At the end of November, the U.S. ambassador to Ecuador came to visit our campus to discuss student exchange opportunities between our countries. Some other teachers and I got to meet him to discuss our experience. What we were told would be a 5-minute meeting ended up taking 40 minutes. I gave my class an assignment, but I ran back when the meeting was over to see what kind of mischief they’d been up to. Sure enough, paper and matches covered the floor for whatever reason. No matter what country you’re in, I’m pretty sure there’s a high chance if you leave high schoolers unattended, they won’t be doing work the whole time. ☺ My class could tell I was a little ticked. The next day I wrote them a letter about how I felt and they wrote a letter in response. I think I got my message across. Despite the chaos that went on in my classroom, it was a cool experience to meet the ambassador and we even made it into Ambato’s newspaper the next day!
At the beginning of December, we went to Quito for the weekend to meet up with fellow volunteers for a birthday dinner and to try to experience some of the Fiestas de Quito. Unfortunately, Quito’s independence day fell on a Thursday, so most of the festivities happened during the next week, but we did what we could. We attended a traditional Ecuadorian music concert and walked around looking at the handicrafts while trying to keep warm.
Also at the beginning of December, I found out my friend Helen (a former roommate at Linfield) would come to visit! I was very excited, but realized how little time we all had to plan our Christmas vacation. It was a little stressful trying to plan out where we would go and where we would stay while trying to teach in December, knowing that finals were quickly approaching in January. It was also difficult because all the hostels were booking up fast. Apparently Ecuadorians wanted to spend their holidays at the beach as well. Everything worked out well in the end, though I wasn’t sure we would have places to stay for a while there. Two days before we were supposed to go on vacation, we found out that – SURPRISE! – the schedule had changed (as mandated by the president of Ecuador) and we would actually have to work the 26th, 27th, and 28th. In addition to needing to make up the hours we weren’t working on the 24th and 31st – only Christmas and New Years Day were freebies. Most volunteers had travel plans, so we opted to do make up work after the holidays for the hours we missed.
Before leaving for the holidays, my classes and I had a Christmas dinner and breakfast. Apparently I wear a lot of scarves in class, because both of my classes got me scarves. It was a fun way celebrate before going on vacation.
Also before leaving on vacation, I made sure to make my mom’s traditional Christmas cookies for my host family. With the help of my host sister Mary, I made peanut butter blossoms. Unfortunately, the store wasn’t carrying Hershey Kisses at the time I went shopping, so I had to substitute those and a few other ingredients. They turned out a little charred and a bit different than I’m used to, but they were quickly devoured by all.
On Sunday the 23rd, I traveled to Quito to pick up Helen from the airport. After mistaking an Ecuadorian for Helen and awkwardly waving and realizing it wasn’t her, she finally walked through the doors. I couldn’t believe I was actually hugging a friend from the U.S. in Ecuador! She came bearing gifts from my family and peanut butter M & M’s from herself. I didn’t realize how much I had missed those – and her of course. ☺
The next day we got on a bus to Esmeraldas province on the coast. I was so excited to finally visit the beach! After being here for almost 4 months, it was time for a relaxing vacation with sand and ocean. As we arrived at our adorable Treehouse lodging in Súa on Christmas Eve, we found three friends and fellow volunteers cooking up a feast with the owners. It was a delicious mix of food and good company. Even though I was far from home and thinking about family on Christmas, it was an experience I won’t forget, spent with some wonderful friends. On Christmas day, Helen and I visited the beach. Though it was a bit windy, it was what I had been imagining when I first knew I was coming to Ecuador for a year – Christmas on the beach!
The next day we moved on to Canoa. A little more touristy, but so beautiful. I got some great sunset pictures the first evening. It was amazing to be able to relax on the beach, knowing that I hadn’t brought any work with me, so that was all I could do – relax and enjoy my time. One of the best things about vacations is the food. I had some delicious fish during our time on the coast. I love ceviche! Everyone loved pescado encocado – fish with coconut. I was also able to experience some great french press coffee. For anyone that knows me well, they know I can’t function well if I haven’t started my day off with some coffee. Helen understood that I would need to find some good coffee, preferably in the morning. I can thank my parents for that habit! ☺ While in Canoa, we were also able to celebrate a fellow volunteer’s birthday with some dancing on the beach. It was fun to be reunited with some volunteers we hadn’t seen in awhile.
After Canoa, we moved on to Puerto Lopez. We stayed in a really cute Brazilian owned hostel with rustic cabins for rooms. The day after arriving, Helen and I headed to Parque Nacional Machalilla to explore the famed beaches there, including a beach called Los Frailes that we had heard was gorgeous. We started off on a hike to some of the more secluded beaches. 20 minutes into it, we were ready to get out of the hot sun and in the water! Helen was leaving me in the dust. In the end it was worth it. The beaches were beautiful and there were hardly any people there. Though we did get a little nervous when some children yielding fruit cutting machetes arrived, so we moved on after that. After relaxing and sunbathing for a while, the tide started to sneak up on us. After realizing the water was getting really close, I attempted to pick all of my things to save them from getting wet. My only thought should have been my iPod in my hand. I should have known better than to bring it to the beach, but to me there is nothing better than sand, sun, and music. Unfortunately, a bag of rice couldn’t save it. After the initial sadness, I’ve found ways to make do.
The next day, we moved on to Montañita, a famed “hippy beach” filled with tons of travelers and surfers. Before leaving Puerto Lopez, we bought a monigote, or año viejo – a life size(ish) dummy that is burned in the streets on New Years Eve. This represents a year passing. Some people write wills for their dolls and read them at the burning. We bought a Lisa Simpson doll because she was cheap and small. More on the burning of Lisa later...
After getting to our hostel, we ate, walked around town to shop a bit, and went for a walk on the beach. I’m not sure what Montañita is like during the rest of the year, but during New Years, it’s crazy. There are tons of people everywhere. It was so hard to find a hostel that had space for 2 people here, let alone for 8. Luckily we found a place that was on the beach and a ways away from the crazy and loud town center. Sadly, Helen had to fly out on the 31st. We got up that morning, had breakfast, and then I put her on a bus to Guayaquil. From there she flew to Quito, and back to the States, to get back to teaching at a high school in Arkansas. I was very sad to see her go. That whole day I had the feeling that someone was missing and then realized it was Helen. I’m sure my students would have loved it if she had been able to travel back to Ambato with me to visit the class. ☺
On the night of the 31st, we went to the beach to burn Lisa. It was raining a bit, which wasn’t ideal for burning, but with the help of some matches and candles, she went up in flames. Sadly, I had run back to our hotel room to drop off my jacket and camera and as I was running back to find our group, realized that TONS of people had arrived on the beach in the 10 minutes I was gone. I missed her actual burning, but I heard that others began to throw their dolls on the pile and then midnight surfers began to circle the fire. It sounded like quite the spectacle.
Another interesting Ecuadorian New Years tradition is the “vuidas” aka widows that are walking around. From what I understand, men dress up as women and their “husband” that has died is the year passing. They dance in the streets and get money from people. I hear there are tons of vuidas filling the streets of Ambato on New Year’s Eve, but there weren’t too many in Montañita. We saw some children dressed as women/devils walking up the beach trying to hassle people for money. When I saw them poking a woman with their handmade pitchforks, I got my money ready. I gave each a few cents and when my friend Ali did as well, she instructed them to attack me for a photo, so I was poked with the pitchforks anyway. New Years is quite the event in Ecuador. Lots of families get together, burn dolls, jump over said dolls, put on wigs, eat 12 grapes, run around the block with luggage, and dance until early in the morning the next day. It’s a lot of fun.
On New Years Day, another Ambato volunteer and I took a taxi with a Quito volunteer to Guayaquil because all the bus tickets for the 1st had sold out a few days before. When we got to the bus station, it was madness. There were people everywhere and long lines to get tickets. We heard from one company that their Ambato tickets were sold out until 9 p.m. We found another company that was supposed to go to Ambato, but they only had limited Quito tickets available and it was leaving ASAP. We ran to catch the bus that ended leaving around 3 p.m. We knew it wasn’t an ideal situation, but we took what we could get in that craziness. The week had been filled with long, hot bus rides, so I wasn’t exactly excited to get on another long bus, but we had to get back to teach the next day. I was determined to get back because we only had a week and a half of teaching left before finals and I still had some things to fit in. The bus finally arrived in Quito around 12 a.m. and we got on a bus to Ambato at 1 a.m. After having been at the beach for over week, I was not used to the chilly sierra temperatures. We arrived in Ambato at around 3 a.m. After unpacking and doing a little bit of lesson planning, I slept for half an hour and then got ready to go teach. I felt like a zombie that morning, not even remembering students’ names when I called on them.
The next week, I was having vacation withdrawals. Though I didn’t miss the bugs, I missed being able to relax without a care in the world, other than where we were headed next.
We’ve just finished finals and final grades, and now I’m done! Kind of. We still have a bit of work to complete the next couple of weeks and then that’s it for the semester. I can’t believe I’ve almost finished my first semester here. It’s gone by so fast. It’s been hard saying goodbye to my crazy classes. It’s been an adventure for sure. I’ve learned a lot and I hope they have as well. I received various notes and gifts the last week of classes. The day we were giving oral exams, I was sitting outside doing one-on-one exams while my class sat and waited their turn in the classroom. I knew they were up to no good based on the noise level, but it seemed like they were working on some kind of project. After they had finished their orals and before they all left, they came out to surprise me with a flag they had stitched together and written notes on. Luckily I waited until I got home to read them all, because I started to tear up. Teaching is a tough career to go into. Long hours, work that’s never finished and often brought home, exhaustion after trying to get a classes attention. It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. When things seem rough, it’s notes of appreciation like these that make it all worth it in the end. These notes make me realize why I decided to become a teacher in the first place. I always forget how hard it is to say goodbye to students and am then reminded at the end of each year or semester.
After the craziness of finishing grades on Friday, fellow volunteers and I headed to Tena, a town about 3ish hours away that is know for whitewater rafting and is on the edge of the Amazon region. We went with a girls’ host grandparents and stayed at their house. They were so nice and willing to house us, feed us, and be our wonderful tour guides. On Saturday, we ate some fried worms to start the day off. Two of the boys in my group ate them live, but I was only willing to try them dead. During my travels, I’ve become more of an adventurous eater. After seeing them crawling around in a bowl, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do it, but they weren’t too bad once they were skewered, cooked, and had a little sauce on them. After that adventure, we went trekking through some caves. I was a little nervous having my camera as we got soaked in some parts and had to wear headlamps to get around. It was a first time experience for me and I loved it! After the caves, we went to see some monkeys. I hadn’t seen monkeys since Costa Rica, and I still love them just as much as I did then. We took some pictures and made sure to keep a strong hold of our belongings so they wouldn’t steal them. Next up, we went to a river and attempted inner tubing (I opted out after seeing friends flip in the rapids) and a bit of rafting. Luckily my friend and I had a 12 year old in the boat directing us on how to properly paddle. ☺ The next day, we went to a beautiful secluded lagoon. The water was a little chilly, but the water was so clear and beautiful. Some of the people in my group were super adventurous and were jumping off every point they could find. After that, we got some lunch (after stopping on the side of the road to buy some fresh papaya and cacao), and then went to two rivers. It was the birthday of a host family member that was with us, so before leaving to head back to Ambato, we decorated the house, put on our party hats, and ate a cake. It was a weekend packed with adventure, laughs, and lots of Spanish speaking with our wonderful hosts and friends
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Today we are headed to Quito and then on to Same, near Atacames on the coast, where I was at the beginning of Christmas break. We are going for our WorldTeach mid service meeting. I can’t believe we’re almost halfway through! Soon, I’ll have to start thinking about my return date because our individual return tickets will have to be booked by the end of the month. I’m not ready to think about that just yet! Time is flying! I can’t believe I’ve already taught for a semester here. Since it’s the end of the semester, we have a little over a month off until the next semester starts, at the beginning of March. Another volunteer and I are planning to travel together. We are trying to get things figured out, but finals and grades have been the top priorities lately. This is one of the only long breaks we have, so I want to see and do lots! By the next time I write, I will probably have updates about where I went during February break, as well as a recap of Carnival! Until then, Happy New Year! I miss you all and wish you were here!
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