Just like a rolling stone...

10 days is a long time, and I am sorry. Honestly it is probably a sign that I have settled into a routine, doing the day by day university/speaking spanish/hanging out with friends/little bit of traveling here and there thing. My spanish I must say is improving, due to a couple of days where that was all I heard or spoke. 100% immersion is truly the only way to get better.

In other news I have a new photo album up you can visit which is probably about as good an explanation you can get from my last week or so since I've written. Basically a lot of random little excursions or get togethers:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeckyrose/SomeRandomMomentsToMarkTheHalfWayPoint#

So let me know what you think, and I promise once I go visit the Amazon this weekend I will have fresh tales and more photos of course.

Shots from up high

The first image is the view of Quito from the Teleferico, which takes you up the mountain Pichincha, the western landmark of the city. The second image is what you can't see from the city, as it is almost always covered by clouds. I climbed almost to the top, but when the trail gave way to craggy loose rocks I called it a day, and got to climb back down in hail.

I was happy for the impromptu climb, as the Teleferico is one of the main tourist draws in Quito. The view is pretty impressive, and once again, being up in the páramo is always a cool experience.

In other news, I went into downtown Quito to an irish pub wednesday night to watch the final presidential debate of Obama and McCain. I was surprised to see the place absolutely packed, full of "gringos" cheering and booing the debate. I have a feeling that election day will be spent with all the ex-patriates in some bar as well...

This weekend's plans are unclear, but if I am lucky it could involve a film or two at this festival that is going on and better yet another go at horseback riding.

Guayaquil..never before and, probably, never again

Here is the link to my photos of Guayaquil, where I spent my last weekend:

Yes, it's been awhile, largely due to my trip to Guayaquil, the most populated city in Ecuador and one of the most important economically. It is a port city on the Pacific coast, and it is truly just a huge sprawl. We were frequently reminded of Chicago during our stay there, even the cities respective flags look strikingly similar. Of course, palm trees and the tropical climate reminded us that we were far from the windy city. However, one must drive at least an hour to reach the first public beach...we spent one day in Salinas, a beach about two hours from Guayaquil but embarrassingly did not even get in the water, as it is apparantly still "winter" there. No sun to speak of, and chilly waters kept us on the sand.

The highlight had to be the wonderful ceviche available to us on the coast. The traditional ceviche of Ecuador is just up my alley-seafood cooked in citrus, then eaten in a broth-like dish that is tangy, spicy (once ahí is added) and full of fresh seafood flavor. For this I was grateful.

More from the front lines later!

Shots of my home away from home, Lumbisí

Last Sunday I walked around my small pueblo and took some photos so better show those at home what my daily surroundings were like. Here is the link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeckyrose/MyHomeInEcuadorLumbis#

To be honest, one of the best things about this experience is my home here, Lumbisí, Ecuador (when saying it, you stress the last syllable like this (lum-bi-SI). I feel that way because I don't think I could have received a more genuine cultural experience. My family knows absolutely no english, so everytime I go home I get to practice my Spanish (ok so the 4 year old Cristina knows numbers and colors in english! I help teach her other words sometimes).

The mother, Clarita is a truly amazing woman and a phenomenal cook to boot. Part of it could be her love of salt, but I know a huge part is the fact that all our vegetables, all our meat is grown, raised, and prepared in my community. From Lamb to chicken, cucumbers to avacados, it is all fresh on the table. Not to mention every morning I get a huge bowl of fresh fruit-papaya, pineapple, canteloupe, banana, etc.

But the cooking isn't all that makes me happy there. Their family is close-knit, always together at night, enjoying each others company, laughing, joking, and they have a alot to be happy about. Espiritu, my host father, is a carpenter with one of the most respected shops in the community as well as being one of the leaders of Lumbisí. Clarita and him have worked hard their whole lives, but have so much to show for it now. 4 kids two of which are already married with children of their own, as well as countless other family members around the town that know and love them. Clarita is 50-something, and her parents are still living, in their 70's and just the other week Clarita joined them to plant, by hand, the corn in their huge field they own. The word retirement does not exist in this culture! All the elderly of the community continue to work until the day they die, sometimes completely unable to stand up straight.

But all in all, I feel much safer here in Lumbisí than in Quito or even Cumbaya, where my university is. The whole community supports each other, I mean they have to by law-it is considered a commune, in which you do not pay taxes to the state, but must commit to communal work for the betterment of the community. The sign I feel most important which I displayed above for emphasis literally says "The land is neither bought, nor sold-it is worked." Their work ethic here is to be admired, and once again after remembering stereotypes in the States about the laziness of such and such culture or even the historical past of bringing down indigenous by saying they are drunk and lazy-well that is just simply not held up here, where essentially everyone in the community wakes up at dawn and works until sundown. And often with a smile and kind word to boot!

Anyway, I am sure I am leaving some things out-like dog warfare and other strange happenings, but time for class!

What was your past life like?

This is the building in which I take my autoconocimiento class (it means self-knowledge and involves a lot of meditation and eastern philosophy). Last Friday, I walked into my class to find a "regression hypnosis" underway. Basically an Ecuadorian student was laying on the floor, blanket up to his chin, while our professor was guiding him through what was apparantly his "past life."

He had begun the hypnosis in the last class, and the guy had begun to explain all the stages of his past life, from early childhood to death. Our class came in near the end of his life, which was one of a campesino (farmer) in some random village in South America. He lived in a house made of mud, by a river and worked his whole life in the fields. By the time he was in his 70s he was very much alone and near the end, which we came to and the kid explained feeling pain throughout his body, trouble breathing, and extreme tiredness. At one point, the kid was able to look at the body as if from the ceiling, and then the professor began to ask him questions about what he learned through this life and such.

I think our class was very split on whether or not to believe this kid. I mean honestly, the life of a campesino is a rather easy one to tell, everyone is familiar with it so it is quite likely he could have invented it. When he "woke up," from his state, he expressed feeling like he was jolted back to the class, and that the previous experience was much more palpable than any dream. He claimed he could smell, hear, feel everything going on around him in his "past life." There was a moral to the hypnosis, because apparantly his past life of solitude and sedation meant that now, in this life, he loves to travel and be social. I really did not know what to think, but afterwards the professor backed it up with several other accounts of regressions that involved all sorts of strange occurances such as an Ecuadorian in a past life dying in clan conflicts in some African tribe in which he could feel the spear piercing his chest which killed him.

I would like to have this tried on me, but what they say is that you must already believe it is possible for it to work. I am so horrible with meditation (honestly I have to lie in my meditation journal!) that I do not know if I could find myself in that deep of a state. However I am open minded and the idea is cool, I just feel like people quite possibly could piece together random things they already know about to invent a past life which makes sense for them.

Ultimately, though, if you believe it, its real for you right?