I have returned safely to the states! I was unable to post my daily blog while in Ecuador due to lack of wifi, so now I will share with you my travel journal.
Sunday May 3rd
Today I arrived in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, after a long day of traveling. I was in an airport or an airplane from 9am-11pm. We had quite a long layover in Atlanta, but I used that time to enjoy my last American food and to buy snacks and magazines to keep me occupied on the long flight from Atlanta to South America. Once arriving in Ecuador, I quickly noticed the altitude and the humidity. One of the other girls on our trip noticed it smelled like the rain forest house at the zoo. I learned that Quito is the second highest capital city in the world! No wonder I could immediately feel the elevation.
We met with the Tandana Foundation staff after arriving. Tandana is an organization based in Cincinnati, but with outreach in Ecuador and Mali. It's main focus is to unite communities while preserving the local culture. Our part of Tandana focused on education of the local indigenous population. The Tandana staff met us at the airport in Quito before we headed to the smaller town of Otavalo (about 2 hours away from Quito).
We arrived at the hostel (my room is pictured above) in Otavalo and it was really different than anything I've ever stayed at in the states. I had a few roommates, and a small room, but everyone in the hostel shared four bathrooms. One of my favorite things about the hostel was the garden that was in the courtyard! We had avocado and mango trees right outside of our room. The biggest culture shock moment of "wow, I'm really outside my comfort zone" was when our room had a small bug infestation. We didn't end up falling asleep until 3am because of the paranoia of bugs we've never seen before. This is definitely an adventure!
Monday May 4th
Today was Tandana orientation day! We woke up at 8 and I had my first shower experience in South America. It really made me thankful for things I take for granted back home such as warm water and water pressure. The orientation was about respecting local customs, learning about local food and dress, understanding the education system in Ecuador, and learning about the climate of the country. We met the rest of the Tandana staff (three are from Ecuador!) and went to lunch with them and a Colombian restaurant across the street from our hostel.
After lunch we got sent on a cultural scavenger hunt around the town of Otavalo. My group ended up walking around the town for 3 hours but we found everything on the list! It was a great way to explore the city and use my Spanish. I enjoyed asking locals for directions and advice for our scavenger hunt. I noticed there are a lot of outdoor markets in Otavalo and quite a few women carrying babies on their back. The population in Otavalo is split pretty evenly between indigenous and mestizo, so it makes for very interesting walks around town. We went to dinner on the town square and walked around the market.. Following dinner we returned to the hostel for a debrief and a bonfire. School lessons start tomorrow!
Sunday May 3rd
Today I arrived in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, after a long day of traveling. I was in an airport or an airplane from 9am-11pm. We had quite a long layover in Atlanta, but I used that time to enjoy my last American food and to buy snacks and magazines to keep me occupied on the long flight from Atlanta to South America. Once arriving in Ecuador, I quickly noticed the altitude and the humidity. One of the other girls on our trip noticed it smelled like the rain forest house at the zoo. I learned that Quito is the second highest capital city in the world! No wonder I could immediately feel the elevation.
We met with the Tandana Foundation staff after arriving. Tandana is an organization based in Cincinnati, but with outreach in Ecuador and Mali. It's main focus is to unite communities while preserving the local culture. Our part of Tandana focused on education of the local indigenous population. The Tandana staff met us at the airport in Quito before we headed to the smaller town of Otavalo (about 2 hours away from Quito).
We arrived at the hostel (my room is pictured above) in Otavalo and it was really different than anything I've ever stayed at in the states. I had a few roommates, and a small room, but everyone in the hostel shared four bathrooms. One of my favorite things about the hostel was the garden that was in the courtyard! We had avocado and mango trees right outside of our room. The biggest culture shock moment of "wow, I'm really outside my comfort zone" was when our room had a small bug infestation. We didn't end up falling asleep until 3am because of the paranoia of bugs we've never seen before. This is definitely an adventure!
Monday May 4th
Today was Tandana orientation day! We woke up at 8 and I had my first shower experience in South America. It really made me thankful for things I take for granted back home such as warm water and water pressure. The orientation was about respecting local customs, learning about local food and dress, understanding the education system in Ecuador, and learning about the climate of the country. We met the rest of the Tandana staff (three are from Ecuador!) and went to lunch with them and a Colombian restaurant across the street from our hostel.
After lunch we got sent on a cultural scavenger hunt around the town of Otavalo. My group ended up walking around the town for 3 hours but we found everything on the list! It was a great way to explore the city and use my Spanish. I enjoyed asking locals for directions and advice for our scavenger hunt. I noticed there are a lot of outdoor markets in Otavalo and quite a few women carrying babies on their back. The population in Otavalo is split pretty evenly between indigenous and mestizo, so it makes for very interesting walks around town. We went to dinner on the town square and walked around the market.. Following dinner we returned to the hostel for a debrief and a bonfire. School lessons start tomorrow!
Tuesday May 5
Today was the start to our school week! We went to a school in the indigenous village of Cutambi (about 45 minutes outside of Otavalo). The kids were ages 9-12 and they were in the sixth and seventh grades. The grade system works a little different than here in the states. That is why there is a wide variety of ages in one grade. On our way to Cutambi our bus got stuck on the side of the mountain, so we had to wait for a livestock truck to help pull us out of the mud. We ended up getting to the school about an hour late because of getting stuck, but the kids were still very happy to see us.
When we arrived the kids were at recess, so I joined in on a soccer game with the other girls. After the hour long recess and lunch we taught our lesson about rhythm and music. It went decently well, but we still had to work out some kinks. The Tandana group leader, Emily, teaches English at Cutambi for her profession. After the school day ended around 1pm, we headed back to the hostel for our afternoon activity which was the living Quichua museum (Quichua is the indigenous language and culture of that region of the Andes mountains).
The museum was in an old factory built in the 1820s with all of the original building materials. We got to try weaving on the looms in the museum, and we got to see a great view of Imbabura, the volcano close to the museum. After the museum we rode public transportation back to the hostel. That was fun because there were about 70 people on the bus! It was packed! We went to the town square to eat dinner from the yellow tents (street food vendors...kind of like food trucks). I tried a potato pancake and beef. It was definitely an experience! The fire and debrief was before bed like usual as we prepared for tomorrow! Another day of teaching is ahead of me tomorrow!
Today was the start to our school week! We went to a school in the indigenous village of Cutambi (about 45 minutes outside of Otavalo). The kids were ages 9-12 and they were in the sixth and seventh grades. The grade system works a little different than here in the states. That is why there is a wide variety of ages in one grade. On our way to Cutambi our bus got stuck on the side of the mountain, so we had to wait for a livestock truck to help pull us out of the mud. We ended up getting to the school about an hour late because of getting stuck, but the kids were still very happy to see us.
When we arrived the kids were at recess, so I joined in on a soccer game with the other girls. After the hour long recess and lunch we taught our lesson about rhythm and music. It went decently well, but we still had to work out some kinks. The Tandana group leader, Emily, teaches English at Cutambi for her profession. After the school day ended around 1pm, we headed back to the hostel for our afternoon activity which was the living Quichua museum (Quichua is the indigenous language and culture of that region of the Andes mountains).
The museum was in an old factory built in the 1820s with all of the original building materials. We got to try weaving on the looms in the museum, and we got to see a great view of Imbabura, the volcano close to the museum. After the museum we rode public transportation back to the hostel. That was fun because there were about 70 people on the bus! It was packed! We went to the town square to eat dinner from the yellow tents (street food vendors...kind of like food trucks). I tried a potato pancake and beef. It was definitely an experience! The fire and debrief was before bed like usual as we prepared for tomorrow! Another day of teaching is ahead of me tomorrow!
Wednesday May 6
Today we taught at Guachinguero! We had a classroom of 3rd and 4th grade students and we observed a lesson in Quichua. The kids were very polite and I spoke a lot of Spanish with them. When we got there with Kaleb, our Tandana leader, we went right into teaching about 20 kids. I did most of the talking because the students knew very little English, so it was a great opportunity to improve my Spanish. I had an adventure at this school because I locked myself in the bathroom and couldn't figure out how to escape! Another one of the girls in my teaching group got stuck in the bathroom about 15 minutes after I did, so the kids all thought it was hilarious.
The teacher at Guachinguero made quinoa soup with corn, carrots, and potatoes for lunch. It was really yummy and I got to eat it with a lunch buddy names Sami. She was a third grader who left class to hang out with me and braid my hair. After Sami left, I finished eating with Val and Kaleb and we had a conversation about how much we take things for granted. Some days in Ecuador hot water isn't an option, and some days having any water at all isn't an option. Life is incredibly easy in America and everything is practically handed to us. In Ecuador people live off the land much more and rely on each other for support.
After school we hiked to the waterfall at Taxopamba. The hike was somewhat difficult but definitely worth it. We got the talk with Kaleb's host dad about education in Ecuador, especially bilingual education (Spanish and Quichua). It was eye opening to see how much value Ecuador places on education and the preservation of it's indigenous language.
Thursday May 7
Today we went to a school called Panecillo. We took the city bus to a little village outside of Otavalo and then we hiked up a mountain to find the school. It was amazing to think of the students who hike the mountain everyday in order to go to school. Today was a busy day! We taught 4 classes so a total of about 75 students.
The students we taught ranged from about 5 to age 13. But that didn't matter when it came to recess and soccer time! I played soccer with the boys at recess and then let the younger girls braid my hair. Some of the kids were shy and wouldn't talk to me, but some of them loved having a Spanish speaker to communicate with.
After school, we went to a cooking class where we learned to cook an indigenous meal. We toured their garden and I was the translator for my group. It was a wonderful experience for my Spanish listening skills. Dinner was interesting and took a while to make. Chelsea and I were in charge of the juice, so we made blackberry juice. We picked them, took the leaves off, blended them, and got the seeds out. It was a long process but worth it! On our way home from cooking school, I noticed the stars. It was the most stars I have ever seen, and I especially noticed the summer and winter constellations were out at the same time. That is because I am so close to the equator that the stars do no change when the seasons do. Tomorrow is the last day of teaching!
Today we taught at Guachinguero! We had a classroom of 3rd and 4th grade students and we observed a lesson in Quichua. The kids were very polite and I spoke a lot of Spanish with them. When we got there with Kaleb, our Tandana leader, we went right into teaching about 20 kids. I did most of the talking because the students knew very little English, so it was a great opportunity to improve my Spanish. I had an adventure at this school because I locked myself in the bathroom and couldn't figure out how to escape! Another one of the girls in my teaching group got stuck in the bathroom about 15 minutes after I did, so the kids all thought it was hilarious.
The teacher at Guachinguero made quinoa soup with corn, carrots, and potatoes for lunch. It was really yummy and I got to eat it with a lunch buddy names Sami. She was a third grader who left class to hang out with me and braid my hair. After Sami left, I finished eating with Val and Kaleb and we had a conversation about how much we take things for granted. Some days in Ecuador hot water isn't an option, and some days having any water at all isn't an option. Life is incredibly easy in America and everything is practically handed to us. In Ecuador people live off the land much more and rely on each other for support.
After school we hiked to the waterfall at Taxopamba. The hike was somewhat difficult but definitely worth it. We got the talk with Kaleb's host dad about education in Ecuador, especially bilingual education (Spanish and Quichua). It was eye opening to see how much value Ecuador places on education and the preservation of it's indigenous language.
Thursday May 7
Today we went to a school called Panecillo. We took the city bus to a little village outside of Otavalo and then we hiked up a mountain to find the school. It was amazing to think of the students who hike the mountain everyday in order to go to school. Today was a busy day! We taught 4 classes so a total of about 75 students.
The students we taught ranged from about 5 to age 13. But that didn't matter when it came to recess and soccer time! I played soccer with the boys at recess and then let the younger girls braid my hair. Some of the kids were shy and wouldn't talk to me, but some of them loved having a Spanish speaker to communicate with.
After school, we went to a cooking class where we learned to cook an indigenous meal. We toured their garden and I was the translator for my group. It was a wonderful experience for my Spanish listening skills. Dinner was interesting and took a while to make. Chelsea and I were in charge of the juice, so we made blackberry juice. We picked them, took the leaves off, blended them, and got the seeds out. It was a long process but worth it! On our way home from cooking school, I noticed the stars. It was the most stars I have ever seen, and I especially noticed the summer and winter constellations were out at the same time. That is because I am so close to the equator that the stars do no change when the seasons do. Tomorrow is the last day of teaching!
Friday May 8
Today we had our last day of teaching. We went to La Joya, which is a school for children with special needs in Otavalo. When we arrived the students were eating breakfast so we got to help feed them and bring them back to the classrooms. After breakfast we helped them during arts and crafts time which was making Mother's Day presents. The needs of the kids varied from moderate to severe but each of them were so much fun to be around. The kids that I hung out with were Shirley, Christian, and Massiel. They were such sweet kids and love having helpers! At recess the kids loved to play with the ball and have wheel chair races. It was so much fun to see the kids have a blast really enjoy themselves.
After recess was song and dance time. My teaching group got to sing and dance in front of the whole school. After I accepted that I probably looked goofy, it was a blast to make the kids smile. When the kids joined us for song and dance time, one of the girls who was three years old came over to me and asked to be picked up. After I did, it took her about 5 minutes to fall asleep in my arms.
After La Joya we went to get traditional ice cream with Maria Christina and Alex, the Tandana leaders for La Joya. I had strawberry and guanabana. It was really delicious! We went back for rest time before we met Maria Virginia, the author of a book we read before coming to Ecuador. I was such an honor to meet her and hear her story in person. We went back to the hostel for a fire and reflections. Tomorrow is the big Saturady market in Otavalo!
Today we had our last day of teaching. We went to La Joya, which is a school for children with special needs in Otavalo. When we arrived the students were eating breakfast so we got to help feed them and bring them back to the classrooms. After breakfast we helped them during arts and crafts time which was making Mother's Day presents. The needs of the kids varied from moderate to severe but each of them were so much fun to be around. The kids that I hung out with were Shirley, Christian, and Massiel. They were such sweet kids and love having helpers! At recess the kids loved to play with the ball and have wheel chair races. It was so much fun to see the kids have a blast really enjoy themselves.
After recess was song and dance time. My teaching group got to sing and dance in front of the whole school. After I accepted that I probably looked goofy, it was a blast to make the kids smile. When the kids joined us for song and dance time, one of the girls who was three years old came over to me and asked to be picked up. After I did, it took her about 5 minutes to fall asleep in my arms.
After La Joya we went to get traditional ice cream with Maria Christina and Alex, the Tandana leaders for La Joya. I had strawberry and guanabana. It was really delicious! We went back for rest time before we met Maria Virginia, the author of a book we read before coming to Ecuador. I was such an honor to meet her and hear her story in person. We went back to the hostel for a fire and reflections. Tomorrow is the big Saturady market in Otavalo!
Saturday May 9
Today is market day!! Otavalo is known in South America for having a wonderful market for fabric goods, food, and other handmade items. I spent all morning at the market buying presents for people and bargaining for cheaper prices! After the market we went back to the hostel where we met before leaving for lunch in another town, called Ibarra. The town was about 45 minutes away into another climate of Ecuador. We went from the green and moderate Otavalo, to the hot and dry Ibarra. The town was really pretty with a very colonial-looking town square. We drove out of Ibarra into an Afro-Ecuadorian community of about 1500 people. This small town was about 2 hours away from the Colombian border.
While in the Afro-Ecuadorian village, we toured an organic farm where they grew avocados, mangoes, limes, bananas, and much more. The owner of the farm played us music and we danced out in the middle of his farm. When we arrived to the Afro-Ecuadorian museum, we played traditional games and listened to traditional music. After the games, we had a dance lesson! It was a lot of fun to learn the traditional dances. After our two hour dance lesson, we went to dinner with the people from the village. It was my favorite meal of the trip! We had pigeon peas, rice, chicken, and avocado. After dinner we went back to Otavalo. It was a two hour bus ride back, so I got a nice nap in! Tomorrow is our last full day in Ecuador!
Sunday May 10
Today we got to sleep in and then at 11 we went to the Condor Park. The condor s the national symbol of Ecuador, similar to the Bald Eagle for the US. The bird park was very interesting and we got to see a flight demonstration. I even got to hold a bird! After the bird park we went to have lunch with the Tandana scholarship students at the legendary Lechero Tree. This tree has a story behind it about a boy and a girl who fell in love and ran away. The never wanted to be separated, so a spell turned the girl into a crystal clear lake at the bottom of the valley and the boy turned into a lechero tree at the top of the valley. It is called a lechero tree because if you snap the branch the sap looks like milk (leche in Spanish). The tree was over 500 years old!
After lunch we went to another town in Ecuador called Cotocaxi. They are known for their leather goods. I bought some items from their market and tried my first empanada! After the visit to the other town, we went back to Otavalo for last dinner with our Tandana leaders. The leaders had a surprise for us! Vero, one of the leaders, has a dad that plays traditional Ecuadorian music. Their band accompanied us while we ate our dinner. I was a lot of fun and made me a little sad to leave! This was our last night, so we had to pack up the bus for Quito. Tomorrow will be a really long, exhausting day. We tour Quito all day and have an overnight flight home. Wish me luck!
Today is market day!! Otavalo is known in South America for having a wonderful market for fabric goods, food, and other handmade items. I spent all morning at the market buying presents for people and bargaining for cheaper prices! After the market we went back to the hostel where we met before leaving for lunch in another town, called Ibarra. The town was about 45 minutes away into another climate of Ecuador. We went from the green and moderate Otavalo, to the hot and dry Ibarra. The town was really pretty with a very colonial-looking town square. We drove out of Ibarra into an Afro-Ecuadorian community of about 1500 people. This small town was about 2 hours away from the Colombian border.
While in the Afro-Ecuadorian village, we toured an organic farm where they grew avocados, mangoes, limes, bananas, and much more. The owner of the farm played us music and we danced out in the middle of his farm. When we arrived to the Afro-Ecuadorian museum, we played traditional games and listened to traditional music. After the games, we had a dance lesson! It was a lot of fun to learn the traditional dances. After our two hour dance lesson, we went to dinner with the people from the village. It was my favorite meal of the trip! We had pigeon peas, rice, chicken, and avocado. After dinner we went back to Otavalo. It was a two hour bus ride back, so I got a nice nap in! Tomorrow is our last full day in Ecuador!
Sunday May 10
Today we got to sleep in and then at 11 we went to the Condor Park. The condor s the national symbol of Ecuador, similar to the Bald Eagle for the US. The bird park was very interesting and we got to see a flight demonstration. I even got to hold a bird! After the bird park we went to have lunch with the Tandana scholarship students at the legendary Lechero Tree. This tree has a story behind it about a boy and a girl who fell in love and ran away. The never wanted to be separated, so a spell turned the girl into a crystal clear lake at the bottom of the valley and the boy turned into a lechero tree at the top of the valley. It is called a lechero tree because if you snap the branch the sap looks like milk (leche in Spanish). The tree was over 500 years old!
After lunch we went to another town in Ecuador called Cotocaxi. They are known for their leather goods. I bought some items from their market and tried my first empanada! After the visit to the other town, we went back to Otavalo for last dinner with our Tandana leaders. The leaders had a surprise for us! Vero, one of the leaders, has a dad that plays traditional Ecuadorian music. Their band accompanied us while we ate our dinner. I was a lot of fun and made me a little sad to leave! This was our last night, so we had to pack up the bus for Quito. Tomorrow will be a really long, exhausting day. We tour Quito all day and have an overnight flight home. Wish me luck!
Monday May 11
I woke up today in another city. We spent the night in a crazy hostel in Quito. It is in a colonial building, so the stairs were really narrow and steep. It was difficult to get the luggage up and down the stairs. Breakfast was on the terrace rooftop that overlooked the city of Quito. Our tour of Quito started right after breakfast!
There was some big event going on in Quito that afternoon because at the main town square where the president's house and the archbishop's palace are, there was high security and a lot of people. We even saw snipers on the roofs! We were able to see the president, his band, his guards, and his horses, so that was really neat. We also got to tour some churches and the main streets of Quito. We were only in the historic part though, there is an entire modern section of the city with skyscrapers and big buildings, but we were surrounded by colonial buildings and churches.
After our tour and lunch, we wandered back to our hostel where we caught the transportation to the middle of the earth museum. This is the museum that is on the equator! It was really interesting to hear all of the cool things that happen on and around the equator, but not back home. Water doesn't spin when you drain it, you can balance an egg on the head of a nail on the equator, you can see all of the constellations, you have no shadow for 3 minutes every year, and there are no natural disasters on the equator because the forces of the northern and southern hemisphere cancel each other out. It was a really neat museum! After the museum was dinner and our bus ride to the airport!
My trip to Ecuador was a lot of fun and definitely changed my life. I will remember it forever!
I woke up today in another city. We spent the night in a crazy hostel in Quito. It is in a colonial building, so the stairs were really narrow and steep. It was difficult to get the luggage up and down the stairs. Breakfast was on the terrace rooftop that overlooked the city of Quito. Our tour of Quito started right after breakfast!
There was some big event going on in Quito that afternoon because at the main town square where the president's house and the archbishop's palace are, there was high security and a lot of people. We even saw snipers on the roofs! We were able to see the president, his band, his guards, and his horses, so that was really neat. We also got to tour some churches and the main streets of Quito. We were only in the historic part though, there is an entire modern section of the city with skyscrapers and big buildings, but we were surrounded by colonial buildings and churches.
After our tour and lunch, we wandered back to our hostel where we caught the transportation to the middle of the earth museum. This is the museum that is on the equator! It was really interesting to hear all of the cool things that happen on and around the equator, but not back home. Water doesn't spin when you drain it, you can balance an egg on the head of a nail on the equator, you can see all of the constellations, you have no shadow for 3 minutes every year, and there are no natural disasters on the equator because the forces of the northern and southern hemisphere cancel each other out. It was a really neat museum! After the museum was dinner and our bus ride to the airport!
My trip to Ecuador was a lot of fun and definitely changed my life. I will remember it forever!