We survived the beach without too much sunburn (suprisingly)! It took about six hours to get there on Saturday. We stayed in a town called Tonsupa, right outside of Atacames. It's crazy how different the climate and vegetation is just a couple hours closer to the coast! We literally drove from the mountains to the tropics...it was pretty cool. For some reason I didn't expect there to be so many high-rise resorts but there were tons along the beach, just like any other touristy beach location. I felt like we were in an entirely different country even though we were just 6 hours away. Highlight of the trip was whale watching, for sure. After we had been out there for 45 minutes and hadn't seen anything, I was losing hope...but after that we saw like 6 different whales! It was amazing. Such a cool experience. I rode in a tuk-tuk (tiny 3-wheeled vehicle) for the first time, too. That was fun yet slightly scary as buses were passing us on the roads. On the way back yesterday we stopped on the highway to buy cocada, coconut candy. I brought some back to my family and they loved it! Of course I loved it too because I love coconut...who doesn't?!? I leave tomorrow...WHAT? The past 2 months have been so much fun and I'm really sad to leave. I just said goodbye to my host dad because he'll be at work by the time we wake up tomorrow and I'm leaving mid-morning. It caught me off guard because I didn't realize he wouldn't be there tomorrow so all I could manage to say was thank you for everything and I really appreciate it all...I feel dumb because I could say so much more. To be honest, I was kinda nervous before I got here about living with a host family for 2 months...but looking back, I can truly say that it was one of the best parts about my experience here. I am in awe at how welcoming everyone here in Quichinche has been to me, and I couldn't be more grateful. ¡Hasta luego, Ecuador! Add Comment Cursos is over and I finished organizing my papers/materials yesterday, so all that's left to do is relax at the beach for a few days, buy my family gift, and spend one more day with my awesome host family! The talent show was pretty funny yesterday..Jenny's German class sang (well, kind of) a German Christmas carol, Hauna's group did a zumba routine, another group did the Electric Slide, and my group did our cups routine. Good stuff all around!! The kids broke piñatas and I swear I don't even think half the candy hit the ground the kids grabbed it all so fast haha. We also exploded our volcanoes that we made in week 2...but it was kind of underwhelming unfortunately (we accidentally bought a pack of baking powder instead of baking soda, therefore no explosion at all...oops). To top off the day, we got pizza for everyone. I'd say overall it was a pretty good day to end on!! The past five weeks have zipped on by so fast; I'm definitely going to miss a lot of those kids. Mario in particular...I wish I was as happy as that kid all the time, he was always smiling. I know I've said I can't believe a lot of things...but I seriously, one thousand percent, can't believe I'm actually leaving in less than a week!! I seriously feel like it was just yesterday I was practically hyperventilating during my first freezing cold shower and struggling to hand wash my clothes for the first time...haha I was such a noob. I'm so excited to go home, but I'll definitely miss the routine here and especially the people I've met. A great group of Tandana people and an amazing community of locals. I feel like I owe my host family so much for letting me come into their home for two months, but it's comforting to know that they have enjoyed learning about me as much as I have loved learning about them. One more day of teaching to go, that's it. So crazy! Friday is our end of program talent show so all of us teachers are preparing a group of kids to do something in front of everyone. I'm teaching my group how to do the cup song routine (from the movie Pitch Perfect if you're unfamiliar). I'm rather impressed with myself, seeing as I remembered all the moves from doing it at Girl Scout camp in 3rd grade. Who knew I'd be putting that oh so valuable skill to good use 10+ years later in a foreign country...huh. More to come about the talent show on Friday, don't you worry! I bought stuff for s'mores and made them last night with my host family. They loved 'em! I would have to agree that they were pretty good, despite the fact that I couldn't find graham crackers, but the vanilla cookies (kinda like animal crackers) sufficed. I'm starting to realize how much I'll miss hanging out with my host family when I leave in 8 days! I'm definitely gonna miss playing soccer every Sunday and making mora juice more than I thought. It's just a weird thought that I'm leaving already and that there's a chance I might never see them again. Let the tidal wave of mixed emotions begin... Well, yoga in Hinduism class ended up being really fun and hilarious. Tyler is way better than I am at acting like he knows what he's doing, but hey, we pulled it off! The kids totally loved it! Aside from the inevitable giggles (it was even hard for me not to laugh), most of the kids were super into the meditation, which was awesome! Our Paseo yesterday was to Sisa, a restaurant in Otavalo, to watch Rio 2 on their projector screen. We just took the regular buses that run between Otavalo, Quichinche, and Panecillo, so we told the kids to meet us at the bus stops rather than meeting at school....and just as expected my host siblings and cousins made it at the last possible second after sprinting to the bus stop as the bus was pulling away...classic Lopez Perugachi's haha. I'm really glad they made it though!! It was a close one. They gave us popcorn at the movie, too, and it was super salty and delish! Best Paseo yet in my book. Only ONE week left with these kiddos....so bittersweet! This morning Jenny and I had to go to Vista Para Todos because Hauna and Tyler had to go to Quito for some eye surgeries. To be honest, we were a little intimidated at the thought of going today but it ended up going pretty well! We felt pretty good about ourselves afterwords haha. We went to get bátidos (kind of like a milkshake but minus the ice cream) at the juice shop, because we pretty much always do (it might be an obsession...), and the owner's daughter took a picture with us. Obviously we're their favorite customers. Kidding :) I can't believe it's August already, holy cow!! Time has literally flown by for the past month and a half. I guess that's what happens when you're busy and having fun! Today for our Paseo, we took the kids to Cochasquí, a site of pre-Incan ruins. It was pretty cool, and the view was unbelievable.....I swear I've never seen bluer sky anywhere else than here in Ecuador. Beauty everywhere, I love it! We also had a local Kichwa film maker come in this week and present to the kids about the movies he makes and why he makes them. He taught them a lot about valuing where they come from and continuing to live by their indigenous heritage, so that was sweet! My english class is going pretty well; however, last week I felt like I needed to slow down and now I feel like I need to speed up because there are only 2 more weeks left!! CRAZY! Next week Tyler and I are going to teach a class on Hinduism....haha totally his idea but I also think it's awesome. It seems super random but the kids actually really enjoy learning about other cultures, so we figured that it would be fun to teach about customs that are very different than the culture here in Ecuador. We're going to teach them how to introduce themselves and write their names in Hindi, and we want to make chai tea and do yoga and meditation...I'm actually really excited even though I am definitely no expert at any of those things whatsoever! We went to Papa John's in Ibarra today for a little taste of home and it was so dang good. I've never had to fight my way onto a bus until today....on the way back it was literally a mad dash to see who could make their way onto the Otavalo bus. Possibly one of the most intense moments of my life, but somehow all 5 of us managed to get on the same bus. Victory! I haven't really been reflecting much on how things are going or how I've been feeling just because I don't really like to do that haha....but I must say I'm really happy I'm here and lucky enough to have this experience working abroad. I've really surprised myself at how well I've adjusted to things here given my entirely new living and working environment. A month ago I would have said I couldn't stand the laid back pace of life here because I am so used to going and going ALL the time at home, but now I have to admit, I like it! Maybe daily life in Madison should take a hint and slow down a little bit.... This weekend was definitely one for the books! On Saturday, Hauna, Tyler, Jenny, Kiah, and I hiked Mount Fuya Fuya....up to 13,975 feet! Highest mountain I've ever climbed that's for sure! It was obviously super strenuous, as expected, BUT the view was amazing and SO worth the long hike. The last part of the hike was sliiiightly terrifying because we literally had to rock climb. Once we made it to the top though, it was so beautiful! But it was also absolutely freezing (my guess is it was like 45 degrees Fahrenheit), seeing as we were practically in the clouds!! That was awesome. My hands were so cold they were too stiff to even hold my phone to take a picture...yikes! After our descent we stuck our feet in Laguna Mojanda (which of course I was peer pressured into because I'm actually a huge baby when it comes to cold water..) and it was actually painful. Still kinda fun though, I must admit... Yesterday (Sunday), my family had a big lunch...complete with guinea pig (!!!)... because my host siblings all earned good grades in school this year. I think it's pretty awesome that my host parents prepared guinea pig and such a nice meal just to show the kids how proud they are of their great school performances. It reminded me of my family in a way, because my parents always make sure to celebrate when my sisters and I do well in school or accomplished anything we've worked towards. It's pretty cool how my family at home and my host family here in Ecuador value some of the same things. As for the guinea pig, it was strange eating something we usually view as a domestic pet...BUT I didn't have a problem with it at all. I was actually really excited to try it. It tasted pretty good with the seasonings they put on it...but let's just say I wouldn't prefer it over a cheeseburger... After lunch, I went with my host siblings to play soccer in their cousin's yard. They actually have two mini goals, which is awesome because they essentially have their own field! Aside from their sheep wandering in from time to time, we played non-stop for an hour and a half....I was wiped out haha. After soccer, I met the other volunteers at Claudia's cooking school for dinner. We made marinated chicken, tomato-onion-cilantro salad, ahí, steamed vegetables, llapingachos, and quimbolitos. Llapingachos are basically like fried mashed potato balls. Yes, they are just as delicious as they sound. Quimbolito is a sweet cake that you make by folding the dough into a leaf (I can't remember what the leaf is called though...ugh!) and steam it. It was all SO dang good!! Regardless of the worm that we accidentally cooked in with the vegetables....haha woops! Well, one week of summer school down, 4 to go! I'd say the first two days of English teaching have been a challenge mostly because my kids don't know as much as I thought they did, so I had to wing it a little bit, but it has also been really fun getting to know the kids. My class is the youngest, with mostly 10-12 year olds, so we are starting with the most basic of the basics. Other than English, this week and next week I'm teaching a class on volcanoes. We thought it would be a fun topic for the kids since they live with volcanoes practically in their backyards, and it's a fun way to learn some earth science. We're reading volcano legends and next week the kids will make their own paper mache volcanoes to erupt on the last day of Cursos. I'm curious to see how the volcanoes turn out/if our explosions out of vinegar and baking soda actually work....fingers crossed!! Today on our first field trip, we went to Cuicocha, a gorgeous lake with two cuy-shaped islands in the middle of it. We all went on the boat ride they offer there, which was pretty fun. Many of the kids had never been on a boat before, so there was a lot of nervous excitement, that's for sure. The water was absolutely freezing but that didn't stop the kids from dunking their whole arms in it anyway...a lot of them were soaked by the time we got back to the dock, but they didn't care one bit haha. Next week at Cursos is Travel Week. We (the teachers) are going to prepare presentations of a country we've been to, and the kids are going to write down fun facts in pretend passports we give them. On Friday for our Paseo (field trip/fun friday) we're going to play World Trivia at the school (with prizes galore!!!). I think it will be really cool for the kids to have the opportunity to learn about different countries and cultures...AND who doesn't love trivia?!? Fun stuff we've got planned ahead :) I guess you could say the title of this post is a little ironic because during my first couple weeks here in Ecuador I've wandered a lot, and there's a really good chance I HAVE been lost most of the time. But now I can proudly say I know how to go to the grocery store and back all by myself. Small victories! Every day I feel more at home with my host family. I hang out with the kids mostly during the day, but I really enjoy talking to my host parents after dinner every night because I like learning about them and it's a great opportunity to ask them any questions about their culture or the area. We talk about past volunteers that they've hosted, the World Cup, current events, etc. They ask me a ton of questions about my life in the United States and how it compares to life in Quichinche, which I find hard to answer, perhaps because there are more differences than similarities between the two cultural atmospheres. It's also hard to describe things that I'm so used to experiencing everyday without consciously thinking about. Since summer school doesn't start until July 14, I've had a lot of time off to do pretty much whatever. I've been going to the bodega a lot, and Anna, Jenny and I have a list of things we want to do....Peguche waterfall, Parque Condor, maybe go to Intag.....the possibilities are (or so it seems) endless! It's nice to have time to explore and get oriented to the area, but for a busy-body like myself, it's also really hard not to have a regular schedule yet. The Cursos team for this summer consists of myself, Jenny, and Tyler as teachers. Hauna helps us with anything we need...planning, getting supplies, networking, you name it. We're also going to have a couple different local teachers come in and teach science and math classes. Tyler, Jenny, and I will teach one hour of English everyday, and we'll offer elective classes for the other two hours of the school day. We're having our planning meeting this week, so I'm excited to get a better picture of how things will go for the next 5 weeks! An update is surely to come! Well, the locals around here definitely like to party! Since it's summer, a lot of graduations are happening, as well as baptisms and confirmations in the Catholic church. These are not your normal celebrations...they're like my family parties taken to a whole new level haha. The families here celebrate literally all day and night, sometimes for the entire weekend, nonstop! The music is blaring and the amount of food made is absolutely unreal...everyone's singin' and dancin' and it's kind of awesome. Some of the typical foods they make are pork, chicken, guinea pig, mote (a type of corn), potatoes, and sambo (my family makes a sauce out of it to put on the potatoes and mote..it's kind of like gravy, but still different than anything I've tasted before...I'm a fan of it!) I haven't gone to one yet, but between waking up in the middle of the night to the neighbor's insanely loud tunes and shouts and talking about this tradition with my host family, I think I've got a pretty good idea of how intense these fiestas are! I arrived in Ecuador late last night, and after a whirlwind 24 hours, I'm finally settled in at my host family's house ready for my first night's sleep in the house I'll call home for the next two months (crazy!). Today Hauna showed me around Otavalo/Quichinche/Panecillo and pretty much gave me the whole spiel on how everything goes around here. To be honest it was very overwhelming and I actually have no idea where I am in relation to anything despite being shown around yesterday. Let's just say tomorrow's venture into Otavalo should be interesting... My host family is very welcoming and they definitely love to joke around. Even though I'm slow to understand the jokes sometimes (my Spanish isn't quite warmed up yet), it's nice to be surrounded by such laid back and good-spirited people. They are an indigenous Kichwa family, so my host mom wears a traditional long skirt called an anaco with an embroidered white blouse, and my host parents often speak in Kichwa (which I can't even come close to understanding). My host parents are Susanna and Carlos, and I have 5 host siblings: Monica, Josué, Adela, Ruth, and Anahí. I played games with the younger girls tonight...they found my accent hilarious to say the least. My family has a dog named Negra and about 30 guinea pigs (!!!). Cuy, or guinea pig, is prepared and eaten within the indigenous communities only on special occasions. I'm bound to try it at least once while I'm here so we'll just have to wait and see when that time comes....yum! |