adventure!

I'm off for an adventure - 6 cities, 8 days. Incan ruins, national parks, a town known for it's centenarians, banana fields, petrified forests (?), islands (?), Ecuador's largest city, beach! It's planned, but my friend Emeline and I know that we have to be prepared for anything...but at the same time realizing that "being prepared" is relative, and according to most Ecuadorians, is overrated (my Ecuadorian classmates laughed when I showed them my orderly spreadsheet of the weeks' planned activities/hostals/estimated budget). So while we start this trip in a very American style (very meticulously planned), we will try our very best to take the trip day by day in the traditional Ecuadorian (think about the now) style.

This week (Sunday) I turned the big 2-0! I enjoyed celebrating with friends over a pizza dinner (the second time I'd eaten pizza this semester!), visiting my host family's extended family, and watching the UNC game (sad ending) with friends.

The time is flying and while you could say I have gotten used to living in Ecuador, I love that every day is so different in that I continue to learn new things, experience new things, and meet new people. Each day really is an adventure and the adventure-mindset is something that I hope I will be able to bring back to the U.S. (in almost exactly two months!) to incorporate into the seemingly unadventureness of returning to live in the comforts of Chapel Hill.

in seven days...

In the past seven days, I have been all over - my last week began in the Amazonian jungle (Tiputini), brought me back to Quito and to Cumbaya (3 days of class this week), then took me to the Equator once again, and then to the largest active volcano in the world Cotopaxi. Let me break it down:

TIPUTINI: After several different forms of transportation (taxi, bus within the airport, plane, taxi to a hotel on the river, boat, chiva bus ride, and boat ride), we arrived at USFQ's Biodiversity Station, Tiputini - in the Yasuni National Park.

 We took rides on the river and within the lagoon, saw incredible wildlife,

 took walks through the woods with our knowledgeable guide,

 ate a few ants that tasted like lemons,

crossed canopy bridges, climbed tall towers to look for birds (two macaws flew over us), had no luck finding Cayman crocodiles at night but did see an incredible display of stars, floated down the Tiputini River, watched a small Pygmy Monkey who came down a tree to see the twenty or so faces looking up at it, and went to bed early each night to (sometimes bizarre) animal noises. The trip was incredible and I was very sad to return to car alarms, pollution, honking, and in general - development. Four days (two days traveling) was just not enough!

EQUATOR: I went to the "real" one on Friday! A trip inspired by my friend taking pictures with a Flat Stanley brought us to see the equator (if you recall, I saw the "fake/inaccurately measured" equator at the beginning of the semester). At this outdoor museum we saw many cultural exhibition about indigenous peoples and their practices, as well as experiments that one can only do at the equator (balancing an egg on a nail head, watching water spin clockwise on one side and counter clockwise on the other side of the equator...). I also learned that Ecuador was once called Quito!

COTOPAXI: After several times seeing the volcano Cotopaxi from a distance (only on clear days going between Quito and Cumbaya), I finally went to Cotopaxi National Park and with a tour company, biked down into the park. We drove up almost to where the snow began, got geared up, and began down the steep and bumpy path -- my hands hurt from breaking so much! It was sleeting and freezing when we began but after about 30 minutes we found ourselves in a completely different environment -- flat, green, wild horses...

It was a BEAUTIFUL park and I'm ever so glad that the weather cleared up as we rode down into the valley.

Here are some other interesting things that I have learned recently:
-Pie Day does not exist in Spanish-speaking cultures! On Pie Day (3/14), I was sitting in a restaurant called The Pie House eating pie with two friends when we realized that Spanish speaking (and possibly other) cultures write the date with the day, then month, and then year (14/03/12). We were sad to learn that the wonderful holiday does not translate.
-We did not participate in Daylight Savings Time here so we are currently one hour behind EST while before, we were the same time.
-Tatoos cost $60 in Quito...although I'm not sure how they compare in the U.S. (Don't worry, I learned this going with a friend who got a tatoo!)
-The more I become comfortable with Ecuadorian friends, the more they want to practice their English with me (although they know that I am here to practice Spanish!)
-People from all around the world are in Quito - I knew this before this weekend but was amazed to see that on my bike tour, there were two girls from Germany, one boy from England, and one man from France (along with three girls including myself, from the U.S.).

I'm so sorry this post is so long and again am realizing that it would be much easier to post more often instead of allowing all of my stories and experiences to pile up! 

Feliz dia de la mujer...?

After walking into the kitchen this morning for breakfast, I was greeted by my host mother Marcela with "Feliz dia!". An Ecuadorian classmate had mentioned this holiday the other day but I did not expect it to be so officially celebrated - Literally "Happy Woman's Day", this international holiday recognizes (according to my host mother) all of the sacrifices and hard work of women...doing everything around the house, being a good mother, some work outside of the house, living up to societal expectations in terms of physical appearance...I asked if men ever complain because there is no day for them and was told that while one or two might complain, the majority know that "they probably don't deserve it".

Yes, March 8 is a very strange concept to me perhaps because I know so many deserving wonderful males (*cough*, Dad) in the United States. After living here in Ecuador for more than two months, I've come to recognize several cultural differences in the interactions and relationships between men and women. The mother role seems to be much more on a pedestal here than in the U.S. It could be because I am living in such a Catholic society and there are sculptures and paintings of the Virgin Mary all around, but there is a great, great appreciation for mothers here and I am very interested to see how Mother's Day here will compare. Traditional gender roles are very obvious here and women in the workplace is still a relatively new concept. "Machismo" is ever present as a concept suggesting that men in Latin America as a whole flaunt their power - and this is one of the root causes for the forwardness of males here, so I have learned. Don't let it seem that Ecuadorian men are horrible and don't deserve any credit - I have met deserving males and fathers here as well but Ecuadorian women would agree that, for all of the work and all that they sacrifice, they are very deserving of this day.

I had a wonderful weekend in the touristy town of Banos last weekend. I don't use the word "touristy" lightly - there was some kind of adventure/tour company in every other locale on almost every street! And they all wanted our attention and would let us know this by yelling all of their services..."Chiva tour, waterfall tour, rent bikes, ride horses, paragliding, repelling...!" It was definitely difficult to choose whose services to use and which company seemed best. After a little research we decided on a waterfall repelling trip (to our surprise, there was even practice and a wavier involved!) It was a very neat experience-for a few hours, we were deep in the trees and vines as we repelled down five waterfalls - and were amazed that our guide literally RAN down one of the longest waterfalls!

We also enjoyed two beautiful hikes (one to a high point overlooking the town and one to an incredible waterfall), watching the UNC VICTORY (from our hostal computer room), dancing to Latina music, karaoke, attempting to bike (and then being defeated by the rain), and conversation with new Ecuadorian friends.

In my Sociology (Social Problems of Ecuador) class on Tuesday, I was very intrigued to learn that only 5% of Ecuador has access to a computer and internet in their home. With this number, I realized how thankful I am to be able to connect with my family, friends (new and old) and I realized how much I had taken it for granted that my host-family allows me to use their internet. While I know I could live without the computer and internet, having access to Skype, Facebook, and email has undoubtedly reduced the possibility of having very much homesickness (What I mean to say is that while I am missing my family and friends LOTS, my life here can go on and I have enjoyed every bit without thinking all the time about what I am missing out on in Chapel Hill).

I have come to decide that, after a good day at the University, my day is GREAT if I see this view of the volcano Cotopaxi on my way home (which has only happened a few times, if it is really clear):

Tomorrow morning, I will head to the Amazon with a group of International students from my University as we visit the University's Biodiversity Station, Tiputini -- I expect to see plenty of unique plants and animals and hopefully to avoid mosquito bites! Expect a report when I get back - Cuidate! Take Care!