Around the Town

My family and I went around Quito this weekend.  We went to Mass in the Basilica, which was enormous and beautiful.  We took pictures with elaborately dressed guards in front of the President’s Palace and watched people dancing in the plaza to the music of a random band that was playing there.  Although being in a big city still makes me a bit nervous just because of all the things you hear about thieves, Quito really is nice and quite beautiful, as long as you don’t mind walking up and down hills all the time.  There are so many random, interesting things you can find in cities and towns in this country, especially in a city as large as Quito.

Highlights from this Week:

• Monday – So, the first day back in class was not the best in the world, but what did I expect after having missed a week of classes?  The second class was more enjoyable than the first, though, so I suppose I’ll survive.  I very much appreciate that at least one of my professors was so understanding of the fact that I was gone for so long.
• Tuesday – Today was much better with classes.  All my professors were very understanding of the fact that I was gone for a week from my illness.  There’s no way I could catch up so easily in college in the United States and I’m so glad it’s so easy (for the most part) to catch up here.
• Thursday – Ellie and I took a “partner” test together for Conversación this morning.  Before we took the test, Ellie asked our professor if we could be a little late for class, so we would have time to get lunch after taking the test.  I highly doubt that would fly with any professor in the United States, but our professor here was so nice, she said, “sure”!  We went to the Empanada Company, which is a great place right across from the front gate of the university.  I’d never been before, but Ellie had, and their empanadas are delicious!  Allison, Lauren, Paige, Tara, and I went to see the Hunger Games in the theater in Ventura Mall later this evening.  The movie was wonderful and it was exciting to see a movie in English, just like at home.
• Friday – FEVI had its monthly venta de ropa in Lumbisí, so I helped fold and organize clothes for a while to help out.  We also made pizza and sold it with lemonade to earn more money for the organization and use some of the ripe, homegrown tomatoes from the community.  The pizza was really different from what I’m used to, but it was very good.
• Saturday – I went to help and what I believe is the last greenhouse minga in the organic garden.  I was the only gringa at the minga, but I enjoyed cutting plastic, wrapping poles, holding ladders, and just generally helping in any way I could.  I had to leave before the greenhouse was finished after I realized I was burning through my sunscreen, but I can’t wait to see the greenhouse when it’s finally done!  Later, I went to interview a gentleman named Manuel for my anthropology project.  He was the Treasurer of the Lumbisí Cabildo (the community’s government) during a period when members of the community were fighting for their rights to their land and talking with him was wonderful!  He knows so much about the atmosphere of the community and about its history and he had a number of truly wonderful stories.  Most impressive, though, was one of the last things he said, “Nosotros aquí, somos unidos.”  I love Lumbisí!
• Sunday – I went with Jesús this morning to meet Cecilia in Quito after her velada (night shift) at the hospital.  We went to Mass in the huge Basilica and I thoroughly admired the Gothic design of the cathedral.  Afterward, we wandered toward the Gran Plaza and had lunch while listening to music played by a band at the edge of the park.  We walked up in front of the President’s Palace and took pictures with the elaborately uniformed guards on either side of the door and then paused for a while to watch people dancing to the music in the plaza.

Random Notes:

• If you have to miss a lot of classes, it’s OK.  After being a college student in the U.S. for a while, you probably think I’m crazy to say that, but it’s true.  Professors are very understanding if you have a trip or if you get sick and, for most classes, it’s very easy to catch up.  If you know ahead of time that you’ll be gone, just like in the United States, it’s polite to let your professors know in advance, but if you’re sick and can’t let them know, that’s OK, too.
• The Empanada Company is kind of like a fast food restaurant right across from the main gate of the university.  Just go out, take a right, and cross the street.  It’s pretty much right there.  Just an empanada is usually about $1.50 and they’re delicious!  And empanada is kind of like a calzone – just a big circle of dough folded in half over a bunch of filling.  The restaurant has empanadas stuffed with meat, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and lots of other stuff, depending on what you want.  I had a vegetarian empanada (mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and olive oil) when I went there and I’d definitely like to go back to try their “sweet” empanadas (banana and manjar, which is kind of like dulce de leche, or strawberries and chocolate).
• Movies in theaters here are usually in English with Spanish subtitles if they were originally released in an English-speaking country, which may be why going to the movie theater doesn’t seem to be quite as popular here as it is in the U.S.  Sometimes, they’ll wait to release the movie until it’s been dubbed in Spanish, but when we went to the movies here, it was in English.
• In Ecuador, they really like their spices.  Pretty much the only bland thing you’ll find on a normal menu is rice.  The pizza we sold at FEVI’s monthly venta de ropa was dough covered with tomato sauce, cheese, ham, and a ton of oregano.
• Odd though this sounds, if you don’t have thigh muscles, you might want to work on them, especially if you’re a girl.  Try doing squats or pressing your back against the wall while in a “sitting” position.  The thing is, if you can, you want to get to the point where you can use the restroom without actually sitting on the toilet.  I know that sounds weird, but many public restrooms in Ecuador are not particularly clean and it’s best if you don’t actually touch your skin to the toilet to avoid the risk of getting sick.  I do not have the muscles to do this and I haven’t exactly died, so clearly you can survive without this skill, but I would highly recommend working on your thigh muscles if you think you can reach the point where you don’t need to sit to use the restroom.
• Though you should really keep your guard up at all times, especially in the city, on buses, and in other crowded places, potential thieves are not always particularly difficult to spot.  Usually, there is one man alone or a few men who seem to be hanging out in roughly the same location.  If you see someone acting suspiciously, just keep an eye on them, hold onto your stuff (preferably in front of you), and walk on the other side of the sidewalk or, better yet, on the other side of the street.  Don’t make it overly obvious you’re watching them in case they really aren’t thieves and are really just waiting for someone, but do be aware of what they’re doing and make sure they aren’t following you.  As soon as they realize you’re onto them, they’ll leave you alone – there are far easier targets than someone who clearly knows what they’re doing.