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

Unpaved Paradise

Hola Todos!  I spent the last few days of my summer break on a great vacation at Río Muchacho Organic Farm with 10 other girls from the BCA program.  We set off on an overnight bus from Quito to the seaside town of Canoa on Tuesday night.  The curvy mountain roads and loud techno music playing rendered the first three hours rather unpleasant.  However, the music was eventually turned off and the roads mellowed out, so the following five hours were bearable and we arrived in Canoa at 5:55am.  Luckily, we were able to leave our bags in the Río Muchacho office.  I went on a morning run down the beach and then spent the day relaxing.  It was cloudy, but still a lot of fun.  We met two Germans and decided that a Germany v. US soccer game was in order.  Even though the Germans were outnumbered 2-4, they still won (maybe if we had been playing field hockey I would have had a chance…)  So far, I have met people from England, Ireland, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel!  It is amazing how many people you meet when you travel.

The beach in Canoa

That afternoon we rode in the back of two pickup trucks to the veritable paradise of the Río Muchacho Organic Farm.  We entered the compound to find lots of tropical trees, rock-lined paths, natural wooden buildings, and lots of hammocks!  It was absolutely wonderful.  It was very relaxing to be out under the stars with the crickets and cicadas and away from the cars and crowds of Quito!  We spent the next three days at Río Muchacho helping with farm work, hiking, making jewelry, learning about the farm’s sustainability mission, and eating delicious food.  Some highlights included making chocolate from cocoa beans, visiting a 130-year-old strangler fig, swimming in a jungle waterfall, and carving myself a cup out of a large mate fruit.   I returned to Quito on the Saturday night bus very dirty, very tired, and very happy.

Very old tree

CHOCOLATE!

Rings from Palma Real seeds

The Río Muchacho farm was founded based on principles of environmental sustainability and awareness.  Quito’s coastal regions were once mostly dense forest, but in the early 1900s much of the land was cultivated to grow shade-grown Arabica coffee.  However, rising popularity of robust coffee from other regions caused the coffee industry to decline, and the cattle grazing industry to increase dramatically.  Unfortunately, this meant major destruction of the native ecosystem via slash and burn land clearing.  Many areas are now suffering a lack of almost any vegetation due to very poor soil; however, at Río Muchacho native forest is flourishing.  Water is collected and filtered from rain or the river.  Most of the food is grown in the garden, which is helped by abundant compost from the pigs, horses, and cuyes kept on the farm.  Humans help with the composting too because all the toilets are dry compost!  There is even a mobile “reforestation” toilet.  All in all, the farm produces less than 2lbs of inorganic waste per week.  

When we arrived at the farm, Dario (the founder) told us, “You can rest easy during your trip here.  While living at Río Muchacho, you don’t need to feel guilty, because you are leaving almost no footprint on the environment.”  I immediately thought, Should I be feeling guilty for how I live when I am not at Río Muchacho?  I think of myself as an environmentally conscious person, but am I really doing all I can to promote sustainability?  My trip to Río Muchacho was full of questions like these.  During our stay we watched three documentaries: “The Power of Community,” “Food Inc,” and “Dirt!”  These are all excellent films and I highly recommend that everyone watch at least one of them!  The take home message from my whole experience is that our society leads an extremely destructive lifestyle.   We are quickly draining the Earth’s oil reserves, inflicting incredible damage on the atmosphere, and changing the climate – with devastating effects.  We continue to wipe out native ecosystems in order to make room for mega-farms to produce our genetically modified food.  In order to exploit Earth’s natural resources we are actively destroying our planet.  What does it matter if one or 100 or 10,000 species are wiped out in the process?  What does it matter if we change the climate forever?  After all, it is “our” planet, isn’t it?  Earth was made for man and man reigns supreme, superior to all other life.  Sure, technically we’re ‘animals’ but we are not the same as all those other wild creatures.  We have the power to manipulate the environment to suit our needs and we have the right to do so at the expense of everything else that lives on our planet!

Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?  This is the message our culture sends, and if you do not actively speak out against it then you are sending the same message.  This is a finite lifestyle.  One day we will wake up and the oil will be gone, our crops will fall to disease (since they’re almost all the same this is not far fetched), the rainforest will be eradicated, the oceans will be polluted, the soil will be barren, and we will be left unable to repair the damage we have inflicted – unless we change how we live.

I recently read Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn.  I definitely recommend reading this!  The book deals with the themes I’ve touched on, such as western culture’s (the “Takers’ ”) destructive norms: 

"And every time the Takers stamp out a leaver culture, a wisdom ultimately tested since the birth of mankind disappears from the word beyond recall, just as every time they stamp out a species of life, a life form ultimately tested since the birth of life disappears from the world beyond recall."

Some food for thought.

¡Buen Provecho!

I hope nobody's hungry, because today we are going to talk about FOOD!  Luckily for me, Ecuadorian food is not extremely different from what I generally eat in the States.  The diet here is based largely on corn, potatoes, breads, fruit and meats, and is very mildly flavored (unless you add ahí - then it is spicy).    Usually the largest meal is lunch, eaten in the late afternoon, while dinner is often a late sandwich or bread with coffee or tea.

Traditional Almuerzo (Lunch)

A traditional Ecuadorian meal always starts with a soup.  There are no exceptions: today we ate at a chinese restaurant and started the meal with chicken soup, and KFC includes soup in all their combo meals.  The soups are very filling and often could be a meal in themselves!  They are one of my favorite foods here.  I have had all kinds: chicken, pork, beef, corn, lima bean, noodle; they are all excellent!  However, soup has still managed to "culture shock" me.  Yesterday at a country restaurant with my family, I plunged my spoon into my soup and pulled up a nice steaming chicken foot!  Ok, Kate, it's just a foot, it's fine.  I took a deep breath, set it aside, and pulled up another spoonful.  This time I pulled up some dark looking meat.  "Oh, you have to try the chicken kidney, it's very rich!" my grandmother said happily, as two chickens with very intact kidneys and feet wandered in through the open door.  Oh my.  However, the broth and vegetables were very good and I tried the kidney; it mostly just tasted like meat!

Candied figs with cheese

 Every traditional meal has a large portion of rice, and usually some kind of meat or fish (many of you know that fish and I don't usually get along, and will be surprised to hear that I have eaten fish here twice).  The corn in Ecuador is very different from the midwestern sweet corn I am used to.  Corn, or Maíz, has large irregular kernels that are thick and not very sweet at all.  Maíz comes in many varieities, such as choclo (on the cob), mote (cooked kernels), tostado (roasted dried kernels), and canguil (popcorn).  Often people eat their choclo with mayonnaise - a custom in which I do not take part.  Another staple is freshly juiced fruit of almost every kind imaginable: orange, tangerine, peach, tree tomato (it is sweet), papaya, pineapple, raspberry, taxo, guanabana, and more.  The juices are delicious!  Other components of traditional meals include potatoes, small vegetable 'salads,' plátanos (another favorite of mine), and empanadas filled with potato, plátano, or cheese.

"Snot Fruit" - it's better than it looks!

Breakfast foods are very similar to those in the US, but more substantial than a normal weekday morning in the states.  For example, for breakfast I might have sliced fruit, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, fresh fruit juice, and a croissant with mozzarella.  The breads are fresh and delicious!  We often eat them with breakfast or with dinner (or both).  I have to restrain myself from eating 4 croissants a day!  The fresh coffee is excellent, but unfortunately we don't usually have any in the house.  Another warm drink I enjoy is "avena," which is blended oats sweetened with fruit juice.  There are two main beers in Ecuador, Pilsener and Club, both very light bodied.  They aren't the most interesting, but they are pretty good.

Although there have been a few things I dislike, such as drinking jello with dinner or putting mozzarella cheese in hot chocolate, these foods are few and far between.  Overall, I am very happy with the food in Ecuador!  I think it's time for some warm avena and bread!

Plátano, llapingacho (potato with cheese), pork,  choclo, and veggies

Photo credit for the figs and snot fruit goes to Katie Appleby.

Of Markets, Waterfalls, and the Middle of the World

The beautiful view

I am now well practiced in the art of negotiating prices!  I spent the weekend with the BCA group in Otavalo, which is a well-known market town about 2-2.5hrs north of Quito.  At 7:30am on Saturday we set off in our bus, crossing the Equator five or six times during the trip due to the winding mountain roads!  On the way, we stopped at a beautiful overlook before arriving at our first destination: the pyramids of Cosachquí.  At first I couldn’t find the pyramids, then I realized that the large mounds of earth all around WERE the pyramids.  They were built during the years 500-1500 by the (pre-Incan) Quitu Cara culture, and through time were covered in almost a meter of dirt and grass.  While it was very cool to be in such an important ancient site, the herd of llamas that lives there was much more tangible, and may have been my favorite of part of the visit.  We forged friendships with the llamas through peace offerings of salt.

The next stop was at the middle of the world!  We visited a site on the Equator with a huge tower in the middle of a circular plaza that serves as a solar clock.  On the spring and fall equinoxes at 12 noon there are no shadows anywhere on the line!  I plan on making a return trip.

I am in the South, Alyssa the North

From there we drove to our hostel in Otavalo (which was very cute; the rooms reminded me of summer camp), dropped our bags, and headed to the market!  We mostly stayed in the large Poncho Plaza, which was filled with stalls, although the market extended in all directions through the streets.  I really loved all the colors.  The sheer volume of products available is overwhelming!  I spent the first 40 mins simply walking around looking at everything; then commenced with the bartering.  I bought a handful of things, including a sweater (which I needed; it gets very chilly here at night) and some stripy overalls!  Most of the market was clothing and jewelry.  While much of it could have been handmade, there were a lot of things (such as synthetic scarves and other souvenirs) that clearly were not made locally.  I was disappointed by the clear commercialization.  There was a time when all the goods in the Otavalo market were handmade by indigenous artisans, but this lifestyle is slowly being lost for the sake of survival in a market economy.  I’m not sure if this is progress or the opposite.

So many stripes!

Sunday was another full day!  Throughout the day we visited the homes of two indigenous artisans to see their work.  This was very interesting!  We learned about the process of weaving, starting from sheep’s wool and ending with a sit-down loom, from an elderly man, José, and his wife, Maria.  I bought one of José’s scarves to keep me warm and cozy during PA winters!  We also went to the home of a family of indigenous musicians and instrument makers.  My favorite instrument is the rondador, which is a type of panpipe native to Ecuador with a very rich sound.

Also on Sunday we visited a small town, Cotacachi, that specializes in leather goods where I bought a much-needed new belt, and a beautiful nearby volcanic lake, Laguna Cuicocha.  We went to el Parque Condor where we saw many majestic eagles, hawks, owls, and condors.  But the highlight of the entire weekend was our visit to la cascada de Peguche!  This is a huge waterfall tucked a short hike back in the mountainous Andean forest.  All I can say is, “Wow!!”  What a great hike and what an amazing sight.  There are actually two falls, first the smaller then the larger, and the best part is that we were able to wade back to the smaller waterfall and walk behind and beneath it!  The water was about thigh high and pretty cold, and it was only about 62°F out, but it was well worth the cold!  There was so much water crashing down around me!  I cannot remember ever doing anything so exhilarating in my life. 

This Friday is Ecuador’s Independence Day, so it is a national holiday, and I am going to la playa in Esmeraldas province for the weekend with my family!

Soy de la Liga

I had a fun weekend!  On Saturday the BCA group split up and competed in a riddle-filled scavenger hunt centered in historical Quito.  Quito has a lot of beautiful colonial architecture and consequently was the first city declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The scavenger hunt also led us to the large indoor Santa Clara Market, which was overflowing with fruits and flowers.  It smelled wonderful.  Fruit is VERY inexpensive here; we bought 15 oritos (sweet baby bananas) for only $1!  The goal of the hunt was for us to learn more about the city and to feel comfortable talking to people on the street for directions.  It was successful on both accounts!

Today I went to a fútbol (soccer) game with some friends.  The game was between la Liga de Quito and Indipendiente del Valle.  Of course, we were supporting the home team, la Liga!  My Ecua-papá informed me that to live in his house I MUST support la Liga, y entonces soy de la Liga! [and so I am of la Liga]  Fútbol fans really are much more intense than most sports fans in the US; they were chanting and playing drums and cheering the entire game.  La Liga won, 1-0!

My family spent the afternoon at Sandy’s (my Ecua-mom’s) mother’s house, which just happens to be where my good friend Alyssa is living this semester!  We moved the coffee table out of the way, and spent the afternoon dancing salsa and meringue around the living room with Sandy, Alex, Sandy’s twin sisters, and Sandy’s mom, “Mama Ellie.”  After dinner we all shared embarrassing stories and jokes.  I don’t think a moment passed when I wasn’t laughing!  I'm happy to be living with such a wonderful family.