Last week, while Maqui and the girls were on what sounded like a fabulous cruise, I stayed with Amanda and Boni. They took SUCH wonderful care of me. I had my own room, wireless internet, wonderful dinners, lots of fresh fruit, and a chance to enjoy their beautiful home. Unfortunately, I spent most of my free time doing the projects and reading that I had due, but I was in the best possible environment. There’s nothing like living with your professor to get you motivated to do work!
On Wednesday night of last week, Amanda and Boni took me to a neighborhood in the historical center called La Rounda. La Rounda is a beautiful street that is home to many little shops, cafes, bars, and historical buildings. The environment is much more relaxed and has a much more local feel than the Mariscal (the bar district most popular for young Quitenos and extranjeros alike) and is much more safe. We sat and hot chocolate in a little café called La Chulla Vida (chulla = only in Quichua) and enjoyed live music. The live music thought we were all gringos, because he kept saying “Thank you very much, table four” and thanked Boni for his tip in English. Amanda and I were cracking up because Amanda and Boni are both Ecuadorian through and through…I was the only gringa! Later in the evening, Boni took a picture of a large Ecuadorian family, and they also thanked him in English, so we were laughing all the way home. As we were sipping our hot choclate (which was some of the best I have ever had) I learned a new Ecuadorian phrase that explained why the coco and cookies came with pieces of cheese: “Chocolate sin queso es como abrazo sin beso” (chocolate without cheese is like a hug without a kiss). Cute, eh?
On Thursday, I enjoyed the convenience of being in Cumbaya at night because I could attend a program at Colegio Menor where I do my pre prac. The Spanish department (which is the department I observe) put on a program called “Globalizarte” (Globalize yourself). All the Spanish classes in the high school prepared creative interpretations and presentations of a work of literature that they had read that year. The works ranged from Ulissess to Cronica de un muerte anunciada to the Kite Runner. The students did skits, made videos, put together fashion shows, hosted talk shows, constructed booths, and recreated scenery that marks the literature they had read. I was so impressed by the talent and creativity! I am grateful that I was able to attend because for the two Wednesdays leading up to the program, the classes I observed were consumed with the preparation, which left me more or less watching as they painted, rehearsed, and designed their presentation. My favorite presentation was by the AP Lit class; they put on a skit called Les Luthiers, which was a satire about the most famous Latin-American writers, many of whom I have or am currently studying. The skit was hilarious, and they had a great crowd!
On Saturday, I took off bright and early for Mindo with a small portion of our group. This past weekend was the first time we all split up to travel, and it was strange to not all be together! Matt, Amy, Eddie, Hallie, Jenna, Chris and I were the largest of the groups to split off. We took a two hour bus to the town of Mindo, which is located in the Northern Highlands of Ecuador. Saturday was a bit rainy, which is especially typical during the winter (aka rainy season). We took a cable car ride to a hiking path. We were unbelievably high above the trees and river. As the clouds descended, we literally rode through a cloud and couldn’t see to the other side! From there, we hiked down to one of six waterfalls, but decided to head back after seeing one because the rain was picking up. From there, we all went back to our hostel and enjoyed an evening in the hot tub and had a really nice dinner.
the cable car is in there somewhere...
the waterfall we hiked down to, and the ladder that chris decided to climb (crazy?)
Sunday was another early morning, but much sunnier. We met our guide in Mindo and he drove us up the mountain to where the ziplines are located. I didn’t really know what to expect from “ziplining,” but it was SO much fun. Basically, they put your legs in a harness of sorts, give you a couple straps with carabineers and pulleys, a helmet, gloves, and send you on your way. There are guides who do all the connecting of people to cables stop you at the end, so no one falls into the valley or smashes into a tree. It was all very safe and professional, but the same services would certainly require waivers and more than a $10 fee in the US! There were about 10 cables, which varied in length and height. The longest was probably the length of 2 football fields, and the shortest was maybe 2 basketball courts. The cables are quite high, which gave quite a thrill but wasn’t scary. Besides being attacked by bugs (shorts were a bad choice), ziplining was my favorite part of the weekend!
the four girls and a view of the line:
This week has not been too eventful. My host family is home, so it’s back to the normal routine. Classes were pretty normal…I had one exam, finished reading Cien Años de Soledad (good book!), and have started on two more novels. I will definitely have read a lot of great Latin-American literature by the end of this semester! The most spontaneous part of the week was planning for this weekend’s trip to the Galapagos! Boni helped me wiggle my way onto the nicest cruise ship with 3 other people in my group and two sets of parents who are visiting. I’m SO excited and very lucky to have Boni, who certainly knows all the right people in this city! So, stay tuned next week for adventures in Darwin’s evolution laboratory!!
have a great time in the galapagos!!!!
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