Situation

Heres the deal, briefly... I am not sure I feel comfortable in my housing situation. I just get a weird vibe. They are going through my things, asking to borrow stuff. I might be missing money. I am going to work this out with our housing director and find some place else to stay i think. Its a pain. And a small island, so really awkward. But I was told by another gringo who has lived here many months (a yale student doing work on water purification here) to get out immediately. Ill let you know how that goes.

Update

Hello everyone-- I am in Muisne's only internet cafe. Quick update... Muisne is currently in a state of emergency for a series of violent crimes committed (mainly) against foreigners. So we are a red zone, which MSID did not know in time to redirect us to another internship site. They seem to think its safe enough for us to stay for the next few weeks. If it gets too dangerous I can only assume we will be brought back to Quito.

I wont go into details about the crimes, but they were very serious. On an island of 9000... scary. So, I am alive. Well. And have lots of locals taking care of me. Us 5 from MSID are sticking to the curfew and being really cautious. I live in a really safe part of town. Today the whole island had a peace march and wore white as a sign of reconciliation. It was a genuine Latin American rally experience, my first, how fun.

Yesterday was my first day working at the high school. So, anyone who has ever taught-- you know how scary your first day of teaching is. Try it when you are 2 years older than some kids, and are speaking your second language! So frightening. I am panicking, in my usual unassuming way. The plan is to teach sex ed for 12 hours a week and english for 8. My emphasis is sex ed, and Ive already had a student approach me privately to ask questions, so I feel good about garnering trust and making myself available in whatever way is needed.

When I am not teaching, I am starting a support group for pregnant women at the high school. This was suggested by the school's director. There are 6 pregnant students right now (total # students is 550), and many more that already have children. It was suggested that I take the pregnant women once a week to the hospital, since some of them aren't getting medical treatment, and meet to talk about parenting stuff every once in a while. Yes. Me. Talking about parenting stuff. Mostly I just hope to provide extra support in a system that doesn't really support these girls/women.

In summary... I feel like I am doing really important work here. I don't feel unsafe, though the state of emergency thing is worrisome. Your prayers and good wishes are much appreciated.

Leaving Quito

It's my last day in Quito! The Muisne crew (5 of us) leave tomorrow at 6 am. I'm excited for my island adventure but also really sad to leave my friends. FYI, Muisne has 1 internet cafe with 2 computers from 1993 that run on dial-up. Also, I'm not sure I have cell phone service. So... it could be 5 weeks until I post again!

I spent the majority of my weekend at home, being lazy. Saturday I helped my Ecuamom make colada morada and guaguas de pan-- 2 traditional dishes for Day of the Dead. Guaguas de pan are basically peices of bread in the shape of babies. Colada morada is the most delicious drink ever, basically 40 different spices and fruits all combined into purple heaven. I went for a long walk around my neighborhood and spent time with my neice and nephew. David is 9, Daniella is 12. We jammed to the Jonas Brothers while decorating our guaguas. Disney Channel has officially taken over the world.

Sunday my nieghbor Fernando cut my hair. Later the WHOLE family came over for lunch. My Ecuamom spent 8 HOURS making lunch, she literally did not leave the kitchen. And then she didn't even eat it with us because she was too busy serving everyone. Yay for the feminist movement.

DISCLAIMER: this is the scariest thing that has happened to me in Ecuador. If you don't want to worry, don't read it:

Saturday night me, Ryan and Emily took a taxi home from the discoteca. We had agreed on a price before getting in the car (like always). Anyway, he told us about 5 minutes into the ride that we were going to need to pay more than we agreed to. Um, NO. We argued with him for awhile. He dropped Emily and Ryan off, then started driving the wrong direction from my house. I told him to turn the car around... he didn't. I assured him he was going the wrong direction, he continued driving. I started screaming and told him, Senor, I am calling the police in 2 seconds. Then I told him what he actually wanted to hear: "I will pay whatever you want". He finally turned around and took me home. Basically I was held hostage for 2 minutes. It was really scary. I gave him a few choice expletives and threw a rock at his car as he drove off.

So that's my scary story. Anyway, I love you all! Hope I can keep in touch in Muisne.

My Visit to Muisne and Tour de Quito

A painting of Quito I saw in the park

The beach at Muisne
My favorite painted bull in Quito


Muisne

I visited Musine (my future home) on Friday! The island is great-- I have a family and a bed, a job, an ocean, and 4 friends going with me. So I have hope, despite the fact our visit/trip was kind of disastrous. Logistics in Ecuador are a nightmare. Musine is poor. Much poorer than I expected. It's definitely a 3rd world island and not a tropical paradise. So please destroy any notions that I'll be sipping pina coladas on the beach while attractive Ecuadorian men fan me. I met the director of the high school I'll be teaching at and he showed me around. The school has about 600 students. Like most schools in Ecuador, it has no resources-- it is basically just a series of concrete classrooms with desks.

I have a new family! The mom is about 35 years old, single with 2 little girls. They are an Afro-Ecuadorian family, like the majority of island residents. There was a lot of awkward silence during my visit. The house is nicer than most, but not luxurious and definately not as comfortable as my house in Quito. The windows don't have glass (it's hot) and there aren't really doors inside. So... basically there is a lace curtain between my room and the kitchen. That should be interesting privacy-wise. There are mosquito nets over all the beds. There is water during the day (for showers, toilets, etc) but not at night, and no hot water. No washer-dryer so I'll be hand washing my clothes. I shouldn't even be saying anything though, because I have friends moving to the Amazon who won't have electricity or running water for 5 weeks.

I move in 7 days. HUGE lifestyle changes-- work instead of school, no hot showers, smelling like sweat 24/7, dousing myself in sunscreen before leaving, malaria prevention meds. But hopefully it will be worth leaving the comforts of the city. The beach is gorgeous and huge (did you know cows graze on the beach here?). No tourist stuff. No cars, only bikes. Clean air. The ocean is always warm. Life is slow and people are friendly.

Sunday I walked around Quito with my host sister looking at an urban art exhibit-- a series of painted bulls dispersed throughout the city. It was very cultural. Monday was Monday. I had a terrible headache, so I took an ibuprofen. WRONG! I'm on a malaria medicine now, which reacts terribly with ibuprofen. Wish I remembered that earlier.

Random Items

Yesterday we visited a wealthy private school for my education class, to see the other side of the educational coin. It's a German-Ecuadorian (financially supported by the German government) tri-lingual K-12 school. And wow. It was the most beautiful, amazing school I have ever seen. Dad, I'm not exaggerating. It beats (almost) any prep school in the States. It's in the valley of Cumbaya, which is like the Beverly Hills of Quito. Pool, soccer fields, recreational areas, cafeterias, beautiful well-lit classrooms-- You name it, they've got it.
Tonight at 11:15 PM I'm headed to Muisne, my future island home which is 9 hours away. I'll ride the night bus until 8ish AM, take the boat to Muisne, then I have an interview with the High School's director. I'll probably spend only a couple hours looking around Muisne, then come back to Quito. It's quite unfortunate that I have to pay for two 9 hour bus trips for what will be a 15 minute interview. I don't even have a family lined up yet, so I can't meet them. Hm. Ecuadorian time (much like At Lee time for those of you who know what I'm referring to) gets frustrating.

Hopefully everyone can shake off the mid-program blues. We're kind of a depressing bunch lately. I almost punched a taxi driver last night on the way back from watching the debate. I may be white, spanish may be my second language, but I am NOT stupid. And I hate being ripped off.

Pictures from Guayaquil

My favorite painting at the museum of modern art.
Me, Katie and Ryan posing. I'm pretty sure I'm closing my eyes... the sun is ridiculously strong.
View from the waterfront park.
A piece at the museum of modern art-- hundreds of little toy soldiers.
A huge, gorgeous church we visited.
At a park in Guayaquil that is full of iguanas... they come there naturally. Really strange.
Not a lot of light... but a video of friends Ryan and Janelle dancing at the Beatles tribute concert in Guayas

I love the weekend

I've returned safely from another traveling adventure! My luck definitely turned around. We arrived in Guayaquil at 2 am and managed to find our hostel-- 6 dollars a night for a private room and bath. Amazing deal. Guayaquil is SO different than Quito, it's the economic hub and very Westernized. I'm glad we decided to go, and even happier we had only a group of 4 (the number of people that can fit in 1 taxi).

The roads are wide and lined with palm trees. There are tall buildings (no such thing in Quito), and Nestle seems to own everything. We went to a huge park overlooking the bay which had to have been modeled off of Navy Pier. Saturday, they were having an art exhibition, so we wandered around watching local artists paint. We also went to the museum of anthropology and modern art. The good thing about the city is you don't need any plans or money-- you just wander around the city and will encounter something free and fun to do. Saturday night we went to a Beatles tribute concert... surprisingly good. Ecuadorians love the Beatles. Later we found a bar featuring a Cuban guitar player and hung around.

Last week I went to the hospital for my chronic stomach issues, and the doctor prescribed me two medicines (no idea what either of them are, or what they're supposed to do). But I feel much better! Life is easier when you're not keeling over in pain after every meal.

Sunday I spent a rare, glorious day alone in my house. My host mom and sister were returning from a northern province. I got to cook my own meals! I went to the park to run, ALONE! I did things on my own time! I like the Ecuadorian familial bonding, but let's be honest... I'm still American, and I'm still an individual. I like my freedom. Introverts don't exist in Ecuador. I have to take advantage of being alone because it's either unsafe, rude, or impossible to be alone 98% of awake-time.

Guayaquil

Hi everyone! Bad week. I lost my cell phone, I left it in a Taxi on my way to the debate-watching party. It´s also been incredibly difficult to anything without something going wrong (writing a paper and losing it in cyberspace, getting lost on the way to a friends house, etc). I am oozing with bad luck right now.

BUT, I´m going to Guayaquil this weekend! We´re leaving right after class today (well, right after I buy a new cell phone). It´s a 8 hour bus ride, yuck, but hopefully worth it because this weekend is Guayaquil´s Independence day! So the whole city is one giant fiesta. Guayaquil is generally more unsafe than Quito, but we have a hostel, detailed instructions on which parts of the city to stay in, and a big map. That should help. I would definately regret it if I didn´t see Ecuador´s biggest city.

School is bad right now, so hopefully I´ll be able to study on the bus. Next weekend I have an interview in Muisne (my future island home), then in 2 weeks I move there. And I´ll start teaching health! No more schoolwork, just a full time internship.

I´ll let you know how my Guayaquil weekend turns out!

My Jump

Proof! Here is me jumping off the bridge. I was terrified!

My Crazy Week in Photos

Cute kids at the rural school we visited.

Message to my family and friends before the bridge-jump.

The sun coming up over the mountains in banos, ecuador.

Resting on the mountain after a long hike.

An indigenous girl practicing a traditional dance at a school we visited

Jumping for joy at the top of a really steep mountain we climbed in banos

My education class snapping a picture on our way to a rural school

Pre-bridge jump, wondering what we're getting ourselves into :)

Llamas, Bungee Jumping, and Volcanoes

Sorry I haven´t posted, life has been crazy! *** In case you don´t read to the end of this entry: I went bungee jumping off a bridge. Really.

Anyway--- Wednesday I left for a "field visit" with my education class. We went to experience what bilingual, rural schools are like. We visited 3 schools, all with different levels of poverty and materials. Here in Ecuador, a large portion of the population is indigenous. The majority of rural schools teach in both Kichwa (the native language) AND spanish. However, these rural schools have almost no materials or resources, little support from parents, and basically don´t provide a sufficient education. The trip was really interesting and eye-opening.

Wednesday night I stayed with an indigenous family in San Clemente. Wow. Their whole community is self-sustaining. They grow all their own food (yay fresh vegetables) and only use western medicine in extreme cases. It was amazing. I helped Laura (the mom) prepare the meals, and I fed the llamas, sheep, and guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are delicacy here in Ecuador. Yes, they eat them. That´s one cultural experience I´ll probably skip. I also slept on a bed with several llama-fur blankets to keep me toasty in the freezing mountain air.

I was only in Quito for several hours before leaving again. The city is way too polluted, busy, and unbeautiful to stick around on weekends. I prefer to travel. I went to Baños with some friends, which is about 4 hours south of Quito perched under an active (and on yellow alert for eruptions) volcano. It was, hands down, the most beautiful place I´ve ever been. Pictures to come. The attraction in Baños are the hot springs-- bodies of volcanic water, or water naturally heated by a volcano. They are supposedly really good for your health.

Speaking of health, there is a large possibility I am carrying some parasites in my digestive track. You probably don´t need the details on that one. It´s pretty common, especially if you half-ass boil the water like I did 12 days ago (big mistake). I just need to go to a doctor and get tested, and they will give me medicine if that is in fact the case. Mmmmm.

I would just like to reiterate that in baños, I bungee jumped off a bridge into a canyon. I have video and many photos to prove it. I really feel I have bragging rights on this one-- I bargained the price of a bungee jump down to 15 dollars in Ecuador then willfully threw myself off a bridge. It was terrifying, but really fun and exhilirating. I never thought I would do something like that, but life here is all about stepping outside the box and experiencing everything.