random stuff

Well, I haven't checked in awhile and don't really have anything new to say about my work right now besides school and family gardens, and trying to finish up this application for peace corps partnerships. But I have been living in Ecuador for a little over 9 months so I figured write a few things that the 5 people who read this might find interesting about Ecuadorian culture or what I have experienced at San Lorenzo, so without futher ado, here are 8 things that I can say without being over the top....

1. "Ecua-Time"

This basically refers to anything time related, whether it be a meeting that should start at 2 and ends up starting at 3....or 4....or 5....especially if you're living out in the campo like me. It's funny, some people will show up an hour late to something and then complain about the meeting not starting on time...what?! This used to really be a pet peeve for me but slowly I have gotten used to it.

2. My Height

Now I guess being a little over 6 feet would make me fairly tall in the states but in Ecuador...I know how pro basketball players feel. I get this question all the tall..."are you the tallest person in the united states?" from fully grown men. Now I understand that I maybe the 5 or 6th gringo that they have ever seen and maybe am the tallest one, but I still find it kind of funny.

3. My Feet

Just so that you know I have gigantic feet here...it makes everyone awestruck when we compare shoe sizes. So basically I think either I am a giant and have somehow found myself in middle earth with hobbits. This somehow boosts my ego.

4. English

Obviously being the only american here, I get about 54908357 questions a day about how you say this word or that word in english. Usually they ask about cuss words or animal names so that the kids can insult their friends and the friend who got insulted gets this bewildered look on their face like "I don't understand what i was just called but it i know it was mean". Favorite insults that are said down here by the kids include "goat", "guinea pig" and my personal favorite, "look at my little chicken"

5. White Rice

Staple of all diets in Ecuador (and probably a lot of other countries outside of the US), I have learned to eat and enjoy it 2-3 times a day. Now when I haven't eaten it in two days, I feel really excited when I eat it. This probably makes me a really wierd person, I know.

6. Hideous Horror Movies

All of my ecua-friends absolutely LOVE these movies. All of the Freddy and Jason sequals, all of the Saw movies, the Texas chainsaw massacre remakes, you name it, they love it. I don't know if it is all the violence or maye just watching gringos being stupid and then being chopped into pieces or tortured but it really makes their day. Also with movies, blockbusters that come out in the states (like Transformers) are immediately available down here, illegally filmed in the movie theater then sold down here. Usually they are in terrible quality and come in DVD's like "6 of the best Will Ferrel comedies", so 6 or 7 movies come on one DVD. I found this pretty cool for some reason.

7. Busses

Just so you know, if you're like 80 percent of ecuadorians and have to get somewhere, you need to take the bus. For me (somebody that never really took the bus before) it has been a refreshing and fun experience. A lot of times, I will be waiting for a bus to leave and everyone will take their seats until all of them are filled up, except the one next to me and other times, people just can't wait to talk to me and ask up their pent up questions about the states. I have definitely met some interesting people on the bus for sure. Also, just know that when you ride on a bus in ecuador, you maybe be going only 40 miles, but it will take 2 hours to get there because of the non-stop "stops" to pick up people on the side of the rode and drop them off. Plus, there are usually no bathrooms on the busses (I haven't been in one that has had one) so be prepared to hold it.

8. 1.50 almuerzos (lunches) and meriendas (dinners)

Quite possibly one of my favorite things in Ecuador. At any middle class restuarant, you can usually order an almuerzo during lunch time or a merienda during dinner time and get the following:
A. A tasty soup (sometimes chicken noodle, sometimes a creamy soup with the serve popcorn on the side (I love this by the way) or something with quinoa in it) for the appetizer
B. White rice with some sort of vegetable (beet or carrot) or plantain or bean (lentils, beans) and a decent portioned piece of meat (usually chicken or beef)
C. A fresh juice (lemonade, papaya, pineapple, tomate de arbol (don't know the english word), orange) or other types of tropical fruit. Delicious.
All for 1.50 or sometimes 2.00 for all that...are you kidding me?! Makes me never want to pay 6 or 7 bucks for a sandwich in the states...