While I was walking this morning, I looked into a national school, aka middle school, and all the children were marching, doing what looked like military drills. Huh. To say the least i was taken back by this...
... And last Friday was the BEST DAY EVER. I got internet in my casa. And Liz and I bought crunchy peanut butter. However, there is no such thing as Cheezits, among others, in Ecuador. If you would like to support my cause by sending cheezits, chapstick, or what not, let a sister know.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
14/9/09
Kalamazoo footed the bill for last weekend to Otavalo. Leaving before the birds woke up on Saturday, we spent the day exploring markets, making friends with birds, and a curadara. Beginning the day with the animal market, where one can buy a cuy, conejo, gato, perro, vaca, cerdo, caballo, gallina, duck, gallino o llama, I was not the happiest camper. I really want to buy all the cuy (guinea pigs) and save them from becoming lunch. It is frustrating to say the least to parade 30 Kalamazoo students through the fruit market with people getting lost, and it is also frustrating to walk through the restaurant/deli area… imagine dirty pots of corn, rice, and meat with kids running everywhere and then a line of roosted, raw, and or bloody pig and cow heads with blood dripping onto the walking path.
Once again Liz and I adventured the Plaza de Ponchos, the large artisan market… and Momma, we are getting A. alpaca blankets (I got the price down to $10) and sweet hammock chairs that suspend form the season that go perfectly with Liz’s new candle holder.
We almuerzo’ed in Peguche, an indigenous weaving community, and later explored el Parque de Condor, a reserve for injured hawks, eagles, and condors. I saw Hedwig. It was sweet. She loves me.
After a fancy dinner, we went to a curadera. I want a wikipedia explanation of this. Essentially, otavalan medicine person similar to a shaman. Luz Otavalo, an older Otavalan, cured four K students of bad energy and spirits. She spat aguadiente, Ecua Moonshine, on various items that are rubbed on those being purified, fire, leaves, eggs, the students, to purify them... all while the people being cleaned are in their skivvies. I kind of want to be cleaned….
THEN WE SLEPT IN THE BEST PLACE EVER… sort of. Lizzy and I bunked in a room with the softest, cleanest, beds I have ever had the pleasure to sleep on in the country, along with a steaming hot shower… we were cleaned too.
Kalamazoo footed the bill for last weekend to Otavalo. Leaving before the birds woke up on Saturday, we spent the day exploring markets, making friends with birds, and a curadara. Beginning the day with the animal market, where one can buy a cuy, conejo, gato, perro, vaca, cerdo, caballo, gallina, duck, gallino o llama, I was not the happiest camper. I really want to buy all the cuy (guinea pigs) and save them from becoming lunch. It is frustrating to say the least to parade 30 Kalamazoo students through the fruit market with people getting lost, and it is also frustrating to walk through the restaurant/deli area… imagine dirty pots of corn, rice, and meat with kids running everywhere and then a line of roosted, raw, and or bloody pig and cow heads with blood dripping onto the walking path.
Once again Liz and I adventured the Plaza de Ponchos, the large artisan market… and Momma, we are getting A. alpaca blankets (I got the price down to $10) and sweet hammock chairs that suspend form the season that go perfectly with Liz’s new candle holder.
We almuerzo’ed in Peguche, an indigenous weaving community, and later explored el Parque de Condor, a reserve for injured hawks, eagles, and condors. I saw Hedwig. It was sweet. She loves me.
After a fancy dinner, we went to a curadera. I want a wikipedia explanation of this. Essentially, otavalan medicine person similar to a shaman. Luz Otavalo, an older Otavalan, cured four K students of bad energy and spirits. She spat aguadiente, Ecua Moonshine, on various items that are rubbed on those being purified, fire, leaves, eggs, the students, to purify them... all while the people being cleaned are in their skivvies. I kind of want to be cleaned….
THEN WE SLEPT IN THE BEST PLACE EVER… sort of. Lizzy and I bunked in a room with the softest, cleanest, beds I have ever had the pleasure to sleep on in the country, along with a steaming hot shower… we were cleaned too.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
5/9/09
Yesterday was crazy; by crazy, I mean I was able to spend the whole day trying to get my censo, national identification card. The 15-minute process turned into a five-hour event, as any bureaucratic event should. Trey, Liz, and I were initially turned away only to come back three hours later because of a lack of numbers. We arrived back at the Ecuadorian DMV a half hour early at 2:30, to be ensured three of thirty censo numbers. As the officer handed out tickets, four people joined their friends in line… and us one ticket short. After Liz sweet talked the officer, and almost cried, he printed a 31st ticket. Oh and the guy behind us in line was from Ecuador but lives in Maryland and told us that our US passports have a street value of $2000-$5000. We watched our fellow classmates be turned away with lack of ticket, jumped the line after two hours of waiting and 15 numbers yet to go, and may or may have not lied about having to cut because church was in an hour.
We dinned on typical cuisine, mama’s mac and cheese, hot dogs, green beans, and yellow cake for dinner. Nothing like good ol USA comfort food to end a stressful day.
6/9/09
Today, I spent the day with Liz and her madre, Marci, in the pueblos of Otavalo y Ibarra. The primary population of Otavalo is quichua, an indigenous population. We went to a market that had anything woven that one could ever want. I am eyeing some wool socks with llamas, but I wont pay more than 2X $5. For lunch, and to watch the big Ecuador vs. Colombia soccer game, we went to Ibarra, the big city north of Otavalo, bought the required $4 Ecuador jerseys, and went the Marci’s cousins. We ate lunch, watched the game, and later took a 3-hour bus home.
8/9/09
So, I have really good luck. I have not been able to make an appearance to a single class this week, but I did get the opportunity to return to Hospital Vonderez last night. Perhaps my body was made to host bacterial infections. The plus side is that I now have a working TV, so I am able to watch trashy US shows, like “The Girls Next Door” to aide my recovery.
I want to go home. I want to be able to do laundry, eat food with out visiting the hospital, and not risk “loosing” more than $140 in my room.
It is not all bad. I just really miss luxuries like drinking tap water and not fearing for my safety after 7 pm aka sunset. If I could be anywhere right now, I would be on the Rez, where life can be bat shit crazy, but at least I know what to expect.
Yesterday was crazy; by crazy, I mean I was able to spend the whole day trying to get my censo, national identification card. The 15-minute process turned into a five-hour event, as any bureaucratic event should. Trey, Liz, and I were initially turned away only to come back three hours later because of a lack of numbers. We arrived back at the Ecuadorian DMV a half hour early at 2:30, to be ensured three of thirty censo numbers. As the officer handed out tickets, four people joined their friends in line… and us one ticket short. After Liz sweet talked the officer, and almost cried, he printed a 31st ticket. Oh and the guy behind us in line was from Ecuador but lives in Maryland and told us that our US passports have a street value of $2000-$5000. We watched our fellow classmates be turned away with lack of ticket, jumped the line after two hours of waiting and 15 numbers yet to go, and may or may have not lied about having to cut because church was in an hour.
We dinned on typical cuisine, mama’s mac and cheese, hot dogs, green beans, and yellow cake for dinner. Nothing like good ol USA comfort food to end a stressful day.
6/9/09
Today, I spent the day with Liz and her madre, Marci, in the pueblos of Otavalo y Ibarra. The primary population of Otavalo is quichua, an indigenous population. We went to a market that had anything woven that one could ever want. I am eyeing some wool socks with llamas, but I wont pay more than 2X $5. For lunch, and to watch the big Ecuador vs. Colombia soccer game, we went to Ibarra, the big city north of Otavalo, bought the required $4 Ecuador jerseys, and went the Marci’s cousins. We ate lunch, watched the game, and later took a 3-hour bus home.
8/9/09
So, I have really good luck. I have not been able to make an appearance to a single class this week, but I did get the opportunity to return to Hospital Vonderez last night. Perhaps my body was made to host bacterial infections. The plus side is that I now have a working TV, so I am able to watch trashy US shows, like “The Girls Next Door” to aide my recovery.
I want to go home. I want to be able to do laundry, eat food with out visiting the hospital, and not risk “loosing” more than $140 in my room.
It is not all bad. I just really miss luxuries like drinking tap water and not fearing for my safety after 7 pm aka sunset. If I could be anywhere right now, I would be on the Rez, where life can be bat shit crazy, but at least I know what to expect.
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