La Vida Quiteña

After four weeks of classes, I have definitely gotten into the swing of living in Quito. Whereas the first month was packed with activities and trips, this last month has been rather low-key, including taking the bus to and from school, going to class, and doing homework. As some of my friends and I have realized, studying abroad is like ordinary life -- not everyday is exciting, adventurous, and life-changing. While a nutella croissant certainly brightens any day, living in Quito is not without its bad days and frustrations. Packed buses and excessive traffic, annoying cat calls on the street, and failed attempts at catching a taxi are just a few of the daily challenges. Though daily life may lack the excitement of hiking through the rain forest and surveying ancient ruins, it's everyday observations that acquaint us with the reality of the culture and its people. Often, the reality isn't pretty. I've seen 8-year-olds selling candy on the street, obviously not in school. The division between the rich and poor is stark, to say the least, and crime seems undeniably linked to poverty. Toilet paper is put in the trash can here instead of the toilet (as is common in much of Latin America) because the city lacks the proper water treatment facilities to degrade it, and internet service is almost unattainable in the evening due to inability to meet the demand. However, the glimpses out the dusty windows of the bus also reveal the beautiful reality of Ecuador: the stunning scenery, perfect weather, ethnic diversity of its people, and steadfast commitment to family. I'm really living in a Latin American city, alongside 2.5 million people, experiencing the highs and lows of day-to-day life.

That being said, the last few weeks were not completely adventure-less! Two weeks ago, some friends and I bought scalped tickets, donned $6 jerseys (we negotiated the price down from $8), and packed into the futbol (aka soccer) stadium with about 40,000 very devout fans for a game between Ecuador and Bolivia. You could feel the excitement in the city during the day leading up to the game. Everyone was wearing an Ecuador jersey - bus drivers, students, even the woman selling ice cream. The feeling of national unity was electrifying. And the game did not disappoint! Ecuador won, 1-0. After the goal, the crowd erupted into chants and showers of beer. We left the game feeling a little bit more Quiteño. 

Ecuafans!

Beautiful day for futbol

Toilet paper the stadium to show support for the
home team? In Ecuador, yes.

Last weekend, I traveled to Baños with Kate and Tori, two fellow Juniatians. Baños is a small town about 3 hours away famous for its natural hotsprings heated by the geothermal waters of the volcano Tangurahua. We arrived Saturday afternoon, and after checking into our hotel, spent a good two hours at a cute cafe called Casa Hood. I ordered a Thai dish, which was a pleasant change from the plain white rice my family eats everyday. After lunch, we hiked up a trail to a vista -- the view was gorgeous! In the evening, we got back massages and enjoyed another leisurely meal at yet another cute cafe. At night, we took a "chiva" (party truck/bus) up to the top of the mountains. With its flashing lights and random club music, the chiva was quite Ecua. We enjoyed the view of the city lights and a cup of cinnamon tea at the top of the mountain. 

Streets of Baños

Grilled Cuy = guinea pig. No, I didn't try it (yet.)

Cathedral in Baños

Ecuador. 

View from the lookout

The next day, we visited the baños for which the town is named -- unfortunately, they were little more than heated swimming pools packed with people, even at 7am. I was in a particularly gringa, I-need-my-space mindset and consequently was somewhat annoyed by the people who kept bumping into us in the pool -- but such is the culture, and it made me aware of my ethnocentrism in situations as simple as a crowded swimming pool. Before heading back to Quito, we visited Casa Hood yet again -- its selection of international dishes definitely warrants multiple visits!

Back in Quito, it was a pretty quiet week. For my ecology class, I had to meet at a park at 5:45am on both Friday and Saturday to count birds, which was less than exciting. On Saturday, Kate, Tori, and I finally satisfied a mac n' cheese craving (Kraft is $2.50 a box here since it's imported from the U.S.), and on Sunday, Kate and I found a quaint coffee shop in downtown Quito where we worked on homework all afternoon...and by homework, I mean my weaving project. Not quite organic chemistry like at Juniata...

I could get used to this kind of homework.

That's it for now! This weekend, I'm going on a night tour of the historical center and a tour of southern Quito, which is apparently quite different from the North. Until then, que les vaya bien!