Mercado in Otavalo

Bus ride to Otavalo from Quito is about 2 hours. It is a gorgeous ride through the Andes Mountains with sites of volcanoes, lakes, and villages.


Otavalo is a small village located in the Provincia de Imbabura.




To get a true Ecuadorian market experience, Otavalo on Saturday is the destination. Every Saturday, Amerindians from close by villages gather to produce & sell everything from handicrafts, jewelry, textiles, Panama hats, bags, ponchos, blankets, clothing, livestock, leather goods, shoes, and much more!

The colors of the market are extraordinary! There are colorful bags, blankets, and even the people themselves are quite colorful.

Saturday is not only a market day, it is also a social day for the indigenous peoples. The most important thing when buying things in the market is bargaining. You have to be stern and stand your ground for sure. Perfect example-I was buying a bracelet and it was around $4.00. How much did I pay for it? $1.50.  You talk them down as much as possible, if you are still not satisfied put the item down like you are not going to buy it-and the villagers will make a deal with you. I bought a lot at the market and barely spent over $20. Jewelry was my favorite. I bought earrings made from natural materials such a orange peels & tagua (also know as ivory palms), a  white-beaded necklace, and a few bracelets. I also purchased a blue skirt, pajama pants, and a scarf.

 Other than shopping in the market, the town of Otavalo itself is beautiful. There are great places to eat and things to do such as horseback riding through the mountains. Traveling to Otavalo has now become apart of another culture experience that I have here in Ecuador!

Guayasamín

The Guayasamín Museum is a "must-see" when visiting Ecuador. It is absolutely gorgeous and the paintings are very moving. Oswaldo Guayasamín is one of the most re-owned painters in Ecuador. The location of the museum is north upon a hill that overlooks the countryside as well as the city of Quito. The power and the emotions of each and every painting is beyond belief. Guayasamín painted the cruelty of life in South America, the injustices, and the violence.




Check out the virtual tour of the museum

Guayasamín's Home-Overlooking the city of Quito

Average Day

Let me recap an average day that I live.


5:00am-MoviStar Alarm Sound


5:05am-Snooze


5:15am-Finally roll out of bed, grab my Late Cafe (Ecuadorian Style) and wash up in the shower.


5:45am-Grab my croissant and fruit that my host mother usually prepares. Fruit is usually a banana, orange, or an apple.


5:47am-Say bye to the dogs & head to the bus stop. While walking to the bus stop-I am able to see the sun rise over Cotopaxi!

















6:10am-Catch the over-crowded, polluted, dirty bus-but it's great! It is a cultural experience.


6:25am-Get off bus, catch a trolle to where SECAP is located. SECAP is the school I have been practice teaching in and observing here in Quito. It is located on Diez de Agosto and Colon Avenue.


6:45am-Arrive at SECAP. Sometimes, if I am lucky and I arrive early I will run and grab a cappuccino vanilla dark to eat with my croissant. I drink a lot of coffee throughout the day-keeps me going.


7:00am-9:00am-I would usually be teaching or observing other teachers. The classroom environment is great. The students are there to learn and no matter what you are teaching-they love you because you have the ability to speak perfect English!


9:05am-Walk back to where our orientation classes take place. Sometimes I will stop and get a smoothie, another coffee, maybe a snack to last me until lunchtime. You would be surprised how much I eat here. Our bodies work a lot harder because of the altitude!


10:00am-12:00pm-WorldTeach has some type of class for us. The classes have varied from TEFL training, cultural shock, history & politics of Ecuador, and much more!


12:00pm-LUNCH! Usually a small group of us will branch off and go find a good spot to eat. I have fallen in love with Aladdin's, a middle eastern restaurant that serves falafel sandwiches for $2.20. I probably eat there at least 3 times a week. Delicious!


12:45pm-Either grab a coffee & cookie at Caco del Republica or a Batido for $1.00 at a smoothie stand (Fresa y Pina are my favorite).


1:30pm-Spanish class! Spanish class can sometimes be frustrating but I do learn a lot and it's so much fun. Our Spanish teacher recently taught us what to say when we take liquor shots with Ecuadorians-"¡Arriba, Abajo, A Centro, Adentro!" She is great.


2:30pm-Walk back to orientation site listening to my travel playlist on my ipod. By this time, I am drained but have to stick it out for at least 2 more hours.


3:00pm-5:00pm-More classes with WorldTeach!


5:00pm-Bus ride home? OR Stay out? Depending on the day I will either ride the bus home and my mother will have dinner ready for me OR just stay out and hit up happy hour! La Mariscal is the main plaza that we like to migrate to. It's cheap, there is a lot of dancing, and I always have a great time!

Friday Night Salsa Class

Life in Ecuador is great.

Quito, Ecuador

The past few days, WorldTeach volunteers have explored what the amazing city of Quito is all about. First of all, I would like to mention the amazing view I have from my bedroom window. I see Cotopaxi volcano every morning when I wake up and walk to the bus stop. Cotopaxi lies South of Quito in the Andes Mountains. In the city, the architecture of the buildings are extraordinary and the murals on the walls are what everyone would love to see everyday. 


We took a tour bus to the Virgin of Quito, El Panecillo. El Panecillo has a panoramic view of Quito. So beautiful. 

      
The heart of colonial Quito is centered in Old Town also called Centro Historico. Centro Historico consists of Plaza de la Independencia, Plaza del Teatro, Inglesia el Sagrario, Inglesia San Augustin, Plaza San Francisco, La Compania, Casa de Benalcazar, Carondelet Palace, and much more! It is absolutely a "must see" when visiting Ecuador!  

Centro Historico de Quito

Carondelet Palace

                              

Let's not for get the faces of Quito. Yes, Quito has it's beauty of architecture & colonial history but the people are what make not only Quito but Ecuador the cultural place that is has evolved to be. 

I have to admit-I have fallen in love with Latin American culture.

Laundry

Laundry in Ecuador can be frustrating. If you are thinking about doing laundry consider using a la estera del lavadero, otherwise it will take you 48 hours to completely finish your laundry. I decided to wash one load and hand wash one load. Hand-washing your clothes is not as difficult as it seems. It actually makes more sense. The hard part is drying your clothes. Today was the perfect day because the sun was shining and it was muy caliente! Being so close to the equator, your clothes are able to dry fast. But...at the same time, it rains almost everyday here in Quito and can get very cold! And this is what happened to me today. I took about 30 minutes to hang all my clothes and about 30 minutes later had to run outside to take them down. I now have clothes hanging all over the house-I would say this process will take about 2 days to finish! Oh, how you gotta love Ecuador!

Hand-Washing Station

English T-e-e-e-a-c-h-e-r

I began practice teaching this week to prepare for the university I will be working at in Manta. Wednesday, 7:00am my team and I prepared a simple lesson for a basic English level class. We taught things such as the rules and how to greet one another. We were very impressed with the amount of vocabulary they knew. Thursday & Friday was my turn to teach solo. I was not nervous, but I was cautious of teaching adults. In the past, I  only experienced working with children so this was a big change for me. I have to admit-I absolutely loved it and had a great time.

I started with introducing how to use their vocabulary knowledge in the correct context. For example, I went over subjects such as I, my, you, he, she and possessive words such as his, her, and your. I played a fun tic-tac-toe game where the students had to come up with sentences using their vocabulary knowledge and the words they had just learned. I played music in the background and we all had a blast! My students called me teacher, but it sounds more like t-e-e-e-e-a-c-h-e-r-r.

SECAP 

The next lesson I taught corresponded with the previous lesson and how to speak about location (next to, in front of, behind, on, & under). We played "kick-ball" in the classroom. I had prepared a ball with layers of paper that had short sentences where the students had to fill in the blank. I played some Adele in the background, and when the music stopped, whomever had the paper ball in front of them had to complete the problem. They loved it! I think with the music, me dancing, and showing how much I was excited to be there-made all the difference in the world. My students felt comfortable and were excited to learn!

For location, I came up with drawings. With partners the students had to talk about where objects were in the picture. For example, the girl is next to the boy OR the apple is on the table. They got the hang of it and eventually got to create their own pictures to share with the class. See some examples below!

After de-briefing with our Field Director, I feel that I am on the right path to becoming an English teacher here in Ecuador. Only teaching for three days so far has opened my eyes for my future. One of my reasonings for coming to Ecuador was not only to learn more about myself but to recognize whether or not teaching is right for me. Teaching comes natural, I love it, and I know it is something I will continue to do in the near future!

Fiesta de cumpleaños del Ecuadorian

My first Ecuadorian birthday party was a blast! Mi Sabrina turned one year old this past weekend. It was amazing to see family members gather together and praise Sofia. The party began with socializing around a table filled with snacks. What kind of snacks? Ecuadorians are very big on popcorn. So there was a lot of popcorn, potato chips, marshmallows, cheese with tiny hot dogs, lots of Ecuadorian chocolate and candies, and crackers! The father of Sofia handed out champagne glasses and as each family member went around and said something about Sofia we toasted! ¡Salud! 


The next hour of the party consisted of sitting around in a circle in chairs. The father passed around Bacardi Rum shots. In Ecuador, drinking while socializing is very common and sometimes found rude if you don't participate. So, I was sure I participated. Then the games began. The men had to carry a spoon with a lime and try to dance. If the lime fell off then you were out. It was quite hilarious. The same game continued but instead of dancing the men had to do the limbo! The ladies were next. I did pretty well. But my legs were so long to keep continuing do limbo that my lime fell off and I lost. 


Dinner was placed in the middle of the 5 hour birthday party. The hosts served everyone at the party a huge meal. Let me add, a delicious meal! Cena consisted of seasoned, baked chicken, rice with avocado, potato salad with different types of peas and corn nuts and a glass of juice. It was interesting that no one sat a table. We all gathered around in a close circle to eat-it was very traditional.


Just when I thought the party was over, it surely was not. More games! I was a bit nervous for the rest of the evening. My Spanish does not rock right now, but my host brother helped me out a lot. We performed multiple rounds of charades. Even singing charades, and this is where I come into play. I had to act/sing Poker Face by Lady Gaga as the men had to guess. It was quite embarrassing but I look back now and I had such a great time. We played other games as well such as "who has the key" or "where is the key." A person had to be blind folded while the group hides a key. The person takes the blind fold off and we help him/her find the key by saying "caliente, caliente" or "frio, frio." It is similar to your getting hotter or your getting colder! 


Lastly, we were served yummy Ecuadorian dessert. Sofia's cake was of Minny Mouse. We were served a slice of cake, jello, and orange soda. I was highly made fun of. When I was served the cup of jello I confused it with orange soda and thought I had spilled it. My host brother and the family got the biggest kick out of it. I was laughing so hard until tears rolled down my face.


I really felt like part of the family. Ecuadorian people are friendly, fun, and amazing to be around. La fiesta lasted all afternoon until after 8:00pm at night but it was great and I am glad I had the chance to experience a new part of the Ecuadorian culture!

Ecuadorian Time

 There is this thing that is called "Ecuadorian time." Ecuadorian time really means time that does not exist. In Ecuador, las personas are very freewill and go with the flow. Yes people work, but it is hard to make set plans without those plans changing. Perfect example.


Today, Saturday, was a day to do laundry, go to the store, and possibly visit Centro Historico. Today was a day I was going to get a few things done but instead rock climbing seemed more fun with my host brother. So instead of doing things I needed to do, I went rock climbing. I love it man. You just go with it and be happy. Take a look at my perfect Saturday afternoon.

El Autobús

The bus. Busses here in Quito are packed with all kinds of people. Ecuadorian, Chilean, and American. Many of which listen to their ipod, read, sleep, and sometimes even sing aloud. I mainly just watch. I ride the bus in the mornings and sometimes at night. The mornings are the most full. I usually stand and hold on tight. There are no road lines, we mainly fly down the Andes Mountains. I live in South Quito so it is a bit of a bus ride to WorldTeach's orientation site. 


Other than the smell and taste of pollution, I don't mind the bus ride. It is a time where I watch people and take in the scenery around me. It is one quarter to ride the bus, much cheaper than taking a taxi.


What kinds of things do I see on the bus? A lot of the time there will be Ecuadorians on and off selling things such as cigarettes, gum, food, and candy. Other times, women and sometimes men will have a tape player and sing or rap as loud as they can to make money. People on the bus are always well dressed. I believe they may be on their way to school or work.


I was at first a little nervous to ride the bus at night. We were told not to ride night busses. But it is actually fun! I write in my journal and sometimes sketch things I see. I wish I could bring my ipod or Kindle. I was told not too. Being a foreigner, it is not a good idea. Risky that it may get stolen! While on the bus, I am sure to hold my bag tight on my lap. It's always to be more cautious than sorry.

All in all, I don't mind the bus. It may be dirty and may take twice as long but it's a good cultural experience!

Bus Ride View!

Host Familia

 I know you have been dying to hear about being in Quito, Ecuador-so here it is! Quito is muy ocupado. I love it though. Our days are very long with WorldTeach. We spend a lot of time in the classroom learning about safety. Next week we will begin our Spanish classes as well as some Salsa. I had a few moments where I thought to myself "What am I doing here?" It can be scary with the crime in Quito, but I am learning fast how to do the littlest things to keep safe.

Language barrier? It is hard, but I know I can't let it frustrate me or I will never learn. When I do try to communicate with my host family, it is a lot of fun and they help me a lot. Jessica, another volunteer and I live with a nice host family in South Quito. Our la casa consists of our mum (73), our hermano (28), una hermana (33) and una sabrina (6 meses). They are amazing. Today we had a WorldTeach BBQ in un Parque Metropolitano. After, our familia took us to an Ecuadorian mall as well as the markets on el calle. It was an adventure! Sometimes it can be hard to picture the life I am experiencing, so instead of more words I will include more pictures. Here they are, enjoy!

Quito, Ecuador

Mi Sabrina Sofia

Mi mamá y voluntario Jessica

Mi hermano y sobrina

El Mercado 

That is it for now.

 ¡Chao!