also, I went to church last week. I tried going the week before also, but I misread the starting time, and got there at 12 when they were finishing instead of 9 when they started. There are some really nice people in the ward, and the building is only a few blocks from my house. The whole meeting was in Spanish, obviously, and I am happy to say that I could understand almost everything that went on. Singing hymns was probably my favorite part of Sunday. The hymns have a special ability to invite the spirit, and always leave me feeling uplifted. I am so grateful for the church, and happy to finally be able to go again after being in China.

Our hostel in Canoa


The Beach


My hand next to a spider--in a restaurant


I haven't taken very many picture here because I am always afraid my camera will be stolen, but I'll try to work on it.

Welcome to Ecuador!

After almost three days of waiting in airports, and sleeping on planes I made it to Ecuador. It is a miracle that my host family was wiling to take me in...when I met them I was wearing the same clothes I had been for three days, I hadn't showered, and I was definitely not ready for the switch to Spanish. Soledad, my host mom, and her son, Pedro, pretended that I didn't smell, and when I couldn't find the right words they just changed the subject. Great people. Pedro is 7, and he is great. He has so much energy, and he is really funny. Soledad is amazing too- she gave me such a warm welcome, is so much fun to talk to, and she makes great food. I am really happy with the program I chose. Most of the host families have participated before, and in effect they al know each other and like to hang out. Soledad has a business with one of the other moms making cakes and candied- again I love my host family.

I have been here a week, and I getting settled in, and I have already done some really neat things. All week long we had orientation. It started to feel like the same things over and over, but I guess better safe than sorry. It was probably good that they told us the same things so many times because it really takes a lot of concentration to understand what is going on when it is all in Spanish. If I zone out for even a minute I am lost in conversations or lectures... On Thursday we went on a short tour of Quito with the rest of the international students. We went to the centro historico and visited one of the presidential houses in Ecuador. It was beautiful. There was an awesome tile mural in the entry way, and then all the rooms were colorful, yet classy. After that we went to the equator. It is in a part of the city called La Mitad del Mundo. They have a huge monument built with a museum inside, and around that there are lots of shops and places to eat. As cool as I thought it was, it lost some points when I found out that the real equator was 200 meters over. When they built the monument they made a mistake, and now there is a much smaller place next door where you can see an egg stand up right on a pin when it is perfectly on the equator line. They also have a sinks on both sides of the equator line where you can see it swirl different directions. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I didn't actually go to the real equator, but I hear those things are fun to see : )

I walked with Soledad and Pedro around the centro historico on Sunday, and started to realize just how beautiful the city is here. Most of the buildings have a spanish colonial feel, and there are more churches (catholic-haha mom) than you could think possible in one city. But the architecture of the churches is beautiful, and really adds to the character of the city (in my opinion, which might change after 4 months). I went into a few of the churches, and the gold molding, and ornate murals are muy hermosa.

This is a picture of Pedro and I on one of streets in the centro historico


Here are some pictures from the Equator!

Tour, RUSHHHHH

Wow, I just finished a week and a half of traveling around China. I went to Hungzhou, where they are famous for the Westlake, among other things. It was incredibly beautiful. i saw a show while I was there that was directed by the same man that put together the opening ceremonies for the olympics. He is incredible. The lights, the synchronization, and the creativy was spectacular. Then our group went to Nanjing. Also some neat things here, but sad as well. In the 1930's China had a huge conflict with the Japanese in which Millions of Chinese people were killed. We visited a memorial in Nanjing where 300,000 people had died. It was extremely sad, as you might imagine. From Nanjing we went to Suzhou. in Suzhou we visited some famous gardens, including the Humble Administrator's Garden. In all three of these cities we went on long tours that lasted as long as 10 hours. It was amazing to be able to see sites that were thousands of years old, and visit stunning temples, amazing how much you can see in a day. There was also so much shopping. Everywhere I went there were more shops, and more things to buy. I was in awe that so many little shops could stay in business when a lot of what they were selling was the same.
After that week long tour of a day long tour, a day of traveling, I went to Shanghai with just a few other girls. Shanghai has something like 13 million people, and just seeing a city with that many people was shocking. Everywhere I went there seemed to be more people. The Subway there at rush hour is crazy. People pushing people to get on, the doors beeping, and people still rushing to get in. You have to be pushy or you have no chance for survival.

Here is a picture of me in Hungzhou




Here are some pictures from the Nanjing area




Pictures from the Humble administrators Garden



Picture from Shanghai
the first one is from the top of some building we wandered into, and the second one is me eating my new favorite dessert. They are candied plums, and they are so goood




I just go to Ecuador! more on that to come!