Excursion en La Selva... Finally

I meant to post this a loooong time ago, but having my computer stolen kind of put a damper on things. Now that I have a new computer, here it is:

La Selva, Day 1:

Our first day in the Jungle was spent driving from Puyo to the lodge site which served as our home base while on our excursion. In typical Ecuadorian fashion, we squeezed six people into a truck, gringos in the back, and headed into the Jungle.  It was incredible, and lush to say the least.  We made two pit stops on the way, the first was to see a very large kind of fish which was compared to a dolphin, but did not remind me of a dolphin at all except for its size.  We did not see them in the wild, however, but instead at a viewing pool where our guides first caught smaller fish to feed to the large not-dolphin-like fish so that we could get a better view of them.  To be fair they were about a meter in size, but they did not have any fins, nor were their bodies curved, nor did they have beak-like mouths. Then we stopped at our first Quichua village where we briefly met the village´s Shaman and some partially domesticated parrots before being ushered into a building which housed the villages artisan goods.  We all purchased something and soon after left for the lodge.

Not-dolphin-like fish. Otherwise known as the Painche Amazon Fish.

Semi-domesticated parrot in a Quichua community.

Once at the lodge we were given a few minutes to get ready, and then we had our faces painted using the inside of an Achiote plant, following the Quichua tradition.  I was painted to be "la mujer del sol" or woman of the sun.  We were told the face paint would serve as protection for our first trip into the Jungle.  We then embarked on a hike to a water fall named Hola Vida, or Hello Life.  The walk was gorgeous, and very, very wet.  We were outfitted with "jungle boots," or rain boots, before we left, and they proved to be very empowering.  We mostly walked through mud and/or very shallow creeks, but at one point we crossed a river wearing them and not a one of us ended up with wet feet.

Being painted as the "Mujer del Sol" or "Woman of the Sun" for protection.

Jungle boots.



Hola Vida

That afternoon our guia, Cecilia, had planned to take us back from the waterfall hike via canoe, but it had rained heavily the night before and the river was extremely high and moving very quickly. So, we rode back to our lodge and cabaña in the bed of truck, ate lunch, and proceeded to nap and relax all evening.  We did not go on another hike that night, but we did discover the lodge´s bar, which played Bob Marley and 90´s throwbacks, and which we named "jungle bar" and spent the evening drinking beer and telling embarrassing stories.

La Selva, Day 2:

 We were instructed to be ready by 8:30 a.m. for breakfast, and to come ready to walk a lot.  As we are all accustomed to Ecuadorian timing by this point, we did not arrive until 8:45, but of course that didn´t matter at all because breakfast wasn´t actually ready until 9:30 a.m. anyway. During breakfast we met our second guia, Enrique, Cecilia´s husband.  He literally had the best mullet I have ever seen.  After a huge breakfast, Enrique took us in a canoe down the Puyo River to a scenic look out, and then we walked to Cecelia´s father´s community and to about four or five different Quichua communities after that.  They ranged in size from about 100 people to about 30 people.  We also visited one Shuar community.  The Shuar community we visited was located across the river from our hiking trail, and Enrique had planned to take us across in a canoe.  Due to the aforementioned heavy rains, the canoe had been washed away.  As a result, Enrique took us all across the river individually, on his back.  This was pretty hilarious to all of us.  I was the last to cross, and also had the misfortune of not properly arranging myself piggy-back style on Enrique´s back. About two thirds of the way across, this proved to be problematic and I started to slide sideways and down towards the water. Enrique quickly reached behind him and grabbed hold of me by the butt, pushing me back into position.  I do not ever think I have been so grateful to have my ass grabbed.  Once safely across, we visited with the inhabitants of the Shuar community. In the traditional Shuar hunting tradition, we learned to shoot arrows with our mouths out of a blow gun, which is really more like a five-foot wooden straw.  I managed to hit the tree (our target) four out of five times. We also met the community's children, two of whom were orphans.  It was made quite clear to us that when children find themselves without parents in a Shuar community, the entire community becomes their parents. 

Alex being carried across the river by our guia, Enrique

Demonstration of traditional Shuar hunting blowgun.
 

Throughout our hike that on the second day, we saw many different types of community arrangements, and met many people.  Along the way Enrique pointed out different plants and birds. He used his machete to investigate everything.  Machetes are so popular in the jungle that everyone carries one. They are absolutely essential to hacking your way through an un-trecked trail in order to get from A to B, to get fruit, and potentially for protection from an animal. Literally everyone carried them, everywhere. On one of our community visits, we encountered the little boy pictured below, completely naked, incredibly young, and still wilding a machete.

Jungle boots and a machete... all the essentials.

That afternoon we visited an animal corral, of sorts, which housed some of the more interesting animals of the jungle.  We met a relative of the elephant whose name I cannot remember nor can I find when I do a google search.  We also saw a jungle boar and turtles.  Later, we went on a night hike, which we did completely in the dark, holding hands and whispering messages to each other.  My eyes never fully adjusted, and this walk was more a test of trust in my friends and in my own two feet than anything else.  I did see a monkey's butt before it scampered off, and crocodiles (though it was so dark we could only make out the eyes), but nothing else.  Everyone fell multiple times, and though it was a learning experience, I was happy when we were safely back at the lodge.  Again, we drank beer at the "jungle bar" and then went to bed fairly early.

Jungle Animal Corral

La Selva, Day 3:

On our last day in La Selva we went on fairly intense hike which was up and down hill for four hours, without a trail.  We visited a cave which had been carved into the face of a devil because Enrique's brother had a vision instructing him to do so when he was drinking ayawaska (a traditional medicinal drink of the Qichua people which is also a hallucinogen).  We also had the opportunity to swing off of a cliff over the Puyo River on a rope swing, but unfortunately, I chickened out.  I was the only person to attempt to swing, however. After our hike, we ate lunch and rode in the back of a truck bed back into Puyo.  It was glorious to ride for an hour in the sun through the verdant overgrowth of the jungle.  It was also a much better way to say goodbye to our excursion than simply squishing four-gringos-across in the back seat of a truck.

Devil-faced cave.

Me chickening-out about swinging on the rope swing over the cliff edge. Please note Enrique's incredible mullet.

Vida Sin Computadora

Living in Ecuador without a computer has proven to be both awareness building and frustrating. I was not aware of how often I use my computer each day, nor of the haphazard way I was using it; in other words, I would use my computer at whim with no real organization to my time or searches. Without my computer I find myself making lists of everything I need or want to do on the internet, and also when specifically I will be able to do so.  I prioratize and I try not to waste time on my usual time suckers (Facebook, Pinterest, NPR.org, or Google Images).  Before my computer was stolen, I wouldn´t have thought about this at all.  Now it has become so much  a part of my day here that I have chosen to blog about it.  For the MW´s that read this, all I have to say is: Simple Living Challenge (but really mandate) at its finest.

March is proving to be the month during which every Gringo gets robbed.  There were two cell phones stolen (though later returned) at my school exactly a week after my computer went missing, my friend´s bag, containing her passport, credit card, and journal, was stolen, and another friend was mugged on the street as he walked home from a bar.  I have thought a lot about my own safety this month, and have made a more concerted effort to be aware of my surroundings.  Still, my computer was stolen at school-- from the teacher´s lounge.  Increased awareness would´ve done little good to me there, except that I would not have left my computer in the teacher´s lounge.

 My school continues to show no accountability whatsoever, and I have recieved nothing but "that´s too bad" comments from my administration. This is the most frustrating part of the entire debackle. Things get stolen everywhere in the world. But when it happens in a locked facility (meaning it had to be a teacher or student) and that same facility does nothing to assist with that loss or to prevent future losses, the credibility of the entire institution starts to falter.  The international teachers have had to be very independant (though the school was honest about this during initial interviews) from day one, but now I go to work knowing that I will find no real support, should I need it.

Despite my frustration with my administration, my classes at school have been going well.  My students are reading The Adventures of Captain Underpants, Goosebumps Horrorland, and books they have chosen to read for pleasure. They are all completely engaged. They now rush to my classroom and beg me to read every day. I have felt very blessed to be able to choose books my students actually want to read, instead of trying to get them to see the value of a story we are mandated to read. Their confidence has also increased because they are aware that they are successfully reading stories that native English speakers also read.

Stolen Computer

My computer was stolen at school this week. I am more devastated about this than I would care to admit.

The thing is, it was stolen at school, so it was either a student or a fellow teacher. And that just plain sucks.  I am buying a new computer, which will be somewhat financially stressful, but there are not many computers at my school, and I need it to work.

I don´t know when my next blog post will be, but hopefully it will contain much happier content.

Carnaval in Macas and Puyo

This year Carnaval was officially celebrated on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of February, though unofficial celebrations started on the first.  I know I posted about this in my other February post, but basically this celebration leads up to Lent, and is a time similar to what I imagine Mardi Gras looks like in New Orleans (replacing the tradition of bead giving and earning with water and flour fights, of course).  It also means vacation time from school and work.  With the exception of CEDEI School (my school) Carnaval vacations last longer than Christmas/New Year's vacations in Ecuador. Because of this, it is like the "spring break" of Ecuador and is the most popular time for travel.  My friends and I followed suit and headed to El Oriente, or the Amazon region, to celebrate. 


We spent our first night of vacation in Macas, a city in the southern region of the Amazon which is about seven hours away by bus.  I made a friend, Fernando, on the bus and over the entire seven hour trip he proceeded to tell me his life story (photos included via his Blackberry), as well as foods to try and places to visit in Ecuador. He was very friendly and thankfully I was able to understand his Spanish with little trouble.  I had heard before that many people from El Oriente speak more slowly, and I definitely found this to be true in my seven hour conversation with Fernando.  He also was very patient with my Spanish, which again, I was grateful for.

Although I enjoyed Fernando, I was not sad to part ways when we arrived. Alex, her friend Kelsey, and I easily found a hostel, freshened up a bit, and then went in search of food.  Alex, the most carnivorous of the three of us, wanted meat. We ate a fabulous carne asada with rice, menestre (beans), salad, and patacones (fried green plantains) at a place called Porcion del Torro. Then we headed out to a bar that our travel guide rated five stars for its live Andian Music.  The bar was hilarious but nothing like we expected.  A somewhat mangy-looking poodle in a sweatshirt met us at the gate and the speakers were proudly bumping the Back Street Boys.  There was no live band or anything resembling Andean music to be found, but we did jam to bad 90's pop for the next three hours.  I should also mention that the decoration of this bar was somewhat of a cross between kitschy and hipster, and between the atmosphere and the music we were thoroughly entertained.

Carnaval Parade in Puyo.

The next morning we got up early and made our way to Puyo to meet our friend Eric.  That bus ride was only about four hours, thank goodness, and we got free peach juice with our tickets. Score. Despite the fact that the Puyo is a good 12 hours from the coast, there were tons of restaurants boasting comida costena, or coastal food/sea food.  After getting ourselves settled into a hostel, we took ourselves on our own walking tour of Puyo.  The highlights of this include watching the Carnaval Parade, eating a "coastal breakfast," drinking jugo de coco (coconut juice), getting coffee, then getting a beer, and eventually getting some dinner, all the while being sprayed by foam, water, and flour.  People were not playing carnaval very aggressively at first, but on our walk back from dinner we were basically attacked with spray foam, flour or baking soda, and even dulce de guayaba, a candy that has a consistency a little bit thicker than jam. People seemed to find entertainment specifically in spraying or wiping whatever they had in our eyes, and by the time we were close to our hostel, we were both thoroughly covered in white powder, red candy, and water, and ready to stay in our hostel for the rest of the night. After showering and changing our clothes, Eric (the least "gotten" of the four of us) made a beer run and we drank and played cards within the safe confines of our hostel room.

This is actually my friend Amanda's photo, but I think it does a decent job of portraying the way Ecuadorians play Carnaval.

The next morning we made our way to La Selva.  This experience was so packed it's getting it's own blog post. Possibly two if I'm feeling long-winded.

January in Vignettes

I meant to post more often in January, but alas, I didn't.  So here's a recap:

Procesiones De Que?

There have been parades here every weekend since before I went home for Christmas.  The parades in December were a part of the celebration of Christmas, and the ones in early January commemorated the New Year and Innocents day, but no one has been able to give me a concrete explanation as to why we've had parades every single Saturday and Sunday since then. I have been told "it's just a way to celebrate the culture" and "each parade is meant to celebrate something, but they are not well publicized usually, so no one knows exactly what they celebrate."  On the bright side, this has made the streets in my neighborhood very colorful, and it has been fun to see traditional dancing and costumes etc. as I walk to the market or to a friend's house.   The following are a few pictures of various parades.  The photo I am in is from the Innocents Day Parade, which I posted about in the beginning of the month.

This photo is from the parade celebrating Dia de los Inocentes, a holiday which celebrates the innocence of children and commemorates the deaths of children who died before reaching the age of two in the past year.  It is celebrated by dressing in costumes and masks, the parade, music, and pranks.

Ya Tenemos Presidente! Tenemos Rafael!

The presidential elections were supposed to take place in January, but due to new laws the elections are now set to take place on February 17th. This change meant an extra month of campaigning, and the entire city is plastered with posters, stickers, and campaign volunteers representing candidates.  Supposedly there are eight candidates, but I have only seen campaign paraphernalia for three candidates: current president Rafael Correa, and presidential candidates Lucio Gutierrez and Alvaro Noboa.   President Correa's paraphernalia is the most popular, which boldly reads: Ya Tenemos Presidente! Tenemos Rafael! Which means: We already have a president! We have Rafael!

  I will not comment on the political climate here, because I don't really understand it and therefore don't think I can make any kind of accurate conclusions about it.  I will say though, that working at a private school at this time is very interesting. Most of my students come from affluent families, and just as in the States, often this status is accompanied by more politically conservative opinions.  My students talk a lot about how Presdient Correa is too socialist, and we need someone who's going to look out for the economic interests of the country, rather than the social interests.  In other places I have caught parts of conversations in which people criticize Correa for claiming to be socialist while not actually creating regulations that protect the people.  Although I've admitted that I don't know enough about the political climate here to have an opinion, I will say that the opinions I've heard sound surprisingly similar to opinions I've heard about the U.S. presidential elections.

One of the many signs for Presidente Correa

Feliz  Quinceanera y Despidida

Per usual, the extranjeros here always plan or find something to do on the weekends, so there is always some kind of party going on.  However, two weekends ago, my friends and I hosted a Fiesta de Quinceanera y Despedida (15th birthday and farewell party) for our dear friend Valerie, who is unfortunately leaving Ecuador and CEDEI school early for family reasons.  Though she is far from 15 years old, she has always wanted to have a Quinceanera, which for those of you that don't know, is similar to a cotillion in the Latino community. So as an early birthday present and a theme for her farewell, we had a Quinceanera.  One of the main elements of a Quinceanera is a huge ball gown, but not wanting to buy one, my friend's Cuencano boyfriend asked one of his cousins to loan us her old Quinceanera dress.  His cousins are older than him, however, and the dress he brought was from the 80's.  It did not have the Cinderella puffy skirt, plunging neckline, nor the bejeweling of the dresses of today.  Instead, it was pale pink and very conservative, with a huge bow on the butt. Valerie wore it for all of about 30 minutes, but changed before going out.  Still, it was a hilarious party.  Our friend Ellie, a very talented baker, made the Barbie cake pictured below, in honor of the type of dress we wished we could find for Val.

 

 

Carnaval

Technically, Carnaval does not take place until next weekend.  However, celebrations have already started.  One of the ways in which it is celebrated here is by spraying people with water guns,  throwing water balloons, or flour/baking powder.  My students are currently on vacation for Carnaval, but in the last 30 minutes of their last day of school before break, we had a school-wide water fight.  This was prohibited, but it happened anyway.  It was one of the highlights of my teaching career thus far. Every student and teacher left completely soaked. I personally left the school dripping wet, with flour caked in my hair.  After having Quimester exams for the two weeks prior to vacation, it was really nice to play with my students again.

Outside of school, Carnaval is still fun, but not quite as much.  As a gringa, I am a target for flying water and flour.  I am sprayed daily by passing cars or children walking on the street. Don't get me wrong, this tradition doesn't bother me per se; it is totally new, totally Ecuadorian, and pretty much hilarious.  But I had much more fun when I was able to spray people back (like at school) and when I knew who was spraying me! My friends and I will take part in the city-wide water fight this weekend, and I am looking forward to once again being able to participate more fully in this very silly tradition.

Penne Rosa

Today I gave my Quinto (4th grade) students Applebee's menus as a way to learn how to use quantifiers for count and non-count nouns (these nouns being the food).  Aka, we were learning how to use a/an, some, a few, and any in conjunction with food.  My students were completely and totally engaged. It was one of those great, rare moments in my teaching career when I felt like I had figured out a great lesson. This lasted until my students found the pasta section, which boldly highlighted a dish called Penne Rosa.  In Spanish, pene is the word for penis, and rosa is the word for pink.  So, no matter that penne the pasta has two "n"s; my students quickly abandoned their desire to investigate the menu for a fit of giggles, laughing and pointing, and rolling on the floor in exaggerated laughter.  They the two girls who found this dish first chanted "pene rosa" enough times to make all of my male students turn red. I eventually got the students back on track, but I continued to hear whispers of "pene rosa" throughout the afternoon.

December Recap and New Year's Resolutions

December was a very busy month and I should've posted more, but obviously I didn't. We had a lot going on at school between the Christmas program, end of the grading period, and Christmas workshops for the kids.  As per usual at school, I did a lot of work planning my part of the workshop based on the direction given to me by the national teacher I was working with, only to have him change his mind so that all my plans became useless. Then I did slightly less work to create a new plan based on the new direction, but again none of this work was used.  I was pretty frustrated with this, but it definitely teaches me to let go. Actually, every day at school provides a lesson in learning to let go in one form or another.

Aside from school work, I also decided to home-make gifts for all my gringo friends, which was very time consuming. In true Becca-fashion, I am not quite finished yet (even two weeks after Christmas), but the gifts are turning out quite nicely, and I don't think my friends mind too much. 

I was also able to go home, which was the best Christmas present I have ever received. It was so refreshing to be with my mom, dad, sister, and grandma for nine days, and then to be with my friends in Chicago for seven days. It was wonderful to not worry about my sentence structure, pronunciation, or word choice.  It was wonderful to be with people that know who have known me for so long that our relationships only require maintaining, and not building. It was wonderful to sleep.

After a two week refresher course in all things United States, I returned to Cuenca on the fourth. It was really late and I immediately went to bed.  But, yesterday I was able to spend really intentional time returning to my life here.  I  immediately began speaking my very broken Spanish with my roommates, unpacked and settled back in to my apartment, Skyped with my sister and a good friend, and went to the market. I also spent some time reflecting on the last four months. They have been hard but good, and have provided many opportunities for me to learn about myself. I also realized that while I am not yet comfortable here the way I am in Minnetonka or Chicago, I am much more comfortable here than I was even a month ago. And that thought in itself is comforting. Moreover, now that I have reached a base-level of comfort, I have decided it is time to really live this adventure to its fullest. It is time for me to explore Ecuador, which I have done disappointingly little of thus far. And so my New Year's resolution for this year is born.

With this attitude, my friends and I hit the town last night. We went out for dinner and went to two of our favorite bars.  It was good to be with them again. I didn't realize how much I had missed them until we were reunited. I was also reunited with my love of dancing, which I hadn't done much of in the last month or so.  I danced a lot of salsa, but eventually the DJ switched to 80's pop music. My very silly roommate and I closed down the club with our interpretation of 80's dance moves. It was a great way to return to Cuenca, my friends, and my life here.