At preprac last Wednesday, the entire school, grades K-12, gathered in the auditorium for a talent show meets battle of the bands in the middle of the day. The assembly was a series of 12 musical performances (both vocal and instrumental) by groups of students from all grades. The students were competing for spots to perform in a show/competition among many high schools in Quito. I was again astounded by the talent of the students – and even more surprised when all the songs they performed were in English. There were groups who covered everything from Somewhere Over the Rainbow to Audio Slave to Eric Clapton. Quite impressive!
La Chulla Vida
On Thursday night of last week, Eddie played another show at the cute little café that I went to with Amanda and Boni a few weeks ago. It is located in La Ronda, a famous neighborhood in the historical district of Quito. Our whole group, together with Amanda and Boni, went to support him and enjoy some chocolate caliente (hot chocolate) and vine hervido (hot wine…very interesting). Eddie did great!
Me and Amanda at the cafe!
It’s a Small World
When I was out with my friends on Friday night, I had had not one but TWO it’s-a-small-world moments. First, I ran into a girl I who I had gone to school with since Bret Harte! We graduated from East together and she goes to Brandies in Boston. She is part of a program that landed her in Quito for a few months this semester as well. I think we both did double takes when we passed each other on the street! Later that night, I was talking to a guy who from NJ…I thought this alone was crazy. After talking a while about what we were doing in Quito, I found out that he graduated from BC last May! Again, I couldn’t believe it!
Cotopaxi
On Saturday, Maqui, Melissa, Karina and I hit the road early for a day at Cotopaxi, the volcano south of Quito that can be seen from miles and miles away. Before getting there, we stopped at a cute little restaurant called La café de la vaca for breakfast. It’s a good thing we ate a big breakfast because we needed it for the hike! We then drove into the national park that surrounds the mountain and drove up as high as cars are aloud to go (4000m above sea level). From there, Melissa and I trekked up the refugio, a small building at a VERY steep 4800m where hikers and campers can stop for a bite to eat and to catch there breath (which is easier said than done at that altitude!) Even though we were more or less climbing through clouds and the air was freezing cold, Melissa led the way up to the snow! I didn’t think I would be walking through snow until November in Boston, but alas, we made it! The snow on the mountain has been getting higher and higher each year, thanks to changing weather patterns and temperature increases. We met a professional guide who was making his way down, and he told us all about the conditions needed to climb to the summit and how they go about making that trek. To climb all the way to the top, groups usually start in the middle of the night to begin the 5-6 hour straight-uphill-hike to the top. The walk up was very tough – let’s just say I could tell that I’ve fallen out of my regular running routine! – and the descent was very slippery. I had Melissa laughing the whole way down as I fell after every 8 or so steps! When we got back down to the car, we drove with Maqui and Karina to a lake and had a little picnic lunch. It was a wonderful day with the family, even though we were all so exhausted afterwards that we hardly moved on Sunday!
El teatro
On Tuesday night, Maqui and her friend took me to the Teatro Nacional Sucre in the historical center to see a cello recital. There were all kinds of special music and theatrical performances this week for Semana Santa, so it was really nice to see one! The cellist was playing music from the Baroque period, and was accompanied by a contemporary dancer. The combination was unique and very well done!
Viernes Santo
This week was super quick – only three days of classes because Spring Break started yesterday! We had off for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and then all next week. Today, a bunch of us went into the historical district to see the traditional procession for Good Friday, called Procesión de Jesús del Gran Poder. It was absolutely beautiful, in a very intense way. Though the environment was not incredibly somber around where we were standing (there were people walking up and down the street selling food and mementos and members of the press taking pictures and videos), the procession itself was extremely impressive. The procession is organized by the Franciscans and starts and ends in the Plaza de San Francisco. Though the events go on all day, the procession started around noon and went by the biggest churches in the center, which takes about 4 hours. Hundreds of men and women don Cucuruchos, traditional purple robes and masks seen in the pictures below. Some men dress like Jesus, in white robes and crowns of thorns, to carry enormous wooden crosses. The image of Jesus that is reflected in the garb, sculptures, and signs carried by the people in the procession is one from the 17th century in which He has long hair, a crown of thorns, and blood running down his face. The degree to which this was mirrored was quite impacting. Below are a few of the better pictures I got. Experiencing this traditional procession was definitely an incredible opportunity, and very moving.
Tomorrow morning we take off for our group trip to Peru! More in a week or so when I get home! HAPPY EASTER!
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