I just got back from the Easter celebration. The fanesca was excellent, and now I understand why they call it a meal. It literally had everything in it. I could barely finish a bowlful, while my dad had two bowls. I also met my mom´s brother Rodrigo, who actually knew where New Hampshire was! He even knew the capitol was Concord. It turns out he lived in Seattle for 33 years, so he speaks excellent English. He was so funny, I got asked if I wanted wine, and he repeated the question in English to me, as if I didn´t understand. I had white wine, which is my favorite, and when he found this out, he kept trying to give me the box (it was boxed wine). After eating the soup, I could barely finish off my big glass of wine. Afterwards, I talked to my mom´s family about Ecuador, my classes, the Easter traditions in the state, what I dislike about the US, and all that. I was talking so much that I didn´t realize how late it was. I walked home from my mom´s parents house, which is only about a mile and a half, but I wanted to do so before it got dark. That was my day! Tonight, my friends and I are going out to the bar to celebrate a late Saint Patricks Day. We don´t want to stay out too late because we have to get up early!
Happy early Easter to everyone! In Ecuador, Easter (Pascua) is very different compared to how we do it in the US. For starters, Easter to them isn´t on Sunday, but rather on Thursday and Friday, and depending on the region, even Saturday. That is the reason why here they say Felices Pasuas and not Feliz Pascua.
Anyway, the typical meal here is fanesca, which is a soup. It is very thick, so they count it as a meal. In the fanesca is bacalao (codfish), along with twelve different grains to represent each of the 12 apostles. They put fish as opposed to meat so they can eat it for Easter (because I forgot that during Lent, for whatever reason, you aren´t supposed to eat meat on Fridays). It varies from family to family, so I don´t really know what to expect in my soup. You can see a picture of it and read more about Fanesca here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanesca
For dessert, we have arroz con leche (rice pudding). I´ve never actually had rice pudding, but hopefully I´ll like it.
Since I don´t have school until Tuesday, my friends and I are going to Cotocachi and Ibarra, both are close to each other and about 2 and a half hours north of Quito. Cotocachi is known for its inexpensive high quality leather goods, so I am very excited. We are coming back on Sunday sometime, and then we are going to relax on Monday. The good news is that this upcoming week is our last day of classes in the first cycle. That means we get about a week off until the second one begins. However, the bad news is that once the second cycle ends, I have to leave.
I will tell you all about my trip to Cotocachi and Ibarra when I return on Monday. ¡Felices Pascuas a todos!
Last Friday (Feb 29th) our school held a Welcoming Cocktail for all the exchange students. It was fun, having the waiters come around with bocabitos (h´ordeovers) and wine. We danced the night away until about 11, at whichpoint my friends left for Dragonfly (a bar). I had to wait for my brother in law and sister to come back because they were my ride to Dragonfly. So after a little while, they came back and we drove to the Mariscal. There was tons of traffic, and it turned out that we took forever to get to Dragonfly. My friends ordered food, so while waiting for them to finish the three of us walked around and looked for a club. The cheapest one was $10 plus consumibles, and we decided that we really didn´t want to drink, just dance, so we decided it would be a waste of money. Plus, we were starting to feel the effects of the wine. So, we went back to Dragonfly, and proceeded to bring Marie home because she was tired from the wine as well.
Nothing eventful happened the whole week.
This past weekend, we went to Otavalo, which is about 2 hours north of Quito. We left early on Saturday, and arrived at the artisan market at around 11:00. We walked around for a bit, putting up with the beggers who wanted money (they actually grab your arm so you can´t ignore them, but we pretended we didn´t know Spanish). I bought earrings, a nice suede coat, and a necklace. Oh and I also bought a shirt with an inappropriate Spanish saying on it that I am going to wear in the States since nobody will understand it.
After the market, we went to our cabins (cabañas), where we would be staying overnight. They were really nice, we each had our own bed (even though KK and I shared bunk beds, and my bed was like an army cot). We had lunch, which was amazing, and consisted of chicken, a baked potato, and some veggies. We then had a break for a few hours, in which we hung around in our room.
At six, we had a break from our break. We had dessert, which was different types of flan. I of course had to sample them all, which was quite alright with the owner, who kept asking if we wanted more.
After dinner, we had a cruise on the lake where our cabins were. A mariachi band also peformed, and they gave us ALCHOHOL. Yea, that´s right, PUCE let us drink on the boat. The drink was canelaso, which I have already tried and don´t like (it tastes like cinammon tea). After the cruise was dinner, which was chicken again. We went to bed after dinner because we were exhausted.
The next day, we woke up and had breakfast, which was also great. We boarded the bus to Pechuge for a waterfall and a presentation by the Indegenas (I forgot how to spell that word in English) people. The Indigenas taught us about their life, and showed us a native dance that was spiritual. We then hiked (yea, hiked) to the waterfall, where they performed a ¨Limpieza de la Corazón¨ (Cleansing of the Heart). It was so nice to hear that they are spiritual, and they worship nature and its beauty.
After the hike down, we then went back to our cabañas for lunch, which was fish. Needless to say, I had the other option of pasta because I hate fish. It was funny, Marie tried the fish, but she kept asking fish eaters if you are supposed to eat certain parts of the fish.
After lunch, we headed back to Quito. I lucked out, the bus we took ended up going near my house, so I asked the driver if he could let me off, and he did so. I was home before everyone else!
I also joined a gym here. I can´t believe I went about a month and a half without any real exercise. Anyway, the gym is right next to my house and I have a personal trainer. The gym is small and the owner always greets me everyday, which I like.
I can´t believe I´ve been here for almost 2 months! I really don´t want to leave. Most of my friends are indiffernet, they like Quito but don´t want to live here. I am the opposite, I love Quito and do want to live here. I want to keep in contact with my family here so that if I do move back, I have some people that I know in the city.
In any rate, that´s all I have for now. Next week is Easter, and because of that, we get Thurs, Fri, and Mon off of school. I love that this is such a religious country (and yet, neither me nor my family have been to church since I´ve been here). Talk about amazing! First, they party like crazy before Lent. I once again don´t have school in celebration of Carnaval, and don´t need to do anything religous. Lent comes, people don´t sacrifice anything for it, they just act like normal. Then Easter comes and people party again! I seriously could live like this, giving up school for religious purposes but not actually doing anything religious. I would suggest the US do the same, except I am agnostic and the US would probably force everyone to go to church or something. In any rate, I like that these people know how to party!
ETA: Wow, just read an article on MSN about the gas prices in the states. The average for diesel is over $3, whereas here diesel is $1.04 per gallon. Unleaded is also well over $3, but in Ecuador, they only have super or extra, and extra costs about $1.40 per gallon, and super is about $1.80 per gallon. But then again, Ecuador has oil, and Correa is in love with Chavez, whose country also has lots of oil, so no wonder gas is so cheap.
It’s been awhile since I’ve written. I started class last week, and so far they are going well. Most of it is reviewing stupid mistakes we make, so it keeps getting reinforced, which is good. I have a language class from 9-10:45, and then 11:15 to 12:15 and then I am done for the day.
On Friday, I went to a concert in Old Quito. The band that opened was a local band, followed by Las Tetillas, which are from Chile. It was enjoyable and fun, and alot of the songs were in English, which was fun.
On Saturday, my friends and I went to a nightclub for my sister’s 30th birthday. My sister knew the owner, so we were able to snag all you can drink for $12. It was easy to break even, because a rum and Coke cost $3, so after I had 4 througout the night. The party went all night, which is customary here for big celebrations. I had a great time.
On Sunday, I walked to the airport with my mom and watched the planes land. It was pretty incredible to see how close they get to the buildings, I will have to bring my camera and take a video and pictures.
It has also been raining here for about a week now. It kinda makes things miserable, especially since I really like to walk everywhere and as much as I can.
That’s all for now
¡Chao!
I have new pictures, so be sure to check them out!
I realized that I never actually talked much about my family here. My mother’s name is Becha and she is the sweetest woman ever. She definitely acts like a mother, even to me. My father’s name is Julio and he is a doctor specializing in kidneys (I don’t know what a kidney specialist is called, in Spanish or English). He is nice but I don’t talk to him as much as I talk to my mother. Many times I have to have him repeat himself so that I can understand him. They live with me in my house here. Our program requires us to have our own rooms, so I don’t have a roommate, nor do I have anyone else living with me. I have three sisters. My oldest sister, Maria, I haven’t met (and won’t) because she lives in N.C. She is 34, married, and has two children. She works in a furniture store, but recently opened a restaurant. I have a middle sister named Karla, who is 29 and a dental surgeon. She and her boyfriend live together here in Quito, and I see her all the time. My youngest sister (although she’s still older) Juliana, is 24 and married and lives in Quito. She is in advertising, and her husband, Mauricio, is a photographer and graphic designer. I am the closest with the both of them, as they take me various places in and around Quito. They often take me out to lunch or dinner, and I go clubbing with them a lot. I even stayed at their apartment one night when my parents were away. I absolutely love my family here; they are so nice to me and treat me like family.
Sunday afternoon Marie and I went running in a local park. I was out of shape and couldn’t run very far, so we walked a lot. We happened upon aerobics in the park, and decided to try it. It was fun but we quickly got hot so left to find water, and then continued to walk around the park. I think the US should have free aerobics in parks to help the obesity epidemic. Anyway, we decided to make this a weekly venture, so we are going this Sunday again.
We also tried to climb the Teleferico, the tram that takes you to the top of Mout Pinchincha, but it was closed. So we are going again tomorrow.
¡Chao!
We were supposed to go to the beach tomorrow morning at 7, but since it is flooded we aren´t going. So now my friends and I have a week of nothing planned. We were thinking of doing things in Quito that we haven´t yet done, or doing things again that we really liked. We plan on going to Mindo, which is two hours outside Quito. It is the tropics, so it´s very hot there. There are also waterfalls, like the ones you see on television that are in the jungle. We also plan on going to the top of Mount Pichincha, and going to this really cheap mall in the Centre of Quito. It is going to suck though because my family works during the week so if I don´t find something to do I am going to be bored!!!
In other news, I tested into level 4 Spanish, which is great. I really wish they had had a verbal test and not just a written cause I make stupid mistakes sometimes, but I speak better than I write. Anyway, the class goes from 9-12:15 everyday, which I like because I can sleep in!!
¡Chao!
Well, these past days have been busy. Saturday for the day I went into Old Quito (or as the locals call it, Quito Central) to look at the churches. The churches here are amazing, they are all made from pan de oro, which is a type of gold. They are pretty amazing, and the thing is, although there are several in one block, not one is the same. At night my friends and I went to this amazing bar called Dragonfly. I had the drink of the house, Dragonfly, and it was amazing. I´ll tell you, its nice to go out and not have to worry about whether or not I have ID on me, it is really going to suck when I come back to the US and realize they´re really anal about the drinking age.
Sunday I ate lunch at my brother in laws parents house. I had this amazing meat, I don´t know what it was but it was good. Afterward, I went to Panecillo with my sister and brother in law and two of his friends, which is a hill that harbors the statue of the Virgen of Quito. The view from the top of the statue was amazing. Since we were in the Old Quito, we wanted to check out this photograph display that was at the library. It was the best of the photographs taken over the year, including many disturbing pics of the Iraq war and Darfur. After that, I went back to their house, had some drinks and hung out with their friends. I stayed at their house because my parents were gone overnight and the doorman was out sick, and they didn´t want me in a house with no doorman and nobody else home.
Today I went to Puembo, a cute pueblo outside Quito. We went to a resort there for the day. My brother in law, sister, and their friends know the owner and so we got to use the pool, jacuzzi, steam room, and sauna for free, along with free drinks and food. It was pretty neat. The only bad thing is that the place closes the pool and everything else at dusk, which was at 6:30, so we had to come back to Quito. We were going to go to my sister and brother in laws house for some drinks, but his friends were being babies and went to bed early. Being hungry, we went looking for food, but since it is Carnaval, nothing is open. So we went to Burger King and drove around after looking for night clubs, but again they were all closed. So we stayed home, and here I am writing this.
And for those of you that don´t know, Carnaval is a three day celebration before Lent begins, in which they eat meat, party, and drink, because they can´t do that for the next 40 days. Or I should say they aren´t supposed to, because they still do that anyway. It´s like Mardi Gras in the US, except not as crazy. In fact, Quito is a ghost town because everyone goes to the beach.
Be sure to check out my pics of this weekend with the link in the corner!
¡Chao!
This week, I really didn´t do anything besides homework. Yesterday I went shopping in the Mariscal District and bought a poncho and a nice sweater, both made of alpaca wool. I am always cold here because they don´t have heat. Plus, I was able to bargain the poncho and sweater down to $10. On Tuesday the KSC kids and I went to Quicentro, which is a local mall. I don´t know how people can afford to dress as nice as they do here, a pair of jeans averaged $40 at this mall. But we had fun walking around and at least looking in the stores. After, we went to Megamaxi, which is just like a WalMart. Today, my two other classmates and I took a field trip with our profesora to a museum, which was filled with cultural artifacts of Ecuador, all of which were made by hand. It was really neat to see artifacts from all the different provinces and areas of Ecuador.
As for this weekend, I don´t entirely know what I am doing yet. I do know that I have Monday and Tuesday off for Carnaval. I know that on Sunday my sister Julia and her husband are taking me to Panecillo, which has the statue of the Virgen of Quito. We are going to go at night because according to my mother, that is the best time to go because you get to see all of Quito lit up. We are also going to look at the churches in Old Quito, because they are decked in gold, but they close at 6 so we need to go there first. I know they mentioned going to the beach on Monday, but I don´t know if we are actually doing that or not. ¡Chao for now!
So I have officially been in school a week, and its going well I guess. I mean, it´s school, what more can I say? It is nice though, I am done classes by 12:30 and I have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. It´s nice.
Yesterday I went to the Mitad del Mundo, or the place in which the equator runs through. It was a good day to go because there were many Ecuatorian families there. I did the typical corny tourist thing of sticking my foot in both hemispheres, and taking pictures of my doing so. Besides that, there were cute little artesan shops that I liked to browse through. I didn´t buy anything besides I knew it was a tourist trap and could get the same things in Quito for cheaper. You can bargain at the artesan shops in Quito, and you can´t at touristy spots because they are used to the tourists that don´t know you can or don´t know Spanish well enough. Speaking of which, my friends and I got a good laugh out of this couple that was attempting to speak Spanish, but it was so bad it was funny.
I also tried ginea pig for lunch. It was interesting. It had teeth, eyes, and claws. It was actually pretty good, despite that. I won´t be getting it again because it was expensive, but it was good to at least try it. We also got ice cream, and I´ll tell you, any place in which you can get ice cream for $0,80 for two scoops is a great place to go get ice cream. Delicious!
I really haven´t done anything else here, mainly because I figure I´ll be here for a few more months and I will have nothing to do if I see it all before then. But, I have made a list of things I have wanted to do, like to to the top of Mount Pinchincha, El Panicello, and see the gold plated churches in the old part of Quito. You can look for many more adventures to come! From now on I am going to sign my posts with Chao, which is chow, the way everybody says goodbye here.
¡Chao!
I have photos now if you would like to see them!!! On the right side of this page, there is a link under blogroll titled: Photos of my semester in Ecuador. They are all there, and when I upload more you will be able to see them!
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