One month!

Trying to summarize a month in Quito in one blog post is quite the challenge, but I shall try. It has been a busy month filled with orientation, practice teaching, and exploring. I’ll start from the beginning...

We arrived on September 2nd late in the evening. We were at the back of the flight (in non-reclining seats next to the bathroom) and by the time we got on, there was no more overhead luggage space! It was interesting, but we didn’t mind because we were excited to chat and get to know everyone. I had some sunscreen explosions and hair product spillage (that is some important stuff!), but all of our luggage made it. That night we stayed the night in a hotel – trying to haul all of my stuff up and down flights of stairs was interesting, but I survived with only some minor muscle soreness for the next few days. The next evening we were greeted by our host families and whisked to our new homes. A year long Quito volunteer, Natalie and I lived with a great family. Our host mom was very caring and our host brother was always wanting to take us on adventures. We had some great dinner conversations and I was very sad to leave them at the end of the month.

The first week, our host brother took us the see the city center at night. It was beautiful to see it all lit up and almost deserted. He first took us to an area called La Ronda where we had a huge empanada de viento (like fried dough) and canelazo. A sugar cane drink that kind of tastes like apple cider. We then walked around and took lots of pictures. Later that week, some volunteers and I were on an insanely crowded bus during lunchtime. One guy was pickpocketed and three out of six had their bags slashed (my supposedly “slash proof” purse included). Luckily nothing was stolen. I sewed up the four layers that were cut and it’s holding up well again. It was definitely a learning experience for all of us. We had been through lots of security training that week, but having experienced something first hand has made us a little more aware and cautious. 

The first weekend, we went to a celebration called Fiestas de Guápulo with our host brother and met some fellow volunteers there. I was told it was a hipster/bohemian neighborhood and came to discover that yes, hipsters do exist in every part of the world. This fiesta was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. A ton of people gathered in the plaza near an old church to listen to music, dance, eat, and drink canelazo. There was also a thing called a vaca loca (crazy cow). It is huge device that sprays sparks and goes around and chases people. At one point we ended up down in the middle of the crowd. I was a bit terrified as it came at us and everyone was screaming, laughing, hanging on to each other and running. It was fun. Luckily my hair didn’t get singed (I don’t think). The next day, our program planned a barbeque for our host families at a huge park with some amazing views of the city. Apparently there are llamas in the park, but sadly, I didn’t see them.

The next week I finally was able to experience a trivia night! I had been hoping to do trivia in Portland all last year but it never happened. Who would have thought I would finally get to do it in Ecuador? Some volunteers and I met up at a pub with some current volunteers who arrived in February. Since I’m a Jeopardy fan, I’d hoped I would excel at trivia. The categories weren’t exactly my forte, but our group ended up winning first place! We all got to split $50 to the pub. It was a positive first trivia experience.

Later that week we took a salsa lesson and climbed an inactive volcano (another first). I wasn’t sure what to expect from the 5ish hour hike (4 up and 1+ down). I definitely did not expect to get as dirty as I did. I’m now kicking myself for wearing my favorite Hanson shirt that day. Even though it was dirty, tiring, and strenuous, it was worth it. We took the Teleferiqo (a cable car) up part of the way and then hiked the rest of the way to the top. My host brother is really into hiking and adventure, so he and his friend acted as our guides. Before embarking, he had us do some stretches (knee rolling included). Then we were off and I realized how many breaks we would need to take just to catch our breaths. Most of the way up there was a trail, but toward the end, we had to climb some rocks and hike up sand and then run/roll/fall down it on the descent. When we got to the top of Pichincha at about 15,000 feet, I was exhausted, but the views were amazing. I may have been sore for a few days after that, but it was so worth it.

The next couple of weeks were full of more orientation and practice teaching at a high school. My group and I taught a group of 13 and 14 year olds. As one fellow volunteer pointed out, teenagers are the same all over the world. It was a fun experience, but getting on a crowded bus at 6 a.m. to get to the high school by 7 was rough. Sometimes public buses are the definition of “packed in like sardines.” The kids were very sweet and gave us all presents when we left.

Speaking of transportation, we’ve had some interesting taxi experiences. I’ve tried to get better at bargaining, but it’s still a work in progress. Some taxi drivers are very nice and practice their English with us by talking about family in the United States and tell us to “dream with the angels.” Others get very angry when they are lost and we can’t give them directions. One taxi driver even hit a stray dog on the freeway and dented his door pretty badly. That was kind of a traumatic thing to witness. After one month of walking around parts of Quito, I finally felt I knew my way around a bit. Unfortunately, I confused the streets of 12 de Octubre and 9 de Octubre when trying to give our taxi driver directions. I will never make that mistake again!

In the last couple of weeks, we tried to pack in what we could. One Saturday, we went to the historic center to try to see the governmental palace. We had tried the previous week, but they were closed. The second time around, we were unable to buy tickets. We decided to check out the basilica instead and climb the towers. We had to walk up some slippery, sketchy steps, but when we got to the top, we were rewarded with amazing views of the city. The next day we went to the Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) monument. It’s not the actual center of the world, I’ve been told that was a little ways away from where we were, but it was still cool to straddle the line between northern and southern hemispheres. We also went to a bug museum, ate a huge lunch, and then had an amazing oreo sundae. It was a fun day, but I was sooooo full by the end.

Also that week, we had quite a few birthdays to celebrate, so we all rented a chiva bus one Saturday. I’ve been told a chiva is a bus that is typically used for transportation in the countryside. Ours had flashing lights and music. ☺ For two hours, we drove around the city. It was really fun to hang out with everyone outside of orientation. It was so random and something I’d never expected to experience, but it was a great way to spend a Saturday evening.

The final week was a bit sad and exciting at the same time. We were all excited to go to our teaching sites and see a new city, or to be done with orientation an actually start teaching or traveling, but I was sad knowing orientation was coming to an end and I wouldn’t see some people for awhile. Even though our host brother works a lot, he is always wanting to take us on adventures. He and Natalie went camping with some of his friends the day I left for Ambato. I really would have liked to go, but maybe next time. ☺ During the week, he took us rock climbing at the sports store where he works. It was like a big REI with a rock wall in it. I had never been rock climbing, so I was a bit terrified. It was tough, but so fun. Daniel even had Natalie and I hold the rope for each other when we went up and came back down – with his help and supervision, of course. Again I was sore for a few days after – I need to get a gym membership ASAP. Running (my occasional money saving exercise go-to) isn’t a great option here with early mornings, pollution, traffic, altitude, etc., but if I go on any more crazy strenuous adventures, I have to be prepared!

Our last evening in Quito, we all had dinner as a group at a really good Italian restaurant. I really didn’t like saying goodbye to everyone. Especially since after a month together, we were really starting to get to know each other. In Costa Rica three years ago, we all talked about how we were “fake friends” in the beginning and were definitely “real friends” by the end. I felt like we were moving from one to the other after a month, and then we all left for different parts of the country. Oh well, it just gives us all an excuse to travel at some point! Saying goodbye to my Quito family was also harder than I expected it to be. After a month, I was getting used to the city and didn’t realize it was starting to feel like home. Life is full of changes, so now it’s on to the next adventure.

I am now in Ambato with a very welcoming, kind family. It consists of a mom, a dad, and 4 sisters. Definitely different than anything I’ve experienced before. It seems that music is almost always playing in the house – I’ve heard “Call Me Maybe” twice in less than 24 hours. And I’m okay with that. ☺ Tomorrow I start teaching advanced English and I’m a little nervous. I need to think of some kind of plan before 6:45 a.m. tomorrow. Yikes! I’m sure it will seem less daunting when I get into a routine and meet my classes. I believe I will be teaching a class of university/professional students and a class of high schoolers. I’m really excited to get to know my students.

That’s all for now! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to post and that this is so huge, but thanks for reading! Next time I’ll hopefully let you know about my adventures in teaching and exploring a new city.