Edit:
Wrapping up
So I finished my 20-page Spanish paper about community health, didn't think that was gonna happen so soon. However, where one paper falls, two take its place, and I have to write a reflective piece on my internship and a summary of my internship (although that can be in English fortunately). In the meantime, I'm slowly amassing more and more stuff to take home; while I planned for bringing home gifts for others I did not plan for receiving gifts from my families. I might have to pick up a second bag of luggage. Anyway, I've got some more photos to upload, some are animals from the zoo I went to, which was pretty cool.
Machoism
So I have to head back to Riobamba soon, although as you can see from the countdown I´ve put up to the right I won´t be there much longer. I really like being in Quito this weekend, and being able to discuss politics and philosophy with my host mom here. One of the things I most enjoyed talking about was machoism, assertive or aggressive manliness; get ready, this is gonna be a lesson-y blog.
I already knew that machoism in Ecuador is pretty bad; in 2006 42% of all Ecuadorian women had experienced violence in their life. What startled me during my discussion with my host mom was that she felt that women were to blame, because they would not defend or stand up for themselves like she has done with her own spouse in the past and because men are by nature macho. Fortunately we came to the conclusion that since machoism is learned behavior from parents its really a societal problem.
Now my mom said that we dont have that sort of problem in the US, and I was inclined to agree, certainly not to the extent in Ecuador. But then I decided to rethink that. At first I couldnt really think of any examples, until I started to think about it more like racism. I´m sure all of you already know about how racism is still active in US society today, especially through subtle stereotyping, and I realized machoism persists in the US in a similar manner. Nowadays a lot of the old stereotypes are being proven way wrong: women CAN drive, women CAN play sports, effetively women CAN do anything men can do and better. But I think there is an underlying notion that women are still supposed to be somehow fragile and dainty on top of that, and moreover, men are not supposed to be this way. However, when I think about it I consider myself rather fragile and dainty. Even I feel that statement is somewhat strange, and I´m sure there´s something uncanny about it for many of you as well. I ask why?
I already knew that machoism in Ecuador is pretty bad; in 2006 42% of all Ecuadorian women had experienced violence in their life. What startled me during my discussion with my host mom was that she felt that women were to blame, because they would not defend or stand up for themselves like she has done with her own spouse in the past and because men are by nature macho. Fortunately we came to the conclusion that since machoism is learned behavior from parents its really a societal problem.
Now my mom said that we dont have that sort of problem in the US, and I was inclined to agree, certainly not to the extent in Ecuador. But then I decided to rethink that. At first I couldnt really think of any examples, until I started to think about it more like racism. I´m sure all of you already know about how racism is still active in US society today, especially through subtle stereotyping, and I realized machoism persists in the US in a similar manner. Nowadays a lot of the old stereotypes are being proven way wrong: women CAN drive, women CAN play sports, effetively women CAN do anything men can do and better. But I think there is an underlying notion that women are still supposed to be somehow fragile and dainty on top of that, and moreover, men are not supposed to be this way. However, when I think about it I consider myself rather fragile and dainty. Even I feel that statement is somewhat strange, and I´m sure there´s something uncanny about it for many of you as well. I ask why?
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
My study abroad program has coordinated a thanksgiving day celebration for us today in Quito, which is where I am now, back with my family there. Ill be heading back to Riobamba Saturday, so Im going to have some free time in Quito, which will be nice. Think I might try to finish up my souvenir shopping...
Uploading videos is long
Im amazed I was able to do it so easily in Quito. When I was uploading the vido of my tv interview the cafe closed early cuz I was the only one in it, just waiting for that thing to load. Instead, I have uploaded some pictures of my tv interview along with a snow angel I made yesterday on Chimborazo, the largest volcano in Ecuador. There was so much snow it reminded me of home... and then it was sunny today and I realized I dont really miss snow at all.
To elaborate some things, the community health department of the hospital i work in is also the public relations department, so my coordinator had the tv interview on one of the two local channels, and decided to bring me and the other student to talk about what we did. I was of few words, naturally since it was in Spanish.
Also, the video of me getting rubbed with eggs. Yeah if you havent watched that yet you should, its educational and funny. The process is called ´limpia con huevos´ or cleaning with eggs, although its also a diagnostic. The eggs are supposed to absorb ones negative energy so the lady in the video shakes the eggs to figure out what is wrong with me. The diagnosis: mal aire, or bad, evil air, which that day was the cause of a headache I didnt know I had. Fun fact: it was also the cause of my stomach problems in punin according to my mom there, so she did the same thing to me one night. She thought I got it from the cemetery I went to earlier that night. Personally I prefer ´limpia con plantas´ or cleaning with plants; it smells nicer and at the end the yachak, or medicine man, breaths fire at you to clear away the negative energy, which I feel is more thorough.
To elaborate some things, the community health department of the hospital i work in is also the public relations department, so my coordinator had the tv interview on one of the two local channels, and decided to bring me and the other student to talk about what we did. I was of few words, naturally since it was in Spanish.
Also, the video of me getting rubbed with eggs. Yeah if you havent watched that yet you should, its educational and funny. The process is called ´limpia con huevos´ or cleaning with eggs, although its also a diagnostic. The eggs are supposed to absorb ones negative energy so the lady in the video shakes the eggs to figure out what is wrong with me. The diagnosis: mal aire, or bad, evil air, which that day was the cause of a headache I didnt know I had. Fun fact: it was also the cause of my stomach problems in punin according to my mom there, so she did the same thing to me one night. She thought I got it from the cemetery I went to earlier that night. Personally I prefer ´limpia con plantas´ or cleaning with plants; it smells nicer and at the end the yachak, or medicine man, breaths fire at you to clear away the negative energy, which I feel is more thorough.
Today´s media blowout was brought to you by...
an internet cafe. They are so awesome, its taken me ten minutes to upload the amount of photos it would have taken several hours to upload in the hospital.
Sincethat last post of mine was the peak of whiny bloginess, I decided to upload a bunch of pictures and video tonight. The video Im trying to upload is taking awhile, but I think itll be worth the wait. Its a part of my first TV interview, and of course it just had to be in Spanish. I was just sort of brought along to talk about the things I do as one of the many foreigners the hospital employs. I didnt really get a chance to change clothes, so I am of course wearing my trademark hoodie. That thing has been just about everywhere now.
Sincethat last post of mine was the peak of whiny bloginess, I decided to upload a bunch of pictures and video tonight. The video Im trying to upload is taking awhile, but I think itll be worth the wait. Its a part of my first TV interview, and of course it just had to be in Spanish. I was just sort of brought along to talk about the things I do as one of the many foreigners the hospital employs. I didnt really get a chance to change clothes, so I am of course wearing my trademark hoodie. That thing has been just about everywhere now.
Under Control... And Yet...
So I had a fun weekend, like a really fun weekend, perhaps highlighted that by the fact that my stomach can tolerate ice cream again. Yet I had so much fun that I realized that I'm kind of bored here. Not bored of my work mind you, as little experience I have in teaching English I enjoy teaching, and while the lack of materials makes it more difficult I appreciate the challenge. Besides, I found an empty room in the hospital that has an Ethernet jack that nobody uses, and I got permission to use to it! Although the only cable they had available is a foot long so I'm hunched over my laptop on a chair and it's starting to hurt my back, I find myself not wanting to go home.
Possibly because I wouldn't actually be going to my home but rather my host great-grandma's home, and despite the fact that she has a flat screen TV, DVD player, and comfortable chairs, I've watched all the movies on her one DVD consisting of all the Shreks, Stuart Littles and Lion Kings. My host brother and sister, 5 and 10 respectively, certainly enjoyed my willingness to watch them all with them though.
Possibly because I get home when my host mom gets back from work between 6 and 8 and then I have to watch her cook and clean and help my host siblings with their homework and of course the five year throws the same temper tantrum about it every night and calls her a witch even though she's the only thing keeping him from becoming one of those children selling gum in the streets and its such a depressing sight that I've just started staying in my room and watching TV shows and movies on my laptop. And no I'm not going to change families AGAIN. Besides we have fun on the weekends.
No, it's not so much that I don't want to go home so much as I don't want to leave here. And I don't think I'm really bored, so much as I desire social diversion. No that's not code for 'I want to party' although it does sound like it. For example this weekend I watched a movie in English WITH someone instead of just with a bag of snacks. I haven't even really had the chance to just talk to somebody in English informally, and I guess that's why I've written so much here. I should go now, but it's raining so I hesitate. I guess it's better than snowing like in MPLS. Right I was supposed to be going okay here I go.
Possibly because I wouldn't actually be going to my home but rather my host great-grandma's home, and despite the fact that she has a flat screen TV, DVD player, and comfortable chairs, I've watched all the movies on her one DVD consisting of all the Shreks, Stuart Littles and Lion Kings. My host brother and sister, 5 and 10 respectively, certainly enjoyed my willingness to watch them all with them though.
Possibly because I get home when my host mom gets back from work between 6 and 8 and then I have to watch her cook and clean and help my host siblings with their homework and of course the five year throws the same temper tantrum about it every night and calls her a witch even though she's the only thing keeping him from becoming one of those children selling gum in the streets and its such a depressing sight that I've just started staying in my room and watching TV shows and movies on my laptop. And no I'm not going to change families AGAIN. Besides we have fun on the weekends.
No, it's not so much that I don't want to go home so much as I don't want to leave here. And I don't think I'm really bored, so much as I desire social diversion. No that's not code for 'I want to party' although it does sound like it. For example this weekend I watched a movie in English WITH someone instead of just with a bag of snacks. I haven't even really had the chance to just talk to somebody in English informally, and I guess that's why I've written so much here. I should go now, but it's raining so I hesitate. I guess it's better than snowing like in MPLS. Right I was supposed to be going okay here I go.
A Drastic Change of Pace
So so much has happened this past week I have had no chance to blog, but now I do but I dont know for how long so Im gonna try to be quick about it. First, last monday I started having stomach problems, then they went away so I could wish Jonathan a happy birthday, then they came back with a vengeance and I had to go to the hospital I work at as a patient. It wasnt very bad, I got better midday but i still had to continue with rehydration therapy so I started walking around the hospital with an iv stand. Suffice it to say, I had to change families later that day because on top of that, the hives never went away. Naturally because this Monday i was finally able to see the dermatologist and he told me that i actually was having an allergic reaction to mites, so now im having to take medicine for that too. I am now living in the city of Riobamba instead of the countryside, although I aready went back to visit my family there once and plan to do so again. Tomorrow Im off to latacunga to visit a friend who studied in the us for a year about a couple years ago, stayed with Jacob and his family. It is a small world after all, I guess. Especially since yesterday I went even farther outside of Riobamba with a Japanese health organization to do a workshop about nutrition. Just about every point of the day there were three different languages flying around, four if you count quichwa, an indigenous language. Speaking of language, tomorrow Ill be starting to teach a series of english classes at a school higher up in the mountains. I hope to work health concepts into them of course. With all the moving around I havent been able to have much time on the internet, nor do I plan to have much time in the coming weeks, although id like to find one day to just sit down and upload pictures and video. Anyway, phew, looks like I did have time after all. Time for Facebook.
Happy Birthday Jonathan DeYoung!
I know you like hats, so for your birthday, I got you a traditional Ecuadorian sombrero! All the cool cats are wearing them these days!
Well at least in rural Ecuador as far as I've seen. I'm sure you'll find some style to work it into though. Maybe you'll be able to wear it around Argentina next semester! Anyway, have fun this weekend!
Well at least in rural Ecuador as far as I've seen. I'm sure you'll find some style to work it into though. Maybe you'll be able to wear it around Argentina next semester! Anyway, have fun this weekend!
A Change of Pace
So I've finally gotten myself situated both at the hospital in Riobamba and at home in Punin. I can use internet at the hospital, however it's holidays Monday through Wednesday next week, so no internet until Thursday. I should have plenty of media to post then though. Tomorrow I'm going out with my host family to plant crops on some land outside of Punin. I don't know what I'm going to do the rest of the time. Plenty of emotions and thoughts going on here, and considering I haven't really had a chance to talk to anybody here about it, I figure this blog's a pretty good place. So, cons and pros:
CONS
-Somehow flies keep getting in my room, and the kitchen, and the buses, and the hospital cafeteria
-The bathroom is a latrine outside, and the door doesn't shut its always slightly ajar
-I think I'm going to ask my family for more blankets not because I get cold at night but because my bed is so hard
-I'm getting hives from something, hopefully just the adjustment
-It's an hour long commute by two buses each way (as some of you may know I hate buses, and that's no different here)
PROS
-If I ask my family for more blankets, they will give me more blankets
-If I ask my family for anything, they will probably provide
-I have 5 siblings, 1 cousin, 2 parents, and they're all awesome to talk to
-I have a television in my room, which gets one channel clearly, but that happens to be the channel that my favorite TV novella/soap opera is on
-Punin is tranquil
I'm sure this list will expand as time goes on, especially by next Thursday. Talk to you all again then!
CONS
-Somehow flies keep getting in my room, and the kitchen, and the buses, and the hospital cafeteria
-The bathroom is a latrine outside, and the door doesn't shut its always slightly ajar
-I think I'm going to ask my family for more blankets not because I get cold at night but because my bed is so hard
-I'm getting hives from something, hopefully just the adjustment
-It's an hour long commute by two buses each way (as some of you may know I hate buses, and that's no different here)
PROS
-If I ask my family for more blankets, they will give me more blankets
-If I ask my family for anything, they will probably provide
-I have 5 siblings, 1 cousin, 2 parents, and they're all awesome to talk to
-I have a television in my room, which gets one channel clearly, but that happens to be the channel that my favorite TV novella/soap opera is on
-Punin is tranquil
I'm sure this list will expand as time goes on, especially by next Thursday. Talk to you all again then!
Now for something completely different
Tomorrow I´m heading out to Riobamba for my internship in the Alternative Andian Hospital of Chimborazo, although I´ll be living in a small rural town 30 minutes out called Punin. Here´s the wikipedia article about Riobamba: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riobamba. I don´t know too much about Punin, my visit there some weeks back was very brief. I don´t even know if I´ll have access to the internet so I might have to resort to using internet cafes. In any case, I hope to put media up by the end of the week. Also, from this point onwards, I don´t think I´m going to be able to recieve packages. If you already sent something that´s on its way, a CIMAS staff member should bring it to me when they come to visit in November. Right, well I think that´s it.
Mount Pichincha
So Pichincha is actually a 15000 feet volcano in the West of Quito. I ventured up to its top with fellow student Rheanne Zimmerman, and it should be noted that we took a ski lift up part of the way. It still was a 2 hour hike and climb though. I uploaded a few pictures, and here's a video:
Back in Quito
Well I'm back in Quito now, the beach was fun, although a bit cloudy.
but at least that kept people off the beach. Beside, when the sun did come out it felt like we were being cooked. I think it was good for probably being the last trip before my internship, which is just two weeks away!
but at least that kept people off the beach. Beside, when the sun did come out it felt like we were being cooked. I think it was good for probably being the last trip before my internship, which is just two weeks away!Vacation time
So I just got done turning in not one, not two, but three papers this week, so it´s time for a vacation. I´m heading to the balmy beaches of Atacames on the pacific coast.
I want it to look like this:
Although it will probably look like this:
But a beach is a beach. Better bring the sunblock. I´ll be back Monday!So that resolved itself pretty quickly
Somebody commented that my use of the term ¨military state¨wasnt exactly accurate, I don´t reallly know who but they´re right. Alot of the police apparently went right back to work the day after, so everything´s basically back to normal. There´s a lot of military patrolling the center of Quito where the presidential palace is but that´s about it.
In other news, the last time I tried to use internet on my laptop here, it took a lot of work to get the internet back working on my host family´s computer. As such, I don´t think I´ll be using internet on my computer anymore, so as far as skype goes I´ll see about getting it on my host family´s computer. Speaking of communication, I finally got a cellphone this weekend! I don´t really know how international calling works yet, but I know it works so I´ll keep you all posted!
In other news, the last time I tried to use internet on my laptop here, it took a lot of work to get the internet back working on my host family´s computer. As such, I don´t think I´ll be using internet on my computer anymore, so as far as skype goes I´ll see about getting it on my host family´s computer. Speaking of communication, I finally got a cellphone this weekend! I don´t really know how international calling works yet, but I know it works so I´ll keep you all posted!
The Lowdown
So it seems that some of you have heard about the state of affairs in Ecuador right now, the good news is that I wasn't in Quito when this happened. I was watching the news coverage from the city of Otavalo about 2.5 hours north, suffice it to say the 2-day field trip was extended an extra day. However, now I'm back in Quito, and everything seems normal as usual on the surface, except that a lot of shops are closed, people are advised to stay inside since there's NO police force (side note: I think it speaks volumes that still people are going through everyday life just fine, although I suppose it has only been one day), and Ecuador is now a military state until some undetermined time.
In the meantime, I'm gonna upload some photos and video from my trip.
In the meantime, I'm gonna upload some photos and video from my trip.
Happy 21st Birthday Jacob Long!
Here is your birthday gift Jacob. Now I suppose it could be a counterfeit toy OR it could be a rare collectible! I mean, it is Spiderman wearing a soccer uniform after all. You might not even want to take it out of the box! You can look forward to this when I get back, and until then think of all the places around your dorm room where you can display it for everyone to see. Nothing says "I'm a mature 21-year old" like a Spiderman figurine kept in its original box!I'm heading out on a 2-day field trip today, and then I WAS GOING to tour a jungle over the weekend BUTI got assigned a bunch ofwork so instead I´m hanging back. I'm sure it won't be nearly as fun as your weekend Jacob. Just drink responsibly!
Surprises
So this week was chock full of unexpected occurrences.
On Monday, I received my student visa in the mail even though FedEx was supposedly going to send it back to the US, many thanks goes to Karen DeYoung for that.
On Wednesday, tons of packages arrived for people, and I was pleasantly surprised to be one of those people, receiving a box full of cookies! Many thanks goes to Laurie Foster for that (P.S. I particularly enjoyed the Laura bars; snack bars are more expensive here than in the US).
Got done with a lot of work this week, so this weekend is pretty chill. It actually turns out that there won't be much traveling this weekend, that should be next weekend. I actually did go to visit the site of my public health internship yesterday, the Alternative Andean Hospital in Riobamba, 3.75 hours south of Quito. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing just yet, but it sounds like I might be going to nearby schools and institutions to teach people about nutrition and physical activity (I imagine it will feel very familiar). In the meantime, I might also be living in a small town in the countryside, which would be a super new experience. I wish I could have taken pictures but I travelled alone for the first time, and I wanted to play it safe. Unfortunately, my hatred of waiting for buses got the best of me on the return trip, and I actually walked home in the dark from the bus station (took about 10 minutes). I basically tried to look as thug, angry, and crazy as possible, which was easy because I was basically cursing myself the whole way home for doing something so completely stupid. Nothing happened but I'm just chalking that up to luck-never doing that again.
Anyway, I'm gonna upload some overdue photos and videos.
On Monday, I received my student visa in the mail even though FedEx was supposedly going to send it back to the US, many thanks goes to Karen DeYoung for that.
On Wednesday, tons of packages arrived for people, and I was pleasantly surprised to be one of those people, receiving a box full of cookies! Many thanks goes to Laurie Foster for that (P.S. I particularly enjoyed the Laura bars; snack bars are more expensive here than in the US).
Got done with a lot of work this week, so this weekend is pretty chill. It actually turns out that there won't be much traveling this weekend, that should be next weekend. I actually did go to visit the site of my public health internship yesterday, the Alternative Andean Hospital in Riobamba, 3.75 hours south of Quito. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing just yet, but it sounds like I might be going to nearby schools and institutions to teach people about nutrition and physical activity (I imagine it will feel very familiar). In the meantime, I might also be living in a small town in the countryside, which would be a super new experience. I wish I could have taken pictures but I travelled alone for the first time, and I wanted to play it safe. Unfortunately, my hatred of waiting for buses got the best of me on the return trip, and I actually walked home in the dark from the bus station (took about 10 minutes). I basically tried to look as thug, angry, and crazy as possible, which was easy because I was basically cursing myself the whole way home for doing something so completely stupid. Nothing happened but I'm just chalking that up to luck-never doing that again.
Anyway, I'm gonna upload some overdue photos and videos.
Now taking appointments and drop-ins
I had a lovely but short conversation with a couple friends in the US today that made me realize how much I would love to talk to you guys in real-time, and the best/cheapest way to go about that is skype. I am now able to use my host family's internet, although sparingly, so I put my information up to the left, and you can add me to your contacts. I'm on almost every morning 8-9 and around lunchtime because I get to school early and we get 1 to 1.5 hours for lunch. Other than that I might be on at home sometimes, but I can definitely be on if you guys want to make a time to talk.
In other news, I got my first paper to write this weekend, so there won't be much traveling :( Next weekend though there will be ALOT, so stay tuned!
In other news, I got my first paper to write this weekend, so there won't be much traveling :( Next weekend though there will be ALOT, so stay tuned!
Travels
So I already posted some pictures and videos, wish I could give some captions to them, but they look more organized as they are now. I went to the center of Quito again on Friday, the building have a much more colonial aesthetic. Went through the art gallery underneath the Basilica, stopped by the presidential palace, and then headed back to school to pick up luggage for a trip to Otavalo, a smaller town north of Quito. We got there and it got dark really quickly as were deciding where to stay the night (some of the lamp posts weren't working, and some of the stores used candlelight). I broke off in a group to stay at La Luna hostel about 20 minutes outside of Otavalo. It was a little more pricey than staying in the city, but definitely worth it for the serenity.
Took a trip to a waterfall then, that was pretty cool (like literally, a couple guys stood under it and came out numb). Went back to Otavalo then to shop around the huge open air market, and when we were good and tired, headed back home. That night I then played a computer game for 2 hours straight, so it was a pretty sweet day.
Yesterday I went biking with my host family because Quito blocks off a whole 1 mile long street every Sunday. Wish I had taken pictures but I plan on biking again so I'll have some then.
Took a trip to a waterfall then, that was pretty cool (like literally, a couple guys stood under it and came out numb). Went back to Otavalo then to shop around the huge open air market, and when we were good and tired, headed back home. That night I then played a computer game for 2 hours straight, so it was a pretty sweet day.Yesterday I went biking with my host family because Quito blocks off a whole 1 mile long street every Sunday. Wish I had taken pictures but I plan on biking again so I'll have some then.
Pictures up top, videos below
I've finally figured out the slideshow and video bar, show you can find them at the top and bottom of the page respectively. The video section might at times show some random videos that have absolutely nothing to do with me, but that's YouTube for you. Anyway, I'm hoping to do some traveling this weekend, and I'll keep you all posted.
Picture Dump 2
Standing on the equator (give or take a couple feet)Ugh, I'm not a fan of the formatting of posts for photos. I can't figure out how to put up a slide show either. Oh well, hopefully I can upload the videos to youtube and then just embed them in the blog. Thanks everyone for the supportive comments!
(Left) My room
(Below) A Cinnnabon restaurant
(Below) View from my room
Something to worry about
So I just got back from a hotel on the equator, expect pictures and video on Monday. I think I might try using photobucket because blogger has a limit of data, but it can also display a slideshow of pictures uploaded to photobucket.
Anyway, the trip to the equator this weekend was supposed to be a sort of bonding experience for all the students, and I think it worked in some respect, I mean, we all are getting along. But as far as making friends though I´m not having much luck. Normally I´d be like ¨pff, I´ve already got tons of great friends like those of you reading the blog¨ but I´ve reached the point here where I´ve realized that this isn´t just some short trip, it´s not like I´m going back soon, I´m going to be here for 14 weeks, 8 of those I´m going to be taking classes with the other students.
So yeah, glad we bonded, but at the same time I now feel somewhat estranged after everyone shared their lives. ESPECIALLY last night, when I ended up in a large group that decided to go around a circle and talk about their ¨real¨families - suffice it to say, I didn´t offer my story (figured it might be kind of a downer). Meanwhile, other people shared stories of their travels or their party-going, and again I´m just sort of sitting on the periphery of conversations because I don´t have nearly as many experiences. Naturally, I start to feel self-conscious and worry that I´m being anti-social so I keep putting myself into these conversations.
I guess what I´m trying to say is, I miss you guys! Jonathan, Jacob, Adam, Lillie, Karen, Curtiss, Alyssa, Tom, Tina, and everybody else who have made me feel like I belong somewhere.
And it hasn´t even been a week yet... awesome.
Anyway, the trip to the equator this weekend was supposed to be a sort of bonding experience for all the students, and I think it worked in some respect, I mean, we all are getting along. But as far as making friends though I´m not having much luck. Normally I´d be like ¨pff, I´ve already got tons of great friends like those of you reading the blog¨ but I´ve reached the point here where I´ve realized that this isn´t just some short trip, it´s not like I´m going back soon, I´m going to be here for 14 weeks, 8 of those I´m going to be taking classes with the other students.
So yeah, glad we bonded, but at the same time I now feel somewhat estranged after everyone shared their lives. ESPECIALLY last night, when I ended up in a large group that decided to go around a circle and talk about their ¨real¨families - suffice it to say, I didn´t offer my story (figured it might be kind of a downer). Meanwhile, other people shared stories of their travels or their party-going, and again I´m just sort of sitting on the periphery of conversations because I don´t have nearly as many experiences. Naturally, I start to feel self-conscious and worry that I´m being anti-social so I keep putting myself into these conversations.
I guess what I´m trying to say is, I miss you guys! Jonathan, Jacob, Adam, Lillie, Karen, Curtiss, Alyssa, Tom, Tina, and everybody else who have made me feel like I belong somewhere.
And it hasn´t even been a week yet... awesome.
Picture batch 1
We stayed at a hotel the night we got here; I took the picture on the left from my room that night, and then woke up to find out that there were huge mountains behind those dots of light.
I don´t know what I was worried about
Besides giving a guy at the airport a $5 dollar tip, and forgetting my student visa at home, all is well. My host family is fantastic, I´m getting by surprisingly well with my spanish given that I haven´t really used it in a year (although that might be because people are letting me get away with mixing up tenses), I´m finding gluten-free food to eat, and the weather is nice. However, there are classes, some boring, but most really interesting. Today we had a philosopher come in and lead a discussion about global identity. I mustered up my spanish and said ¨Soy yo. Y puedo ser solo yo.¨(I am me. And I can be only me) The rest of what I said was a horrific jumble of Spanish but that first part was pretty good. What I was saying was that while I was worried before I came here about my hair and my clothes, I realized at the last moment that changing my appearance won´t make me stand out any less, and I just have to accept that I am who I am: forgetful, friendly, funny, American. Being American is the only thing that really differentiates me from some Ecuadorians here, and that doesn´t mean much actually. What it means to be American I think I´ll articulate in another post, but that´s enough philosophy for this post. Expect a batch of photos and videos tomorrow!
I'm nervous
and I feel unprepared, even though I'm probably packing more than I need. I never got my hair cut, I'm bringing baggy clothes, and I feel like I don't know enough about Ecuadorian culture and world news. I'm worried I'm gonna stand out as an ignorant American... but maybe that's natural.
Health insurance troubles
I think I now have everything I need, thanks to the help of one Jacob Amos Keith Long. Unfortunately, concessions were made: I tried to get a refill of my malarial medication only to find out I no longer have health insurance (DUN DUN DUN). The only reason I can think of is that I was covered under my moms medical assitance, and now I have to apply for it myself :/ Actually, I probably would have been alright with this had I known sooner, especially since the U of M's student health insurance costs $930 a semester :O Now I had to enroll in the U of M's plan at the last minute, which is an unexpected expense, one that I think may prevent me from hanging around Ecuador for awhile, or at least, going to the Galapagos like I hoped. Meanwhile, I'm going with an unsatisfactory amount of malarial medicine, which I hear takes a long time to get in Ecuador. Fortunately, I did purchase tons of bug spray, including permethrin, so maybe that will help? Oy, let's just get on with it.
Packing
Started putting together a packing list today, and it seems I'm gonna have my work cut out for me. While I do have essentially all of the clothing I need, it's split up between places right now. Moreover, clothing is kind of unimportant as I can just buy some in Ecuador. However, I can't buy everything there, and it's gonna be tough getting stuff here too. So I figured I'd post a list of things that seem the toughest to track down. If you know where I can buy one of these, or perhaps you've got one just lying around that you'd love to donate :) I'd be much appreciative.
-Money belt or undershirt pouch
-Water bottle with filter (0r filtration tablets)
-Strong sunscreen
-SPF Chapstick
-Permethrin (you can spray it on clothes and it will repel mosquitoes for up to 3 weeks, can't spray it on myself though so also:
-Bugspray with 30% DEET
-Light raincoat (thought I had one of these but I guess not)
-Thermometer
-Box of latex gloves (for my public health internship)
-Money belt or undershirt pouch
-Water bottle with filter (0r filtration tablets)
-Strong sunscreen
-SPF Chapstick
-Permethrin (you can spray it on clothes and it will repel mosquitoes for up to 3 weeks, can't spray it on myself though so also:
-Bugspray with 30% DEET
-Light raincoat (thought I had one of these but I guess not)
-Thermometer
-Box of latex gloves (for my public health internship)
Introduction
Here it is, the EcuaDane blog, which isn't so much of a travel blog, so much as a way I can keep in touch with people without checking facebook, because there's way too much going on there. For those unfamiliar to blogger, it's much more simple: in the right bar you can sign up to follow my posts, which can be e-mailed to you - or tweeted to you, I guess. I don't really use Twitter so I don't quite know how that works... ANYWAY, on the left bar then is my mailing address in case you want to send me something, which I won't lie, I would love. I would also love to show you guys stuff, so I plan on putting up a slide show sometime for all my pictures. Here's hoping this works, and wish me luck! I'll be leaving August 30.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)