Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday the 13th

Im not really sure where the idea and superstition of Friday the 13th came about but I wonder what weird things will go down tonight. Today Jalel from the programam Vele Vele Vele will be coming to our University to promote "El primer Encuentro de la Juventud Universitaria por una UTA Saludable" (1st encounter of University youth for a healthier UTA) After all the work I´ve been doing in applying the surveys with addictions and mental health, we finally have results and will be launching the program today with an actor from the television. Im not sure if he´s very famous but he is well known around Ecuador.

Yesterday I ventured to the other campus to do the last of the surveys. I was driven in a University car to the Agronomia Campus where they focus just on veterinary and agricultural studies. The campus is literaly in the middle of no where. Well not exactly nowhere no where but on the way it seemed really far away from Ambato. The whole way there I was thinking about the St. Paul Campus in Minnesota and how beautiful it is. And to be honest I was kinda surprised when we arrived. It is a very green campus and there are lots of flowers and plants. The landscape is really beautiful.

I arrived to the facultad to find the Decano. He was already on edge because I was late (totally NOT my fault) and then was surprised to see me instead of Eulalia. She was supposed to come with me but at last minute had a meeting with the Rector and other people to take a picture for the paper for the event today. Of course I couldnt be there because I had to do the survey...such as life...

So the Decano took me up to the computer labs, there were only two. I went into the first and gave them the link...it didnt work...great...There was no reason why it shouldn´t work, I had done it so many times before...I tried to log onto the account but of course the internet was really slow. So I decided to go into the other lab and see if it worked for them. As I was writing I realized that in the first classroom I had left out ONE LETTER. I quickly returned and fixed it and it worked, thank god. I have no idea what the Decano thought of me but whatever, it worked and the students were able to do the survey. Because of the internet being so slow there were some glitches but for the most part everyone completed it. I was taken back to the Huachi campus and did some more promoting for the program today.

So along with our program there is an international festival and folckor dance going on. What we decided to do is put the two together and make a big program...we´ll see how it works out. This cultural festival is free and it turns out that they posted something in the paper about it being free. In turn our program is charging 50 cents. It´s for a good cause, the 50 cents goes towards the different volunteer programs here at the University (there aren´t that many....) So students saw that the event that takes place at the same time as ours is free and started complaining about how they had to pay. Luckily the money is going for a really good cause and I hope that the majority of people realize this..

I have to go get food for 100 people so I should get going. Wish us luck!!! And then it´s the weekend, YAY!!!

abrazos para todos

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Bienvenidos a 2012

As usual I start this blog not really knowing where to start because Im SO BEHIND....Anywho I´ll talk mainly about winter vacation. Christmas came and went. Like I said in my previous blog it wasn´t quite like home but it was Christmas. Here everyone "celebrates" on Christmas Eve and like a good integrated volunteer I waited to buy my gifts until Christmas Eve (everyone procrastinates here). Chino helped me some but it was still really hard to but things for his family. What do you buy a family that has given you everything (non-materialistic speaking)? To me, there was nothing materialistic I could buy that compared to what they have given me over the past couple months. Plus everything mediocre or nice is SUPER expensive. I did find some things without going too over my budget.

We ate dinner around midnight, Turkey with potatoes, salad, and tomales (which are not at all like the tomales in mexico....I like mexico´s better..shh..). After dinner-around 1 AM we opened presents. I had the most, haha because my lovely family from the states sent me some :) From chino´s family I got a nice alpaca sweater, earings from Cuenca and a nice bag (my other one was falling apart-literally), Paige got me a nice belt and Kim made chocolates! We all went to sleep around 2 AM. On the actual Christmas Day nothing christmasy was done. I went and hung out with some friends and we pretty much chilled all day...

On tuesday December 27th I went to Tena with Paige, Ponce, Chino, a Professor from the University and her husband. The professor has family in Tena so we had a house to stay in, which was nice. The first day it rained practically all day. We arrived to a finca (farm) of a family member and they made us fresh chicken soup. Fresh meaning that they butchered the chicken a couple minutes before our arrival. We picked fresh fruit from trees and watched the river. The Uncle also explained to us how the moon patterns have to do with when there is good weather and when there is not.

On wednesday we went to visit some lagoons and walk around a bit in the jungle and then in the afternoon we did this cave hike. Probably the coolest thing I´ve ever done here in Ecuador! I wish I could take my family there when they come but I dont think we are going to the jungle..oh well. It was pitch black and all we had were head lamps. We had to wade through water, looked bats and saw all these different cave structures. At the cave place there was a pool with a water slide. I was trying to be all cool and show everyone how to go fast down the slide (on your back with it arched) and as I picked up speed going down I almost slid out!!! Kinda scary, not gonna lie, lol

Thursday morning we saw a waterfall that I had already seen the last time I was there and went to Misahualli. There were no monkeys..sad...but the food we had was REALLY GOOD. I can´t even begin to explain the heat. So hot and humid!!

Let´s jump to New Years...
New years was another experience that one can only have here in this country, if that makes sense....lol. Two important things, Año Viejos y Viudas.
Año Viejos:
These are like paper mache objects, people, animals that people make for the new year. At midnight they are burnt, representing the fact that 2011 is in the past and to start 2012 fresh and new.

Viudas: men dressed as women asking for money in the street (at least during new years that´s what it means)

So on New Years Eve Day Chino, Paige and I went to walk on the main drag (calle Cevallos) to see all the different viejos. Most people do the different movie characters of the previous year so there were the smirfs, captain america, ice age and shrek characters. Others did soccer fans. I´ll post pictures so you know what I´m talking about. There was an exposition of the viejos and a competition for the best. The winner was given 1500 dollars!

After downtown we went to Ficoa, another part of town to look at others. Here there were more viudas. They were EVERYWHERE. Like I said they are usually men, dressed as women and have a rope across the road and won´t let you pass till you give them money, usually it´s like 2 or 3 cents. They dance on the car and try to open the door to harrass whatever man is in the car. Pretty hilarious.

Around 11:30 we headed back to Chino´s to ring in the New Year. There was no countdown but we did eat grapes (you are supposed to eat 12 and make 12 wishes). There are a ton of other superstitions too. For example you are to wear red underwear to have luck in love, green or yellow for luck with money and then you are recommended to run around the block once with a suitcase for good luck in traveling in the new year. At around 12 everyone said happy new year and we all hugged. Then we went outside to watch fire works and people burn their viejos. There were fires everywhere!! We ate around 12:30. The meal was very much like the one from christmas, turkey, tomales, corn, potatoes, but very very delicious. Then at 1 AM we went out to celebrate. We went to this new club in town. It was fun, I didnt get to sleep till 7 AM the next morning. The latest I´ve ever been out on New Years.

So those were pretty much the highlights from vacation. Monday the 2nd was declared a national holiday because everyone was going to still be hungover from sunday. In reality I think people just used it as another day to drink. I´ve never seen so many inebriated people in my life!

Started back at work yesterday, trying to get in the results from the survey that we´ve (mainly ME) have been applying to the first years here at the University. Im still working on applying it to one of the biggest colleges on our campus. Other than that just living the life, enjoying everyday and counting down the days till MALLORY DARST comes to visit! (Feb 2-12) Then for my parents to come :) :) (March) Then we will almost be in April, then it will be summer and before I know it I´ll already be half way through my service, CRAZYYYYY!!!

Alright I think that´s enough for now. Apologies for the bad english, everyone knows I struggled with it in the States and now, as many of you can probably tell it´s going down hill fast, lol..

Much love <3