About a month after I got to Ecuador, it became apparent to me that I would not be able to afford to go home for Christmas. This was pretty disappointing news, but I accepted it as a part of this adventure, and was going to try to make the best of it. Just before Thanksgiving though, my mom emailed me to say that she and my dad had decided to buy me a plane ticket to Minnesota for Christmas. She told me that no one was really looking forward to Christmas without me and truth-be-told I wasn't looking forward to spending a Christmas without them, though I have come love my friend-family here very much.
Being able to go home is a gift in-and-of-itself, but what is more, I also get to see my dear friends in Chicago because it turned out to be $400 cheaper to fly into MSP and then out of O'Hare in Chicago. Being able to go home felt like a gift, being able to go to both Minnesota and Chicago is an even bigger blessing. But lately I have come to realize that knowing I am going to be able spend Christmas and New Year's Eve in the way I want to spend them has increased my desire to be in Ecuador. I get to do both: I get to live in Ecuador and have a big adventure, and I get to spend the holidays the way I want to spend them, and with the people I want to spend them with. And I couldn't be happier.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Overview of the last weeks in November
Things are going pretty well here, though I have been very busy. I finally received a visa, though it is a Comercio visa, and not an Intercambio visa, and therefore I will need to go back to the Edificio Astudillo (office where visas are granted in Cuenca) in May to have my visa extended. As it turns out, every organization which hosts internationals in Ecuador for cultural exchange is currently being investigated. According to the visa regulations, an Intercambio visa is only supposed to be granted to International persons who live in Ecuador to teach a language (and/or other aspects of culture) and in exchange learn Spanish and experience Ecuadorian culture. Furthermore, this is considered to be a volunteer-type of exchange rather than a form of employment, and therefore those granted Intercambio visas are only supposed to receive a living stipend, rather than wages, for their work. However, it has recently come to the Ecuadorian government's attention that some organizations were employing people (paying them wages and all) but asking them to get an Intercambio visa instead of a work visa, since it's so much easier to obtain. So long story short, no Intercambio visas are being granted right now. While this is somewhat annoying, I am grateful to have been given a Comercio visa for the mean-time, and to be able to continue my big adventure.
In other news, the last two weekends in a row I went hiking in Cajas (the national park in the mountains that I posted about previously). On the 18th I went to Tres Cruces (Three Crosses) with a motley crew of various Internationals and Cuencanos. Tres Cruces is fairly high up in the mountains, and there were times when I was very easily winded and needed to stop to more fully catch my breath or drink water. The hike lasted about five hours in total, and afterwards we ate fresh rainbow trout at a restaurant in the mountains. It was probably the most delicious meal I have had since being here, and I enjoyed it all the more after having completed what I consider to be a fairly intense hike. On the 25th I went to Cajas again but this time I was in the company of all my fellow teachers, our students, and their parents. This time we walked a lower level loop around a lake next to an abandoned brewery. This was much less intense, and while I was not enamored with the fact that I had to go in to work on a Sunday morning, it was fun to watch my students interact with their parents, and to have the opportunity to play with my students without needing to be mindful of class time or curriculum.
My professional life this month was somewhat crazy. But, every month I feel like I fall that much more in love with my students, and that helps me to deal with whatever the chaos brings. I have had a student teacher for the past two months, from White Water Wisconsin. It was a very interesting experience to be given a student teacher after having only one month of professional teaching experience, but we managed to figure out how to work together. From our first weeks together I told her that while I lacked sage wisdom and experience, I could offer her independence and the opportunity to be my professional peer, instead of my professional understudy. She was a very big help to me when I was sick and when I had to miss school to meet with visa officials, because she took over all my classes without hesitation. Anyway, this last week was not only the end of the current grading period, but also my student teacher's last week. And just to add a little more chaos, the entire school performed in a Christmas program at the local mall yesterday, but practice for each grade level's part of the program was held during school. On top of all of that, the boys soccer team had a game this week which was held during school hours (and the whole school was mandated to watch), and practices for this game were also held during school hours.
Needless to say, there was a lot to keep track of and a limited amount of actual class time, despite the fact that it was the end of the grading period and our student evaluations needed to be completed by Friday of this week. Tension was high throughout the whole school, this week, but as far as I know, everything ended up working out and everything got done, in one way or another. Working at CEDEI is definitely a test of my flexibility and patience. When I worked for Seton Home, I was often told these were two traits I possessed that benefited my team of co-workers. Here, I feel like I am forced to develop these traits in a much more concrete and sometimes extreme way. I think I am rising to the challenge, though I do not always do this gracefully. I will be the first to say I was extremely frustrated this week, and had to do a lot of self-care at home in order to successfully let go of the way I wanted things to go, and let them happen as they actually did. It was also extremely helpful that this week was peppered with many moments which provided the opportunity to bond with students, and during which students revealed their genuine kindness and tenderness over and over again.
In case you are interested, this is the link to CEDEI School's Facebook page. For confidentiality purposes I would never post photos of my students on my blog or personal Facebook page. However, the parents have given CEDEI permission to post photos of their children on the school's page, and if you are interested in a visual overview of everything we do at school, you should check It out.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/CEDEI-School/302520179765496?fref=ts
In other news, the last two weekends in a row I went hiking in Cajas (the national park in the mountains that I posted about previously). On the 18th I went to Tres Cruces (Three Crosses) with a motley crew of various Internationals and Cuencanos. Tres Cruces is fairly high up in the mountains, and there were times when I was very easily winded and needed to stop to more fully catch my breath or drink water. The hike lasted about five hours in total, and afterwards we ate fresh rainbow trout at a restaurant in the mountains. It was probably the most delicious meal I have had since being here, and I enjoyed it all the more after having completed what I consider to be a fairly intense hike. On the 25th I went to Cajas again but this time I was in the company of all my fellow teachers, our students, and their parents. This time we walked a lower level loop around a lake next to an abandoned brewery. This was much less intense, and while I was not enamored with the fact that I had to go in to work on a Sunday morning, it was fun to watch my students interact with their parents, and to have the opportunity to play with my students without needing to be mindful of class time or curriculum.
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| Cajas from my November 18th trip. |
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| An Alpaca hanging out at the top of a mountain |
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| Standing on the top of a mountain. |
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| Another view of the mountainside. \ |
My professional life this month was somewhat crazy. But, every month I feel like I fall that much more in love with my students, and that helps me to deal with whatever the chaos brings. I have had a student teacher for the past two months, from White Water Wisconsin. It was a very interesting experience to be given a student teacher after having only one month of professional teaching experience, but we managed to figure out how to work together. From our first weeks together I told her that while I lacked sage wisdom and experience, I could offer her independence and the opportunity to be my professional peer, instead of my professional understudy. She was a very big help to me when I was sick and when I had to miss school to meet with visa officials, because she took over all my classes without hesitation. Anyway, this last week was not only the end of the current grading period, but also my student teacher's last week. And just to add a little more chaos, the entire school performed in a Christmas program at the local mall yesterday, but practice for each grade level's part of the program was held during school. On top of all of that, the boys soccer team had a game this week which was held during school hours (and the whole school was mandated to watch), and practices for this game were also held during school hours.
Needless to say, there was a lot to keep track of and a limited amount of actual class time, despite the fact that it was the end of the grading period and our student evaluations needed to be completed by Friday of this week. Tension was high throughout the whole school, this week, but as far as I know, everything ended up working out and everything got done, in one way or another. Working at CEDEI is definitely a test of my flexibility and patience. When I worked for Seton Home, I was often told these were two traits I possessed that benefited my team of co-workers. Here, I feel like I am forced to develop these traits in a much more concrete and sometimes extreme way. I think I am rising to the challenge, though I do not always do this gracefully. I will be the first to say I was extremely frustrated this week, and had to do a lot of self-care at home in order to successfully let go of the way I wanted things to go, and let them happen as they actually did. It was also extremely helpful that this week was peppered with many moments which provided the opportunity to bond with students, and during which students revealed their genuine kindness and tenderness over and over again.
In case you are interested, this is the link to CEDEI School's Facebook page. For confidentiality purposes I would never post photos of my students on my blog or personal Facebook page. However, the parents have given CEDEI permission to post photos of their children on the school's page, and if you are interested in a visual overview of everything we do at school, you should check It out.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/CEDEI-School/302520179765496?fref=ts
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Fiestas de Cuenca
Two weekends ago was Fiestas de Cuenca, a city-wide holiday which celebrates Cuenca and South American culture in general. Artisans from South American countries came to Cuenca selling their goods. Traditional and modern Ecuadorian musicians gave free concerts all over the city. Traditional dancers from Ecuador and other South American countries performed in every square. And, traditional Ecuadorian foods were sold in parks all over the city. There was food, drink, dance, music, and other aspects of culture abound in Cuenca for four days. It was really energizing to celebrate and experience Ecuadorian culture with the entire city of Cuenca. Here are some photos of the celebrations, and of Cuenca in general.
On Thursday, November 1st, my friend and I walked near the river to check out all the vendors and other festivities. We stopped to watch the different musical and dancing traditions of South American countries. Here are photos of Mexican and then Peruvian dances.
On Saturday, November 1st, I went to Parque San Blas to eat traditional Ecuadorian food. I was able to try Cuy, or guinea pig, which is very popular in the mountainous regions of Ecuador. Unfortunately I could not bring myself to eat more than two bites, mostly because cuy is served skin-on. Aka: my plate actually held half of a dead guinea pig, feet, bones, skin and all. While I did not take a picture of my actual plate, below is a picture (taken by a friend of mine) of cuy being roasted.
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| Traditional Mexican dancers. |
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| Traditional Peruvian dancers. |
On Saturday, November 1st, I went to Parque San Blas to eat traditional Ecuadorian food. I was able to try Cuy, or guinea pig, which is very popular in the mountainous regions of Ecuador. Unfortunately I could not bring myself to eat more than two bites, mostly because cuy is served skin-on. Aka: my plate actually held half of a dead guinea pig, feet, bones, skin and all. While I did not take a picture of my actual plate, below is a picture (taken by a friend of mine) of cuy being roasted.
Cuy was not the only food being sold at Parque San Blas for Fiestas. The following two photos are of chicken, pork, and potatoes being prepared. Please note the aprons with the large pouch in front. Vendors at the market, whether selling prepared foods or groceries, all wear these type of aprons. They serve as both protection for their clothing and also as a wearable cash box. Though the aprons in this picture do not have many pockets, most women wear aprons with multiple pockets, for different amounts of money. The safest and most efficient place to keep money in Ecuador is on your body. It is much easier to steal a purse or a cash box than it is to steal an apron off of someone's body. That being said, there are thieves in Cuenca, but I have not had any trouble yet, knock on wood.
To the left is pork being roasted. Funny/embarrassing story: the day before this photo was taken my friends and I went out to eat with some of our fellow teachers. One of my fellow gringas confused the word for pork, chancho, with a slang term for vagina, chocho when discussing what to order. At the time, I had not yet learned either term. When I went to Parque San
Blas, I attempted to recall the word for pork, but ended up making the same mistake and instead asked for a plate of vagina. This was very amusing, not only to the woman taking my order, but to everyone cooking and standing in line as well.
Aside from providing ample opportunities to experience Ecuadorian and South American culture, this weekend also gave my roommates and friends and I lots of time to play and bond with each other. Here are some pictures of my roommates and I being goofy in front of a jacaranda tree, which blooms purple flowers instead of leaves.
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| Cuy |
Cuy was not the only food being sold at Parque San Blas for Fiestas. The following two photos are of chicken, pork, and potatoes being prepared. Please note the aprons with the large pouch in front. Vendors at the market, whether selling prepared foods or groceries, all wear these type of aprons. They serve as both protection for their clothing and also as a wearable cash box. Though the aprons in this picture do not have many pockets, most women wear aprons with multiple pockets, for different amounts of money. The safest and most efficient place to keep money in Ecuador is on your body. It is much easier to steal a purse or a cash box than it is to steal an apron off of someone's body. That being said, there are thieves in Cuenca, but I have not had any trouble yet, knock on wood.
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| Traditionally dressed women making chicken and mote. |
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| Roasting pork. |
To the left is pork being roasted. Funny/embarrassing story: the day before this photo was taken my friends and I went out to eat with some of our fellow teachers. One of my fellow gringas confused the word for pork, chancho, with a slang term for vagina, chocho when discussing what to order. At the time, I had not yet learned either term. When I went to Parque San
Blas, I attempted to recall the word for pork, but ended up making the same mistake and instead asked for a plate of vagina. This was very amusing, not only to the woman taking my order, but to everyone cooking and standing in line as well.
Aside from providing ample opportunities to experience Ecuadorian and South American culture, this weekend also gave my roommates and friends and I lots of time to play and bond with each other. Here are some pictures of my roommates and I being goofy in front of a jacaranda tree, which blooms purple flowers instead of leaves.
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| Rafa and I attempting cartwheels. Rafa is obviously much more skilled at this than I am. |
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| From bottom to top: Nico, Rafa, and me. |
Monday, October 22, 2012
Montañita
Last weekend was the Ecuadorian version of Columbus Day, which here is called Dia de la Raza (or day of the race), so I had a three day weekend. It saddens me that even here, we celebrate Columbus but still fail to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples. I could write entry upon entry about that, but this is all I will say on the subject right now: no matter what country I live in, Columbus sucks.
Nevertheless, I will always take advantage of a three day weekend to do some traveling and see this beautiful country. So with my three gringa-loca friends I ventured to Montanita, a smallish beach town about two hours from Guayaquil. This is kind of the party beach-town of Ecuador. There are lots of restaurants, bars, shops, and clubs, but not much else. It is definitely a twenty-something tourist destination. It was cloudy every day that we were there, but it was still much warmer, and I loved being at the beach. We ate seafood every day, and walked around the town, took naps, and enjoyed each other's company. At night we went out dancing. We wanted (in particular, I wanted) to dance salsa, merengue, bachata, and cumbia more than we wanted to dance to reggaeton. When the DJ at a club wouldn't play the kinds of music we wanted, we left the club and ended up finding tienda owners with stereo systems to play the music we wanted so we could dance salsa, cumbia, merengue and bachata in the street. People asked us to dance everywhere, whether the venue was intended for dancing or not. I haven't felt quite so carefree in a long time.
I have heard that the coastal culture of Ecuador can be much different than the mountain culture, and in my experience this is correct. I should clarify that most of the people I met were not from Montanita itself, but from Guayaquil or other coastal towns. Still, people wore much brighter colors on the coast, and even the buildings and signs were painted more brightly than they are here in Cuenca. People in Montanita were much more friendly and outgoing, more people said hello to us on the street, men cat-called us more often, and conversations with shop keepers, taxi drivers, and others working people lasted a little longer. The women dress far more conservatively in Cuenca than they do on the coast. In part I think this is because of the difference in daily temperature, but women also showed more cleavage and wore tighter-fitting clothes than they do in Cuenca, especially in clubs. Furthermore, there seemed to be taller men and more voluptuous women on the coast, where as in Cuenca men and women alike are often short and stocky. Finally, the men in Montanita were much better dancers than the men in Cuenca are, in my experience.
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| The Four Gringa-Locas just outside of Montanita. |
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| The Four Gringa-Locas again, with a parasailor in the background. |
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| Walking down the street in Montanita looking for a good place to eat. |
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| View of our hotel room from the loft. |
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| Ceviche: a cold Ecuadorian seafood soup served for breakfast or lunch. |
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Visiting the doctor in Ecuador
Since I have been experiencing intestinal problems and dehydration for over a week to no avail, I finally "put on my big girl pants" and went to the doctor. It took a while to get a recommendation for a doctor who spoke some English, but I found one. He even happens to be within walking distance. Thanks to a friend whose husband is a doctor, I ended up at a wonderful clinic that serves a wide range of needs. It took some time and many trips to the upstairs office of an English-speaking nurse, but eventually I took a parasite test (which I will tell you, at the risk of being gross, involves giving a stool sample). Thankfully, I am parasite-free. I do, however, have a bacterial infection which most likely came from eating fruit imported from the coast (which means it was washed using water from the coast which contains different bacteria...woops). The doctor gave me both a low-dose anti-biotic and a highly potent pro-biotic because he said it was better for my stomach to "start new in rejuvenation." He was a very patient, kind doctor and I would go to him again in a heartbeat. I had been dreading going to the doctor because I knew that if no one spoke English, I would likely struggle to get my needs met. This trip was relatively painless, although they first thought I wanted a pregnancy test instead of a parasite test. However, once I remembered that "embarazada" means pregnant and not embarrassed (For about thirty seconds I thought they were asking me if I was embarrassed to poop in a cup) I quickly corrected that notion. I actually left feeling more relieved than I've felt in a long time. Pun intended.
Anecdote
At the end of the school day yesterday I was standing at the gated entrance/exit of the school, performing my usual Wednesday door duty. Most of the kids had piled out for the day, but there were some stragglers around waiting for parents or buses. One of the students still at school was a third-grade boy who is blind. Students and teachers alike enjoy being around this kid because he loves life and school so much it's infectious. I don't actually have this kid as a student, but I interact with him in some way weekly. I greeted him as he approached me, and he mistook me for Tia Valerie, his science teacher. I let him know who I was, and then I informed him that Tia Valerie was about six meters behind him, but that she was walking towards us now. He got really excited and grabbed my hands, saying "mande." I asked him what "mande" meant, as I had yet to learn it. He replied "lunes" (which is the word for Monday in Spanish). I replied, "No, Como se dice mande en ingles?" To which he replied, "Monday." At this point Tia Valerie approached us, and I relayed the story to her. She informed me that "mande" means "tell me" in Cuencano Spanish. The third grader then informed both of us that he just thought I couldn't say "Monday" correctly in English, which made us all laugh.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Totally Overwhelmed
I'm not going to lie, these past two weeks have not been great. I am growing weary of never knowing what I'm doing. I have more insecurity than I have had in a really long time. I am tired of not knowing Spanish. I am tired of being sick. ( Side note: I have gotten over my cold for the most part, though I do have a lingering cough, but now I am having intestinal problems. Based on conversations with my family at home and friends here, I am either having trouble digesting fats and oils, or I have a parasite). I am tired of feeling like I work harder here and get less accomplished. I am tired of thinking I planned a great lesson only to have it bomb because I executed it poorly. Basically, the shiny novelty of living in Ecuador is starting to wear off, and the many realities of living in a foreign country are starting to set in.
This is still what I want, don't get me wrong. This is still what I worked for all those months last year, and inadvertently for the past however many years. I am just ready for some sense of adequacy. It is fairly painful to be faced with an entire set of Ecuador-related insecurities to constantly keep at bay and work toward overcoming.
At the same time, there are synchronicities that occur here regularly enough that I feel like I'm doing something kind of right. For example, the night before I left for Cuenca, I prayed that the Powers That Be would provide me with a loving community, that I could find a yoga class (or something similar), and that I would feel "good enough" in this new life, among other things. My first night in Cuenca I was invited to join a yoga class. Yesterday I moved into what will likely be my permanent housing for the year: a house for internationals in Cuenca which houses seven other people who welcomed me into "the family" when I arrived. And while I don't always feel "good enough" I am taking steps to take care of myself daily, so that I have some sense of self worth even in the face of all my insecurity.
One of the many things I am learning here, is that life is absolutely packed with both good and bad. I am kind of overwhelmed by how much I feel here on a daily basis, but then again I have always been an emotional person. My life in Ecuador is literally like riding an emotional roller coaster; I actively try to take pride in all my small accomplishments, but at the same time, making mistakes can make me feel totally dejected. This fact in itself adds to the theme of overwhelm in my life, because as emotional as I am, I'm usually more stable. I keep telling myself that, in time and with effort, I will regain a sense of normalcy. Hopefully it's not too much time.
This is still what I want, don't get me wrong. This is still what I worked for all those months last year, and inadvertently for the past however many years. I am just ready for some sense of adequacy. It is fairly painful to be faced with an entire set of Ecuador-related insecurities to constantly keep at bay and work toward overcoming.
At the same time, there are synchronicities that occur here regularly enough that I feel like I'm doing something kind of right. For example, the night before I left for Cuenca, I prayed that the Powers That Be would provide me with a loving community, that I could find a yoga class (or something similar), and that I would feel "good enough" in this new life, among other things. My first night in Cuenca I was invited to join a yoga class. Yesterday I moved into what will likely be my permanent housing for the year: a house for internationals in Cuenca which houses seven other people who welcomed me into "the family" when I arrived. And while I don't always feel "good enough" I am taking steps to take care of myself daily, so that I have some sense of self worth even in the face of all my insecurity.
One of the many things I am learning here, is that life is absolutely packed with both good and bad. I am kind of overwhelmed by how much I feel here on a daily basis, but then again I have always been an emotional person. My life in Ecuador is literally like riding an emotional roller coaster; I actively try to take pride in all my small accomplishments, but at the same time, making mistakes can make me feel totally dejected. This fact in itself adds to the theme of overwhelm in my life, because as emotional as I am, I'm usually more stable. I keep telling myself that, in time and with effort, I will regain a sense of normalcy. Hopefully it's not too much time.
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