We stayed 7 full days at la Estacion de Biodiversidad Tiputini, or the Tiputini Biodiversity Station. Tiputini is the name of the area and the river in which we arrived. The title is a link to its website. The station consists of a building with classrooms, a lab/library, and offices, cabins, and a dining hall, or comedor. The rest is primary tropical rain forest. Sigh. The noise surprised me. Bird calls 24-7. Monkey calls. Well, actual monkeys everywhere too. Frogs and toads and insects being loud all the time. But noise is not the appropriate word of course. The sounds felt right, soothing and assuring. I am such a light sleeper; my mom typing on the keyboard would somehow travel through the ceiling and keep me awake in my room below. My roommate opening the door in the morning to leave for work was my alarm clock last year. Anything and everything wakes me up. But the loud sounds of the night, cricket and frog calls mostly, actually helped me fall asleep. You should have heard some of the calls! I'll have to impersonate them next time I see you. One big frog who lived in a pipe of the comedor made this extremely loud vocalization that sounded like a huge liquid droplet hitting a hard surface; pppplop!
My time was so full last week, yet was over in a flash. After we hauled our backpacks from the boat and settled in our (surprisingly nice) cabins, we had a quick welcome/orientation with Diego in the comedor. Our cabins had thick white walls, a bathroom with cold shower, and the top half of the walls were screens, so we could see the dense lavish forest as we laid on our beds. Electricity was only on from 10-1pm and 6:30-9:30pm, so we depended on our flashlights and candles a lot. Pretty sure my eyesight improved from having less light. Every morning hike, before the sun rose, got easier for me to see the trail.
The first four mornings began at 5:30am with four groups alternating the torre, caminata, puente, or bota. That is, canopy tower, forest hike, canopy walk, or boat ride. My group of Chris, Tori, Daniel, Gina and Julie had the torre first. We hiked through the forest by our flashlights, then climbed a staircase the height of a 6-7 story building. The metal staircase is supported by a magnificent Ceiba tree, that is of course taller than the stair case, with branches the size of large trunks. One "branch", almost a meter thick, cut through the pedestal at the top of the tower, where bullet ants roamed. I steered clear of this. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANTS everywhere by the way. They make up half the density of insects in the TRF. Our guide, Ramiro, who I love for reasons I will share later, pointed out bird after bird after toucan after tanager after macaw after eagle after hummingbird, oh my! We spent two hours up there, looking at beautiful colorful birds through our binoculars. I was so amazed at how Ramiro spotted birds so far away and so camoflauged. Even after he explained where it was, like "that tree, below the big branch, it's profile toward us", it took me a few seconds to see it. We got to watch the sunrise from the top, as it rises around 6. Also to see the treeline of the tropical rain forest against the sky, with fresh morning fog, the landscape continuing indefinitely, was worth the climb alone.
After the morning activity we have breakfast. Mmmmm breakfast. Soooo good. I think the chef is a culinary student from USC, assigned to the station for a semester or something, as Tiputini Biodiversity Station is part of the University of San Francisco of Quito The food was top notch. We devoured amazing pancakes or french toast most of the time with peanut butter, honey, jam, syrup and butter on top, but sometimes fried plantains with eggs, or other traditional Ecuadorian dishes. Mmmmm for lunch we always had a soup, then a main plate and dessert. Dinners included delicious spaghetti and veggie marinara sauce, lasagna, tofu and rice or lo mein noodles, chicken with veggies and rice, yummy sauces with potatos or yucca, and weird salads like pickles, tomatos and lettuce. There were always bowls of mango, banana, and apples, a tray of cookies and coffee and tea on the counter where we picked and dropped off plates. For some reason, the oreos tasted soooo good there. We ate at least 6 Oreos (one packet) with peanut butter every day. Don't worry, we realized after returning the Quito that there are 20 grams in 4 Oreos, so we all cleansed for a week. Our boat carried our supply of food by the way, sacks of potatos, flour, crates of fruit, etc.
After breakfast was another activity in the forest, such as botany class or a hike with a guide pointing to find and watch monkeys! My favorite monos are the Saki's. Afterward, we had lectures in the air conditioned room!!! Big important deal in the 100% humidity jungle. Once an article of clothing got wet, it did not dry. All my clothes were wet or damp by the time I had to pack them to leave. We then had lunch and a break for an hour or two, because it was just too hot to do anything. I usually laid on my bed in my underwear, shifting after the sheet had become damp. The afternoon consisted of more lectures, both in the classroom and the forest, such as collecting insects and then classifying them to their Order. Then dinner, then a guest lecture or other activity out in the wilderness. The three grad students staying at TBS gave us a lecture/powerpoint presentation on their work. Daniel is studying the social habits of a handful of monkey species. Ricardo is studying the social "fission-fusion" dynamics of woolly monkeys. Abbie is studying the costs and benefits of mixed species flocks of birds.
The second morning was the boat ride. We climbed into the little benches that were placed in the boat, and motored for about 45 minutes up the Tiputini River, a huge tributary of the humongous Amazon. We then turned around, and drifted by the current back to the station, with no sound of the motor. I sat with my binocs, spotting birds, enjoying the silence mixed with the sound of the water, and enjoying the view of Tiputini and its lining forest in the days young light. After getting off the boat, my group and I saw an Ecua-vollyball game going on (little different that regular volleyball). I watched for a little bit as a few girls joined in. The players, the chefs and a few guides, were making fun of the girls' lack of skill pretty badly, which pissed me off. I got in there, and after warming up, asked if I could be the server. We won after to scoring serves. :) Haha.
Third morning was the puente, the canopy walk way. Half hour hike, then climb similiar to that of the tower. We had to wear halters that attached to this line running along the swinging bridges. The walkway had wooden boards to walk on, with net on the sides. The three walks were connected to four huge trees. Ants all over bridge...ow....ouch....oooooooow!.........................oww....and so on. BUT I only stayed on the bridge for 10 minutes, as the wind began to BLOOOOOOOW, the howler monkeys began to howl, and then cloud gods released their rain. I have never felt that wet before, just completely soaked, through all the layers of my skin. I felt like sea animal, with the humidity and rain soaking my body through to the inside. It was fun hiking back soaked in the rain. And it was fun taking off my clothes that never dried and putting on drier ones.
The last of the first four morning was the caminata. I ate lemon ants by licking my finger and pressing it to their tree, where millions of them were moving along. They produce citric instead of formic acid. They taste lemony and refreshing! Jorge found group after group of monkeys for us. For 15 minutes, we stood and watched spider monkeys from a perfect view. We also saw woolly monkey, capuchins, saki's and golden mantled tamarins.
I had a "free" day, where we could sign up to do different activities. I did parts of the Guacamayo, Harta, and Lago trails sola. My hike is one of the parts of the trip that I remember most vividly. It was scary, accepting the fact that I was truly alone, no human to depend on, and that I was in danger. I felt more awake and conscious and alive than I've ever felt. Looking back, I can't believe how alert I was, at every noise, movement, of my environment and myself. Didn't know I could be that present. The birds called their alerts to others, as they noticed my presence. I bumped into a pecary, a large wild boar, with big white horns. We stared at each other for 10 seconds, I think, and I pondered whether to take a photo or walk away. The black beast then made his "ready to charge" position. Sooooo, my body chose to begin moving away...! He ended up following me for a while, about 5 meters away, then decided I wasn't a threat. We were taught to climb a tree if they charged at you. Maybe I should tell people I did, just to make the story better... I also saw some black turkey-sized birds that were really interesting to watch. I saw some beautifully-colored frogs. I also crossed a log bridge, and then heard a cat roar on the side where I had just come from. That was scary. Kinda stood frozen with extremely alert ears and darting eyes for a few minutes. The non-scary moments mostly consisted of discovering beautiful seeds, fruits, nuts, flowers, plants, beetles, nests and taking pictures/ using my binoculars.
On our walk back from the torre, the guide Ramiro, showed us a plant with which he used the bark to cure a sinus infection. He said the treatment worked so well, better than anything else. I told him that I had a bad cough and sinus infection, and would love to try it. The next day, he met me at my cabin with a freshly picked stem. He then shaved the bark with a pocket knife into the cut-out bottom of a styrofoam cup. He then had me pour a little bit of water into the cup bottom, and he stirred the bark until there was a trasparent yellowy liquid mixture. I put my head way back, and he poured the liquid down my nostrils. It traveled through my sinuses and down my throat. The sensation was a strong burning that made my eyes water, but it felt good, in that I could feel the chemicals were doing something to my throat that would lessen my infection. It definetily helped clear our my sinuses and helped me produce less phlem. It was soooo chevre! On that note, I will share that I plan to return to TBS in April to conduct my independent research project on ethnobotany! I hope Ramiro, such a sweet kind, (knowledgable) man, can be my advisor.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
How many ballerinas have been to the Amazon? :)
Our resident professor for the trip, Peggy, Ph.D in forestry, asked me this question. It once again reminded me how incredibly blessed and lucky I am.
This week was one of the most memorable of my life so far. Not surprising, right? Chock-full of learning, enlightenment, and fun! Overall, I am present to nature as an innate part of me, and that no matter where I am or what my surroundings or environment are, I am in nature. This week, my mind and spirit truly grasped how Western philosopy of humans being separate from and dominant over nature is perhaps false. My choices on this planet impact nonhumans just as much as my choices impact people in my life. And as karma and Newton explain, everything I impact, will impact me in an equal way.
As I often think about how I want to impact the world, I more and more find the answer in a united shift of how we view our planet. And every global issue such as terrorism, climate change, poverty, hunger, can be originated to the imbalance in natural resources with humans, animals and plants. This has not always been so; this imbalance didn't exist when Native Americans lived in peace. They had what they needed and their religion revolved around keeping it that way. We rejected this attitude in modern times, following instead the philosophy of Aristotle and those of the Enlightenment, with respect to humans being the rulers of the world. This has created our current condition of lack of resources in some places and excess of resources in other places of the globe, which obviously leads to great conflict. Oil is the main culprit presently. Also, one root of terrorism is intense resentment of US citizens' quality of life and opportunities to progress or speak out. This exists, in part, because Western countries got wealthy from extracting and consuming natural resources, and therefore created better lives for their citizens; all while people not fortunate enough to have been born in the Western world watch as this gap in wealth and opportunity widened, withought being able to do anything about it. How unimaginably frustrating. The principles of natural resource use that world powers have implemented make a complicated mess of the earth, and create conflict between people, for so long.
Maybe Native Americans had it right with respect to their state of reality of the Earth. After all, they mastered how to live sustainably, how the entire human population can live on Earth forever. Maybe we Western-minded ones are the ignorant savages, blatantly destroying all we have, and focusing all energy on surface solutions and issues like war, money, research, development, instead of accepting the flaw in a commitment to indefinite growth and "advancement": the biosphere is finite. The answer to achieve "sustainability" is not just a shift in policy, politics, economics, energy sources, quality of life expectations, but a transformation of our state of mind. By being born into everything that comes with industrialization, like cities, highways, a house where barely even bugs live, I have been so blind to where I am living in the universe. I can't name 10 plants in my backyard. I squirm when an unharmful centipede crawls on my arm because the feeling is so foreign. I can't tell three volcanic mountains apart from each other, even though they are so distinct. I "leave the real world" and "go to nature". Maybe I would attain true fulfillment and deep satisfaction if I had been born where I evolved to be; with plants, animals, weather, geography as my reality and my skin in contact with earth.
Here is a quote by Russel Means, Lakota, quoted by Churchill in 1995:
"Capitalism and communism are simply the opposite sides of the same eurocentric coin. What the world needs is not a choice between capitalism and communism, between one aspect of eurocentrism or eurosupremeacism and another. What we need is a genuine alternative to the European tradion as a whole."
Maybe I should base my independent study project on how an Ecuadorian social or political issue can be originated to nature. Like how clashes in the view of utilization of nature between the Inca and Spaniards engendered the exploitation of natives during colonialization, which evolved into the poor, "developing" country that is today Ecuador. Or the mining fights between those of the Yasuni region and mining companies all evolve around oil, water and air (contamination), and land (deforestation). Hmmm. Tell me your thoughts.
Even if I can't impact the world at all, I am so lucky that I can still live my life by any principles I choose.
I am idealogical, naive and impractical, and I don't care! I hope this newly experienced view of Earth changes my life path forever.
This week was one of the most memorable of my life so far. Not surprising, right? Chock-full of learning, enlightenment, and fun! Overall, I am present to nature as an innate part of me, and that no matter where I am or what my surroundings or environment are, I am in nature. This week, my mind and spirit truly grasped how Western philosopy of humans being separate from and dominant over nature is perhaps false. My choices on this planet impact nonhumans just as much as my choices impact people in my life. And as karma and Newton explain, everything I impact, will impact me in an equal way.
As I often think about how I want to impact the world, I more and more find the answer in a united shift of how we view our planet. And every global issue such as terrorism, climate change, poverty, hunger, can be originated to the imbalance in natural resources with humans, animals and plants. This has not always been so; this imbalance didn't exist when Native Americans lived in peace. They had what they needed and their religion revolved around keeping it that way. We rejected this attitude in modern times, following instead the philosophy of Aristotle and those of the Enlightenment, with respect to humans being the rulers of the world. This has created our current condition of lack of resources in some places and excess of resources in other places of the globe, which obviously leads to great conflict. Oil is the main culprit presently. Also, one root of terrorism is intense resentment of US citizens' quality of life and opportunities to progress or speak out. This exists, in part, because Western countries got wealthy from extracting and consuming natural resources, and therefore created better lives for their citizens; all while people not fortunate enough to have been born in the Western world watch as this gap in wealth and opportunity widened, withought being able to do anything about it. How unimaginably frustrating. The principles of natural resource use that world powers have implemented make a complicated mess of the earth, and create conflict between people, for so long.
Maybe Native Americans had it right with respect to their state of reality of the Earth. After all, they mastered how to live sustainably, how the entire human population can live on Earth forever. Maybe we Western-minded ones are the ignorant savages, blatantly destroying all we have, and focusing all energy on surface solutions and issues like war, money, research, development, instead of accepting the flaw in a commitment to indefinite growth and "advancement": the biosphere is finite. The answer to achieve "sustainability" is not just a shift in policy, politics, economics, energy sources, quality of life expectations, but a transformation of our state of mind. By being born into everything that comes with industrialization, like cities, highways, a house where barely even bugs live, I have been so blind to where I am living in the universe. I can't name 10 plants in my backyard. I squirm when an unharmful centipede crawls on my arm because the feeling is so foreign. I can't tell three volcanic mountains apart from each other, even though they are so distinct. I "leave the real world" and "go to nature". Maybe I would attain true fulfillment and deep satisfaction if I had been born where I evolved to be; with plants, animals, weather, geography as my reality and my skin in contact with earth.
Here is a quote by Russel Means, Lakota, quoted by Churchill in 1995:
"Capitalism and communism are simply the opposite sides of the same eurocentric coin. What the world needs is not a choice between capitalism and communism, between one aspect of eurocentrism or eurosupremeacism and another. What we need is a genuine alternative to the European tradion as a whole."
Maybe I should base my independent study project on how an Ecuadorian social or political issue can be originated to nature. Like how clashes in the view of utilization of nature between the Inca and Spaniards engendered the exploitation of natives during colonialization, which evolved into the poor, "developing" country that is today Ecuador. Or the mining fights between those of the Yasuni region and mining companies all evolve around oil, water and air (contamination), and land (deforestation). Hmmm. Tell me your thoughts.
Even if I can't impact the world at all, I am so lucky that I can still live my life by any principles I choose.
I am idealogical, naive and impractical, and I don't care! I hope this newly experienced view of Earth changes my life path forever.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Off to Amazon
My next excursion is the Oriente! It is the east of of Ecuador, the part of the country that is mostly tropical rainforest. We leave early Monday morning, taking a half hour plane, then short bus ride, then a canoe through Rio Napo, then YPS oil company checkpoint registration, then 1.5 hour bus, then 2.5 hour canoe ride. Arrival at Tiputini Biodiversity Station late in day! Our director Xavier explained how it "is in the middle of nowhere". He is a funny guy, Ecuadorian but studied in France. Friday, after a lecture on venomous snakes of the Oriente, we had a final talk about the logistics of the excursion. He acted as though we shouldn't have been so naive and uneseccarily worried when we asked about pumas and 6m snakes that hang near the kitchen and are the most poisonous of the region, eels and fish that swim into your "holes" (we will be bathing in a river), HUGE poisonous ants and spiders, and our "drop off" where we remain completely isolated in the jungle in order to fine tune our senses for observation, his answer was an "oh pleeease" face and an "accidents happen very rarely" answer to each question/concern.
WOOO AMAZON HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOOO AMAZON HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Canoa Parte II
Bueno, the rest of the time was spent on the beach, claro. On Saturday, after settling in the hostel, we were on the beach by 8:30 I'd say. So we got the best cabana on the beach with reclining beach chairs for $5/day. We tanned and swam until about 7pm, only stopping for yummy lunch. The town is of course made up of hostels and great, cheap restaurantes, a lot of pizzerias and burger places; food that hits the spot after swimming in the sun all day. The water and waves were amazing, except a little too salty and with an undertow. You would be dry five minutes after leaving the water, so we went in often for about 10 minutes. The beach was not crowded all day. We walked up to the sand stone cliffs and climbed over the rocks. These rocks looked like they were from another planet. First of all, I could crack them into big chunks like I was a super hero. Why do they do that?? And they formed with all these irregular rings and layers so that they look super science-fictional. Jess told me it's because of the different points of pressure on the minerals when they form into rock. We had fun picking up rocks and being able to break them in half, etc., hah! There were beautiful shells, and lots of little snails with spiral-cone shells homes. Crabs too.
At night we hit up the bars and then danced the night away with a dj and large music video screen on the beach. Dancing on the beach was so fun...met some great dancing partners :) The town was about 4/5 Ecuadorians and the rest gringos; an excellent balance. A good part of the gringos are surfers, as Canoa is known as the best surfing spot in Ecuador. In fact our hostel neighbors, who we listened to or joked with often through the cracks of our walls, and face to face, were hard core unprofessional surfers, if you know what I mean. They had been living in Canoa for 2 years. Our cold showers felt so refreshing after a day laying and a night dancing on the sand.
Sunday was crowded! I had to track down the cabana people and wait for them to set up an additional one. And today they were charging $7!!! More lying on the beach with a Pilsener (Ecuadorian beer) or fruity cocktail, it was the life. Although, I'd had a cough for a few weeks, and it was getting worse. We discussed how we wanted to do our independent study projects (ISP's) on the coast, for obvious reasons. Of course in class after we had returned from Canoa, our director Xavier told us that ISP's are no longer allowed on the beach, except if you're doing mangrove research (coastal-ecosystem), because students would just party the whole month and submit a pathetic project!! Lo creo, sin duda.
This weekend into Monday was Carnival, a huge Mardi-Gras like fiesta. One tradition is to throw water on everyone; people on the street, family, cute strangers, etc. Ecuadorians also use spray foam stuff that tastes like soap/slash shaving cream (yes, my neighbor sprayed it in my mouth). We had a fun competition with our surfer dude neighbors, when they surprised us with Carnival spraying. I managed to steal a can from one and get him back!!! The ordeal worked out well, as I was covered in soap right before I had planned to take a shower. We also got sprayed on the beach. Guys would just walk by and spray, and there's nothing we could really do. My brother Andres got my mami Rosa real bad in the house with water. I could hear them yelling and running around for 15 minutes! Rosa looked infused with new energy and a satisfied heart when she was talking in the kitchen with me afterward. On another note, when I asked Rosa what she and her family usually do for Carnival, she explained that her husband died around this time, about ten years ago, so the fam doesn't really celebrate it. There are many legends as to why people pour water on each other, but a few are because it clears you for a new season, refreshes your soul and gets you ready for the rainy season.
So the plan was to leave Monday at midnight and get back Tues. morning. We had Mon. off from classes for Carnival. I was feeling sicker and sicker every hour with my cough and congestion, and knew I must return a day early. I wanted a day to recuperate and get a hold on the two essays and Udall application I must finish that week! Ginger (well Gina, but I call her Ginger because if you knew her would see how perfect that name is for her) returned with me, and the trip was unfortunately similar to the arriving one. But the humidity was less and less and we drove up the mountainside. That was lovely!
But oh man, the stories about what went down after I left=locura. Chris and Dan fell asleep while the bus tickets were being sold at 4pm, and therefore didn't get tickets to ride with the rest of the group. BUT they found an interesting man named Rafael who offered to take them in the back of a truck for $2. They accepted. They rode and slept on hay in the back of the questionable truck, with a pig resting on them a part of the way. I think they told me another dude joined them for part of the ride. I was mostly worried about them freezing to death, zooming up the mountain in the cold of the night. Yet there they were, alive and a bit wide eyed, Wed. morning at school.
Tori was robbed at gunpoint by a police officer and a guy. Unfortunately she was alone and had no money with her. So they didn't let her go for half an hour, because they thought she was lying. This all happened while the bus was boarding to leave. And so everyone missed the bus, because they weren't leaving without Tori of course. So what did they do? After they missed the bus? Not even sure, oh maybe got one that left during the day Tuesday. Oh right, and they had to find another hostel for Monday night. But they got back alive, with great stories and already peeling tans.
At night we hit up the bars and then danced the night away with a dj and large music video screen on the beach. Dancing on the beach was so fun...met some great dancing partners :) The town was about 4/5 Ecuadorians and the rest gringos; an excellent balance. A good part of the gringos are surfers, as Canoa is known as the best surfing spot in Ecuador. In fact our hostel neighbors, who we listened to or joked with often through the cracks of our walls, and face to face, were hard core unprofessional surfers, if you know what I mean. They had been living in Canoa for 2 years. Our cold showers felt so refreshing after a day laying and a night dancing on the sand.
Sunday was crowded! I had to track down the cabana people and wait for them to set up an additional one. And today they were charging $7!!! More lying on the beach with a Pilsener (Ecuadorian beer) or fruity cocktail, it was the life. Although, I'd had a cough for a few weeks, and it was getting worse. We discussed how we wanted to do our independent study projects (ISP's) on the coast, for obvious reasons. Of course in class after we had returned from Canoa, our director Xavier told us that ISP's are no longer allowed on the beach, except if you're doing mangrove research (coastal-ecosystem), because students would just party the whole month and submit a pathetic project!! Lo creo, sin duda.
This weekend into Monday was Carnival, a huge Mardi-Gras like fiesta. One tradition is to throw water on everyone; people on the street, family, cute strangers, etc. Ecuadorians also use spray foam stuff that tastes like soap/slash shaving cream (yes, my neighbor sprayed it in my mouth). We had a fun competition with our surfer dude neighbors, when they surprised us with Carnival spraying. I managed to steal a can from one and get him back!!! The ordeal worked out well, as I was covered in soap right before I had planned to take a shower. We also got sprayed on the beach. Guys would just walk by and spray, and there's nothing we could really do. My brother Andres got my mami Rosa real bad in the house with water. I could hear them yelling and running around for 15 minutes! Rosa looked infused with new energy and a satisfied heart when she was talking in the kitchen with me afterward. On another note, when I asked Rosa what she and her family usually do for Carnival, she explained that her husband died around this time, about ten years ago, so the fam doesn't really celebrate it. There are many legends as to why people pour water on each other, but a few are because it clears you for a new season, refreshes your soul and gets you ready for the rainy season.
So the plan was to leave Monday at midnight and get back Tues. morning. We had Mon. off from classes for Carnival. I was feeling sicker and sicker every hour with my cough and congestion, and knew I must return a day early. I wanted a day to recuperate and get a hold on the two essays and Udall application I must finish that week! Ginger (well Gina, but I call her Ginger because if you knew her would see how perfect that name is for her) returned with me, and the trip was unfortunately similar to the arriving one. But the humidity was less and less and we drove up the mountainside. That was lovely!
But oh man, the stories about what went down after I left=locura. Chris and Dan fell asleep while the bus tickets were being sold at 4pm, and therefore didn't get tickets to ride with the rest of the group. BUT they found an interesting man named Rafael who offered to take them in the back of a truck for $2. They accepted. They rode and slept on hay in the back of the questionable truck, with a pig resting on them a part of the way. I think they told me another dude joined them for part of the ride. I was mostly worried about them freezing to death, zooming up the mountain in the cold of the night. Yet there they were, alive and a bit wide eyed, Wed. morning at school.
Tori was robbed at gunpoint by a police officer and a guy. Unfortunately she was alone and had no money with her. So they didn't let her go for half an hour, because they thought she was lying. This all happened while the bus was boarding to leave. And so everyone missed the bus, because they weren't leaving without Tori of course. So what did they do? After they missed the bus? Not even sure, oh maybe got one that left during the day Tuesday. Oh right, and they had to find another hostel for Monday night. But they got back alive, with great stories and already peeling tans.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Homestay Update: mostly about Rosa and food
I have been so comfortable at my hoger in Quito. It is mostly Rosa and me, as Araceli is very busy with work and school. I absolutely love my mama Rosa. In fact all my friends who have met her absolutely love her. It is because she excuberates love and care. Rosa has offered to acompany me anywhere I want to go in Quito, which is the best, to with an Ecuadoreana. The city is pretty damn dangerous by the way, with respect to robberies. At orientation, our directors drilled into us that we would get robbed at least once, and to get over it. So far so good for me. Rosa stays home most of the time, making my bed every morning after I leave, doing my laundry and dishes. It will be tough getting used to doing my dishes and laundry when I return, as both Rosa and Ana, my mama in Spain, do the household chores, and refuse to let me help most of the time. That's definitely a culture difference. Men and visitors don't do dishes and laundry.
Rosa eats so healthily! A third of my diet is a diversity of fruit, including mango, maracuja, passion fruit, tomate de arbol, and many others that we don't have in the US. Lunch everywhere is the big main meal of the day, just like Spain, with a soup, then main dish, then fruit for dessert. The main dish is usually meat with rice and veggies. But at Rosa's house, we eat less meat, WOO! Actually mi hermana Araceli is a vegetarian. Today I had yummy cooked spinach and potato in a creamy sauce along with my rice. Dinner and breakfast are a snack. In fact many friends' families don't eat dinner.
In tea, Ecuadorians use panella instead of sugar, which is like sugar, as it's made from sugar cane, but less sweet and with more flavor of its own than sugar. I've had a nasty cough, and Rosa is always making me te de cedron con panella, this leaf she picks on her daily morning walks. It is so yummy and works the best to tame my cough. And I love how Spaniards and South Americans buy their bread fresh, everyday at panaderias, or bread shops. Why do we buy bagged bread in the US? Fresh bread is always tastier, even for sandwiches. Que tonteria. How silly.
Araceli is a yogi :) She's helping me find a yoga/pilates studio. AND she's a great salsa dancer. She takes me to the hottest salsateca in Quito, where the salseras of Quito do their thing Thursday nights. She's hooking me up with salsa lessons too. It's pretty damn sweet.
Also, I must note that I saw Avatar in 3D twice at this state of the art theater 5 minutes from my house for $6.
Something else that's great at home is Inga! She is the German student who lived with the Andrades last semester, and still comes to visit! She now lives on the coast doing research, not sure in what, but remains a good friend of Rosa. Inga is very fun, and we plan to go out together soon. Ok, got to work my my analysis paper. I've decided to write about whether natural medicine is heading in the right direction in Ecuador. I will post it after it's been peer reviewed!
Rosa eats so healthily! A third of my diet is a diversity of fruit, including mango, maracuja, passion fruit, tomate de arbol, and many others that we don't have in the US. Lunch everywhere is the big main meal of the day, just like Spain, with a soup, then main dish, then fruit for dessert. The main dish is usually meat with rice and veggies. But at Rosa's house, we eat less meat, WOO! Actually mi hermana Araceli is a vegetarian. Today I had yummy cooked spinach and potato in a creamy sauce along with my rice. Dinner and breakfast are a snack. In fact many friends' families don't eat dinner.
In tea, Ecuadorians use panella instead of sugar, which is like sugar, as it's made from sugar cane, but less sweet and with more flavor of its own than sugar. I've had a nasty cough, and Rosa is always making me te de cedron con panella, this leaf she picks on her daily morning walks. It is so yummy and works the best to tame my cough. And I love how Spaniards and South Americans buy their bread fresh, everyday at panaderias, or bread shops. Why do we buy bagged bread in the US? Fresh bread is always tastier, even for sandwiches. Que tonteria. How silly.
Araceli is a yogi :) She's helping me find a yoga/pilates studio. AND she's a great salsa dancer. She takes me to the hottest salsateca in Quito, where the salseras of Quito do their thing Thursday nights. She's hooking me up with salsa lessons too. It's pretty damn sweet.
Also, I must note that I saw Avatar in 3D twice at this state of the art theater 5 minutes from my house for $6.
Something else that's great at home is Inga! She is the German student who lived with the Andrades last semester, and still comes to visit! She now lives on the coast doing research, not sure in what, but remains a good friend of Rosa. Inga is very fun, and we plan to go out together soon. Ok, got to work my my analysis paper. I've decided to write about whether natural medicine is heading in the right direction in Ecuador. I will post it after it's been peer reviewed!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Last Weekend in Canoa Parte I
First weekend trip to the coast! Nine others and me went to Canoa, a coast town I think Chris' Quito brother or our spanish professor Jorge suggested. I am going back there again! You won't understand why based on this first share. There were some issues...but worth it overall. Let me start from el principio:
So at 8:30 Friday eve we all met at our school and took a cab to the bus station del sur (in the south of the city), an hour ride, for $8. Our bus was scheduled to leave at 10:30 but I don't think we did until 11:30 or so. The station was crazy. Including the buses. Swarms of people everywhere. In between the buses. Competitions between a bus trying to pull out and a bus trying to drive through. Some men's actual jobs were directing the buses, or in other words standing outside of the bus and signaling when it absolutely must surrender and break, or it would hit another. Numerous almost hits, including people. It was pretty amusing actually; a moving maze of buses, like in HP & Goblet of Fire, with all the passengers as the wizards moving through frantically, trying to find their bus/goblet of fire. We were naive to think that our bus would be at puerta 20, sitting on a curb waiting for about 20 minutes, as we arrived early. A mangy but tame dog kept us company.
After Chris, who is from Mexico and speaks spanish perfectly, talked to someone 5 times, we figured out that we had to enter the dangerous smokey bus maze carrying our stuffed back packs. We waited and darted in between the smog, until we saw our bus to Jama drive into the station 30 minutes later. Chris' mother warned him to check the tires of our bus to see if they were very smooth, because they don't like to change the tires. And she warned him to smell the busdriver, as many drink and drive. While in the maze, he actually spotted Rum in one driver's seat. After he pointed this out I think Jess said, "That makes me worry a bit about our bus". And I think Nicole responded, "But not enough to make me not take it." We are fearless youngins. Or naive Americans. Now, just as the bus drove on the ramp to enter the station, everyone waiting for Jama ran zig-zagging to the bus to board it. It never made a parking spot, before everyone was aboard and the bus left. I remember in Spain when I took a bus from Granada to Malaga, the bus driver pulled over half way there, called another bus to come meet us, made us wait and then transfer buses, all because he smelled rubber. Last Friday was a bus station adventure unique to this part of the world.
The bus ride was through the night. The plan was to sleep on the bus but the ride was too bumpy and curvy, with the humidity consistently more and more intense until we all felt sticky all over by the fourth hour. We winded down the Andes. And the lights kept on going on for 60 seconds every hour or so, perhaps because the bus driver felt better keeping us awake, since he had to. I think we all slept for 3-4 hours, at the end of the trip after passing the bumpy curvy mountains. We were woken up by the even brighter lights coming and staying on. We all exclaimed, "!Buenos dias!" and joked how well-rested we felt. We arrived in Jama at 5am, a small (smelly) fish town, where we waited to catch another 45 minute bus to Canoa for $0.35. After we peed a block away from the stop, and found many huge grey frogs, we learned that the bus driver was offering to take people all the way to Canoa for $1.50. We took the offer.
We arrived in Canoa finally around 6am. At that time it did not look promising or what we expected. We found our hostel, the owner calling everyone "mi amor" or "mi vida". But we soon learned that our two rooms of which we were told hold 6 people each, only had three beds in each room, and one bed was wet. We chilled there for a bit, deciding whether to stay or try to find another place (it was almost impossible getting reservations anywhere becuase it was the weekend of the national festival Carnaval) and choosing sleeping buddies. After Chris complained about how the women was dishonest with him on the phone when he made the reservations, she asked us to leave if we didn't know whether we were going to stay the whole weekend. So we strolled around the town at just before dawn, asking around, spotting a few more stranded cringos. We finally found a decent enought place, with almost enough beds for everyone. There were clean sheets, a curtain for the bathroom door and toilet paper!! That was impressive. And we had a balcony with chairs. After we dumped our things, we found the beach; right at the end of the street. My explanation up to here sounds rather horrid, but I swear the whole arrival was rather fun.
When we saw the beach, we knew all had been worth it and that the weekend will be amazing. It's one of the best beaches I've ever been to, and I've been to many up and down the entire east coast of the US, one on the Mediterranean, and a few in Brasil. The waves were a surfer's dream; a variance of stong and soft, tall and shallow ones, ones that rode forever and ones that broke and immediately disapeared. And the water stays shallow for meters. It's temperature was perfect; refreshing. It was slightly cool when you step into it, then warms to perfection in 10 seconds. There were shimmering large white shells, and soft sand that sinks when one steps. The beach went on to the south practically forever; perfect for long walks. Sandstone cliffs topped with green grass and trees halted it to the north. The first time we checked out the playa, we danced in the water, hugged and giggled.
So at 8:30 Friday eve we all met at our school and took a cab to the bus station del sur (in the south of the city), an hour ride, for $8. Our bus was scheduled to leave at 10:30 but I don't think we did until 11:30 or so. The station was crazy. Including the buses. Swarms of people everywhere. In between the buses. Competitions between a bus trying to pull out and a bus trying to drive through. Some men's actual jobs were directing the buses, or in other words standing outside of the bus and signaling when it absolutely must surrender and break, or it would hit another. Numerous almost hits, including people. It was pretty amusing actually; a moving maze of buses, like in HP & Goblet of Fire, with all the passengers as the wizards moving through frantically, trying to find their bus/goblet of fire. We were naive to think that our bus would be at puerta 20, sitting on a curb waiting for about 20 minutes, as we arrived early. A mangy but tame dog kept us company.
After Chris, who is from Mexico and speaks spanish perfectly, talked to someone 5 times, we figured out that we had to enter the dangerous smokey bus maze carrying our stuffed back packs. We waited and darted in between the smog, until we saw our bus to Jama drive into the station 30 minutes later. Chris' mother warned him to check the tires of our bus to see if they were very smooth, because they don't like to change the tires. And she warned him to smell the busdriver, as many drink and drive. While in the maze, he actually spotted Rum in one driver's seat. After he pointed this out I think Jess said, "That makes me worry a bit about our bus". And I think Nicole responded, "But not enough to make me not take it." We are fearless youngins. Or naive Americans. Now, just as the bus drove on the ramp to enter the station, everyone waiting for Jama ran zig-zagging to the bus to board it. It never made a parking spot, before everyone was aboard and the bus left. I remember in Spain when I took a bus from Granada to Malaga, the bus driver pulled over half way there, called another bus to come meet us, made us wait and then transfer buses, all because he smelled rubber. Last Friday was a bus station adventure unique to this part of the world.
The bus ride was through the night. The plan was to sleep on the bus but the ride was too bumpy and curvy, with the humidity consistently more and more intense until we all felt sticky all over by the fourth hour. We winded down the Andes. And the lights kept on going on for 60 seconds every hour or so, perhaps because the bus driver felt better keeping us awake, since he had to. I think we all slept for 3-4 hours, at the end of the trip after passing the bumpy curvy mountains. We were woken up by the even brighter lights coming and staying on. We all exclaimed, "!Buenos dias!" and joked how well-rested we felt. We arrived in Jama at 5am, a small (smelly) fish town, where we waited to catch another 45 minute bus to Canoa for $0.35. After we peed a block away from the stop, and found many huge grey frogs, we learned that the bus driver was offering to take people all the way to Canoa for $1.50. We took the offer.
We arrived in Canoa finally around 6am. At that time it did not look promising or what we expected. We found our hostel, the owner calling everyone "mi amor" or "mi vida". But we soon learned that our two rooms of which we were told hold 6 people each, only had three beds in each room, and one bed was wet. We chilled there for a bit, deciding whether to stay or try to find another place (it was almost impossible getting reservations anywhere becuase it was the weekend of the national festival Carnaval) and choosing sleeping buddies. After Chris complained about how the women was dishonest with him on the phone when he made the reservations, she asked us to leave if we didn't know whether we were going to stay the whole weekend. So we strolled around the town at just before dawn, asking around, spotting a few more stranded cringos. We finally found a decent enought place, with almost enough beds for everyone. There were clean sheets, a curtain for the bathroom door and toilet paper!! That was impressive. And we had a balcony with chairs. After we dumped our things, we found the beach; right at the end of the street. My explanation up to here sounds rather horrid, but I swear the whole arrival was rather fun.
When we saw the beach, we knew all had been worth it and that the weekend will be amazing. It's one of the best beaches I've ever been to, and I've been to many up and down the entire east coast of the US, one on the Mediterranean, and a few in Brasil. The waves were a surfer's dream; a variance of stong and soft, tall and shallow ones, ones that rode forever and ones that broke and immediately disapeared. And the water stays shallow for meters. It's temperature was perfect; refreshing. It was slightly cool when you step into it, then warms to perfection in 10 seconds. There were shimmering large white shells, and soft sand that sinks when one steps. The beach went on to the south practically forever; perfect for long walks. Sandstone cliffs topped with green grass and trees halted it to the north. The first time we checked out the playa, we danced in the water, hugged and giggled.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The Titles of My Posts Are Often Links!
Click on the titles of my posts, as they will bring you to wonderful pages!
My Homestay
This morning at 9am promptly, I was picked up in a BMW from Postada de Maple (hostel) and driven to la casa de la familia Andrade-Lugmania in Granada Centeno part of Quito. Their garage and front entrance to the house reminds me of my family Prates' house in Sao Paulo. The house is very nice, with two salas, many tvs, typical middle-class South American style kitchen, staircase and furniture. I feel very comfortable and blessed to live here.
My mama is Rosa, a kind face and great laugh. She has said "tranquila" to me often so far, which is a good sign. She says she's 70 but looks 60. She takes a walk every morning from 6-7 for her health. Rosa has been a homemaker with her 4 hijos. I met one of her sons, who drove the beemer. He seemed very cool and nice. I think he is one of her older sons, with a family of his own, living either above or below us. Two of Rosa's older sons and their families live either above or below us! Andres, 30, and Mariceli, 23 live with Rosa and me. We have two awesome dogs! A retriever whose name I think is Aiskel, and a white poodle. They bark a lot with the other neighborhood dogs.
I haven't met Mariceli nor Andres yet, and I am very excited to meet them! Andres didn't get up until 1:30. Partying Saturday night? He works in finance and plays the guitar, saw it on the couch. Mariceli works in administration, will study in Washington D.C. in the near future, and does yoga and Tai Chi!!! And she's a vegetarian! I'm going to like her.
I got sick for the first time today, right after lunch. I hope it was just a one-time thing. Maybe unwashed strawberries in the amazing mora and strawberry juice? If so, it was totally worth it.
Start classes tomorrow! Oh, I have grammer homework to do!! Que horrible.
LATER: 8:00pm Just had a grilled cheese, more of that amazing jugo, coffee and a pear for dinner mmmmm. Lunch is a big, main meal in Spain as well as here, while breakfast and dinner are snacks. Me likey. Rosa gave me permission to come in the kitchen whenever and eat whatever, sweet! And I can drink coffee/eat a pear in my room. She just went grocery shopping and I can see how health-consciously the family eats!!! My family could not get any better! Two siblings slightly older than me, two dogs, liberty of the kitchen, tons of whole wheat, yogurt, fruit and veggies!!! And they eat peanut butter, which is strange to eat here.
I met Andres and Araceli. Both seem like really interesting, friendly people. Can't wait to spend more time with them. Andres was playing his guitar as I ate. Araceli just got back from Cotacaxi, for a visit I think. Two of Andres' friends are here too, working on school work together. I think they're a couple. They were rather rude and snobby, the woman putting her hand over her mouth to talk about me, and staring at me a lot as I ate my sandwich. But whatever! Probably never see them again and I like my hermana y hermano. Ok, still haven't done that grammer, so shower then that.
My mama is Rosa, a kind face and great laugh. She has said "tranquila" to me often so far, which is a good sign. She says she's 70 but looks 60. She takes a walk every morning from 6-7 for her health. Rosa has been a homemaker with her 4 hijos. I met one of her sons, who drove the beemer. He seemed very cool and nice. I think he is one of her older sons, with a family of his own, living either above or below us. Two of Rosa's older sons and their families live either above or below us! Andres, 30, and Mariceli, 23 live with Rosa and me. We have two awesome dogs! A retriever whose name I think is Aiskel, and a white poodle. They bark a lot with the other neighborhood dogs.
I haven't met Mariceli nor Andres yet, and I am very excited to meet them! Andres didn't get up until 1:30. Partying Saturday night? He works in finance and plays the guitar, saw it on the couch. Mariceli works in administration, will study in Washington D.C. in the near future, and does yoga and Tai Chi!!! And she's a vegetarian! I'm going to like her.
I got sick for the first time today, right after lunch. I hope it was just a one-time thing. Maybe unwashed strawberries in the amazing mora and strawberry juice? If so, it was totally worth it.
Start classes tomorrow! Oh, I have grammer homework to do!! Que horrible.
LATER: 8:00pm Just had a grilled cheese, more of that amazing jugo, coffee and a pear for dinner mmmmm. Lunch is a big, main meal in Spain as well as here, while breakfast and dinner are snacks. Me likey. Rosa gave me permission to come in the kitchen whenever and eat whatever, sweet! And I can drink coffee/eat a pear in my room. She just went grocery shopping and I can see how health-consciously the family eats!!! My family could not get any better! Two siblings slightly older than me, two dogs, liberty of the kitchen, tons of whole wheat, yogurt, fruit and veggies!!! And they eat peanut butter, which is strange to eat here.
I met Andres and Araceli. Both seem like really interesting, friendly people. Can't wait to spend more time with them. Andres was playing his guitar as I ate. Araceli just got back from Cotacaxi, for a visit I think. Two of Andres' friends are here too, working on school work together. I think they're a couple. They were rather rude and snobby, the woman putting her hand over her mouth to talk about me, and staring at me a lot as I ate my sandwich. But whatever! Probably never see them again and I like my hermana y hermano. Ok, still haven't done that grammer, so shower then that.
Intag Cloud Forest
February 6, 2010:
Buenas! Just returned to our hostel Postada de Maple from the cloud forest in Intag. It’s roughly at 6,000ft. We stayed for 8 days, and what an intense, fun, and challenging week. We stayed in cabins at the “house” of Carlos Zorrilla and his wife Sandy. Such wonderful people. Their house is actually La Florida Reserve, 600 hectares of cloud forest, near the farm town of Santa Rosa. Three days of the week I spent with a family in Santa Rosa, a two hour hike straight UP to the top of one of the lower mountains of the northern Andes.
I had a lot of free time during this homestay, so I wrote a lot, and I would like to share it. I have only changed one or two things from what I actually wrote (mostly my experience with the out house), so I'm slightly aprehensive sharing it. It seems I went a little crazy at some points! This passage unfortunately gives you just a glimpse of the moving experience.
1/31/10 Just arrived at homestay. Wow I’m staying with one of the poorest families in the Andes. It took us two hours climbing up the steep mountan, with steps dug into it just so it’s possible for people to walk. The view is absolutely unreal. Majestical, like heaven, like a dream. There's a windy small rocky river that makes it paradise-like. My senora Amelia told me it would take five minutes to walk here, or a little more. No, it took a steep two hour hike up an Andes mountain.
The house is a large shack. No doors, plies of wood nailed together, tons of spaces between the wood. My bed is a large slab of wood, no pillow, dirty, questionable sheets. Flies all around. Chickens outside, along with pigs, horses, cows, all around their land. A lot of precious land. I haven’t met the husband yet. Window holes but no windows. Pretty nasty, all of it. Nice dollop of bird poop on "shelf" above my bed. Garbage outside and on the floor. Where is the kitchen? Graffiti on the wall. Ew I’m going to get bugs. Bot flies. Worms. AAAAAAAAh.
Amelia has already asked me for my watch. She wanted an intercambio after I complemented hers. I realized later it doesn't work. Three nights here.
Everyone seems content though. Gabriel is sick with a nasty cough. I should give him some Dayquil But I don’t know about kid’s doses and that would be horrible if I got him sicker. But that’s very unlikely. But also if I give Gabriel DayQuil, the fam will prob. Continue asking me for things. I have to think of things I can give them.
8:07 Just had dinner. Now in bed. Moths. Moths. Soup was so delicious. Mmmmm. Feeling good, don’t think I ll get sick. But probably from Gabriel. He is so sick with a nasty cough. Amelia gave him antibioticos for a virus. He has an obvious fever, moping around. Although he did have an apetite; ate 2 bowls . We played soccer with a disease-ridden ball. Marjorie and Gabriel kept on picking it up. I declined a request to play “volley” bc I knew I’d have to repeatedly touch the ball.
The radio has been on since I got here and I like it. Such an awesome Ecuadorian classy song on with trombones, bass , guitar and a Sinatra Ecuadorian equivalent singing bravaly. Yea, praise the Lord I can speak Spanish by the way. I really like Amelia, Morjorie and Gabriel. All are very sweet and I love how being spoiled, stuck-up or judgmental doesn’t even exist here. Before cena Marjorie and I walked up SEEPNESS to get the ternoro from the other vaca so it wouldn’t drink any more milk, so there’d be some left over for humans! Yumm. She asked me if I would be a man or woman if I had the choice. I answered mujer, than asked her. She replied mujer as well. I said, "mejor", and she giggled. Gabriel drank water from the DIRTY-ass pail. SICKNESSSSSS. Ok, good night.
2/1/10, 1:40pm Just had lunch: arroz y a potato-like root. Delicious. But I can't eat a lot. Not looking forward to using the out house. Right now Amelia, Marjorie and Gabiel are sitting outside, lightly chatting or listening to music I'm sitting on my bed, just took a nap. Felling bloated and uncomfy and dity. We woke up to the sound of roosters! That was kind of cool. Amelia got up very early, like 6. I got up at 7:30, more because I though I should. I got up, said buenos dias, used the out house for the first time. Last night, I just couldn't use it, in the dark, without seeing it with light first. Then Marjorie and I washed the dishes, in the well with a tub of grainy dishwasher soap that smelled like bubblegun and was green. Then the kids and I went for a walk. I wanted to get away from the smelly house and breathe fresh air and see and hear the majestic river. It's farther than I remembered and it was obvious that Marjorie and Gabriel didn't want to walk. So I stopped just when I could see part of the river and there was a good place for me to sit down. I told the kids they can go back if they wanted repeatedly, but that seemed extremely weird to the them, like they didn't understand what I was saying. Finally I made it clear enough. They left, and I laid on my back and took a doze. I woke up to a huge spider and it's huge web above me. Aaaah! Then I walked very slowly home. I didn't want to go home, but I felt it was bad to not be with any family member.
After I got back, Marjorie and I went to milk the vaca! Yesterdaay we had tied la taberna lejos de su madre para no beber la leche. Hoy, subimos por un media hora, y Marjorie le permitio la teberna beber solo por un minuto. The 2 animales were both crying/mooing for each other. Then Marj washed her hands with dirty water, as well as the udders. She tied up the calf so it was just a few feet's reach from its mom. I felt bad for the 2 animals who wanted so much just to satisfy their natural urge; to milk. Then we milked her! Marj tied up the cow's hind legs. I also drank some right then and there! It tasted warm, the best milk I've ever tasted. The udder was bulging with milk. It was extremely foamy. Marj poured the bowl of collected milk into a cloth in a filter on a large jug. I think the jug originally held gasoline. The whole thing was very cool. I've watched and petted 2 newborn calves here.
Buenas! Just returned to our hostel Postada de Maple from the cloud forest in Intag. It’s roughly at 6,000ft. We stayed for 8 days, and what an intense, fun, and challenging week. We stayed in cabins at the “house” of Carlos Zorrilla and his wife Sandy. Such wonderful people. Their house is actually La Florida Reserve, 600 hectares of cloud forest, near the farm town of Santa Rosa. Three days of the week I spent with a family in Santa Rosa, a two hour hike straight UP to the top of one of the lower mountains of the northern Andes.
I had a lot of free time during this homestay, so I wrote a lot, and I would like to share it. I have only changed one or two things from what I actually wrote (mostly my experience with the out house), so I'm slightly aprehensive sharing it. It seems I went a little crazy at some points! This passage unfortunately gives you just a glimpse of the moving experience.
1/31/10 Just arrived at homestay. Wow I’m staying with one of the poorest families in the Andes. It took us two hours climbing up the steep mountan, with steps dug into it just so it’s possible for people to walk. The view is absolutely unreal. Majestical, like heaven, like a dream. There's a windy small rocky river that makes it paradise-like. My senora Amelia told me it would take five minutes to walk here, or a little more. No, it took a steep two hour hike up an Andes mountain.
The house is a large shack. No doors, plies of wood nailed together, tons of spaces between the wood. My bed is a large slab of wood, no pillow, dirty, questionable sheets. Flies all around. Chickens outside, along with pigs, horses, cows, all around their land. A lot of precious land. I haven’t met the husband yet. Window holes but no windows. Pretty nasty, all of it. Nice dollop of bird poop on "shelf" above my bed. Garbage outside and on the floor. Where is the kitchen? Graffiti on the wall. Ew I’m going to get bugs. Bot flies. Worms. AAAAAAAAh.
Amelia has already asked me for my watch. She wanted an intercambio after I complemented hers. I realized later it doesn't work. Three nights here.
Everyone seems content though. Gabriel is sick with a nasty cough. I should give him some Dayquil But I don’t know about kid’s doses and that would be horrible if I got him sicker. But that’s very unlikely. But also if I give Gabriel DayQuil, the fam will prob. Continue asking me for things. I have to think of things I can give them.
8:07 Just had dinner. Now in bed. Moths. Moths. Soup was so delicious. Mmmmm. Feeling good, don’t think I ll get sick. But probably from Gabriel. He is so sick with a nasty cough. Amelia gave him antibioticos for a virus. He has an obvious fever, moping around. Although he did have an apetite; ate 2 bowls . We played soccer with a disease-ridden ball. Marjorie and Gabriel kept on picking it up. I declined a request to play “volley” bc I knew I’d have to repeatedly touch the ball.
The radio has been on since I got here and I like it. Such an awesome Ecuadorian classy song on with trombones, bass , guitar and a Sinatra Ecuadorian equivalent singing bravaly. Yea, praise the Lord I can speak Spanish by the way. I really like Amelia, Morjorie and Gabriel. All are very sweet and I love how being spoiled, stuck-up or judgmental doesn’t even exist here. Before cena Marjorie and I walked up SEEPNESS to get the ternoro from the other vaca so it wouldn’t drink any more milk, so there’d be some left over for humans! Yumm. She asked me if I would be a man or woman if I had the choice. I answered mujer, than asked her. She replied mujer as well. I said, "mejor", and she giggled. Gabriel drank water from the DIRTY-ass pail. SICKNESSSSSS. Ok, good night.
2/1/10, 1:40pm Just had lunch: arroz y a potato-like root. Delicious. But I can't eat a lot. Not looking forward to using the out house. Right now Amelia, Marjorie and Gabiel are sitting outside, lightly chatting or listening to music I'm sitting on my bed, just took a nap. Felling bloated and uncomfy and dity. We woke up to the sound of roosters! That was kind of cool. Amelia got up very early, like 6. I got up at 7:30, more because I though I should. I got up, said buenos dias, used the out house for the first time. Last night, I just couldn't use it, in the dark, without seeing it with light first. Then Marjorie and I washed the dishes, in the well with a tub of grainy dishwasher soap that smelled like bubblegun and was green. Then the kids and I went for a walk. I wanted to get away from the smelly house and breathe fresh air and see and hear the majestic river. It's farther than I remembered and it was obvious that Marjorie and Gabriel didn't want to walk. So I stopped just when I could see part of the river and there was a good place for me to sit down. I told the kids they can go back if they wanted repeatedly, but that seemed extremely weird to the them, like they didn't understand what I was saying. Finally I made it clear enough. They left, and I laid on my back and took a doze. I woke up to a huge spider and it's huge web above me. Aaaah! Then I walked very slowly home. I didn't want to go home, but I felt it was bad to not be with any family member.
After I got back, Marjorie and I went to milk the vaca! Yesterdaay we had tied la taberna lejos de su madre para no beber la leche. Hoy, subimos por un media hora, y Marjorie le permitio la teberna beber solo por un minuto. The 2 animales were both crying/mooing for each other. Then Marj washed her hands with dirty water, as well as the udders. She tied up the calf so it was just a few feet's reach from its mom. I felt bad for the 2 animals who wanted so much just to satisfy their natural urge; to milk. Then we milked her! Marj tied up the cow's hind legs. I also drank some right then and there! It tasted warm, the best milk I've ever tasted. The udder was bulging with milk. It was extremely foamy. Marj poured the bowl of collected milk into a cloth in a filter on a large jug. I think the jug originally held gasoline. The whole thing was very cool. I've watched and petted 2 newborn calves here.
4:14pm Just took a walk. Then found a spot on a path to sit on. Sat there for an hour, feeling sincerely like I was in heaven, with the pure breeze on me. Chicken just walked into my room (on my bed writing this). I didn't want to leave that place. With the sound of the water running from the river in my head and the heavenly breeze that felt orgasmic. I felt so relaxed and comfortable, and alone, that I chose to go to the bathroom in the forest instead of the outhouse. (sorry, perhaps too much information :/) I tried to figure out the meaning of life. Tried to let go instead of thinking in. No epiphany occured. When I got up and started to walk home, I didn't want to be here. I wanted to be home in Boston. I continue to think of things, daily, that I want to share with family and specific friends. Oh yea, I found moras on my walk! I ate them and they were delicious. I also tried some grass.
7:15pm Sat around, copied some notes into the field journal, laid on my bed. Then I met Jose and Wilmer, the father and son who's my age. The energy is much more full and interesting since they arrived. Jose asked if I wanted to peel papas. I replied "si" and then Marjorie and I had a great time. We competed to see who peeled faster, and listened on the radio about how water is very important for the body. Vamos a cenar sopa con papas, cebollas, y arroz mmm. I love their food. Also, it started to rain! Majorie answered that it has been a long time since it last raned, when I asked.
What a nice, content, sweet, generous, friendly, accepting family. They have everything that truly fulfills a human's life. Family, fiends, delicious food of their own, pure air, heavenly land, privacy but friends close by al mismo tiempo.
I have to pee, but I don't want to go to the outhouse in the dark and rain.
Marjorie is 12 and already can handle 2 cows at once and milk them (a scary, dangerous endeavor), cook an entire meal from growing the food to cooking it in a less than unhelful kitchen. She used a plastic bag to start the fire on the stove, and then another one to keep it going. Bad fumes I smelled and saw. No chimney system so the smoke just rises and then spreads through the low ceiling. I am breathing in the fumes right now and Amelia in the kitchen coughed. It warms my heart that Marjorie can read, knows math (saw an impressively difficult quiz on a bed), about the human body, what every single plant is and what it can be used for in her entire mountain forest, and she knows English! She knows colors (found out when petting black and white calf) and greeetings. When I asked her about it, she replied that she knows a little of everything in english. I'm assuming Sandy is her teacher. Gabriel knows a little English too.
Everyone has wearing the same dirty clothes for the last 2 days. Amelia changed her pants. The kids don't wear socks in the boots. Amelia did laundry today in the well, which I was surprised to see. This moning, when we were milking the cow, Gabriel kept on picking bugs from the cows behind. He held one at me and said "un gichacho" or something similar. When Marjorie was cooking lunch, a chicken jumped into the stove and bunt it's wing off. It smelled like burnt dirty chicken feather. Also, a chicken jumped on the table and started eating the frijoles con arroz. Gabriel still ate the plate.
2/2/10 8:53am Today is going better so far. Still ready to leave. I can't believe it is ony 8:53am. Nothing to do for sooo long. Why do they get up a 6am? Everything the family does in 1 day could take 5 hours. But I'm not saying it shouldn't be the way it is! They barely have a need to keep track of time, which I like.
Amelia keeps on complaining about how she has a headache. It is because she is dehydrated. She doesn't drink water at all, and her life includes 2 hour hikes up and own mountains. No wonder she is always dehydrated. While walking through the farm, whether to chop trees, pick papas or milk a cow, one is always hiking up steeply or trying not to lose balance as one drops, step by step, down down down. There are no level paths here. I take 4 steps and I am out of breath.
Last night at dinner, Joge told me in Ecuador "Tenemos tres platos en el dia", while holding up four fingers. I though it was a joke, like Ecuadorians really eat 4 meals and pretend they only eat 3. He wasn't joking. Marjorie showed him he meant 3 fingers and not 4. Later, Amelia told me I work a lot with my brain but not with my body. This is why I don't eat much. Then she said people who use their brain too much "se hace loco". (It makes them go crazy.) I didn't argue back. It's easy to tell that Marjorie and Gabriel are/will be more intelligent than their parents.
This morning I got up at 7:15am. Kinda just wanted to stay in my bed. A board of my bed fell out last night. I fixed it later, had to witness the underside of the mattress/paper-thing foam pad. I had this stuff for breakfast made out of the cow's milk we collected yesterday. It was a trasparent yellow watery liquid that tasted sweet and milk-like with little clumps of white cheesy stuff. I could have really enjoyed it if i knew for sure it wouldn't make me sick. I also had 2 more of those dense bescuits. After breakfast we went down the front to milk the other calf and cow. Then Marj and I cleaned the dishes again. Then Amelia asked me to sweep the front of the house. Then I decided to go for a walk, and here I am, sitting in a sugarcane plantation, enjoying the view and fresh air (and no gross house smell). I am bored though and can't believe it is only 9:50am. I wish it was 8am tomorow. That is when we leave. Amelia is going to pick up the 2nd student who will stay here this afternoon. I think she is staying in another room, or Amelia said maybe in her other house, where her daughter Mariana usually lives. About 15 hours left. 1 hour/meal x 3 + 11hours sleeping = 14 hours with something to do. So one hour to play with myself. Ok that doesn't seem right, cuz I still have the whole afternoon to do something with myself. That doesn't seem too bad, one afternoon.
I miss Mommy. I can't wait to be with her this summer. Long time away. 3 months and 6 days. AAAh. At least I will have the other student with me tonight, if he/she doesn't go to the other casa. I pooped again outside, in the plantation I'm sitting in. Much better than out house. I looked in my little powder mirror today and my nose is burnt. More black heads.
12:52 Had frijoles con cebollas y tomate cocinado junto, con arroz blanco. Marjorie cooked the whole dish. She burnt her finger. She is so inspiring. She is gettig an education at school while living on a farm, getting educated on everything that comes with that as well. I want to keep checking up on her. At lunch Amelia informed me that another student gave them a computer. Then when Amelia gave it to a "mechanico" to traduccir de Ingles a Espanol, the guy walked away with it and didn't return it. I told her I could get one from my dad and sent it to Sandy, who could give it to Marjorie at school They were so happy Then Amelia explained how it gets dark and her eyes hurt when she reads. So I'm going to look for glasses or something that might help.
Maybe I should do my ISP on "Las Familias de Santa Rosa", about how they ended up living here, what they want, etc. I've noticed my family has a strong "campesino" accent. And they use a lot of different words, like "crecer" is always "criar". I told Amelia that her family is muy amable y generosa, y es la verdad. She gave me a belt that she had just made for my dad, out of cabuya. It is the colors of the Ecuadorian flag; blue yellow and red.
This afternoon we moved the calf closer to it's mommy. don't know why, the only purpose seemed to scare the poor calf and make the mommy cry/moo for its baby w/o succes. Then we played in the tall grass, good grass to hide in. In the grass, Marjorie braided my hair and complemented my curls. They are a big deal with this family. I wonder what the other houses are like. I thik some others are much nicer that this one. I saw our neighbor, a girl Marjorie's age who had cleanly pulled back hair and nice-looking earings and a bracelet. I can get peaks of her house and it seems
Ok folks, that's where my entries ended.
I would like to give an update on some things I mentioned, as I am blogging this 4 days later. The other student, Emma, ended up sleeping in the other house the first night, with Amelia and Gabriel. On Tuesday night, they walked an hour DOWN the mountain, slept, then walked two hours UP the mountain. Then Amelia cooked breakfast and walked me down the mountain, then back up again to her casa. This was without one drink of water.
I learned from Sandy that I must find a parent or friend in the US coming to visit a student in this program, so they can bring a laptop with them. Sandy informed me it is not safe and too expensive to send the compudadora. I found out Samma's mom is coming to visit, so hopefully she can bring the comp. Then one of our teachers who lives near Santa Rosa can bring it to the Cajas (name of my homestay fam). On a better note, Sandy informed me letters are fine, so I can keep checking in with Marjorie!
After returning to La Florida Reserve, the home of Sandy and Carlos, we learned about a transportation program for the high school students of Intag and a few other close communities. The program pays for trucks to pick up and drop off students every school day (after they do their long walk up and down the mountainside to and from their homes). Before, only one or no kids from Santa Rosa would continue education after elementary school. Now, about 30 students are from Santa Rosa, including Marjorie. By the way, she was a great help one night; we enjoyed looking up words in her beloved English-Spanish dictionary. I volunteered to be in charge of collecting money from my fellow students in Ecuador. And the most successful year was when the students asked for donations from their parents, raising $1200. The families pay half the cost for the transportation, and the rest is from donations. So a small donation from my blog followers is largely welcomed! Email me please, or comment.
The rest of the week, I resided at Carlos and Sandy’s home/sustainable farm/reserve. We learned the ornithological study of mist netting, where one sets up sturdy, invisible nets, resembling tall and long volley ball nets. Birds, mostly hummingbirds and tanagers for us, would fly into the net, get caught, then carefully removed. You must not squeeze too hard, or you can break the breast bone or squeeze the heart, but you still have to hold firmly so as not to let the bird fly away. We take measurements of the bill, wingspan, breast span, sex, age (by looking at its skull), feet length, tail length, and to see if it has eggs or young by looking at its underbelly. It’s a tricky business, with some ethical controversy. But it’s the best tool ornithologists have, besides killing the birds.
Five hours of botany class in the forest accomplished knowledge of 15 plant families, plus a few geni and species. At night, we observed a night trap, comprised of a white sheet/net and a strong light. A myriad of moths rested on the sheet, as we ooohed and aaaaawed. For every butterfly species in Ecuador, which places 7th in the world for butterfly diversity, there are more than ten species of moths. One moth I observed was the size of my face. Another was an irrdescent minty green-looked like it would taste minty when eaten :).
We also learned first hand about the copper mining struggles and accomplishments in Ecuador and the Intag region. With the establishment of DECOIN, or Defensa y Conservacion Ecologia de Intag, the community has amazingly succeeded at stopping two mining projects from proceeding. Carlos' story about the endeavor seemed impossible, against Mitsubishi and Canadian mining company. CHECK THIS OUT http://www.decoin.org/accomplishments/
The last day, we had a minga, or a service day for the communities of Intag. In the Jardines Botanicos de Intag, or Intag Botanical Garden, we created paths lined with rocks, planted orchid, bromeliad and fern gardens, with dead leaf or moss mulch. One group had to go around the valley collecting dried cow dung for fertilizer :/ My group collected the musgo, or moss, from the rocks in the grazing field, and carried them in sacks to the garden where we layed it. The gardening was therapeutic. But the best part of the day was getting there and back. All 24 of us stood, smooshed in the back of a pick-up truck, which had seen better days. We drove down the rocky, bumpy dirt road, all groping to each other for dear life as the truck tilted and lurched, screaming out "left", "right!", or "center!" to warn those to duck from deadly branches whipping by. It was a bonding experience, and the best amusement park ride I have ever been on.
I have to mention the food. The food. The food was of course organic and made from scratch after collecting from the farm, including fresh pancakes with 3 homemade mora, tomate de arbol and cherry marmelades, freshest of the fresh shade grown, medium roast Arabica coffee, to empenadas, brownies with this heavenly warm chocolate sauce on top, cookies, soups with yuca and potatos, quinoa, rice, marinated beans, fresh made juice, I could go on.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
I Have Arrived!
I have arrived! Wow, I have such good vibes about these 4 months of my life. The flight went smoothly. I met up with a bunch of fellow students at the airport in Miami, including some from the national identity/social rights program. When we arrived at OIU though, the two groups split, each with their directors. So that was the last time I saw some peeps, which was sad because I really liked them.
Today, January 27, on the 2 hour bus ride back from Joca Toco/Reserva Yanacocha, our director Sylvia told us that the other Ecuador program is known as the “regular” program. Heehee. Regular in Spanish means more like average or mediocre. I guess I would call the ecology program the crazy program, because we are all a bit tree-huggerish (some are super) and want to save the world and are generally OUT THERE.
March 28: We had our first excursion yesterday to the bosque Andino. It was an ecosystem I had never known about, so being there, all of a sudden, was a bit overwhelming, to be in a new world with a new feel I had never imagined. One of my readings introduces the cloud forest, or selva nublada, as “At elevations of about 1000-3000m in many mountain ranges of North and south America, a more or less continuous cloud cover permits the flourishing of exuberant, wet, mossy, dense forest (Webster). HUGE ass leaves called “paraguas” or umbrellas. We literally were walking through clouds, often not being able to see 10 meters ahead of us. The view was mystical and kind of erie. I could see cloud everywhere; right in front of me, coating the path (La Troncha Inca), and over the cliffs and ledges. Just huge curtains of grey cloud opening and closing everywhere, keeping the lichen and moss covered rocks very happy. There is actually very limited research of the cloud forest, therefore who knows what kinds of useful stuff is in here. The trip was actually our first Spanish lesson with our Spanish teachers.
I am in the advanced Castellano class, yay! I’m proud of myself, can’t believe I’m actually reaching my goal of being fluent in castellano. Our teacher is Luis, a skinny, sweet Ecuadorian in his 50s or 60s. He showed us a plant called Chilpi and told us it is an excellent plant to smoke, and then stuffed his pockets with leaves! He told us that they had been doing this trip for 8 years at this reserve, and only one year could they see the rest of the mountains in the distance, including the volcán crater. I like my group; it’s just about 5 ppl, including boys! Note: There are definite benefits to being educated at a women’s college, but I feel having some classes with a balanced ratio is critical as well. Finally, a semester with men! In Spain there was one boy in our program.
By the way, I failed at blogging in Spain :( So my new plan is to share about Espana by comparing it to Ecuador as I write.
Today, January 27, on the 2 hour bus ride back from Joca Toco/Reserva Yanacocha, our director Sylvia told us that the other Ecuador program is known as the “regular” program. Heehee. Regular in Spanish means more like average or mediocre. I guess I would call the ecology program the crazy program, because we are all a bit tree-huggerish (some are super) and want to save the world and are generally OUT THERE.
March 28: We had our first excursion yesterday to the bosque Andino. It was an ecosystem I had never known about, so being there, all of a sudden, was a bit overwhelming, to be in a new world with a new feel I had never imagined. One of my readings introduces the cloud forest, or selva nublada, as “At elevations of about 1000-3000m in many mountain ranges of North and south America, a more or less continuous cloud cover permits the flourishing of exuberant, wet, mossy, dense forest (Webster). HUGE ass leaves called “paraguas” or umbrellas. We literally were walking through clouds, often not being able to see 10 meters ahead of us. The view was mystical and kind of erie. I could see cloud everywhere; right in front of me, coating the path (La Troncha Inca), and over the cliffs and ledges. Just huge curtains of grey cloud opening and closing everywhere, keeping the lichen and moss covered rocks very happy. There is actually very limited research of the cloud forest, therefore who knows what kinds of useful stuff is in here. The trip was actually our first Spanish lesson with our Spanish teachers.
I am in the advanced Castellano class, yay! I’m proud of myself, can’t believe I’m actually reaching my goal of being fluent in castellano. Our teacher is Luis, a skinny, sweet Ecuadorian in his 50s or 60s. He showed us a plant called Chilpi and told us it is an excellent plant to smoke, and then stuffed his pockets with leaves! He told us that they had been doing this trip for 8 years at this reserve, and only one year could they see the rest of the mountains in the distance, including the volcán crater. I like my group; it’s just about 5 ppl, including boys! Note: There are definite benefits to being educated at a women’s college, but I feel having some classes with a balanced ratio is critical as well. Finally, a semester with men! In Spain there was one boy in our program.
By the way, I failed at blogging in Spain :( So my new plan is to share about Espana by comparing it to Ecuador as I write.
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