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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
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.
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