...You must be assertive but not aggressive, sweet but not docile, you have to be focused but not obsessed. You have to find the balance."
So little and yet so much have happened since my last post. I say that because at first everything was a HUGE deal. Now that I've been in country for almost a week my excitement at the little things has diminished and my appreciation for the big things has grown. I left off on cards and beer night, a good choice might I reiterate. The next day we had the so-called "drop-off" which was more like abandonment. Our assignment was simple. We were broken into groups of three and given a town either the north or south of Tababela. It was our job to find a bus to the town, speak to some locals, find a (hopefully) safe place to eat, and then catch the bus back not to Tababela, but to Quito. Oh yeah folks, I'm in the city now. From the bus terminal we had to identify a safe cab (many aren't here) and using our conversation skills give the address of our hotel on the other side of town to the cabbie, and make it there to the Hotel Sierra Madre. My group's town was Checa, a small agricultural town about 15min north of Tababela. After catching the wrong bus we stopped off in Yasuni. From there we waited until the next bus in the direction of El Quinche came. Despite a little confusion we managed to make it to the right stop and into town with the guidance of a nice gentleman. We walked into town and were directed to the towns square, a park in front of a church. There we saw a troop of adorable preschoolers in various colored bucket hats. One was crying near a tree, and an older lady watching beckoned him to come over so she could embrace him. It was such a cute first thing to see in this town. After talking with a park landscaper and a baker we found out that the town was a agri-town focused mainly on the production of Roses; a relatively new industry to Ecuador. It is also a popular destination for people looking to start families. Ecuadorians come from all over the country to Checa and even some from Colombia because it is, as one of Ecuador's favorite words suggests, "tranquilo." Calm and quiet, everyone seems to know each other and there are literally hundreds of kids to socialize yours with. It is a huge community support system, something not unique to Checa, but definitely something locals take pride in. We then moved on to eat lunch at a small cafeteria where for only $2 we got a two course meal. Potato soup and rice with beef avocado and beets. We paid and graciously thanked our cook, although we avoided the lemonade for fear it may have been made with tap water; not an easy task. Making our way this time to the correct bus stop waited for the next bus to Quito.
Arriving in Quito was amazing. Going from rural/suburban Tababela/Checa to Quito was a trip. The city was bustling with people working and living. On the bus we had beggars, vendors, my friends even had a musician eager to share his music. We got dropped at Rio Coca bus terminal in Northern Quito and rather quickly found a tax to take us to Sierra Madre. With relatively little confusion we made it to Sierra Madre we Fabian was waiting for give us a hug and lead us to reflect on our trip and the info we collected. After our conversation about each city a panel of local college students came and talked to us for over an hour in Spanish. We talked politics, social life, sports. We talked about almost everything, and these students were both willing to share and insightful in what they said. We were even invited to come party with them on Friday, but had to turn that down because we will be with host families. Later in the evening we bought beer, determined to go out. We were ever so slightly (and by that I mean 45min) but Ecuadorian liquor bottles. Who would have thought you'd have to flip a bottle upside down to pour? After a pair of pliers and knife were used, we gave in and asked the concierge at Sierra Madre who, I'm sure got a good laugh out of our predicament. We drank and talked and about 10:30 decided to head out, on traditional Ecuadorian party time. We got lost. One block too much, then retracing our steps, and with a little help from our friendly concierge we reached Cafe Libro. Described to us a a cool college student spot with a mature crowd. Mature was a understatement. The average age must have been 35, and when 11 tipsy gringos pored in, you can bet we distracted these fancy folks from their Tango night. The owner came over and spoke with me briefly, attempting to explain her establishment wasn't the spot for us, at least not tonight. So we left, and with the rain coming down and the closest party district described as "peligroso" i.e. dangerous, we decided to call it a night.
This morning we woke up early, headed to breakfast and then to EIL Ecuador. EIL is my organizations partner and is responsible for running our language lessons. We sat through a lecture on homestays and then current events. After lunch it was our Spanish placement test. To say the least I'm rusty. My conversational skills are good, but my verb conjugations are not, something I will definitely have to work on these next few months. All in all I thought it went well. Tonight the plan is to hit the Mariscal district or Gringolandia as it is locally know. Pick pocket rates our high but it is relatively safe for gringos, and ina group of 11 it is hard not to stand out as the gringos in town. Tomorrow is both a long and intense day. We have our first experience of bureaucracy in the form of the migration office in Quito where we must go register as being present in the country of Ecuador. Afterwards we have interviews with the one and only Fabian to check in with us and make sure everything is going well. After is the scariest thing of all. The gringos are dropped off at our first homestay in the suburb of Los Chillos Ecuador. I wrote my family a letter before coming, and today received a response from them. My papa is an administrator at a restaurant and my mama is a housewife. I have a host brother a sister. My brother is 23 and studies graphic design, he likes soccer and hanging with friends. My host sister is 21 and married with a baby, who I will most likely be meeting. I'm excited and terrified. They seem to be a very loving family and said they look forward to having me fit in as another son, which makes me feel a little more at ease with the situation. Regardless this is bound to be an interesting weekend. I look forward to posting soon and giving an update.
As for the title, it was yet another Fabianism. The wisest man here who continually gives us deep and profound things to ponder. I'm just feeling very grateful for this opportunity.
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