Well, the school week is finally over and all I can say is wow!! It was pretty hectic at first because I had to rearrange my schedule a couple times but it is finally all set. This semester I will be taking Feminine Literature, which is pretty self explanatory, Latinamerican Boom, which is all about the literature written in latinamerica after Cuba achieved its independence, Philosphy and Understanding the Self, which is my most difficult course, and finally Advanced French II, which is the highest level French course available at the University. I love each and every one of my classes although it is really tough to learn about ideas and concepts taught in Spanish, especially philosophy and most certainly French. My philosophy professor has been the most kind out of all my professors here, telling me to sit in the front so that if I give him a "huh?" face he can rephrase what he said, and he allows me to walk with him after class to his next class and ask one-on-one questions about material that I do not understand. And he also said that my Spanish was so good that he thought I had studied abroad before!! And my French class, as backwords as it may seem, is probably my favorite class because the first day the professor asked the class what exactly we wanted to do during the semester...apparently it is all up to us what we want to learn and how we want to learn it. My French professor is from Romania so she has one of the strangest accents I have ever heard in my life but I enjoy every second of it. The only problem is though that when she says a word in French that neither the class nor I know the meaning of, she gives the class the definition in.......Spanish! Now you tell me you wouldn't be confused as all get out haha. The bus system has required a lot of getting used to, as there are no signs to point you in the right direction, and as I am not used to public transportation it is even more difficult, but I have learned to "get off my high horse" and ask questions when I get turned around. Every day I have to walk to the bus station which takes about 10 or 15 mins (depending on how late I am to class), and then I have to take the red trolley bus to another bus station at which I get on the green bus that takes me to Cumbaya (where the University is located). And each time I am walking around I get whistled at or "cat called" (sorry Dad) which at first seemed to me a bit degrading, but as I am living in a very macho culture, I have realized that it is a compliment...I just cannot respond to the whistling because if I look in their general direction and act as though I am not interested, the men in the Ecuadorian culture just think you are playing hard to get. Anyways, I have finally learned the bus system and have met some really cool people from Ecuador and the United States (but mostly from the United States). It is very hard to socialize with the Ecuadorians, especially at my university, because they already have found their group of friends and they are not usually very interested in talking to a gringa such as myself. But I try to be friendly and if they don't respond in a positive manner than I guess that's their loss right? The people I have met from the States are all incredibly nice people though and fun to hang out with in between classes. It is also good that I am meeting Americans because they are more inclined to want to travel and experience new things in which the Ecuadorians either have no interest or have already seen. I did meet up with an Ecuadorian girl though who studied at NC State last semester and coincidentally she lives right down the street from me! She said that she is more than happy to introduce me to her friends, let me tag along when she goes out and give me suggestions on what to do in Ecuador. I also have my host sister Nicole, or better know as Coli, to hang out with as well so that I have the opportunity to speak Spanish and not English with my fellow gringos all the time. I am planning on going out tonight to some sort of discoteca or bar with cool music with my friends from the States tonight and then tomorrow after class we will leave to go to Otavalo. Otavalo is about an hour and a half north of Quito taking the bus, and it has the coolest textile market in Ecuador. There are handmade crafts, clothing, shoes and just about any kind of trinket you can imagine for very little money. We will arrive in Otavalo tomorrow afternoon, sleep in a hostel and wake up early the next morning to go to the market and bargain with the natives. What an experience that will be! I will definintely be taking photos and blogging about my trip when I return. And speaking of photos, here are a few that I took of my neighborhood, my university and my friends, all with captions underneath for a bit of explanation:
This is a photo of our condo...we are on the first floor of 4. The picture doesn't show too much because it is impossible to get a good angle when there is a giant fence behind you :) but hey I tried!
This is the front door of the complex and right inside the glass door is how you get into our condo! The man in the picture is named Rojelio...he takes care of everything in the complex, acting as a Mr. Fix-it as well as a security guard.
This is the garden in little "front yard" and you can also see the gate through which I leave for school every morning and where the cars come into the complex.
This is the Ecovia Trolley Bus I take from Estacion Norte to Rio Coca...it is the bus that determines how late or early I will be to class, depending on how long I have to wait for it at the terminal. A lot of pushing and shoving goes on in this bus, especially when the conductor says that those who are exiting the bus have the right-a-way...noooooooobody listens, and I mean nobody.
Maxwell is the name of this building on campus where I would have had my International Relations class...beautiful building but awful class.
Pictured here is the courtyard at the university where all the students hang out in between classes. Definitely the place to be.
This is me at school sitting in one of the outside hallways...all the buildings on campus have breezeways such as this and the ground is covered in tile or marble. I can't count how many times I have almost taken a tumble especially on the days that it rains :)
From left to right: Cynthia, Lauren and Juliana...these three gals are a few of my gringo friends who attend Franklin Street Community College, a.k.a. UNC Chapel Hill ;) We hang out in between classes and are planning on making the voyage to Otavalo together this weekend. Great girls.
This is the one of the long, steep and brutal hills that I must tackle on my way home from school every day...great workout huh?
And finally, this is the street on which I live called Marianoecheverria. Try telling that tongue twister of a street to a taxi driver.
Like I said, I will be posting another blog about my trip to Otavalo...apparently it is a beautiful place which has very nicely preserved its deep rooted history. I look forward to sharing my experiences and thanks again to everyone who has been following my blog. Talk to you all soon!
