Día 152 | Domingo, 31 de Mayo | 2009

Rickety bridge...

Another mad day on the road.  Now we are in Otavalo (a fairly-sized town about two hours outside of Quito).  We couldn't just go from point A to point B in a straight line though.  (Mindo is actually somewhat close to Otavalo but because lack of roads we had to back to Quito and then to Otavalo; kind of in a circular merry-go-round method).  

It feels good to be pampered.  In Mindo, the rooms had more of a woodsy camp feel and there wasn't any hot water.  Here in Otavalo, though, we are decked out with warm water and a more comfy hotel atmosphere.  We will be here tomorrow night too and then Tuesday we are off to Quito.

I am feeling even more homesick to see family and Caitlin today than I was yesterday. 

Día 151 | Sábado, 30 de Mayo | 2009

Sapos...

It is getting harder and harder for me to be apart from Caitlin.  It was really nice to talk last night on iChat but it is just not the same.  I want to actually be there.  This week will go by quickly though and we'll see each other in no time.

Today we drove a couple hours outside of  Quito to arrive in Mindo.  We are staying at a hostel and on location, there is a butterfly farm with hundreds of butterflies in the garden.  They also house little tiny frogs (or sapos) in the garden too.  

Today I spent my free time trying to finish the reading I have to do for my Ecuadorian short stories class.  I am almost finished and I'll feel so relieved when I am.

Día 150 | Viernes, 29 de Mayo | 2009

Quito...

After six or so hours on the road, we arrived to a foggy (as usual) and significantly colder city of Quito.  Colder than the jungle, that is.

I feel so much different than the last time I was in Quito (March 24th and 25th).  I have grown so much and have met so many challenges while down here.  We have traveled all over the place -- the coast, the mountains, the jungles -- and we have seen and met so many different types of people.  From here on out, we will visit the towns of Mindo and Otavalo this weekend until Tuesday when we return to Quito.  So,...that said, I'll save my end of the trip reflections for next Wednesday when we return again to Hotel Quito to rest up for our 3:00AM wake-up-call on Thursday to fly to the United States.

Two weeks from today, Dustin and Gretchen are getting married.  I am so excited!

Día 149 | Jueves, 28 de Mayo | 2009

Everyone Has Something to Hide Except Bryan and his Monkey...

Today was another exciting day of fun and exploration.  We saw Capuchin monkeys, boa constrictors, turtles, wooly monkeys, all sorts of birds, and beyond.  

When we were hanging out with the monkeys (pictured above), one of the monkeys stole one of my program mate's glasses.  He took his glasses right off of his head and then climbed high in the tree.  There, the monkey seemed to be joking around -- he held up the glasses to his face (upside down) and appeared to be trying out the glasses for himself.  After about two minutes of this, it seems as if he decided the glasses were not very valuable to him and he proceeded to try and break them.  Lucky for Nick (the owner of the glasses), the monkey only bent them instead of breaking them, and Nick was able to lure the monkey down the tree with a hard-boiled egg.  

Later in the day, we learned about some of the local pottery-making processes and we drank some chicha.  Chicha is essentially fermented yuca plant.  It tasted just okay.

When we got back to Cotococha, I spent the remainder of the evening reading.

One of the relaxing parts of our day was that we had about 3 hours in total just cruising down the river on our canoe.  

Día 148 | Miércoles, 27 de Mayo | 2009

On the Beach...

Today we arrived at the Cotococha Lodge.  This is a pretty rustic (yet luxurious lodge) right on the Río Napo.  The Río Napo is a fairly large river in Ecuador and serves as a tributary for the Amazon.  

In the morning, we went on a fairly long hike exploring the rain forest.  The forest we toured was a secondary rain forest (it has re-grown from prior destruction) and we learned a lot of neat facts about plants and animals there.  At first, it seemed like our guide Alfredo was just trying to scare us.  He kept telling us horror story after horror story -- snakes, ants, and plants that had the capacity to kill.  Midway through the hike, I was wondering why we were there.  But it all turned out very well, though, everyone came out of the forest without a scratch.

After lunch (by the way -- lunch was really amazing -- lunch was served in a buffet style) we went on exploring a nearby waterfall.  The waterfall was really strong today because it had rained a lot last night.  I jumped into the waterfall and swam around.  The water was cold but it was so refreshing.  On the negative side of things, the current was so strong that it took my watch.  

After the waterfall, we went back on the canoe to go inner-tubing down the river.  The inner-tubing trip lasted for about 25 minutes and has been one of my favorite things we have done in Ecuador.  All the while, I was a little afraid of being attacked by an anaconda but, in the end, I came out safe and sound.  Here is a picture of me and my program mates pushing off into the Río Napo.

Día 147 | Martes, 26 de Mayo | 2009

Vicente...

Today was such a great day.  It was hard for me to pick out just one picture to post.  This is a photo of a ten-year-old Kichwa boy named Vicente.  Our group stopped in his village to stay the night.  We met him and his brothers -- Paúl and Andrés -- we swam in the river, climbed trees, and played a game of soccer.  

We had a traditional meal for the village (it was called Comunidad Venecia) which consisted of tilapia, vegetables, rice, and passion fruit juice.  For dessert, we had a cup of pineapple.

All of the guys in the group (8 in total) stayed in an outdoor loft.  I was the only one to stay on the top bunk (all of the beds had mosquito nets covering the beds) and it was an interesting experience.  Parts of it felt like camping in boy scouts and then another part of it felt completely foreign.  

Earlier in the day, we spent a lot of time talking to one of the leaders of the village.  His name was Domingo, and he showed us the arduous process of panning for gold.  In the Comunidad Venecia, this is one way for the people to bring in revenue.  When panning for gold, one will typically spend all day (from 5AM to 7PM) digging rocks into a wooden bowl, washing it out in the river, and looking for very miniscule specs of gold remnants.  If it is a successful day, one can bring in about 1 or 2 grams of gold.  This will retail for about 20-30 dollars.

Día 146 | Lunes, 25 de Mayo | 2009

Thoughts of Jumping...

Today we spent about 8 or 9 hours on the road.  In Ecuador, everything moves so slow.  The drive was probably only about 200 miles at the most.  Factor in the poor roads, the mountains, and stopping for lunch -- you can see why it takes so long to get from here to there in this country.  We stopped for lunch in Baños de Ambato.  Ate at a place called Café Hood (where the food is good) and then roamed around the city for a bit.  It was a nice feeling to walk around and not necessarily have to think about what assignment we were needing to finish.  

The rest of the bus ride cut through the Andes and our group watched a couple of movies during the trip.  

We finally arrived in Puyo and had horrible Chinese food for dinner.  Billy (one of the guys on the trip) seemed to really like this food however.  Our place we are staying at tonight is really cool -- I am definitely starting to feel like we are in the jungle -- lots of palm trees, bugs, and interesting flowers.

Día 145 | Domingo, 24 de Mayo | 2009

Familia...

Today was my last day in Cuenca.  I am going to miss it here and part of me doesn't want to leave.  I hope that I will return sometime soon.  We'll see.

Today was mostly relaxing – I finished my book report at around noon and then my family and I went for a drive out to the country.  We stopped in a little town about a half hour drive outside of Cuenca called Gualaceo.  There, we had lunch, walked around the town, I bought a flashlight, and then we sat on the banks of the river (where I took this photo of us).  I wanted to take more photos of my family but, even after staying with them in their home for two months, I still feel really nervous when I have my camera around them.

We got back to the house at about six or seven in the evening.  We had tea, coffee, and cake (one of my host aunt and uncle came by to give a belated birthday cake to my sister) and then just relaxed for a while. 

Later, I went upstairs and packed my bags. 

Día 144 | Sábado, 23 de Mayo | 2009

Calle San Salvador...

Last night's goodbye dinner was truly great.  They fed us so well (all you can eat buffet) and it was just very calming to be able to feel the accomplishment of finishing the quarter.  My Andean Literature class performed a traditional Kichwa song, I played guitar as one of my mates read the Kichwa version of Dust in the Wind, and I also performed Nuestro Juramento (a song by Julio Jaramillo) solo. 

Today was the first day of sleeping in since I don't know when.  Slept until about 8 or 9 and then got some breakfast (the typical mandarin orange, two mini-bananas, and a cup of tea) and then I went up to my room to work on my book report that is due on Monday. 

The day passed on pretty lazily – I ended up taking a nap after lunch from 2 until about almost five.  I woke up on my own and then went out on the street to take this picture.  Here is a picture of my street here.  This is the view I saw everyday when I would go out to walk to class.  In the distance you can see the Coliseo – the main sport / political / musical venue in Cuenca.  Some nights, if there was a big concert or if Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa was in town, you could hear the shrills and shouts of the crowd from our house. 

Today was the first day I have started to realize that I will be leaving here in couple days.  The truth is that I feel so many emotions, I can't say clearly how I feel about it.  I will miss my family for sure though.  They have been really nice to me and I am so thankful.

My family invited me to a first communion party and I said yes.  The party started around 8:30PM and lasted until about 3:30AM.  It was held in a banquet hall that kind of reminded me of a YMCA except everything was decorated very nicely.  I danced Salsa and Merengue with quite a few little old ladies and then later I was asked to play some songs on the guitar.  At first I was really nervous playing for about 150 foreigners that I had never met, but after I thought about it for five minutes or so, I wasn't so afraid.  I played Stand by Me, Nuestro Juramento, Black Bird, and Cucurrucucu Paloma.  Everybody seemed to like it – it is weird that in South America the audience starts to applaud randomly in the middle of the song if they like what they are hearing – and I left the stage feeling nice and warm. 

After the songs, I danced with my sister Verónica.  It was a fun little Russian number called Moscow.  There were a lot of folded arms and choppy leg kicks.

Día 143 | Viernes, 22 de Mayo | 2009

Helado...

After a short but strenuous 8 weeks, I am finally finished with classes here in Cuenca.  To celebrate the occasion, I went to this ice-cream store called Frutilado to get a one-scoop cone.  

It feels so good to be done with classes.  The next two weeks will go by even faster and I will be back sooner than I realize.  

Today we also had an orientation meeting for our next week of traveling.  I feel really lucky to get to travel to the places we are going to go.  In fact, I thought I would write down the itinerary of our next week to show you where we'll be:

Monday, May 25 -- Cuenca -- Puyo

06:45  Meet at CEDEI to load up the bus with suitcases

07:00 Leave Cuenca for Puyo

13:00 Lunch in Baños de Ambato

16:00 Leave Baños de Ambato for Puyo

17:30  Arrive in Puyo, check in at the Hotel Flor de Canela

19:00 Dinner

Tuesday, May 26 -- Puyo -- Sachamazonica

09:00  Breakfast at the Hostería; buy snacks for the trip

10:00 We will leave for Sacha Amazónica, a tour led by la Comunidad Unión Venecia

12:00 Lunch in Tena or bring a packed lunch to eat on the trail

13:00 We continue the trip with la Comunidad Unión Venecia

14:30 We will arrive at our accommodation in Sacha Amazónica.  Here, there will be two

bathrooms, two showers, and one bathroom outside for men in total.  This 

accommodation will be pretty rustic and appropriate for this Amazon region.

15:30 We will take a hike through the Napo river in order to see the gold washing process

and to swim in the same location.

19:00 Dinner that is typical of the region

Wednesday, May 27 -- Sachamazonica -- Cotococha Lodge

07:30  Breakfast that is typical of the region

08:15 Artisan and agricultural demonstration

09:30  We leave for Cotococha Lodge

10:00 Arrive en Cotococha

10:30 Prepare to take a canoe to Misahuallí

13:00 We will have lunch on the banks of the Napo river.  This will be more or less a picnic 

lunch.

15:00 We will return to the cabins.

19:00 Dinner

Thursday, May 28 -- Cotococha

08:00 Typical breakfast

08:30 Canoeing and hiking on the Napo River.  Here we will observe flora and fauna of the 

rainforest.  We will also see a waterfall called Las Latas.  Then return to the cabins.

13:00 Lunch in the cabins

14:30 In the afternoon we will go to the river to rest and from here we will go down the 

river by inner-tubes.

16:30 Return to the lodge

19:00 Dinner

20:30  Fogata (I am not sure what this means)

Friday, May 29 -- Cotocha Lodge -- Quito

07:15 Breakfast

09:00 We will leave for Quito by way of Tena and Baeza

12:30 Lunch in Baeza

17:30 Arrive in Quito, check in at Hotel Quito

Saturday, May 30 -- Quito -- Mindo

10:30 Leave to Mindo

12:30 Arrive in Mindo -- check in at the Hostería Mariposas de Mindo

13:00 Lunch 

***After lunch, we all can rest for a little bit and then later, before visiting the butterfly farm.  Or instead of resting, we can hike down a trail led by Rosie, the owner 

of the Hostel.  

17:00 Visit the Butterfly farm

Sunday, May 31 -- Mindo -- Otavalo

07:30 Breakfast at the Hostería

08:30 Various hikes observing the flora and fauna of the region

11:30 Lunch

12:30 Leave for Otavalo

16:30 Arrive in Otavalo, check into the Hotel Otavalo, get maps, free time and later dinner

Monday, June 1 -- Otavalo

09:00 Wake up call and breakfast

10:00 Otavalo market

10:30 Leave for Peguche

11:30 Leave for San Antonio

12:30 Leave for Cotacachi for lunch

14:00 Leave to Cuicocha

15:30 Return to Otavalo & dinner

Tuesday, June 2 -- Otavalo -- Quito

09:00 Wake up call and breakfast

10:30 Leave for Quito

13:00 Arrive in Quito, check in at the Hotel Quito

15:30 Leave for the Capilla del Hombre

16:30 Return to the Hotel

19:00 Goodbye dinner

Wednesday, June 3 -- Quito

Free day.  Breakfast is served until 10am.  Students who are staying in Ecuador will either stay in Quito this day or will leave to their destinations.

Thursday, June 4 -- Quito 

03:00  Wake up

03:30  Ride to the airport

06:45 Leave for Houston

So... there it is.  If you find the wording a little awkward it is because I quickly translated the itinerary from spanish to english.  

It is likely that I might not be able to update my blog until next Friday, May 29.  I doubt that there will be any internet access when we are in the jungle.  

I'll talk to you all soon!  I love you and I'll be thinking of you.  I'll be sure to be safe and smart during our travels.

--adam

Día 142 | Jueves, 21 de Mayo | 2009

Two more weeks...

Too busy to write!

Exams!

Día 141 | Miércoles, 20 de Mayo | 2009

Café Austria...

Today in our Andean Literature class we took it easy.  We didn't have anything really pressing to go over -- we've covered all of the material and are ready for the final exam on Friday.  So, instead, we just goofed around all class and translated a couple of (North) American songs from English to Spanish and then, eventually, to Quechua.  Quechua is one of the languages native to the Andes and existed in pre-Colombian times.  The Incans spoke in Quechua, the Quitu spoke in Quechua, the people before the Quitu spoke in Quechua, so on and so on...

Anyways, we ended up translating the songs Dust in the Wind and Stand by Me from English, to Spanish, and then to Quechua.

Dust in the Wind

I close my eyes

only for a moment 

and the moment's gone

All my dreams, pass before my eyes

a curiosity

Dust in the wind,

all they are is dust in the wind

Same old song, 

just a drop of water in an endless sea

All we do,

crumbles to the ground,

though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind,

all we are is dust in the wind

Don't hang on, 

nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky

It slips away,

all your money won't another minute buy

Dust in the wind,

all we are is dust in the wind

                ___________________________

Polvo en el Viento

Al cerrar mis ojos

un momento nada más queuno

pienso en lo pasado

aquellos buenos días que no volveran

Polvo en el viento

polvo somos y en polvo nos uniremos

Dile hoy adios

a toda esa nostalgia que hoy vive en ti

y si ella ya no está allí

solitarias noches tendrás que pasar

Polvo en el viento

en polvo tu llanto luego se verá

polvo en el viento

te ruego ya no mires hacia atrás

Ella dijo que me amaba

pasaron unos meses luego se olvido

ya no están aquellas noches

que juntos compartimos amor y placer

Polvo en el viento

quizás ya no recuerdes como te amaba

polvo en el viento 

en polvo tu recuerdo se acabara

                ___________________________

Wayrapi Pullaka

Ñukapa ñawimuzukuna paskani

shuk pacha

shuklla mana nima

ñawpa pachapi yuyani

chay alli puncha kunalla

mana tikramukum

Wayrapi pullaka

pullaka kanchik

pullapika tantashunchik

Kunan puncha rinimi ninki

choy tukuyllatallaki

kunan pachaka kikinpi kawsan

warmika chaypi manatiyan

kanka shuklla tutakuna kawsanki

Wayrapi pullaka

kanpa wikipika pullaman karka

wayrapi pullaka

washaman mana rikurinki

Warmika ñukaman kuyay nisha

killakuna kipaka ñukaman sakisha

chaytuta kunaka mana kanchik

karintin warmintin kuyaka kushillapish kunchik

Wayrapi pullaka

ñukapak kuyaka mawa yuyankiri

wayrapi pullaka

kampa yuyaka pullaman tukuchirka

                ___________________________

I don't think that Kansas really deserves to be translated in to Quechua but it is indeed a mad world.

Día 140 | Martes, 19 de Mayo | 2009

Jenny...

Here is another one of the people we interviewed for our grammar project (along with Héctor) from the other day.  Jenny is a medical student here at the University of Cuenca, she is twenty years old, and she is also Billy's Cuencan girlfriend.  I feel a little bad for both of them because they both seem to like each other quite a bit.  The sad thing is that they will both have to part ways next monday when our group leaves Cuenca.  

School is going well but there are so many things to do.  

Today we ate lunch (Bryan, Billy, Jenny, Ryan, and Me) at an awesome mexican food place called Padregal Azteca.  It was so delicious.  I ordered a lunch special that included a burrito, a salad, and a glass of water.  This wasn't the first time I had eaten there (I believe it was actually the third time) but it was really good.

Día 139 | Lunes, 18 de Mayo | 2009

¡Dále!..

Just one more week of classes!  Thanks Susan; thanks mom for the letters.  I am so excited to be finished with classes -- just gotta press on for one more week and I will have a lot less stress in my life.  

Today I am going to finish a couple of papers and work a lot on my grammar project.  I would write more about what I need to do but the fact is that it is incredibly boring!

Today has been the usual -- classes in the morning (grammar and Andean literature) and then I went and ran with Ryan (the guy pictured on the roof from Friday) in the park.  

I am gonna get to work now.  The end of school is getting so close I can taste it.

Día 138 | Domingo, 17 de Mayo | 2009

Lord of the Flies...

Today we went on another hike.  Well, before we went on a hike we were supposed to attend a Shaman medicine ritual but it turned out that the Shaman didn't show up.  Shaman-less in South America, we decided to go onward.

We went for a hike to see a waterfall and a cave.  The hike today was much harder (steeper) than the hike yesterday but it was only about 20 minutes instead of 2 hours.  When we got to the waterfalls, we were all pretty fatigued.  Some brave souls -- Ryan, Billy, Sean, and Nick (from left to right) -- ventured up a practically vertical stone wall to get to the waterfall.  The wall that they climbed was about 15 feet in height and I must admit that I was a little concerned about their safety when the climbed up and down the wall.  I decided that I would sit out on climbing the wall and just take pictures instead.  Apparently the water was pretty cold.  But the experience was fantastic.  We went up to the caves and learned more about its significance in the Incan culture.  The cave was a place for spiritual ceremonies and was considered sacred to the Incans.  We saw a dead bat in the cave and many of us regarded that as sacred too.

Today, also, was the day that I have eaten guinea pig (cuy) for the first time.  I knew that today was going to be the guinea pig eating day and I was feeling a little uneasy about it.  I ended up eating just a little piece of meat and, all in all, it wasn't too bad.  It was definitely better than my cascaritas (eating charred pig skin) experience at Ingapirca but it is something that I do not desire to try again.  

We had about a three hour bus ride back to Cuenca today and it was actually pretty comfortable.  When we arrived back to Cuenca, I was starting to feel the excitement of just having one more week of classes.

Día 137 | Sábado, 16 de Mayo | 2009

Saraguro...

Today we arrived in Saraguro.  The indigenous people of Saraguro have been around since pre-Colombian times.  I believe that they were originally from Bolivia but were forced to migrate north due to Incan conquerors but I could be mistaken.  Anyway, when we got here, we ate our packed lunches and then went on about a two hour hike in the mountains.  Mercedes (pictured above) was our guide for the hike and she led the way through the mountains.  For the most part, the hike was pretty steep.  There were a lot of parts that were narrow too -- it was scary to look down and see a pretty much vertical drop off that extended 200 meters down the mountain!  None of us had any problems in the end though, not to worry.  The hike was gorgeous -- the panoramas were beautiful, we saw a lot of flora and fauna, and Mercedes told us some interesting information about the trail.  The trail is about 500 years old or so and extends for several miles.  There are several look-out points along the trail.  These lookouts were used to communicate in several ways, including to warn the village from incoming invaders.  

We were lucky that today was such a nice and sunny day -- we were able to see for a long distance and the saturated blue sky made all of our visual surroundings so crisp.

Later on today we were fed traditional food -- soup, rice, chicken and fruit.  After our dinner, some of the Saraguros played some of the traditional music, too.  The music was jovial and festive and it was enjoyable to get up and dance some of the moves that we had previously learned in our Andean Literature course.  After the Saraguros played for awhile, I went up on stage and played music (half at the invitation of the Saraguros themselves and half at the coercion of my program mates).  I played a Woody Guthrie song and a traditional American folk song and it went over well.  

After that, we danced until it was about 11:30.  

Día 136 | Viernes, 15 de Mayo | 2009

On the Rooftop...

Only one more week of classes.  I cannot wait to be finished with all of this work.

Here is a picture of me, Ryan, and Bryan as we ventured out to see the Cuenca skyline.

Día 135 | Jueves, 14 de Mayo | 2009

Ceviche...

Today in our Andean Literature class we learned how to dance.  Our professor Lcdo. Lojano didn't give us the name of the dance (if there is one) but it was a lot a fun.  The movements were hard to perform and involved what seemed as arrhythmic movement.  Our class objective will be to perform the singing and dancing of a couple songs in Quechua (the native language of many Andean populations) for our despida (good-bye meal) that takes place next Friday.  It was a little strange to watch my professor dance.  The vision of him moving to music is the polar opposite to the quiet, motionless, and peaceful demeanor in which he lectures.  He possesses a very deep energy that usually comes in as harmonious and clear.  When one of my classmates utter an off-hand remark, he usually accepts it as if it were a good idea -- muy bien is what he'll say in response.  Everything is totally different though when the music sets it.  He shuffles his feet, waves his arms, and even though his rhythm seems a little off, he transforms himself and becomes part of the music.

Today was mostly a good day.  I feel really bad right now that I cannot be there for Caitlin.  She is going through some turmoil surrounding one of her classes but I think that she will be strong enough to pull through.  There are only three weeks or so left in the quarter, so I hope she can see how close she really is to finishing.  I love you, babe.  I am there for you always (even if I am here in Ecuador).

Also, I feel a little sad that I cannot be home to see Michael Hurley perform at Jeff's house.  That and I wish I could see the film that Jeff has made.  Things like this also make me miss home and friends quite a bit.

Today was the birthday of my host sister, Verónica.  She turned 26 and I got her a tiny little coffee/tea mug that says feliz cumpleaños (happy birthday) on it.  I think she liked it.  It is pretty much a tiny trinket that has no practical use.

photo later.

later:  here is a photo of the ceviche we made.  Ceviche is a kind of sea-food soup that includes tomatoes, onions, lime, ketchup, fish and it is really delicious.  We also fried some plantains too as a side.  This was all for our cooking class tonight.

Día 134 | Miércoles, 13 de Mayo | 2009

Coliseo...

This is the largest indoor sports arena here in Cuenca.  The house where I am staying is only about two blocks behind the arena in this picture.  Whenever a popular musical act comes through Cuenca, they play at the Coliseo.

Today has been good so far.  It is cloudy and gray but the feeling is hopeful.  Today we read through and discussed a section of Cien años de soledad and it was really great.  García Márquez inspires me very much.  We watched a documentary about Márquez and his work, specifically One Hundred Years of Solitude.  The documentary shared a lot of contextual information about the book and also had great interview footage of García Márquez too.  My two favorite quotes from the interview were:

Death is followed by the rains, which, like a biblical curse erase everything.

Solitude is something that rewards you with oblivion and  other times with peace of mind.

On Monday I was talking with Leslie and I heard the bad news about the car accident.  I feel sadness for Marian (she passed away after the accident) but I also recognize it as a natural passing.  I didn't know Marian.  I hope the best for her and everyone who is and was close to her.  I do not know what it is like to lose someone so young (although one of my good friends killed himself when he was seventeen) but it must be a hard time.

Día 133 | Martes, 12 de Mayo | 2009

Out of the Museum...

Today was pretty busy.  I am lacking on this entry...

One month from today is Dustin and Gretchen's wedding!

I cannot wait.

Día 132 | Lunes, 11 de Mayo | 2009

Hector...

Just two more weeks to go with classes and I am feeling so anxious to be finished.  Today Bryan and I interviewed this man (he works as a laborer at a local art gallery).  He had so many interesting things to say.  Bryan and I recorded this interview for a grammar project we are doing in which we will analyze people's grammatical structures in their speaking.  

This week will be full of work; next week will be even more.  We leave Cuenca on Monday, May 25 (exactly two weeks from today) and I feel like it could not come sooner.  Sure, I will miss things from Cuenca and from Ecuador but I cannot wait to get back to Caitlin, friends, family, my brother's wedding.

Día 131 | Domingo, 10 de Mayo | 2009

Descansa...

Happy mothers day to all the mothers out there! (especially my mom...I love you Mom).  Happy mothers day to you too Susan!  

Today was a hard day for me.  Me and my family seem to have a miscommunication going on.  I think most of it stems from the fact that I get up really early in the morning to study and work on homework.  I usually get up around 4 AM (sometimes earlier; sometimes later) because this time of day is the best for me to focus.  I do work in the afternoons (it is not like I don't get any work done) but getting up early gives me the extra time to make sure that my work is done well.  Anyways, this act has supposedly disrupted the sleep patterns of one of my sisters (it doesn't make sense though because I hardly make any noise) but my sister tells me that this has woken her up.  The rest of my host family has even taken it further -- they are seemingly chastising me for working hard and for doing my homework.  I wish I were making this up.  Needless to say, there has been a little tension amid the Trelles-Martínez household but I don't think that I am the one to blame here.  I think a lot of this might have to do with some of the natural cycle of things and how it pertains to my sisters.  I think this could be another case of them just acting a little bitter towards me like they did about this time last month.  We'll see.  Regardless, I only have about fifteen days left here so I will be gone in no time.

Día 130 | Sábado, 9 de Mayo | 2009

Cascada...

Today we went to Girón.  Girón is a small town about 40 km southeast of Cuenca.  It has some amazing waterfalls (like this one) and we went on about a two-hour hike.  When we approached the waterfall, it was as if we were entrapped in a hurricane -- violent wind and cold cold air.  There was also a group of high-school girls who seemed to be on a field trip that went on the same hike with us.  Here are some of the girls.  They were all shrieking and running around the waterfall when we all got there.  I got some pretty good sound recordings of both the waterfalls and of the girls having fun.

Día 129 | Viernes, 8 de Mayo | 2009

bar light...

I am really missing Caitlin right now and I wish I could be home.  I really miss friends and family too -- thanks so much for keeping up with me.  I can't wait to see you all.

Today was filled with class -- grammar, Andean literature and dance class.  In that order.  I'm gonna go to bed early tonight.

Día 128 | Jueves, 7 de Mayo | 2009

Retreat...

Went for a walk again to Parque Calderón.  There was a little celebration happening in the gazebo on the north side of the park.  It appeared to be something about Jesus.  The military band played in the background and this man danced with his handkerchiefs.  People sat around the gazebo staring blankly into space.  The afternoon air was thin and soft, blowing on its own accord.  I sat down on a forest green park bench.  Catholic girls walked by and looked at me as if I were an alien.  Not really thinking of anything in particular, I fixed my eyes on a pigeon.

Día 127 | Miércoles, 6 de Mayo | 2009

Parque Calderón...

I feel guilty for not keeping up with people.  Why am I so bad at correspondence?  I can think of four people that I owe some long-deserved letters -- Rob, Jeff, Dale, and Roger.  If you are reading this guys, please forgive me.  I also realize that I need to write Leslie too.  This quarter has been so busy -- 20 credit hours and a good dose of culture shock.  I will write you soon. 

Went out for a walk after lunch down to Parque Calderón.  This is pretty much the center of town here in Cuenca.  The huge Cathedral in the background is simply called La Catedral and it is a massive building.  Nothing like a enormous church to make you feel the glory of God -- Conquistador style.  I also like the woman walking through the foreground. 

I am so tired right now.

Día 126 | Martes, 5 de Mayo | 2009

Motocicleta...

I am so proud of my brother, because today he found out the good news that he passed the New York Bar Exam!  I remember this past winter how hard he studied for this test and I believe that this is the culmination, too, of all of his very hard work he has done for the past three years.  Congratulations, Dustin!

Today has been just another typical day here.  We received our midterms back and I am (so far) getting straight A's.  

Later today we will attend a presentation about indigenous medicine!

Día 125 | Lunes, 4 de Mayo | 2009

Velas...

First day back in classes from the one week absence.  There was a big misunderstanding in terms of scheduling today but it all worked out.  It is really hard to explain the system here but to put it simply -- classes alternate every week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes and Tuesday and Thursday classes).  What was a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday class last week is a Tuesday and Thursday class this week and vice versa.  Anyway, no one really knew what the justifiable schedule was for this week so we did a combination of both classes.  It's really complicated but things got worked out in the end and now we all know what classes will take place on what days for the rest of the week.

Really, all we have left to do is push hard for these next three weeks.  Our final exams are on May 21 and 22.  Like I have said before, classes here are not as long as they would be at OU but there are many challenges here that make this quarter as hard (if not harder) than a quarter at OU.  I am just trying to stay on the positive side of things -- I am really looking forward to coming back to Ohio to be with Caitlin and today marks that I only have exactly one month left in Ecuador.  A month from today I will be flying from Quito to Houston and then Houston to Columbus.  There are a lot of things that I am going to miss from Ecuador, too, but nothing in the world can take the place of being able to be there with the one you love.  I am really excited.

Another little mile marker for Beans with Garlic -- today is the 125th entry of the year.

Día 124 | Domingo, 3 de Mayo | 2009

Balcón...

This is the view from my bedroom window.  The view is mainly of another house nearby but it is a view nonetheless.  If I have talked to you on the phone in Ecuador, chances are I am looking at these walls during our conversation.

Today was pretty uneventful.  I had lunch and dinner with my family and I felt really comfortable coming back to Cuenca.  It was so nice to be able to get back into the mountains with the crisp, cool, and thin air.  The coast was just too humid.  It reminded me of the deep south in the way that your shirt just stuck to your body and everything was just damp.  For fifteen minutes, I took a glorious shower today.  You can't see it in the picture, but the shower is situated right on the balcony and there are three big windows looking out of the shower.  It is such a lovely experience to take a shower there because you can see out into the Andean mountains to the right as the day begins.  I think I will miss that when I return to Ohio.

Día 123 | Sábado, 2 de Mayo | 2009

On the Road...

A very long day.  14 hours in the bus from Canoa back to Cuenca.  I finished reading Savages today.  About a hundred fifty pages of reading.  I am so tired.  Here is a picture from the road.  I am amazed at how much the landscape of Ecuador changes as you drive from the coast to the mountains.  It is a very big difference – banana plants turn into very rugged trees and brush.  The air becomes so much lighter, the fog rolls in, and the temperature drops about 20 degrees.  Forget West Virginia, Ecuador is wild and wonderful.

Día 122 | Viernes, 1 de Mayo | 2009

Gallo...

Today, we went to an eco-farm near Río Muchacho (about an hour bus ride from Canoa).  It was an excellent experience in general – we toured the farm, learned a lot of the processes of organic farming, we made our own jewelry, and we also went through the step-by-step process of making our own organic chocolate. 

 Much of what we had learned about the farm related to the recent history of the area – the destruction of the forest by farming chemicals and cattle grazing.  The main goal of the farm we toured was to restore (by a very gradual process) the vitality of the forest that had existed some 20 years ago by using a wide variety of methods.  We got to see all of the livestock of the farm – pigs, guinea pigs, horses, donkeys, and roosters (like this charismatic one pictured above).  The experience was wonderful and we got back in Canoa just in time to work on some of our field-work we needed to do for our Advanced Spanish Grammar course.  We recorded two interviews from two people from the Coast so that we can later analyze their grammatical structures in their speech.