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
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
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
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