So unfortunately I´m not able to include pictures with this blog entry...apparently Internet places with decent computers are closed on Sundays, so this one that I´m at near the Mitad del Mundo (Center of the World) is the best I can get. I was in Calacali, the town nearest to Yunguilla, last night to partake in their 439th anniversary celebration. There was live music, dancing and pyrotechnic displays that I know for sure would have been banned in the United States (they were literally setting off fireworks in the middle of the crowd). It was fun to experience the local culture, but I was definitely the tallest person there/stood out and blocked the view of everyone behind me! Fun fact: A lot of people from Calacali migrate to Chicago. Why Chicago, have no idea! I went back there today after very little sleep to help Yunguilla set up their stand at the agro-artisanal fair. I stayed there for a bit, ate a deliciously cheap lunch of chicken, rice, potatoes and a cheese empanada ($2.30) and explored the town before taking the bus to Mitad del Mundo. While the touristic city (you have to pay to get in) isn´t the site of the real equator, I figured I couldn´t travel all this way and not visit it. I got to see a miniature version of Quito, attend a planetarium show (more about stars later), watch dance performances, eat ice cream and call home and Fawaz. After this entry, I´ll be heading back to Calacali to hopefully get a ride home with the Yunguilla folks. I´m getting quite used to riding in the backs of trucks along very bumpy dirt roads through the mountains! A correction on my previous post: Yunguilla is actually not as high up as Quito. I think it might be around 2,700m? Nonetheless, it´s high up, and in the afternoons, I literally walk home through the clouds. Pretty crazy!
This past week there was finally a clear night, so I got to see the stars! I was walking out to the bathroom to brush my teeth and my jaw literally dropped. I could see the stars so clearly, it was incredible. I tried taking a picture, but it didn´t turn out, so I´ll try again next time and mess around with the camera settings a bit.
While the stars are beautiful, the insects are certainly not. I´ve developed a bit of a reputation for hating them, mainly because I walk around my room each night before going to sleep with a shoe to get rid of the intruders. Let me tell you, some of them are rather scary! I also have several bug bites from working outside during the days--some of them are so small you can´t feel them and by the time you notice them, they´ve already bit you. Grrr.
One of the highlights of this past week was working with some Yunguillans on a rich Spanish man´s property about 20 minutes away from the community. He lives with his wife in Quito during the week, but on the weekends, he comes here to his gorgeous house, 30+ horses, 2 monkies, 2 peacocks, 3 ostriches, several parrots and lots of birds (including a turkey I really wanted to steal and eat--the stores here don´t sell turkey and I miss it dearly!). The property was truly incredible and I can´t wait to post pictures. The number of horses seemed a bit excessive to me, but the man has money and this is his way of spending it!
The food has been pretty good so far. Angelita is learning what I like and what I don´t like, i.e. with rice milk. I now only get served tea in the evenings. The juices are all fresh and soooo delicious. My favorite so far has been pinneapple, although blackberry and tomato de arbol (tree tomato) are quite tasty as well.
I´m still getting used to the perpetual tardiness. I´m usually always sitting around for at least 15 minutes in the morning before everyone actually arrives for work. I should probably learn just to show up 15 minutes later, but I don´t want to miss something important, so the adjustment process continues!
It´s been kind of odd to be so disconnected from technology, and during my first week, I got laughed at (and laughed at myself) for thinking that the cows mooing in the distance was somebody´s phone vibrating on a table. In my defense, there was a cell phone on a table nearby! Almost everyone here has cell phones, and I suppose I could have brought mine and used it, but I´m fine with calling home on the weekends, so it´s all working out. There´s supposedly wi-fi at the school, so maybe I´ll be able to borrow someone´s laptop and go there later this week.
Let´s see...what else...I´ve developed an addiction to an Ecuadorian (I think) telenovela (soap opera) called ¨Pero Amor¨. It´s set in Miami, but all the characters speak Spanish. It´s on Monday-Friday from 7-8pm, so it´s become a nightly affair to watch that with Diogenes and Angelita after dinner. We then normally watch the news, which is almost even more depressing than in the United States. The difference is that they don´t censor their images, so it´s not uncommon to see bodies and blood. The news anchors are also very un-optmistic and have no problem expressing their sentiments on the robbery, bus accident, etc, which makes watching it a very interesting experience.
I think that´s all for now. There´s a little girl in this Internet place singing the SpongeBob Squarepants theme song in Spanish (Bob Esponja) and I need to get back to Calacali to see if I can get a ride back with the Yunguillan crowd. Sorry for the lack of pictures--hopefully I´ll be able to get some up in the next week or two! Xoxo
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