El Raton Perez

I can´t seem to go a day without almost getting hit by a car, or jumping on a moving bus. It´s great. Normally when I jump on a moving bus, the busdriver knows I´m getting on, and isn´t really driving away. Today was different. I don´t think they even noticed I ran and jumped in the back door as the bus took off (they didn´t even collect my money, third time baby, haha). It was actually kinda fun, haha. Oh, and the difference between crossing the street here, and in NYC, is that in NYC people won´t actually hit you as you cross the street... here, they will, haha. You can´t even trust a stop sign (most drivers don´t stop for them).

Onto other news, I went to the movies yesterday. I went to another Centro Commercial (mall) that I haven´t been to before, which was fun (I´ve been to at least four now). I discovered an ice skating rink in this one (not very big, but still exciting!) and got some free watermelon flavored Halls cough drops, haha. Then I went to see El Raton Perez, a kids movie that was part live action, part computer animated. It was about Perez, el raton de los dientes (he´s kinda like the toothfairy). He leaves kids a coin for their tooth, then turns the tooth into a pearl! The story was that he was kidnapped and these kids had to find him and save the everyone from a world without el raton de los dientes. It was cute and fun, and I really enjoyed it. And the best part was, it was all in Spanish, and I understood it all! I was very excited about that.

This weekend I also went to Latitude again, the wine and tapas restaurant, got some yummy and expensive chocolate ice cream (and again at a different place today), went to Seseribo again, and danced with a complete stranger (some of the most fun salsa I´ve done), slept till noon on Sunday, had a converstaion where I spoke Spanish, and my Ecuadorian friend spoke English, and walked a really really long ways after the movie just for the sake of walking and talking. It was a good weekend, but I´m looking forward to going to Banos next weekend, and escaping my usual weekend plans in the city.

I also feel now that I´m getting to a point with the language where, the more I learn, the harder it is to make it all fit. I understand so much more, but can´t seem to make myself learn how to work with all the tenses at once, plus subjuntivo, and everything else. At times, it´s ok, but when I get into class, I get so frustrated. I feel like I either need to stay here (or in a Spanish speaking country) for the next few months, or take a short break, then come back. Neither of which seems like a real possibility (but I came to learn Spanish, and it´s frustrating me that the best ways to do it aren´t really options). Ideally, I would love to stay here through June, then spend all of July in Puerto Rico, then go home for three weeks before heading back to Swat. I don´t think I can stand to spend much time in an English speaking country as soon as the end of May. I love hearing Spanish in the streets, on the bus, on the radio, tv, all the time, even when I don´t understand it. I love the language, and want to master it, and I know I can´t do that back home in the States. Well, we´ll see how things pan out...

And my independent project is frustrating me. I´m not sure what I really want to do, and need to decide and make contacts. I mean, I turned in a final proposal for a project I really don´t intend on doing. I just need to find something that clicks, and feels right. I can´t do a project if my whole heart´s not in it. Let´s hope I figure this out soon... but other than that, all is well, I´m happy and healthy, and hanging out with people enough that I´m hardly online (or home for that matter). =)

I'm really a tango dancer at heart...

So after Salsa class this Wednesday, David, my teacher, said he was going to a Tango class that he takes. He asked if I wanted to come watch, so of course I said yes. Once we got there, he told the instructor that I danced Tango, and the instructor took me aside and started dancing with me (in sneakers no doubt!) He said I danced well, and asked if I might want to be in his show in the end of May! I ended up staying for the whole class, dancing the entire time, and afterwards, the instructor, Roberto, said I could come to the more advanced class on Saturdays (I was in the beginner's on Wednesday) or even take private lessons. So, of course, that's what I'm doing tomorrow. And even better, tomorrow evening, there's a Milonga (Tango social dance) at the same place as the classes! I'm so excited to be dancing Tango again (I had forgotten how much I missed it!) It felt so good to be dancing, and I'm so excited for the Milonga. Also, I'm planning on buying a pair of Tango shoes here, because they're only like $30, and it'd be nice to have my own! (I've been borrowing Kaki's, my sister-in-law's, shoes for almost 3 years! haha) And what's fun is that Barbara, an older woman who is taking Spanish classes at the Academy, is taking Tango there too, so I'll get to see/hang out with her in class and at the Milonga. Can't wait! =)

Sola Salsa...

A small, hole-in-the-wall place, dimly lit, very warm, and blaring salsa music. There are chairs and loveseats along with small tables lining the walls opposite of the bar. The walls are covered in drawings and random frases and names in Spanish. The dance floor is full of couples moving to the music and doing crazy intricate turns while other people stand and sit along the walls watching with envy and admiration.

I got to be one of those couples this weekend. I went out dancing with David, my Salsa instructor. I felt like I was finally dancing Salsa the way it was meant to be, in a small crowded discoteca along with other couples doing the same. It felt so good! It wasn't just like dance class, but so much more, and better. The atmosphere was so amazing, and the fact that I was dancing with someone who really knew what they were doing was incredible. We did all these crazy turns I can't even being to describe, and I was surprised I could follow! At one point, while David was dancing with another woman (because I had gotten caught up talking to someone), the woman's dance partner asked me how long David and I had been dancing together. Months? And I said, no, weeks! I had a really wonderful time, and even when we weren't dancing, and were just watching, it was really fun. We ended up staying out until 3:30am (and no, we didn't drink anything!) which made it all the more fun! And since he doesn't speak English, I got to practice a lot of Spanish and start to really get comfortable talking to him (which is really hard for me to do with people I don't know very well).

It was an incredible night, and I hope to repeat it this coming weekend, since I don't think I'm making any big trips outside of Quito, but possibly a day trip or two.

PS- For those of you without Facebook, I am working on uploading the photos to my Yahoo Photos page, but it is taking forever (the uploader is really slow, and I have a LOT of pictures). But I will update you with a link as soon as they're done!

Chocolate con crema, and other more alcoholic drinks...

It's about high time I had some good wine in this country. Last night, I went to the Mariscal, the restuarant/bar/discoteka-awesomeness part of Quito. I went with my friend Jan, a guy from Norway who I had classes with for the first 3 weeks, and his boss, Bernardo, who owns the Teatro Bolivar. We went to Latitude, this INCREDIBLE wine and tapas restuarant. It was amazing. For a flat price (there were different levels) you could eat and drink all you wanted. We got the $16 level, and went through two bottles of two different amazing red wines (Chilean I believe). We also had so many different and amazing tapas. Things made with spinach and cheese, quail eggs, mussels, stuffed red bell peppers, and I can't even remember what else! We were there a good two hours, just talking, eating, drinking.

I really enjoyed being out with both of them, especially since they're both older than me. I've always had an easier time relating to people older than me than my peers. Jan is 36 and Bernardo is probably 46. It was really incredible talking with them, and we talked about religion, music, politics, art, movies, and everything in between. I didn't feel out of place at all being so much younger, and the only time it was (not really) awkward was when I mentioned my parent's first date was the first Star Wars and Jan insisted on changing the subject because he was 7 years old then! It was more hilarious than anything else though.

Afterwards, we walked around to visit some bars. We first tried to go into La Boca del Lobo, a gay bar that's really incredible, but it was too full for us to get seats. We then went to a bar called Cats, that always plays music from the 70s and 80s. It had such a cool vibe, and we just chilled in the cozyness of it and got some nice non-alcoholic drinks. (I got an incredible hot chocolate with cream, mmmmm...) We then were going to play foozball, but there was a group of guys playing who looked pretty intense, and decided to go on to the next bar. The next bar was outside of the Mariscal, and Bernardo drove us. It was called Seceribo. There were two dance floors full of people dancing salsa, which was amazing to watch. I had my first Mojito, and after sitting and watching a little while (and listening to Jan and Bernardo make comments about wishing they could dance like that), the three of us got up and started dancing in the middle of the floor together. It was so much fun, and it felt so good to dance! Afterwards, we went to Pistacho, the final bar of the evening. It had a real chill and alternative vibe, and was nice to sit there listening to the music, and watch Benny Hill without sound on the tv on the wall. I got a Melon Martini, which wasn't bad, and we all just relaxed. Not long after, they drove me home (which I really appreciated. I didn't feel like taking a cab).

It was tons of fun, and I can't wait to go to the barbeque at Bernardo's hacienda tomorrow (Sunday). And I'm hoping to go out dancing tonight with other people. We'll see how that goes. I'm really loving that all the other Pitzer kids are out of town and I'm finally getting a chance to know the city and hang out with other people and make other friends. =)

Oooooh, photos!

I finally uploaded my photos! There are tons! They're all on facebook. Here are some links (that I hope will work) for those of you without facebook. Let me know!

http://swarthmore.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008607&id=4100710
http://swarthmore.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008608&id=4100710
http://swarthmore.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008609&id=4100710
http://swarthmore.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008610&id=4100710
http://swarthmore.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008611&id=4100710
http://swarthmore.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008612&id=4100710
http://swarthmore.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008615&id=4100710

Yep, that's it! Enjoy!

I think I'm in love...

...with Mindo. This post was originally going to be called "Mindo is lindo" but lindo (pretty) totally doesn't do the place justice. This small pueblo is just two and a half hours (I believe west) of Quito. The town has one main street with restuarants and small shops, and a few other side streets with restuarants and a few bars. It's sitting in/next to a cloud forest, and is incredibly beautiful. It is also very much a tourist town in many ways, but not bad ways. There are tons of hostels throughout and advertisements for tubing, canopying, and the waterfalls.
We arrived Friday evening and went to our hostel. It was beautiful. A few cabins with double and triple rooms (and I'm sure some singles). I stayed in a triple with Marijanna and Catilin. We went to dinner at the Mindo Cafe and afterwards at our hostel, found out that the best birding guide in town was actually at our hostel! (I'm pretty sure he's married to the owner, though not sure exactly how he's related). It was $20 for the group (and considering all 7 of us went, that's like, $3 each). Our guide was so amazing and knowledgeable!! We all got up at 5:30 on Saturday and ate a great breakfast (including guayaba jam, which I now love). We finally left at 6:30 (the others were a little slow and less excited than me, haha). We walked along this long dirt road which actually leads to all the other activities you can do in Mindo. (Probably almost a 3 mile walk each way). We were out for a few hours and saw so many birds!! I got 38 new species in a few hours, we saw a total for 44 (which the guide said wasn't that many!) The guide could tell from the outset that I was the only one really into birding, so the entire time, he talked to me and pointed out birds to me (goodness knows I stuck close to him), and he always made sure I saw whatever bird he saw in his scope first. It was incredible. I saw two species of toucans, 10 species of colibris (hummingbirds), and a ton of others too. Let me just say, also, that lemon-rumped tanagers are EVERYWHERE in Mindo. And they're so flashy with their bright yellow rumps, they're impossible to miss. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any Cock-of-the-rocks. Maybe next time.
That afternoon, we decided to go canopying. Canopying is basically taking tons of zip lines over ravines filled with forest around a course. Most of you know I'm scared of heights, haha. The first one was so hard to do! I was terrified and almost didn't go! When I got to the other side, I felt like I was in shock! After that, though, I had soooo much fun! Also, on some of the lines, you can do tricks with the guides, and I got to do the Mariposa (butterfly). Basically, you hang upside down while the guide behind you (you're attached to them) holds your legs up in the air. It was such a rush! Next time, I want to do the Superman, which is where you are facing down, with no hands, and your legs wrapped around the guide behind you. The views were so incredible, and it was raining, which actually didn't take away from the fun at all!
That evening, we went to the hostel of some other kids from the Academy who aren't in the Pitzer group (seriously, like half of the Academia students went to Mindo this last weekend!) We hung out, and Aldis (a girl I know from the Academia who's from Iceland) and I watched them all play drinking games. Eventually, I left with Aldis and two others to buy more alcohol (I couldn't stand sitting there any longer) and when we returned, I ran into other people leaving to go to town to dance and stuff, so of course I joined them. I was with Josefine, a girl from Finland who I had met at the Academia, her cousin, Leslie, who is from Germany and I had had classes with, and Shane. Shane is from the States and is currently living in Mindo. He's been there for two and a half months working on setting up volunteer projects, and is a really cool guy. He was telling us about the town, and took us to what is usually the best bar. It wasn't too full, but the atmosphere was really nice and we ordered some beers. Eventually, Shane's host brother and friends arrived and started asking us to dance. It was a lot of fun. At first I danced with a guy who couldn't lead, and later, with Shane's host brother, Nelson. It was fun dancing with him, and I finally heard the Camisa Negra song by Juanes! (Cristina, aren't you proud? haha). Afterwards, the boys wanted to go to the discotek to dance, but the girls I was with wanted to go sing at the kareokee bar, so we all went there. I ended up singing "Underneath your clothes" by Shakira with Josefine, and then sang "Show me the meaning of being lonely" by the Backstreet Boys (Evelyn, you would have loved it!) haha! Apparently that place is hard to get above a 92 percent on your song, and I got a 98! It was exciting! Afterwards, it was probably 2, and we all went nearby to the river because supposedly there was going to be a bonfire (sometimes there are bonfires late at night after things close), but unfortunately, there was none. We had fun hanging out and talking. Eventually, I went back to my hostel, accompanied by Nelson (apparently his aunt owns the place, and his dad owns the place next to it!) There are like, three main families in Mindo. Also, when I was talking to Shane (everyone there calls him Patricio because apparently they can't say "Shane" and his middle name is Patrick), he told me about a bioresearch center in town that people are trying to get up and running again to do species counts, and are doing other projects as well and are looking for volunteers. After falling in love with the town, I've decided I HAVE to do my DISP (indepent research project) there. I'm going to see if I can switch it to bio and work in Mindo (which would be great, because I need another bio credit for my minor, and I love Mindo). I just hope Swat will approve it for credit.
The next morning, Marijanna Caitlin and I went to the Mariposeria to see butterflies. The place was so beautiful and all the butterflies were amazing! (and we got to see some being "born"!) SOO incredible! After that, we went to see the waterfalls, but of course, it started raining again! The Tarabita (this little cart that takes you on a cable above and across the forest) wasn't working at the time, so we decided to hike. If it hadn't been raining (and if I had been there with people who's company I enjoyed more), it would have been fine, but it was POURING. We ended hiking for a good hour or so, and saw three of the five waterfalls. Everyone but me decided to go jump in the last one, but it didn't matter, because I was just as wet as them from the rain alone! I ended up taking the Tarabita back across (the others didn't want to pay), and the view was so incredible! I was terrified (it was like the zip lines x 10), but so glad I took it. On the way back to the hostel in the camioneta (a truck you ride in the back of) we saw a bunch of the zip line guides on another one going home. Nelson, who's a guide, and a friend of his hopped on our camioneta and talked with us on the ride back. We all got into semi-dry clothes at the hostel and went to grab a quick, and late, lunch before our 5pm bus. Nelson and his friend Fernando came with us. It was really nice to make friends in Mindo, and I was really sad to get on the bus. When it started to pull out from Mindo to take us back to Quito, I felt like I was leaving home instead of returning to it.
This trip made me realize why I'm abroad, and for the first time, I literally thought "I'm so glad I'm not at Swat right now". It was incredible. It was the first time I wasn't homesick too (though I definitely spent half the time thinking "Roger HAS to come to Mindo!") Which is true, Rog, you have to come to Ecuador, and I will take you to Mindo. It will make your life! I've also realized I will probably never be able to feel truely at home in a city. I need to see the stars, the trees, and hear tree frogs and insects as I fall asleep. I can't wait to return to Mindo, and if my DISP plans work out, I'll be living there for a few weeks! ^_^

Bailamos...

I don't think I've ever had so much fun dancing in my life. Today I arrived at the Academy a little early for dance class only to see that someone had written on the sign up sheet that class was canceled because not enough people signed up. (I was the only one). I went to the office, really upset, to see my dance teacher, David, there. One of the women who works in the office asked if I wanted to take individual class with David today at the dance school where he teaches, so of course I accepted. We took the Ecovia to the school, and talked some. After we got off the Ecovia, we were walking and he kept telling me to talk and practice my Spanish. He kept saying, Tell me about your life!, haha. I of course, awkwardly managed to not say too much, though I wanted to (it is getting easier to speak). Then we arrived and started dancing Salsa. It was so amazing. Individual class is so much better than group, because you're dancing with the teacher, able to feel a good lead, and learn SO much faster! It was so much fun and so exhausting (I took the class for two hours). I feel like I learned more in those two hours than I have before in one dance class. During the break halfway through, we sat and talked, and he asked if I had any siblings, I asked him as well, then asked how old he was. He told me to guess, and got up and "modeled" for me, turning around so I could get a good look and guess. It was so funny! Turns out he's 21 as well. We had so much fun dancing, doing dips, and turns. Now I'm exhausted, and my body is actually sore! I signed up for more individual classes with him on Wednesdays. I can't wait. :)