Things I Love About Ecuador:
-warm bread from a panaderia
-kisses on the cheek instead of handshakes
-25 cents for buses
-dancing salsa
-my friends
-mountains
-beaches
-Baños
-riding in the back of pick-up trucks
-avocados that are always in season
-cheap flowers
-canelazos
-tiendas
-$2 manicures
Things I Miss:
-reasonably priced bath and beauty products
-my friends and fam
-front porch sitting
-reliably hot showers
-north american time
-reliable internet
-good cheeseburgers
-if you're reading this, I probably miss YOU!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Track Suits and High Heels?
When I leave my house in Quito I'm generally prepared to be the worst dressed person on every bus, street or restaurant I go into. If I'm wearing flip flops, I'm also prepared to receive innumerable somewhat disgusted stares at my feet. It's not that my feet are in terrible shape, it's just that Quiteños can't understand why on earth I would wear flip flops rather than donning some stiletto heels to go teach English to 2nd graders. Or buy groceries. Or do anything outside of the house. I'll admit that I jumped on the high heel train late in life and I'm not as good as managing heels as some people, but unlike in Washington where those women who wear heels to work make the sensible step of wearing tennis shoes to work and then changing into the heels in their purse, women here just rock the heels all the time. On the bus, walking, everything. I can't imagine the pain. And let me just say, these are not sensible heels.
A Quiteño woman generally accompanies her heels with a well thought-out (and tight) outfit, every hair in place, and meticulously applied make-up. If I didn't stick out in a crowd because of my "white as a ghost" skin an light hair, I would stick out because of my tennis shoes and t-shirt.
But this style of dress finds a sharp contrast with the uniforms of high school students, which about half the time are track suits. In the afternoons in Quito you would undoubtedly encounter groups walking around the city in matching track suits from their collegio (high school). The girls still have every hair in place and meticulously applied make-up, but coupled with a track suit and tennis shoes it gives a bit of a different impression.
Where in the United States this track suit uniform would be great preparation for the college years filled with sweatpants and t-shirts, when people hit college here the track suits go out the door and people proudly walk to class in designer jeans and, of course, high heels. Having been a volunteer for more or less three years, I simply can't keep up. Not to mention the weight limits on baggage limited me to about three outfits that are even close to meeting Quito standards. But at least I'm comfortable!
The last thing that strikes me about Quito fashion is that fanny packs can be routinely spotted in the city. Yep, fanny packs. So go ahead and stick that in your back pocket.
A Quiteño woman generally accompanies her heels with a well thought-out (and tight) outfit, every hair in place, and meticulously applied make-up. If I didn't stick out in a crowd because of my "white as a ghost" skin an light hair, I would stick out because of my tennis shoes and t-shirt.
But this style of dress finds a sharp contrast with the uniforms of high school students, which about half the time are track suits. In the afternoons in Quito you would undoubtedly encounter groups walking around the city in matching track suits from their collegio (high school). The girls still have every hair in place and meticulously applied make-up, but coupled with a track suit and tennis shoes it gives a bit of a different impression.
Where in the United States this track suit uniform would be great preparation for the college years filled with sweatpants and t-shirts, when people hit college here the track suits go out the door and people proudly walk to class in designer jeans and, of course, high heels. Having been a volunteer for more or less three years, I simply can't keep up. Not to mention the weight limits on baggage limited me to about three outfits that are even close to meeting Quito standards. But at least I'm comfortable!
The last thing that strikes me about Quito fashion is that fanny packs can be routinely spotted in the city. Yep, fanny packs. So go ahead and stick that in your back pocket.
Monday, March 16, 2009
¿Hay tiburones?
I have a fascination slash intense fear of sharks. I read somewhere once that surfing is the most dangerous thing you can do in the ocean because you look like a seal and sharks will try to eat you. They usually stop once they realize you're a person rather than a seal, but I'd rather not be eaten at all than half-eaten and then leftovers. Luckily, the only time I've been surfing was in Oregon and there aren't sharks there, as I was assured many times in order to coax me into the water. This weekend I went with some friends to Atacames in the northern coast of Ecuador and my first question, of course, was "¿Hay tiburones?" I was assured that there were no sharks at that beach, but you definitely wouldn't have caught me on a surfboard. Or very far out in the water at all, actually. Instead I chose to soak up the rays on the beach (with SPF 55). I went with two friends who are recent arrivals from Germany and I don't know whether to chalk it up to my Quito base tan or my super strong sunscreen, but I actually wasn't the most sunburned of my friends.
In Ecuador the culture of people living in the coast, or Costeños, and people living in Quito, Quiteños, is drastically different. When we arrived in Atacames after a night on the bus it felt like we were in a different country. It's much hotter on the coast and people walk around in as little clothing as possible, often sans shirts and shoes. Some of the streets are paved and some aren't and every restaurant, hotel and store is fighting a losing battle with sand. Or in some cases they have given up the battle. Atacames has one main street along the beach and it is populated by one thatch-roofed bar after another. It's almost impossible to tell them apart since they all share the same decor and menu, more or less. The restaurants are all on the other side of the street and also seem to share the same menu and more or less the same decor as well.
After our brief stay in Atacames we endured a 7 or 8 hour busride back to Quito. At our one stop my friend Toby was about 5 seconds away from being left behind as he waited for our sanduches mixtos. After arriving home at 11:30 I fell into bed and dragged myself out what felt like moments later at 6:30 in the morning to get ready for school. My saving grace was a free afternoon today which allowed me a heavenly nap and a chance to do my laundry. I'm pretty sure I brought home about half the sand on the beach with me and I'm a little worried about what it will do to my washing machine. Vamos a ver.
After my stay on the beach I'm pretty sure that I'm more of a Quiteña than a Costeña. I like the beach for a little while, but I prefer the cooler air of the mountains and the expectation of wearing shirts on the street. But if I'm being honest with myself I'm still much more of an East Coaster than anything else. My years in DC have left me somewhat ambitious and more than a little bit of a workaholic. Ecuador still has 4.5 months to mellow me out though, so I guess we'll see what happens.
In Ecuador the culture of people living in the coast, or Costeños, and people living in Quito, Quiteños, is drastically different. When we arrived in Atacames after a night on the bus it felt like we were in a different country. It's much hotter on the coast and people walk around in as little clothing as possible, often sans shirts and shoes. Some of the streets are paved and some aren't and every restaurant, hotel and store is fighting a losing battle with sand. Or in some cases they have given up the battle. Atacames has one main street along the beach and it is populated by one thatch-roofed bar after another. It's almost impossible to tell them apart since they all share the same decor and menu, more or less. The restaurants are all on the other side of the street and also seem to share the same menu and more or less the same decor as well.
After our brief stay in Atacames we endured a 7 or 8 hour busride back to Quito. At our one stop my friend Toby was about 5 seconds away from being left behind as he waited for our sanduches mixtos. After arriving home at 11:30 I fell into bed and dragged myself out what felt like moments later at 6:30 in the morning to get ready for school. My saving grace was a free afternoon today which allowed me a heavenly nap and a chance to do my laundry. I'm pretty sure I brought home about half the sand on the beach with me and I'm a little worried about what it will do to my washing machine. Vamos a ver.
After my stay on the beach I'm pretty sure that I'm more of a Quiteña than a Costeña. I like the beach for a little while, but I prefer the cooler air of the mountains and the expectation of wearing shirts on the street. But if I'm being honest with myself I'm still much more of an East Coaster than anything else. My years in DC have left me somewhat ambitious and more than a little bit of a workaholic. Ecuador still has 4.5 months to mellow me out though, so I guess we'll see what happens.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Unwanted Attentions
Here in Ecuador I've grown used to the unwanted attentions of men in various situations... the catcall on the street, the none too subtle staring at my chest, you know, typical Latin America. However, as I was walking through the park with my friend Emma this weekend we noticed a big, purple dinosaur. That's right, Barney. I'm always amazed how it is usually the very worst of American culture that finds it's way over here. We went to the park after I sat in an internet cafe listening to what seemed to be an entire T.Pain album, in case you need another example. So as we walked past Barney, he lovingly put his hand on my shoulder and said "Hola" as smoothly as you can while wearing a huge dinosaur costume.
I was told this weekend that my life is perfect, and while I can't agree with that entirely, it does seem to be going pretty well. I spent a lovely Saturday out in the city (getting burned of course) with friends followed by an even lovelier night of playing card games in Spanish and dancing. I'm not sure why, but BS seems to be much more enjoyable in Spanish. "Mentira!"
My weekend was topped off with a delicious potluck meal at "La Casa Amarillo," where several of my friends live. It's an interesting bunch with people from four different countries. As we ate dinner three different languages emerged at the table and couldn't help but appreciate what an interesting combination of cultures I was experiencing. Until Jenny, the "host mother" of la casa amarillo returned home at which point all languages except Spanish were verboden. It was night that involved laughing until my stomach hurt, which for me is always a sure sign that life is good.
I was told this weekend that my life is perfect, and while I can't agree with that entirely, it does seem to be going pretty well. I spent a lovely Saturday out in the city (getting burned of course) with friends followed by an even lovelier night of playing card games in Spanish and dancing. I'm not sure why, but BS seems to be much more enjoyable in Spanish. "Mentira!"
My weekend was topped off with a delicious potluck meal at "La Casa Amarillo," where several of my friends live. It's an interesting bunch with people from four different countries. As we ate dinner three different languages emerged at the table and couldn't help but appreciate what an interesting combination of cultures I was experiencing. Until Jenny, the "host mother" of la casa amarillo returned home at which point all languages except Spanish were verboden. It was night that involved laughing until my stomach hurt, which for me is always a sure sign that life is good.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Asi Es La Vida
Life is slowly returning back to normal after returning from the paradise that is Baños. The weekend of my return was marked by my first petty theft. I was warned multiple times that chances were I would be pickpocketed or have something walk off, but thus far I had been lucky. I left my leather jacket on a chair while I went to go dancing and indeed, it did walk off. I surprised myself by reacting with a shrug and simply saying "Asi es la vida!" (That's life, more or less) Maybe I left a little bit of my uptight DC self in Baños with the tons of Karrioka I rinsed out of my hair and clothes.
Life as of late has involved some difficult situations and a lot of frustration. I won't go into too much detail, but those of you who know me know that I like to be in control and lately there have been a lot of things in my life that I'm just unable to control for myriad different reasons. My new-found Ecuadorian cool hasn't gotten deep enough to keep me calm for all of these things, but I'm getting by alright. My honeymoon period in Ecuador is somewhat over and I'm having to worry about a lot of different things back home from taxes to grad school security deposits. These worries coupled with a notoriously unreliable internet connection sometimes find me in a very frustrated state!
All that said, I'm still enjoying Ecuador a great deal. Whenever I get really frustrated, I take a cup of coffee up to the roof and enjoy my mountain view and it helps put things in perspective. Yesterday I was kidnapped after church by two different families eager to welcome me into their homes for almuerzo and cafecito. I finally got home at 8 pm, after being told that I would soon be tricked into eating cuy (guinea pig). All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday.
Life as of late has involved some difficult situations and a lot of frustration. I won't go into too much detail, but those of you who know me know that I like to be in control and lately there have been a lot of things in my life that I'm just unable to control for myriad different reasons. My new-found Ecuadorian cool hasn't gotten deep enough to keep me calm for all of these things, but I'm getting by alright. My honeymoon period in Ecuador is somewhat over and I'm having to worry about a lot of different things back home from taxes to grad school security deposits. These worries coupled with a notoriously unreliable internet connection sometimes find me in a very frustrated state!
All that said, I'm still enjoying Ecuador a great deal. Whenever I get really frustrated, I take a cup of coffee up to the roof and enjoy my mountain view and it helps put things in perspective. Yesterday I was kidnapped after church by two different families eager to welcome me into their homes for almuerzo and cafecito. I finally got home at 8 pm, after being told that I would soon be tricked into eating cuy (guinea pig). All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday.
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