No more rose colored glasses

It's been pretty normal around here since I've only had classes all week so that's why I haven't written lately. This post is basically to make sure no one thinks I got kidnapped :) I actually just had a dream while I napped that I was drugged and robbed so that was fun... luckily it was only a dream and I'm as safe as can be!

The news for this week is... I'm going to stay in a cabin out of many cabins that the international students are renting (I'll pay $5) and possibly go to Otavalo again. I'm not a shopaholic I promise! It's just where the big group of students is venturing so I might as well see parts that I didn't get to last time. If anyone want a souvenir, let me know! I also have not started my ecology project yet BUT the due date is in March so I have some time to finish it.

Today's news about Ecuadorian is a little nit picky. The boys, although very forward and willing to "tsssk" "tsssk" and yell to get your attention, are not chivalrous whatsoever. Machismo is the word to describe the South American culture. That means that in their minds, men rule the world and women... well, can't. As many of you know, I am somewhat of [very much so] an independent thinker and enjoy the fact that I can do anything I put my mind to in America. Don't get my wrong, I'm all for chivalrous acts but I just don't see the same opportunities for women here. My prime example is on the bus. There could be all men sitting comfortably in their seats as 20 women stand and get thrown back and forth on the crazy bus ride and NO ONE will EVER give up their seat so a lady can sit down. There is always an exception to the rule; my ecology partner opens doors for me and even pulls out my chair, so that's nice!

Nit pick #2 = common courtesy. Those last two words make a lot of sense to Americans. If two people are walking in the same path towards one another you giggle and dodge each other saying "excuse me" [not for men, men don't giggle, says Bret]. Or in the case that someone is blocking your way you politely ask to get through. This theory of common courtesy has not yet made its way to Quito. It is my goal to enlighten everyone and bring it here. I have been shoved so many times I can't count. If someone needs to get by they WILL move you and there's a 1% chance that they'll say "perdon" [sorry] after they have forcibly moved you. Also, the "two people going opposite ways through a door" scenario has become a game of chicken that I have been losing... NOT ANYMORE! Just kidding, I'm still going to lose at that one.

Thank you for getting all the way through my rant. Just so we're clean, I in no way dislike Ecuadorians! I just wanted to share some BIG difference that I've noticed since I've been here.

Lastly, I figured out why the buses suck. THEY ARE STICK SHIFT! Who would a thunk that a huge bus going up and down mountains all day could be stick shift? It definitely explains why it jerks back and forth the whole way. I was beginning to think the bus drivers were all just terrible but it turns out the bus itself is terrible to drive.

PIctures once more! Otavalo Market

Beef stew- This was the first course of our $4 lunch

Chicken, beans, rice and salad- Second course of my $4 lunch

Shopping stands in Otavalo

More stands

Our group that went together

Local women selling flour, corn and spices

This is the Imbabura volcano

I am in love with this bag I bought

El Mercado

Yesterday I went to el mercado [the market] in Otavalo. It was so crazy and huge and I thoroughly enjoyed buying an unreasonable amount of things. The market was full or row after row of stands and each vendor is willing to compromise on their prices. I [of course] looking as American as can be was given the initial gringo price but I got good at giving them a blank stare and not saying anything for about 30 seconds then the price would go down. I think I'm quite the bargainer after that experience.

I absolutely fell in love with woodwork at the market. So many vendors hand carved masks, animals and any kid of design in wood. All of the wood art I saw was $20 and under. It's also very light weight so I might be able to lug a bunch home with me. The second most interesting thing at the market was the clothing made from alpaca hair. If you even said the word alpaca while walking through the aisles, a vendor would pop through a wall of clothing and say "ALPACA!!!, YO TENGO ALPACA!!" [yo tengo means "I have"]. I found a beautiful sweater for $22 then $18 then $17 and the lady wouldn't go down to $15 so I left. I'll try to find one for $15 on my next trip [if I have room in my luggage...].

I also found a pair of fake Armani sunglasses for $5. It's hard to tell if a lot of stuff here is knock-off or "fell of the truck" stuff because they are really good at copying logos and the material seems of pretty good quality. The people were really nice at the market as well. There were a bunch of local people around [more p.c. way of saying indigenous] and a lot of street performers. I almost bought this cute Halloween decoration for Lurr and Trey that looked like a goblin but it was $30, sorry guys. The man did offer it to me for free if I went out dancing with him but I had to respectfully decline [he was creepy looking].

I can't say the rest of the things I bought because they're presents for everyone who reads this blog :) I did buy myself a peace sign bag that I'm obsessed with. I'll post a pic so you all can see!

I was going to start my ecology observations today but my partner had to study for a big exam that he has tomorrow so we'll push it back another week. I'm not complaining though because bird watching starting at 6am and ending at 5pm is not my ideal Sunday itinerary.

Mom, you would love Ruth. Today she tactfully showed me where the nail polish remover was so I could take off my chipped nail polish... hahaha

I'll post pics later, the blog is being stupid right now.

PS- I think I have eaten my weight in mangos this week

Karanki and the Incas

Today I went to an archeology site in the city of Karanki. It was not exactly what I was expecting but I really enjoyed seeing everything. For some reason I had a Jurassic Park image in my head where we'd see bones and then the old Machu Picchu idea of complete standing buildings. The reality was way different. The site was dug up by [not so talented] archeologist who destroyed half of it and left the rocks laying in rows at one corner. Thankfully, they kept some parts in tact so we were able to envision what it once looked like. There were many canals that brought water throughout the site. The best part was a huge pool [most likely a pool] that had a perfect stone bottom and walls. The second theory of what the pool was is that it acted as a mirror so the Incas could monitor the stars and skies. It was so amazing to see how they carved stone to make pipes and how they fit each piece of rock together to make it water tight. The bottom layer of rocks in the pool were triangular and then there was a top layer of polygonal rocks. It all worked together to form a barrier so the water would stay in the pool.

Our guide for the tour [of course] only spoke in Spanish and spoke very quickly. I did completely catch his racist rant though. At one time, a fellow classmate asked who worked on the site to uncover it and our guides first words were "No soy racistso...pero," that means "I'm not racist but." From then on he told us that there were two Afro-Ecuadorians that worked with the mestizo Ecuadorians during the excavation and that the races can't mix. He said "the blacks" [not my wording, sorry] don't like to work for long, they were late and always wanted to work less than the mestizo Ecuadorians. Needless to say, there was a huge awkward silence over our crowd. After we left the site, everyone was in shock and had to make sure that we heard him correctly. WE DID! I knew there was still a lot of race prejudices in Ecuador but I wasn't expecting a lecture about it while at an archaeology site.

 We stopped in Otavalo for lunch [I'll be there tomorrow for shopping] and we got a glimpse of the market. There is so much to see and buy [I might go broke]. There is alpaca EVERYTHING! You can get alpaca scarves, sweaters, shirts, purses, etc. I am going to have to keep a straight face and work on my bargaining skills. I can't wait to get my hands on some jewelry either; they have a bunch of necklaces made out of stones and coral for... 15 dollars. That is the gringo price too so I will try to talk them down to $10. Wish me luck :)

Carved rock for holding liquids

Underground canals

 

Closer view of the carved rock

Part of the pool

You can see the various layers of the pool

Steps down into the pool

Pipe that led water into the pool

Full view of the pool

Scenery around the archaeological site

View as we left Karanki

The stone work was amazing

First body of water I've seen in Ecuador

Huge pointy mountain we passed on the road

Beautiful hillside

Our bus driver got pulled over for speeding; he fought his way out of the ticket

Mushpa

Forget what I said about "ya," my new favorite word is "mushpa" it is a Quichua word that means dumb. I just like the way it sounds so I find every excuse to say it to other students [only the international ones, others might take offense] I am learning a bunch of Quichua words in my Ecuadorian culture class. Arrarray is uses when something is hot [pronounced ah-rah-rahyyy] and achachay is used when something is cold [pronounced ah-cha-chai] and lastly, you all should know this one... ayayay, is used when something hurts [pronounces eye-eye-eye].

My stomach is still being a bit weird but for the most part it's alright. I ate fried tilapia last night for dinner. Yes mom, I'm sorry! I know you have been trying to get me to try new things my whole life and I finally am. I will seriously eat anything when I get home. After turkey organs, fish, tomatoes and cow feet, there will be nothing that can scare me in the U.S. (except salmon... I won't eat salmon)

Triathlon class was all swimming today and our coach was back. I have never swam so hard in my life. I am already a pretty terrible swimmer so I don't have any skills to help me and I'm still really out of shape. We did 20 warm-up laps and then began our relays... After that we ran around the pool, did crunches and then one more lap to top it off. I had no idea how hard swimming can be. Now I do- and I'm ready for a nap.

Tonight I'm going in the chiva (tour/party) bus around Quito. I can stay out past 10 though because I have my field trip tomorrow. I'm going to Karanki [Incan archaeology site] for the day and then coming home in the evening. The cabin plan fell through so a couple friends and I are going to ride a bus on Saturday to the huge market in Otavalo. I can't wait to see the market and all of the things people make and sell.

After lunch, two other friends and I were walking and saw bright orange chicks. The man who owns them charges $1 for a picture with the chicks. We paid and got pictures with the adorable chicks. I feel bad because I'm pretty sure the guy dyed them but they seemed very happy.

I'm beginning to understand my ecology professor a lot better now. I just have to concentrate the whole class to make sure I don't miss anything. My project partner is very sweet too. We begin our project on Sunday so after this weekend I am going to inundate my blog with pictures.

I also got burned :( I put sunscreen everywhere on my body except for the back of my shoulders where I planned to ask someone for help. I forgot and then went on a bike ride for my triathlon class. It's safe to say that my sunscreen works because I didn't get burned anywhere except where I forgot my sunscreen. I was only outside for one hour but that's all it takes since I'm basically on the equator

My triathlon swim gear. Don't I look like a professional??

My lovely burn

Orange baby chickens

closer look

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Hide and Seek with Montezuma

So I'm sure you all are well aware of what Montezuma's Revenge is. If not, it's terrible terrible diarrhea/ throwing up and makes you wish you were dead. Luckily, I don't have this, yet! My stomach started to feel queasy and bubbly yesterday and today I've been having some... let's say, issues. If you were lucky enough to get a snap chat from me (Mom and Mul) then you have some top secret info that no one else does :) I am wishing and hoping and praying that my stomach problems stay at bay.

My ecology partner and I chose our topic for the 30 hour research project we'll be doing together. From the list provided by the teacher, we chose to study different bird species around rivers in Quito. I am really excited to see the different varieties of birds here. Ecuador is home to the largest species of humming birds so I hope I catch a glimpse of one. I saw a pretty big hummingbird feeding on a flower on campus and it was blue and green. My partner is very nice and really smart (math major... yikes) so I think I'll enjoy the project a lot. I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures!

My triathlon class was bearable today. We rented bikes only to find out that the rest of the students hate riding the rented bikes so they chose to run instead. The path is very rocky so the bike ride was pretty intense. Down hill 3km was breezy and somewhat enjoyable BUT the 3km back up the hilly path was terrible. I think I'll opt out of biking with the others for next time and just run. Oh, I also found out that we do indeed participate in a triathlon as a team hahaha. There's no way I'm doing that...

I have some fun plans for this weekend! First, one of the VT girls is turning 21 on thursday so she's renting a chiva (similar to a party bus) to drive us to all of the big attractions around Quito. Get this- it's only $5/person. I'm excited because on of my friends here has been on one and she said the sights are amazing.

On Friday I might be staying in a cabin in Cotacachi. There is a guy here who found the cabin for super cheap so about 20 of us international kids are going to spend the night there and then travel to Otavalo the next day. Otavalo is where the biggest artisan market is. I can't wait to see all of the fun things people make and sell; send me requests for presents if you want some traditional Andean clothing/art/jewelry/etc. I wish I could bring home fruit to let you all experience the wonderfulness that is Ecuadorian fruit but customs says no. booo :(

No pictures today either, it's been a pretty uneventful week so far. Good luck to everyone who just started their semesters. Miss and love you all!

Salsa

On Friday night our group from Tech as invited to go to the birthday part of- get ready- the VT guys host families niece. She was turning 19 and had a party at her house. The house was in a really beautiful gated community and her parents were very sweet! I learned how to salsa ( a bit) and had so much fun. I don't know what it is about Latin blood but EVERYONE has rhythm. The men are very good at leading so it's not hard to learn... It's just gets difficult when they try and change up the steps. All of the other Ecuadorians that were at the birthday party also go to USFQ so I can know some familiar local faces on campus. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the music here. It's really upbeat and easy to dance to. When the girngos got tired of dancing we hung out in the backyard and met new people. It was crisp outside but not cold to my standards yet we could all see our breath... Ecuador's weather is freaky.

Today I went with Ruth and Veronica to visit Ruth's mom on here birthday. She lives in a nursing home and I was interested to see the comparison between the US standards and here. The facility was nice but like all Ecuadorian buildings, there's no AC and they had a mix of mentally disabled people and elderly people. I know some facilities in the US do the same thing but the needs of both groups can be vastly different. I just hope the people that work there have all of the training to meet the needs of every person there. I am not sure what the grandmother is sick with but she doesn't have the use of her hands or legs and she doesn't speak. It was really sad seeing the family in pain at their abuelas [grandmothers] condition but they're all so loving. Sorry to get all sad on you folks! I can't crack jokes all the time ;)

On our way to the nursing home I finally saw the snow capped volcano, Cotopaxi! I supposedly pass it every day to and from school BUT I have never seen it before today. It was so beautiful and huge... oh and I didn't bring my camera. I will spot it again and take a picture so you can all see this monstrous volcano on the horizon.

I don't think I mentioned this before this post but no buildings have AC here. Everything is open and free for the breeze to flow through. At first I thought boys were not chivalrous here because I couldn't think of an instance where a guy held a door open for me but then I realized there are no doors to be held open. The university is all open as are all restaurants and stores. Every place has doors of course, they're just always propped open.

This is a message to Melissa. YOU NEED TO MOVE HERE! They eat cheese with everything. Cheese with corn, cheese with fruit, cheese with soup, cheese with hot coco, cheese with sweets, cheese with meat... you get the picture! Just get down here already.

Pictures of Centro Historico

James and I in front of La Casa Blanca (white house)

Mark and I by a big statue in the middle of the white house square

Street leading the the Bsilica

The Basilica

Pope Juan Pablo II (John Paul)

High view of the chapel

Beautiful stained glass window

The hill in the back has the Virgin Mary statue on top (El Panecillo)

Steep steps to get to the bell tower (I'm not flicking off the camera, just fixing my hair btw)

Clock room

Above the chapel ceiling (the boards were VERY flimsy)

Now tell me you cant see a shadow about a centimeter above the two lines in the floor and a little to the right (there wasn't any light behind us to make shadows either)

Alter

Some secret praying room that I found out that I wasn't supposed to photograph... oops