Hola a todos J
I have two and half things to update you about!
½. Night out in La Mariscal
Now, you may or may not know this, but I don’t really do the club scene. That’s what study abroad is for, isn’t it? Doing things one normally wouldn’t? I went out to La Mariscal, aka Gringo Land, to hang out with some friends and enjoy some Ecuadorian nightlife. We were at a cool Beatles-themed bar called Strawberry Fields Forever. I had a really nice chat with one of the people who was there, and I really came out of my shell. We left around 11:30 or so to head over to another place called Bungalow? I kind of forgot. (No, it wasn’t *that* kind of night!) The $5 cover was worth it, as we got a free drink as well as a whole night of what I considered decent music. They played a bunch of songs that are popular in the U.S. as well as some Ecuadorian tunes I am growing to love. We danced until about 2:30 when we left La Mariscal. I got asked to dance by a mildly awkward, potentially older person. I promptly was my awkward self and we sort of danced while I maintained a safe distance. After one song, he told me “ya venga” (I’ll come back) and didn’t approach me for the rest of the night. I really wouldn’t have had it any other way. I got home and in bed by around 3:00 a.m. …
01. Day-trip to Papallacta
… to get up around 6:45 a.m. to head out to Papallacta! There are only two words I can use to describe Papallacta, and it’s really a phrase so it’s kind of like one word: hot springs. We’re talking natural baths of hot water, sometimes warmer than a hot tub. We had to get there first: the group of us who went met up around 8:30 a.m. at the bus stop where we get off to go to school, so it was easy. For a city of just under 3 million, Quito sure is quiet on a Saturday morning. Our $2.50 bus ride to Papallacta was so worth it. When we arrived, we hopped in “el balde” (the back of a pick-up truck) for a 2.7 km ride to the springs. The view around us was absolutely Stunning (upper-case denotation was very necessary). We got there, changed into our suits, put on about 50 layers of sunscreen collectively (which did me a fat lot of good!) and hung out in the first pool. After a while, we got too warm so we sat out for a bit before heading to some of the other pools (which got progressively warmer). Thankfully, the frigid river was right next to the hottest pool. One of my friends slipped on some rock and cut up his foot, but the medics were able to fix him up nicely. After he was all fixed up, we went and got some lunch. I had churrascos (some beef, avocado, rice, lentils,etc) and jugo de mora (blackberry juice but so much better). We went back to hang out in the springs for a bit before changing and heading back to Quito. The bus showed a disgusting film and I had to stand for most of the 90 minute drive, which was fine. At this point, I was sunburned and super tired, so it would have been nice to sit. Ah well! All in all, a relaxing and beautiful day at the hot springs!
Today was my first day at La Fundacion de Abuelitos y Abuelitas de la Calle, which is an organization for elderly people, mostly with lonely low-income lives. I managed to get there on time while using a new bus route and not knowing exactly where to go. (Those who remember my early fear of the buses should be proud!) It started slowly in the morning around 8 a.m. but I was able to sit and chat with some abuelitas, Maria and Josefina. They are beautiful people. I hope to see them again on Wednesday, as well as meet some more folks. I spent the whole day in the kitchen helping prepare breakfast and lunch for about 100 people. It was easier than one might imagine to fit in to a system that many people already understand. I met some volunteers from Germany as well as a person from Wisconsin. She’s here before her study abroad experience in Chile. It was fun to spend time with her, as well as help the volunteer from Germany communicate with some of the Ecuadorian volunteers. She doesn’t speak much Spanish yet. Today for lunch was soup of angel hair pasta, rice/lentils/veggies, salad (aka lettuce, cucumber, & lime juice), a piece of fruit, and juice. It’s amazing to see the system these people have in place to serve the people who need it. It’s also amazing to think that all the food we used today was going to go to waste otherwise because it couldn’t be sold in the supermarket. I stayed around and helped to clean up the kitchen afterward as well. I put in 7 hours today, out of 200! Maybe each post I’ll let you know where I’m at in my service. J I am already looking forward to going back on Wednesday. I think it was good that I was able to help in the essential functions of the organization today, in order to feel like I wasn’t just coming in to hang out. Before I headed home (which took two buses instead of one, which was an adventure!) I bought an empanada that was made by a person who works with us, and all sales go right back to the organization. I liked that.
On another note, I have a cold. I love my host parents for how they are helping. My dad said that he’ll make sure to get some tissues when he’s at the supermarket next, and gave me some vitamin c tablets. My mom made me some limeade-tea-with-honey and gave me (what I think/hope was) a decongestant, or cold medicine. My body is stressed right now with that, intense sunburn, and some other things, but I think I’ll be alright!
Thanks for reading this whole thing! Love to you all.
youre perfect!
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