Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving)

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in the US. This holiday is not celebrated in Ecuador, but as an English teacher and cultural ambassador, it is an invaluable opportunity to share a piece of life in the United States. 

 

At the university, I work a total of 20 hours per week. 10 of those hours are spent assisting professors in their classrooms in the morning, 4 hours are dedicated to writing practice with students over email, and the remaining 6 hours are afternoon speaking practice. I get to plan and design the speaking practice classes, and I try to involve as many games as possible to get students to practice speaking and reinforce what they have learned in the morning classes. The students are from all different levels at a time, which can be a challenge to accommodate, but so far it has been a really good mix of conversations. Holiday weeks have been my favorite teaching weeks so far because there are so many theme games and activities online. Yesterday, I got to teach about the traditions of Thanksgiving through Bingo and Would You Rather? The word of the week was gravy, the students could not pronounce it and did not understand what it is. The students were also awed by pictures of the balloons from the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

 

The Fulbright Program hosts a Thanksgiving feast every year in Quito. I had planned to attend, but after the two close calls with death by car, I was a little wary of travelling. Carlos had also come home from the hospital for the last time the day before, and it just felt like too much was going on to leave for a few days. I am hoping after a week or two of normal routine, I will be more willing to travel.

 

Since I decided not to go, my sweet host mom decided we would have a mini-Thanksgiving meal here. We had chicken (since a turkey is very big and usually eaten for Christmas), potatoes, choclo (corn), salad, craisins, cranberry juice, and blackberry cobbler for dessert.

My Thanksgiving dinner

The blackberry cobbler I made for dessert

 

We invited family, my tutor, and friends of Carlos who have also become my friends. It is never easy to be away from family on major holidays, but I am truly thankful for these Ecuadorian friends who would come to spend my holiday with me and learn more about my culture. They have really become my family here, and have made the transition to life abroad so much easier. Even though it is a new holiday for them, I think the concept of giving thanks really resonated, especially after the last few weeks. As Carlos said at the end of the meal, it is always a good day to give thanks to God. 

 

 

All in all, it was a great night with great food and friends, and I am still so touched that so many people would come to support me. I am really settling into life here, and growing to love these people so much.

More transit mishaps

As I mentioned in the last post, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the US election. On Friday, November 11th, I was unable to sleep because I was worried about my country and thinking about what to say both to Ecuadorians and in my blog. Around 1 am, my host mom comes and bangs on my door shouting, “My son is in the hospital! He was hit by a car! Come with me please!”

 

I jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, and tried to comfort Bertha enough to drive as we went to the hospital. I realized later I’d forgotten to take out my retainer. We got to the emergency room and they let her go back to the room where he was, and I waited outside because I obviously was not related. When I say outside, I mean literally outside. Guards blocked the entrance to the building, I suppose to keep people out of the way of the doctors and emergency personnel. But there was a waiting room inside the building full of chairs with maybe only a couple of people occupying them. Everyone else waited outside sitting on the sidewalk or on plastic chairs under a little roof, like a bus stop. It’s usually in the 50’s here at night, and everyone was bundled up with blankets, coats, and hats. I wasn’t worried about me because I am young and healthy and had a sweatshirt, but it made me angry to see children and elderly people waiting out in the cold, possibly for hours, when there were perfectly good chairs inside and out of the way. I still don’t understand it.

 

I stood outside and looked through a window for any signs of Bertha or Carlos. Eventually she came out and said he was stable and doing alright. Then she said we needed to go to a pharmacy to buy medicine that the doctors needed. I had heard that this was part of the Ecuadorian healthcare system, where patients buy medicine and tools needed for the procedure. On the one hand, the patient knows they are not being overcharged for medical care and they know exactly what their money is going towards. However, you see the flaws in the system when you accompany a terrified and grief-stricken mother driving through the streets at 2 am looking for an open pharmacy. Finally, we found an open one, but she had to bang on the door to get them to open up. I can’t help but think, what if he had been in critical condition and desperately needed that medicine to live?

 

We got back to the emergency room with the medicine but Bertha made me wait in the car out of the cold. I was still within sight of the hospital, and prayed for another hour for my brother, the people waiting outside, and their loved ones inside. Around 3 am, Bertha came out and said he was stable and doing well and that she would feel better if she took me home so I could sleep. I really did not think I would be able to, but I did sleep for five hours. Bertha came home around 10 o’clock the next morning and we had breakfast, cleaned the house, and did laundry to get rid of every trace from the night before. After all the scans, he only had a broken arm and was scraped up pretty badly on his left side. 

 

All things considering, he was very lucky. He had had a tough med school test the day before, and went out to celebrate with friends afterward. He had not had a drink in about a month and a half, and he got drunk very quickly. He also had a fight with one of the friends he was with, and they separated, which was unusual. Apparently he was trying to cross a street and was the victim of a hit and run accident. The police found him and took him to the hospital. Bertha had woken up around 12:30 am and started calling Carlos, since that was when he had planned to come home. She called and called but he did not answer. The phone had died, but when he got the hospital, the doctor charged the phone and answered Bertha’s call. He said the owner of this phone had been hit by a car and was in the hospital, and after learning that he was her son, told her to come to the emergency room. Basically every parent’s worst nightmare of a phone call.

 

Bertha said when she first got there, the doctors asked him what hurt and he said my 7thvertebrae! (since he had just taken a test on that). Then, he started speaking in English, and the doctors were confused and asked him why since no one was speaking English. He said he had to call his sister. That made them worry, since he was an only child and they told him that. He explained that there was a girl living with them who spoke English and he needed to call her, she was his sister. So, I am not sure why he felt like he needed to call me in English, but we definitely bonded that night. Before I knew any of that, I had sent him a message wishing that my brother would get better soon. Ever since then, we have called each other ñaño and ñaña, which is how little kids here say hermano and hermana, brother and sister.

 

 

That started two weeks of being in and out of the hospital. Since both bones in his forearm were broken, they decided to operate to fix it, just to be safe. He was able to come home some while they waited for the tools needed for the surgery to arrive. When he was in the hospital, we always went for visiting hours and were able to play cards and Jenga with him and other friends who visited. The hospital room was always so hot and sticky feeling, in direct contract to my cold and sterile associations with hospitals. However, the care by the doctors and nurses was excellent. Carlos finally had surgery and all is well. He is so glad to be home in his own bed and with more sources of entertainment. Things are finally returning to normal around here, and we are hoping for no more scares like this.

Feriado (Holiday)

The week after Fulbright orientation was a short week because November 2nd is Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead) and November 3rd is Cuencan Independence Day. Since this year those days landed on a Wednesday and Thursday, the government proclaimed Friday a national holiday as well.  

 

For Dia de los Difuntos, families normally go to the cemetery to visit loved ones who have passed on. They bring flowers and other decorations to places on the graves, and sometimes the favorite food of the deceased. The traditional drink is colada morada, which is purple and tastes like a warm berry smoothie, and the food is guaguas de pan, bread in the shape of a baby. The day before Dia de los Difuntos, we went to one of the main squares in Loja where women had set up booths along one side of the plaza to sell colada morada and guaguas de pan. I really liked both of these, but no one could tell me exactly why the bread is in the shape of a baby, but I found this article on the subject:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/11/02/500105108/bread-babies-and-purple-drink-ecuador-s-spin-on-day-of-the-deceased?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=202702

 

However, the deceased grandparents of my host family reside in urns in the living room, so we did not go to the cemetery that day. Instead, aunts, uncles, and cousins came over to pay their respects and bring flowers, and we ate lunch together. Some relatives also brought homemade colada morada and guaguas de pan. That afternoon, after the heat of the day, we went to the park and played basketball with my 9 and 11-year old host cousins, which was a lot of fun. It helps that I am the tallest person around here.

 

Día de los Difuntos

Guagua de pan and colada morada

 

Saturday, November 5th is the festival day in Latacunga, where one of the ETAs is placed. We decided we were all going to go visit her, see Latacunga, and take part in the festival called La Mama Negra. I flew into Quito on Friday night, and then four of us were going to drive the two hours to Latacunga on Saturday morning before the festival. Unfortunately, we never made it. One of the Fulbright researchers grew up mostly in Quito, and her parents still live there. She had access to a car that day, so we were going to save on time and busfare and drive down. We left at 6 am, it was a beautiful morning and we were excited to go. We got to the south side of Quito, and we hit bad traffic. We thought it was a police check where we had to show license and registration. But it was just a wreck in front of us, and we started to move again. Suddenly, the car in front of us slammed on their brakes, we slammed on our breaks and veered to the left, just barely clipping the car in front of us. However, now we were slightly in the opposite lane, and though there was no car there at the moment, a car traveling the opposite way hit our left headlight and scraped the car a second later. Lastly, the car behind us rear-ended us.

 

Thankfully, no one was hurt in any of the four cars involved. The car in front of us and the car that hit the side did not even stop. But the most damage came from the rear-ending, so we pulled over to a gas station to talk with the police and insurance. This all happened around 7:15 am, and we stayed in the gas station until about 10:30 am. Since it was covered by insurance, the car was towed. We then went back to Quito and had a huge American brunch, and took a siesta. We were all fine, just a little shaken. Afterwards, we wandered around Quito and then had dinner at a restaurant with a stunning view of the city. I also met another Fulbright researcher who just happens to be from Franklin, TN. Small world!

Our view of Quito while eating dinner

 

Even though it was not what we had planned, I got to spend a nice low-key weekend in Quito with some of the other Fulbrighters, and it was overall a very good weekend. It did, however, make me appreciate life a little more and has made me a little more hesitant to travel. But, as a wise fellow-traveler told me, God knows exactly when, where, and how I am going to die, and there is nothing I can do to either hasten or delay that day. So, do not fear and might as well travel.

 

The following Tuesday was US Election day. I have put a lot of thought into what I’m going to say about this, so here goes. People here ask me what I think about the results of the election and I tell them the truth: I genuinely did not think it would turn out this way and I am very sad. I grieve that so many of my friends do not feel safe in their homes and in their country as a direct result of this election. I am angry that a man who stands for so many things that I oppose will represent me and my country in the world. I am enraged as a woman that he seems to have no respect for us. I could go on, but I won’t.

 

A large part of my job right now is to create cross-cultural understanding, break down barriers, and improve relations between countries at the ground level. This goes against much of the president elect’s platform. However, I could not ask to be in a better position to contradict and fight that platform. My job is to dispel rumors about the US, to teach people about real American culture and not what they see on the Simpsons, and to show people how kind, hardworking, and dedicated Americans truly are. This is not an easy task, and now I feel like the tables have turned and I will be fighting an uphill battle, but I believe there is hope.

 

Most of my students are worried about the outcome of the election. They dream of studying and working in the US and are worried that now they will not be able to get visas. A lot of students have family or friends who live in the States and are worried about their safety. One student asked me if Trump is Hitler. A few male students actually seem to like him and admire his power, money, success, and the ability to do the impossible.

 

I took this as a good opportunity to teach American Civics. I showed them how Trump did not win the popular vote and I told them about the Electoral College and how it was designed to give a voice to everyone, even minorities. I talked about our three branches of government and the concept of checks and balances. Most importantly, I told them that the President of the United States does not have absolute power, and this is our saving grace. This is a hard concept for them to understand since their president has virtually unchecked power. Unlike in Ecuador, it is very hard for our president to change the Constitution, or do whatever he wants.

 

 

I am not pleased with the result of the election, but I hope that our traditions of democracy, peaceful succession, and balance of power will prevail. No one knows for certain what will happen in January, but here in Ecuador I will continue to strive to live in a way that reflects the best of my country and promotes peace and cooperation between cultures and nations.

Fulbright Orientation

The last month has been full of adventures. On October 27-28, we had Fulbright orientation and training in Quito. I flew in early on the 26th, and got to spend some quality time with the Browns, missionaries from Inca Link where I interned with two years ago. It is so nice having an extensive and strong support network in a new country. That night, several Fulbrighters got together for dinner to celebrate Haley’s birthday, the ETA in placed in Quito.

Dinner to celebrate Haley's birthday

 

On Thursday the 27th, we had a series of lectures about Ecuadorian culture and current events and issues in the country that we should know about. All of the Fulbright ETAs and researchers were together for this part. It is really fun getting to know all of the Ecuadorian Fulbright grantees. I am considering publishing my notes from this day in another blog post because it was all very interesting. For lunch, we were joined by members of the Fulbright board and Ecuadorian students who are applying for Fulbright scholarships to attend graduate school in the United States. We also celebrated the Fulbright Program’s 70th birthday, and Fulbright Ecuador’s 60th birthday with a giant cake.

Happy Birthday, Fulbright!

 

On Friday the 28th, the Fulbrighters took a field trip to Papallacta, a small town with thermal hot springs outside of Quito. We got to know the other grantees better while relaxing in the pools. 

Our hike before getting in the pools

 

Waterfall on the hike

Chilling poolside

Papallacta thermal hot springs

 

That night, several of us went to support a former Fulbrighter, Megan, on the opening night of her photo exhibition as the culmination of her grant. During her Fulbright grant, she studied the intersection of preserving culture and preserving the environment. She taught members of the Waorani tribe to take pictures, and gave them cameras to document their lives. The Waorani tribe lived secluded from the outside world until as recently as the 1950’s, and tradition still dictates many parts of their daily life. The Waorani live on a reserve in Yasuní National Park, which is also on a huge oil reserve. Several years ago, they wanted foreign investors to invest in the land so that they would not have to sell to oil companies for economic reasons, and therefore protect the jungle environment. This plan did not entirely work, and now the Waoroni are more concerned than ever with caring for their environment. Now that they have contact with the outside world, technology is gradually creeping into Waorani life, including using guns to hunt and wearing digital watches. The Fulbright project included celebrating the old tribal traditions that existed in harmony with the jungle environment. For example, hunting with a traditional blow-gun instead of a gun discourages overhunting and prevents wiping out species. Waorani tribe members were given cameras to document how their families and tribes live, and the photos were put on exhibit in Quito. Since we attended the opening night, members of the tribe in their traditional dress presented at the beginning of the event and even performed traditional songs and dances.

Standing outside the exhibit

 

 

On Saturday, orientation was officially over, but some of the ETAs and I went to Otavalo, a small town outside of Quito known for its huge indigenous market. We spent the day shopping and bargaining, and then spent the night in Otavalo in a hostel owned by one of the Fulbright tutors. While at dinner, we were surprised by a musical performance of a group from Otavalo. They all played so many different instruments and sang so well together. One of the men even made bird calls with his mouth to simulate the birds in the jungle. We were so enthralled by their performance that we went up and talked to them afterwards, and bought a couple of CDs. They graciously talked to us and let us take a picture with them, and were very interested to hear what we were doing in Ecuador.

Our picture with the band

Week 2

Last Saturday, I went to the Festival de la Luz in Quito with Carmita's family. The festival was in honor of the United Nations conference Habitat III last week. This conference meets every 20 years to discuss housing and sustainable urban development. The lights displays were scattered around Quito's historic center.

Carmita and I at the Festival de la Luz

 

But the most impressive was the church Compañía de Jesus. By day, the church is stone colored, but at night the lights make it look painted.

 

 

On Sunday, I was supposed to fly to Loja in the afternoon. In true Ecuadorian fashion, our flight was canceled for "operations" less than two hours before our flight. We ended up flying to Cuenca and then taking a 3.5 hour bus ride through the mountains to Loja, arriving at 1 am instead of 4:30 pm. Luckily, I was with Carmita and her husband. The best way I can describe a bus trip in Ecuador is like the Knight Bus from Harry Potter (see link for reference). I dozed some on the bus, but I constantly woken by the bus going too fast around the mountain curves, slamming on the breaks to keep from hitting a truck in front of us, or pulling over in the gravel to let a car pass.

 

 Harry Potter Knight Bus

 

In the middle of the night, I arrived at Bertha's house, a friend of Carmita and another English professor at the university. I would be staying with her and her son, Carlos, until I could find a permanent residence. On Monday afternoon, I went to the university to meet the professors. 

 

I worked Tuesday and Wednesday morning at the university, lesson planning and finding resources. I will work 20 hours/week at the university. 10 of these will be spent in an afternoon lab/enrichment time where students strengthen their speaking and writing skills. The other 10 hours will be assisting professors in their classes. There have been a lot of recent changes in higher education, so the professors have been shuffled around a lot. I am not going to go into the specifics (partially because I don't think I completely understand it) but instead of starting classes on September 26th like they were supposed to, we are hoping to start English classes next week. 

 

Loja is a small, beautiful mountain town and a cultural center full of music, art, poetry, and tradition. Little by little, I am getting oriented and finding my way around town. There are several music-themed statues and murals, and it really does remind me of home (pictures to come). On Thursday nights, there is a cultural night in the main square, and this week I got to see traditional dancing and musical performances from Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.

 

Calle Lourdes, the oldest street in Loja. It hasn't been changed since colonial times and still has cobblestones.

The fountain in the main square of Loja

Another view of the main square

 

I am also enjoying my daily walks with Bertha (here they say Berta). We live right next to the river, and right by the house is a park and walking trail that runs along the water. The scenery is gorgeous due to the water, the mountains in the background, and the very artistic bridges that cross the river. I wanted to live with a host family during my time in Ecuador, and Bertha and Carlos have so graciously offered to let me stay here long term. Host families provide a great insight into a new culture, they allow me to practice speaking Spanish, and they ease the loneliness and homesickness. Between Berta, Carmita, and the rest of the English professors, I am being very well taken care of.

 

Bridges along the river close to the house that I see on my daily walk

 

In other news, they are trying to feed me to death. Breakfast here is usually pretty small, yogurt or fruit, maybe an egg or bread, and hot tea. I have been eating around 7:30 in order to get to the university by 8. At 10:30 or 11, the professors all go together to an on-campus café to get a cafecito (coffee), which also includes some sort of empanada, cookie, or plantain-based mash. By this time, I am hungry so I am always looking forward to cafecito. Then, we eat a huge meal around 1:00, which so far has consisted of soup, grilled chicken with herbs, rice, maybe some small potatoes, and a salad. This is the biggest meal of the day and is about 1.5-2x bigger than what I normally eat for dinner, and usually I'm not all that hungry after the cafecito. Then at 4:30 or 5, around the time I can start moving again, we have merienda (snack) which is similar to cafecito with coffee and some sort of pastry. My poor confused stomach then gets hungry around 10:30 pm, when I am trying to go to sleep. The English professors are all worried I am not eating enough when really, I am full all the time. I suppose I will adjust.

 

Last night (Friday) several of the professors were getting together for a late merienda (around 9 pm) with their husbands. Bertha and I made Spanish tortilla to take, and other people brought a salad and a cake. Food by itself is very plain here, but meals are always served with ají, a kind of sauce that usually is a little spicy and every person makes slightly differently. Last night, I put ají on my tortilla, but this kind had peanuts in it so I had an allergic reaction at the party. Luckily I had Benadryl and water with me, but it was still really embarrassing and Bertha had to take me home early. I had a very sick night, but Bertha and Carlos were so kind and took care of me. There's nothing like having to depend on practically strangers when you are sick. Being sick usually makes you wish you were at home, but after that bonding experience I now have a new level of trust in this house and it is beginning to feel more like home.

 

I am feeling much better today, and I am hoping the rest of the weekend is much less exciting.

Fulbright beginnings

This week, I started my Fulbright grant. I am one of six English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) placed in Ecuador for the 2016-2017 school year. Each of the ETAs has been assigned to a different Ecuadorian city, and I have been placed in Loja. While in Loja, I will assist professors at the Universidad Nacional de Loja in their English classes as well as participate in an additional project to further engage with the community. My grant lasts for 9 months, and I will be returning to the States in July.

Ecuador on the map from <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecuador>

Location of Loja, Ecuador from <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loja,_Ecuador>

  I left on Monday, October 10, flying Nashville to Atlanta to Quito. Around the time my first plane took off, my grandfather passed away. It had been a hard weekend with him in the hospital, but I am glad to have had that time with him and family. The last time I saw him on Sunday, he seemed so much better and likely to make a full recovery. When the news was bad again Monday morning, both my parents and grandparents encouraged me to go on to Ecuador. I keep remembering little moments of him at random times during the day and I've had to hold back tears several times this week during various meetings. Most of all, I have missed spending precious time with extended family as we grieve the loss of a man we so loved and admired. However, after love for his family, Granddaddy valued education more than anything else, and I know this opportunity meant as much to him as it does to me, and more and more I get the sense that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.  After arriving into Quito late on Monday night, we had a security briefing at the US Embassy in Quito first thing on Tuesday morning. We got to meet the coordinator of Fulbright alumni and director of cultural affairs, as well as other Fulbright grantees working on research projects. Our subsequent security briefing has made me afraid to take pictures for fear of bring robbed (I will try to take more in Loja). The ETAs then got to have lunch together, and I am amazed that even though we are all from different parts of the US, we have similar personalities, interests, and passions, and I am really looking forward to sharing this year with them. Tuesday afternoon, we went to the Fulbright Commision and learned some more details about this coming year, and we got to meet the people we have been emailing since April. After a full two days, we were ready to go to bed pretty soon after dinner.  On Wednesday, we had several errands to run in Quito in order to set up a bank account and register our visas. The latter involved sitting in the Ecuadorian version of the DMV for about three hours, but it afforded more bonding time between the ETAs. Since our bank accounts will not be set up for a few weeks, we were encouraged to cash our stipend check this first month in order to pay for rent and food. Ecuador uses American dollars, but the highest bill here is a 20, since people usually do not spend more than that at once and all merchants look at $20 bills suspiciously. So after the bank cashed the check, they handed me a gigantic stack of $20 bills (I felt very rich), and I had to stuff it in my bag and make it back across the street to secure it. Wednesday afternoon entailed buying an Ecuadorian phone and seeing dear friends from my internship with Inca Link two summers ago, which was very uplifting despite the short visit.  On Thursday, we had a morning of teacher training, which I found helpful since I have no formal teacher training. We were introduced to English learning games and I was reminded of strategies I had encountered in my own education. Afterwards, I got to go back to Inca Link and spent a restorative afternoon in the kitchen talking through grief and life with old friends. That night, all 8 Fulbrighters that had met on Tuesday got together for dinner before everyone scattered on Friday. We had a great time sharing travel stories and discussing world issues; it is an honor to be here with these amazing people. We also went down the street to see a Chilean folk band called Los Tristes (they were excellent) and play fooseball. Lucklily one American was paired with one Ecuadorian or we would have been annihilated. 

Dinner with Fulbrighters on Thursday

Finally on Friday, we got to meet our mentor/tutor from each university. The mentor will help us find a place to live, be our Spanish language tutor once a week, and serve as a general contact in the city. My mentor is Carmen, a very kind lady with 4 grown children and 3 grandchildren. After our orientation as a group, some of the ETAs went to their new cities while I went to Carmen's children's house. Even though they are from Loja, all of her children now live in Quito. Both of her daughters are married and have kids, and they live in different floors of the same house while the unmarried sons live there too. It is always fun interacting with different generations and age groups of families to see the customs of different cultures. Saturday, I got to do touristy things with Carmen's son in the historic center of Quito. We went to the Palacio de Gobierno, where the Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa works and the Museo Alberto Mena Caamaño, where we learned about the history of Ecuador's independence. The third United Nations Habitat conference is in Quito this week, so there are a lot of people here from all over the world. Saturday night, there is supposed to be a festival of lights that I am planning to attend with Carmen's family, but we are waiting to see if it rains. Since Ecuador is on the equator, the weather is pretty constant year-round, especially in the sierra, or mountains. However, there are two seasons, the rainy season and the dry season, and the rainy extends from September to April. Luckily, this does not means it rains all day everyday, but so far it has meant sunny and warm until about 3 pm, then storms in the evening. Tomorrow, I fly to Loja and I start at the university on Monday.

Inside Palacio del Gobierno

 

View of the Plaza Grande from the Palacio del Gobierno

 

Carmen's son, Dani, and I before the tour of the Palacio del Gobierno. Apparently Ecuadorian photographers don't count to 3 before they take the picture.