Que rápido terminará este año.
Me di cuenta que I haven't posted on my blog for a really long time, demasiado tiempo, and that a lot ha cambiado.
I moved to Ecuador como voluntaria en September 2018. Thought I knew what to expect, that I wouldn't get as many parasites as I did, and that after my one year service I would promptly return to the States or to another country. Nada de eso sucedió. I was in for a huge culture shock. I had too many parasites. I shocked myself y mi familia cuando decidí to stay in Ecuador!
Before I moved to Ecuador September 2018, solo sabía un poco sobre la cultura y historia. I knew the politica basica and that it was one of the top ten destinations for retirees in the world. I knew about las Islas Galapagos, and random tidbits I had learned in la U; classes about cultura, historia, famous artistas. I had studied Spanish my whole life, so I wasn't worried about speaking, like many of my friends were. Pensé que mis habilidades en español eran buenas. Claro, what little ol’ me knew, wasn't enough and I am still learning to this day. This post is about the top things I learned in Ecuador 2019.
No necesito a un alarm-clock
Anyone that has spent a night in Quito knows that if you don't wake up from the bright sunrise at 6AM, it won't be long until the parade of gas trucks begins, the dogs start barking, and maybe your neighbor has a few loud roosters that are time challenged.
Spanish
Although my conversational, reading, and writing Spanish skills are fine (Gracias a todos mis profes) I have learned that medical Spanish is important and extremely difficult. Como puedo decir que tengo shooting pain from my abdominal to my chest? How do I ask the OBGYN questions and know that I didn't accidentally say a ̈dirty ̈ word. This is one of my goals for 2020. To learn and practice Español medico, one of the things that has been really difficult for me. Especially, because the only times I have really needed to use medical Spanish were when I was frantic, nervous, uncomfortable, and in pain in a hospital with questionable practices(I have received great medical attention here, but also had experiences with negligent nurses).
Llamas are a Godsend.
These sweet, hardworking, sociable animals are actually pretty smart. AND SO STINKIN CUTE! You can never see enough llamas, hug enough llamas, nor take enough pictures with llamas(shout out to my dad who tried to put a limit on my llama love).
Como protestar. (or how to stay bunkered in at home during a protest)
There have been very intense protests en todo el mundo recently. The day after I returned to Ecuador, sparked the initiation of a three week paro nacional. El gobierno tried to lift the subsidio off of the gas prices, meaning increased gas prices. Thus initiating the transportation strike. All the taxi and bus drivers started some chaos. Thousands of people trekked to Quito. Los indígenas llegaron caminando (from all over Ecuador), stayed in la Casa de la Cultura, and joined everyone protesting here. From our apartment we could hear and see everything in the historic district, but el paro was everywhere. The city was completely covered with smoke. One day Andres and I needed to go out to buy more water, while walking three blocks away we saw military tanks heading to the historic district, some people cheering them on, and vans filled with protestors holding spears. A few days after the paro began presidente Moreno mudó el gobierno a Guayaquil because Quito was too dangerous. Honestly, I was scared and there was no way for me to leave. The roads were blocked by crowds burning tires, and the police throwing tear gas. The military was in the streets, there was a curfew, and the police were out of control. After a lot of fighting, a lot of hurt, and a lot of cacerolazo, there was a call for negotiations with government and the indígenas. The people got what they wanted, there will be more conversation of how to lift these subsidies. Things changed fast and then went back to normal as if NOTHING had happened.
Cacerolazo
Cacerolazo filled the nights during the paro. At first I was scared because I didn’t know what was going on. Andres was unbothered and told me that cacerolazo is a peaceful protest that people do all over Latin America. People use pots and wooden spoons from the safety of their homes to let everyone know they are upset.
The Galapagos are amazing and expensive
It was one of my goals to save enough money to go to the Galapagos this year. I lucked out and got my friend’s family’s luxury cruise tickets to the Galapagos, as their trip was canceled due to the Paro Nacional(thanks Killian and family). We had an amazing time. The baby lobos marinos stole my heart, the pájaros(flamingoes, frigate birds, blue footed, red footed, and nazca boobies) were beautiful, and snorkeling with stingrays, sharks, and sea turtles was an experience I will never forget. This might have been even more memorable to my friend Killian who has an aversion to water.
Amigos que son familia
I have learned you can never have too many friends, it is important to make new friends, and that even if you weren't friends with someone right away that does not mean you will not become close to them later. Mis amigos have been my support here. I am thankful for the amiguis I made that have since returned to the States, my Quitomigos that are still here, friends returning soon, and new panas.
Love finds you
Cuando llegue en Ecuador la primera vez, I wasn’t interested in any type of serious relationship. I have always been in serious relationships and wanted some time to really be alone. The first few months I was having fun making friends, going on dates, exploring new places with strangers, and being open to whatever Quito threw at me. It wasn't long until I met Andrés at the new teachers meeting and things started to change. We went on a few dates and I still wasn't ready to start another serious relationship. Yet, Andrés found a way. He was willing to put up with me until I was ready. He was persistent. It wasn't until I returned to Ecuador after going home for Christmas that I knew all I wanted was to be with him. One year later and he proposed. Te amo bien bastante, mi prometido, Andrés.
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