Meaning

When I left for Ecuador, I had no idea what to expect.  The only information I had to form my expectations was my program’s excursion itinerary, and blogs and stories from friends who had studied abroad in the past.  Thus, the only thing I knew to expect was a steady stream of new experiences and adventures that “would change my life and who I was.”  I never stopped to think about the fact that it is hard to fill five months with constant novelty, and that not every day could be wonderful.  It took six rocky weeks and some introspection to realize that daily life in Ecuador would have the same ups and downs as anywhere else I have lived, and that it is silly to expect anything different.  This is not to say that I have been unhappy these last two months; on the contrary, I have been enjoying myself and have done some truly amazing things, but all the highs have been accompanied with their fair share of lows.  This caused me to reconsider what my semester abroad means and what I should expect it to bring.

What, then, does it mean to live for a semester in Ecuador?  Certainly not a five-month long vacation.  But if not that, then what?  I have thought a lot about what it means to live in this beautiful, contradictory country, and I have written a piece that I hope provides a glimpse into life here that is true to the whole experience.  Of course, this is life through my eyes; written by anyone else this would read completely differently, so please don’t take my words as the world written in stone.  I have learned that it is dangerous to take other’s experiences too literally.  What does it mean to live in Ecuador?

Living in Ecuador means living at the center of the world. It means no seasons. It means remembering to put on sunscreen every morning, or risk being burned, because the sun is so strong.

Living in Ecuador means waiting at the bus stop every day, gazing out at the mountains through the gap in the walls, and realizing anew, “I am living in the middle of the Andes.”  It means being present in a land so rich with history that the past is palpable with every step and visible in every face.

Living in Ecuador means sustaining the rice farmers, the bread makers, and the fruit growers.  It means a mid-morning coffee for a dollar and hot chocolate every night.  It means missing pasta and my father’s cooking.

Living in Ecuador means living amongst the people.  It means my personal space bubble evaporating with every packed bus ride.  It means men of all ages whistling, cat-calling, trying to dance without asking, staring without shame, and it means hearing the wrong words – “good morning, pretty girls,” when it is 6 o’clock at night.  It means walking quickly, looking nowhere but the ground, and trying not to listen.

Living in Ecuador means a cow on a leash crossing the road.  It means a constant soundtrack of Latin American music mixed with 80s hits from the States.  It means being taller than everyone even though the women are all wearing heels.  It means wanting to put out a public service announcement about how to avoid underwear lines.

Living in Ecuador means spending too much time on Facebook.  It means needing to talk to my mother but having nothing to say when I finally get her on the line.  It means an incessant stream of thoughts and plans for “when I get back to the States,” and wondering why I always look so far ahead and can never seem to be completely happy with wherever I am.

Living in Ecuador means conflicting ideas.  It means being annoyed with the constant construction, but impressed with the impeccable roads.  It means going to school with the rich kids while passing grubby children peddling gum and clementines.  It means wanting desperately to conserve our environment, but still buying foods wrapped in three layers of plastic at the supermarket.  It means being welcomed into a family, but really missing doing my own laundry.

Living in Ecuador means just that – living.  It means doing homework and missing my alarm and buying over-priced shampoo, going to bed brain-dead from a day full of so much Spanish.  It means running through an oasis of trees in a jungle of streets and pollution.  It means finding more questions than answers.

Living in Ecuador means being alive, and finding happiness in the fact that every day I wake up with the sun shining on my face, knowing that there are people all around the world who love me no matter how far away I am.

Relaxation Station

Is everyone familiar with the game of Trust Fall?  I was introduced to this game in a team building class in middle school, when we all took turns falling backwards off of a picnic table into the waiting arms of our classmates.  Well, I can now say that I have done the Trust Fall in Ecuador!  I was on a bus on the way to the university.  As the bus pulled into the station, I stood up and moved into the aisle, along with everyone else, in preparation to get off.  Just as I got to my feet, the bus came to a VERY abrupt stop; and that’s when I played Trust Fall!  The thing is, no one else knew they were playing.  I toppled backwards full-force (backpack first) into the mass of people in the aisle, probably hitting several of them in the face (I am taller than most Ecuadorians).  We are lucky no one got injured.  I scrambled up, apologizing to everyone, “¡lo siento, perdón, lo siento!” as I shuffled my way off the bus, before almost running to my next bus.

This is what I should have been doing.

However, not to worry, I survived and four weeks into classes things are going pretty well.  I wrote the discussion of my first Spanish scientific paper (for a group project), and I have started working on my first jewelry project: kayak paddle earrings!  I am reading La Grandeza de la Vida, a translation of a Steven Jay Gould book, for evolution, and it is pretty interesting.

Last weekend I spent a very relaxing two days in a town called Baños with Alyssa and Tori, another friend from Juniata.  Baños, named for it’s natural hot springs pools, is about a 3.5-hour bus ride South of Quito.  The town is situated at the foot of the volcano Tungurahua.  It has quite the adventure vibe; tourists (Ecuadorian and international alike) come to Baños to hike, bike, zip-line, bungee jump, and, of course, to swim in the pools.  Tungurahua has been spitting smoke lately, so our principle reason to go to Baños was to try to see an active volcano in action.  Unfortunately, we were not able to see anything because clouds covered the volcano all weekend, but this did not stop us from having a great time!

Baños

I really enjoyed Baños because it is so different from Quito.  The atmosphere is very relaxed and the setting is beautiful!  Everything around is green.  When we arrived, it was raining!!  This is the first rain I have experienced in two months, because it is the dusty, dry season in Quito.  I realized I’ve missed the sound of raindrops.  After the rain stopped, we went on a hike, got a massage (something I should do more often), and took a night bus up to a scenic overlook.  Then on Sunday we went to the pools bright and early at 7:15am.  Even at this hour, they were PACKED!  However, the 110°F water made up for the damage inflicted on my personal space bubble.  After returning to our hostel for a delicious breakfast of bread, jam, and eggs, we spent the rest of the day sitting in a coffee shop called Casa Hood.  In my opinion, Casa Hood is the best of the many colorful coffee shops in Baños.  Inside is warm and inviting, with great music and a whole wall of books!  The small menu is filled with international dishes, such as curry and pad thai.  It may not have been very authentically Ecuadorian, but as I sat drinking the best mocha I have had since arriving here and listening to Simon and Garfunkel, I felt incredibly content.  Casa Hood provided me with a lot of the things I miss about living in the US.  Tori and Alyssa felt the same, so we spent over three hours there before catching our bus back to the crowded streets of Quito.

One of Baños' cafés (not Casa Hood)

Inside Café Hood, sister to Casa Hood

The Semester Starts

First Day of School

Today starts my third week of classes at La Universidad San Francisco de Quito!  After two weeks I finally have a good handle on everything.  Here is a brief overview of my schedule:

Evolution – This class promises to be one of my favorites of the semester.  Nothing like some biology to get me up in the morning!  The teacher, Stella de la Torre, is excellent.  So far, I have really enjoyed it!

Hatha Yoga – This is my first class on Tuesday and Thursday and is a great way to start the day!

Andean History – With this class I’m looking forward to understanding my new home more completely.  There is a lot of reading; hopefully my academic Spanish improves or I am in for a long semester!

Jewelry Making – We are starting from the beginning, forging our silver and mixing it to make a silver-copper alloy, then going on to make our jewelry.  My theme: Michigan!

Language and Literature – This is a class strictly for exchange students.  We will be reading and discussing Hispanic short stories.

Pre-Columbian Art – This is another class I am taking in order to learn more about the rich history of Ecuador.  We are learning about both Andean and Mexican cultures.  Currently we are studying the Olmecs of Mexico.

I’ve stayed in Quito for the past two weeks because I want to have my schedule under control before I go off on any other adventures.   However, I did leave Quito last Sunday to go to Guallyabamba to the family’s new property in the country.  We watered the plants and harvested lemons and avocados before having a very meaty cookout.  It was nice to get out of the city!

This past weekend in Quito I did a lot of walking around and exploring, finding plenty of top-notch bakeries along the way.  On Saturday evening Alyssa and I went to an area called La Ronda (named for the main street, La Ronda), which is known for restaurants with live music, little artesian shops, and delicious street food.  Whitewashed buildings with beautiful iron balconies flank the narrow cobbled streets.  We walked up and down, people watching and going into the shops, where I eventually bought some fun new earrings.  The food was AMAZING!  We tried some of everything: pineapple pizza, chocolate covered strawberries, empanadas de morocho (small and crispy with mazorca grain inside), empanadas de viento (large and bready with cheese inside), and buñuelos (these are kind of like doughnut holes, and are served with honey syrup and a chunk of fresh mozzarella).  The empanadas and buñuelos were fried right there in front of us.  Let me tell you, they were good.  We have decided we will have to go to La Ronda regularly to eat our weekly quotas of grease and deliciousness.

In La Ronda