Trip to Cuenca: from Sarah's journal

October 27, 2008
Today we are going to Cuenca!!!!!! We woke up at six, piled into the car, and started the drive to the third largest city in Ecuador. The first part of the drive was boring, just the regular commute to Guayaquil, desert, flat land, more desert, but once we had found our way through Guayaquil, the drive was anything but boring. It felt as though we were Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, stepping out of Kansas and into a lush, green paradise. All around us there were green rice fields and mango trees. It was the first time we had seen any naturally watered vegetation in more than two months. After passing though a few small towns, we arrived in the foot hills. After that, the mountains. The mountains are indescribable, there is no other word for it, but I’ll do my best.
As we climbed higher, we began to drive into clouds. It looked like really thick mist, and we couldn’t see more than ten feet in front of us. The temperature also dropped, but not as much as I was expecting, maybe to 65 F degrees. We got out of the car a few times to peer over the sheer cliff. At least, that is what we imagined it to be, we couldn’t really tell because of the clouds. Finally, after much dodging of rocks and landslides in the road, we were above the clouds. It felt like we were in an airplane we were so high. The clouds stretched on for miles and every once in a while a cloud would protrude from the ocean of white. Now that we were above the clouds the driving was much easier. Also, it was even more beautiful. Mountain tops were obscured by clouds, and the valleys were covered in a fresh green jungle that was amply watered by the almost constant rain.
After six and a half hours we arrived in Cuenca. Cuenca is gorgeous, with cobble stone streets and buildings that have almost a European feel. Over the tops of the buildings, you can see the gigantic mountains that scrape the clouds. We weaved our way through the narrow, one way streets and arrived at Posada del Angel Hostal. The Hostal is spectacular. We were all very excited because for the first time in two months it was raining!!!!!!!!!
I guess we all forgot how unpleasant rain can be sometimes, especially when walking through it. We remembered this pretty quickly, though, when we had to trudge through puddles to get to the Spanish school. When people want to learn Spanish in Ecuador, they usually travel to Quito or Cuenca. I guess we fit right into that category so we took lessons too. The lessons were private, not classroom lessons. Julia and Ellen shared a teacher, since they are pretty much at the same level, my parents shared a teacher as well, because they are used to learning together, and I had my own teacher!! She was really nice. Mostly we talked in Spanish. Well, she asked me questions and I could talk to my hearts content. We used the work book as guide lines for what to study, but we didn’t follow every exercise. We did basic things, Ser and Estar, verb conjugations, stuff like that. It was nice to review things like that, even if they are easy. I was really happy because the things I had struggled with in Mrs. Lapointe’s 8th grade Spanish class, like ser and estar, I now find easy! It’s great to have reassurances that I am improving because sometimes I feel like I am still speaking Spanish at the same basic level that I spoke when I left West Hartford!

October 28, 2008
The breakfast here is really, really good. We had scrambled eggs, toast, homemade juice, and a bunch of other stuff. After breakfast, we went to the open air market. It was so neat! First we walked through a market that was sort of like a Stop and Shop except…not. There were pig heads at many of the booths, fresh fruit that came straight from the surrounding farms and a lot of bloody meat. We got out of there pretty fast. Then we wandered around until we stumbled upon a open air market for hand made things like ponchos, chompas (jackets), tapestries, mantas, gloves, hats, purses and much, much more. I was surprised, while walking around, that so many people still wear the traditional dress. I had learned that some traditional clothes were worn, but I thought that was just the videos exaggerating or trying to make it seem more interesting then it actually was. The videos I saw in 8th grade spanish class don’t do Cuenca justice. Lots of women, the people selling the goods especially, wear white panama hats with a ribbon around it, a big colorful skirt with lots of pleats and embroidery on the hem, a cotton shirt, usually white, and a manta or scarf draped around their shoulders. Many of the women carry babies strapped to their backs with a scarf or blanket. All have their long black hair in two braids down their backs. It was really an experience!! But anyway, back to the shopping.
The bargaining was easier than I expected. I thought that they would fight for every penny, not wanting the price to drop, but really, they want you to bargain. Supposedly, they won’t have any respect for you if you don’t. I bought a home made purse. It was originally 6 dollars, but I was able to bring it down to three.
After the shopping we went to our Spanish class again. It is really difficult to concentrate for four hours on Spanish. It is time consuming, and difficult, but we learned a lot.

October 29, 2008
Today is the day we have all been waiting for…we ate CUY!!!! For those of you who don’t know, cuy is cooked, fried, or boiled guinea pig. But I’m getting ahead of myself; first a quick recap of the rest of the day.
First we went to Hotel Crespo to eat lunch and take pictures. My class studied Ecuador in 8th grade and we virtually “stayed” in Hotel Crespo while we “explored” the city. Really it was just an excuse to study Spanish; what a rip off! (just kidding, I loved it. It was cool to learn about such a different country, especially since I am now living here!) I had high expectations for this hotel. After all, according to the guide book, it is one of the top places to stay in Ecuador. Hotel Crespo looks huge. It is right on the water and looks very, very…rich-y-ish. We were the only ones in the restaurant. I was surprised because I thought it was “top class.” Then our food came. We found out why no one else was eating there. I would actually go as far as to say that it was the worst meal I had in Cuenca and certainly the most expensive. That bad. I’m not sure I would want to stay there either. It feels very contained, boxed in, and when you enter it, you feel like you have stepped out of Cuenca, Ecuador and stepped into New York, U.S.A. The only plus of Hotel Crespo is the view. It is right in front of Rio Tomabamba and has a great view of the park and water. However, it is very far away from markets, museums, churches, and pretty much everything. So the report on Hotel Crespo is not great (sorry Mrs. La Pointe!) and I personally prefer our quaint little hostal.
After the disappointing lunch, we headed to school again. Another four hours of constant Spanish.
And now for the Cuy…
WARNING: ANYONE WHO OWNS A GUINEA PIG OR ENJOYS RATS AS PETS SHOULD NOT READ THE FOLLOWING SECTION!!!!!!!! (You have been warned)
After school, we went home to check the guide book to find a “rave review” cuy restaurant called Tres Esrellas or Three Stars. This kind of cuy is roasted slowly over an open fire. (by the way, their cuy were not killed at the restaurant…I think…) It is roasted on a big pole, about an inch radius, running through its mouth and out its back. (don’t worry, I have lots of pictures) We also ordered chicken and pork in case we didn’t like the cuy. The cuy arrived. It was split down the middle and then cut into six or so smaller sections horizontally. It did not look nearly as gross as it did in the movie we watched in class. Yummy potatoes were stuffed inside it with a sort of gravy dribble over it. Let it be known that I ate the first bite!!!! It was really good, I would certainly have it again. Just so you know, it did NOT taste like chicken. It tasted more like pork with a very smokey flavor. Since it was made in Ecuador, it of course was seasoned with about a pound of salt on it. I liked it. Sort of chewy and a lot of bones, but very interesting.

October 30, 2008
This morning we didn’t do much of anything. We just slept in, and then walked to an Indian food place we had seen last night. I love Indian food. At home we have it at least once a week. Every Thursday, actually. While in Ecuador, I haven’t had it in more than two months!! Anyway, it was amazing (better than Hotel Crespo, in case you were wondering)
After lunch, we walked to school, picking up some pastries on the way for the other students. I am very proud of my progress in school and I think that my teacher is too. I’ve gone through an entire lesson book in four days and am now learning the same thing my parents are learning!! I never thought that I would be able to do that.

October 31. 2008
Today is the day we return home to Salinas. It is also Halloween. So let me tell you a ghost story…

It was a foggy, cold Halloween evening in the Cajas Mountains. Five travelers drove through the gloom, singing traveling songs, and looking forward to returning home to the coast that night. Inside the car, the three children talked and played contentedly while the parents chatted. If they had looked out the side windows, they would have seen nothing but grey mist. But if they could see past the mist, they would have seen the cliffs’ edge on which they drove, littered with crosses that marked the places where so many travelers had met their end at the bottom of the 4,000 foot drop. The husband navigated the road carefully, making sure to follow the nearly invisible taillights of a truck so that he could navigate the death trap turns. Then, without warning, a rock appeared in the road. The small blue matrix careened right over the rock with a huge bang. The happy travelers screamed. The engine died. The little matrix kept rolling, no power, only the momentum of a 45 degree decline. They continued through the clouds, hoping for a place to stop so they could see what the matter was. They reached a dilapidated restaurant at which to stop. Carefully, the concerned father pulled into the entrance and the three girls got out while he crawled under the car and the mother looked on anxiously. The children walked around the car and met the eyes of…a stuck pig! They barely concealed their screams as they gazed upon the gigantic hog with a stick running through it. As they watched, a man in bloody boots and an umbrella came out of the shack, bringing with him a huge blow torch. He advanced on the girls, raising the torch as he went. Then, abruptly, he leered at them, showing yellowing teeth, and turned the torch on the pig. He waved the fire over the pigs back. Back and forth, back and forth. In horror, the children backed away and hid in the car. Several hours later, the family was still waiting for the tow truck to come. Finally, they dared to enter the dingy restaurant. They ordered tea and cookies to pass the time. The tea came. At that exact moment, the death squeals of an animal in pain came from the rear room. The pig was about to join it’s brother on the fire spit. The tea was blood red. For ten minutes, the travelers tried not to listen to the squeeeaaaal, squeeaaals of the pig. Every once in a while the noise would stop, and they would think; thank God, it’s over. Then the racket would start up again. Then, with a final swish and thunk, the noise stopped.
By this time, the cookies and tea were about to find their way back up and land back on the already disgusting table. After many more minutes, the tow truck came. The death restaurant adventure was over. But the night was not. There was no room in the small cab of the truck, so the family piled into the car that was chained to the platform of the truck, putting their lives in the tow truck driver's hands on top of a 4,000 foot cliff. All the way down, over every bump and glitch, gasps and whimpers could be heard from the travelers’ stiff upper lips. So they went down, down, down, following the white crosses to the safety of the land on the other side.

So that’s my Halloween ghost story. It is also how my family and I spent our Halloween night. Every bit of that is the truth. It was the best, well, maybe not the best, but definitely the scariest Halloween I have ever had.
(By the way, it turned out OK and we got home to Salinas by 1 in the morning.)

Daily rhythm

Life here is starting to take on a rhythm. During the week, the girls don their uniforms, eat a quick breakfast and arrive at school by 7:10. Most of their classes are taught in Spanish, and they struggle to comprehend. Often, they find time during the day to read (or should I say, “re-read”) books they brought from the States and work on their math curricula that we brought with us. They look forward to their two recess periods, where they eat “doditos” (hotdogs wrapped in fried dough—their favorite!) and walk around the school yard. We pick them up from school at 2:10, and come home to el almuerzo, the main meal prepared by Shirley, our wonderful cook. Everyone in our family loves Shirley’s cooking. El almuerzo is always a nourishing and relaxing time together. We have even modified our mealtime prayer, “Gracias a Dios por este comida Buena, la familia y amigos tambien. Amen”
While the girls are at school on the days that Rob is not at a hospital, we have our own routine. We try to decipher “el universo” newspaper over a second cup of coffee, we go for a run on the beach, and then we have time to do ONE thing before picking up the girls at 2:10. For example, one day we needed to make photocopies of some of our documents to open a bank account. The photocopying process took no less than 2 hours at the local photocopy store. But each of these time-consuming outings is entertaining and we always learn something new about our town, about the culture or about the language we are desperately trying to learn.
Rob loves working at the hospitals, especially the one in Guayaquil. For the past few weeks, he has left on Monday morning, stayed overnight at the hospital and returned home the next day in time to give an educational talk to some local doctors. He usually takes Wednesday off, and makes a round trip to Guayaquil on Thursday. Each time he comes back from Guayaquil, he is armed with exciting medical tales and he is able to speak/understand so much more Spanish.
I have begun working again, and the working conditions are nearly ideal! My internet connection is pretty good, but not especially fast. This slower speed is somewhat of a blessing because lengthy downloads provide time for me to pause and gaze at the beach, the fishing boats and the Pacific Ocean. Also, I have much more uninterrupted time since I don’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning.
When I’m not working, I have lengthy conversations in Spanish with Shirley. I often make two cups of coffee and chat with her in the kitchen while she prepares a meal . I call her “mi profesora” a term that makes her giggle. Shirley is such a gift to us. She is bright, loving, caring, honest and hardworking. She is patient with my Spanish. Her only fault is that she doesn’t correct me nearly enough! Too polite, I guess. The other day she said to me that she felt like we were a gift from God to her. I told her the same, and we both had tears in our eyes.
Our weekends are spent taking the girls to sailing practice or regattas. The facilities and the coaches are amazing here, and we are certainly getting the royal treatment. Our friend is the rear commodore and he has extended the invitation for us to use the yacht club, in recognition of Rob’s service in the Ecuadorian medical community. Everyone who we meet is so generous to us—lots of dinner invitations and offers to help us navigate through tricky negotiations, such as buying a car. We even have our own Lightning boat to sail, and someone else let us borrow a guitar for the year.
Having lived in Salinas for nearly two months, with a few day trips here and there, we’re starting to get the traveling bug! So, we have just booked a 4 night stay in Cuenca, a colonial city about 4 or 6 hour drive away. We didn’t bring enough warm clothing for some of the chilly evenings in Salinas, so we definitely don’t have enough for Cuenca since it is in a mountainous and chilly region. I guess we’ll be doing a little shopping while we’re there!

Excerpts from Sarah's Journal

Sarah’s Journal

September 3, 2008
Today, after a long flight, we landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Guayaquil was dusty, smelly and wonderful. We packed our 16 jam-packed bags into the van, driven by Morris. Then we piled into the small white car and joined the honking, weaving, dangerous traffic and followed Morris out of the city toward Salinas. In Guayaquil, we saw a “motorcycle gang” of police, buildings no more than three stories and innumerous dogs on the streets. We also saw the poverty stricken hills of the sprawling city with unfinished concrete buildings and dark windows.
Then came the two hour long ride of desert/countryside. All five of us had our eyes glued to the windows until it was too dark to make out anything.
At long last, we arrived in Salinas, our home for the next ten months. With the sound of the ocean in our ears, we hauled the luggage up the illegal elevator with great enthusiasm. (I say “illegal” because there are no double doors; one to block the shaft hole, one to keep the passengers inside the elevator. This elevator has only one door with a glass window to prevent someone from falling down the shaft. On the inside of the elevator, you can see the doors and levels passing by.) We wait impatiently for Jaime, the realtor, to open the door to our new apartment. Julia, Ellen and I run inside, squealing as we discovered the porch, the dining room, the two living rooms, the kitchen and the three bedrooms. I must admit that the squeals lessened somewhat when Ellen and I discovered the dolphins jumping over rainbows along the juvenile wallpaper of our bedroom. As we explored the house more, we also discovered similar flaws all around the house. Some such flaws were termite evidence, soggy mattresses, dirty carpets, stinky maids’ quarter. We all knew that some serious work would have to be done before we could happily live here. After putting clean sheets (from home) on the beds, Ellen and I went to sleep at last.

September 4, 2008
Today was full of adventures and scary experiences. We visited Jefferson School. When we arrived, it was recess and all the children were free to stare at the “new kids.” We registered with Celia, the assistant principal. After trying on the gray uniform, we visited the classrooms in which we would be learning. Ellen’s teacher was very nice and reminded us all of Vo-Vo, our great grandmother. Julia’s teacher was also nice. Her pupils were thrilled to have Julia in their class, some jumped out of their seats in joy!! My classmates were not quite as obvious about how happy they were to have me with them, but it was apparent that I would be very welcome. I was nervous because they were laughing at jokes that (I guessed) pertained to me, but that I couldn’t understand.
After seeing our new school and having our comfort zones seriously stretched, we went for the much needed quest for groceries and cleaning supplies. After spending just under 300 dollars on food, and other things needed for survival (such as windex) we went home to put said cleaning things to use. We mopped all the floors (I got to mop the porch, a job I took much pride in), we cleaned the furniture and unpacked clothes. Finally we sat down to a meal of chicken and rice with Adan. Adan pretty much made this trip possible. He talked to us in Spanish. I could understand most of it because he talked slowly and loudly but it gave me a headache anyway. Tomorrow is school! I go to bed with butterflies in my stomach.

September 5 2008

Today we woke up around 6:15. Under normal circumstances, I would never be able to get up, but because of the time difference and my nerves, it was no problem. After eating a meal of cornflakes, I got dressed into jeans and the gym uniform of a gray T-shirt. (I was afraid that I would stand out in my jeans because on Fridays my class had gym and the uniform for gym was “calientadores” sweat pants, but luckily, I didn’t stand out too much.) We arrived at the school at 7:10. Ms. Celia walked us to our classes. The desk and chair are attached and both are very small. Before the teacher arrived, all the girls surrounded me, asking me questions such as, “how old are you?” “where are you from?” “where do you live now?” “how much Spanish do you speak?” and most important to them, “which boy do you think is cutest?” (all of these questions were asked in English, thank goodness) Much of the time I had no idea what they were saying because it was so loud and because of their accents. It was during this time when I found out that “all the boys had a crush on me.” (that’s according to the girls I talked to) When the teacher entered (a good five minutes late) the class of tech ed. or drawing began. (I’m not exactly sure how to translate it) The teacher only spoke Spanish to me. Of this I was grateful, but also a little annoyed because I had no idea what to do. I would think that I understood, but then she would come back to me and tell me that I did it all wrong. So I would erase it and do it again (and again and again). At the end of the class, my paper was incorrect, messy, covered in eraser marks and incomplete. I was the only one who had to do it over again for home work.
Next we had English A. I thought this would be easy; cake even. I mean, being in honors English in West Hartford must have taught me something, right? Wrong. They were learning about positive sentences, infinitive, and things that I had only vaguely heard of. So, of course, everyone expected me to know it just like that when I had no idea what an imperfect something-or-other is!! Even so, this class was the easiest by far. I was actually able to give an answer or two. It was also the class in which I met most of my friends. Beatriz, Debora, Eduarda, and Michelle all became my best friends because of their amazing English. I corrected all of these girls’ English papers on the Chronicles of Narnia. I also met Angel, Jugo, and (?) all of whom the girls say like me. If you haven’t already guessed, this is a very girl-friend/boy-friend culture. Most girls are pregnant when they are 15 (not my friends, of course)
Then we had first recess. I met other kids from the other classes. (I’m not even going to try to recall their names). I said hello to Julia and Ellen, both of whom were surrounded by an entourage of girls. When they walked on, my friends observed that they made friends quickly.
After recess was…well, I don’t remember. It was some class that I couldn’t get a word out of and basically tried to concentrate on the endless gibberish. Then came gym, a sweltering, sweaty, blinding event. I played volleyball and basketball with Debora. It was fun being able to stand above everyone else’s heads in basketball.
Supposedly we had science after gym, but the teacher never showed up. This didn’t bother the kids at all; it seemed as if it was a regular occurrence. So we just stayed in the shade and the breeze, recuperating after the hot gym. There I met Patti who knew about as much English as I know Spanish. She talked really, really, really fast but my friends said that even they couldn’t understand her most of the time and not to worry if I couldn’t understand a bit. She was capable of slowing down and using simple words, however.
After the unplanned 3rd recess, we went inside. The science teacher finally showed up and we began the 2nd hour of science. It was extremely boring. All we did was color in bits of the tongue that I had already learned about. We talked in Spanish the entire time which helped me more than any science ever would.
Another gibberish class about business or interest or something and the school day was done!!!!
I went home with high hopes for the next week. Some friends had even invited me to go to the movies with them that day. I declined because it was my dad’s birthday, but in truth, I was too scared to go with them the day that I met them. Next Friday I think will go.

September 6, 2008
Today we went to the lagoon to sail. I was scared and nervous (as usual) because all of the Ecuadorian sailors are world champions and have all sorts of awards and whatever. One sailor in particular, Maria Jose, is an amazing sailor winning the South American championships and other such awards. My victories at Stage harbor and other local regattas dim somewhat in comparison to her. Before going to the Lagoon, we stopped by at the uniform store to get Julia and Ellen’s skirts for school. There we met Eduardo and from there he drove us to the lagoon. Upon arriving, we saw a gorgeous view of rippling water and little islands of green plant life scattered across the surface. There was a bar and a swimming pool with a bridge across it. Most of the kids there were boys, except for my sisters, myself and, of course, Maria. We were completely babied there. Our boats were already rigged for us, our boats were brought down for us, and we didn’t even have to get our feet wet!! I mean that literally too, because there were men there to bring the boats, with the sailor inside, into the water. Then all we had to do was simply put in the rudder and centerboard and off we went! (I must admit that when the person did this to me, he struggled quite a bit) On the water, it was so hot that sweat and sunscreen ran down my face in torrents, blinding me with sunscreen and making me smell…unsavory. We pulled off 5 or 6 races. All of which I was top quarter or so. I didn’t expect to do nearly so well because, after all, these kids were “world champions” and therefore soooo much better that me. I was getting sick of hearing how great these kids were, which competitions they had won that I didn’t even know existed. In between races, I tried to pluck up enough courage to ask them what their name was, hoping that this would lead to a conversation and (keep your fingers crossed) inclusion. No such luck however. In fact, I was lucky if they even responded to me. One kid didn’t even bother to look at me, he just sat there. I knew he had understood me because I said it loudly and in Spanish. Finally, I gave up trying to be social and just stayed with my sisters and another coach who was just as excluded as we were.
Finally we were allowed to go in. (I jumped out of my boat so that the person didn’t have to struggle with my weight.) After some miscommunication and embarrassment, the three of us and 6 or 7 boys piled into the van and drove to Eduardo’s house.
Eduardo’s house was huge!!!!! It was right on the water and had this amazing rubber tree. We got lost a little, trying to find our car that was parked in the city, and a little more lost trying to find the highway from there, but other than that, the drive home to Salinas was smooth sailing.

September 7, 2008
Today it was a little more difficult waking up. Did I say a little? I meant A LOT. But I guess waking up at 6 in the morning I’ll just have to get used to. Any way, I went to school, same old, same old. It feels like we’ve been here forever instead of just 4 days.

September 8, 2008
Another school day. Every day there is something going on after school!!! “Sarah, there’re a party tonight; are you coming? We’re going to the mall, will we see you there? I have a birthday tonight do you want to come? I’ve had more invitations to things than I can count!! These kids go to parties from 7:00 to 11:00, then wake up at 6:00 to go to school in the morning. Then they do it again!!! I don’t know how they do it.



September 9, 2008
The atmosphere in an Ecuadorian class room is so much different than class rooms at home. At home if you yell out answer, the teacher will scold you, tell you to raise your hand next time. Here, they just shout out the answers, and whoever is loudest, the teacher comments on or corrects. So basically, it is complete mayhem compared to school in good old West Hartford. Students yelling over students and teachers yelling over it all, not to mention all the side conversations that are shouted as loudly as the answers, and the additional noise from the other classrooms, well, it adds up to pretty much a never-ending stream of noise to me. I like it though; it gives me the chance to learn the language so much faster than I would in a quite classroom.
I don’t think I have mentioned yet all the delicious meal we have been making here. Because the ingredients are so difficult to come by, and they are so different than the ingredients at home, making a meal is a real adventure. Desserts are especially fun to make. We have made delicious concoctions such as, Chipipe peach cake, Chipipe ginger cake-caution, and Chipipe banana bread. (Chipipe is the district of town we live in) We just wrapped up a delicious dessert of Chipipe peach cake.

September 11, 2008
Tonight, I finally took one of my friends up on a party offer. Fernando had his birthday party at his house and everyone came. By everyone, I mean the entire grade. (true the grade has only about 20 people but still…) After saying hello to every one, a process that took a good 15 minutes, we sat down to a good game of “Yo Nunca” After we had finished that, we had a traditional Ecuadorian meal of…something. I don’t know what the name was, or what it was made of, but it was really good. After we had finished, we went outside to play Hide and Go Seek. By that time it was 8:30 and time for me to go home, after all, it was a school night. Unfortunately, I missed cake. I was really sad because Fernando’s mom was supposed to be a really great cake maker. My friends partied for another three hours, but I went home and slept.

September 12, 2008

At school, every body was wide awake and as talkative as ever, despite the late night.
After school, my family and I went to the other side of the peninsula on which we live. The waves were much bigger than the ones on our beach. It was too cold to go swimming though. This turned out to be a stroke of luck because we later learned that the undertow there was extremely strong and would have pulled us out to sea if we had gone more than a couple feet off shore. There is a safer place a few miles down, so we will probably go there next time.

September 13, 2008
Today after school I went to Patti’s house with her and Eduarda. Patti’s house was very nice, right by the shore. We had a meal, prepared by her maid of course, of beans, rice and steak. We walked down to the beach, and then went to the mall to see some of our friends and flirt with the boys (their idea, not mine) I had to leave before we went to the movie but it was pretty late by that time.

September 14, 2008
School as usual. At home, some people would say that school was boring. I never thought so; I always had so much to do, there was never a time where I wasn’t doing something, even if it wasn’t my favorite thing to do. Here though, I can’t do most of the curriculum because a) They are in 10th grade and therefore learning 10th grade things b) I don’t understand the language c) it is in the middle of the school year for them and they got the materials for the subject in the beginning of the year. So school is a, frankly, boring event at times. I am getting very, very good at being able to sit still and listen for literally hours on end.

September 15, 2008
This weekend we sailed in Guayaquil again, same spot, but with more people. I didn’t do very well, but I didn’t expect to. After all these are the best sailors in the country, some the best in the world. I did about mid-fleet so I was pleased because there was NO wind and I was at the disadvantage because I am heavier and taller than the people here.

September 14, 2008
Sailing again, same place, same people, but more wind. Yay!!!!!!!! By more wind I mean we could actually sort of move instead of just floating along the top of the glassy water.

September 15, 2008
Today we move out of El Plaza and into Casa Blanca!!!!!!!! Casa Blanca is sooooooo nice. It has all new furniture and has no termite dust (which is a big improvement from the last apartment.) And guess what? A maid comes with it!!! She is really nice, speaks no English, and is an amazing cook. Her name is Shirley and I know that we are going to love her.

September 16, 2008
Today after the regular classes, we had a competition in volley ball. I didn’t have the uniform for it so I couldn’t do it but I played basketball instead. It is really fun being one of the best here when I was just average in West Hartford. Maybe towering over everyone’s heads has it’s advantages…

September 17, 2008
We have been here two weeks today, but it feels just like we have lived here forever. I already know my way around the town (although it is so small that is not saying much) I know most of the kids in my class by name, and I am learning so much every day. I love it so much here. I love the friendliness of the people, the dogs wandering the streets, the ocean and seeing whales and dolphins from our balcony. I don’t know if I will ever be able to go back!!!
Tomorrow is my sister, Julia’s birthday. I feel kind of bad for her because her party and birthday has taken the backseat in light of all our new experiences. Once again, I am glad my birthday is in June, I have more time to strengthen the ties between me and my friends.
I moved out of my incredibly huge room into a smaller room. My sisters are sharing my old room. Although I hate to give up my gloriously huge bathroom, at least I get my own room. And a huge bed. And my own bathroom. And shower. Ok, ok, I have nothing to complain about.
We filmed our apartment and did a family interview to send home to family and friends. I don’t really like being filmed, it makes me feel self-conscious, but it was nice to let everyone know how we’re doing.
We had another superb lunch prepared by Shirley; chicken broth soup, rice, saucy chicken, and cantaloupe juice. I didn’t even know cantaloupe juice existed!! It was really good, kind of like a milkshake. If we’re lucky, Shirley will give us the recipe for all of her meals. Every time my family and I mention her, we start laughing at ourselves. It is so funny to have someone to clean up after us and make banquets fit for kings! At first I think it is going to be awkward, but I’m sure we’ll get used to it. Here, everyone has maids, even some of the maids have maids!!! Not Shirley though. We drove her to her house in the scruffiest part of town. The house was about as big my room and was made of bamboo.

September 18, 2008
We celebrated my sister’s birthday by having a family meal for lunch (as usual) but instead of Shirley preparing it, my parents cooked it. We had handmade meatballs and spaghetti followed by homemade key lime pie. It was all delicious. Afterwards we went to see Nim’s Island (in Spanish, of course) at El Paseo (the mall).
School was as good as ever, but I am getting extremely frustrated with English. English is my first language; so naturally, I am better then any other person in the room, including the teacher. I realize that teachers often “need to be right” so that the kids respect them and don’t take criticism, but what bugs me is that she’ll ask me if a sentence is right, and then as I am answering, she interrupts my gentle criticism and tells the class how it is right even if it isn’t. I don’t know what to do in this situation because if I agree with her and say that it is right, even when it isn’t, then the students will be learning the wrong thing. On the other hand, if I say that it is wrong then the teacher will feel contradicted and won’t listen to what I say anyway. It is a dilemma. At first, I much preferred the disorderly, loud environment of the class, but now that I am somewhat participating, it is really annoying to have to shout to be heard. My voice isn’t nearly as loud as theirs.
My new goal is to read the entire 3rd Harry Potter book in Spanish. I have never before finished a chapter book in Spanish so this should be great for my Spanish.

September 19, 2008
Today we celebrated my sister’s birthday…again. But this time she had a few friends over to go swimming in the ocean. They were pretty nice and spoke Spanish so we learned some from them. The highlight of the night was going to my first Ecuadorian party. I first went to Anita, one of my very good friends, house. There we had the “pre-party.” We straightened our hair, put on eye make-up and purple mascara, then all 15 of us piled into the mini van and went to where the real party would be held. There were probably between thirty five or forty five kids there. I am not entirely sure because it was dark with lots of lights. They played some music popular here, but they also played music popular to the U.S. I learned how to dance the Ecuadorian way, lots of shaking of the butt. People mostly danced in two lines that faced each other, so you could end up dancing with someone you didn’t know, but my friends and I danced in a circle with someone in the middle. It was so much fun. We sang all the different versions of happy birthday known to man kind, there were amazing fireworks, plus I was the center of attention for the boys. I was new, I was tall, I was “blonde” (by their standards) and I could sort of dance. Countless boys asked me to dance, but I turned most of them down because I didn’t know what they would expect of me. I did say yes to two or three of them, but some were too shy to take me up on it. I didn’t really care. I was too busy having fun with my friends to notice anything else. At 11:00 the party began winding down, my dad came to get me and I limped to my bed, my feet sore from dancing.

September 20, 2008
The next morning, my dancing aches were only magnified. My family made fun of my every groan of pain, but dancing five hours straight would hurt anyone! And of course, this Saturday was no day to lie in bed. At 10:00, I was supposed to be picked up by Eduarda to go bike riding with almost everyone who was at the party the night before. Because it was drizzling for the fist time in weeks as well as poor planning, we didn’t start riding until 11:00 or 12:00. I had to leave at 12:30 to sail so, of course, I probably got about two minutes of actually being on a bike. I walked along the beach back home, with a few friends, they insisted on walking me back. My dad was waiting in the car with a warm and delicious fish sandwich. We drove to the yacht club, about two minutes by car, and I clambered into a boat, keeping my dancing sores to myself, and tried to abide the skipper’s sometimes clueless tactics. He was nice, but I think I preferred when I was able to sail with my mom. It was freezing on the water, I regretted not bringing a jacket, but I was looking forward to a delicious meal and swim at the yacht club.
My hopes were dashed when I learned that my family was sick. It was just their bodies adjusting to the new environment, but it killed our fun night never the less. We would have to go tomorrow night.

September 21, 2008
No such luck. My sisters illness continued, though I felt perfect. They were to sick to take the family picnic to a different beach and much to sick to go to the yacht club. Next weekend, I guess…

September 22, 2008

Monday, another week at school. I sort of like Mondays because it is on Monday that high school students pay their respects to Ecuador. The different grades stand in a line, shortest to tallest (I’m always in the back) boys in one line girls another. First we sing to a recording of the national song. I find this hilarious (though no one else does) because the music is so upbeat and encouraging. The kids “singing” along to it, however, sound half asleep and bored out of their minds. I know some of the words now, but to most of them I just mouth along. Then two or three students and a teacher make a speech about our duty to Ecuador. During this, we must stand at attention with our hands at our sides, while Miz. Cecila checks the girls nails for nail polish (which I guess is forbidden) and the boys nails for dirt (which is almost as bad). I don’t know what the consequence is if you are caught, and I don’t really want to find out. After the speeches and the singing, we are allowed to go back to our classrooms and the day continues as usual.

September 25, 2008
Today we practiced the ceremony for honoring the Ecuadorian flag. It was really interesting. The older students were marching in impeccable rows, all carrying flags proudly. They had made routines to go with more of the energetic, encouraging, (slightly propaganda) patriotic music. The younger children marched out in slightly less professional rows, but still did a great job. Tomorrow is the real thing, to which parents can come. My dad is going to go to Guayaquil to get our new car, but my mom plans on going to the ceremony.

September 26, 2008
Of course everyone forgot to mention that on ceremony days, you need to wear your dress uniform, not your gym clothes. So, like the gringos that we are, my sisters and I came in our gym uniforms. After much miscommunication, we finally got the correct outfit, and were able to watch the performance for the second time.

September 27, 2008
Today we sailed optimists for the first time in Salinas yacht club. The coach, Marina, was really nice, but she didn’t speak much English (at all) So I had to act as translator. I was really proud that I was able to understand most of what she said and then translate for my sisters. It was also just the three of us so we it was practically a private lesson. After sailing, we came in, went swimming in the Olympic sized pool, got it to nice clothes and ate a very nice lunch at the club restaurant. I had a hamburger, my first in two months.

September 28, 2008
We went sailing again today, same drill, but we didn’t eat or swim at the club. We went straight home and had a home cooked meal. Today is Sunday, so we were glad that Shirley had the day off. Although it is unbelievably fun having a maid (who washes and irons our clothes, cleans our house everyday, makes our beds, makes an amazing lunch everyday and shops for our groceries) it is still nice to have the house to ourselves once in a while. Shirley is there from 10:00 to about 3:30, and it is extremely awkward relaxing while she sweeps and cleans the house. Any way, we did some home schooling (not all of Ecuador can be fun and games) and then got ready for the next week of school. For me, that means “studying” for an English quiz. Aka, reading. I love studying.

Things we have learned...

Blog 2: Things we have learned in three short weeks.
1. What it must feel like to have cholera...... Enough said.
2. That the reputation of “used car salesmen” extends to the other Americas.
3. How to text message. We have found that it is far easier to read a text message from said car dealer than to interpret rapid-fire-intermittent-cell-phone-monologue-shouted-over-blaring-television-in-crowed-room-Spanish. It is also easier to appear smarter when we send a text message, armed with dictionary and verb tense textbook.
4. How to fumigate a room so that it is uninhabitable by bugs and humans alike. Unfortunately, our attempts to get rid of biting spiders resulted in a petroleum-based nausea-inducing cloud that lasted for days. Julia was unable to use her room after the treatment so she spent a week on the couch. What a trooper.
5. How to greet Ecuadorians in the proper way: kissing the right cheek. It is customary to greet every single person in the room or at a table when you first see a group of people who you are about to talk with. Women kiss everyone. Men shake the hands of each man and kiss the women. Even the children kiss other children. This was quite an eye opener when Sarah, Julia and Ellen realized they needed to kiss, and be kissed, even by boys who were peers!
6. How to buy a tank of LP gas necessary for cooking. Step one: Shout up to person on the second floor of a certain unmarked building. Step Two: wait at the equally undistinguishable gate. Step Three: pay $2.50 for a 25 gallon refill.
7. How to launch an Optimist sailboat from a ramp without ever getting your feet wet. Step one: have a marineria (boat hand) wheel the boat to the water’s edge. Step two: wait for him to motion you to get on board. Step Three: get wheeled into the water once you are on board. When docking at the end of the day, reverse steps.
8. The full impact of the words, “It’s 10:00. Do you know where your daughter is?? Sarah has found some wonderful friends to hang out with on weekend evenings. We have been careful to always drive her to the destination, taking careful note of how to get there (of course there are NO street signs and very few street lights) so that we can pick her up again at the end of the evening. Imagine our distress when she texted us last weekend, “The party moved to Puerta del Mar. Follow the noise. Having lots of fun.” Luckily, we were having dinner with another couple whose son was at the same party. We were able to retrieve Sarah because the other parent was familiar with this practice of “following the noise.”
9. How to create delicious desert recipes following two rules: a) no recipes allowed and b) each concoction must have a name containing the word Chipipe. So far, our recipes have included Chipipe jengibre (Ginger) Concoction, Chipipe Coco Loco (coconut) Cake-coction, Chipipe Manzana (apple) Cake-coction, Chipipe Limon Cake-coction, Chipipe Pie de Limon, and Chipipe Pan de Maize (corn bread).
10. What it feels like to pay $2.00 per gallon for high test gas. Ah the good ol days…