What I sleep in every nite to keep the bugs away..
Fresh Fish? Maybe. Fried Fish? Definitely.
Darcy getting Couyed at the Witch Doctor... Read below
The witch doctor examining the entrails
Geoff and my pathetic attempt to make pizza. FYI, recipes change with altitude.
Mi Dormitorio.
Our own Fireworks on the Forth!
Bustin a move with Crazy Kristen. She is a funny girl!
Went to Juncal. Got hair braided. Left many strands on the floor as a gift.
The Juncal afro ecuadorian welcome comittee.
Our Hike in the Bosque
Pretty mossey trees
Las cascadas.
View is beautiful.
1 month in......
I left almost exactly a month ago.. Feels shorter and longer at the same time. My Spanish has improved dramatically, however I still have quite a ways to go before I am totally comfortable speaking and translating with ease. I get tired and don’t feel like thinking sometimes but I am trying to make a bigger effort knowing that I am going to my site in 6 weeks.
Lately, my life has consisted of language classes as well as tech classes, studying, and trying to find time to hang out with other Peace Corps peeps to stay a little sane. We had our first tech trip last weekend. Tech trips enable us to see different parts of the country while learning as well. Our group went to the town of Ibarra to visit a health clinic that practices western as well as homeopathic medicine. SERIOUSLY homeopathic methods. Darcy, who lives in Paquistancia with me, was picked to have a couy rubbed on her. A couy is a guinea pig. Most all Ecuadorians eat couy. Its gross if you ask me. Its like eating a rat. Needless to say I wont eat one but it doesn’t mean I am running out to kill them either. So, Darcy is getting couyed by this witch doctor meaning that the witch doctor is stretching the couy and hitting it all over Darcy’s body. (She isn’t really a witch doctor but she definitely looked like one) We are all looking on in shock as she is pounding the heck out of this poor defenseless animal. Then she stops, but sees the couy is still moving so she pounds it some more on darcy’s chest. The couy dies, and darcy knows it because its muscles relax and you can imagine what it does all over her shirt. The witch doctor then takes a knife and skins the couy then begins to play with its entrails. The whole, real purpose of this is by looking at this couy the witch doctor is able to tell what ailments the patient (Darcy) may have. By looking at the backbone the witch doctor tells Darcy she has some back pain, and by opening the stomach, again tells Darcy she suffers from stomach pain. Which concludes, either this witch doctor can really look at a dead couy and tell a person’s ailments or she saw Darcy walk in with a big backpack on her shoulders and knowing we are gringos, can pretty much figure that we ALL have stomach ailments. I am going with the latter and have no intention of eating or being couyed while I am here. Later that day, we went to Juncal, an Afro-Ecuadorian community where I got my hair braided for the small price of having most of it fall on the floor! More about Afro-Ecuadorian communities in the next paragraph…
The second day we went to a place called Mascarilla, another Afro-Ecuadorian community. They make these really beautiful masks made out of clay. The history behind the Afro Ecuadorian communities is fascinating. Black people were sent over from Africa a couple hundred years ago when slavery was legal to work in the sugar cane fields. Their ancestors stayed and made up these Afro Ecuadorian campos. Which leads me to my next point I didn’t realize before coming here; There is an incredible amount of discrimination and stereotyping that occurs between different groups of Ecuadorians. The Sierra, where I live now, is the most indigenous and conservative culture. Many Sierrans, including my current host family, talk poorly of the Afro Ecuadorian culture as well as commenting that the people who live on the coast being too liberal (which is EXACTLY why I want to live there). Gender roles are very much defined in the Sierra and double standards take precedence, ie. Its okay for men to drink, smoke, and have concubines, however not the same for women. Brings me back like 200 years!
Lately, my life has consisted of language classes as well as tech classes, studying, and trying to find time to hang out with other Peace Corps peeps to stay a little sane. We had our first tech trip last weekend. Tech trips enable us to see different parts of the country while learning as well. Our group went to the town of Ibarra to visit a health clinic that practices western as well as homeopathic medicine. SERIOUSLY homeopathic methods. Darcy, who lives in Paquistancia with me, was picked to have a couy rubbed on her. A couy is a guinea pig. Most all Ecuadorians eat couy. Its gross if you ask me. Its like eating a rat. Needless to say I wont eat one but it doesn’t mean I am running out to kill them either. So, Darcy is getting couyed by this witch doctor meaning that the witch doctor is stretching the couy and hitting it all over Darcy’s body. (She isn’t really a witch doctor but she definitely looked like one) We are all looking on in shock as she is pounding the heck out of this poor defenseless animal. Then she stops, but sees the couy is still moving so she pounds it some more on darcy’s chest. The couy dies, and darcy knows it because its muscles relax and you can imagine what it does all over her shirt. The witch doctor then takes a knife and skins the couy then begins to play with its entrails. The whole, real purpose of this is by looking at this couy the witch doctor is able to tell what ailments the patient (Darcy) may have. By looking at the backbone the witch doctor tells Darcy she has some back pain, and by opening the stomach, again tells Darcy she suffers from stomach pain. Which concludes, either this witch doctor can really look at a dead couy and tell a person’s ailments or she saw Darcy walk in with a big backpack on her shoulders and knowing we are gringos, can pretty much figure that we ALL have stomach ailments. I am going with the latter and have no intention of eating or being couyed while I am here. Later that day, we went to Juncal, an Afro-Ecuadorian community where I got my hair braided for the small price of having most of it fall on the floor! More about Afro-Ecuadorian communities in the next paragraph…
The second day we went to a place called Mascarilla, another Afro-Ecuadorian community. They make these really beautiful masks made out of clay. The history behind the Afro Ecuadorian communities is fascinating. Black people were sent over from Africa a couple hundred years ago when slavery was legal to work in the sugar cane fields. Their ancestors stayed and made up these Afro Ecuadorian campos. Which leads me to my next point I didn’t realize before coming here; There is an incredible amount of discrimination and stereotyping that occurs between different groups of Ecuadorians. The Sierra, where I live now, is the most indigenous and conservative culture. Many Sierrans, including my current host family, talk poorly of the Afro Ecuadorian culture as well as commenting that the people who live on the coast being too liberal (which is EXACTLY why I want to live there). Gender roles are very much defined in the Sierra and double standards take precedence, ie. Its okay for men to drink, smoke, and have concubines, however not the same for women. Brings me back like 200 years!
That day was also the first day I got really sick. Food poisioning. Really not that bad. I was better in a half day, and I treated myself to an hour long massage after for a whopping $15. No lie. I also had fun on the unregulated water slides at the hostel!
Last Friday, we went for a ¨hike¨ in the woods, and by hike I mean 5 hours of walking in Loda (mud) up to my knees. At first I was pretty pissed because I was wearing my only running shoes, but I got over it and it was really fun and really exhausting! I paid my host kids $2 to wash my pants and shoes and they are both as good as new!
One thing I have realized in the past couple weeks, if you want to break a bad habit, go to a Latin American country and let others know of your bad habit. I have this nervous habit where I unknowingly pick at the sides of my cuticles when I am stressed. Learning a new language and moving to a 3rd world country might qualify as stress for some, myself included. Anyway, this habit is no longer an unknowing habit. Every Ecuadorian woman I have gotten within 2 feet of has grabbed my thumbs and exclaimed, “Que lastima!”, which I think translates to something like, “how sad!” You would seriously think I mutilate my body by the comments I have gotten. Yesterday, I was with my friend Geoff and his host family, up in Ibarra, and his host mom and aunt, not only were commenting on my cuticles but they continued to tell me my knuckles were fat. Here I thought I only had a cuticle picking problem. Little did I know I need to start bringing my knuckles to Jenny Craig. It is the culture and it does take some getting used to. If you are fat, people will call you fat. There is no sugar coating. Conversely, if you have a huge ego you need deflated, Ecuador may bring you down a few notches without therapy.
Anyway, I will write more later... I ran to the internet cafe today, so I gotta take the bus back and if Im late its $5 for a cab! Oh yeah, if you run into them, be sure to thank our great president as well as all of congress... They cut Peace Corps funding and we cant go on our next educational tech trip.... which means another week in my beautifully boring town. Oh well, could be worse! Miss you all! Abrazos Y Besos!
6 comments:
That water slide looks awesome!! You sound upbeat, so I assume you are happy and healthy, which is all I could wish for you! Good luck with the Spanish, I am hoping when you come home you can teach me some. The cultural differences sound amazing, Im glad you are getting a chance to see them and learn, thats what makes this experience WAY better than vacation. Love you, miss you, take care take CARE!!!
Em
Wow - something new every day huh? Really proud you see the cup half full = sounds like one could say there's a big hole in the bucket in the Sierra. Good luck on getting the perfect assignment -you have earned it.
Llamas have seen your picture adn are anxiously awaiting your return. Smores hopes you don't learn how to ride llamas. Dad rebuilt the chicken coop so the baby chickens can have a safe place to go when they grow out of their incurbator pen. Hope you're home by that time. What packages have you gotten. I should number the letters I send so we can see if they all make it. Hope you have time to read that book. It's got many levels....although you haven't studied in Rome or Israel yet I hope it makes you want to see that country. Dad's looking into Christmas tickets home....countdown! Weather is hot sometimes and cool sometimes. Can't wait til the Llamas can be free to run around. Again, maybe by the time you get home. Proud of ya. Love - Mom
I'm so proud of how strong you are being!!!! I read your blogs and alternate between laughing, tearing up, and feeling utterly amazed by you. You sound so far away and yet the same as ever.
I would like to come over there and have the Ecuadorians tell me I'm fat and deflate my ego a bit :) In all seriousness, I can't wait until you get your assignment so i can start planning a trip out there.
More coming in a separate email. Don't feel like you have to wb, I know your internet time is limited!! Just keep the blog posts coming.
Miss you so much.
love the pics. who is the Geoff guy, and are you going to fall in PC love with him? ...I love your face in the braids picture. It's your "this sucks and I'm trying not to scream" face. hahaha
Laura...you are such a good writer. What word pictures!. We miss you but are proud of your service to our country and the sacrifices you make every day
Love
Dad
Love you sis! Miss you so much! I am so proud of you! I will try and intercept where I can but you know how it is... LOVE YOU!!!
T
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