i just HAVE to do a really quick blog update, been meaning to lately but ive been free-birdin and such. i gotta make this real quick, i need to sleep soooo badly.
so after the epic finishing of my monografia, my labor of love that i put more hours into than i ever imagined, we hit the beach to suck back some piña coladas and relax a lil. we decided on the lovely beach town of canoa, beautiful playa, and hammocks EVERYWHERE! our time was spent reading, sleeping, walking on the beach, and sleeping some more. most of our friends had to head back to quito pronto to catch flights back to the states, and MT and i had planned on going our seperate ways at that point, but the epic journey of las dos hermanitas couldnt end that abruptly could it! so i had my eyes on the northern coastal town of muisne, mostly because it is home to some of the only mangroves left in ecuador and an awesome organization that is trying to protect and reforest them. so we headed north, stopping at the quiet surfer town of mompiche, just enough time to eat fried fish for breakfast (only option), meet some random surfer dudes, and head to the most beautiful black sand beach ever. in the whole wide world. we talked to some people in town who informed us we could take a boat to muisne instead of the longer overland route, and we could also tour the mangroves! so wambam and we were on a lovely little boat with some new friends we picked up along the way, gliding through the gentle waterways of ecuadorian mangroves. the next few days we hung out in muisne, my favorite city in ecuador thus far, where everyone is overly nice and the ceviche de camaron is to die for. we showed up at FUNDECOL, the rad org, and got a more than generous tour and history of the organization. last night we hopped a night bus back to quito and THAT my friends brings me to today...
of course the bus roles into quito at the convenient time of 5am, typical, leaving you in the dark and cold with nowhere really to go and nothing to do. this has happened many times before, and usually we just go to this cafe thats supposed to be open 24hrs but never is, and then stand in the cold and bitch about how the sign lies. instead this time i asked the taxi driver to take us somewhere thats open and warm, and within 2 minutes we arrived at La Canoa, a 24h seafood buffet...? mm yummy right. but amazing news, there is a back room with really comfy chairs and nice people that work there that turned off the lights, YES turned OFF the lights so we could sleep amongst our bagpacks for a little while. and the bathroom, WOO, it was the nicest bathroom i have seen in 6 months. it was basically heaven, especially for a smelly backpacker like myself. and as i was lying there in the 24hr seafood buffett, i started dreaming again about the galapagos (a dream i didnt allow myself previously because i thought it was way too expensive...i didnt even read the galapagos section of my guidebook i thought it would be too painful). and i pondered how the universe had really been aligning things quite nicely for me lately, and how i basically could leave on any adventure at that very moment with everything i need on my back, and how i have the most charming, discount-inducing smile you could ever imagine. so i started to get reallly giddy, and decided then that i would give it a go. once quito came to life again, i walked over the city to inquire about the best last minute galapagos deals. to make a pretty long and tiring story short, I AM GOING TO THE GALAPAGOS TOMORROW MORNING! is that bragging? sorry i am just really excited and kind of surprised myself. bought 2 underwater cameras and a bag of quinoa...que significa que estoy lista.
presently at my friend carolinas house, a lovely lady i met through couchsurfing (have i repped cs enough yet), who shares my same love for jazz and cuabn music and who generously allowed me to stay at her place the night. its sooo nice to have friends to crash with, to cook a lovely dinner, etc. thats what i love about couchsurfing, its like instant awesome people all over the world.
anywho i neeeeeeed to sleep. see you SOON!
puro love,
laurita
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
te regalo amores :)
before we get started with the latest news from la mitad del mundo, go ahead and put these sweet tunes on. feel free to ignore the video, or not if you want read the lyrics. this song you might hear when you are about anywhere in ecuador. its on the radio, its blasting from a cd stand, its mixin at a club. its kinda aweful and also soooooo wonderful. LOVE IT, lets dance :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri8v4csOl40
what a whirlwind these past few weeks have been. one of the highlights of my time in ecuador thus far was when mt and a few friends and i took a trip to lago agrio, an oil town that dips its feet into the amazonian mystique, to go on a tour of the oil pools and pollution that were left behind from texaco, which is now chevron. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duFXuRnd2CU
here is the trailer of a documentary that i saw in the states titled crude. it is about the case a highly contaminated community near lago agrio filed against the corporation. our guide was working on the case, taking the environmental scientists of the case to visit the sites that were polluted the most. an interesting debate in the whole case was whether the pollution in question was by texaco or by petroecuador, who took over the sites when texaco left around 91. some of the worst pollution are the pools of oil waste that texaco literally covered over with dirt, pools that petroecuador never used in the production process. it was pretty amazing to go to these areas, some that seem totally normal, and see that as our guide walked on them the ground would shake because underneath was all oil, or we would dig and 4 feet under the dirt was pure oil, and then see it run into a river where children are bathing and drinking literally 100 feet away. the reality of oil extraction is absolutely disgusting, even when the waste is disposed of 'properly'. one community in particular was effected drastically, with cancer rates through the roof and no clean water. this community filed the case against chevron, but it surely will not end for another 10 years. on the one hand, its incredibly discouraging to see how people are living and dying like this while lawyers jump hoops and tie knots. at the end of the day i asked our guide if he was friends with pablo fajardo, the now famous ecuadorian lawyer on the case, and he said 'yeah, i work with him!' (duh). he gave him a ring and we met him at his office, at 6pm on a saturday night mind you. it was soooo inspiring to talk to pablo! he destroyed my discouraging thoughts when he explainged to us that he realized he will probably die long before some visible change happens, but thats completely beside the point. our job is only to do what we can--we cannot throw our hands up and do nothing. its kinda like this quote i love, "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it."
a powerful day, one that will stay with me and remind me that the greater the injustices are in the world, the harder people are fighting against them.
and now i would like to share with you about my day today, which has been a mix of a thousands winds. so there is this young boy mt and i have known since we first came to mindo, always showing up wherever we are, begging for an ice cream, joking around with us. as i started to get to know him better i realized that he doesnt really have a family at all here in mindo, rather 'lives' with relatives that seem to care very little about him. this is actually a big problem in mindo, so many children with young parents, there arent sufficient resources to support them, and many kids wander around, start drinking at a young age, and have a really rough time in general. two days ago our friend broke his arm, his relatives wouldnt take him to the hospital, and he came to mt and i to take him. we were so concerned and confused why no one had done anything. he had been walking around two days with a curtain wrapped around his broken arm and no one, not even the school, did anything about it. so mt and i went searching for a friend that would care enough to come with us to make sure we understood everything the doctors said, so could ensure the best for him. juancho, one of our dearest friends who we work with every day on the farm said he would come with us. we all bought some ice cream for the journey and our spirits, and hitch-hiked to the hospital. the ride there was beaaautiful (everything is more beautiful when riding in the back of a pickup, ive come to believe), and we all had such a great time--the happiest i have seen this boy, even with a broken arm--joking and laughing with the wind in our hair. we made it to the hospital, got some xrays, and were eventually told that he had waited too long and the bones were 'cold'--he had to go to quito. luckily there was an ambulance headed right then to quito, and he apparently had parents there that could meet him, or at least pay the bill if there was one. it was so hard to watch him go through that much pain, and put him in an ambulance alone to quito. i cant even imagine having my own kids. of course his arm will be ok, i only worry what having no one even care enough to take you to the fucking hospital would do to your feelings of self-worth. these are the stories of the 'bad kids' that are never heard.
so tonight we are having a going away party, of which we invited basically all of mindo. at 7 is the soncubano dance class and at 9 starts the other festivities. tomorrow its back to quito to writewritewrite and then who knows where! im really really really going to miss mindo, chilling in town eating ice cream and encountering everyone just walkin down the one street, our lazy breakfasts on the farm, and the BEAUTIFUL people i have met. my heart is warmed. i am grateful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri8v4csOl40
what a whirlwind these past few weeks have been. one of the highlights of my time in ecuador thus far was when mt and a few friends and i took a trip to lago agrio, an oil town that dips its feet into the amazonian mystique, to go on a tour of the oil pools and pollution that were left behind from texaco, which is now chevron. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duFXuRnd2CU
here is the trailer of a documentary that i saw in the states titled crude. it is about the case a highly contaminated community near lago agrio filed against the corporation. our guide was working on the case, taking the environmental scientists of the case to visit the sites that were polluted the most. an interesting debate in the whole case was whether the pollution in question was by texaco or by petroecuador, who took over the sites when texaco left around 91. some of the worst pollution are the pools of oil waste that texaco literally covered over with dirt, pools that petroecuador never used in the production process. it was pretty amazing to go to these areas, some that seem totally normal, and see that as our guide walked on them the ground would shake because underneath was all oil, or we would dig and 4 feet under the dirt was pure oil, and then see it run into a river where children are bathing and drinking literally 100 feet away. the reality of oil extraction is absolutely disgusting, even when the waste is disposed of 'properly'. one community in particular was effected drastically, with cancer rates through the roof and no clean water. this community filed the case against chevron, but it surely will not end for another 10 years. on the one hand, its incredibly discouraging to see how people are living and dying like this while lawyers jump hoops and tie knots. at the end of the day i asked our guide if he was friends with pablo fajardo, the now famous ecuadorian lawyer on the case, and he said 'yeah, i work with him!' (duh). he gave him a ring and we met him at his office, at 6pm on a saturday night mind you. it was soooo inspiring to talk to pablo! he destroyed my discouraging thoughts when he explainged to us that he realized he will probably die long before some visible change happens, but thats completely beside the point. our job is only to do what we can--we cannot throw our hands up and do nothing. its kinda like this quote i love, "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it."
a powerful day, one that will stay with me and remind me that the greater the injustices are in the world, the harder people are fighting against them.
and now i would like to share with you about my day today, which has been a mix of a thousands winds. so there is this young boy mt and i have known since we first came to mindo, always showing up wherever we are, begging for an ice cream, joking around with us. as i started to get to know him better i realized that he doesnt really have a family at all here in mindo, rather 'lives' with relatives that seem to care very little about him. this is actually a big problem in mindo, so many children with young parents, there arent sufficient resources to support them, and many kids wander around, start drinking at a young age, and have a really rough time in general. two days ago our friend broke his arm, his relatives wouldnt take him to the hospital, and he came to mt and i to take him. we were so concerned and confused why no one had done anything. he had been walking around two days with a curtain wrapped around his broken arm and no one, not even the school, did anything about it. so mt and i went searching for a friend that would care enough to come with us to make sure we understood everything the doctors said, so could ensure the best for him. juancho, one of our dearest friends who we work with every day on the farm said he would come with us. we all bought some ice cream for the journey and our spirits, and hitch-hiked to the hospital. the ride there was beaaautiful (everything is more beautiful when riding in the back of a pickup, ive come to believe), and we all had such a great time--the happiest i have seen this boy, even with a broken arm--joking and laughing with the wind in our hair. we made it to the hospital, got some xrays, and were eventually told that he had waited too long and the bones were 'cold'--he had to go to quito. luckily there was an ambulance headed right then to quito, and he apparently had parents there that could meet him, or at least pay the bill if there was one. it was so hard to watch him go through that much pain, and put him in an ambulance alone to quito. i cant even imagine having my own kids. of course his arm will be ok, i only worry what having no one even care enough to take you to the fucking hospital would do to your feelings of self-worth. these are the stories of the 'bad kids' that are never heard.
so tonight we are having a going away party, of which we invited basically all of mindo. at 7 is the soncubano dance class and at 9 starts the other festivities. tomorrow its back to quito to writewritewrite and then who knows where! im really really really going to miss mindo, chilling in town eating ice cream and encountering everyone just walkin down the one street, our lazy breakfasts on the farm, and the BEAUTIFUL people i have met. my heart is warmed. i am grateful.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
living of earth, of love
the past few days on the farm have been some of my favorite thus far. the magic began when we had finished all we could do preparing the beds thus far (were still waiting on the precious caca de vaca). cris looked at us and said, well we can just gather fruit and make things! and such began our most beautiful day on the farm, gathering limes from the many trees on the property, hunting down the ripest papaya, picking aji (hot peppers) to make delicious hot sauce, etc. the feeling of walking outside to pick food that will soon be used to sustain our bodies is really an amazing feeling. i suppose thats the idea of it all; to live and closely with the earth, to put your sweat into the ground and let the ground sustain you, to see the cause and affect of the things we do to the earth. this might explain why i cant stop thinking about the chemicals from our shampoo, detergent, and soap that are all going directly into the ground--where we are sowing our food, the river that we bath in after our hard work, and la pachamama in all her diverse species of flora and fauna.
today as we were gathering the caca from our neighbors cows, i couldnt stop thinking about ways that i can personally live more closely and respectfully with the earth. over the past few years ive tried to consume less, be a little nicer, use less chemicals, things like that. but i still wasnt really ready to let go of my luscious lather of herbal essences shampoo. even after i visited the duwamish river and heard the protests of the people suffering from all the pollution, high rates of chemicals from ´fragrances´ in the items we use daily that are dumped into the river.
but living here with the dirt under my nails and in my hair daily, just thinking about where this is going physically pains me. in an ideal world we would all be aware of these things, but ´sometimes it takes a journey to come home.´ just so happens that this past weekend i went to visit a friend in a town outside of quito. we went to a sort of hippy event (i felt very at home, i am not ashamed to say)--hosted at a cafe with everything inside of it made out recycled material. there was a man there selling dish washing detergent made out of lime, vinegar, and salt...perfect! we have a ridiculous abundance of limes on the farm, not to mention we are currently using potent agent that hurts my hands and the land. so i got the recipe and bought detergent to give us a start! im looking into making natural shampoo, conditioner, and whatever else i can fix up around these parts--the idea being to use what we have on the farm to minimize plastic waste, chemical output, improve overall bodily health, and spend less money! should be an interesting challenge when im back in the states, but that is just more motivation to grow things and explore how to use plants from the pacific northwest.
as for my independent project, things are rolling along. this wednesday i am hosting a dialogue with women in the community about gender and identity. i am sooo excited. im still planning what i will facilitate, but i think we will be using different artistic expression to warm things up (dance, drawing) and then move into the whole talking part. the whole thing depends on who comes and what the want to share, and i cant wait to see where the night leads us.
i know you are all just dyyyying to see me! and if you didnt already know i will be returning a little earlier than expected, june 24th. how could i possibly miss a doble lado family reunion extravaganza!?!?
well i have a million things to do tonight so i will say my goodbyes.
en paz y amor,
laurita
today as we were gathering the caca from our neighbors cows, i couldnt stop thinking about ways that i can personally live more closely and respectfully with the earth. over the past few years ive tried to consume less, be a little nicer, use less chemicals, things like that. but i still wasnt really ready to let go of my luscious lather of herbal essences shampoo. even after i visited the duwamish river and heard the protests of the people suffering from all the pollution, high rates of chemicals from ´fragrances´ in the items we use daily that are dumped into the river.
but living here with the dirt under my nails and in my hair daily, just thinking about where this is going physically pains me. in an ideal world we would all be aware of these things, but ´sometimes it takes a journey to come home.´ just so happens that this past weekend i went to visit a friend in a town outside of quito. we went to a sort of hippy event (i felt very at home, i am not ashamed to say)--hosted at a cafe with everything inside of it made out recycled material. there was a man there selling dish washing detergent made out of lime, vinegar, and salt...perfect! we have a ridiculous abundance of limes on the farm, not to mention we are currently using potent agent that hurts my hands and the land. so i got the recipe and bought detergent to give us a start! im looking into making natural shampoo, conditioner, and whatever else i can fix up around these parts--the idea being to use what we have on the farm to minimize plastic waste, chemical output, improve overall bodily health, and spend less money! should be an interesting challenge when im back in the states, but that is just more motivation to grow things and explore how to use plants from the pacific northwest.
as for my independent project, things are rolling along. this wednesday i am hosting a dialogue with women in the community about gender and identity. i am sooo excited. im still planning what i will facilitate, but i think we will be using different artistic expression to warm things up (dance, drawing) and then move into the whole talking part. the whole thing depends on who comes and what the want to share, and i cant wait to see where the night leads us.
i know you are all just dyyyying to see me! and if you didnt already know i will be returning a little earlier than expected, june 24th. how could i possibly miss a doble lado family reunion extravaganza!?!?
well i have a million things to do tonight so i will say my goodbyes.
en paz y amor,
laurita
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
been trying to blog for awhile now but every time i sit down to write i have absolutely no idea where to begin. this afternoon i arrived back in quito for a few days to check in with the my school about my project and my internship and its late and i should be working on my paper but here i am. strange coming back to the big city after spending nearly 2 months without leaving the tiny cloud forest town of mindo. all the concrete is almost an assault on my soul. i found myself wondering where the earth was underneath all that weight and whether or not people thought about her or missed her. at the same time im trying to see the beauty in this chaos, the traffic and pollution, the frenzy of people rushing somewhere here and there.
i had to run a bunch of errands around quito, flight bs, renewing my insurance, and i must admit it felt really good to know my way around this massive city.
let me tell you one of the most endearing things about the folks who live in mindo...when engaging in casual conversation any one of the following topics might arise and nearly everyone (my ignorant self excluded) will participate: the different ant species that live in mindo, bird calls, medicinal plants, any rare bird species that someone recently spotted, and a host of other topics of la madre tierra. it comes up so naturally in conversation. often i find myself thinking "wow did we really just spend the last 30 minutes talking about how to differentiate various species of hummingbirds?" i love that all of this is common knowledge in town, and i am learning so much for it.
as for progress on the farm, because its almost full moon (or was? still not clear) we must sew the seeds soon! we've been busting our butts preparing the beds, going into the forest to collect nutrient rich decaying leaves, removing the sand from the beds, and my new favorite activity hacking sticks with machetes! its basically always just 4 of us working, cooking, eating, cleaning, and laughing a lot together. the mornings are spent on the farm and in the forest. the almost certain afternoon rain means we are forced to relax in the house, read, converse, or make the damp trek into town. of course its not always paradise in paradise, and there has been a lot of awkward drama that MT and i somehow fell in the middle of. but all in all things are going really well. im learning more and more about mindo, particularly about the alarmingly high rates of domestic violence. i have become good friends with the political tenant, clever, because he is an amazing wealth of knowledge and he has the weightless smile of a child. women of the community go to him to make denunciations if they experience any kind of abuse. he records their story and explains their legal rights. it just so happens that the government of ecuador is now requiring every parrochia to collect information regarding intrafamiliar violencia contra la mujer. this is just the beginning of a new effort to assess domestic violence and then to seek solutions. this says a few things about the government: one, that they realize the problem. two, that they care enough to seek solutions. three, that they believe the government has a role in this whole equation. this is great news for me because this will provide me with information that i could never have obtained, and was never going to try to get on my own.
MT started a project with kids at the local school to educate them about environmental conservation through various artistic expression. yesterday we made puppets and it was great fun, but i must admit i might still be recovering. i have so much respect for teachers that can do that all day every day, i was exhausted just from 2 hours.
so thats whats going on in my world these days :) :) now your turn!
lala
i had to run a bunch of errands around quito, flight bs, renewing my insurance, and i must admit it felt really good to know my way around this massive city.
let me tell you one of the most endearing things about the folks who live in mindo...when engaging in casual conversation any one of the following topics might arise and nearly everyone (my ignorant self excluded) will participate: the different ant species that live in mindo, bird calls, medicinal plants, any rare bird species that someone recently spotted, and a host of other topics of la madre tierra. it comes up so naturally in conversation. often i find myself thinking "wow did we really just spend the last 30 minutes talking about how to differentiate various species of hummingbirds?" i love that all of this is common knowledge in town, and i am learning so much for it.
as for progress on the farm, because its almost full moon (or was? still not clear) we must sew the seeds soon! we've been busting our butts preparing the beds, going into the forest to collect nutrient rich decaying leaves, removing the sand from the beds, and my new favorite activity hacking sticks with machetes! its basically always just 4 of us working, cooking, eating, cleaning, and laughing a lot together. the mornings are spent on the farm and in the forest. the almost certain afternoon rain means we are forced to relax in the house, read, converse, or make the damp trek into town. of course its not always paradise in paradise, and there has been a lot of awkward drama that MT and i somehow fell in the middle of. but all in all things are going really well. im learning more and more about mindo, particularly about the alarmingly high rates of domestic violence. i have become good friends with the political tenant, clever, because he is an amazing wealth of knowledge and he has the weightless smile of a child. women of the community go to him to make denunciations if they experience any kind of abuse. he records their story and explains their legal rights. it just so happens that the government of ecuador is now requiring every parrochia to collect information regarding intrafamiliar violencia contra la mujer. this is just the beginning of a new effort to assess domestic violence and then to seek solutions. this says a few things about the government: one, that they realize the problem. two, that they care enough to seek solutions. three, that they believe the government has a role in this whole equation. this is great news for me because this will provide me with information that i could never have obtained, and was never going to try to get on my own.
MT started a project with kids at the local school to educate them about environmental conservation through various artistic expression. yesterday we made puppets and it was great fun, but i must admit i might still be recovering. i have so much respect for teachers that can do that all day every day, i was exhausted just from 2 hours.
so thats whats going on in my world these days :) :) now your turn!
lala
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
and where is your mind today? honesty and love are all i got
the great irony, the pain, the privilege, the beauty of being able to travel the globe is that intense feeling in the pit of your stomach. the tiny pebbles from tierra across the world, swallowed willingly, lovingly, they begin to weigh heavily. late in the night, deep in the jungle, they whisper things like 'why are you not with your family? (but the whole earth is your family).' and, 'you love everyone so much that its almost as if you love no one at all.' being here in this space means not being there and how could it not be painful at times. such is life i suppose, making choices of our space and time and accepting their implications. so i am not physically with you, but feel the love i have for you breaking the distance into meaninglessness.
something i have really been enjoying are all the awkward situations gets in while learning a new language. take the other day for example, i had just met some bird guides in town and as i was saying goodbye i said, 'necesitamos hablar luego sobre avas'. what i was trying to say was, 'we need to chat more later about birds (aves)' but instead of saying birds i said grapes. good one laura, real suave. hey lets talk sometime about grapes! he responded by laughing and asking me if i was still hungry. jajajajaaa.
this past weekend i went to the coast to a town called esmeraldas to visit my friend juan carlos. his cousin was having a baby shower and i was cordially invited to ALL of the festivities :) we spent all morning/afternoon saturday making little finger foods, using waaaay too many toothpicks, running errands around the city, etc. his family was soooo nice, housing me, feeding me, making sure i participated in all the festivites. the party was good fun, a lil awkward at first until....jc's mom busted out the baby bottles filled with beer. so the game is 2 people chugging sweet cerveza as fast as posible, which is actually pretty hard as you might imagine. can we take a moment to laugh out loud together? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. ok, so this game pretty much shattered the ice and the rest of the night was spent dancing and eating and dancing some more.
as for the farm/internship update. been working 3 hours on the farm in the morning and spending the afternoons working on my research. i have been really grateful for the people i am living with here. lately its been just us mujeres, that being MT, sandra, y cristina.
my favorite part of the day is our leisurely morning breakfasts, eating and talking about everything and anything. its especially nice to have their supportive energy as i begin my research/project regarding women in mindo. its looking like i will focus on domestic violence, as this seems to be one of the most pressing concerns as well as the most invisible. the marriage of alcoholism and sexism (both prevalent here) is the absolute worst combination, and women suffer immensely for it. been really struggling lately with all the limitations of my situation here. i have barely any time to scratch the surface, to build relationships, to learn something about the community, and i am supposed to do this giant research project. there is also the fact that i am a foreigner which will necessarily affect all of my interactions and the way i am perceived and perceive this reality. i know though that if i factor all of this into the equation that is my project i cant go too wrong.
ramble ramble ramble. my hands hurt from typing. loooove you.
l
p.s. ok seriously, pics soon
something i have really been enjoying are all the awkward situations gets in while learning a new language. take the other day for example, i had just met some bird guides in town and as i was saying goodbye i said, 'necesitamos hablar luego sobre avas'. what i was trying to say was, 'we need to chat more later about birds (aves)' but instead of saying birds i said grapes. good one laura, real suave. hey lets talk sometime about grapes! he responded by laughing and asking me if i was still hungry. jajajajaaa.
this past weekend i went to the coast to a town called esmeraldas to visit my friend juan carlos. his cousin was having a baby shower and i was cordially invited to ALL of the festivities :) we spent all morning/afternoon saturday making little finger foods, using waaaay too many toothpicks, running errands around the city, etc. his family was soooo nice, housing me, feeding me, making sure i participated in all the festivites. the party was good fun, a lil awkward at first until....jc's mom busted out the baby bottles filled with beer. so the game is 2 people chugging sweet cerveza as fast as posible, which is actually pretty hard as you might imagine. can we take a moment to laugh out loud together? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. ok, so this game pretty much shattered the ice and the rest of the night was spent dancing and eating and dancing some more.
as for the farm/internship update. been working 3 hours on the farm in the morning and spending the afternoons working on my research. i have been really grateful for the people i am living with here. lately its been just us mujeres, that being MT, sandra, y cristina.
my favorite part of the day is our leisurely morning breakfasts, eating and talking about everything and anything. its especially nice to have their supportive energy as i begin my research/project regarding women in mindo. its looking like i will focus on domestic violence, as this seems to be one of the most pressing concerns as well as the most invisible. the marriage of alcoholism and sexism (both prevalent here) is the absolute worst combination, and women suffer immensely for it. been really struggling lately with all the limitations of my situation here. i have barely any time to scratch the surface, to build relationships, to learn something about the community, and i am supposed to do this giant research project. there is also the fact that i am a foreigner which will necessarily affect all of my interactions and the way i am perceived and perceive this reality. i know though that if i factor all of this into the equation that is my project i cant go too wrong.
ramble ramble ramble. my hands hurt from typing. loooove you.
l
p.s. ok seriously, pics soon
Friday, April 2, 2010
can i be this lucky?
seems last time i we talked i left you on a bit of a low note. spring break ended with a bang and a splash...literally. what i mean is that we ended up in baños (yes that does mean bathroom, but also baths). we had heard about this white water rafting trip that was only 10 dollars to benefit a guide who got in a motorcycle accident. turns out every extranjero in baños was going, and we ended up with a total of about 30 rafts, a pilsener truck, and music truck with giant speakers. i didnt expect much, a lil white water here and there, mostly a nice float in a beautiful place. what we got was something quite different. once we finally got our crew, our gear, and our raft, we practiced as an equipo a little bit on land and cleverly coined our team TEQUILA, ahem. just before we set out with our guide he asked us if we wanted to have a nice time or a fun time, and of course we yelled in unison A FUN TIME!! (and by 'we' and 'unison' i mean mt and i...the others looked terrified). our guide sat me in the back next to him, and the first rapids i suddenly found my body flailing amongst rocks and rushing water. what just happened!!?!! so it turns out our guides idea of a fun time was pushing me out of the raft in the rapids (not just once, multiple times) refusing to help me back in, and then proceeding to tip the entire raft. luckily for us there were rafts behind us that picked us up or im not sure what we would have done. lets just say i got my fill of adrenaline.
back in quito for a few days...
since a new student moved into my host familys house for the quarter, mt and i stayed at our friends familys house. it was really nice for many reasons: 1. there are always lots of people around, especially adorable children to play with. 2. francisco became our new host brother and he is amazing. 3. the first night was a cousins birthday so we had a feast and met extended family. when we have to return to quito we will go back and stay with this family :) :) and of course i will visit my old host fam.
yesterday was a day of pure magic. we arrived here in mindo in the early afternoon to a group of smiling individuals. have i told you much about what im doing here? probably not because i didnt have it locked in for a long time and didnt want to get my hopes up too much. so we are living on an organic farm which has a hostal that provides practically all of the revenue for the community. when we initially found out about this place we understood the mission of this project to be teaching the community about sustainable organic agriculture. yesterday we found out that they do much much more. as we sat and ate a delicious lunch together, hummingbirds dancing above our heads, we learned that their main goals are to learn to live as a community and to provide the community of mindo as a whole opportunities to expand their creativity and world vision. there are dance classes, artesania classes and shop to sell what is made, the only library in all of mindo, and a bajillion other things i cant think of right now. did i mention there are 89 different species of hummingbirds!?! 14 on the farm alone. i almost cried yesterday at lunch because it all seems too beautiful. im thinking theres got to be a serial killer or something, its just too good to be true. we havent really done much work yet, monday begins the back-breaking labor :)
sending you smiles from the cloud forest
back in quito for a few days...
since a new student moved into my host familys house for the quarter, mt and i stayed at our friends familys house. it was really nice for many reasons: 1. there are always lots of people around, especially adorable children to play with. 2. francisco became our new host brother and he is amazing. 3. the first night was a cousins birthday so we had a feast and met extended family. when we have to return to quito we will go back and stay with this family :) :) and of course i will visit my old host fam.
yesterday was a day of pure magic. we arrived here in mindo in the early afternoon to a group of smiling individuals. have i told you much about what im doing here? probably not because i didnt have it locked in for a long time and didnt want to get my hopes up too much. so we are living on an organic farm which has a hostal that provides practically all of the revenue for the community. when we initially found out about this place we understood the mission of this project to be teaching the community about sustainable organic agriculture. yesterday we found out that they do much much more. as we sat and ate a delicious lunch together, hummingbirds dancing above our heads, we learned that their main goals are to learn to live as a community and to provide the community of mindo as a whole opportunities to expand their creativity and world vision. there are dance classes, artesania classes and shop to sell what is made, the only library in all of mindo, and a bajillion other things i cant think of right now. did i mention there are 89 different species of hummingbirds!?! 14 on the farm alone. i almost cried yesterday at lunch because it all seems too beautiful. im thinking theres got to be a serial killer or something, its just too good to be true. we havent really done much work yet, monday begins the back-breaking labor :)
sending you smiles from the cloud forest
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
trashy tv and toilet seats
im aliiiiive. you know that kind of sickness where your body is telling you, you betta get lots of plastic bags and water prepared right by the bed or its going to get messy? well thats what happened to me yesterday. god knows what it was, but i managed to make it to the pharmacy to get some sweet drugs that worked like a charm. and guess what? by about 7pm i made it out of bed for the first time that day and took a stroll to the river where i found my drummer friends from the day before. whenever i hear drumming i find myself heading towards the music and then moving my body in a way that somewhat resembles west african dance. amazingly enough these fine gentlemen were playing beats from west africa. last night i wasnt capable of dancing but i just laid by the river and enjoyed then was joined by a little boy. we played cards until his mom found him, screamed some inaudible words, gave him a smack, and yanked him home.
my trip to cuenca has been pretty...uneventful. cuenca is absolutely beautiful, feels like what i imagine paris to have been around 1930. havent done much other than walk around, lay by the river, watch looots of trashy tv, and be grateful that i have people who care enough to call me and make sure i dont die alone in some tiny hostal.
the first day we were here i did manage to hit up a modern art museum, and just my luck--it was an exhibit of women artists from all around latin america. much of the art was clearly an expression of suffering, a protest of socialized gender roles, of domesticity, a call for change. ironically enough as i was walking back to my hostal, feeling inspired and empowered (aHEM), i was stalked by a man in his car yelling obscenities at me and im almost certain he was touching himself...the world is a very strange place. yes it is strange indeed.
until we blog again,
lala
my trip to cuenca has been pretty...uneventful. cuenca is absolutely beautiful, feels like what i imagine paris to have been around 1930. havent done much other than walk around, lay by the river, watch looots of trashy tv, and be grateful that i have people who care enough to call me and make sure i dont die alone in some tiny hostal.
the first day we were here i did manage to hit up a modern art museum, and just my luck--it was an exhibit of women artists from all around latin america. much of the art was clearly an expression of suffering, a protest of socialized gender roles, of domesticity, a call for change. ironically enough as i was walking back to my hostal, feeling inspired and empowered (aHEM), i was stalked by a man in his car yelling obscenities at me and im almost certain he was touching himself...the world is a very strange place. yes it is strange indeed.
until we blog again,
lala
Monday, March 22, 2010
third times a blog
i always thought i would know exactly what to say, what to do, at least do something...anything. a few days ago i was sexually assualted for the third time, by a man, in the middle of the street, when i was walking with a group of friends. its as if when his hands grabbed me they took my voice with them. i had no words, not in english and certainly not in spanish. in that instant i couldnt believe someone would grab me there on purpose, it was a mistake. it must have been an accident. 2 seconds later, i realize that was definitely not an accident and i am furious and confused but the man is gone. i promised myself i would never be silent, but how can i have words or actions in a moment where a complete strange is violating the temple of my soul. i am writing about it now because i think its really important to talk about together, important for all of us to share our experiences, to challenge. the idea that any women in practically any part of the world is less safe than a man (and/or more vulnerable to sexual assault) is a ridiculously normalized collective understanding. my body is not something that is accessible to grab, it is not an object, it is not available for consumption. and yet over and over and over we make excuses, that it was just some asshole--a bad apple, or that it was HER fault because she wasnt covering her entire body. i met an indian lady the other day who told me about how when she was barely 10 men would push her of her bike in the street and touch her. she would go home crying but all her mother would do is say im sorry. we cannot continue making excuses and allowing this behavior to be acceptable. and what i am to do? someone who believes whole-heartedly that peace is every step--when i want to beat the shit out of people who do things like this, to me, to young girls. i still dont know how to react when i am personally faced with these situations. and if it happens again i will probably be just as speechless. but im not going to stop doing what i do, that would be another way of allowing this to continue. i will continue to travel, to walk alone when i want to, i will not stay in the house all day like so many women i have met to keep away from the harrassment (i do not blame them), the patriarchy. i wish we could realize that all of these things are a similar struggle. that when i am sexually assaulted, it is as much an isolated situation with a jerk as it is intimately tied to the objectification of womens bodies in the media and pornography, domestic violence, dowry murders, sexist jokes, and the fact that women in america are still not paid equal wages for equal work. it has permeated so much of our vision that we are nearly blind to it. i feel so much pain for the suffering in the world and yet under it all, all i can do is love love love. i know that these men are suffering too.
phew. i feel better now. currently i am in cuenca but not in the mood to blog about all that now, another day. thanks for listening :)
"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. "
phew. i feel better now. currently i am in cuenca but not in the mood to blog about all that now, another day. thanks for listening :)
"Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. "
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
tarea stallin, jungle ferverin
first things first, this is the track im currently spinnin (you know the drill sorry still cant hyperlink) let us listen together http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbq13bLylCY and then check this out and tell me your hips dont sway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js0rKmv-0Iw
the last few weeks have been a beautiful blur of all-night cuban music, day-sleeping, spanish classin, jungle walking, etc. dios mio.
friday night met up with some new friends and happened upon a tiny bar where a cuban band was playing. turns out a friend of mine is a friends with the trumpet player who apparently played with buena vista social club, be impressed riiight NOW! their band is called ácha and they grooved allll night long. luckily it only took a few songs for the entire room to be on their feet and moving to the tunes. imagine this; lights down low, ecuadorian beer in hands and crowding small tables, cuban beats vibrating in your chest, moving. the band broke off around 2, but the trumpet player was going to a smaller bar near by to play in a latin jazz trio. que riiico. so a crew of us migrated a few blocks to continue dancing the night away. saturday i slept and that night was mas o menos a glorious repeat of the night before.
last week we had our class trip to tena, a city just on the cusp of the amazon. the highlights include; hiking through the jungle and learning about all the indigenous medicinal plants, laying in a hammock watching, visiting a local community and learning about all the things you can do with yuca.
also animals i saw that were pretty incredible include an anacanda, a tarantula that was hiding in kims boots, the largest rodent on the planet (whose name eludes ahorita, but it sounds like capibery...i think), a white ant that will send you to the hospital in two bites, leaf-cutter ants, and finally the great spider monkey (years ago someone accused me of being one and i had no idea what that meant).
overall, let me just say i sacrificed my own flesh to feed the mosquito population of tena. i just hope they are grateful because even now i still itch.
yesterday we went to my first real fútbol game, probably the best $4.5 i have spent here in ecuador. it was a college game and somehow we ended up in what seemed to be the rowdiest section of the whole stadium. before the game even started i thought there was going to be a riot--some guys had hung up the liga team flag on the fence and the police wanted them to take it down. for some reason this was something of great importance and in an instant the whole crowd was looking at the argument, making hissing noises, clearly wanting to start somethin. luckily there was an adorable 3 year old sitting in front of me, and i didnt feel it was too dangerous. at the start of the game, and random intervals, people threw blank receipt rolls onto the field, waved giant flags, and sing chants about drinking lots of cervezas and other things i couldnt make out. in any case, the game was great fun.
its currently finals week, one week break, and then MINDO! im pretty sure i told you before about mindo, but the internship is set up for sure. i think i will spend most of my days working on the farm in the mornings and perhaps volunteering at the school in the afternoons. the main goal of this project is to spread knowledge about organic agriculture and provide greater food security to the community. i have never been involved in such a grassroots social justice project, let alone at the very beginnings, and i am VERY excited to be a part of such an incredible alternative development project. i know i will learn so much.
lovin you,
lala
the last few weeks have been a beautiful blur of all-night cuban music, day-sleeping, spanish classin, jungle walking, etc. dios mio.
friday night met up with some new friends and happened upon a tiny bar where a cuban band was playing. turns out a friend of mine is a friends with the trumpet player who apparently played with buena vista social club, be impressed riiight NOW! their band is called ácha and they grooved allll night long. luckily it only took a few songs for the entire room to be on their feet and moving to the tunes. imagine this; lights down low, ecuadorian beer in hands and crowding small tables, cuban beats vibrating in your chest, moving. the band broke off around 2, but the trumpet player was going to a smaller bar near by to play in a latin jazz trio. que riiico. so a crew of us migrated a few blocks to continue dancing the night away. saturday i slept and that night was mas o menos a glorious repeat of the night before.
last week we had our class trip to tena, a city just on the cusp of the amazon. the highlights include; hiking through the jungle and learning about all the indigenous medicinal plants, laying in a hammock watching, visiting a local community and learning about all the things you can do with yuca.
also animals i saw that were pretty incredible include an anacanda, a tarantula that was hiding in kims boots, the largest rodent on the planet (whose name eludes ahorita, but it sounds like capibery...i think), a white ant that will send you to the hospital in two bites, leaf-cutter ants, and finally the great spider monkey (years ago someone accused me of being one and i had no idea what that meant).
overall, let me just say i sacrificed my own flesh to feed the mosquito population of tena. i just hope they are grateful because even now i still itch.
yesterday we went to my first real fútbol game, probably the best $4.5 i have spent here in ecuador. it was a college game and somehow we ended up in what seemed to be the rowdiest section of the whole stadium. before the game even started i thought there was going to be a riot--some guys had hung up the liga team flag on the fence and the police wanted them to take it down. for some reason this was something of great importance and in an instant the whole crowd was looking at the argument, making hissing noises, clearly wanting to start somethin. luckily there was an adorable 3 year old sitting in front of me, and i didnt feel it was too dangerous. at the start of the game, and random intervals, people threw blank receipt rolls onto the field, waved giant flags, and sing chants about drinking lots of cervezas and other things i couldnt make out. in any case, the game was great fun.
its currently finals week, one week break, and then MINDO! im pretty sure i told you before about mindo, but the internship is set up for sure. i think i will spend most of my days working on the farm in the mornings and perhaps volunteering at the school in the afternoons. the main goal of this project is to spread knowledge about organic agriculture and provide greater food security to the community. i have never been involved in such a grassroots social justice project, let alone at the very beginnings, and i am VERY excited to be a part of such an incredible alternative development project. i know i will learn so much.
lovin you,
lala
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
fotos compartidos
possible location of my INTERNSHIP!! feel the life, the verde
quito
beachy sunset, montañita
horseback riding in the mountains in san clemente, cerca de ibarra (town of ice cream)
las dos, terraza
mi perrito y yo :)
family dinner
carnaval, esmeraldas, new friends
cocinando almuerzo con mis compañeros en mi concina
rooftop sing along, song = with arms outsretched, jenny lewis
learning about indigenous instruments, bought a rondador :)
mindo crew z-z-z-zip-linin
in the back of a truck, rain, on our way to the waterfalls
Monday, March 1, 2010
with arms outstretched
dear friends, its been awhile and i feel its about darn time we rekindle the ol´flame. i have to be honest, its hard to remember all thats happened since we last conversed. funny how time is, i always liked to think of it as water, if you try to grab it it slips faster from our hands. let it be :)
school is strangely coming to an end. and good news! i will be switching from school to an internship next quarter. it definitely feels more in line with my goals for this trip and im really ready to be outside of quito. its great but i could seriously use a break from all the concrete structures and pollution. i just about finished up my final essay, of which i wrote about the destruction of mangroves on the coast. did you know they are the most diverse areas only after the rainforest and coral reefs? they are incredibly important on so many levels, and are being destroyed at a back-breaking pace because of shrimp farms. the implications are devastating for the earth, the people, and the cultures they are trying to sustain. much of the shrimp is exported to the US, so if you care at all i recommend checking into where your shrimp comes from.
this past weekend i finally made it to the cloud forest! the town is called mindo and the minute i stepped off the bus i felt at home--a feeling i havent had until then in ecuador. it is surrounded by the lush green hills with clouds lingering always. because it is so humid, it has an ideal climate for all of my favorite things in the world: orchids, butterflies, and hummingbirds. we stayed at the hostel of a friend of a friend who happened to be starting up an organic farming project. to make a very long story short i think i will be able to do my internship here! ive been searching for weeks for the opportunity that feels right, and finally it has arrived...we will just have to see if it can really happen!
one of the many highlights of the weekend was ziplining! for a barato 15 dolars, we got to go on 13 ziplines, soaring above the forest, with arms outstretched, breathing in the life all around. it was nothing short of incredible, but to be honest i never thought i would do so much ziplining in my life. definitely had my fill. the next day we wanted to go hiking to these 7 waterfalls, and as the storm clouds rolled in we actually got more excited about the prospect of a rainy cascada adventure. the best part was that you have to take a tiny cable car (something i thought was straight out of jurassic park) across a valley to get to the trails. turns out we only had a few hours before we had to catch the cable car back, so we found ourselves soaking wet, skipping through the forest, splashing in the waterfalls. im pleasantly surprised no one broke an ankle :)
been feeling like i really need some time to just be quiet, and before my internship i have a week break. been trying to find some place i can retreat to, but ecuador is especially lacking in spiritual centers (as far as i can tell, but please prove me wrong). might just find myself a small place in the forest to relax in...or the other option some compañeros have been dreaming up is all pitching in on a tent (no pun intended) and just camping out somewhere with no plans or schedule. we will see what this pájaro libre decides in time.
i know ive been promising pictures forever, but en serio, it takes about 45 minutes to upload 5 pictures so ive been avoiding it. soooon :) :) :) there are pictures other people have posted on my facebook if you so desire.
i am so grateful for all of you beautiful people en mi vida!
paz y amor siempre,
lauri
school is strangely coming to an end. and good news! i will be switching from school to an internship next quarter. it definitely feels more in line with my goals for this trip and im really ready to be outside of quito. its great but i could seriously use a break from all the concrete structures and pollution. i just about finished up my final essay, of which i wrote about the destruction of mangroves on the coast. did you know they are the most diverse areas only after the rainforest and coral reefs? they are incredibly important on so many levels, and are being destroyed at a back-breaking pace because of shrimp farms. the implications are devastating for the earth, the people, and the cultures they are trying to sustain. much of the shrimp is exported to the US, so if you care at all i recommend checking into where your shrimp comes from.
this past weekend i finally made it to the cloud forest! the town is called mindo and the minute i stepped off the bus i felt at home--a feeling i havent had until then in ecuador. it is surrounded by the lush green hills with clouds lingering always. because it is so humid, it has an ideal climate for all of my favorite things in the world: orchids, butterflies, and hummingbirds. we stayed at the hostel of a friend of a friend who happened to be starting up an organic farming project. to make a very long story short i think i will be able to do my internship here! ive been searching for weeks for the opportunity that feels right, and finally it has arrived...we will just have to see if it can really happen!
one of the many highlights of the weekend was ziplining! for a barato 15 dolars, we got to go on 13 ziplines, soaring above the forest, with arms outstretched, breathing in the life all around. it was nothing short of incredible, but to be honest i never thought i would do so much ziplining in my life. definitely had my fill. the next day we wanted to go hiking to these 7 waterfalls, and as the storm clouds rolled in we actually got more excited about the prospect of a rainy cascada adventure. the best part was that you have to take a tiny cable car (something i thought was straight out of jurassic park) across a valley to get to the trails. turns out we only had a few hours before we had to catch the cable car back, so we found ourselves soaking wet, skipping through the forest, splashing in the waterfalls. im pleasantly surprised no one broke an ankle :)
been feeling like i really need some time to just be quiet, and before my internship i have a week break. been trying to find some place i can retreat to, but ecuador is especially lacking in spiritual centers (as far as i can tell, but please prove me wrong). might just find myself a small place in the forest to relax in...or the other option some compañeros have been dreaming up is all pitching in on a tent (no pun intended) and just camping out somewhere with no plans or schedule. we will see what this pájaro libre decides in time.
i know ive been promising pictures forever, but en serio, it takes about 45 minutes to upload 5 pictures so ive been avoiding it. soooon :) :) :) there are pictures other people have posted on my facebook if you so desire.
i am so grateful for all of you beautiful people en mi vida!
paz y amor siempre,
lauri
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
when it reigns, it poors
imagine this; a jam-packed bus winding through the tropical, poverty-stricken towns of north western ecuador. the air is thick, made thicker by the fact that most of the windows are closed. you can feel the sweat dripping down your legs. it doesnt matter if you are holding on to anything, even though the bus is jerking left and right and diagnally upwards, somehow, because there is no space to fall. just as you take your eye off the one open window BAM, it hits--a blast of water to the face.
welcome to carnaval in ecuador, where no one is safe from water or silly-string ever, at any time. carnaval is the equivalent of mardi gras, a giant party before the fasting and reflection leading up to the resurrection of JC. except carnaval lasts 4 days, and is marked by its late-night parties and the water and espuma (silly string type stuff) that everyone throws. no one is safe. last week at the last minute i decided to head to esmeraldas, a coastal town with the largest population of afro-ecuatorianos in the country. i had spoken to some couchsurfers who would be in town and i planned to meet up with them. we arrived saturday afternoon, gave juan (couchsurfer) a little ring and caught a taxi to meet him at his grandma's. the cab pulled up and we were greeted by a welcoming smile. juan mumbled something about not walking on the sidewalk, and just as i understood what he was saying we were hit with a waterfall from the balcony above. bienvenidos a carnaval :) we were soaked. i spent the weekend with a really wonderful and kind group of various couchsurfers, mostly from guayaquil, one from colombia and a few others from austria. we danced, visited beaches in the area, got blasted with water/foam, we had a grand time. caught a night bus last night, mostly to save money on accomodation, and the 5 hour ride turned into 10 when the rains finally came and washed the roads out. but all is good because la tierra has been thirsty and hasnt tasted rain like this is months.
last week i went with a friend to the museum of oswaldo guaysamín, one of the most famous artists from ecuador. his paintings most often depict exploitation, suffering, and inhumanity, particularly of indigenous people. the tears seem to drip of the paintings, and indeed my heart hurt just to be in their presence. but their truth contained a kind of redemption of humanity, that at least these voices were being heard, appreciated, admired, pinned up in museums. the most striking exhibit is the 'capilla de hombre' or chapel of man, dedicated to the people of latin america. the center of the capilla has a large dome with a circular opening at the top that sheds light on all the suffering. indeed i left shaken, breathless, yet hopeful for things to come. if you ever visit me in quito i will surely take you there :)
speaking of things to come, i am pretty sure i will be switchin from school next quarter to an internship. there is an opportunity in the north to work with a womens rights organization in a flower-producing community. while a structured school setting has its benefits, i know that this internship opportunity fits more with the goals i have for this trip--becoming fluent in spanish, challenging myself in as many ways as possible, connecting and sharing, learning about the struggles people face here. ive also been writing a lot, and think i might just try and put together some kind of something, you know ;) throw out my verse into the universe. in fact, uni-verse sounds like a poem i should write about now.
may the sun shine warm upon your face and the rains fall soft upon your fields.
laurita
welcome to carnaval in ecuador, where no one is safe from water or silly-string ever, at any time. carnaval is the equivalent of mardi gras, a giant party before the fasting and reflection leading up to the resurrection of JC. except carnaval lasts 4 days, and is marked by its late-night parties and the water and espuma (silly string type stuff) that everyone throws. no one is safe. last week at the last minute i decided to head to esmeraldas, a coastal town with the largest population of afro-ecuatorianos in the country. i had spoken to some couchsurfers who would be in town and i planned to meet up with them. we arrived saturday afternoon, gave juan (couchsurfer) a little ring and caught a taxi to meet him at his grandma's. the cab pulled up and we were greeted by a welcoming smile. juan mumbled something about not walking on the sidewalk, and just as i understood what he was saying we were hit with a waterfall from the balcony above. bienvenidos a carnaval :) we were soaked. i spent the weekend with a really wonderful and kind group of various couchsurfers, mostly from guayaquil, one from colombia and a few others from austria. we danced, visited beaches in the area, got blasted with water/foam, we had a grand time. caught a night bus last night, mostly to save money on accomodation, and the 5 hour ride turned into 10 when the rains finally came and washed the roads out. but all is good because la tierra has been thirsty and hasnt tasted rain like this is months.
last week i went with a friend to the museum of oswaldo guaysamín, one of the most famous artists from ecuador. his paintings most often depict exploitation, suffering, and inhumanity, particularly of indigenous people. the tears seem to drip of the paintings, and indeed my heart hurt just to be in their presence. but their truth contained a kind of redemption of humanity, that at least these voices were being heard, appreciated, admired, pinned up in museums. the most striking exhibit is the 'capilla de hombre' or chapel of man, dedicated to the people of latin america. the center of the capilla has a large dome with a circular opening at the top that sheds light on all the suffering. indeed i left shaken, breathless, yet hopeful for things to come. if you ever visit me in quito i will surely take you there :)
speaking of things to come, i am pretty sure i will be switchin from school next quarter to an internship. there is an opportunity in the north to work with a womens rights organization in a flower-producing community. while a structured school setting has its benefits, i know that this internship opportunity fits more with the goals i have for this trip--becoming fluent in spanish, challenging myself in as many ways as possible, connecting and sharing, learning about the struggles people face here. ive also been writing a lot, and think i might just try and put together some kind of something, you know ;) throw out my verse into the universe. in fact, uni-verse sounds like a poem i should write about now.
may the sun shine warm upon your face and the rains fall soft upon your fields.
laurita
Saturday, February 6, 2010
the scent of eucalyptus burning
on the road
peguche falls
out of class early, picnicin
happy places
many many things have happened since i last posted. report back from the botanical gardens = my favorite place in quito thus far. i stumbled in on a friday afternoon and found myself nearly all alone with what i like to think god might be like. i purposefully didnt look at the map so that each section was a surprise, and in the back corner was the orchid/butterfly house. when i opened the door i got shivers everywhere and lost my breath. i will definitely be revisiting this hidden paradise in the midst of a crowded, polluted city to paint, to write, to breathe.
last weekend i decided to stay in quito and spend time with the fam. on saturday we went to a church service for my host dad´s mother who passed away one month ago. in the catholic tradition here there is a service immediately after someone dies, one month, and one year. it seems like a good system that allows for time to grieve, reflect, and accept the death of someone close. also, families are not supposed to host parties for 6 months after a death in the family, which seems a little harsh to me. i guess i hope when i die people have a huge party with lots of colorful clothing, cupcakes, cerveza, and sweet music. i mean, extended families have to get together for deaths anyways, might as well make it a sweet fiesta instead of a sob fest (although tears will be perfectly acceptable at my 'life-passing celebratory extravaganza´). after the service the whole fam walked to a restaurant and feasted.
on sunday we got up very early to hit up papallacta, a small town in the north that folks from quito often visit for its hot springs. my host cousin, carlita, also accompanied us and she is a sweetie. the springs were so relaxing, in fact i dont know that ive seen my host dad that relaxed thus far. right next to the caliente agua was a small agua frio pool, and part of the detoxification process is to jump back and forth from the freezing water to the hot water. this in and of itself was a great bonding experience, although i couldnt manage to drag my host mom into the cold water (sounds a lot like another mama i have... :) )
monday and tuesday it was back to spanish class. wednesday we had a class trip to the north, packing so much into 2 days that i dont even remember half the names of towns we visited. what i do remember was a small town that is famous for its crafting of musical instruments. we got to watch a fellow make a rondador. wikipedia says this; The rondador is a set of chorded bamboo panpipes that produces two tones simultaneously. It consists of pieces of cane, placed side by side in order by size and closed at one end, and is played by blowing across the top of the instrument. The rondador is considered the national instrument of Ecuador. and i bought one which i am really excited to learn how to use. we also visited a beautiful waterfall in peguche.
wednesday night we went to a small town in the hills outside of ibarra to have a 'cultural exchange with an indigenous community.' as you can imagine, i was extremely curious as to what this experience would be like. ive noticed a homogenised description of 'indigenous communities,' which in reality are quite diverse. i was also weary of a packaged and contrived experience, a kind of exploitation of culture. but what i found was quite different. the indigenous community of san clemente was devastated, as was the rest of the country, by dollarization in 2001. in response, they started an ecotourism project that would allow them to sustain their culture and traditions while sharing it with foreigners. the community is democratically (as far as i can tell) self-governed and because of this project, has greatly improved their standard of living. and of course, it was absolutely beautiful. almost too picturesque to be real. there were fireflies. we went on a hike through the forest to learn about medicinal plants. we danced the night away. it was so lovely that after our class trip was over, we spent a night in ibarra only to return to san clemente the next day to ride horses up a mountain. at the moment i am lacking words to describe just how beautiful this experience was, so i think i will just post some photos when i can get on a computer that isnt so ancient. oh and the most vivid part about it all, the scent of eucalyptus burning fills the town of san clemente and the surrounding hillsides. mmmmm.
got in last night to quito and today i am going to hit the books at a colombian bakery near by--i have a midterm this week! not sure where the time has gone. this afternoon a couchsurfer is hosting a 'free hugs quito' in la plaza foch, and im not sure i can miss out on this one.
is my english worse? im sure it must be, because i am finding that my english and spanish have an inverse relationship; as my spanish fluency increases my english spelling and grammar takes a dive.
until we cyber-meet again,
your most humble blogger
Friday, January 29, 2010
chanda mama chanda mama raavayya
(ok before you read, open up this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb4RauhteFA and this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEDZcIu9T3o and listen in this order ;) )
photography exhibit exposing the horrors of bullfighting
playing charades in spanish class :)
we prepared typical ecuadorian dishes for class :)
this is the part where i get to ramble on about random things that have occurred since my last installment. so i´ve been having trouble with my visa. well its not really me thats been having trouble, rather immigrations inability to effectively ink and stamp. so i already paid a pretty penny to have a piece of paper express mailed here so i wouldnt have to pay 200 dollars for...?? not sure. and apparently one number on the stamp they put on my passport is illegible because there wasnt enough ink. this is somehow my fault and ive had been chasing the illusory gods of immigration around the city for days. yesterday i was ghost-hunting with sergio, the lovely fellow at CIMAS responsible for security, and for some reason he thought it was necessary to run everywhere, jajajaja. all i could manage to say was en serio?? the altitude still makes me out of breath, or maybe im out of shape. no its the altitude :)
so this whole living with a family has been a beautiful learning experience. pretentious me thought 'bah, ive done this before. piece of cake.' but it definitely has been challenging. everywhere i go i am asked a million questions about my exact plans, who i will be with, where they are from, their cell numbers, address, their family history, i have to draw a pedigree, etc. presently, the best way ive figured out how to deal with it is to smile and say, 'soy un pájaro libre' which means, 'im a free bird.' im not so great at making specific plans, part of how i feel my way through the world. the best part about the pajaro libre is that its kind of a joke, yet i am still getting my point across. all about the smiles. my family is very loving and i know they just dont want anything aweful to happen to me.
spanish class has been pretty great. our teacher is the sweetest lady and is never too proud to explain to us all those awkward words/mannerisms/phrases that gring@s tend to awkwardly use (my favorite yet is the verb 'introducir' which really means to insert, but gringos often use it instead of the proper verb 'presentar.' just imagine saying to someone 'let me insert joe to you.' uh huh.) we have a small class, only 7 of us, and much of the time is spent giggling. remember that part i told you about reverting back to 5th grade? well it might have gotten worse since then, pretty soon i will be a 4 year old. but when you learn a new word in a different language, like 'cheap' for example, it suddenly becomes incredibly funny to say something like 'laura is cheap.' i think it has something to do with the sense of accomplishment of being able to make something resembling a joke in a different language...trust me it is actually funny. seriously. for realz.
in other news, i met up with some couchsurfers for the first time the other night! we all met at a bar, listened to some sweet live musac, and then headed off to a salsa club. i love salsa but ive been having mixed feelings about my experience there. let me just say that machismo has got me down a little. call it machismo blues (my next hit single). i must admit, i miss the playful and free nature of swingin in seattle. alas, i am determined to find my shmancing niche in this city.
i stumbled upon a bookstore yesterday with pictures of all the hummingbirds and orchids and butterflies in this country. i couldve cried. soon i will head north to the cloud forests and experience the great moisture that allows for so much diversity of life. as for today, im going to mosey on over to the botanical gardens and see if i cant befriend some orchids. hopefully the language barrier wont be too restricting.
well, whoever it is i am writing too, i will try and post some videos i have been taking soon (woot virtual home tour, get pumped).
sending and receiving love from the universe,
lala
photography exhibit exposing the horrors of bullfighting
playing charades in spanish class :)
we prepared typical ecuadorian dishes for class :)
this is the part where i get to ramble on about random things that have occurred since my last installment. so i´ve been having trouble with my visa. well its not really me thats been having trouble, rather immigrations inability to effectively ink and stamp. so i already paid a pretty penny to have a piece of paper express mailed here so i wouldnt have to pay 200 dollars for...?? not sure. and apparently one number on the stamp they put on my passport is illegible because there wasnt enough ink. this is somehow my fault and ive had been chasing the illusory gods of immigration around the city for days. yesterday i was ghost-hunting with sergio, the lovely fellow at CIMAS responsible for security, and for some reason he thought it was necessary to run everywhere, jajajaja. all i could manage to say was en serio?? the altitude still makes me out of breath, or maybe im out of shape. no its the altitude :)
so this whole living with a family has been a beautiful learning experience. pretentious me thought 'bah, ive done this before. piece of cake.' but it definitely has been challenging. everywhere i go i am asked a million questions about my exact plans, who i will be with, where they are from, their cell numbers, address, their family history, i have to draw a pedigree, etc. presently, the best way ive figured out how to deal with it is to smile and say, 'soy un pájaro libre' which means, 'im a free bird.' im not so great at making specific plans, part of how i feel my way through the world. the best part about the pajaro libre is that its kind of a joke, yet i am still getting my point across. all about the smiles. my family is very loving and i know they just dont want anything aweful to happen to me.
spanish class has been pretty great. our teacher is the sweetest lady and is never too proud to explain to us all those awkward words/mannerisms/phrases that gring@s tend to awkwardly use (my favorite yet is the verb 'introducir' which really means to insert, but gringos often use it instead of the proper verb 'presentar.' just imagine saying to someone 'let me insert joe to you.' uh huh.) we have a small class, only 7 of us, and much of the time is spent giggling. remember that part i told you about reverting back to 5th grade? well it might have gotten worse since then, pretty soon i will be a 4 year old. but when you learn a new word in a different language, like 'cheap' for example, it suddenly becomes incredibly funny to say something like 'laura is cheap.' i think it has something to do with the sense of accomplishment of being able to make something resembling a joke in a different language...trust me it is actually funny. seriously. for realz.
in other news, i met up with some couchsurfers for the first time the other night! we all met at a bar, listened to some sweet live musac, and then headed off to a salsa club. i love salsa but ive been having mixed feelings about my experience there. let me just say that machismo has got me down a little. call it machismo blues (my next hit single). i must admit, i miss the playful and free nature of swingin in seattle. alas, i am determined to find my shmancing niche in this city.
i stumbled upon a bookstore yesterday with pictures of all the hummingbirds and orchids and butterflies in this country. i couldve cried. soon i will head north to the cloud forests and experience the great moisture that allows for so much diversity of life. as for today, im going to mosey on over to the botanical gardens and see if i cant befriend some orchids. hopefully the language barrier wont be too restricting.
well, whoever it is i am writing too, i will try and post some videos i have been taking soon (woot virtual home tour, get pumped).
sending and receiving love from the universe,
lala
Sunday, January 24, 2010
is the one i love everywhere?
wrote my first song in a looong time the other day. and my first in spanish! a kind of ode to our mother earth. my host family has a guitar and i am sooo greatful for it, a long lost love rekindling slowly, tenderly.
returned at 5 am this morning from a weekend on the coast! we left thursday evening for a 11 hour bus ride, winding across the country that feels like all the worlds time in one space. sat next to the other laura (she is laura and i am laurita) the whole way. she showed me the music she loves and i sat in awe as she signed them all. ASL is an incredible language, much more expressive in a way that auditory/verbal language can never be. this might very well be my next endeavor.
we stumbled into the humid beach town of puerto lopez before it awoke and went straight for the beach. all we wanted to do was rest but for some reason we couldnt help but attract packs of wild mating dogs and drunken leftovers from last nights party. i wasnt too keen on this place and was glad when we decided to take the short trip southerly to the town of montañita--known for being a laid-back surfer town with vegetarian food and barefeet. i spent the weekend wandering around the small town, reading the only book i brought with me on this whole trip, the essential rumi, and contemplating the self-conscious nature of my existence. no answers just more questions and longings, will fill you in promptly after my discoveries. some part of all my thoughts/actions/words seem framed within a greater self-aware context. i wonder if most other people experience life this way. i long to liberate myself from this structure but the only way i can think of is to hide out in a monastery for awhile (maybe the easy way out, maybe the only way). i often find myself wondering how our world might be healed if we focused on loving ourselves more.
i have so many questions i would like to ask rumi. would like to share one of my recent favorites with you. this one is titled buoyancy. this one needs to be echoed in your mouth.
love has taken away my practices
and filled me with poetry.
i tried to keep quietly repeating,
no strength but yours,
but i couldnt.
i had to clap and sing.
i used to be respectable and chaste and stable,
but who can stand in this strong wind
and remember those things?
a mountain keeps an echo deep inside itself.
that´s how i hold your voice.
i am scrap wood thrown in your fire,
and quickly reduced to smoke.
i saw you and became empty.
this emptiness, more beautiful than existence,
it obliterates existence, and yet when it comes,
existence thrives and creates more existence!
the sky is blue. the world is a blind man
squatting on the road.
but whoever sees your emptiness
sees beyond blue and beyond the blind man.
a great soul hides like muhammad , or jesus,
moving through a crowd in a city
where no one knows him.
to praise is to praise
how one surrenders
to the emptiness.
to praise the sun is to praise your own eyes.
praise, the ocean. what we say, a little ship.
so the sea-journey goes on, and who knows where!
just to be held by the ocean is the best luck
we could have. it´s a total waking up!
why should we grieve that we´ve been sleeping?
it doesn´t matter how long we´ve been unconscious.
we´re groggy, but let the guilt go.
feel the motions of tenderness
around you, the buoyancy.
signing off for now ;)
lala oatmeal
p.s. i would love nothing more than to send you a piece of my soul via snailmail, but i didnt bring any addresses! send me yours at lkoneill@gmail.com
Monday, January 18, 2010
do the equator dance (yes is always the answer)
its funny how humor changes when communicated in a language other than our mother tongue. in english i like to think i make pretty suave, nuanced, and thoughtful jokes. ahem :) . in spanish, i am reduced to the kinds of jokes 2nd graders make (which i actually quite enjoy...). i really want to laugh with my host family, so i take the leap onto the tenuous branch of humor, hoping for that beautiful moment when they all laugh. my proudest joke yet is that of the 'bebe de comida' or 'food baby' as i like to call it. the other night, after finishing a large family dinner, i slid my chair back, rubbed my tummy, and said the equivalent of, 'i´m so full i have a food baby.' i was nervous about this one, has the potential for being a pretty awkward moment for which i have a limited vocabulary to explain myself. but they burst out in laughter! success never tasted so sweet.
this past saturday a few of us went north to a town called otavalo. its most famous for its saturday market where many indigenous folks come to sell their crafts. i restrained myself from buying anything (except ice cream and pie mmmmmmm), but what i most had my eyes on was a charango, an andean instrument and descendant of the spanish guitar (thank you colonization). i might splurge on one of these bad girls at some point, and if not that i will surely get me some panpipes, probably the most recognizable of andean instruments. i need to make musac real soon.
if everything must belong somewhere, i belong half-hanging out a bus winding through anywhere in the world. on the way out to otavalo i couldnt help but hang my head out the window the whole way there. some of the most beautifully contemplative moments ive had were spent on buses, and i feel a familar comfort-love in such a place.
yesterday i went with a friend to the 'mitad del mundo'--the center of the world! its nothing too special, a monument and a big red line. on sundays there is a band that plays, and surely the highlight was dancing along the equator with all the people there. other than shmancing, i couldnt get too much into the awe of this human-made, sort of abritrary line we have drawn across the world. i suppose i dont like lines too much in general. i mean i understand the convenience of drawing lines, but its not anything do get your trousers in a bundle about. what is interesting, however, is that because ecuador is right at the middle of the world, it receives hella (ahem marcy) direct sunshine. do you know what that means? lots of nutrience to make for an incredibly bio-diverse country for its size.
when i got home last night my mamsita greeted me in candlelight, power out, and a new puppy! GAAAH!!! grinji is the love i have been waiting for and is currently passed out on the couch. well i need to head to school and learn me some spanish.
lovin you,
l
p.s. listen to bill frisells shenandoah and you will be swimming with me through ecuadorian landscapes and a sea of love.
this past saturday a few of us went north to a town called otavalo. its most famous for its saturday market where many indigenous folks come to sell their crafts. i restrained myself from buying anything (except ice cream and pie mmmmmmm), but what i most had my eyes on was a charango, an andean instrument and descendant of the spanish guitar (thank you colonization). i might splurge on one of these bad girls at some point, and if not that i will surely get me some panpipes, probably the most recognizable of andean instruments. i need to make musac real soon.
if everything must belong somewhere, i belong half-hanging out a bus winding through anywhere in the world. on the way out to otavalo i couldnt help but hang my head out the window the whole way there. some of the most beautifully contemplative moments ive had were spent on buses, and i feel a familar comfort-love in such a place.
yesterday i went with a friend to the 'mitad del mundo'--the center of the world! its nothing too special, a monument and a big red line. on sundays there is a band that plays, and surely the highlight was dancing along the equator with all the people there. other than shmancing, i couldnt get too much into the awe of this human-made, sort of abritrary line we have drawn across the world. i suppose i dont like lines too much in general. i mean i understand the convenience of drawing lines, but its not anything do get your trousers in a bundle about. what is interesting, however, is that because ecuador is right at the middle of the world, it receives hella (ahem marcy) direct sunshine. do you know what that means? lots of nutrience to make for an incredibly bio-diverse country for its size.
when i got home last night my mamsita greeted me in candlelight, power out, and a new puppy! GAAAH!!! grinji is the love i have been waiting for and is currently passed out on the couch. well i need to head to school and learn me some spanish.
lovin you,
l
p.s. listen to bill frisells shenandoah and you will be swimming with me through ecuadorian landscapes and a sea of love.
Friday, January 15, 2010
love is the best sensation hiding in the lions mane
ayayay. the past week has been a rollercoaster of a lot of things. ive been avoiding posting because i didnt want to say anything but how great everything is. but what kind of honest, heart-felt blog would that be? entonces, the first week wasnt sparkly and giddy at all. in fact, it was quite rough (the product of which was a return to the words of thich nhat hanh and meditation, all good things). being thrown into a group of americans who are supposed to automatically be your best friends is never easy. i dont do well with shallow interactions. i am ready to go! to live! i want to share everything i know and love. i want to know what your soul is made of. i have to remind myself, of course, that many people are very different from me. i also really dont like being in large groups of americans in a foreign city. we are loud, stand out, and its almost impossible to meet people.
my host family is kind but my parents are working almost all the time, and it was sort of overwhelming to be stranded in a foreign house, not supposed to go outside because its dangerous. and of course, there are many cultural differences. it sort of feels like I am a 12 year old in the eyes of my parents, so im intrigued to see how things will play out. buuuut, ive been figuring it out! of course things have gotten much more enjoyable.
today we went into the historic old part of town. on the trolley on the way there we went through a giant protest of union workers. all i wanted to do was jump out and chant with them, but for one its illegal for me to participate in protests here, and two i really have no right to engage in such an event. i also met some chilean backpackers on the bus…but i had to remind myself that i cant just go with them around south america, i am in school now! this is a different kind of trip ;)at least for now.
aight, well i need to get home or mi madre will be terribly worried.
beeesooos,
lala
my host family is kind but my parents are working almost all the time, and it was sort of overwhelming to be stranded in a foreign house, not supposed to go outside because its dangerous. and of course, there are many cultural differences. it sort of feels like I am a 12 year old in the eyes of my parents, so im intrigued to see how things will play out. buuuut, ive been figuring it out! of course things have gotten much more enjoyable.
today we went into the historic old part of town. on the trolley on the way there we went through a giant protest of union workers. all i wanted to do was jump out and chant with them, but for one its illegal for me to participate in protests here, and two i really have no right to engage in such an event. i also met some chilean backpackers on the bus…but i had to remind myself that i cant just go with them around south america, i am in school now! this is a different kind of trip ;)at least for now.
aight, well i need to get home or mi madre will be terribly worried.
beeesooos,
lala
Thursday, January 14, 2010
a lil tease
m.t., spanish hw on the roof
my roof ;)
rosita y yo
el panecillofinally found a way to upload photos, but i need to sleeeeeep so will write more later.
love,
laurita
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