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.