After our goodbye to the kids on Friday, the volunteers went out for our last official Pizza Friday. We went to the same place we usually do, but there was a funny sense of “finality” to it for a couple of reasons.
When we walked in to the little cafe/bar that we go to before pizza, the bartender (the same one that’s there every Friday) asked if we needed menus or if we were just getting our usual. Then, when we went to the pizzeria, we ran into Emilia’s cousins. Let’s have a refresher: Emilia is the 8th grade student who invited us all to her house at the very beginning of our trip. Her family owns a broccoli farm that we toured and her cousins were very hospitable when they offered us all whiskey. We had planned to hang out with them, but after communication fizzled, we didn’t.
After a couple of cervezas and pizza, Elsa and Megan went home while Tim, Karin, Mariana, Yarlon, and Yasser tried to convince me to go dancing. After Yasser said, “Come on, do it for Yass!” - a nickname I’d given to him maybe an hour before - I was convinced.
Saturday morning, Megan and I left for our second and final solo excursion. It’s always benefitted us to travel with our fellow volunteers because we knew such limited Spanish. Well, when we went to Otavalo by ourselves, it was only 4 hours away, we’d been there before, and we still had a few bumps in the road.
This time, we travelled to Cuenca, about 9 hours away, we’d never been there, and we didn’t have a single problem. I think our Spanish is getting better.
We left for Ambato around 9 and grabbed a second bus that went straight to Cuenca. We got there around 8:30pm. As we were leaving the bus terminal we were approached by a fellow named Luis who explained that he owned a hostel in the center of town, was $7 a night and included breakfast (don’t be scared - this is a common practice). So we hopped in his taxi and off we went! The hostel really was in the perfect location right in the middle of town.
We quickly found some dinner at the corner store (you know, the essentials: yogurt/cereal, chips, juice, and water) and called it an early night.
The next morning, we headed to our pick up location to wait for Miguel. Miguel was our bilingual tour guide for the Ingapirca Ruins tour. After he picked us up, we were met by our fellow tour-mate Erik. Based on his name I was guessing he was from Germany. Nope. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After he got in the car, the 4 of us were off to the Incan Ruins.
The Ruins were absolutely stunning. Miguel explained a lot about their history. Some of my favorites included the stone where virgins were sacrificed and the energy rock. The stone had a divot in it where you placed your head (and he insisted we have a photo taken) and Megan and I were pretty sure there were blood stains on it. The energy rock was a spot where you sat to get recharged, and right next to that was a spot where you placed your forehead on the wall and you were supposed to feel the energy of the Incan spirits.
After the Ruins and a quick (and very pleasant) lunch, we headed back to Cuenca, grabbed some pizza, and called it a night.
The next day we walked through the city and went to a couple of museums. They were both awesome (and free). We went to Museo del Banco Central, which was an Ecuador history museum. We also went to Museo de Arte Moderno, the modern art museum.
After walking practically the entire city all day, we decided to grab some dinner. I think it was the first time I’ve ever seen a salad in this country that 1) was lettuce-based and 2) had dressing on it. It was delicious. After dinner we flagged down a taxi to go to the bus terminal. We got there around 7 or 7:30, and our bus didn’t leave until midnight.
Megan and I were sitting at a table journaling when a man at the table next to us asked (in very good English) where we were from. So he sat next to us and we basically heard his life story. Patricio then asked us the dumbest mistake we’d ever made. When neither of us really had an answer, he offered his answer. He was 17 years old walking the streets of New York and met a woman. She was “45 or 50” and bought him dinner. He then went back to her hotel room and implied what happened next. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Patricio was wasted? He then asked what we were writing (in the journals). He said, “When I leave, you’re going to write about me aren’t you?” Megan said, “Well, yeah!” So he wanted Megan’s number so that she could some day send him a snippet from her journal for him to show his buddies. So instead, she said it would be published within the next two years, ripped a piece of paper and on it wrote, “amazon.com” and “Megan’s Ecuador Journal” so that he would know how to search for it.
After about TWO HOURS of this, Patricio gave us a farewell, and we were off on our bus.
We arrived in LaTacunga around 7:30 yesterday morning and grabbed another bus to Quilotoa. We got to the village outside of Quilotoa then took a cab to get the rest of the way.
Let me explain Quilotoa: it’s a volcano filled with water. When it erupted 800 years ago, it was such a large, violent eruption, that part of it collapsed into itself, creating the lake. Locals even belief the lake is bottomless.
Pictures just don’t do this place justice. It was stunning. And there were so many hikers around, but you couldn’t see or hear anyone because this place is so big. It was by far one of my favorite things I’ve seen on this trip.
Now, we had planned to go to Quilotoa for a long time, I was very much looking forward to it, and dreading it. Looking forward to it because it’s beautiful, and after actually seeing it, Megan and I wondered how it’s not a world wonder. Dreading it because it’s said to be a 1 hour hike downhill to get to it. And a 3 hour hike uphill to leave it. And the reason the uphill hike is 3 hours and not 1? Because you’re walking uphill in sand. So for every step you took down, you take 2 or 3 to get back up.
I knew I didn’t have the physical stamina to withstand that, but I also knew that there were horses you could take so if at any point I felt like I was going to die, I could just hop on. I also knew that I wouldn’t regret taking a horse, but that I wouldn’t have the pride I would have if I walked it, no matter how long it took.
So we walked. And took a break. And walked. And took a break. And after less than two hours, we made it back. I know it sounds silly because it was just a short hike, but at the end of it, I really couldn’t believe I had done it. Not only would it have been difficult for me at home, but keep in mind the difference in altitude here, which made it that much harder.
Yesterday evening we came back to the house (unbeknownst to the principal - we’re supposed to have left already), had dinner and everyone played poker while I DJed (honestly I had every intention of playing poker, but I just got too into picking out songs for everyone to listen to). It was a great way to spend our final night here. I genuinely enjoyed everyone’s company and I don’t think I’ve laughed so much or so hard since I’ve been here…except maybe the time Brauck tied curtains to his ankles and said he was in Cirque du Soleil.
Now this morning, Megan and I are finishing up some last minute packing and we’re off to Quito. It’s kind of surreal to think the very final leg of our trip is here. And I’ve been so preoccupied will all things Ecuador, that I’ve sort of been forgetting that my birthday is tomorrow.
Megan and I will be in Quito for a couple of days and then we will be met by our fellow volunteers. My birthday is the 1st, Yasser’s is the 2nd. So we’ll be having a birthday/send off bash. I’m looking forward to it, but definitely not looking forward to saying goodbye to the people that have become my family.
On that note… USA, I’ll see you in 4 days.
So much to post and so little time! I only have two small windows of opportunity to post two more times, so I’ll try my hardest. First up, Friday’s goodbye.
Friday was Megan’s and my last day teaching at the school. In the short time that I’ve been with them, I’ve become incredibly attached to many of them.
When the last two volunteers left, the whole school gathered in the cafeteria for cake and Jacky (the principal) said a few words. The kids then raised their hands to say what they wanted to the volunteers.
Things were a little different for Meg and I. It was all the same, but at the end nearly every single kid in the school came up to talk to and hug us.
As the kids raised their hands to speak, that’s when I didn’t “lock it up” quite as tight as I would have liked. The tears started. They started within the first three students that spoke, because the first three were my students (Alan from 3rd, Dario from 3rd, and Adrian from 2nd). At various points, they told me that were happy to have me in art class, thanked me, said they’ll miss me, and ended with a hug.
We got a certificate from the school as well as a Sierra Flor hat. Many of the kids also made us cards, including a giant card that was signed by many of the students at the school.
It was hardest to say goodbye to my favorites (yes, I have them) since they’re the ones I got to know the best.
Adrian, my boy in 2nd grade, came up to me every single day, even if I didn’t have him in class that day, and he would trace the tattoo on my wrist and make sound effects as he did it. He came up to me and gave it one final trace on Friday.
Saying goodbye to Jonathan (11th grade) wasn’t hard - he made it fun. He’s a hilarious kid and literally had me in tears every day that I had him in class. He even tried to get me and Megan to teach him bad words in English. I will not confirm or deny whether this happened.
Richy is a 10th grader who is an absolutely incredible artist - I’m even bringing some of his work home with me. We talked briefly before being swarmed with more kids - he promised he wouldn’t stop drawing no matter what anyone said and then thanked me.
After we left the cafeteria, Megan and I went to my art room for a quick reprieve. A few of the older girls came in shortly after to say an additional goodbye and get pictures.
It was painful saying goodbye to Brauck and Taylor at Thanksgiving, and incredibly upsetting to say goodbye to my kids. I think it’s going to be torture saying goodbye to the volunteers. In the last 3 months, they’ve become my family…
I’d like to introduce you to my art room.
Before coming here I was prepared to have very little to work with. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw this!
The kids have tons of resources available to them in this room. And I absolutely love being in it. The room is big with tons of light and is really conducive to the creativity process, in my opinion.
My only regret of this trip, which is something I didn’t have much control over, is that I haven’t been teaching in this room longer!
Whew! Hard to believe it’s already been nearly a week since Thanksgiving! Time is so warped here - something Megan and I discuss frequently. Aside from the fact that we’ve already been here for 2 ½ months and I remember, quite clearly, hanging out at the Fontainebleau in Miami, weeks here go by in an instant. Think about it: Bridge jumping happened a MONTH ago (to the day).
After the emotional roller coaster of Thanksgiving on Thursday, Friday morning we left for Tena - Elsa, Karin, Megan, and myself.
After a couple hours of a bus ride to Ambato, a bus switch, and another 4 hours of a bus ride, we arrived in Tena.
During our travels, we’ve never really had a bad hostel experience. We always seem to pick really good ones (usually just by chance) and the most we’ve ever paid was $10 a night and that was in Montanita when it was a national holiday. This time, we stayed at Hostel Limon Cocha. It was lovely. It was clean, cheap, and any place that offers a balcony with hammocks, I embrace. Just like in Mindo, it seemed all my free time was spent reading or listening to music in the hammocks.
Our first day there was spent relaxing for the most part. There was an Ecuador vs Peru soccer game on. We were in LaTacunga for the previous Ecuador game and it often feels like the whole city is crowding into every bar in town. But regardless, we grabbed some pizza, relaxed, and called it a night (our typical Friday evening).
On Saturday, after a quick bus ride, we landed in an animal reserve. But to get to the animal reserve, we took a boat. The boat ride there was serene and pleasant. The boat ride back? Well…. we’ll get to that. Our driver even pointed out monkeys that you could see along the way.
When we got to the reserve, we were greeted by our guide. Not sure of his name, but he was a fun little German guy. The thing about this animal reserve - all of the money, including money made buying locally-made gifts goes to rescuing and releasing the animals. Our guide told us that since these are wild animals, it was a possibility that a monkey would jump to our shoulders - if that happens, just move slowly, don’t yell, and they’ll jump back to a tree. I can’t lie - I was hoping one would land on me, especially since they were running wild just outside the gift shop. No luck.
We saw so many animals - animals you wouldn’t see at the Columbus Zoo. Tons of monkeys (and after the Zanesville disaster, I chose that I would domesticate a dolphin and a monkey, given the opportunity). You can see them all in the photos since I don’t remember the names of most of them. My favorite, by far, was the Capybara. This little guy is the world’s largest rodent and is just so darn cute. He’s in the photos too.
Our guide talked a lot about the monkeys. Apparently some of them are just so aggressive that they can’t be reintroduced to the wild. Many will fight to be the Alpha and end up killing each other. So they are sent to Crazy Monkey Island. A real place that our guide said was the monkey version of Alcatraz.
The tour through the reserve lasted about an hour or so. And then it was off to the boat. All was fine for the first 10 or 15 minutes. Then homeboy (our driver) decided to gun it through shallow water. After telling us that the motor was nearly broken, Megan and I both heard him say something in Spanish about taking shoes off. I’m sorry?
He instructed everyone to get out of the boat and push. In the water. On the rocks. Oh and did I mention he said I didn’t have to since all the girls were in shorts, but I was in pants?
So I sat as I watched the girls get out and push - and used it as an opportunity to photograph the memorable event.
Megan was making jokes about using his waterproof boots and then we saw him take his boots off. “Oh, maybe he understood me when I said I wanted his boots,” Megan said. Then I look back at our shoeless driver and see that he’s unbuckling his belt. Oh…maybe his pants were loose and he just needed to tighten his belt. Oh wait. His pants are off. And now his shirt. Homeboy was down to his UNDERWEAR. The water was getting a little deeper and in an effort to keep his clothes dry, but not avoid an awkward moment with his four passengers, he stripped down.
After several attempts and route changes, we eventually made our way back to land. We ate a quick, cheap, large lunch before boarding the bus. Soup, which was the most American-tasting soup we’ve had so far, pork, rice, beets, yuca, potatoes, salad, and juice. No more than $3.
We got back to the hostel to gather our bearings. We were going to just relax for a while, so I immediately got into my comfy pants and strolled out to the hammocks to read. Megan and Karin had gifts they wanted to look for, so Elsa went with them. I stayed to read. When they came back I was informed we were going to a concert.
We headed across the bridge to an outdoor area where the concert was, including dancers. The show itself was just okay, but it was the people watching experience that made the evening fun (aside from the pleasant company.)
After a while at this concert and a brief dinner, we went back to the hostel where I took it as an opportunity to snap a photo of a flyer hanging on a bulletin board. Apparently there’s a hallucinogenic beverage made in Ecuador and the hostel can hook you up with a trusted Shaman to get it. Oh, and you can’t eat for 2 hours before drinking it.
We called it an early evening and then hit the road Sunday morning. Our crazy bus driver(s) got us home more than an hour earlier than we’d expected.
And with that, there will be very few more blog posts. Megan and I only have next week left for teaching, then we’re traveling for a week - then we’re home. Really, HOW has it been 2 ½ months already? I don’t think I want to leave just yet…
What started out as a light-hearted, “Let’s share Thanksgiving, an American holiday, with everyone here,” turned into a very real, very special event - probably the most special thing to have happened here so far.And when I say it started out light-hearted, I mean it. I painted a rock to look like a turkey to use as a centerpiece. See? Nothing serious.
Monday after school, Megan, Elsa, Tim, and I went to LaTacunga to get everything we needed to make Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. And boy, did we. After a final head count, it looked like Megan and I had the task of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 16 people. And spent less than $65.
On Wednesday evening, Megan and I did a little prep work. We made rice krispie treats (using a rice cereal comparable to Rice Krispies only WAY better), began soaking fruit (what’s Thanksgiving without a cocktail?), and after a couple of mom-consults we successfully boiled 20 eggs for deviled eggs (which we referred to as Harvest Huevos).
The next day, the minute school let out, we were back in the kitchen. Well, kitchens. With no oven, the use of 8 burners would have to do. We immediately made the deviled eggs, which most people here had never had before. They were a hit. I volunteered Tim to help me cook 12 pounds of chicken. Seasoned with thyme and pepper, we seared the skin and then cooked 3 breasts at a time in a pressure cooker. I also made corn (with peppers, celery, thyme), Pedro and Brian skillfully peeled several pounds of yuca (which is HARD to peel), after which Elsa took over making mashed yuca (it was a true Ecuadorian Thanksgiving), and I made green beans. And sticking to my roots, I cooked them in bacon grease. Brauck, Taylor, and Kathryn (a girl they know from volunteering - she’s from Wisconsin) brought stuffing, bread, and a dessert. And per request, I made 4 boxes of macaroni and cheese. Needless to say, we had a ton of food. And here’s our official menu:
Harvest Huevos (eggs)
Pilgrim Pan (bread)
Plymouth Pollo (chicken)
Grateful Green Beans
CORNucopia
Mayflower Mac & Cheese
You’re Thankful Yuca
Settler Stuffing
Peaceful Pastel de Arroz (rice krispies)
Feastful Fruit
When cooking was practically done, we all gathered in the living room to explain a few things. One, that Megan and I made personalized pamphlets for everyone (including a few in Spanish, for our non-English-speaking friends). They had the history of Thanksgiving written in them, the evening’s menu, and a word search. They were a hit. Two, to give thanks.
Remember that little turkey I painted on a rock? He was no longer a centerpiece. Lil’ Pavo (Spanish for “turkey”) was sent around the room. Whoever was holding him had to say what they were thankful for.
This is when the tears started. Taylor was first, and explained how thankful she was for meeting everyone, particularly Brauck because she now has a brother. Up next was Tim, whose first thanks was for Megan and I. He thanked us for bringing a tradition to everyone who otherwise may have never known what it was about. As the thanks continued, so did tears. Yarlon, who is from Cuba and is not a volunteer - he is a paid teacher at the school, said that in his time here he’d never seen volunteers come together like they had that night. I told everyone that in my first two weeks here I wanted to come home - that I hated it. But that I was thankful for every person there because they are now the reason I don’t want to leave.
It was an incredibly touching thing to see everyone fully embrace a holiday that we were missing at home.
After a few hugs and less tears, it was time to eat. Everyone ate (and the rice krispies were a HUGE hit) and danced to my killer song list (aka my playlist called “Pop Tarts,” which features only the greatest Britney, Christina, NSync, and BSB songs ever). And as an ode to a friendship, I played “In the Still of the Night,” by Boyz II Men (a cappella of course), which Brauck and I sang…mostly to each other as no one else really appreciated the song or actually gave a crap.
As the evening wore on, it was time for Brauck and Taylor (and the newest American, Kathryn) to leave. I knew in the back of my head before Thursday that this was probably the last time we’d see them. But all day, I guess I just didn’t remember. So they hugged everyone and said goodbye. I told Brauck I’d think of him every time I listen to Boyz II Men or watch So You Think You Can Dance to which he responded, “As you should.” After they said bye to everyone, we went outside to say a more private goodbye. It’s unreal to think of how close the four of us had become in a such a short time. It’s felt like Brauck has lived with us this whole time, and it’s safe to say I feel like I’ve known Taylor for years.
The tears seen during our circle of thanks was nothing compared to this. Saying goodbye to them was incredibly difficult, especially not knowing when or if I’ll ever see them again. After they left, Megan and I went to our bedroom for a quick reprieve before joining everyone again. Everyone could see that we were obviously upset, so Tim hugged me and said he was incredibly sorry I hated it here in the beginning and that he wish he could have done more.
By the time we got back to the house, everyone was pretty much having a dance party. And let’s just say, watching Yarlon, a Cuban guy, and Merche, a Spanish girl, dance - I could have watched them all day. It felt like I was watching professionals. Yarlon, seeing my hesitance in joining the party after a tearful goodbye, kept trying to get me to dance. So I did. And had a grand ol’ time.
And that was Thanksgiving 2011.
It’s so hard to believe that we were able to celebrate with all of our new friends, most of whom are not American. Everyone was able to appreciate the Thanksgiving whether they were Cuban, Australian, Austrian, French, Taiwanese, Spanish, Mexican, or Irish. The holiday has a whole new meaning to me. It’s taken me 23 years, but I really appreciate the holiday now. And I don’t think I’ll ever see another Thanksgiving and not be able to think about this one.
Well I’m not quite sure where to begin.
Here’s a good start: Montanita was unbelievable.
Because of a national holiday, the school had Wednesday - Friday off. The volunteers took this as an opportunity to see the coast, by going to Montanita. FINALLY a beach in South America.
We (me, Megan, Elsa, Tim, Karin, and Mariana) left Lasso around 11pm, sleeping through the night on a bus until the early morning. We switched busses in Guayaquil (a major city in Ecuador), and had another couple hours ahead of us. We eventually arrived in Montanita around 9am.
We were met at our hostel by Brauck (who you all know by now) and Taylor (FINALLY! She’s a volunteer with Brauck, but we haven’t been able to hang out with her AT ALL until now). Our hostel was more on the pricier side than usual because it was a holiday and we were literally right on the beach. $32.33 per person (Not per night. Total.) for three days.
We grabbed breakfast at what would become our usual breakfast spot. We went there every morning and grabbed eggs, bread, fresh juice, and coffee/tea for a couple dollars. We then immediately got in our suits and headed to the beach.
My first time seeing the Pacific Ocean and I think my favorite thing to do was battle the waves. The most of the ocean I’ve seen in my life has been off the coasts of South Carolina and Florida…and these waves just don’t compare. Diving into the bottom of a giant wave not knowing if a second one was going to crash on top of you or not was so much fun. Of course, everything would turn out okay if you were part of the Phillecia-Taylor-Tim-Wave-Train (AKA the three of us holding hands and diving into the unknown abyss). The only bad thing: there were lots of casualties. Probably half a dozen sunglasses were lost or broken that day…including my favorite pair.
The beach was beautiful. The sun was shining, beer was chilled, and the water was warm. In Ecuador, walking around with a beer or cocktail is not a cause for concern (neither is public urination - that’s another story).
We were on the beach nearly all day long. We all came back to the hostel to make ourselves sand-free and walked around Montanita. When I say “walked around,” I mean we ventured along the handful of streets lined with artists selling their creations, vendors selling mass-produced Ecuador and Montanita souvenirs, and food carts. Nearly every single cart was selling burgers, and I think most of us probably bought one…from every single cart. Best burgers ever. And only $1.50 even WITH a fried egg on top!
Most days were similar, so they run together for me a little. Every day we’d wake up, hit the breakfast spot, beach, then get ready and go out. One of the nights, most of us got hair wraps - you know, just in case we didn’t stand out enough as tourists.
At night we almost always ended up at the beach - lots of people have fires there so it’s just pleasant to walk up and down. At one point Taylor, Tim, Elsa, and I got into a really intense conversation, which covered everything from religion, to politics, to the Holocaust. Not exactly something you’d expect during a night like this, but it was so nice to have a real conversation with such respectful people.
Our last actual night there was by far my favorite. We hit the road our hostel was on and made friends with our bartender. She was the most incredible bartender I’ve ever seen. Drinks were phenomenal and the most expensive options were usually less than $4. Can’t really find that in the States.
A couple of the volunteers were getting up early to go surfing, so they headed back before the night was over. The rest of us decided to go dancing, oftentimes dancing on the sand floor of the club. So we danced, and we danced, and we danced some more. Slowly but surely our numbers started dwindling. Eventually it was down to just me and Taylor.
And we didn’t know this club didn’t have a roof until the sun came up.
At nearly 7:00 in the morning, it seemed like the perfect time to go for a dip in the ocean with our new friends. Taylor met one of them at the Guayaquil terminal two days before and they happened to run into each other in Montanita. The other, we met while dancing. He’s a mysterious free spirit who wears a headband.
When I rolled in to the hostel around 9am, with all the volunteers awake and standing there, it felt like I was a kid explaining to my parents where I’d been all night. But they enjoyed the stories just as much as I enjoyed experiencing them.
We left in the late afternoon yesterday (Saturday), getting back to our house in Lasso just before 5am this morning. Needless to say, I haven’t had much sleep in the last few days, but it was worth every minute of being awake.
And it is 4 weeks from today that we will be home. I’m looking forward to coming home, but not looking forward to leaving. This place feels like a second home. I was talking about this with Elsa last night and she said she remembered a specific night in the beginning of our trip when she was making crepes for dinner and Megan and I had gone over in an attempt to actually get to know someone here. What’s funny is, as she was talking about this I remembered exactly what night she was talking about. She said, “You looked so uncomfortable and out of your element. And then we all started talking in Spanish because Yarlon was there (Yarlon speaks very limited English). You didn’t seem like you were having fun. You’ve both changed so much.”
Four weeks. And I think it’s going to fly by a little too fast.
What a wonderful weekend! Friday, a bunch of us went to LaTacunga for our traditional pizza night. It’s unreal to be able to get pizza, ice cream (also part of our tradition), and a drink for $7 or $8 - and the pizza is pretty pig.
Saturday morning we left around 9:30 to head to Riobamba. We stayed in another nice hostel, for $6. We walked around the city for a bit, which was beautiful. We also had lunch at a local market, which was Megan’s and my first time eating street food and we didn’t get sick!
One of the volunteers wasn’t feeling well (pre-pork), so she decided to go to the hospital. She’s fine, but here’s the startling thing: She received a penicillin injection and ibuprofen. Her bill? $3.45. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t.
After dinner and a night out we decided to go to bed early to be well rested for our train ride on Sunday.
The train ride in Alausi was beautiful (but took another bus ride to get there). This train ride was once known as the most difficult route in the world. The train descends Nariz del Diablo (“The Devil’s Nose”), which is one side of a mountain, by going in a zig zag down the side. This means the train must go forward and backward to get to the bottom.
The scenery was stunning. My favorite part though was the elephant mountain. The side of this mountain on the route looked just the head of an elephant.
I’ll post more detail and photos about this later, but I am now officially the school’s art teacher. I’m teaching all grades, 1st-11th. I’ve planned out a couple of lessons so far including projects to introduce them to Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. Some of these kids are extremely talented, so I’m thrilled to be able to teach them.
Elsa teaches English classes and she’s having her kids do an adaptation of 12 Angry Men - it will be 12 Angry Pigs. She and I are teaming up for this play - I’m going to work with her kids on making pig masks. The play is supposed to be around Christmas time, but we’re going to try and get a run through done before I leave. Hopefully I’ll be able to post some video on here.
There is a national holiday in Ecuador this week, so today is our last day of school for the week. So the volunteers are taking a late bus tonight to Montanita (the beach!)! We will get there around 7 tomorrow morning and we leave Saturday night to come back. I’ll finally get to break out my sunglasses.
This is so hard to believe: Last night Megan said to me, “I don’t really want to know…but can you do a count?” So I did. We had 33 days left here. Today, it’s 32. When we get back from Montanita, we have 3 weeks of classes, then Megan and I are leaving a week before our flight to travel. Then, it’s “Hola” to the States.
I’m both sad and happy to say that starting next week I will only be with my kids at the daycare for a couple hours a day three days a week. Sad, because I love those kids and truly enjoy the time I get to spend with them. Happy, because that means I will be the school’s art teacher for all grades (1st-11th). I’ll be with Carrie (the current teacher) all week to learn the ropes and then starting this Friday I’m officially on my own.
I’ve started lesson plans and I’m so excited about everything I want them to work on. And some of the older kids are incredibly talented.
And I couldn’t remember if I posted about this or not, but before I left the States, my bosses at Outlook took me out to dinner. When I told them I would potentially be teaching art here, they (as well as Michael’s husband Robbie) thought it would be a fabulous idea to bring some artwork back with me and put together an exhibit, sell the work, and send all of the money back to Sierra Flor. I absolutely fell in love with the idea, and really hope everything works out.
Now on to the pictures! Megan and I realized that with all of this blogging, neither of us had posted photos of our house! We live in the “cold” house. It’s the one that is super cold at night (the other house has a fireplace that’s constantly roaring), and hot water is something rare here. The other house was built as a volunteer house, but this one was originally the daycare. When the new daycare was built, this was basically gutted…and then they decided not to replace anything. Hence, no carpet, no cute bathrooms like the other house, and a list that I’m sure could go on and on.
So let’s explain, shall we?
Kitchen - The only advantage of this house over the other is the kitchen. And that’s not because of the kitchen. It’s because we have a washer (which happens to be located in the kitchen) and the other house doesn’t. We all have a shelf where we keep our food. And we don’t have an oven. And neither does the other house. But somehow, on November 12, us Americans (me, Megan, Katie, Brauck) are going to prepare a Thanksgiving feast. We’ll see how that goes…
Living Room - No one uses it. When we watch movies we go to the other house because one, it’s cozier. And two, the fireplace is in the living room.
Sinks - We have two sinks just outside each of the bathrooms. Sounds efficient and convenient, right? Not exactly. The sink where the light does work has no running water. And the sink with running water has no light.
Bathrooms - We’re supposed to have two working bathrooms (yes, the other house has two), but we have one. There is a pipe in the non-working bathroom that has exploded several times.
Bedrooms - There are five bedrooms in the house, and there are currently eight people living here. Megan’s and my room, I think, is one of the larger ones. Our room is decorated with clotheslines, hanging towels, and our “When I Get Home…” list.
But make sure you actually click on the photos - oftentimes, even if the picture is vertical, the versions at the top are made to be horizontal and a bit of the photo gets cut out. Plus you can read captions!
Well now that all this bridge jumping excitement is out of the way, I can tell you all about our weekend in Banos!
The weekend didn’t exactly start as planned. It was supposed to be a typical Friday, leaving right after school (we leave school just after 3p). Well, in the morning there’s a small room where the children wait while everyone arrives. The floor is covered with large foam puzzle pieces that they often play with.
I was in the bathroom helping to shower and dress many of the kids, when Megan walks in with a large pile of those foam puzzle pieces…. and then I see a turd.
One of the kids had pooped his pants (Spanish language course: “Caca”) and it had somehow travelled out of his underwear, down his pants, and under his shoe. Translation: When he walked, the poop travelled. And instead of cleaning the pieces that clearly had poop on them, we were asked to clean every single piece (probably 150-200).
This kind of stuff is to be expected with kids, but here’s why it was particularly annoying on Friday. We were short 2 teachers. So any help Megan and I could have given in supervising the kids was thrown out the window when we were asked to CLEAN POOP-COVERED PUZZLE PIECES. So that’s how a good chunk of Friday was spent.
After school, we grabbed our packed bags and hitched a ride with a police officer to Lasso, caught a bus, and three or so hours later met up with Brauck in Banos (our crew this time: Me, Megan, Brauck, Elsa, Mariana, Tim, and Mariana’s friend Merche from Spain).
Friday evening, we grabbed dinner at a pizza place (this is turning into a tradition, I think. We’re getting pizza this Friday), then hung out in the town plaza that night. After a while, we made our way to the Leprechaun Bar. I wish we had places like this in Columbus - the front half was a dance floor (and no matter how often Mariana tries to teach me to salsa, it’s just not happening the way it should), and the back half was an outdoor area with a bonfire.
We made our way back to the hostel, and called it a night.
Saturday morning, Tim, Elsa, Brauck, and Megan opted to go on a 60km (38 mile) bike ride from Banos to Puyo. I was going to go and instead hung out with Mariana and Merche. I’m glad I did - 3 of the 4 of them made it about 20km before deciding to end their ride. Tim, however, did the whole thing.
The three of us non-bikers went to breakfast. And this is something I’ll greatly miss. Breakfast here is unreal. You almost always get two eggs, bread with butter and jelly, coffee, and fresh juice (mora - an incredibly delicious berry) for $2.50. Only this time, we also got bacon. Still for $2.50. While we were in the restaurant, a woman came in selling vegan cupcakes (this is a common practice here - walking in and selling stuff). She was from New York and used to be a raw food chef and vegan baker. So we gave a resounding, “YES!” to the cupcakes and they were incredible. A lovely appetizer to breakfast.
And while the four bikers were sweating away, the three of us were too - we went to the hot springs that were about 5 minutes away from the hostel. All the water was natural and came directly from the waterfall within view. It was so relaxing. And then a little old lady saw the (nearly faded) sunburn on my legs and told me to cover them with milk of magnesia. What a sweet woman. I’m sure she was concerned - Ecuadorians don’t see sunburns too often.
After the hot springs, we went back to the hostel and relaxed for a while before Mariana and I went to the market to see what sort of knick knacks we could buy. It was a bit overpriced since it’s such a touristy area.
For dinner, we went to an Argentinian restaurant and it was amazing. Definitely on the pricey side. For a full meal (including bread and chimichurri at the start) and fresh lemonade? A whopping $8. But it was the type of meal that, in the States, would have cost anywhere from $20-22, easily.
And the place had such charm! Not only was it so relaxing and inviting, but the menu came in a bag. All of the entrees were printed as dice. I had a cooked-to-perfection pesto-stuffed chicken (huge portion) in a beer sauce reduction, sauteed cabbage centered around a small potato, and lightly grilled apples. It was to die for.
After dinner, we decided to go back to the Leprechaun Bar. I’m not quite sure how this keeps happening, but our little group has a knack for befriending bartenders and/or staff members. We saw several of them throughout the weekend. When we went back this time, there was a huge line of people out the door, but the door man saw us, said hello to each of us, and let us in ahead of everyone. I could definitely get used to this…
And then we all know what happened Sunday…
And just so you know what to look forward to: Another trip to Otavalo this weekend with Mariana. Megan and I went early on in our trip. It’s Ecuador’s largest market - the place where I successfully bargained, in Spanish. And next weekend? Riobamba. Riobamba is home to the Nariz del Diablo (The Devil’s Nose) train. It was once known as the “most difficult railway in the world,” and on part if its route it must descend a mountain…caboose first.
And just in case anyone needed further proof…
