Thanks for the Memories

Tomorrow I am leaving the gorgeous Galapagos. I'm very sad to say goodbye, but also, I'm tired and broke and ready to sleep in my own bed (I use the term "own bed" loosely, since 1. it's not my own bed, and 2. I just moved and have only slept in my new bed once!). It's been the most amazing trip, and I'm going to remember it forever.

On the way to the internet cafe, I was trying to think of my very favorite memory of the Galapagos, but was unable to come up with just one. However, I was able to narrow it down to three, and one of them is just Isla Isabella, the most beautiful island in the world. We spent three days on Isabella, and I would've been happy to spend the whole entire trip there. It's not as touristy as the other islands, although it is the biggest island in the Galapagos. The cruise ships don't usually stop there, which makes it a glorious stop for sun and snorkeling. The island's port town, Villamil, is totally chill, with sandy streets and grass shacks, and a long white sand beach with swaying palm trees and black lava reefs jutting out into the ocean. It was totally picturesque, and it was amazing that the landscape wasn't ruined already by highrise hotels and resorts.

While on Isabella, we partook in a half day snorkeling tour. It was just us and a guide, and we told him we wanted to see sharks. He took us to a small lava island about ten minutes off the coast, and as we climbed out of the boat, he reminded us to take our snorkels and cameras. We walked about ten minutes, picking our way carefully over the black rock, until we came to a small canyon in the rock. Looking down, the guide pointed out about 5 or 6 white tipped sharks, swimming and sleeping below. Satisfied, our group continued on, past barking sea lions and hissing marine iguanas. Finally, we arrived at a small shallow inlet, and our guide told us to put on our gear. He pointed into the water and said "Now you swim with sharks." We all laughed, thinking he was out of his gourd, but his deadpan face told us he was completely serious. I asked him if these sharks tended to feast upon gringos, and he laughed and said they were vegetarians. Hmmmm...I'd never heard of vegetarian sharks, but I was willing to believe anything if it would get me in the water. Once we were all goggled and flippered, the four of us carefully and slowly got into the inlet. At one point Coreen brushed my leg and I screamed, thinking it was a shark, and everyone got mad at me for giving them heart attacks. We swam together, us girls holding hands at some points, until we saw the sharks. Now, they weren't HUGE like great white sharks, but they were BIG. At least 5 or 6 feet long, with beady black shark eyes and I'm sure rows of sharp white shark teeth. I think I forgot to breath for about a minute, and when I finally started again, I was hyperventilating. Also, I kept getting water in my snorkel, and had to raise my head above water in order to blow it out, thus taking my eyes off the man-eating "vegetarian" sharks. After about two or three minutes, Coreen looked at me and Alena and said, "What the f*** are we doing?! Had enough? I'm getting out." Relieved that we weren't the only ones freaking out, Alena and I followed her out of the water, until the guide forced us back in, shaking his head with shame at our sad pathetic excuses. All in all, we were probably in there for ten or so minutes the second time, and we saw quite a few sharks. At one point there were three swimming in circles around us. Again, I kept forgetting to breathe. I was more than relieved when the guide finally let us scamper out of the water, tripping over our flippers in our rush to leave the sharks. However, that was probably one of my favorite memories of my trip. It was so scary but so funny at the same time.

Later on that same day, as we recovered from our near death shark attack, the guide stopped the boat and told us to get in the water. He pointed out two or three dark shadows in the water that turned out to be giant turtles, and so we all gladly got in. We swam around chasing turtles (they are surprisingly fast in the water) until we were cold. As Alena, Chris and Coreen were getting in the boat, two small sea lions popped their heads out of the water a few feet away, so I ended up staying in and playing with them for the next fifteen minutes. It was amazing. They dipped and flipped and rolled and twisted. I played copy-cat with one of them, and she would mimic me (but far more gracefully!). Then she would swim away, then flip around and head full force towards me. The instant before collision, she would suddenly flip and glide down the length of my body. One of my friends took a video, and as soon as she uploads it, I will post a link so everyone can see. That was my other most favorite experience.

So, all in all, I had a most fantastic time. I know the chances are slim that I'll ever get back here, but I would definitely recommend everyone to get out here while you still can. You won't regret it.

I Do Love a Good Boobie

The animals here are all so friendly!! Charles Darwin was right, there is something unnatural about how unafraid the animals are of people. It's like being in a zoo, but you are able to walk up and practically pet whatever animal is right in front of you (although you aren't supposed to touch the animals, or molest them in any way. There are many people around who take care that the Galapagos stay as pristine as possible.).

So far this trip, I have walked within a foot or so of land iguanas (they look like dinosaurs), marine iguanas, sea lions by the dozens, lizards, giant turtles, crabs, and birds of all sorts. They are amazing. Often they look like they are posing just for you, as you snap away photo after photo.

My favorite bird is the Blue Footed Boobie, of which our tour group was able to witness it's famous mating dance, and let me tell you, it was as cartoon-like as everyone says. We sat and watched for about half an hour, and I could have watched for longer, except the tour group was moving on. It is worth a trip to the Galapagos just for that.

Anyhoo, I'm off the Isla Isabella for the weekend. Cheers and happy thoughts!

Swimming with Kings

"On the count of three...THREE!" Our guide for the day, Charlie, dropped me into the freezing cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, about five miles off the coast of Santa Cruz, one of the islands in the Galapagos. It took a minute or two for my wetsuit to warm up, and meanwhile I was gasping and shouting, "It's f-ing FREEZING!!" My amigos were all around me, fitting their snorkles or already bobbing around face-down in the water. After a few false starts, I too was ready to investigate life below sea level.

As my eyes focused through the snorkle mask, I was amazed to see all sorts of brilliantly coloured florescent fish darting in and out of the surrounding volcanic rock. A school of silver guppies literally swam through me, dodging here and there around my waving arms. All thoughts of the icy coldness of the water were immediately forgotten. The current carried me without a fight, as I floated on top of the water, ocassionally kicking to keep myself from crashing into the rocks. Suddenly, a large object splashed down into the water directly in front of me. As the bubbles cleared, I saw a shiny brown sea lion swimming in lazy circles about three feet from where I was! It darted away after about a minute, to chase down some dinner. However, three more sea lions took it's place, and one swam alarmingly close to me, curiously eyeing me with his huge blue eyes.

Their bodies were incredible. Sleek and chocolate coloured, they flipped and turned, chased and rolled in between the rocks. A few circled around me, but never bumped into me, though one came close. As the other two disappeared, the last one swam right up and peered into my goggles before he flipped around and cruised away to find his friends.

I couldn't believe I had just swam with sea lions.

Fireworks

For the last three or four days, I have been woken up by a fireworks show. I have no idea what would possess people to fire off sparkley coloured lights at 7am, but let me tell you, nothing says "Up and at `em!" like a gunshot next to your head. It must be a Christmas tradition, because there have been fireworks nearly every night as well. Feliz Navidad! Bloody Ecuadorians...

Los Muchachos

These are three of the five boys who make my life a living hell on a day to day basis. Yet, how could I not love them? Chicos.

Chillax, it`s all good

I am finished classes for the semester!! Other than taking my 15 year old boys out for pizza at 4:30 this afternoon (they deserve it; they never once were able to push me over the edge into insanity!), and a two hour exam next Saturday, I`m done like dinner! It is a relief to be done. This semester is not what I expected, and I`ve been so stressed out about school and making friends that I`ve gotten myself into quite a tizzy on more than one occasion. December is my month for decompressing, and figuring out what I want and need to make this a more enjoyable experience.

The first thing we did to celebrate was go to a local hookah bar. I`ve never smoked hookah before (I`ve never smoked much of anything other than a puff or two of a cigar--eeeew!---and some clove cigarettes with Tam...). It took me awhile to get used to it, and everyone was making fun of my "gaggy-face" (for those of you who have ever spent a significant amount of time with me, you know which one I`m talking about!). As there were a few hookah virgins in the crowd, we got a combination of peach and mint flavour, and I have to say, the taste was very enjoyable. I would definitely try it again. And Mom, don`t worry, there was nothing but molasses tobacco in the hookah pipe. I felt like the Cheshire Cat!

Yesterday I went to Cajas National Park with my friend Ty. I`ve been dying to go since I got here, but circumstances had thus far prevented me from going. Cajas is about an hour away from Cuenca, and you can spend DAYS wandering around the mountain passes and visiting the hundreds of lakes. The views were absolutely incredible and I kept exclaiming "I can`t believe I`m in the ANDES!!" Every hundred feet or so, we were awarded with a new breathtaking vista, and I took a number of pictures (to view, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=74172&l=49fcb&id=779435523). The day was perfect. It was a little chilly in the morning, but soon the sun came out, and a slight wind to cool us off. At the highest, we were about at 3000 meters, and the altitude definitely affected my ability to breathe. It was a gorgeous hike; we started on a trail called Tres Cruces (Three Crosses), or so we think, and ended about 5 hours later back on the highway. By the end we were more than ready to be done, and though we could see the highway, it was so far off. At one point, we were sludging through marshland, off the beaten track, so we could get closer to the road. It was quite a wet and mucky adventure! I was so tired afterwards, it was all I could do to eat dinner, and I was asleep by 8pm! I woke up with a bit of a sunburn this morning, mostly my neck and the right side of my face (I forget how easy it is to burn at high altitudes!), but surprisingly my legs aren`t stiff or anything. I can`t wait to go back (although next time I might do a less ambitious hike).

My Christmas plans are starting to sort themselves out. I leave next Saturday night for 11 days in the Galapagos, which I`m really looking forward to, despite the fact that it`s the start of tourist season, and therefore the islands will all increase their already expensive prices to make things outrageously expensive. I have to look at this as a chance of a lifetime, and not worry so much about money, but when I`m only getting paid $250 a month, it`s a little hard not to think about it. However, my generous parents have contributed to the trip as a Christmas present, and as I`m going with other poor teachers, I`m sure we will be as spendthrift as possible. I`m looking forward to seeing all the endemic animals, the Galapagos turtles, the walruses and all the amazing underwater culture. I can`t wait to snorkle and relax on the beach, to hike around and visit some of the other islands. It should be a blast. I will be back in Cuenca by Christmas, and apparently Cuenca is the place to be on Christmas Eve. After Christmas, I`m planning on heading down to Vilcabamba, otherwise known as "The Valley of Longevity," where some of the inhabitants claim their relaxed lifestyle has made them forever young. I`m planning on taking a horse trek through the Andes, and maybe a massage or two for good measure. Hopefully, someone or another will join me, although I`m not adversed to spending a little R&R by myself (deep down I am a hermit, although I hide it well!).

Always,

Emily

Random Thoughts

* The cheese is rubbery and squeeks on my teeth when I chew.
* All the toilet paper is scented, which makes blowing your nose an interesting experience.
* No Cuencano man with an ounce of masculity can let a gringa (white girl) walk by without exclaiming, "Hello! Hey baby!"
* Desserts may look delicious, but usually they are dry and tasteless.
* If you buy cheap seats at a reggaeton concert "you will get pregnant." (As told to me by my students!)
* It`s not unusual to see a clown in full make-up and costume, strolling down the street.
* You buy milk in a box in the cereal aisle, and eggs individually across from the chips and cheezies. There I was thinking they`d be in the refridgerator aisle!
* If you lean away, they`ll kiss you anyways.
* The idea of privacy is non-existant. So is the idea of feminism.
* Because I have blond hair and blue eyes, people assume they can rip me off (and often do).
* If you take a pamphlet from a guy on the street, it will be covered with a poisonous powder of persuasion.
* A bottle of Zhumir (sugar cane alcohol) is less than $3 for 26 ounzes, but a decent pair of shoes costs more than $40.
* "Latin blood is always HOT!" (As told to me by some guy who tried to grope me by the river)

Comida comida

They say the way to a man`s heart is through his stomach...thankfully that is not the case for me!

The food here in Ecuador is something to be desired. It`s not bad, but it often lacks imagination. I eat out quite a lot here, despite the fact that I have a kitchen at home, because it`s so cheap and I don`t like cooking for one. Each day I go in search of the best "almuerzo" (set lunch), although I`ve been frequenting a nice restaurant called "Sal Y Azucar" ("Salt and Sugar"), because they have REAL desserts, and perhaps the way through my heart is through sweets! Anyhow, a set lunch is usually between $1-2, which is a steal of a deal, when you think of all the food you get. Usually almuerzos consist of a bowl of soup, served with popcorn or corn nublets to throw in at your leisure (I love the popcorn, hate the tasteless corn nublets), a giant plate of plain white rice with some sort of meat on top, salad and dessert. Usually the meat is unidentifiable, the salad could be anything from shredded radish to unthawed frozen peas to actual lettuce and tomato, and the dessert a cookie or revolting banana pudding or sweet roll. Sal Y Azucar serves tiny slices of cake, peaches and cream, or ice cream, hence why I prefer them. To spice up the rice and often the soup, every restaurant has their own version of ajì, which is a hot sauce. Some of them are good, and some are disgusting. Plus, people in Ecuador put cilantro in bloody EVERYTHING. I HATE cilantro. I put it in the same category as racism, George Bush, and child molesters. It completely ruins the taste of anything it touches. I want to cry when I see tiny bits of cilantro floating in my soup, or in the ajì, because it means my lunch will be severely compromised. At least they don`t put cilantro in the desserts (although I`m sure they`ve tried).

Anyhow, I`ve found a few restaurants that I frequent at least once a week. My favorite is "Pancho`s", which is a Mexican restaurant right below my apartment. They serve excellent chicken quesadillas and tacos con carne. It`s owned by a friendly guy from North Carolina and his Ecuadorian wife. It`s a bit on the expensive side, at $3-4 a meal. Next is "Moliendo Cafè" which is a Columbian restaurant about a block away. They serve the world`s best guacamole, and arepas with tons of veggies and meat on top. It might be my favorite too. The owners are super nice and if I go in by myself, they make sure to provide me with a magazine to read so I don`t look like such a loser! :D A meal there rarely costs more than $2. Finally, the best burger joint in town is a Spanish restaurant called "Percal." It`s super small, so make sure you go early, and you`ll get a table. You`ll notice that none of the restaurants are typical Ecuadorian restaurants. It`s because Ecuadorian food is boring. It`s good enough for lunch, but if you want a taste sensation, you`re unfortunately going to have to look elsewhere.

Writing has made me hungry. I`m off to eat!

Bend over and kiss your ass goodbye!

Hey friends,

It`s been awhile since I`ve written, so I thought I would take a few minutes and update the blog. Last week was pretty tough, in that I had a bit of a bout of homesickness, and wasn`t sure I could handle Ecuador for another 6 months. However, I think that I can, with a few minor changes, so it`s all good now.

On Wednesday, an earthquake hit Ecuador. It went along the coast and down the Andes, and measured 6.7, and it went on forever! I was hanging out with my roommates in our top floor apartment, in the glass living room when the earthquake hit. My chair started rocking, and my friend Hannah jumped up. We realized it was an earthquake, and I had visions of the whole apartment building tumbling over into the river, 9 stories below. The others just sat calmly in the living room while Hannah and I scurried around, unsure what we were supposed to do. Eventually, I ended up jamming myself in a doorway, as if that would do a lick of good if the building decided to collapse...I couldn`t remember if that`s what you were supposed to do in a hurricane or an earthquake, but it made me feel better momentarily, so I guess it was the right thing to do at the time! That night I kept waking up and imagining my bed was moving towards the river. It was the very first earthquake I`ve ever really felt, although apparently I must have lived through several, being from Victoria.

On Friday, my roommate, Kristi, went in for surgery, to remove the cyst on her tailbone. As no one should go to the hospital by their lonesome, especially when you are in ECUADOR, I went with her. Truth be told, I wouldn`t be too put out if I needed to have emergency surgery done while I`m here. The hospital we went to, Santa Ines, is one of the best in Ecuador, and the doctor spoke English and had studied in the States. There was a translator who met us at administration who checked in every once in awhile to see if we were comfortable (although between Kristi and I, we pretty much understood everything). As well, Kristi was set up in this gorgeous hotel room, oops, I mean hospital room, with Direct TV and a very comfortable couch. We spent the day watching Desperate Housewives and sneaking chocolate.


Today, I taught in the morning, and after class tracked down a pirated copy of Stardust for $1.50. I`m supposed to go to a house party tonight, but I might just chillax with Kristi and watch it. Anyhow, I hope all is well back in the real world (wherever that may be!).

Always,

Emily

Hello, Old Friend

This weekend I went to Montañita, a surf town on the coast of Ecuador, approximately 7 hours away from Cuenca. There were about 14 teachers who went, although we didn`t all go together, and did a lot of different things, so it wasn`t like there was a whole group of gringos walking around together all the time. Montañita is a town that doesn`t sleep. Parties go from dawn until dawn, though I did not really witness this strange phenomenon (I got sick...more on that later...). We took a night bus to Montañita, leaving Cuenca at 1am! First leg, from Cuenca to Guayaquil, was a little rough. I sat right in the front, with a mother and a son smushed up next to me. The son peed on me, I`m pretty sure. Either that or my leg leaked a little bit. When we got to Guayaquil (at 4:30am), we had just missed the direct bus to Montañita, so we got tickets to Santa Elena, about 2 hours away. That ride was a little better, but I had just fallen asleep when it was time to disembark...Thankfully, we got on a bus to Montañita about 5 minutes later, and arrived at around 8:30am. After trekking around from hostel to hostel for about an hour, we finally found one with hot water, ocean view, enough beds so no one had to share, with enough natural sunlight to please everyone, and in a quieter (but not quiet by any means!) area of town. El Centro Del Mundo. After ridding ourselves of our backpacks, and claiming bunks, we set off for the ocean, which was right outside our doorstep. However, it was raining (misting), so it wasn`t exactly WARM (warmer than Canada, for sure, though!). The waves were huge and we played in them for about an hour, after which we ate lunch and everyone had a nap. Alicia and I napped pretty much the whole entire day, which I justified by telling myself I was on vacation, and naps are okay on vacation. That night we had everyone over to our hostel for some "pre-game" (which means drinking before you go out in American), and some creepy Columbians started hitting on us...Erin overheard one of them saying "where are all the drunken chicas? Where am I going to sleep tonight?!" The rest of the crew decided to go off to a night of dancing and drinking, but since I was feeling kind of funny in my tummy, I opted to stay home and chillax. The creepy Columbian tried to break into our room, and at one point grabbed my keys away from me, but I gave him a cheemo chop to the head and grabbed them back. Actually, he was drunk, so it was easy...but it scared me a little, and I locked myself in my room and didn`t even go out to brush my teeth. At any rate, it was a good idea that I stayed in, because my roommates stayed out till 5:30am, which is far to late for my granny-self. I woke up at 8:30 the next morning and chilled on a hammock, reading my book, watching the crazy surfers. Did I mention it rained the ENTIRE weekend? The streets were mud up to your ankles, and it was hazardous to your health to go anywhere! I watched at least 15 people wipe out in the mud, some down stairs even! Anyways, when everyone else got up, they took one look at me and asked me what happened to my face, which had broken out in red dots. At first I thought they were bed bugs, but they`re not itchy, and got worse over the course of the weekend, so I`m not exacly sure...they kind of look like chicken pox, but again, they`re not itchy, and I`ve already had chicken pox, so I dunno...

Since I had missed out the previous night`s festivities, I was determined to live life to the fullest, despite the fact that I was feeling kind of pooey. I swam in the ocean, went "shopping" at all the cool little beach stalls selling crafts and jewellery and stuff, had a piña colada, explored the town and the beach as much as the mud would allow, and laid in the hammock for awhile. However, by nighttime, the evil feeling was back, so again I "pre-gamed" at the hostel, but stayed back when everyone else went out. Plus, we were catching the 5am bus back to Guayaquil, so I didn`t really want to stay out all night anyways.

Today I am feeling worse, and am slightly freaked out about these stupid dots on my face. I`m pretty sure I`ve contracted some tropical disease, but no one can tell me what is wrong. Tomorrow I`m going to go to the doctor, because all my students tell me that I`m contagious (I don`t THINK I am...), but it means missing Spanish class AGAIN, and I`m already confused. ARGH! I hope he doesn`t make me poo in a cup. I don`t think I could handle that.

I`ve finally uploaded some photos on facebook. I think you can access it through the link below, even if you`re not a member. If not, let me know, and I can email you a link that should work! Cheers! http://uvic.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67441&l=2b264&id=779435523

Part of a complete breakfast

Today was Day of the Dead, which is more important than Halloween in Ecuador. In fact, people don`t really celebrate Halloween here, at least not like in North America. Here, it is a day much like any other, except that teachers are expected to bring in some sort of sweet or treat for their students (mine got toffee, Oreos and a midterm exam!). At night, there is no door to door trick-or-treating, or little kids running around hopped up on sugar. Apparently, at CEDEI elementary school, the niños dressed up in traditional Ecuadorian garb (velvet knee length skirt, white frilly blouse, and black velvet bowler hat), but I didn`t get a chance to see them. Some families may have a private costume party, but overall, the sight of children dressed up as Barney the Dinosaur or the Wicked Witch of the West is rare. However, every year the Peace Corps in Ecuador put on a raging party, and all the volunteers from all over the country flood into Cuenca for the night, in all sorts of ridiculous and hilarious costumes. My roommate, Kristi, and I attended, with felt emblems pinned to our stomachs ("Care Bear Stare!"). I was told by a drunk Jerome (who STILL hasn`t left yet!!), "Baby, don`t take this the wrong way, but you have the perfect body for a Care Bear!" Um....thanks? At any rate, the party was a blast, I ate some candy, met a few people, and got some good costume ideas for next year.
Anyways, back to El Dia De Los Muertos. Today, people all over Ecuador dress up in their Sunday best (kids even get the day off of school) and visit churches and graveyards, offering up fruit plates and treats to deceased family members. There are markets selling roses and purple tissue paper hearts, and little fiestas going on at every church I passed. My favorite thing was walking through a church market and hearing some spanish pop music playing (a frequent occurance, but this sounded live). Upon investigation, I found myself amidst a crowd of men watching five young women in sequined bikinis (with tassels!) gyrating their hips seductively and singing. Sounds about right for a day where people honour the dead, eh?!
There are actually festivities taking place all weekend around Cuenca. Tomorrow is All Souls Day, and Saturday is the Independecia de Cuenca (each major city celebrates it`s own Independence Day), so it promises to be an interesting weekend around here. However, it also promises to be my only Saturday off from now until Christmas, and as I haven`t left Cuenca since I got here over a month ago, I sorely need to get away and recharge my batteries. It`s been a long and busy month. Hence, I am heading to a small surf town on the coast called Montenita. There are actually quite a few teachers going, and I`m looking forward to a couple of days of fun in the sun (and hopefully some surfing, too!).

Always, Em

Anoche

Last night I went out for dinner with some friends at Cafe Moliendo, which is a small Columbian restaurant near my place. It serves the BEST guacamole I have ever tasted and is probably my favorite place to eat here. Anyway, we were just sitting around laughing and talking when we heard a "boom!" outside. Now, if anyone has ever been to a Latin American country (or probably any developing country, I`m willing to bet), "booms" are everyday occurances, between the cars backfiring, fireworks and firecrackers. The first few days, you duck everytime you hear something, thinking someone is taking aim at your head, but after awhile you just kind of get used to it, and it fades into the background noise with the honking horns and the Spanish pop music. At any rate, no one really paid the sound much attention. There was a pause, and then conversation resumed. Until the owner for Moliendo jumped up and ran to the door. We all looked up to see some guy jumping around on one leg with blood pouring out. For someone who had just gotten shot, he was pretty calm (or perhaps drunk). He wasn`t angry, and he wasn`t panicking. He calmly jumped down the street, leaving a trail of blood behind him. It was quite strange. Eventually an ambulance came and loaded him up, and took him away. We couldn`t figure out if he accidentally shot himself, or if one of his friends accidentally shot him. It had to have been an accident, since there was no anger, no yelling, no confrontation. At any rate, for some reason, I`m not in any shock or surprise over the incident, which scares me a little. My friends and I were like, "Oh, some guy just got shot outside of Moliendo while we were having dinner...just another day in the life." It seemed like not really a big deal, and that`s how we acted. But if someone even fired a GUN within a block radius of me in Canada, I`m sure I would be soiling my drawers! It`s so strange how easily you slip into the mindset of other cultures, where it`s not a huge deal if someone gets SHOT within eyesight of you. To be honest, we were more enthralled with all the blood afterwards, than concerned about the man. How callous! I amaze myself sometimes. And not in a good way.

Church Bells and Car Alarms

In Ecuador, the sun comes up at 6:30 in the morning. On the dot. The sun seems brighter here, because I find I can´t actually sleep past 7 or 7:30, no matter how hard I try to block out the light. It doesn´t help that the curtains in my room are like tissue paper, and barely block out Giovani, the creepy stalker-esque neighbor who likes to peer into our apartment, let alone the big shiny sun. As many of you know (or perhaps, everyone who has met me for more than five minutes), I am not a morning person. However, it´s not so bad to be woken up by the sun. What really gets me are the bloody car alarms that go off for hours a night, and the dang church bells. ARGH!! The car alarms are the most obnoxious, by far. It seems everyone who owns a car here, no matter how crappy, installs the most annoying car alarm on the market. In fact, the uglier the car, the more offensive the car alarm. They go off at all hours of the night, sometimes for up to half an hour! I want to drop rocks onto the stupid cars to teach them a lesson (don´t disrupt my beauty sleep!), and as I am about 10 stories up from the cars, it would do a fair bit of damage. Tempting. Then there are the churches. There are about four cathedrals in my immediate vicinity. And they all compete for parishioners by ringing the loudest bells. And they tend to start at around 6am. It would be fine if they all rang at once, and continued to ring through, because you can get used to continued noise, even if it´s loud and clangy. However, they ring for five minutes every fifteen or twenty minutes, all morning long. So, just as soon as you fall back asleep (because the sun hasn´t even come up yet!), the cacophony starts up again!

I think I need a sleeping mask and ear plugs.

XOXO

I can`t get used to all the kissing!! You would think that after a month in a new culture I would at least sort of get a handle on one of their main cultural greetings, but each time someone new kisses me, I can`t help but go beet red and awkward. It`s so embarrassing.

For example, if a student is the first one in the classroom, he/she will greet me with a kiss. However, if there is already a class full of students, no kisses. If I meet a student, or a group of students on the street, we will all kiss each other. If I am introduced to someone new, sometimes they lean in for a kiss, and sometimes they don`t. But when we leave, we will for sure kiss! It`s really hard to kiss someone I`ve only met a minute ago. Especially if it`s a guy. It`s even harder to control my embarrassment if it`s one of my 15 year old male students...cuz if my face goes red, they get embarrassed too. It`s a problem.

However, I am getting used to kissing people I already know, like my landlords and their children. Hopefully, I will get used to kissing complete strangers, but maybe by the time I figure that out, it will be time to go home, and I`ll be running around kissing randoms on the street in Canada! I`m pretty sure that`s frowned upon in Cranbrook...

These are the people in my neighborhood

Oh blessed day off!! Today is a national holiday in Ecuador (or maybe a city-only holiday in Cuenca...maybe Independencia de Cuenca or something...these guys take any reason to not go to work!). I don`t usually work on Fridays so it`s all the same to me, but it is nice that for once the streets aren`t clogged with cars and taxis trafficing people to work. The pollution here is absolutely terrible. I mean, it`s quite a clean city, in that there`s not garbage everywhere, and they have regular trash collection, but the smog and diesel fumes are nasty most of the time. For the first week or so, my snot was black when I blew my nose...it`s not anymore, and that worries me. Maybe my body decided to accept the smoke and it`s now polluting my lungs so I am slowly but surely developing lung cancer. Cheers!

I have decided it is high time to tell you about my roommates. We are an eclectic mix of old and young, from all over the world. Well, the english speaking world, that is. First off, there is Kristi, a math teacher from Oregon, who is about my age. She`s great, and quite anti-American for an American! The second day in the apartment, she knocked on my door at around 7am and suggested we go to the hospital because of an inflamed cyst on her back. Que adventura!! The doctors decided to cut her open right then and there, with only a little local anaesthesia to numb the pain. With me holding her hand, germs and all. Hmmmm. I almost passed out/threw up. I couldn`t decide which one to do first, and by the time I figured out which one would be most beneficial, it was over, and we were on our way home. At any rate, she`s much better now.

Next, there is Hannah, the Brit. She`s hilarious, and says things like "stroppy cow" and "bag of wank" which never ceases to amuse me. I was in email contact with both Hannah and Kristi before I arrived in Ecuador, so we were all practically best of friends before we even met! It was nice to arrive with people I already sort of knew.

Then there`s Jerome, one of the guys who was living at the hostel when we moved in. He`s a skinny black guy from California, apparently a recluse and a computer nerd back home, although you would never be able to tell that from the Ecuadorian Jerome! He knows EVERYONE in Cuenca, it seems like, and prides himself on "getting around." He`s really friendly, and I`ve gone out with him a few times to meet other people than the teachers at CEDEI. He`s an interesting character. One minute, we`re talking about books we`ve read recently and the next, he`s telling me to stay away from this guy nicknamed "Cock-Block" who is a "gringa-hunter." Anyhow, Jerome moved out a few days ago, to make his way to Peru, but I ran into him last night, and he told me he`s not allowed to leave the county unless he pays $200, because he`s "overstayed his welcome!" So he`s here a few more days. I think he`s trying to smuggle his way out of the country to Columbia, but you never know with Jerome!

Finally, there are the Renatas. I`ve saved the best for last. These are two older ladies who were staying in the hostel when we moved in, both named Renee. We call them Big Renee and Little Renee, because Little Renee is normal size, and Big Renee is huge! Kristi, Hannah and I are convinced that Big Renee used to be a man. Actually, we`re almost certain. She is taller than most of the men I`ve seen, she has a big, booming voice, and no hips. She also plays guitar (badly) and sings (badly) every morning for at least an hour. Little Renee is a normal 55 year old woman, and they`re so mismatched, it`s funny that they`re "travel partners." Which we think is a euphemism for "lovers." As you can tell, there`s a lot of gossip in regard to the Renees! However, they are VERY nice, and are fun to live with. However, they are leaving in a few days, to continue their trip down South America.

Once they leave, two other ladies, Ruth and Scotty, are moving in. They are both teachers at CEDEI, and although I don`t know them well, they seem nice, and it should be a blast!

Que huevos!

Hey All,

I finished my first week of teaching this week (...well, I start another class tomorrow, but that´s a story for later on), and I believe I´ve pulled it off quite well, thank you very much! It turns out that both my classes are teenagers, and not adults like I originally thought. However, I quite like teens...Once you get past the judging and the "I´m too good for this" act, they have a lot of potential. As I mentioned before, I´m teaching an intermediate class and an advanced writing class, and it´s actually really close to where I´m living. The intermediate class is all boys, between 13 and 16 years old, and they are quite enthusiastic and funny. They do tend to get out of hand, being all boys, so I have a plan of action for Monday, since it´s only one or two trouble-makers who rile up the rest. My favorite is Fernando. He´s quiet and sweet and very smart, and he has a bowl cut. My advanced writing class is mostly girls with one boy. They are a lot of fun once I get them chatting about stuff they´re interested in, but they can hardly conceal their boredom if I start lecturing about essays or something. They´ve taken a shine to one of the other teachers with whom I share a classroom. Everytime they see him, they start giggling and acting quite silly. I think he´s kind of a dork, but he´s blonde, so I guess I can see his appeal...

Anyhow, I also have a Saturday class from 8:30 to 12:30, which was supposed to be an intermediate class as well, the same curriculum as the class I´ve been teaching. However, just as I finished lesson planning this morning, I was informed that that particular class was canceled because I only had one student, and they gave me another class to prep for, which is NOT one I´ve been teaching, and so I have to spend my day off prepping for a 4 hour class tomorrow. I´m not very impressed, but it´s such a gong-show here, so I´m also not that surprised. Ack! Welcome to Ecuador!!

Last night some of the new teachers got together and had a rant-session and a gossip session about CEDEI. It was quite nice to know that there are others who are as frustrated as I am, and who feel like some of the returning teachers are treating us like children without brains. Also, it was awesome to get to know them, because they are all so nice, and we all live pretty close together along the river. There are two girls from Toronto, a few Yanks, and a few Brits, and I think they are all great.

I´m trying to figure out my Christmas plans. We get 3 weeks off in December/January, and I would like to actually like to see another part of the world than Cuenca, Ecuador. I am tentatively planning on going to Bolivia for that time, but some of the other teachers are talking about going to the coast of Ecuador to this surfing village for awhile, and also there is an island not too far away that is refered to as "poor man´s Galapagos" (because seeing the Galapagos is really expensive, and out of most of our budgets), so I might join them. It would be nice to spend Christmas with people I know rather than random hostelers.

Anyhow, off to work on my lesson plan for tomorrow´s class! Yippeeeeee....

Always,

Emily

Address

Emily Raymond
CEDEI - Depto. de Ingles
Casilla 597
Cuenca - Ecuador

Would you eat your pet if you were starving?

It`s Sunday night and we just now got our class assignments. What a gong show!!! We had a meeting today at 2:30, but arrived at the school and waited almost two hours before things even got started. Apparently there were computer problems and it was nearly impossible to get the class assignments printed out. I`m pretty excited about mine. Unfortunately, I`m only teaching adults (I like a mix), but am teaching two beginner-intermediate classes and an advanced writing class. I`m pretty excited about the writing composition class. I am a keener who loves writing essays and editing, so I think it will be a great class to teach. As well, there is no curriculum for that particular class, so I get to make it up! All I was told was that at the end, they have to know how to write a decent essay. Anyhow, we start tomorrow, and all my classes are at La Sucresal, which is a different school then El Centro, where most of the classes are taught. I haven`t actually been to the Sucresal, so I`m not even quite sure where it is!! I do have an address and a map, so I think I will be okay. As well, my classes are Monday to Thursday from 3pm to 6pm, which is a good chunk of time, and then on Saturday mornings for 4 hours, which I`m not too keen on, but it was either Saturday mornings or 7am classes everyday, so for those of you who have ever seen me in the morning, Saturdays are a better choice! Plus, it`s only for three months, and I am pretty sure next session I don`t have to do either.

Anyhow, I`ve moved into my new apartment with Hannah and Kristi, two other teachers. We are kind of taking over a small hostel, but as there are other travelers, it`s been a bit of a game of musical beds until everyone else leaves. Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances, two of the bedrooms we were going to be taking over are going to be occupied by the current occupants for at least the next few weeks. Welcome to Ecuador! It`s okay though, it`s nice to have a place to come home to at night, a place I can cook and relax in, and a place to unpack my books. Also, the view is absolutely stunning (I can never quite believe it when I look at it!!), and there`s a hammock I can read and relax in.

The other night a few of the teachers and I went to the market to try cuy, a local delicacy. We watched as they took the carcass, pushed it onto a stick, and roasted it over hot coals for about half an hour. I was thoroughly disgusted, and vowed not to eat it, as I watched the poor animal`s intestines dangling over the coals. Blah! But upon arriving home, with the cuy in a paper bag, I got braver, and decided I would try a bite. I was pleasantly surprised to realize it tasted like dark meat chicken, although a bit greasier. I ended up eating about five or six bites of it, and am very thankful I didn`t have any guinea pigs as pets when I was a child!

Bon provecho!

Emily

Home is where the heart is

Hey Everyone,

It´s been a big couple of days for me. For one thing, I went up to Mitad del Mundo and sat on the equator, which was surreal (I still haven´t wrapped my head around it!), and for another I´m FINALLY in Cuenca, which is where I will be spending the majority of my next 8 months.

Quito was awesome, there was so much to do, but I wasn´t too keen on the hostel I was in, and didn´t meet anyone except for older tourists who latched onto me because their spanish was worse than mine. I spent the last five days touring around Quito by myself, which on the one hand is nice because I can do what I want to do, but on the other, if I got lost or something happened, I was worried no one would notice. Traveling alone definitely forced me to overcome some of my inhibitions, especially my shyness. But I was getting lonesome, so I am VERY happy that I am in Cuenca now.

I met a lot of the other teachers I will be teaching with at CEDEI, and all of them are so friendly and enthusiastic travelers. I´m in heaven!! There is quite a lot of people older than me, and a few who are younger, but most seem around my age. The hostel I´m in is a dream. For $13/night it´s super expensive (it´s so cheap here!), but it´s quiet and has gardens and HOT showers, so I´ll pay that willingly until Saturday...when I move into my new home with a lovely Brit named Hannah!! I´m so very excited about the apartment. It´s got 4 big bedrooms and a smaller bedroom, and an amazing view!!!! On one side of the house is the view of the river and a park, and on the other side is a view of the city, and you can see about four or five cathedrals from the balcony. The lady who owns the apartment is wonderful, I can tell she´s gonna be a surrogate mother while I´m here. She and her husband own a tienda (small shop) across the street from the house, and they are both very genuine and enthusiastic. I love them already.

Other than that, I visited CEDEI for the first time today, and it seems really nice, and is very well respected in Cuenca as a school. Tomorrow is orientation, and Saturday is a house party at one of the senior teacher´s house. I am very excited and think everything is fitting into place!! There are provincial elections here on Monday, so over the weekend it is illegal to buy alcohol, and everyday there have been parades and such for the electors. It´s quite interesting.

Hope everyone is well.

Always,

Emily

Today, I decided to sightsee a little bit in Quito. I caught the metro to Old Town, which is where all the churches and museums are. It was a beautiful day for touristing. As soon as I got to La Plaza Grande, I was just in time to witness the changing of the guards (or some such procession...I wasn´t quite sure what was going on!). There was about 30 guards at the President´s Palace, and they were marching, and swinging swords and flags to the tune of a marching band. I´m pretty sure the national anthem was in there somewhere, only because at one point everyone stood up and cheered. I got a LOT of pictures and a few videos, but I´m not quite sure how to upload them yet, so you´ll have to sit tight.



Next, I took myself on a ¨tour¨of some of the dozens of beautiful cathedrals around here. The first, La Merced, was absolutely stunning on the inside, with these gorgeous ceilings and a bunch of paintings. My favorite was the one of a saint with a cleaver through his head. Then I went to some other church which was closed for renovations, but I was able to climb up to one of the balconies, and saw these two gothic speres in the distance. Intrigued, I decided to find them.



I started walking, paying close attention to where La Plaza Grande was in relation to the spires, because I didn´t want to get lost, since my spanish is terrible and I wasn´t sure I could ask for directions should the need arise. I walked for about half an hour up this mountain of a hill (picture Mount Tolmie) before I caught another glimpse of it. Finally I had arrived, and was not disappointed! It was a beautiful Gothic cathedral called Basilica del Voto Nacional, and I went all the way up into the basilica´s towers!! It was so scary, I was shaking and my legs felt funny, cuz you´re climbing ladders all the way up, but at the top, the view was so fantastic. It was a 360 degree view of Quito. Gorgeous. Next time I will take a taxi though.

I am looking forward to getting to Cuenca. I´ve decided to fly instead of take a bus, since the bus doesn´t leave until 10pm, and the whole reason for busing was to see the country. Also, I´m starting to get lonely. I´m definitely not a backpacker. I don´t enjoy going out and getting pissed every single night, and it seems like there are only gross boys at my current hostel. I watched ¨Superman Returns¨with them last night, and they thought it would be amusing to describe in detail what they would do if they had Lois Lane. I am looking forward to meeting all the new teachers in Cuenca (I´ve met one already, and she was really nice...), and getting into a routine.

I´m sure the musicians out there will be pleased to hear that Lillex is getting radio play even down here in Ecuador! Haha, Jeremy, how do you like them apples?! :D


Anyhow, I should get going. I´m going to straddle the hemispheres at La Mitad Del Mundo tomorrow morning!

Cheers!

I have arrived!

Hola friends,

I have made it safe and sound to Ecuador. It has been a bit overwhelming at times, but I am glad that I am finally here.

My plane arrived into Quito, Ecuador, two hours late, due to computer problems in Houston, Texas. So, instead of arriving at 11:30pm, I arrived at 1:30pm. It was a gong show, and the people at customs were less than friendly. However, everthing worked out in the end, there were no problems with my visa or anything, and I had a ride to the hotel waiting for me with a sign (I´ve always envied people who´ve merited signs. It´s like they are extra important!).

As we were flying over the Panama Canal, I looked out the window at the stars. Suddenly, I was looking straight at Orion, which is my very favorite constellation, and it was so close, I could´ve reached out and plucked the stars from his belt, one two three! I couldn´t believe how beautiful he looked, and how close I was. As I was pondering our relationship (yes, Orion and I are involved!), I saw a shooting star.

I am now staying in Mariscal Sucre, a trendy part of New Town that is filled with gringos and hostels and discos and coffeeshops. It is very noisy all hours of the day/night, but apparently THE place to be if you are new in town. I´ve realized how much my spanish has disintigrated since I was in Guatemala, and am quite frustrated about it. I know it will improve with time, but for now it is a sore spot with me. I can hardly wait for my spanish lessons to start.

Some things I had forgotten about Latin American culture: Men stare and hiss at you constantly. You can´t throw your toilet paper in the toilet. If you are sitting on a park bench, people think it´s an open invitation to come over and harrass you.

Anyways, I will probably write again in a few days...once something worth writing actually happens!

Always,

Emily

One more day...

I fly out tomorrow!! What the heck have I gotten myself into?!

Gone and Away

I have now officially left Victoria, and am en route to Ecuador. My journey includes a lay-over in Vancouver for three days before I fly out on Friday for Quito. The past few weeks have been strange, as I packed up my last 7 years in Victoria and said goodbye to the friends and family I have adopted along the way. The thing is, it doesn't seem real. I feel like I am just going for a short vacation, and will be back sometime next month. The reality is that I don't know WHEN or IF I will return to Victoria, because there is nothing holding me there any longer. I don't have my bloody degree hanging over my head anymore (thank the Lord!), and most of my close friends are moving on to bigger and better things. However, it hasn't seemed to sink in yet that I may be gone for good.

My last night was spent with a good buddy, drinking Tim Hortons and watching the sun set over the Gorge. A truly Victorian experience.

Visa-Vis

I got my visa today! I'm really going to Ecuador!

Getting my visa was the one last big thing I needed to do before I leave, and it's been hanging over my head for MONTHS. What with making sure I had all the injections, doctors notes, a criminal record check, etc, and then the hassle with my passport not being valid long enough, and finally finding out the Consul General for Ecuador was on summer holidays until September, why, I thought my head was going to explode!

The Ecuadorian Consul General is a notorious señor grumpy-pants. I had heard from more than one person that their visa experience was less than savory, and I was prepared for a crotchety old curmudgeon. This assumption was further affirmed when I arrived at the Consul General's house in Richmond and he was yelling at the poor guy who had the appointment before me because he didn't have his papers in order. From what I could surmise from my eavesdropping (the consul was yelling, and the door to his office was open...it wasn't like I was holding a glass to the wall or anything!), the guy had come all the way from Alberta to get a visa because he was volunteering in Ecuador. Apparently the organization he was with didn't give him original documents but had scanned and emailed them instead. Half an hour later, this unfortunate lad walked out with his chin to his chest, visa-less. Oh boy, was I sweating in my seat!

However, apparently my papers were much more satisfactory, and the consul was very friendly to me. I chalk it up to my magnetic smile and cheerful personality, but it may have been my slightly low-cut top... In fact, he spent a long time with me, joking around, showing me pictures and pamphlets of Cuenca. He told me a story about the first time he was asked to participate in a round table discussion with all the big mucky mucks in the Ecuadorian government. Apparently, after they introduced him as the Consul General in Canada, they asked him to suggest ways that the visa process could be improved. His answer? He told them that the stamps he has to lick everyday should be mango-flavoured. He was quickly ushered out of the meeting, and has never been asked back! He also commented on my sense of humour and perception, and was quite disappointed to find out that I wasn't left-handed. He was relieved though, when I told him that my mother was left-handed, and asserted that he hadn't misjudged me!

At any rate, I now have a Intercultural Visa 12-VIII. And I feel like this trip is finally real.

A Hard Goodbye...

I gave my notice to my landlord. I'm so sad! I'm gonna miss this apartment.

Copy of Sponsorship Letter

Just in case I missed anyone:

Dear Friend,

As many of you know, I am leaving very shortly for Ecuador in South America for approximately 6-7 months. While there, I will be teaching English at a language school, and volunteering with various community development projects around Cuenca, Ecuador.

I made the decision about three months ago. At the time, I was looking into teaching in Korea or Japan, because I had heard that you could make a lot of money in a short period of time. However, I wasn’t very excited at the prospect. One day, on a whim, I applied to five different schools in five different countries. The school in Ecuador was not only the first to get back to me and offer me a position, but it was also the most reputable (according to Lonely Planet, and many of the people I’ve spoken to who have traveled there). I had to make a choice; I was about to finish my Bachelors Degree, and was nearly penniless. Should I be responsible and go to an Asian country where they pay a lot of money to English teachers, even though my heart wasn’t in it? Or should I go to a developing country that can barely support it’s own teachers, let alone foreign teachers? Evidently, I chose the latter.

I leave Canada for Ecuador on September 21^st, 2007, and will begin officially on October 1^st in Cuenca, Ecuador. The school I am teaching at is called Center for Interamerican Studies/Centro de Estudios Interamericanos (CEDEI), and is a language school that teaches English, Spanish, Quichua and Latin American studies. It is a not-for-profit school that combines educational opportunities with social and volunteer opportunities such as working with orphanages, women’s shelters, family services, construction of schools and other necessary buildings, etc.

I am very excited to begin this new adventure. I will once again be able to live among and working with indigenous cultures and Latin American people. Three years ago, as most of you know, I spent 6 months in Guatemala, teaching English and working in a hospital for sick children. This experience changed me, and changed my perception of the world. I know now that armed with compassion and education, I can help enrich the lives of those who have less than I do. My heart has longed to continue in this endeavor, and I am planning to dedicate at least the next few years of my life to pursue this opportunity to work with and in developing countries.

There are three ways I am looking for help.

a) I am looking for financial support while I am in Ecuador. The teaching position I have accepted is called a “paid volunteer” position, which means that the school I am teaching at will pay for a portion of my living expenses, but it is minimal, and will not be enough to cover everything. Thus far, this trip has been a bigger financial undertaking than I had initially expected. I have had to pay all my expenses going down there, such as flight ticket, immunizations, medications, visa applications, etc. I trust that God will take care of me once I am down there.

b) I am also looking for small school supplies and trinkets of Canadiana to give away while I am there. Pens, stickers, erasers, keychains, Canadian flag pins, etc, are greatly appreciated by those who receive them.

c) I am looking for prayers and encouragement while I am preparing to leave, and also when I am living in Ecuador. It is a very emotional time for me, as I pack up my life in Victoria, and get ready to move to a country I don’t know much about. I am both nervous and excited to be embarking on this new adventure, and will cherish any thoughts and prayers that are sent my way.

If you would like to support me in any of the ways mentioned above, please let me know. As well, if you would like updates on my various adventures, please check my blog alwaysemily.blogspot.com. I will try to post at least once a week.

Sincerely,

Emily Raymond

Dread

I read this on the bus, and sat in utter awe of Atwood for the remainder of the bus ride. It is brilliant:

"What I was experiencing was dread, but it was not dread of Richard as such. It was as if the illuminated dome of the Royal York Hotel had been wrenched off and I was being stared at by a malign presence located somewhere above the black spangled empty surface of the sky. It was God, looking down with his blank, ironic searchlight of an eye. He was observing me; he was observing my predicament; he was observing my failure to believe in him. There was no floor to my room: I was suspended in the air, about to plummet. My fall would be endless -- endlessly down.

Such dismal feelings however do not often persist in the clear light of morning, when you are young."

~excerpted from "The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood~

Much Ado About Nothing

It's funny. A few days ago I was certain it was the end of the world as we know it. Then I realized that today is the first day of the rest of our lives. Corny clichés aside, it's funny how quickly life can change with a little bit of perspective. I don't know why I thought the world was going to end. It was a feeling in the pit of my stomach, an unknown dread that something terrible was going to happen. The whole day, I was expecting...something...that never materialized. A phone call, a confrontation, a bus, I don't know. But the point is, nothing happened, it was just a silly melodramatic moment. And today, I woke up feeling great. As if nothing could touch me. I don't know. I certainly don't understand it. I think I survived certain death, and I'm not just talking about the Shakespeare exam I wrote a few days ago.

I haven't thought about my trip much in the past month. I have pretty much gone as far as I can without my visa (which will hopefully magically appear in my hands before I leave). I'm in my last week of my bachelors degree, and am pretty much just focused on passing the course (a decent grade will be an added bonus!). Once I write my final next Monday, I will be able to give my trip the attention it deserves. Until then, I'm just holding on for dear life.

I was thinking about having a fund-raiser or something before I leave. However, after doing a little research, it would probably cost more money then I would raise (or, if it went well, I would just break even). It was a bit disappointing to realize that, considering my current financial state (at the moment, dire), but in the end, it will probably be for the best. A fund-raiser would've just been an added stress. Instead, I think it will be a better idea to just throw a going-away picnic or something, and have everyone else stress about food and refreshments! Plus, it will be good to have one last hurrah before I leave, possibly FOREVER.

Anyway, I have things to do and places to be. Hope everyone is well.

The sky is falling

There's just so much to do! I'm nearing the final week of my current three week semester, in which I'm taking a Canadian Lit course and a film studies course, and I'm about ready to either give up or explode. Or maybe curl into the fetal position and hope that no one notices that I'm no longer a participating member of society.

For awhile, everything seemed to be coming together nicely. I got my criminal record checked, got my visa application and contract for employment in the mail, got immunized and all my prescriptions in order, bought my ticket and insurance, all the while whilst I kept on top of my schoolwork and even managed to tutor a few times a week. However, now everything seems to be crashing down around me.

I had a bad reaction to my Yellow Fever vaccine, which made my left arm swell up around the injection site, spreading a red ugly rash down my arm. It didn't really hurt (it was itchy as hell, though!), but my doctor was at a loss on how to deal with it, so I went back to the travel clinic and they told me to wait it out. Meanwhile, it continued to spread for a few more days (9 days in total!), but now, thankfully it's starting to lose it's angry red colour and heal from the inside out. Now it looks like I have a gigantic sour soother candy tattooed on my arm. It's pretty badass, if I do say so myself.

I also realized while trying to figure out my visa requirements that my passport needs to be valid for 6 months on my return date. People, take note. My passport expires in August 2008, and I'm coming back in April or May. I thought that was plenty of time, but apparently not. So, two months before I leave, I'm frantically trying to get a new passport in time that I can apply for a visa as well. Gong. Show. It was a whole day wasted in the passport office, jumping from queue to queue, until finally, after much deliberation as to whether my Guaranteer was acceptable, I was finally told that my passport will be in my hands within a few weeks. Learn from my mistake. Check your passport if you are planning on traveling anytime. Some countries won't even let you in if your passport isn't valid for 6 months on your return.

Other than that, I think I've fallen behind in school, despite my best efforts, and will be frantically trying to make up the work over the next week. I haven't yet missed a deadline, but next Thursday I have two essays and a term journal due. If anyone wants to send in reinforcements, I will be accepting them gratefully.

Always,

Emily

We welcome you to Munchkin Land

I got my shots today...*sniff*...I was very brave, so the nurse gave me a lollipop. Even though I'm 26 years old and shouldn't need a treat after 2 pokes with a needle, it was still oddly comforting. I am now immunized from Yellow Fever, Hep A and Typhoid. Oh yeah, and my sucker was orange flavoured, in case you were wondering.

I should be sleeping

I'm not sure why I'm not in bed. Perhaps it's because I feel like there is so much to do, and every time I close my eyes, I mentally run through a list of things I have to do rightthisminute or else the world is going to implode on itself.

I think I've figured out HOW to do most everything (visa application, finding housing, figuring out how to get place to place), but now it's time to start implementing these tactics, and I don't know where to start. Thanks to some newfound internet friends (I've never been one to talk to people I've never met, and now I have two people I correspond with every couple of days who are/have been in Ecuador), I have figured out exactly, step-by-step, how to obtain an intercultural visa, what I need to pack, what I can leave at home, where the best places to eat are, and some fun hostels I should check out whilst looking for more permanent accommodation. I've made doctor's appointments (apparently mine doesn't do physicals during the summer, which means I have to find one who does, and is willing to sign off on my trip, despite my kidney stuff), booked vaccination appointments, bought travel guidebooks (got the Lonely Planet Ecuador for only $4 from Russel's! And it's the previous version to the one that just came out!)...I still need to go get my criminal record check, which I'm procrastinating doing (not because I'm a dangerous criminal, but because I'm lazy and have a zit on my chin and what if there's a hot policeman? Gotta look my best!), and figure out how the heck I'm going to find the time to get over to the Ecuadorian Consulate in Richmond while I'm taking two summer classes this month everyday and one next month.

I know it seems like I should have a lot of time to do all this, after all, I'm not leaving for another 2.5 months, but everything takes so much TIME, and I'm in classes everyday, and when I'm not in classes, I'm trying to study and read and see people and be social...I don't anticipate having a spare moment until the end of August, and by then it'll be almost time for me to leave! And meanwhile I have to pack up my Victoria life, say goodbye to my friends, figure out what I need to bring for 6-8 months in a developing country, find a place to store my crap (U-Pak, I'm thinking) and tell my awesome landlord that I'm moving out of this super awesome apartment...Sigh. I'm gonna miss my cute little bachelor pad. And my nice soft bed with my pillows that have my drool on them (as opposed to some other random backpackers drool or bat/lizard shit).

I should sleep. Peace.

Always, Emily

Images of Ecuador

I am now trying to figure out how to upload pictures...This is the Ecuadorian flag. I did some research, and Wikipedia says that the yellow symbolizes wealth of agricultural and other resources in the country, blue is for the ocean and the clear skies, and the red is the blood of those who died in gaining the country's freedom.

The significance of the elements of the coat of arms are described thus:
Condor - power and courage
Landscape - Chimborazo and Guayas River
Boat - Peace and trade
Golden Sun - pre-Colombian traditions
Zodiac signs - The Marcist revolution
Palm and Laurel leaves - Peace and dignity.

The above is an image of Parque Central in Cueca, Ecuador. As you can tell, Cuenca is rich in colonial architecture, something I have a love/hate relationship with. When I was living in Santiago Atitlan in Guatemala, with one group of Mayan people, I realized the effects of colonization and the loss of indigenous culture in Guatemala, and how it continues to harm local language and tradition. However, there is something to be said of the grace and beauty of the architecture. It's as if they've transplanted 19th century Spain right smack into the middle of Ecuador!




Apparently we North American's have got it wrong. Panama hats originated in Ecuador, and are called the Montecristi, named after the town that makes them. The straw in these hats comes from the leaves of the paja toquilla, a type of palm indigenous to Ecuador, and the art of weaving these hats has been around since the 1600's!

Anyhow, that was my sad attempt at doing some research about Ecuador (thank you Google and Wikipedia). Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get a cultural visa. The Ecuadorian Consulate in Canada website is not much help, and the school I got hired at sent me information about how to get a visa in the US. One source says I need to get a doctor's certificate and HIV/AIDS test BEFORE I go, but the next source says that it doesn't matter if I already have that, I will have to do it all again once I get to Ecuador, because the government won't accept documents from outside sources. Aaaaah! Do I really want to spend $200 to get the stupid thing if I have to do it all over again once I'm there? Will they let me into the country if I don't have anything but my passport? I also am procrastinating about getting my shots and Dukoral (temporary vaccine for traveler's diarrhea). The Dukoral is this nasty fizzy salty/raspberry drink you have to take twice before you go. Oh my goodness, it was awful when I took it before Guatemala. I am not looking forward to reliving the horror! *GAG!*

Always, Emily

Never had a blog before...

When I went to Guatemala, I sent weekly updates to everyone on my email list. Well, not EVERYONE, but a whole lot of people. They were witty and full of random observations about life in Central America. When I got back, I realized that my mom was the only faithful reader. It's okay, I'm not mad! Now that I know other people who have gone away, I realize that sometimes we don't have time to sit and read long-winded emails about hitching rides with strange men in pick-up trucks. However, every so often, we have a huge chunk of time where we can sit down and catch up with our friends from every corner of the globe...perhaps when we are avoiding that huge paper due next week, or when we're awake at 2am from the buttload of coffee we had after dinner. At any rate, instead of emails, I've decided to figure out this blog thing once and for all. If you want to keep up to date on the going-ons of Emily, well, yay. And if you don't care a rat's ass where I am and what I'm doing, maybe this blog isn't for you. And also, you're a turd.

Anyways, I set this thing up because I'm getting ready to embark on a new adventure. In three months (give or take a few days), I will be in Cuenca, Ecuador, teaching English. At this point in time, I have a bajillion things to do, I know next to nothing about the country or the culture, and I'm so excited I took my backpack out tonight and fake packed it! Yes, I'm a dork. Okay, I think that's it for now.

Always,

Emily