Trip to Baños

Other than some throat/cold thing that's been running around and trying to catch me, I am feeling much better since my last blog post. My dad had his surgery and is doing well. He is already walking! I'm hoping he will recover quickly and I will be able to share the last part of my trip with him. My mother bought her plane tickets and is coming to see me in October! I am very excited about showing her around Quito and going to the Galapagos with her. She speaks about as much Spanish as I do German (which is none at all, despite the fact that much of my family is from Germany and it is my mother's first language. She even wrote a book about my family's emigration to the from Germany.)

This past weekend, 3 of the other girls and I took a trip to the adventure city of Baños. What about those crazy emotions I mentioned feeling last week? Well, I threw them off a bridge. When I jumped, I decided to leave all the stuff that is beyond my control at the bottom. I am pleased to say that it worked, I feel much lighter without the burden. I guess some people are into meditation for their woes, but mine respond to adrenaline. Baños is an amazing city, and I want to try to visit it again before I head back to the states. There are more things to do in Baños than one weekend allows. Here's what we did get to do in our short time there:

Bike ride on a highway, through tunnels and up a mountain (getting very dirty in the process). Take a box truck back when we were too exhausted for the last 12k or so.

Zip line toward a waterfall in a superman pose (the photo isn't me, but the copy I have doesn't photograph well, I will post once I'm near a scanner)

Go puenting, as seen in the video. It means jumping off of a bridge (adding an English ending to the Spanish word for bridge, puente). Puenting is like bungee jumping, with ropes instead of bungees. No "bo-oi-oi-oing," swinging instead.

Put on wet suits, practice repelling down the side of a 4 story building, then go canyoning (rapelling down waterfalls. It was really fun, but I was really bad at it. The harness kept me safe, but I did end up with a few battle scars.)

We wanted to rent dunebuggies and visit the hot springs, but it was getting late, and was cold and rainy. We decided to head back instead. Next weekend, I plan to visit the beach and see the Pacific Ocean for the very first time. :D Lots of firsts in Ecuador. The following weekend, I want to see the Amazon. This cold has got to go! I only have 9 weekends left here, and so much to see!

On an academic note, it is the third week of school. My amazing collaborating teacher has been letting me take over classes regularly. I have a lot of typical new teacher issues (pacing the lesson appropriately, allowing students enough think time, giving clear, but brief instruction). I think I'm getting better. I am learning a little each day, and reflecting a lot at home. I had a teacher tick! I over-used the word "absolutely," but now that I know, I think (I'm not absolutely sure) that I'm getting better about it. I get to take over entirely next week, teaching my own lessons! I know my mentor will be there to catch me when I stumble, and I am super excited about it.

Homesickness? And my trip to the equator

As some of you know, I have a lot going on at home. My father will finally have a long-awaited spinal surgery next week Monday. It is a surgery that has already been postponed twice for a variety of reasons. While I'm sure everything will go well, it is hard to be so far away while it happens. In addition, my great uncle and Godfather was entered into hospice care last week, and a priest conducted last rites. He has had a hard year, and it is a good thing that his struggle is nearing the end. It is simply painful to feel helpless in the situation, even though I know that there is nothing I could do no matter what. My family is strong, I've been continuously updated and my love is being sent where it is needed. On top of it all, I am dealing with a recent (3 months today) end of a very long term relationship (4 and 1/2 years). Photos of him on a trip with the girl he left me for, a relationship that was being built while we were still together, keep popping up on my Facebook newsfeed, as we have mutual friends who comment and like them. I have taken steps to keep this from happening again. Dealing with reminders of his betrayal when I am still trying to deal with the breakup in general is difficult. It is especially difficult because I am physically separated from those who know me, love me, and would usually help me handle the curveballs life throws at me. It is not so much that I am homesick (although I love all of those at home), as that I was already in a situation to feel a bit lonely before I went away. Some days, anger is what greets me when I wake up and follows me to bed at night. Anger that life is unfair and out of my control. Life (and he) owe me an apology that I will never get. I am still enjoying my time here, Ecuador is a beautiful place where it is impossible to overlook the wonders that life can bring. I just have some emotional baggage to tote around with me on my journeys, and the load sometimes feels very heavy.

Enough about the bad. Let's talk about some of the amazing and wonderful. My students are brilliant! As English Language Learners, they astound me with their mastery of vocabulary on a daily basis. My collaborating teacher is phenomenal and creates engaging and fun lessons in a well-managed environment. I have been given an excellent example of how to be the exact type of teacher I hope to become. She is already letting me take the wheel and teach students during the last two periods of the day. I could not be happier about my choice to come here and the knowledge it is bringing me.

I missed a blog update, but you guys didn't miss much. The weekend before last was spent having a birthday celebration of one of my roommates at Plaza Fotch, a place the locals sometimes call "Gringo Land" because it caters to the college crowd. Many of the students at the local college are studying abroad. We went out for drinks, dinner and dancing. A wonderful thing about Ecuadorian culture is that it does not include the American concept that a girl dancing should be rubbed up upon and made uncomfortable. It was a much more carefree club experience than any I had before.

We also did some exploring of Quito, found some great markets and parks. My favorite was the discovery of the artisan's market on Jorge Washington. It is like the biggest, coolest flea market I have ever seen! Sometimes my senses we over loaded with the endless rows of shops packed full of clothing, jewelry, artwork and keepsakes. He are some of the highlights:

This guy was just hanging out near a market, all dress up with his harp, I'm assuming waiting for a taxi.

Imagine 9 isles of these stores, 15 deep per isle!

See what I mean about sensory overload? I need to work on my bartering face!

I was confused about these things, so I asked. It turns out that Catholic nuns, monks and priests dress this way during Holy Week celebrations.

A monument to a former President from Quito in a plaza next to a cute park Kristi and I found on a walk.

I love all the street art here. So much talent!

The walkway overpass was almost like a children's art museum.

There was a dinosaur display on the streets near Parque Carolina. At least 10 of these life sized recreations. Some even moved!

Last weekend, KSU students had another birthday. This time at a fancy restaurant owned by the brother of Katelyn's collaborating teacher. I ate a lot of delicious food, but felt a little sick the next day. Ecuador does not use all the preservatives or pasteurization processes that the US does, so a slightly upset stomach is sort of a right of passage. I spent Saturday in because of it, plus, I needed a down day to recoup. Sunday, I went to the equator. Actually, two "equators." Mitad del Mundo was build to mark the middle of the world before GPS, and it was later discovered that they were several meters off. It is a short walk to the "true equator" that was calculated 17 years ago. Some online sources suggest it may be a few feet off, too. Corny equator photos for me, nonetheless!

I'm in (pretend) two places at once! 

The monument at Mitad del Munod

The view alone is worth the trip!

 They was a bullfighting area (no actually fighting at the time) I had a stubborn-off with this bull. I think he won.

Showing how the equator was measured.

.... and in the 1900s, it was concluded that this was not the true equator. Oops!

We then walked to the other equator. There was a guided tour (offered in English :D) about local tribes, the tradition of shrinking heads, and "science" that can only be done at latitude 0.0'0"

The real equator

Our fabulous guide!

In case you were wonder how to decapitate someone and shrink their head.

A replica of a shrunken head. They believe that the soul is in the mind, so to take the brain from the head is to own the soul of the person.

This sundial tells perfect time. One side for each equinox. I want to go back on the 22nd and see the transition!

Two places at once. For real! Probably...

Video of the water trick. It's an optical illusion. Imagine a clock. If it's positioned with "North" on top (as in the numbers being right side up), you would see the hands rotate clockwise. If it's positioned with "South" on top (numbers upside down), you would see the hands rotate counter-clockwise. The same is true with swirling water, they can convince you that it's going the opposite direction by positioning you to have the opposite perspective.

Balancing an egg. It is doable anywhere, but allegedly easiest on the equator. I still failed

A re-creation of a chief's tomb. He would be buried in a large pot with his best possessions. His family would then be drugged with Mescaline and buried alive with him.

That's all that is new in my world. Next weekend we plan to go see Baños. It has several waterfalls, tons of aventure sports, hot springs and a nature preserve! I can't wait to go, and to share it with all of you. Feel free to (PLEASE!) COMMENT and let me know how things are for you at home.