Tuesday, October 24, 2006
TV appearance!
Last message around 9:00 I got a text message from my program director. After sifting through the exclamation marks and smiley faces and Spanish shorthand, I managed to figure out that she had seen me running on the news minutes earlier. I ran 10K race with my running buddy Beth on Sunday, and apparently the camera crew got our finish. I'm sure that Ecuadorians will start approaching me on the street to ask for my autograph, my friendship, my hand in marriage, etc. but don't worry--I'll do my best not to let the fame and glory get to my head :)
Saturday, October 14, 2006
A typical day in Ecuador
Before diving into adventures of traveling and musings of culture crossing, I thought a good place to start would be a typical day in Ecuador...
Every morning I wake up around 6:30 and eat breakfast, usually with my madre (my brother and sister leave for school around the time I get up--OUCH!). Breakfast consists of tea, pan--rolls that are sweet, salty, cheesy, marmalade-y, etc. and run about 10 cents a pop here--fresh squeezed juice, and sometimes granola and yogurt. After getting dressed (in real clothes, mind you--no t-shirts at this fancy shmancy university) I embark on my hour long commute to school. I take one trolley and two buses, and the last leg is by far the best--a half hour descent from Quito to Cumbaya, the valley where the university is located. The view from the bus is incredible--lots of mountains, including two of the tallest volcanoes in Ecuador/the world.
I have class everyday from 8:30 until 4:00 or so. I'm taking Andean Anthropology, El Boom Latinoamericano (a Spanish lit class), Basic Weaving, Volcanology, Theories of Development, a Galápagos Islands seminar, and an Ethnography/Service-Learning class. All of the classes are taught in Spanish, although only three of my profs are Ecuadorian (the rest are from Poland, Greece, Germany, and the U.S.) and there are more international students than Ecuadorian students in almost all of them. This has been a little disappointing, but it's taught me something about the culture and the purpose of education here. USFQ is the only liberal arts school in Ecuador, and one of the very few that exist in Latin America, because most people here go to university to pursue a very specific, career-oriented track. Most of the Ecuadorian students I´ve met study business, marketing, engineering, architecture, hospitality, or algo parecido...all very practical. Thus, the lack of Ecuadorian students in my liberal-artsy classes.
I´m also taking Atletismo (track), which has been great for staying in shape, staying sane and meeting people. Sometimes my efforts to meet Ecuadorian students feel kind of artificial because the reason I´m approaching them and introducing myself is that they´re Ecuadorian and not because I know anything about their personalities, interests, etc., so it´s nice to have something in common with the people in track right from the get-go. Also, a bunch of us are training for a half marathon that will take place in November. It starts in Quito and goes to El Mitad del Mundo (literally, `the middle of the world`--the finish line of the race is the Equator!). It should be a good time, especially since I´m finally used to the altitude--woo hoo!
Back to the typical day. After running and showering I go the cafeteria to eat lunch, which is basically amazing. UFSQ has a culinary arts program, and the students prepare the food everyday. Lunch (keep in mind that this is the biggest meal of the day) consists of three vegetable dishes, soup, rice with meat or tofu/gluten (the president of the U is Buddhist, so there are always vegetarian options!), pan, juice, and dessert. I´m getting spoiled, and I can already tell that it´s going to be hard to re-adjust to the caf when I get back to Kzoo...but I keep reminding myself that I'll have peanut butter to look forward to. I do miss peanut butter.
After lunch I have more class, and then two buses and a trolley later I´m back in Quito. Twice a week I go straight to guitar/singing class, which has been a great way to kick back, learn a new skill and also learn something baout the culture. The studio is on the fourth floor of an apartment building and is run by a family, so it has a very comfortable/cozy feel to it. My teacher is an Ecuadorian man who's probably around 30 years old. He´s quiet and very patient, which is great since my Spanish singing and level of guitar playing require a considerable amount of that. I`m learning traditional as well as contemporary Latin American songs, which is helping my Spanish as well as my sense of rythym. Lessons range from calm to chaotic; sometimes I have a private lesson, but other times there are up to 4 students playing 4 different songs at the same time in one 8 x 8 room. Oh, Ecuador...
After guitar, it´s back to the homestead. I have tea and pan with whoever happens to be home and try to get some homework done before dinner. Dinner (which is similar to lunch but smaller portions) is my time to hang out and talk with my host family, since we´re all off in separate directions working or doing other things during the day. Recently, dinner conversations have tended to escalate into lively (and only occasionally frightening) debates about the presidential elections, which take place tomorrow. The elections have been a huge deal, but seeing as Ecuador has had 10 presidents in the last 10 years due to coups etc., it´s doubtful that any outcome will be irreversible...
After dinner, I do more homework go to bed. I don´t usually have the energy to do anything else on weeknights, but I try to make up for that on weekends...which I´ll save for a later installment, because it´s lunchtime!
Every morning I wake up around 6:30 and eat breakfast, usually with my madre (my brother and sister leave for school around the time I get up--OUCH!). Breakfast consists of tea, pan--rolls that are sweet, salty, cheesy, marmalade-y, etc. and run about 10 cents a pop here--fresh squeezed juice, and sometimes granola and yogurt. After getting dressed (in real clothes, mind you--no t-shirts at this fancy shmancy university) I embark on my hour long commute to school. I take one trolley and two buses, and the last leg is by far the best--a half hour descent from Quito to Cumbaya, the valley where the university is located. The view from the bus is incredible--lots of mountains, including two of the tallest volcanoes in Ecuador/the world.
I have class everyday from 8:30 until 4:00 or so. I'm taking Andean Anthropology, El Boom Latinoamericano (a Spanish lit class), Basic Weaving, Volcanology, Theories of Development, a Galápagos Islands seminar, and an Ethnography/Service-Learning class. All of the classes are taught in Spanish, although only three of my profs are Ecuadorian (the rest are from Poland, Greece, Germany, and the U.S.) and there are more international students than Ecuadorian students in almost all of them. This has been a little disappointing, but it's taught me something about the culture and the purpose of education here. USFQ is the only liberal arts school in Ecuador, and one of the very few that exist in Latin America, because most people here go to university to pursue a very specific, career-oriented track. Most of the Ecuadorian students I´ve met study business, marketing, engineering, architecture, hospitality, or algo parecido...all very practical. Thus, the lack of Ecuadorian students in my liberal-artsy classes.
I´m also taking Atletismo (track), which has been great for staying in shape, staying sane and meeting people. Sometimes my efforts to meet Ecuadorian students feel kind of artificial because the reason I´m approaching them and introducing myself is that they´re Ecuadorian and not because I know anything about their personalities, interests, etc., so it´s nice to have something in common with the people in track right from the get-go. Also, a bunch of us are training for a half marathon that will take place in November. It starts in Quito and goes to El Mitad del Mundo (literally, `the middle of the world`--the finish line of the race is the Equator!). It should be a good time, especially since I´m finally used to the altitude--woo hoo!
Back to the typical day. After running and showering I go the cafeteria to eat lunch, which is basically amazing. UFSQ has a culinary arts program, and the students prepare the food everyday. Lunch (keep in mind that this is the biggest meal of the day) consists of three vegetable dishes, soup, rice with meat or tofu/gluten (the president of the U is Buddhist, so there are always vegetarian options!), pan, juice, and dessert. I´m getting spoiled, and I can already tell that it´s going to be hard to re-adjust to the caf when I get back to Kzoo...but I keep reminding myself that I'll have peanut butter to look forward to. I do miss peanut butter.
After lunch I have more class, and then two buses and a trolley later I´m back in Quito. Twice a week I go straight to guitar/singing class, which has been a great way to kick back, learn a new skill and also learn something baout the culture. The studio is on the fourth floor of an apartment building and is run by a family, so it has a very comfortable/cozy feel to it. My teacher is an Ecuadorian man who's probably around 30 years old. He´s quiet and very patient, which is great since my Spanish singing and level of guitar playing require a considerable amount of that. I`m learning traditional as well as contemporary Latin American songs, which is helping my Spanish as well as my sense of rythym. Lessons range from calm to chaotic; sometimes I have a private lesson, but other times there are up to 4 students playing 4 different songs at the same time in one 8 x 8 room. Oh, Ecuador...
After guitar, it´s back to the homestead. I have tea and pan with whoever happens to be home and try to get some homework done before dinner. Dinner (which is similar to lunch but smaller portions) is my time to hang out and talk with my host family, since we´re all off in separate directions working or doing other things during the day. Recently, dinner conversations have tended to escalate into lively (and only occasionally frightening) debates about the presidential elections, which take place tomorrow. The elections have been a huge deal, but seeing as Ecuador has had 10 presidents in the last 10 years due to coups etc., it´s doubtful that any outcome will be irreversible...
After dinner, I do more homework go to bed. I don´t usually have the energy to do anything else on weeknights, but I try to make up for that on weekends...which I´ll save for a later installment, because it´s lunchtime!
*Photo is of my street, facing west
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