Let's Do Some Processing

Hello, friends!

Things I've told you so far in this blog:

01. I made it.

02. My address. (WINK.)

03. I survived my first day of school.

04. Advice to anyone thinking of studying abroad.

05. Details about my classes.

I've noticed that I haven't exactly dedicated an entry to how I feel, how I'm doing. So that is where this entry comes in. Apologies if it seems all over the place; welcome to my life as of the last 3 weeks.

Someone asked me today how things have been so far. I give it a 5/10. Don't be downtrodden, friends. It's a rising 5. There have been some frustrations, which I will share, but there have also been some great moments that will turn into the things I remember most.

So, there are frustrations with my program. It's to the point where I've started keeping a list of things I need to write on the evaluation form which I assume I will get at the end of my time here. There are 5 students who will complete this program in the Galapagos Islands, and 2 of us that will complete it in Quito. This is one of the smallest turn outs from this program about which I have heard. There are times when I feel like an after thought to the people whose job it is to handle my presence in Ecuador. While I am growing to understand the circular sense of time here, I still have trouble with it when my program coordinator calls my home at 9:00 am to tell me we have a meeting at noon that day. I feel like there will be continued problems, and I have been encouraged to (frankly) advocate for myself. At this point, though, I have gotten over whatever conflict there has been by the end of whatever day it happened.

Simultaneously, I am very excited because my interview for my service placement is tomorrow. When in the meeting and asked about my interests for the placement, I somehow threw up the words "adultos mas viejos". Old people; geriatrics. I have never worked in geriatrics in my entire life. Yet, somehow (God?), those words felt correct, felt good. I'll update again when I have more information about my service work.

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I have been struggling socially. I am the only student at USFQ from Elmhurst College, and one of two students utilizing my program in Quito. For the first week or so that I was here, I felt like I was in survivor mode. I forgot that I had social skills and could make friends. There are large groups of students from Boston, Michigan, and other places. I've found it difficult (since the first time I saw students at the Quito gate in the airport) to simply approach anyone and say "hi, people tell me I'm cool. wanna be friends?" I have been okay on my own until about now. It's been nice to have some alone time to decompress, especially after (what felt like) a very demanding semester in the fall. The good news is, I am working on it. I won't say a lot here just in case Ecuador exchange students creep my blog, but I feel that there are many opportunities for potential, and I anticipate that I will be social soon enough.

I can say, with joy, that my host family has been nothing but kind and patient with me. Any frustrations I feel are with myself not being able to communicate the way I one day hope to. They make my meals, take me shopping, help me find the right words when I struggle to find them. My mom washed my sheets and made my bed today; my dad made some fresh, warm lemonade (which I think is actually limeade?) and brought it to me in my room while I wrote this. I really enjoy being in their lives, and I think I have already underestimated their impact on my time here.

People ask me if I miss Elmhurst. I'll tell you what I do miss: living on campus. Class starts for me at 8:30 am. I leave my house circa 7:15, so I get up around 6:30. That is much earlier than I would like! It also takes me a while to get home, and I must do so before dark. I have to leave campus around 4, 4:30 at the latest to do so comfortably. (side note: I took the wrong bus home yesterday and ended up just getting off and taking a taxi instead) So, yes, I miss the freedom I have of living safely in Elmhurst, but I think there is a lot for me to learn while being forced to manage my time differently here.

I'll be real. I am worried about money. Let me be clear: this is not me asking for donations to my Ecuador fund. I did that at Christmas. I am just saying that there are so many opportunities here, and I want to make sure I am taking advantage of them wisely. I am hoping my financial aid processes quickly, but I am almost certain that won't happen to the middle of the semester (aka after I want to plan a trip to Galapagos). I just need to budget a bit better; I've splurged some on the $1 ice cream on the way home, and the $3 bagel/lemonade combo a few times. It won't sound like a lot, but it adds up quite quickly. I can bring some lunch from home.. some bread and fruit. Maybe get ice cream every couple of weeks, not once a week. We will see.

I would comment on my spiritual life here, but it's not really happening. I've been to mass a couple times with my family, and there's something beautiful about scripture in Spanish. Simultaneously, I am recognizing how much I value my protestant (specifically, UCC) ties. Jesus on a cross in the front of the sanctuary reminds me of how much I can't do in life, or how much I can't be. The empty cross reminds me of how much I can do with new life, new hope. I wonder if I will find God in the Amazon, in nature, or in other people. I hope to. I think I need to quit hoping God will find me and start putting God in the important aspects of my life. A relationship is still made of parts, regardless of how much more amazing one part is over the other.

So, thank you to those who read this whole thing. I hope you can see now how I mean my experience is a rising 5/10, with so much potential to grow into an experience I will value for the rest of my life. I love you all, and appreciate your support.

One two three four

Hola a todos y todas :)

My last entry was not as in-touch with my life as some of you might have liked. That sounded super vain, but I know that many of you choose to read this to find out what the heck I'm doing in South America. For this reason, I will give you a school-related update. :)

I am taking four classes, just like I would at Elmhurst. I scheduled it so they would be only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. International students can't take classes that end after 6 because most of us have at least a 20 minute commute by bus (an hour in my case) with some walking as well and it isn't exactly the safest thing for us to be doing after dark.

Class #1: Introduction to Ecuadorian Culture

My earliest class at 8:30-9:55 is getting off to a slow start. We met the first day of classes with Cristina, but she has had some health issues preventing her from teaching our class consistently. Thus, class had been cancelled until today with our new professor. She had us chatting with each other and going over local Ecuadorian vocabulary. I really like that. It's neat, also, to see how much slang comes from Quechua. This class doesn't seem really challenging yet, so we'll see how the course evolves!

Class #2: Intermediate Conversation

I think I am going to really enjoy this course. It meets right after Culture, so I think it will be a nice pick-me-up. My professor is really dynamic and engaging. Today is the first day it met, so we're just getting started. Tuesdays are individual presentations. Guess who volunteered to go first? This kid. I figured I should get it out of the way now so I don't need to worry about it when I have volunteer hours to fill (see class #4). I have to choose an article, find 12-15 new vocabulary words, making a vocab sheet for the class with the definitions/synonyms, present the article to the class and use those vocab words, then create 3 open ended questions to spur class discussion. Thursdays are pair presentations following a very similar format. We also got a HUGE packet of what our professor described as vocab that English speakers almost always struggle with when learning Spanish. I look forward to mastering that list.

Class #3: History and Theory of Photography

Well, I had started in a drawing class. After a series of unfortunate events (teehee), I decided to drop that course. I am currently pleased with that decision. I signed up for this class because I believe it will still fulfill my Fine Arts general education requirement at Elmhurst. (It better!) I missed the first two classes but I am confident that I will still be successful. And it requires no artistic skill, thank goodness.

Class #4: Anthropology 316

This course has a really long title and I don't remember it. It's the course only IPSL students can take. There are 5 students who are doing their service placement in the Galapagos Islands and two of us in Quito. We meet sporadically to discuss readings about community development, volunteerism and such things. With this course, I'll be placed in a service agency in Quito where I will complete 200 hours of work with it. I'm nervous and excited. If I understand correctly, we'll be finding out our sites in a couple weeks after we do some visits. I'm pretty open to anything but I'd really like to not teach English to little children. *insert rant about education faults* :P

So those are my classes! Other things I have since done at school include:

-asked where the photo books are in the library

-found the photo books

-checked out a book from the library

-ate in the cafeteria (mushrooms, what?)

-gotten money from the ATM

-gotten my (free!) planner from the information desk

-used the computer labs

-napped near the lagoon

-gone to the bathroom (finding it was a challenge in itself!)

All in all, I'd say I am a pretty successful person. My next challenge will be using the copy center. That will happen on Monday or Tuesday.

Peace to you all.

Initial Reactions

For study abroad at Elmhurst, we have to write an entry to be posted here for future students to read. This is what I wrote.

Hola a todos y todas!

My name is Ally, and I am spending 132 days studying in Quito, Ecuador. As I write this, I have been here for 15 of them. I want to tell you about some things I like.

01. I like lists. Lists are crucial. I made a list of things I wanted to pack and people I needed to see before I left. Now that I’m here, I make lists of things to buy at the pharmacy and words to look up in my Spanish-English dictionary. Learn to love lists. When everything is unfamiliar in your new country, having something of which you’re in control is oddly stabilizing.

02. I like Skype. Download it. Learn how to use it. Tell anyone you love to get it. 5 minutes on a video chat with your partner or parent can change your day from awful to manageable. (iChat/AIM also suffices.)

03. I like knowing where I am. When you get to your country, find out what the closest *thing* is to you so when other students ask you where you live, you can tell them. For example, I live in the northern part of Quito off Av. America. Saying that is a lot more useful than saying, “uhh… I take a red bus, get off by the big satellite dish, then walk two more blocks.”

04. I like Harry Potter. While I’m not necessarily asking you to be a HP fan, make sure you bring your *thing* with you. Be it your favorite movie, book, photos, letter from your bestie: bring it with you. You will not regret leaving that one t-shirt at home in order to make room for it.

05. I like taking my time. That being said, if you are reading this and have not applied for your visa: do it! Seriously!

06. I like my iPod. Whatever your musical outlet: sync it, charge it, bring extra batteries. On a lonely night, having your jams will make all the difference. Also: invest in some black headphones. White scream “please steal me and the technology to which I am attached!”

07. I like classes. Seriously consider the courses you plan to take. Take some time looking at what is offered. Sign up for classes that fit for you while still stretching your horizons. For example, History and Theory of Photography is not a class I would choose to take at Elmhurst. Never limit yourself to how many new things you can choose to try abroad.

08. I like being safe. Listen to your program directors about safety precautions in your country. At the same time, take it with a tiny grain of salt. Imagine what they’d have to say about Chicago.

09. I like change. This is probably one of few times you’ll have the opportunity to live and learn in another country. I got on my flight to Quito not wanting to go. But here’s the thing: you go, and you adapt. Your new culture will have so much to teach you if only you let it.

10. The last thing I like is a phrase I learned on my first study abroad experience in England. It goes like this: “keep calm and carry on”. When you get nervous, scared, or feel like you can’t do it, take a breath. Really.

Remember this, as Christopher Robin said to Pooh, “you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” This is part of your Elmhurst experience, just as studying in Quito is part of mine. Even if I had this list when I was in your shoes, I would have been just as scared as I was to leave my comfort zone. For what it’s worth: if I can do this, anyone can!

Chao, y Buena suerte!

First Day of School! First Day of School!

Hola a todos y todas!

The first person to tell the class from where the title of today's blog entry comes will win a prize. Of a hug. When I get back to the states. :)

So, as the title suggests, today was my first day of class! I successfully navigated the bus, with some help from Nena. She is the person who lives in our apartment whose name I did not know right away! I subsequently got to my first class on time, unlike the professor! It's a Spanish for Foreigners class, so everyone (minus one Canadian) is from from the United States. I feel competent and confident in my ability to succeed in the class, which is Introduction to Ecuadorian Culture. There is a chap, Kevin, from Carbondale, and another person who goes to U of I. When Alexis heard me say Elmhurst College, she got really excited. I'll likely ask her about on Thursday. I talked a bit with the professor during the get-to-know-each-other activity because there are an odd number of us. I also contributed probably more than the rest of the class? For some reason, I feel more confident here than in the States. Maybe this is because I need to use Spanish more in my every day life? There's no way to check out of the language.

Normally, after this first class, I would go to an Intermediate Conversation course, but it won't start until next week. Subsequently, I had 4 1/2 free hours! I found a nice spot on some grass and read for two hours. I got up to stretch and see if anyone was in the IPSL office (fail) and Kevin from Carbondale ran into me and we went to get lunch. It was a bit awkward because I would ask questions and he would say "yes", "no", or other such responses. It was nice to get off campus with a potential buddy. I came back to campus, and met someone else named Emily near the international office as well. I read more on the grass. I am proud to say that I read all of Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian in one day! Thursday, I will likely end up finishing Voyage of the Dawn Treader. At 2:30, I went to my art class. That will be ...intense because I am not an artist. It was good to hear that we will not be graded on skill. I need a ton of art supplies and will likely purchase them tomorrow morning before my first Service-Learning class. I am one of two international students in a class of 5. The other persons name is Lauren.

After class, I came home. I can anticipate already that I will grow tired of the commute. It's about an hour long. I almost got on the wrong bus home, but I (obviously) made it! So, the bus challenge? I'd say that is conquered. See my facebook for the photos of the view I had out my bedroom window when I got home.

Con amor-

Snail Mail

Hola a todos y todas!

Some of you have been asking for my mailing address, and this is what was given to me in my orientation handbook!

Allyson Vertigan, IPSL Quito

c/o Programas Internacionales

Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Campus Cumbayá: Diego de Robles S/N y Pampite,

Urb. Jardines del Este

PO Box 17-12-841

Quito-Ecuador

I hope you all are well!

Con amor-

¡que chévere!

Hola amigos y amigas!

It is difficult to not continue this entry en Español because I am already learning so much here. If you haven't heard, I am spending the next 4 months in Quito, Ecuador. I arrived on January 4 in the late hours of the night and have since been challenged and stretched in ways I didn't know I could be. I know first that I will never complain again of an awkward silence! It's even more difficult when the people in the room are talking so quickly you think you'll never catch any of it!

My host family is really neat! I have a host mom, Karla, and her husband, Gabriel. I am pretty sure there is a third person who lives here, but I have actually forgotten her name! I live in a gorgeous apartment, probably about the same size as my parents' apartment at home. I have my own room, and it is blue! I have a bathroom that I use, but I don't know that it is my own, so I keep my shampoo and things in my room. Today, I unpacked all my clothes into my closet, which makes me feel more at home.

I met some of Karla's family: her mom, and sister. I also met Gabriel's mom; she walked with me from the bus today. I will admit: I am a bit nervous about one of the buses I have to take. Karla took me one way in the morning and I went a different way with Gabriel's mom, and I don't exactly know the neighborhood well, so I don't exactly know where to get off the bus. I guess I will just try and do the exact same thing I did today and hope that I can find it. I don't really have a choice, I guess! My second bus is easier because it goes directly to the university.

Today was orientation at the university. There are about 200 international students; there is one other person in my program. Two of the classes I chose to take are in the category of Spanish for Foreigners, so I imagine there will be international students in them.

Buh. I have a bit of a pit in my stomach when I think about the bus.. ah well! I will figure it out, somehow. Part of the adventure, right? Well, off to bed for me! I want to catch as much sleep as I can before I start classes on Tuesday.