chaos in Quito

Apparently the police are striking today, upset that the president has taken away thier "special benefits" to make it more equitable for all goverment workers. I heard that they threw bottles at him and he is currently in the hospital, although they would like to see him gone for good. I am at school in Cumbaya but Quito is crazy, I hear- with tear gas bombs, looting, and many streets closed for protests. All the parents are coming to pick up their kids as all of our buses have been cancelled. I am taking Uma to a co-worker´s sister house near the school in Cumbaya until everything cools down. All this reminds me of 9-11 during my first week of teaching in Brooklyn....

a month down (almost)

It's hard to believe that we've been in Quito for nearly a month now. I think it's safe to say that we are now settled into some routines and feeling pretty damn comfortable.

The first few weeks, I had to catchup to speed as I arrived a few weeks later than all the other teacher, but now I am finally feeling ahead of the game. My third grade kids are adorable- so sweet and polite and very bright. English is a second language for them all, and although it takes plenty of patience to help them express all of their ideas, it is well worth the wait. I love their little accents, and I'm amazed at how much their little brains hold. I think I may have the nicest of the five third grade classes, and I'm feeling pretty lucky about that- no trouble makers, just a few squirmy and chatty ones. My co-workers are a bunch of wonderful women who greet each other everyday with a squeal and a kiss. I am reminded how much I respect fellow teachers here, everyone works so hard and gives so much of their heart.

Uma rides the teacher bus to school with me each day, goes to her pre-school which is spoken in English (yet her classmates all speak Spanish to one another), and then goes to her aftercare which is entirely in Spanish. She is picking up new phrases each day which practices while looking in the mirror after school. No mas! Silencio! Mis ninos!



She is also quite happy that I am letting her watch some programs on the TV in Spanish as I've convinced myself it's educational. Uma has been tickled by the familiar faces she sees everywhere as Hello Kitty, the ubiquitous Disney princesses, and Strawberry Shortcake seem to be lurking everywhere.

On the weekends we are exploring the huge megatropolis of Quito. Each weekend we have spent tons of time exploring the parks here which have the most amazing things for kids. Park Eljido has about a dozen beautifully crafted wood play structures for kids of all sizes, a zip line, bikes to rent, and little peddle cars that look like doodlebugs for kids to ride around in. Our first weekend exploring we went there both days of the weekend as it has so many fun things for Uma but also a huge artisans market and a handicrafts market where I bought 3 pre-columbian goddess figures for $22. That and tons of tropical fruit, snack, and pastry stands. Plus, one feels so safe and protected as an RV filled with machine gun armed cops sit right in the play area…




The next weekend we explored old town. It is exquisite. It's pedestrian only on Sundays, and the tiny cobblestone streets are lined with ancient looking homes with vistas of the winged virgin at every turn. There are several lively squares with music, clowns, and dancing, and dozens of ancient churches to explore. It was the first UNESCO world heritage site, so it feels like walking back centuries…except for all of the tiny sties selling cheap crap from China.



















Last weekend we took out first out of town excursion to the zoo. We had to take a cab, two buses, and another cab to get there. With my (lack of ) language skills it was amazing we made it there. The bus ride out of the city was nuts. The bus driver was passing trucks on a curvy mountain road at high speeds with oncoming traffic. As soon as you leave the city, it become desert-and the combination of high cliffs and crazy testosterone driving is not my favorite. The zoo itself was cool though- we saw our school mascot- the spectacled bear, as well as gigantic tortoises from the Galapagos. We also got to enter a dwelling with 5 owls and a sleeping sloth- it was a bit scary but very cool.






We also visited Parque Carolina which is one of the busier parks in town. It was off the hook. There were at least 4 different bands playing throughout the park- playing a huge range of genres from hip hop to punk to more traditional Ecuadorian music. We rode paddle boats, and played on tons of structures for kids including several trampolines, primate "rides", and a blow-up bounce slide.







In the center of the park there must have been over a dozen soccer fields where pick up games were in full swing. It is so refreshing to see such a wild diversity in the population in the parks- old, young, rich, poor, modern, indigenous, light, dark, african, families, couples, and clowns. I have been craving that diversity for some time now. In fact, there are certainly more people of african descent in Quito than there are in Portland by a long shot.

Ater our outings, it is such sweetness to come back to our little quiet village, on the very edge of town....

There´s more to report but I imagine I should save something for later as I have written an awful lot. Besos!

posing at school

Our apartment!!

Since I last wrote, our lives have taken a drastic turn for the the better. In fact, the day after I wrote, complaining about our living situation, we found our dream apartment. In my last post, I gave a hint of an apartment I was hoping I would love in Guapulo- I insisted that we go and see it. Meanwhile, my host family was trying to push other unsavory locations and stating "Oh, he says its VERY small" several times, I had to be very persistent.

It was the fist apartment we saw- as soon as I saw it I told the landlord that I didn't need to see any other apartment and that I absolutely loved it and wanted to move in immediately. He said I could move in that afternoon, so Oliver ( my host family's son-in-law who totally rocks) said he would drive me back to the valley, let me pack up my stuff, take me to the bank to cash my check, buy sheets and blankets, and drive me back to the apartment before 4pm (when his license plate numbers aren't allowed to drive in the city). Getting this all done in 2 hours time is no small miracle in Ecuador time. That night, I was unpacking our four bags into our own sweet place, so sublimely happy to finally have a place of our own. It's ideal that we could only bring 2 bags each on the plane, if we had any more stuff, the apartment wouldn't work. As it is, we have a place for everything and it is just perfect.

The interior is all decorated in old wood furniture, and has a rich yet rustic feel to it. The walls are stone, the floor is tile, and the windows are immense. Our view is absolutely breath taking. We are perched high on a hill, overlooking Guapulo, with a view of town scrambled below us, the tiny streets zig-zagging below. Our patio garden is filled with ancient relics, tropic plants, and an assortment of rock collections. A huge church dedicated to the Virgin of Guadelupe sits regally below us and the mountains and valley are panoramic. It is exquisite. Guapulo is known as an artistic, hippy, and indigenous neighborhood. My landlord explained to me (he speaks very good English!) that most Quitoans look down on the neighborhood because of their lack of respect for the indigenous populations. For me- it is a perfect mix. It is on the edge of the city, yet a $2 cab ride to most anywhere, clean air, close to school (our school bus picks us up at our door), and our neighborhood is filled with nooks and crannies to explore.

Our first weekend was the Guapulo annual festival which is no small affair. From Thursday night to Monday night there were loud and color festivities right outside our doorstep. We got an official invitation from the Mayor to come to the church for an event, we decided to walk down the hill to see what it was all about. After waiting around a bit, a bunch of police showed up and a little guy jumped out of a car with a huge smile, walking right towards me. I smiled (as I always do) and he patted Uma on the head and then was received by the rest of the crowd. It took me just a quick second to realize it was the mayor.

During the service, a beautiful golden retriever strolled into the magnificent church, and just hung out during the assembly- something one doesn't normally see in the states. Uma got a bit wiggly so we exited just in time to see two different parades converge at the church. I haven't yet figured out the symbology or significance (although I have asked several people) but all the kids and adults in the parades were dressed up as either clowns or in gorilla suits- there didn't seem to be any other option beside a more indigenous knit rainbow mask cowboy get- up. Kids in gorilla suits were walking all around the neighborhood, it was a bit creepy. Loud music and dancing went into the night every night- it was almost absurd how loud it was in our apartment. Sunday night, the famous "orange throwing" parade occurred when trucks wind down the alleyways, and folks throw oranges into the crowd, while packs of boys try to intercept and end up making it quite a chaotic and messy event. We scored at least a dozen oranges and have been juicing them daily for good luck. So far, so good.

Thus far, the only thing we are lacking is internet access at home. I can check email at school, but Facebook is blocked. Ay curumba! Hopefully this will change soon and I can Skype and Facebook to my heart's content soon. Next posting will include details about school and our adventures into town thus far. Much love and besos!