Yesterday, I went with my host mother, Mirta, and bought my school uniform. School uniforms! I can hardly believe it. I look so hilarious in it, like a duck. If I can will myself the strength I may post pictures of it. It's so strange!
I've decided that, since everyone wants to know basically the same questions, I'm going to compile a FAQ. Hope it helps!
1. Why Ecuador?
I chose Ecuador because it best fit what I wanted in my exchange experience. It at first was not my top choice, but the more I've gotten acquainted with it, the more I think it should have been. It's a great combination of industry and nature, old and new. Although I live in a city with taxi cabs and shopping malls and streetlights, all it takes is about a 5 minute drive to sprawling fields, primitive-esque houses, and a short trip out to the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon rainforest.
2. What are the people like?
They're very friendly. They, in general, talk fast and move slowly. In the time I've been here, I have seen very little of the hustle and tension that's common in America, always having something to do and somewhere to be and always hurrying to get thigns done. Family is very important and of course, so is Futbol.
3. What surprised you the most upon arriving?
Traffic! Back home, I had a hard time driving because I was scared to death of fender-benders. Here, people are generally more offensive drivers, as opposed to defensive. Two-lane roads don't necessarily mean two cars, a third car easily, and often, squeezes in and just like that, you've got a three-lane road.
Also, McDonald's. Not only are they here, and in large numbers, but they have McCafes here, which are more or less starbucks, but run by McDonald's. I've read that this tactic of making McDonald's more upscale in appearance is being put into place in Europe, too-maybe we'll be next! Look out for McCafes popping up near you!
4. What do you miss the most?
I miss my friends and family, of course, but as far as "creature comforts", I miss my bed, and I miss Stewart's food, and I miss TV in English! It's tough adjusting to new beds, new food, new TV. I enjoy it, absolutely, but that's what I miss.
Whew! I think that's enough for now. Check back soon for more about those lovely uniforms, and more FAQ
30 August, 2007
27 August, 2007
More to see, more to do...
It's hard to update fully on what's been going on because not very much has happened. I'm starting to settle in with the family more, I'm more comfortable joining in on their activities than I was a week or so ago. The other night we watched an Ecuadorian, Jefferson Perez, win the world racewalk championship in Osaka by a good 12 seconds, then collapse on the other side of the finish line. We've spent a lot of time at the Malecon 2000, which I think I mentioned before. It's not as beautiful in the daytime, but in many respects it's better because you can see what's aroudn you, the Guayas river and the handsome government buildings and all the Ecuadorians, too.
And, because no city is free from American culture, we had lunch at McDonald's two days ago!
My spanish is making leaps and bounds of progress. It's not so much that I'm learning new vocabulary, or even necessarily improving my speech, but I have a lot easier time comprehending what others say to me. I still hit some snags, though: On Thursday, my host mother Mirta came home from the store and told me something in spanish, but I didn't understand her, so I said "Que?" ["What?"] and she said "I need... help... you." And I told her I was fine, and she shook her head and said "I need helping you" So I said again, more clearly, that I was alright. Then she tried again, and said "I need you help"... and the lightbulb went on! She wanted help bringing in the groceries. I am so grateful for their patience and willingness to speak slowly, try english, use simpler vocabulary, enunciate. It is an enormous help for me.
Saturday, we were supposed to have a meeting of all the Guayaquil inbound exchange students, but it was postponed until this coming weekend because there was no place to have it. No Rotarians were able to offer their homes, and the restaurant where Rotary meetings usually are was already booked.
Diego is getting ready for his big departure to Deutschland on the 4th, buying gifts for his families and pins for his blazer. I don't ask him if he's nervous, excited, scared, because I know how it is. I was just in his position 3 weeks ago!
So, I've got a lot of Ecuador now under my belt, lots of cultural learning and making myself at home, but also tons more to see and do. More soon; ciao!
And, because no city is free from American culture, we had lunch at McDonald's two days ago!
My spanish is making leaps and bounds of progress. It's not so much that I'm learning new vocabulary, or even necessarily improving my speech, but I have a lot easier time comprehending what others say to me. I still hit some snags, though: On Thursday, my host mother Mirta came home from the store and told me something in spanish, but I didn't understand her, so I said "Que?" ["What?"] and she said "I need... help... you." And I told her I was fine, and she shook her head and said "I need helping you" So I said again, more clearly, that I was alright. Then she tried again, and said "I need you help"... and the lightbulb went on! She wanted help bringing in the groceries. I am so grateful for their patience and willingness to speak slowly, try english, use simpler vocabulary, enunciate. It is an enormous help for me.
Saturday, we were supposed to have a meeting of all the Guayaquil inbound exchange students, but it was postponed until this coming weekend because there was no place to have it. No Rotarians were able to offer their homes, and the restaurant where Rotary meetings usually are was already booked.
Diego is getting ready for his big departure to Deutschland on the 4th, buying gifts for his families and pins for his blazer. I don't ask him if he's nervous, excited, scared, because I know how it is. I was just in his position 3 weeks ago!
So, I've got a lot of Ecuador now under my belt, lots of cultural learning and making myself at home, but also tons more to see and do. More soon; ciao!
22 August, 2007
closing in on one full week...
It's been a hectic couple of days! The last time I wrote was friday, so I guess I'll start from there. Friday night was Diego's friend Mauricio's going away party. Mauricio is also doing "intercambio", exchange, and he's moving to Pennsylvania. Diego told his sister he thinks Mauricio might turn into a vampire, to which she replied, "No, that's Trannsylvania."
All of their friends are very nice. I'm still timid to start conversations, which is so unlike how I've been most of my life, because now I'm afraid I'll open up a can of worms and not understand a single word spoken to me. But everyone speaks slowly, asks basic questions, and tosses in what they know of English. I come home around 1:30 and crash, because even though most people stay out much later here, I'm wiped by then.
Saturday, we go to Salinas, which they call "Little Miami", and it is, more or less. The skies are cloudy and the water is cold but nevertheless, Estefania and I go for a walk down the shore, and on our way home, we take a different route and check out some of the local vendors.
Sunday morning, we get up and have breakfast and do some sightseeing. Marco, my host father, tells me we're going to La Chocolatera, which I'm thrilled about, because who doesn't love chocolate? But when we get there, it's not Willy Wonka's; It's the westernmost point of South America. The ground is rocky and the water crashes against the walls in big gusts and splashes. It's absolutely beautiful. We drive up on a hill and get out and you can see for what feels like miles.
From there, we go to a naval antique shop and I get some history lessons. There's also a chest that says "Liberty New York" on the side! I point it out and everyone nods. I guess it takes a true New Yorker to appreciate it.
We head home after that, and Sunday Night we go to church. I catch bits and pieces but it's nice to go through familiar motions.
Monday is spent at home, and that evening Marco, Diego, and I run some errands. We take his blazer to the seamstress and he gets a haircut, and then we visit the Malecon, the Guayaquil government attempt to beautify a bad neighborhood. And it does! The Malecon is mroe or less a boardwalk along the river, but it's about 2 or 3 kilometers long, all laid with bricks. There's a fountain, a performing center, discotecas, shops, and at night the whole thing is lit up. It's really beautiful.
Tuesday we visit Julio, my Ecuador Bob Mohr, and bring him my emergency fund, passport, and visa. Later on, Diego and I go to the Rotary meeting, where a boy from Germany gives his presentation. Everyone is friendly, of course, and very patient. We hve patacones with dinner, which have quickly become one of my favorite foods. They're made with verde, meaning green, which are in the same family as bananas, but they're much harder and their peel is hard and green, like the difference between a peach and an apple. You cut the peel off the verde, cut the inside into horizontal slices, fry it, flatten it, and top it with salt. They're a lot like french fries, or tater tots.
That brings us up to today, Wednesday. Tomorrow is thursday, and it will offically be one weeks ince my arrival. Ciao!
All of their friends are very nice. I'm still timid to start conversations, which is so unlike how I've been most of my life, because now I'm afraid I'll open up a can of worms and not understand a single word spoken to me. But everyone speaks slowly, asks basic questions, and tosses in what they know of English. I come home around 1:30 and crash, because even though most people stay out much later here, I'm wiped by then.
Saturday, we go to Salinas, which they call "Little Miami", and it is, more or less. The skies are cloudy and the water is cold but nevertheless, Estefania and I go for a walk down the shore, and on our way home, we take a different route and check out some of the local vendors.
Sunday morning, we get up and have breakfast and do some sightseeing. Marco, my host father, tells me we're going to La Chocolatera, which I'm thrilled about, because who doesn't love chocolate? But when we get there, it's not Willy Wonka's; It's the westernmost point of South America. The ground is rocky and the water crashes against the walls in big gusts and splashes. It's absolutely beautiful. We drive up on a hill and get out and you can see for what feels like miles.
From there, we go to a naval antique shop and I get some history lessons. There's also a chest that says "Liberty New York" on the side! I point it out and everyone nods. I guess it takes a true New Yorker to appreciate it.
We head home after that, and Sunday Night we go to church. I catch bits and pieces but it's nice to go through familiar motions.
Monday is spent at home, and that evening Marco, Diego, and I run some errands. We take his blazer to the seamstress and he gets a haircut, and then we visit the Malecon, the Guayaquil government attempt to beautify a bad neighborhood. And it does! The Malecon is mroe or less a boardwalk along the river, but it's about 2 or 3 kilometers long, all laid with bricks. There's a fountain, a performing center, discotecas, shops, and at night the whole thing is lit up. It's really beautiful.
Tuesday we visit Julio, my Ecuador Bob Mohr, and bring him my emergency fund, passport, and visa. Later on, Diego and I go to the Rotary meeting, where a boy from Germany gives his presentation. Everyone is friendly, of course, and very patient. We hve patacones with dinner, which have quickly become one of my favorite foods. They're made with verde, meaning green, which are in the same family as bananas, but they're much harder and their peel is hard and green, like the difference between a peach and an apple. You cut the peel off the verde, cut the inside into horizontal slices, fry it, flatten it, and top it with salt. They're a lot like french fries, or tater tots.
That brings us up to today, Wednesday. Tomorrow is thursday, and it will offically be one weeks ince my arrival. Ciao!
17 August, 2007
Aqui estoy!
WOWOWOWOWOWOW.
So, I'm sure you've aready come to the conclusion that I'm in Ecuador. And I am! Finally! Of course it's not much like I expected, but in many ways it's so much better. The food thrils me to no end. The family is so dear and the view out my window... I can see this hill in the distance with all these houses on it, it looks identical to a picture I found of Guayaquil when this was all just beginning.
I'm so physically exhausted, and time passes so strangely. I woke up this morning and checked my clock on my iPod, which I think is the cause of the confusion. The clock said it was around noon. I was embarassed about sleeping the whole morning, but when I got downstairs, I checked the TV and the clock and it wasn't even 9:00 yet. I changed the time zone on the iPod, trying to synchronize it with the actual time, but when i took a nap later, it said 3:00, I think, and it was only 1. Or something like that. Either way, I'm entirely discombobulated!
I can't believe how lax the laws are here. Leaving the airport, a group of no less than 10 or 12 people squeezed in the back of a pickup truck next to Nia's car. I told her that that's illegal in America, and she said it's legal to ride around like that as long as it's short trips within a city. There aren't any apparent speed limits and customs didn't even check my bag, which was a relief, seeing as how I "snuck" Swedsh Fish over the border. :)
I'm concurrently keeping two journals-one in english and one in spanish. I'm hoping to utilize the two to practice my spanish, but still be able to hash complicated things out if my vocabulary is too limited. The family is so patient with me, and they use what they know of English, short phrases or words, to fill in any blanks. I nod a lot, and say "Que?" ("What?") all the time. I know the language barrier is temporary, but it's intimidating nonetheless.
Last night we ate Shawarma, which is a lot like most of the tex-mex I've had over the years. Still delicious though. They have a big chicken rotisserie, from which they scrape pieces of meat and wrap it in a tortilla with fresh onion and tomatoes. Breakfast was a hard-boiled egg and instant coffee, and lunch was soup, fish filet, fried banana with cheese, and vegetables. We have a housekeeper who cooked for us and did the dishes, aside from her other duties, and she doesn't sit with us at the table. Instead, she sits at the counter, and when Diego runs out of cheese for his banana, she gets up from her lunch to bring it to him. My guilty conscience at this is what the Exchange Student Survival Guide calls a red flag-it stimulates a response in me, of alarm or disapproval, but it's a clear indicator of a cultural dfference. In america, first of all, I doubt there are many like Marilu, but I'm sure I would invite her to eat with us. It's hard to remember that that doesn't mean the Leivas are wrong. It just means that we have different values. I can learn from it.
That's all for now. Ciao!
So, I'm sure you've aready come to the conclusion that I'm in Ecuador. And I am! Finally! Of course it's not much like I expected, but in many ways it's so much better. The food thrils me to no end. The family is so dear and the view out my window... I can see this hill in the distance with all these houses on it, it looks identical to a picture I found of Guayaquil when this was all just beginning.
I'm so physically exhausted, and time passes so strangely. I woke up this morning and checked my clock on my iPod, which I think is the cause of the confusion. The clock said it was around noon. I was embarassed about sleeping the whole morning, but when I got downstairs, I checked the TV and the clock and it wasn't even 9:00 yet. I changed the time zone on the iPod, trying to synchronize it with the actual time, but when i took a nap later, it said 3:00, I think, and it was only 1. Or something like that. Either way, I'm entirely discombobulated!
I can't believe how lax the laws are here. Leaving the airport, a group of no less than 10 or 12 people squeezed in the back of a pickup truck next to Nia's car. I told her that that's illegal in America, and she said it's legal to ride around like that as long as it's short trips within a city. There aren't any apparent speed limits and customs didn't even check my bag, which was a relief, seeing as how I "snuck" Swedsh Fish over the border. :)
I'm concurrently keeping two journals-one in english and one in spanish. I'm hoping to utilize the two to practice my spanish, but still be able to hash complicated things out if my vocabulary is too limited. The family is so patient with me, and they use what they know of English, short phrases or words, to fill in any blanks. I nod a lot, and say "Que?" ("What?") all the time. I know the language barrier is temporary, but it's intimidating nonetheless.
Last night we ate Shawarma, which is a lot like most of the tex-mex I've had over the years. Still delicious though. They have a big chicken rotisserie, from which they scrape pieces of meat and wrap it in a tortilla with fresh onion and tomatoes. Breakfast was a hard-boiled egg and instant coffee, and lunch was soup, fish filet, fried banana with cheese, and vegetables. We have a housekeeper who cooked for us and did the dishes, aside from her other duties, and she doesn't sit with us at the table. Instead, she sits at the counter, and when Diego runs out of cheese for his banana, she gets up from her lunch to bring it to him. My guilty conscience at this is what the Exchange Student Survival Guide calls a red flag-it stimulates a response in me, of alarm or disapproval, but it's a clear indicator of a cultural dfference. In america, first of all, I doubt there are many like Marilu, but I'm sure I would invite her to eat with us. It's hard to remember that that doesn't mean the Leivas are wrong. It just means that we have different values. I can learn from it.
That's all for now. Ciao!
13 August, 2007
We are now in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, and Thursday is the big D-day: Departure! This week is already completely booked. Today, my friends and I made the drive to a theme park, and then I had my LAST shift at Stewart's before 10 months of leave. Then, tomorrow is College Application day and dinner with my extended family at night. Wednesday, I plan on sleeping in! I'll need it, haha. Then a final Rotary lunch,
Thursday will be completely consumed by traveling, unfortunately. I depart from
My schedule has been PACKED for weeks now! I've been working an average of 30-40 hours a week, getting out around 11 and staying up until 1 AM or so when I can finally run out of steam. I sleep for more of the morning than I should, and occasionally I'll ride a bike or take a bus to shop or get lunch. Yesterday, in fact, I took my bike to go buy my official Rotary Blue Blazer. Then I work a shift, come home, and start the cycle all over again.
I've been taking tons of pictures! My flickr account is pretty empty at the moment, but I'll upload my photos before I leave and post a link for my devoted fans! Hahaha
I've had a fair amount of contact with my host family in
I am sitting home right now with my sister, Allison. I am coming to grips with how soon I will be leaving my family, and I must say, I will miss her very very very very much, along with the rest of my family.
Anyway... It's nearing 12:30, and I need to catch up on sleep for the busy week ahead of me. Hasta luego!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)