Bitter Sweet November

I can't even imagine November happening. I should get over that quick since it starts on thursday. Its one of those months where you know you will hit the ground running end still in a full sprint. Things change a little when your abroad and you have one of those months on the horizon i figured out.

Normally if i had the schedule i have now, and i were back in madison. I would be for sure be busy, most likely a little stressed at times, but i would be able to block off sat and sunday afternoons to get shit done. Hell i might even through in a 'movie' night once or twice to stay at home and take it easy to be able to work a little and wake up early- bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Thats not going to happen here.

November. My last full month i will see come and go in Latin America (for awhile). How did that happen i dont' know...but i'm not letting this turn into -one of those posts-.

Thursday November 1st- We begin History presentation 25 minutes. Somewhere in the middle i have 1 Volcano presentation, 2 Volcano papers totalling 20 pages, 1 social problems paper, 1 social problems presentation, 1 history portfolio, 1 history portfolio presentation, a spanish presentation, a handfull of spanish quizes, and with my illusive english class that doesn't follow the syllabus, i have potentially a 10 page paper and a class presentation (he hasn't said anything yet...doesn't mean it wont' happen).

No worries, i have a month. O really? My typical 'sunday power hours with helen' and 'movie nights' to take it easy and get some stuff done....will be replaced in a 10 hour bus ride out of town this weekend for festivals. Next wednesday i leave for Colombia for 5 days. The following weekend will be hiking and waterfalls , finishing up with one weekend left to 'do everything'.

December 1st i'm off to the Galapagos coming back after 9 days to just barely take my finals before my brother and dad (YES MY DAD) get here to spend my last 10 days heading to peru and back.

I thought school abroad was supposed to be easy, and frankly up until..hmm- today...i still believed it.

I'm not complaining. well maybe i am a little...but MAN how this month will go down i have no idea.

I think i'm going to sleep through christmas.

International Studies

so I'm in the process of turning 15 'spaces' into Postmodern 'spaces.' Don't ask. Trust me.

While i was turning my 'area of study' into a postmodern 'space'- this came up.

New requirement for IS majors. You have to study, work, or volunteer abroad for a min of one semester and it can't be your last semester of school. On returning to Madison, you will be placed into a group of 5-6 people. The group will be composed of other IS majors who just returned from abroad. Each member of the group will have gone to a different country for their semester abroad and will be in different areas of the IS Major (security, economy, global commons, and culture) thus representing different interests. Once in the group (it will be a class- maybe 2 or 3 credits) each group member will do an extensive (ish)presentation on one area of focus that they chose and studied when abroad. You will have to learn the material from the other group members and their countries cause it will come into play in part two. After everyone is done presenting (firs half of the semester) The professor will give out a real (or potentially real) life problem involving each of the member countries. Each group member will represent the interests of their country and of their area of study in the IS major to resolve the problem with their group.- thus doing another report out of how it will affect all involved parties and interests.

hm. sounds fun to me!

blueberry mondays

if someone could zap a whole bunch of postmodernism information into my brain. And then do my take home midterm that sounded like a good idea until i realized it will take me HOURS to do, and then figure out what to do and start researching for my 25 min history presentation on Thursday that would be great.

9 dAys, 9 DaYs....cOloMbIa and you're MiNe.

Solita

after some words of wisdom i got a few whiles ago, sometimes you just gotta make things happen all on your own.

After deciding to sit out on one hella expensive weekend of white water rafting in the jungle (believe me it was tempting- but i have other exciting things, like COLOMBIA, coming up very shorty to watch my pennies) I was left in Quito solita. I used the time to catch up on some of that good ol homework that i was barely doing for about a month and watch some movies i had bought a while ago- Blood Diamond was intensssse by the way and i cried- surprise, surprise.

Friday night after a series of strange events i ended up going out with a friend from history class and a few of her friends- who didn't want to dance, i said thats fine, you can finish the Pecera (fishbowl) and i'll go. Second 'solita' of the weekend was me bust'n moves on the dance floor with out the company of normal gang of gringos around me. Not that i was 'solita' for long- aha but it was fun.

I also woke up Saturday morning and decided to take a day trip- alone. in ecuador. I called cab, made my way to the bus station, and with an empty backpack strapped to my back searched for the words OTAVALO on the wall of destinations. Then i heard " A OTAVALO, A OTAVALO, VENGA, VENGA"- followed the yells and bought my ticket.

The 3 hour bus ride went quickly, as i slept the whole way with my chuchaki (hangover)...and soon enough i was standing in the middle of the bus plaza solita in Otavalo and it felt pretty cool. I found my way to the legendary market that fills streets and streets aaand MORE streets and spent the afternoon doing just what i didn't want to do this weekend- spend money. It needed to be done at some point so i felt no guilt and had a ton of fun buying, gifts, gifts and more gifts for my family and friends back home. I think it went something like every 4th thing i bought i got something for me. I couldn't help it. Everything is soo cheap and when will you ever have the chance to buy handmade ecuadorian handycrafts?!

As i was buying the last thing on my mental list of people to buy for, i had a twenty and the man of course had no change. No one has change, so what do you do when you are buying something for only $3? You have to buy something relatively expensive first so you can get some change. The clock was clicking... i needed to be out by 330 so i wouldn't be taking buses at night... and without wanting to get lost again in the maze of stands i quickly looked left and right to see whaat would be a few bucks and sweet at the same time. A hammock. sold.

I had been wanting one for awhile but i would always say- someother time. So i finally did it. Its pink, red, yellow, and orange with suns and strips. I have NO idea what i'm going to do with it when i get back home, but if i could get that baby swinging back on gilman street when i get back that would be stellar.

Back to the 'last gift man' - got it with no problems, got some helpful directions from him on how to get out of the market and back to the busses, and found my self a seat on the ' A QUITO' bus. An old man sat next to me and we chatted it up for a while before we both knocked out to "the Mummy' that was playing on the bus.

Woke up, jumped off at my stop, hailed a cab, and was safely in my house by sunset. Easy as pie. Though it was only a short day trip to a place i had already been before (my first weekend here), it felt really liberating to go somewhere by myself... ive never done that before!

This weekend was also a weekend of Colada Morada. An amazing sweet drink thing that you semi eat with a spoon, semi drink. Its made with different spices and has tons of different berries that are cooked down into a sweet spiced deep red hot drink. Its a holiday drink here and my ecua mom says i'll see TONS of it when i got the festivals of Cuenca next weeked (10 hours away. oh god.).

If any family is reading, it reminded me a lot like a berried Wassil...mmm.....

you gotta moon walk it from 3rd into home

5 months ago: extreme excitement
4 months ago:black sand beaches
3 months ago: home=guatemala
2 months ago: tears
1 month ago: culture zap in the butt
Today: soy latina(ish)

...

Vivir no es sólo existir,
sino existir y crear,
saber, gozar, y sufrir
y no dormir sin soñar.
Descansar, es empezar a morir.

Igual que ayer...

i've been trying to put my finger on exactly what has been going on in my head lately but it's been rather difficult. So far in ecuador i've had a pretty sweet time. I'm just about halfway done, as i look back at my time so far- i fall in love with my pictures of all my weekend adventures i've had so far this semester. After going through a rough bout of some weird cultureshockish thing about 5 or so weeks ago i really got into the swing of things and began to feel once again weirdly at home here in quito- and i was happy once again.

Its different though, i didn't expect it to be anything like guatemala, but i was pretty sure that i would once again after a few months find myself just as deeply in love with the people, the food, the country side...in a different way than i did in guate, but just as much so. I guess i have fallen in love in some way shape or form- but it sure is different than before. To me its like comparing someone you fell in love with and it won't go away -and someone you met, and then knew for along time, and find yourself in a deep friendship that you think maybe it has turned into love but you might not be able to recognize it yet or are not ready to admit it.

Here i love where i live, i love traveling on the weekends, i enjoy my classes...but for some reason i'm not identifying or connecting with the place as i did in guate and i dont' know why exactly. Somethings i do know... i know that in guatemala i felt incredibly independent. I didn't identify myself with part of a group. I moved living situations on a whim. I loved my job. I loved teaching. I learned from my students. I really made deep friendships and i think it all transfered over into my feelings about the place. I began to have deep feelings about the culture and identified with living there.

In Ecuador it's different. I have had amazing experiences. I have done really cool things i never would have thought i'd do. I have met pretty neat people. But there are somethings missing- Even though i travel a lot, for some reason i'm not getting that connection or feeling of how i identify with the place. It's like i'm passing through all the time. I feel part of this large mass that comes and goes, comes and goes, comes and goes.

Just another weekend hiking active volcanoes

All of you have been warned, this post has a good chance of being obnoxiously long, but a sweet weekend deserves some light.

So surprise! I live with a famous soccer family, and despite the fact that i have no interest whatsoever in soccer, its pretty sweet. My Ecua-dad played for Quito 10 years ago before he hurt his knee. His brother, Alex Aguinaga played for the Ecuador Selection and now in Mexico, and is uber famous here. Ive been told he's one of the best soccer players in Ecuador's history. Sweetness! So friday night was his "despedida" (retirement game) of his professional career- and of course i got to go!

As we left for the stadium, i was smooshed in a car with my ecua family, including my Abuelita (grandma). We got in the stadium, and for some reason my family got split up (for one my ecua brother got to be on the field for the opening) and i ended up going with my Abuelita. As we kept going through different security check points, i realized we were going a lot further than the rest of the crowd. Then it clicked...this is Alex's mom i'm with! And yes sure enough, we were headign for the press box. I sat by and enjoyed the game with the owner of the owner of the Mexican team Alex plays for and listened to my Abuelita get interviewed by tons of radio and TV programs.

Side note- alex chose who he played with, so of course my Ecua Dad was out there. Fun times at my first ever soccer game.

After a couple hours of sleep Friday night, i was off on a weekend excursion with my sweet volcano class. We started at the crack of dawn and headed for Cotopaxi- an incredible snow capped volcano- that when it erupts- will basically destroy a ton of stuff and cause a bit of chaos. We took a bus as far as we could and then did a difficult hour and a half hike up to the shelter that lies in the snowcapped part before the glaciers start. It doesn't look like it would be a hard hike as you can see the yellow shelter in the snow the whole time, and its a straight shot- but the ground is loose so for every step its half step back. For an hour and half up ;its a 15 minute slit-jog-in-the-ash- back down.

Once we caught our breath at the shelter we went for another 15 min or so further for some beautiful views of the glaciers. We didn't have the equipment to climb further, but after a slight panicked feeling as we were walking on a severe angle in snow on the side of the volcano to get to this flat area- i was happy to take the pictures and turn around.

Breathtaking- and extremely different than my past extreme volcano hike in Guatemala.

Once everyone was safe and sound back on the bus- we headed to Banos, a BEAUTIFUL small town in the lush green mountains in the edge of the jungle and the sierra. I had stopped through last weekend, but it was great to be able relax there for the evening.

Good old faithful lonely planet led us to an incredible cafe-restaurant where i enjoyed nachos, the hummus and pita, followed by a plate of pad thai. We all ate so much, but it was so cheap, and we were all famished and we all enjoyed the luxury to indulge a little.

Sunday morning was another 5am wakeup call and we headed out- sin breakfast- to talk to look some past destruction of another active volcano- Tungurahua. WE talked to a local about the people who live in the area, and about his past experiences of having to evacuate, and restart over his crops continuously. Its amazing how people continue to rebuild over past lava destructions like it didn't happen, to be destroyed again in only a few years.

The landscape was once again too incredible for words.

This country is so so beautiful. I wish everyone could enjoy it.

A lesson

A friend of mine from Oregon, Anna, and i started a little Thursday tradition to kick of the weekend right after our class together at 4. We take a stroll across the street and enjoy a $1 Pilsner- liter sized. Its a nice way to wind down the week and catch up on what's been happening.

Today things went to a new level. A friend of ours joined us and a few others skipped their 4pm class and came with as well. As we were relaxing my friend Sam expressed his desire to take a beer bong. I have to say i agreed with him, as its been months.

I let him know we were within a 2 min walking distance to the hardware store.

In less than 30 min we came back to the college hangout bar successful with our work of art. As we brought it to our table we were mobbed instantly by at least 10 ecua dudes saying "woaaah, what are you going to do with that!..i want to try! ....shit man!!" - or the spanish equivalent.

It was the life of the happy hour. It soon had the name wa-wa (baby in an indigenous language here) and the ecuas were pouring tequila into the funnel.

A little too intense for me at 5pm, but i did enjoy one.

Maintaining rep in Ecuador...

January in Madison is going to drop kick me

Last night i was freezing in my house. I had two pairs of long socks on sweatpants, 3 layers of shirts and a sweatshirt with the hood up. I was even contemplating pulling out my winter hat i have stuffed in my closet. It's becoming winter here.

During lunch today my ecua mom told me they hit a record low last night. No wonder i was so cold i thought. She said it got to 9 degrees and it was 7 in Cuenca. A la gran putchika i thought- that's gotta be like 25 or so in F...decently cold.

I just did the calculation- it was 48 degrees F last night.

48 is when you see people in t shirts in madison- yea they are a little crazy- but shit man, what am i going to do when its actually winter?!

Go meet beautiful babies

DIECISIETE?!

since when she became so old, i'll never know. A Happy Birthday to the chica holding down the fort in Racine. Miss you, Love you.

Aquicito- no mas

"It's just right here, no more" seemed to be the theme of my weekend trip to the jungle. I sat with a blank screen here for a while because this was one of those weekend with just too many stories too tell, that all deserve their spotlight when being told. So i chose a good one for you all, i hope you enjoy. Also, lunch today was a first for me- it's worth a glance as well.

...

After climbing a ten story tree house to get a panoramic view of the jungle that surrounded us, the four of us asked a man who worked at "La Casa del Arbol" if there was anything near by worth checking out.

This got the guide pretty excited and he told us a few different things we could do. One of which was a short 15 or 20 minute walk down this path to get to this large swing on a bungy- where you can 'swing like tarzan' he told us.

We were very unprepared for a hike, as we just came from breakfast, and were in flip flops, no bug spray, no water, etc. We asked the man if it was really an easy walk and would it really be okay if we went as we were.

He reassured us and said "aquicito- no mas" (it's just right here...no more). We decided, hell lets just go.

The man couldn't go with us and sent a 7 year old boy as our guide. Perfect. The boy jumped a horse 10 minutes into the walk and left the group of us struggling to keep him in sight as to not get lost.

20 minutes into the 'little walk through the jungle' i was knee deep- literally- in mud and couldn't walk. I had my sandles in hand so i wouldn't loose them in the suction of the mud -and since was impossible to keep them on my feet while walking.

The boy on the horse kept leading us farther and farther in the jungle, crossing rivers, passing cows- all sin zapatos. I was hiking without shoes.

45 minutes later we arrived head to toe in mud and saw a the swing. So, it was pretty sweet, and we had our fun on it for a good half or so glidding through the branches like tarzan(a).

As we mentally prepared ourself to head back, the boy jumped back on his horse and continued further into the junge.

"oye! flaco! where are you going?! what about us?! where do we go?!"

"just go back the way you came."

right.

back through rivers, back past the cows, through the knee deep mud and at last to the treehouse.

Needless to say we survived, but ooooh what a trip.

slowly falling in love with ecuador.

giving waves human meaning

Another great moment

as my life flashed before my eyes today. Walking home from the bus station (i've stopped taking the second bus to my doorstep to get a 15 min walk in and burn some of that white rice they love here) i chose the sidewalk and not the street for my path home. You think that would be the safe route.

Well, thats when you don't expect to turn the corner and have to actually dive off the sidewalk because a motorcyclist decided streets were overrated.

Where mountains are as beautiful as the cowboys

What is the best way to celebrate the harvest while in Ecuador? Head north three hours from Quito to Ibarra and join in the festivities with those crazy Ibarrians. You can first expect to see cowboys riding their horses, or rather slidding, down a muddy mountain side and finishing off with a good 3meter (yes i'm out of the states) drop off- where the horses are forced to slide on their butts to the finish line- which happens to be marked by a drunken Ecua mob- cheering on their jokey heroes.

Next, head down to the stadium and see Zorro on a horse get chased by the zorro wannabees trying to take their claim to Ibarrian fame.

If all that horse mud slide and zorro watching wasn't enough for you, no worries, you can festival it up until four am dancing and farrear (party) the night away with the rest of Ibarra and a good mix of the rest of Ecuador too.

Lodging won't be a problem, you'll find a comfortable and affordable hostel across from the local supermaxi and strip mall complex, aka local night pregame hot spot. It will be sufficiently creepy as the doors automatically lock from the inside and out every time it closes. "What if i need to leave the hostal? what if there is a fire?" No worries. There is a buzzer conveniently located in your room to buzz so an old man can be woken up and slowly walk to your door you can be let out to freedom.

Ibarra. Come back soon now, ya hear?

ABC.com you have some nerve.

Only viewers within the United States can watch these full-length episodes.

memorable moments

girl:describe a project you might want to do based on aiesec's mission.

boy: You're going to give me a mission?!?!?!

tempting

I just got off the phone with my brother. It looks like my final 10 days of the great south might be spent doing a little free lance with the bro, south through Peru and possibly a little Bolivia for flava.

updates to come.

who cares what it looks like...

Booking Reference:
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WEB
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Fecha:
Sun , 30 Sep - 2007
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Datos del Viaje
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Wed , 7 Nov - 2007
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602
18:45
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Mon , 12 Nov - 2007
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This mumble jumble of unformated goodness means i got myself a little Colombian vaca lined up for next month.

live. it.