Q4 24+3

Tours

So, I don't want you guys to think that all I am doing in Ecuador is just going around touring everything and not doing any work. We have been doing work with practicing our spanish, but the problem is that most people here are not as advanced as I am and so they use the first 2 weeks of the program for us to take it easy and get used to Ecuador and the culture and the people. So they do take us on lots of tours. The last 2 weeks we will be in clinic. They also have showed us some videos about the country, specifically of Otavalo. One in particular was pretty interesting in that it was a collaboration between a native Otavaleña and an anthropologist from UCLA. The ecuadorian woman helped the anthropologist to make a documentary about the people from Otavalo and she even went to LA to finish the movie. She spoke a lot about the culture and how people from Otavalo are taken advantage of by tourists who come here and take pictures of them for example while they are working in the Indian Market on Saturdays. They find this very disrespectful because they are working. Even though we may just be trying to get a picture of their wonderful native dress, they feel we are not being respectful of all their hard work and they would never think of coming to the US and taking pictures of us while we are working. It is also pretty hard to go to the market and try to bargain with all the vendors especially after seeing this movie and you learn how it takes them so long (like 2 months) to weave a tapestry or a week to knit a scarf. But, you are supposed to do it because it is expected. I think for a lot of the people on this trip, it has been a reality check that people in the world do live in poverty and do not have many amenities. I pretty much had an idea from my own family in Mexico, but I think that financially it is worse in Ecuador.

On Sunday, our directors had arranged a whole day of touring. We started off in a small village where we learned how to do some special weaving of mats. From there, we visited Laguna de San Pablo at the base of the mountain Imbabura, which is a huge lake about 4 km wide, where every year there is a race to see who can swim across it the fastest. The prize is $1000 which is A LOT of money here. The natives start preparing 2 weeks prior to the race and they spread snake fat on their bodies to help them retain their body heat. From there, we went to another small village named Carabuela and met one of the few traditional weavers. He taught us how to work the wool and how he spins it on a loom that has been in his family for 120 years. I bought some beautiful tapestries and scarves. We then visited the house of the Ecuadorian woman who helped make the documentary about Otavalo. One thing I have to say about the Ecuadorian people is that they are all so wonderfully nice and accepting! They take you in like you are family. She showed us her little organic farm and gave us some fruits to try. We tried some granadillos which are like pomengranates only orange and some guavamachete a big green fruit shaped like a machete that has a furry white flesh with big black seeds. I did not like that one too much, but the granadillos were yummy and it was fun to try. After having lunch in Otavalo, we finished our day in Cotacachi a town where they specialize in leather work. There are tons of little towns up and down the street that all sell a bunch of leather products. Then we finished at the best site of all. The laguna de Quicocha which is a huge lake that formed in an eroded volcano. I have never seen anything so breath taking- I took a ton of pictures.

So far today, we went and visited a clinic in Otavalo where they practice traditional medicine with shamans and then to the San Luis Hospital of Otavalo. I will write more about that tomorrow.

I miss you all, but I do not miss the weather!