Saquisili and Cotopaxi

Hola a todos!!

Yesterday, my school took a day trip to Saquisili and Cotopaxi, about two hours away from Quito by bus. The drive was pretty fun because all of the students from the school were there as well as the teachers, so we got a chance to talk and really get to know everyone. Also, throughout the drive, we stopped at a lookout point where you could see all of the southern part of Quito! Quito is a very, very long city, about 25 miles long, so from where we were you could only see the southern half.

The teacher who picked me up from the airport, Cristobal. 

My roommate, Franzi from Germany. 

My teacher, Germán. 

From the road, we could also see some pretty beautiful views of the billboards, volcanoes, and mountains around Quito:

Saquisili is an indigenous town that generally makes their living by way of their Thursday market, so almost everyone in the town as well as people from all over Ecuador come out for their animals, fruit, vegetables, and artesian goods. The town and market are fairly small, but it was very crowded. Our first stop was the large animal market where we saw cows, pigs, sheep, and llamas for sale. I asked how much it would cost for the cutest llama there (he had a cool hairstyle) and it was only $50!!! If only my cat at home wasn't so territorial I totally would have bought it. 

Afterwards, we went to the small animal market where they sell rabbit and guinea pig that are to eat, not for pets. In Ecuador and Perú, cuy (guinea pig) is a delicacy and they are bred specifically for this purpose. We didn't get to try any, however, and I'm not sure I'm totally on board with it but I'll probably end up eating it at some point.

 We did get to eat some tortillas made with cheese inside that they were cooking everywhere on the streets. It smelled so good!! For 4/$1, it was a great deal and a great snack.

Then we went to the fruit market which was really interesting because there are so many fruits here that we don't have in the US. And the fruits that we do have, like banana, taste SO MUCH BETTER here. They are so creamy and delicious, I'm definitely going to miss that when I go home.

Lastly, we went to the artisan market. I tried not to buy much because tomorrow (Saturday) I'm going to the biggest indigenous markets in South America, but it was so pretty and colorful it was hard to resist! There were hand woven scarves, table clothes, ponchos, sweaters, purses, backpacks, hand-painted boxes, trays, plates, paintings, and so much more. It was really pretty!!

Our next stop was the National Park called Cotopaxi, named after the volcano that is there. The volcano is well over 5,500 meters high and is the highest active volcano in the entire world!! The national park was very cold and very windy because we were so high up, but it was so pretty and enjoyable. There was a huge cloud looming over Cotopaxi so we didn't get the best view, but we could see the other mountains that were in the park just fine!

The only time I've ever been photographed wearing gym shoes. 

With Anne!

We had a guide who joined us on our bus ride up the volcano who told us so much about the park and all the animals and plants, as well as the history of the volcano. It has erupted a couple times, and there is currently a threat for it's eruption. Our guide says that volcano is like a human, however, and he lives with her and he knows her better than anyone and that he and the scientists know that she won't erupt soon. Apparently she's just bubbling a little bit and the media are being very dramatic. I sure hope not because that would be very destructive to all of the people who live on the mountainside! After our trip, my roommate and I decided to stay in and take advantage of having a free night to be able to upload pictures, skype and call family and friends, and just relax a little since we were up so early!

View from the bus on the drive home

This morning when I woke up, my host mom had invited a friend of hers over (with my permission) to look through my suitcase full of things to donate to the orphanage. She is a single mom of two who is working odd jobs to make things work. She brought her two very sweet daughters who loved so many of the things that I brought and ended up taking some things home with them. Even though my intention was to bring everything that was donated to the orphanage, I'm sure these sweet girls will enjoy and use the clothes just as much.

Afterwards, I went to the artisan market in Quito to see what all the buzz was about. (I obviously really love markets and souvenirs haha) The part of town that the market is in is very pretty and I loved walking around and enjoying the beautiful weather today! It was pretty sunny for once, so I loved getting my vitamin D and shopping fix all in one. They had a lot of the same type of things that the market had in Siquisili, and I ended up buying some things for some lucky people at home.

In the afternoon, I had my last class with Germán and I feel like I learned so much in just one week. This weekend, I have plans to visit Otavalo as well as the Mitad del Mundo, also known as the Equator line, so I don't have much time left in Quito, but I am so happy to have been here and experienced so much already!

First few days in Quito

Wow! The past few days have been a whirlwind. I am so exhausted, but in the best way possible. My travels honestly went so smooth; I feel so lucky! I started in Chicago, where I took a flight to Mexico City where I had a 6 hour layover until my flight to Quito at 1:18am. I didn't want to sleep in the airport because I had my purse and my carry-on and all that, so instead I got some Starbucks and their wifi and tried to keep busy. As soon as I got on that flight though, I was dead asleep until I awoke to this beautiful view:

My flight got into Quito a little later than expected, but I passed through customs and got all my luggage with no problems. As I left the terminal, a teacher from my school was waiting for me with a sign with my name on it, woo! So we drove together to my host family's apartment where he dropped me off and ran off to teach the morning classes at the school. I had some time then to unpack, shower, and eat breakfast. My host mom's name is Ana Ceclia and she is so nice! We have a cat named Nino who is super adorable. Her son also lives with us, but he is a flight attendant so is gone from the house quite often. Also, there is another volunteer from Germany who I share a room with who is also very kind and has given me great tips about the city!

Yogurt with banana and papaya, bread with cheese, tea, and homemade juice (tree tomato). 

Then, at 11:00 I had to be at school for orientation. One of the coordinators from the school took me on a brief walking tour of the city, showing me the best restaurants, the post office, what to avoid, some stores I might need, and more. I then went home for lunch, and came back to school for class from 1-5. My teacher's name is Germán and I am the only student. We spent the whole time simply talking so he could assess my Spanish. He would correct me whenever I made mistakes but overall there was no real plan for the class that day. We talked a lot about politics, student loans, the economy, and a lot of intense topics. It felt really awesome to be able to talk about such things without much problem in Spanish, because in my classes at school I mostly talk about the Spanish language itself or literature, and don't get opportunities like this that often. 

After class, I came home and decided to get dinner with my host sister so that I could meet some of her friends since my class is one-on-one and I didn't have much of an opportunity to meet people that first day. It ended up being a great idea because we went to a Mexican restaurant that was super cheap, super delicious, and I ended up making plans with a girl from Norway named Anne for the next day. After dinner, I came home and seriously passed out. It was quite the day. 

One thing I've noticed so far about Ecuador in general is just how much the altitude has affected me. I don't think I have altitude sickness, but for a while I really thought I was out of shape walking up and down the hilly streets because I was almost always out of breath, even just sitting at the table to eat. I told my host mom and she told me that it's definitely because of the altitude. At about 3,000 meters above sea level, it's really quite a shock to the system. Now (after almost two full days) I feel a lot better and have no trouble breathing. 

Ecuadorian Spanish is very easy to understand and it seems to me like they have very little accent. They do, however, use a lot of words from the language Quechua of the indigenous Incan people, so I like to notice those and find out what they mean from my teacher. Also, from a phonetics standpoint, their "ll" sound sounds like the ll in million rather than a y sound, so that's pretty interesting to a budding linguist like me. 

This morning, I visited the historical center of Quito with the girl I met yesterday named Anne. We mat at the bus stop nearest our apartments and took the bus (25 cents) all the way to the end, got out and just walked around with no real plan or direction. We ended up going inside of the cathedral, getting hot chocolate to avoid a short rain, and visiting a few parks. The old town is really cute! There are so many locals out and about all the time, its almost rare to see tourists in big groups and there are none of those typical tourist trap souvenir stores, which is pretty great. Total Ecuador immersion!

 















After the Old Town excursion I went home for lunch, then to class, and then afterwards the school had a cooking class. We made tortillas with cheese, and potatoes, chorizo, and eggs. Very tasty! Now I'm at home, a lot of people from the school decided to go out for some drinks but I decided to stay in and just catch up on my sleep and recuperate from the past two crazy days. It gets dark here so early (it's the same time zone as Chicago but it's so far east that it's dark by 7) so that also is adding to my exhausted-ness. Tomorrow, I have to be at school at 7:30 and we're taking a school field trip to Cotopatxi, an indigenous market about 2 hours away from Quito so I'm sure I'll have tons to post then! Hasta luego!

Waiting for my flight!

Hi everyone!

My name is Rita Hess, and I am the second scholarship recipient traveling to Ecuador this year :) I am currently waiting in O'hare airport for my flight to board and I thought it was as good a time as any to write about my expectations, hopes, and nerves about my trip! I've got a long day of travel ahead of me (I get into Quito around 6AM!) and I'm told that I'll start with an orientation of the city and my Spanish lessons as soon as I get there, so I probably won't write for a day or so.

I am normally such a Type-A planning person, but I have tried to be really relaxed about this trip and just let things happen as they may. It's been a lesson in patience and letting go and I am so excited to get my adventure started! In classic Rita fashion, however, I checked two big suitcases, but I'm happy to report that it's not full of my seemingly endless closet, most of the stuff is clothes, school supplies, teacher supplies, coloring books, and more to hopefully donate to the orphanage. Thank you so much to the Ehrhardt family, the Korsgard family, the Scafidi family, my family, and Cynthia for your very thoughtful donations! I'll be arriving in Cuenca/where the orphanage is next week, so you won't get an update on that for a bit.

One of the things I'm most nervous about for this trip is just meeting people when I'm there. Alex who is leaving Ecuador today and Danielle, the scholarship recipient last year, both spoke so highly about the volunteer network throughout the city and the friends they were able to make, so I'm sure I'll be fine. It's just a little nerve-wrecking going into this alone! I know I won't be totally alone, however, because I'll have host families in Quito for my first week and Cuenca for my last two weeks. I stayed with a host family when I was abroad in Spain during my undergrad and it was the highlight of my semester, so I'm really looking forward to having more connections to the cities I'll be living in!

I think that is all for now, my flight starts boarding in about 15 minutes, so I should probably make my way over to my gate. Think happy flight thoughts for me; see ya in Ecuador!

Leaving Ecuador...

Well my time has come. In less than an hour, my ride will be here to pick me up and take me to the airport. It is hard to adequately describe how sad I am about leaving and in what way I'm sad. I started this adventure unaware of what was to come. I came in excited. Then there were days I felt drained and I wondered if I was getting the best experience possible. Finally, this last week of camp solidified that this experience has been one of the single best times of my life, not just for the fun I had but for how much I feel I've grown and realized about myself.

I found myself crying or with tears in my eyes most of Friday as I said goodbye to my little campers. I never knew how much they would grow on me. All I can think about now is how I likely may never see them again, or even about all the adventures there are left to be had in Ecuador. I think this all leads to the point that I should come back, and at this moment, that is my very intention. I don't think my work here is done.

I'm behind on my goal number for blogs posted, mostly due to being so busy. I wanted to spend more than just a few moments on what I was writing, but free time would only come a half hour max at a time, and by the time I could write about a day, it was two days later. That being said, I'm posting this brief post about my current state in leaving. I'm then planning to write three more blog, more extensive and hopefully meaningful. I really want to write about my camp experience, but with the details it deserves. Beyond that, I think I'll reflect on my common blog theme of friendship and goodbyes. The third blog I'm not too sure about yet. I may post something broader like advice for visiting Quito and Ecuador in general, but we'll see.

Just take away one thing from this post... this has been the best month of my life.

An Amazing First Day in Baños

I just got home from a two day trip to Baños, which is about 3.5 hours south of Quito. I'm breaking the blog up into two parts, two days, because on the second day, we went rafting and I'm waiting to receive the digital media from the agency we hired.

We arrived in the city around 10:30am on Saturday and proceeded to check into our hostel. Afterward, we found our way to the agency where we would be signing wavers and whatnot for our weekend adventures. The first thing on the list... jumping off a bridge.

Our reaction to that very idea...

This is what I call 'my face before realizing
I'm about to straight up jump off a bridge'

The view of the way down

A view from the bridge we're about to jump off 

And there I go

Yet somehow I survive

This is just a picture I grabbed of our hostel dog

Here's the crew that had the bravery to jump

Afterward, we wanted to check out a location that was supposedly famous in Baños: Casa del Árbol (Treehouse). It was about a 45 minute bus ride up the mountain to a mini-hike. Somewhat unfortunately, we'd been having rain all day, so we wondered what the top would look like, and despite the bad weather, it did not disappoint.

Feeling on top of the world

At the treehouse, which I forgot to snap a picture of, there are also swings. These aren't your average playground swings, however. In fact, they have a safety strap because these swings bring you over an extremely steep hill, one in which you do not want to take the risk of falling to see if you can stop yourself from tumbling down the mountain. In fact, a gentlemen just before our group almost fell out the swing, the only thing saving him the safety strap.

The unfortunate part about the clouds is the view of the volcano would come and go, and if the clouds weren't there in this picture, you'd have a gorgeous view of it. But nonetheless, I managed to enjoy the view for my turn on the swing.

My room at the hostel was at the top of the building, and I was greeted with this beautiful view of Baños upon our return from the treehouse.

Afterward, we were all surprised, including the locals, to find that there was a firework show in the city. My priority was to enjoy it while I could, so I may not have an amazing picture, but you can understand the excitement of what it's like to be surprised with fireworks... Especially when you missed out on a U.S. 4th of July!                                                                                                               All in all, this first day was amazing, and I could not wait for my second day where we would go rafting! Once I receive the digital media of our trip, I will post part two to our Baños weekend!

Picture Blog: Fun at the Park and Fun at the Water Museum

As I said in my previous post, a lot of the moments I've captured at camp have been video, but since realizing I can't put them online due to internet issues, I've began taking more photos. These are some of the photos from this Thursday and Friday at Jugando con los Valores!

Thursday

On this day, we began as we always do at the park. We start with ice breakers and dynamic games to get the kids excited for the day, but also to wear them out a bit. After that, however, I accompanied 25 of the ~75 kids to the water museum, wherein they get to run around a park with sprinklers, blow bubbles, and learn about basic science of water.

Leader Rodrigo crawling underneath the snake of children

Leader Isaac leading a song about cats and french fries

Our water museum guide beginning the tour 

This guy wanted to pose

Learning about how some insects can remain at the surface of water

Painting with water 

A demonstration of how water takes the form of the object it's in

Learning about water twisters

Learning about water currents

Learning about water currents with a world map 

Bubbles

And inside bubbles 

Playing at the park 

She refused to take a picture so I naturally took that as a challenge to sneak one in

Posing

Friday

On this day, a few leaders and I remained at the park with the kids who went to the museum yesterday or were new. We played on the playground, learned about different kinds of love and how we demonstrate them, and played more games.

Teaching me how to be a mono (monkey) 

Let the games begin

And they're off

Professional spoon-lime walker 

The kids who didn't do sack and lime racing shared their artistic sides

Last but definitely not least, one of the sweetest campers and I played frisbee for his first time

Reflection

This camp started off kind of hard on me, but I've really gotten into the groove of things and have already grown major attachments to some of the kids after only one week. Sometimes, life just takes adjusting or working through and suddenly it's worth all the struggles.

What to Look Forward to

Today, I'm off to Baños! I'll be doing a lot of fun and exciting activities, like white water rafting, jumping off a bridge with nothing but a rope to protect my life, and hanging out in hot springs. I am so excited!

Thanks for checking out what I've got to say!