worst day ever... merry early christmas

I¨ve had the worst day ever. I´m still in Quito. I was supposed to have left for costa rica at 4. I´m going there to meet my family who´s going on vacation there. i havent seen them in four months. but They wouldn´t let me leave the country because I didn´t have a document with me that says that i was vaccinated for yellow fever. i have this document, but it´s in ambato three hours away. no one told me that i needed it to leave the country. my parents didn´t know either. no one asked me for this paper when i entered the country... it´s really not my fault. anyway, i got to the airport at 11 and i was waiting for them open the stupid check in counter. if they had told me at 11, my host dad could have driven me the document in time. but i found out when the counter opened at 2. not enough time. then i called the airline to try to change my flight. i couldnt change it through the airline because i made the reservation through orbitz. i would have to call them. she gave me an international number with too many digits that didn´t work. i tried to use the internet. the internet in the airport wasn´t working. i left the airport and walked to the first internet cafe i could find.. with all my luggage. then i found out the electricity was out in that sector. when i broke down crying and explained my situation the guy who worked at the internet cafe went to go find a generator. the whole time i´m trying to get in touch with my parents. they finally call me back. they´re in the atlanta airport delayed. so my dad starts calling the world to try to get me on the next flight which leaves at 7 am. he kept telling me to go to the ticket window in the airport. so i ran back to the airport with my luggage only to find out that THERE IS NO TICKET WINDOW IN THE AIRPORT. i walked through some back part of the airport to find the copa airline office... which isnt really their office. they tell me that to change my flight i have to go to their real office which is a cab ride away. i told them, no please please help me (in spanish mind you) so finally he agrees to try to get me on the next flight. which costs $168. great. except for that there´s no room on that flight. i´m on the waiting list. which means i need to show up at the airport at 4 am with this document that host dad is bringing. he´s leaving from ambato at 1 am to bring it to me. and i might not even get on the flight. if not, i have to wait until 4 pm and i have to pay a lot more... how much more? it´s like buying the ticket all over again. plus, in running back and forth from the airport to the internet cafe and back i lost my glasses. i put them on my shirt because i was crying and they must have fallen off. i retraced all my unhappy steps and could not find them. i think i managed to waste thousands of my parents dollars and hours of my host dad´s time. plus my host uncle who picked me up at the bus station and brought me to the airport, and then picked me up at airport again and brought me here... to my other host uncle´s house (where i stayed the last time i came to quito) it´s been the worst day ever. i´ve been crying all day. i feel like shit. word of consolation will be greatly appreciated.

Do you know Obama's dog's name?

Yesterday was the first real rainy day I've had since I've been in Ecuador. While all of you guys are shoveling your driveways, I'm complaining about a little rain. Well it was rather inconvenient because I was supposed to take my morning class to Banyos that day. I had made a really fun scavenger hunt for my students that involved interviewing English speaking tourists and trading a mango for something more exciting (sound familiar, Gadna?). Anyway, we almost canceled it, but then miraculously in the afternoon it stopped raining. My students were able to complete their scavenger hunt and they told me that they had a lot of fun. After the scavenger hunt, we had dinner all together. Here in Ecuador, there must be some "palabras" (a few words) before starting a meal with a lot of people, so I told my students how happy I was to have them not only as students but as friends. and it's true. This class is mostly university students and they're awesome. We have a lot of fun together. After our dinner we went to bar for a few cervezas. I happened to have a dreidle in my bag (thanks Mrs. Seneor!) and I taught my students how to play dreidle! I explained to them what each letter stood for and why we play dreidle on chanukkah, but they were much more interested in gambling pennies. We stayed in Banyos dancing and drinking until about 9:30. As we piled into the mini bus to head back to Ambato, one of my students pulled out the lyrics to Jingle Bell Rock. I had taught them this song in class. If they're late, they have to sing it in front of the class. So my tipsy Ecuadorian students sang the Jingle Bell Rock on the way home. I had not laughed so hard in a long time. Well, at least I know they learned something...

I was finally able to put up some pictures! enjoy!

picture 1: my makeshift menorah that I lit every night!
picture 2: My and some of my students in Banyos
picture 3: a view of Chimborazo volcano from the road to Guaranda
picture 4: Monica, Alexandra, and me. Alexandra was dancing in Banyo's independence parade with her high school. Check out that outfit!!!! I want one.
picture 5: Me, Emily, Lauren, Brendan, Kat and Peter. All the Ambato volunteers at my house for Thanksgiving dinner!

resolution of the bus strike

By the way, the bus strike that I wrote about a while ago lasted 3 days. The government and the bus companies had a meeting and couldn't decide on a resolution. For now, the rates remain at 18 cents a ride, but I've heard that they might go up to 20 cents after the new year. Luckily, there were no violent student protests, and they don't expect any come the new year.

My first baptism!

This weekend, I went to Guaranda to visit my friend Jenny. We lit chanukah candles together and it was really nice. After lighting chanukah candles, for a little juxtaposition, we went to a baptism! Her host parents are the new godparents of a beautiful baby girl. The ceremony was held in the big cathedral in town, and it was really nice. They sprinkled water on about 5 babies heads and put oil on their foreheads in the shape of the cross. Then the pastor talked for a while about being good parents and how to treat your children so that they don't run away from you or the lord. I tuned out most of it, not gonna lie. It's a lot easier to do when he's speaking in Spanish. Anyway, after the ceremony came the party. We went to a reception hall that was completely empty except for the chairs lining the walls. When the DJ played merengue or banda (national music) everyone would get up and dance, including Jenny's 84 year old host grandfather who could outdance anyone at the party. When the DJ slowed the music down, everyone would sit and someone would come around with a plate of cheese cubes stuck with toothpicks, (they didnt actually serve dinner until midnight....) and someone else would come with one glass and a bottle of whiskey. They would go around the room and pour a shot for each guest. Now, let me clarify that in this culture it is rude to refuse a drink. If someone offers you a drink it is with love and if you refuse the drink it is as if you are refusing their hospitality. Well, I thought I was pretty in control. And by the end of the night, I had drank but I refused way more than I accepted (in the politest way possible... like pretending to drink or passing it off to someone else) But it was not enough. Although I have gone to bed way more drunk in my life (right, sideshow?) I have never woken up so hung over in my life. I puked at 9, 2, and 4:30 pm the next day!! I don't know if it was the fact that I hadn't eaten, or the food that I finally ate at midnight or the whiskey or the mixture of whiskey and pajaro azul (I had ONE shot of this seriously strong aguardiente...) but I was not ok the next day. The last bus. back to Ambato was at 5 pm, and I missed it. I slept over one more night at Jenny's and came home on monday. I promise I will never ever drink whiskey or pajaro azul ever again. ew.

Chag Sameach!!

HAPPY CHANUKKAH!

I just finished cyber lighting candles with my family. It was really nice. I actually secretly miss winter. The seasons don't change here on the Ecuador and as much as I love beautiful sunny weather, I miss the possibility of snow days.

isn't that a strip club?

this weekend, I went to Quito with Monica and Alex to visit their cousins. We traveled for about 5 hours to get to their house on Saturday (3 hours to Quito from Ambato, 2 hours on crowded city buses from the South of Quito to the North where they lived). I really like my host cousins. they're cool. It's amazing how much more liberal the mentality is Quito. We went out dancing that night to a club downtown. Originally, the deal was that Alex (age 17) was not allowed to come out with us at night. But since our host uncle (age 40 something) and his girlfriend (age 28 who has a 13 year old son!!!) were accompanying us, she was allowed to come. So I called my WorldTeach friends to tell them where I was going in case they didn't have other plans. I told my friend Chrissy that we were going to a club called demonios (or diablos, something like that, I can't remember) and she said "isn't that a strip club?" I was like, oh god I hope not. We're going with adult like figures. When we got there, it was just like a normal discoteca. they actually played really good music (lots of salsa!) and at about 1:30 AM they had one male stripper and one female stripper. That was enough strip club for me, and it was for sure enough for other adults.

I'm discovering that, at least in the conservative sierra (mountain region), relationships are... well.. conservative! Couples are big into PDA because they have no other means of showing each other affection. If you bring a boy into your house, by that point you're practically marrying that kid. Forget about showing him your room and closing the door. And you probably shouldn't stand on the corner and talk to this boy either, because the neighbors will talk. My host sister's friend (age 21) has been dating her boyfriend for over two years and they have only ever kissed. Could you imagine that happening in America? Kelly is probably bored just thinking about that prospect. :)

However, something tells me that it's different on the coast. Where it's hot and girls wear short skirts instead of always pants. you get weird looks if you wear a skirt in the sierra. I have not yet been to the beaches in Ecaudor, but I when I do I'll let you know.

I DO like green eggs ... but not ham...

A few days ago, my host mom was so excited that some of the hens that she had bought as chicks lay GREEN eggs. I asked her if she was joking. Apparently there really are hens that lay green eggs. The insides look normal but the shell is this pretty shade of pale green. In all my years of reading Dr. Seuss, I never thought I´d actually see a green egg.

Yesterday, Monica and some of her friends and I went to Baños to see their parade. Alexandra was dancing in the parade with her school. They wore these crazy carnaval outfits. They were sequiny and sparkly with a feather thing that you had to wear on your head. It was basically a sparkly bra with a super short sparkly skirt and gold high heeled shoes. And they were dancing samba. They looked awesome. I can´t wait for the fiestas de Ambato during carnaval when there´s a full parade of crazy costumes like that. I´ll try to put up photos soon.

BUS STRIKE! EEK!

There is a bus strike in Ambato. The bus companies are trying to raise the rates from 18 cents a ride to 25 cents a ride. The rates in Quito and Guayaquil, the biggest cities in Ecuador, have been 25 cents for a long time. But Ambato is much smaller. Last week, the buses asked for 25 cents without getting a permit from the city. If you gave them exactly 18 cents, it was fine, but if you needed change, they wouldn't give you back the correct amount of change. That happened for about a day. But it was illegal. People started denouncing the bus drivers to the police and then they stopped. However, they still want to raise the rates. Today, the buses are on strike. There are no buses anywhere in the city and it's difficult to find a taxi. I'm hoping that they figure this out soon. Between the the power outages and the lack of buses, I'm going to have trouble getting to my class. I'm off! wish me luck!