20 years of USFQ...and they love rock and roll

If you look in the back left, you can see the tents set up where the fiesta went down today.

Today, more or less unannounced, classes ended abruptly at noon to celebrate the 20th anniversary of la Universidad de San Francisco de Quito. A band set up, food and drinks all in an outside patio. The professors wasted no time in getting drinks in their hands, and boogeying on the dance floor. The band, in what I see as a continuing trend here, played all the classics. No, not La Bamba and Girl from Impanena, but I love Rock 'n Roll, and I Can't Get no Satisfaction. I hear these songs everywhere! Oh yeah they love Jim Morrison too, and never miss a chance to sing "Love me Two Times." Anyway its good to attend such a laid-back university, everyone likes having a good time, and are very nice people. So far the homework load has been rather light, and I have been lucky enough to have some readings in English, due to the inevitable fact that most scholarly work is done in my mother tongue.

The highlight of my day, however, was showing up to my autoconocimiento class with Akira Kurosawa's film Dreams playing. This film I must say is one of my favorites of all time (you can check it out at Rentertainment! if you'd like) and as we only made it through the first four dreams, I am interested to find out what connection exists between this film and our class which is based on self-knowledge and meditation. I can only guess now, but most of what I see is the strong elements of Japanese values showing through the various dreams, which none of the students really possess as they are all Ecuadorian. Anyway I was enthused and look forward to a discussion on the film, possibly on Monday. I don't look forward to documenting each time I meditate in our special journal (which is supposed to be three times a day according to our teacher!) Ay!

Tonight is sushi (Yum!) and then a weekend trip to Mindo, which I know nothing about so I will have to fill y'all in on the details (with pictures of course) on Monday. Peace and love!