A weekend in Santo Domingo

About two weeks ago I met a nice Ecuadorian boy who along with having a house on the beach and being a very good cook, invites me to visit different parts of Ecuador with him. I’m not one to turn down travel adventures with good-looking men so I took him up on his offer. Yesterday we left Quito during the sunrise to go to Santo Domingo, a small city about three hours outside of Quito and about 10,000 feet lower. The drive alone was a little nerve-racking but beautiful as we drove through the deep green mountains. We were going for a surprise trip to visit his aunt and cousins and when we showed up unexpected at their door we were

greeted with shrieks and hugs. We spent the rest of the day drinking Pilsener, eating good food, dancing, and playing cards. The family was big and happy, full of love for one another and welcoming to me as if I was part of the family. They live humbly and were so down to earth and fun to be around I was so happy that I had decided to go on the trip. Today we lounged around, played more cards and explored downtown Santo Domingo a little bit before it was time to head back to Quito. It was so nice to get away from the city, see a different part of Ecuador, and spend time with some great people. Coming back to Quito was a little bit of a shock to the body as I immediately felt the altitude again and it was about 15 degrees colder. But at the same time, it feels good to be home.

Plumbing Fun

Today unfortunately our toilet stopped working properly, it actually just wouldn’t even make an effort to flush which was a real issue with 4 people sharing one bathroom. When I got home after some errands today, Monica was in the bathroom, with a wrench and water spraying helplessly everywhere. I would have no idea where to start when it comes to anything to do with plumbing or handiwork so I was impressed with her professional attitude towards the fussy pipe. For about an hour she was at it, water flowing and stopping randomly, finally asking Byron for help so there were two people in a tiny bathroom with buckets and water spraying everywhere. As much as I wanted to help I felt that my presence as a third person who didn’t really know what they’re doing in a small bathroom would be more destructive than helpful. A couple hours of labor and grunting and “chuta madres” later and we have a dry and functioning bathroom. And all the time they were laughing and joking and brainstorming. I guess instead of being a nuisance a leaky toilet is an opportunity for a fun family challenge.

This week has been a whirlwind of fun and great people, dancing, creepsters, delicious food, and the most adorable kids you will ever meet. I am sad that it is over because most of the great people that I met and became friends with this week are leaving and I feel like they are my friends that go way back and I will miss them so much. I have found that the friends I have met while traveling become fast friends and stay in your life for a long time. I hope that the latter is true for these chicos because they are great. I feel like every week here will be completely different and never knowing what will happen or who I will meet. We have met some crazy cool Ecuadorians and some chill gringos who are living and working here.
The other day we even met a guy who pretended to be Ecuadorian for half and hour, talking in a horrible English Ecuatorian accent until he said he studied in boston, NU to be exact and then confessed that he is actually from Philly and putting on the accent. Who does that? Oh the people we have met. I hope it never ends. On top of that, the number of creepers probably outweighs the number of normal men at least that I have encountered. I know that there is a chunk of it that is cultural but there is a line I draw between the two and these men continually seem to cross it.

We worked hard every day with the kids, teaching English and playing with them in the markets. It is so wonderful to work with them because they are so gracious and loving and beautiful. Some of them are incredibly smart too and pick up on new things really fast. We play games and color and read and dance and sing and have a good time before its time for them to go back to work. I know that by the end of six months with these munchkins I will surely be attached and wanting to stuff them all in my suitcase. But until then I am just trying to figure out what I am doing. I am going to be on my own to some extent at times and need ideas on lesson plans and games and songs. I am hoping that I pick it up as I go but it will be a challenge.

Every night after work we went out to celebrate the final days in Quito for some of my friends. Every night brought different craziness and stories and laughter and fun. We discovered some fun bars and cool clubs and danced our butts off to all sorts of music. We also watched the World Cup final games of course, down in the plaza in Mariscal with all the other fans. It was crazy and a lot of fun. Viva Espana!

Today I finally had my official orientation, although after spending the weekend partying with the staff and listening to the volunteer stories I felt pretty informed. But we went over the specifics of the projects and what I would be doing as well as some background on the organization. Hearing more about it and seeing videos of what is done made me really excited to start working. I know it is going to be tiring, but it will be so rewarding. The program works with the child laborers who work in the markets with their parents to make ends meet, starting at the age of two. They grow up that way and have no time to be kids and have fun, learn, and not worry about their responsibilities. This program gives them a chance, even if for only an hour or two a week. The goal of the organization is to get kids to enroll in school and stay there to study and to build up their self image and self esteem and to know their worth. The goals and execution of the program are really great, from my perspective now. I am interested to get started and see it and meet the kids. Hopefully I will be able to get more involved with the organization while I am here to create a more comprehensive information system for the volunteers who come to work and the people in Ecuador who they work with so that people know what they do and will want to help.
In the afternoon, me and some of the girls had an adventure to the mercado artesano (artisan market) near the center of Quito. I had been there many a time in my last trip, perusing the aisles of brightly colored jewelry and clothing and art in my spare time. Today started off sunny and warm but by the time we were ready to head out, the skies looke unhappy and the loud cracks of thunder warned us of what was to come. Sure enough, as soon as we wanted to head out, the rain came down in buckets, to the point where the hilly streets were running rivers. After waiting a few minutes we decided to book it and ran down the hill to the trolley station through puddles and rivers, arriving at the bottom soaked through and freezing. But we made it to the market where we eagerly looked at all the goodies and indulged in some gifts for ourselves and others. I was so happy to spend $20 on a big white wool sweater that will surely keep me warm in the house on cool days, which seems to be everyday.
When we were shopped out, we decided that nothing would be more satisfying than an English pub and headed over to the Queen Victoria Pub which was ranked by Newsweek as one of the best meeting spots in the world. And it was pretty perfect for us today. Warm and cozy with a fireplace and typical pub décor,  it was just what we needed. We ordered some drinks and some fish and chips to share and warmed up while having some good conversation. We almost didn’t want to leave but we had to get back to cook up some ceviche with Monica so we decided that a cab would be the best route. We were oh so wrong. Never have I been in such a slow, annoying cab ride. The driver was kind of a jerk and wanted to charge us way to much to go home and although accepted our price he drove the longest possible way home, through the center of the city during rush hour and a route that none of us had taken before at the slowest pace possible and then decided when we got there that we should pay him more. Worst 5 bucks spent.

Gozando en Quito

I have only been here for three days but I feel like it has been a month. It has been a great way to start off the trip. Friday I went to the end of year presentation for one of my host family’s daughter. She goes to an all girls Catholic school and the girls all dressed up as animals to sing and dance for their parents. It was adorable and nice to spend some time with the family. Friday night we had a family dinner and we all helped cook delicious food. We made a dish that was made with green plantains and mahi mahi and it was yummy. We all talked, laughed and danced while we cooked and ate all together. It was a lot of fun to get to know everyone a little bit more. Afterwards, the volunteers all went out to Gringolandia to a couple of clubs and danced the night away. Yesterday we recovered from the night before and had a low-key day until we got ready to go out for the night.

We went first to this place that reminded me of the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with some of my  friends from EF. It has one thing on the menu: canelazo. Canelazo is like warm orange candy that gives you that warm fuzzy buzz. From there we ventured to a discoteca to meet up with our host family and their friends. We danced the night away. Apparently it is law to close the bars at 2, no one can sell alcohol after that but this bar closes the outside but keeps the party going inside all night long until 10 in the morning. It was crazy. There was also a male stripper which was fantastic in a that only Latin male strippers could be. We stayed until 4 and then got some more drinks and some music going back home until the sun came up, talking about spirituality, life, the words of Ricardo Arjona, and funny drinking stories. What better way to welcome a Sunday morning? It’s only been three days but I feel at home here and feel so lucky to be with such great people.
If you want to check out the organization I'm working with, here's the link: www.ubeci.org

Fin del Ano Escolar

Second Impressions

Yay for Wifi! Now yall can stay updated with me as long as I have the time and willpower to update everyone. But that’s my goal anyways. The flight was long and very bumpy but I occupied myself with some good chick flicks and arrived in Quito last night. I thought back to last time I arrived in Quito and how nervous I was and how alone I felt. It felt so weird to be alone in another country. This time however, I couldn’t stop smiling. At this point it feels normal to me to be somewhere I’m not completely familiar with and here now there’s at least some familiarity and all I could think was, I can’t believe I’m back! I had a warm feeling walking by the window where families wait for their loved ones and I was excited to meet whoever was waiting for me. And I was even more excited when I met them. Monica and Edwin were waiting for me and they are wonderful. They were so welcoming and friendly and cheery. We waited a couple of hours for another guy to arrive on a flight that ended up being having to land in Guayaquil, but in the meantime Monica and I chatted about lots of stuff. We talked about important social issues going on in Ecuador now having to do with the immigration of Cubans, Colombians, and Peruvians to the country and the impact that is having as well as internal social inequalities and other issues. I can’t wait to learn more about all of it. She also mentioned that we could talk about possibly doing a mini project that would have to do with anthropology which would be awesome.
Driving to the place I will be living, I felt like no time had passed since my last visit. In the dark, everything looked the same. I am staying in a different area of Quito, a part I had never visited before. Apparently where I stayed last time was the “preppy” area. The house is mismatched and cozy, I have my own room and neighboring bathroom that I share. There is another floor and a roof deck upstairs and the program coordinators live in the apartment next door. Right now there are four other girls here but they leave next week and more will be coming on and off throughout my time here. It will be fun to meet the people who come and go and I am looking forward to getting to know Byron and Monica and everyone while I’m here. All in all, a successful first night and hopefully many more to come!