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

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