Escuela y Mi Horario Final

Hola todos!

Yesterday was my first day of Ecua-School! Aye. It was overwhelming at the same time that it was exciting. Imagine walking into a place where you are one of the only people who looks like you (so everyone knows you obviously don't belong) and everyone already knows everybody else and you look ridiculous because you don't know where you're going or what you're doing. Yep, that was my first day. USFQ is way smaller than MSU and it doesn't have any residential living (dorms) so it feels similar to high school in a way. Everybody hangs out all over campus the whole day instead of going home because going home means taking a bus (or multiple buses) home to where they live with their parents. This is another aspect of USFQ that makes it feel like high school, although that is simply the custom in Ecuador, to live in the home of your parents until you get married. The MSU students have basically set up camp near the lagoon in the middle of campus. Whenever we don't have to be in class and are on campus we all hang out there. We make lunch plans or weekend plans and talk about our classes. The idea of making Ecuadorian friends is harrowing. First of all, I don't speak Spanish well enough to keep up with their chatter. Second, they all have their own friends and basically know everyone so it's not like everyone is wandering around thinking, oh hey, maybe they're cool and would be friends with me. Thirdly, I'm only going to be there for 5 months. If I were an Ecuadorian, I wouldn't want to be friends with the exchange students from America who are going to use up all their time and then leave again. I don't know, maybe that's just my messed up way of looking at it, but that's kind of how I see it. I would like to friends with them, get firsthand views of their culture and the differences between America and Ecuador, but right now it is just a little too intimidating. I love my host family though and have a great time asking them questions and talking to them about these things so that is a very good thing and a very good way for me to get a picture of Ecuadorian culture. Matt's host family is also great and his sisters hang out with us some times so that's another look into Ecuadorian culture. I have really enjoyed meeting the other international students at the university. Almost all of them are American, but they're from all over. They're interesting to meet because we all are similar in a way for choosing to study abroad at USFQ and live in Ecuador and take specific classes. Que chévere. (chévere=super cool).

After returning home from school at around 1:30 I went with Isabel to do censo stuff. I say "censo stuff" because I don't really understand it. The university gave us very specific instructions about how to register our visa and then get our censo (Ecuadorian ID card) and all this other nonsense. You needed specific papers and folders and receipts and on and on and on. Ugh. Anyways, we got there (janky building), got a number, and waited. And waited. And waited. There is just one guy who does the specific thing we were there for and of course there were lots of people waiting for this one thing.

This brings up an interesting part of the culture of Ecuador.

You wait.

A lot.

I had to deposit $10 to this specific governmental checking account at this specific bank. I was probably in line for an hour. Mind you I got up to the front and the lady told me I had to fill out a receipt thing and had to wait in line again, but still. An hour. At the bank. Banking is like a "thing" here, just like waiting. I would say most Ecuadorians probably spend about 2 hours a month at the bank. I have been with Isabel waiting at banks for probably half an hour already, and I've only been here a week. Why this is? I have no idea. ANYWAYS, back to waiting. You wait in line at the bank, you wait in line at the bookstore, you wait for the bus to pick you up, you wait to be able to safely cross the street to GET to the bus stop (for at least 5 minutes if you're a scaredy-cat like me), you wait at restaurants, you wait at the Registering your Visa office, etc. etc. etc. The Ecuadorians must have a superior amount of patience (paciencia) for all the waiting they have to do.

Another thing that's connected to this is the concept of time in Ecuador, which we were taught about both at orientation and in one of my classes today. While you actually have to be on time to things like classes and appointments and such, most Ecuadorians operate under a "there's always tomorrow" mentality. My professor said that this is because of the indigenous background of Ecuadorians (most are mestizas or of "mixed" descent). There is not really a reasoning behind it, but they see time as circular whereas Americans see time as linear. We always need to be doing something and if someone is late to meet you somewhere, it is considered rude and unfriendly. In Ecuador you might have plans to meet up with someone at 6 and they might not show up until 8:00. To Ecuadorians, 6 is around 6:00 or anytime thereafter and they expect you to operate under the same "ish" mentality.

Anyways, later that afternoon I took the bus to La Mariscal (Gringolandia, with tons of bars and other things that gringos love) for happy hour with some MSU amigos. Very fun times had by all. :)

Today was another day of school. My first class I don't have until next week because the professor is on vacation or something, so I didn't have class until 10:00! Perfect. I loved it. The class is specifically for international students and is about the culture of Ecuador. Super interesting. After this class I hung out with some people in the sun by the lagoon (pictures to come soon because seriously, you need to see this. there is a pirate ship in this pond in the middle of campus. it's legit.) then we went and got lunch at a place near campus. Delish. My politics class later in the afternoon I was not a fan of, so I decided to drop that one. I only can take 4 or 5 classes and I was enrolled in 6 so dropping one was my plan all along. I had difficulty understanding the professor and I think it would be difficult because I probably am not familiar with the vocabulary he is going to using anyways. After that class Rebecca and I went to the bookstore. I found 2 of the course guides I needed and a book I need, but you could only pay in cash or with the Diner's Club card. The book was only $10 and the coursepacks only $5.50ish each, but with the $20 I had I could only buy the book and one of the coursepacks. I guess I'll just have to go back tomorrow! The textbooks are supposed to be much cheaper here than we're used to in the U.S. but still, paying for textbooks with cash is a strange concept to me.

I returned home and now I'm blogging.

Obviously.

I should probably do this every day so that I don't bore you with the ridiculous amounts of things I have to say. :) Anyways, here is my final schedule.

My Final Schedule

This is the final schedule I decided on!

History 211 (Ecuadorian History) and History 234 (Contemporary History...so I'll finally know which war is which) are taught by the same teacher. He seems very nice and interesting and I can understand him almost all of the time so that's good. Also the courses are set up the exact same, quizzes on the same days, reports on readings with the exact same format, they're even in the same building one right after the other! About two thirds of my HIS 211 class is international students which is nice. It's nice to not always be different.

Psychology 203 (SIC 203) is Psychology of Development. The teacher talks extremely fast, but if I concentrate very hard I can understand her most of the time. We have to do a blog in this class which should be fun! Also, some of our readings are in English. Hopefully these are the ones she tests us on the most. :)

EPE 307 is Advanced Spanish for "Foreigners." I haven't been to this class yet because our professor is on vacation or something, but that class starts next Thursday. I really like my other EPE class so hopefully this one is really good too!

EPE 302 is a class about Ecuadorian Culture for International Students. I love it. The professor speaks slower and more precisely than my other professors because she knows she's speaking to only international students. Everyone in the class is in pretty much the same boat so that's fun and a positive, I don't feel like such an outsider in this class as I do in my others. I think it will be a class where we really get to know each other and I'm so excited about the material! I'm thinking this will probably be my favorite class.

I would rather not have classes on Friday afternoons because of the trips we are going to take to different parts of Ecuador, but oh well. We're hopefully taking an awesome trip to Mindo this weekend! I'll give you the deets if we figure it out in time for this weekend. :)

-EM

¡Hasta luego!

The Last Days of Pre-School Freedom

So much happens here everyday (at least for now) that it's sometimes hard to keep the days apart. Yesterday was Saturday. The plan was to go to Quicentro (a mall), find Becky, and explore. This sort of happened. And here is where the story begins. So there's this bus stop (parada) by my apartment. Red buses come by it and go to the bus station and at the bus station there is another red bus called Escovia that goes down the street 6 de diciembre which has a stop right by Quicentro. I was supposed to wait for the red bus, then take Escovia to Quicentro. I waited and waited. A blue bus came by that was probably going to the bus station but I wasn't sure so I didn't get on. I waited and waited. No bus. So I made an executive decision to walk to the bus station. I'd seen it the other day when we went to get groceries and it was the middle of the day so I felt safe enough to walk by myself next to the busy street. I was almost to the bus station (probably a half mile away) when I saw a red bus! It looked like it was heading the direction I was going so I asked the driver if he was going to Quicentro, he said yes, and I hopped on. No. The bus was not going to Quicentro. It was going to Cumbaya. An entirely different city. I was just laughing and laughing at myself the whole way there when I realized that I was definitely not on the correct bus. Luckily I knew how to get back and so I hopped on a bus and came back. Ha ha. That bus brought me to the bus station and I figured out the correct bus to take and I even got off at the right stop. I walked to what I thought was Quicentro and called Becky. No. It was not Quicentro. I then followed her directions and wandered around until I found Quicentro. I felt quite accomplished when I actually found it. Ha ha. Becky had to do something with her host family but Rebecca called and so she came and hung out with me! We wandered around Quicentro and we went to Parque La Carolina. Very cool way to just explore and soak up all the culture.

One thing I noticed in Quicentro was that most of the mannequins and models in photos are blonde and white. A lot of the guys are white as well, but some actually look Ecuadorian. Almost none of the women do. Very interesting. Almost the same as in the United States where women are constantly told they should be something there is no way they can be.

Today I didn't really have any plans seeing as tomorrow we start classes. Eek. Isabel asked me if I wanted to go to Quicentro with her after lunch, seeing as I didn't have plans of course I said yes! So we went back to Quicentro (ha ha) and walked around for awhile trying to find a gift for Javier. Javier is Joaquin's father and Isabel and him definitely went out on a date last night, but I can't really tell if they're in a relationship or if they're friends or what. Anyways, he ended up joining us to try the shoes on or something so I got to meet him. Very very nice guy. Then we all went in his car to the historical district of Quito. It was super cool, I'm excited to go again and walk around. He shared some of the history and other interesting tidbits about Quito with me. There are tons of churches in Old Town Quito because the Spanish conquered Ecuador and they were super religious so they built tons of churches. One of the churches my host mom (an architect) worked on the remodeling for. Very cool. Then we went out for dinner, Schawarma (sp?) which is Arabic. I would never have trusted the place on my own. There were like 4 guys outside, 5 tables with chairs inside, and a TV. Javier just ordered three schawarmas from the guys standing outside and we picked out drinks from the drinks cooler and then we waited. They brought the food in from outside, not even from the kitchen which was I think attached to the restauranty part. Strange but cool. The food was SO delicious. Great great great meal and great afternoon.

Photos!

-EM

I'm going to have a very hard time coming up with interesting names for all of these...

Hi hi hi! Hola hola hola!

As I sit at the dining room table looking out at some gorgeous mountains covered by a little bit of clouds I can't help but think how unique this place is. There are palm trees lining the streets and there are mountains absolutely everywhere you look. The list of things we were taught to watch out for and be cautious of included both volcanoes and robbers. In Ecuador it is possible, as we were told at orientation yesterday, to wake up in the Amazon, eat lunch at the foot of a mountain, and then go have dinner on the beach. What a place.

Yesterday was orientation day so my family brought me to campus at about 7:45. Yes this was very early, but it's much easier to wake up early when it is not cold and dark outside so I didn't really have much trouble with that! We all got nametags and went in sat in this sort of lecture room, University of North Carolina and Michigan State were definitely the two schools with the biggest USFQ population, which was kind of cool. We were taught about the history of Ecuador, the services available to us, health, safety, security, etc. We were also introduced to some staff and got a campus tour. The campus is gorgeous. The tour was a little bit confusing, but that wasn't such a big deal seeing as it took us around 5 minutes to do the whole thing. :) What a contrast to MSU. During our little coffee break I met a girl who was from Mississippi who had also studied at USFQ this past summer, so she was able to tell me a little bit of what it was like and she talked to one of the campus tour guides about the places she'd visited before and the places he thought she should visit. Quite entertaining. After orientation the Michigan State students (I don't know why we get special treatment, but we kind of do...ha ha) had pizza with Maricarmen, our resident director. Maricarmen is a cheery, lovely woman who is sort of like a mother bird who has enfolded us all in her wings. After pizza, Christina, Tracy, Beth, and I went to get our phones. Well...Beth took us to get our phones because she had already gotten hers. I feel like the guy at Movistar (the popular phone company here) had probably had a lot of gringos come in recently because he knew exactly what we were after, cheap phones without real plans. Ha ha. So now I have my phone! Which is really nice because I feel a lot safer leaving the house with a way to call my host family or people I'm meeting up with.

It was Joe's birthday yesterday so the plan was that we were all going to go out later, but my host family really wanted me to go to a birthday dinner for my mom's sister. Of course I wanted to go to that too, but it was still sort of difficult because I was trying to explain that I would love to be able to do both while trying not to insult them or make them unhappy. I think I did a good job because it seemed totally fine with them that I do both. Yay! First kind of conflict dealt with. :) So later that night I went with my host family to my host mom's sister's house in another part of Quito. We hung out, watched some TV (because we were there way earlier than everyone else was supposed to get there), had some tea, etc. I was thinking it a bit odd when at 7:30 there was no food being made for a dinner that was supposed to start at 8:00. I mean I know Ecuadorian time is different and 8:00 means anytime after 8 but still. That was when the cooks arrived. Two guys came to make the birthday dinner food. At first I was taken aback, but I'm thinking that's how the wealthy do it in Ecuador. We didn't eat until 9:45. No wait, I didn't eat until 9:45, everyone else started at around 10 but the food was ready and so my family said I could eat so that I could leave and go out with people. Ha ha. In Ecuador it is custom to greet everyone with a kiss on the cheek. Even if you don't know them at all, if you meet them you kiss them on the cheek, so when Isabel and I came downstairs to eat after putting Joaquin to bed and there was a circle of 20 Ecuadorians sitting and chatting and celebrating, I went around and kissed them all on the cheek. I felt silly, but it was also very cool.

After eating Isabel called a taxi for me. At this point it was raining so most of the taxi cooperatives didn't have open taxis, but we foudn one and then she waited with me and told the taxi driver where to go. I was headed for Mariscal, or Plaza Foch, which is a totally tourist place where all the gringos go to party. Ha ha. I got there and waited a few minutes for my friends who were meeting me there after going out to eat for Joe's birthday. We were with Matt's host sisters and they took us to Bungalow 6, which I found it later is apparently the most gringo-tastic bar. Ha ha. It was SO much fun. Almost all the people from our group were there and I don't know it was just awesome. Much better than the clubs I had gone to in the states. We danced and hung out for a while then went outside with the purpose of calling a taxi then going back inside, but we just ended up hanging out outside with this guy who is an exchange student at MSU who is from Quito who we had met last semester. We chatted up him and his friends for awhile (it was no longer raining). There were like 4 police officers on the corner we were standing on which was kind of weird but they didn't really do anything for the whole half hour we were out there. I didn't notice how odd it was for awhile, but then I got kind of wary. Hmm... Anyways, one of the guys we were with flagged down a taxi for me and Rebecca and then we headed home! All in all a greatly fantastic night.

Today the plan is to meet up with Becky and go exploring. It looks to be a gorgeous day outside right now so let's hope it doesn't rain later!!! Although it probably will. :)

-EM

Cosas Interesantes

Today has been another good day. I woke up kind of late (due to the fact that tomorrow I have to be at school at 7:45 for orientation check-in) and had some breakfast, played with Joaquin, then went to el centro comercial jardín (one of the malls here) with Isabel. The mall was surprisingly similar to the malls in the states, with many of the same stores. We came back, ate a delicious lunch, followed up with the Michigan Cherry coffee I got them, and are now relaxing and watching TV. Tonight will be another chill night because I have orientation tomorrow!

One noticeable difference I am seeing everywhere is how many security guards they have here. Security guards at ATMS in the mall, security guards outside car dealerships, security guards outside of apartment buildings, etc. If you want a job, buff up, come to Ecuador and be a security guard. :)

I love talking about the most random stuff and being able to make conversation. Today I told them about Grand Rapids and we talked about the Great Lakes and the U of M vs. MSU rivalry.

The president of Ecuador lives VERY close to our apartment. He doesn't want to live in the presidential palace so he has a motorcade take him to and from his house every day. We saw the motorcade yesterday!

An interesting thing that Isabel told me about yesterday is how at certain times during the day you can only drive on the roads if your license ends in specific numbers and it changes depending on what day it is. This is so that the roads aren't too congested because there are so many people in Quito. An interesting idea, no?

Also I like the Coca-Cola commercials here a lot. Much better than the ones in America. Ha ha.

The weather is how I expected it to be! Sunny in the morning, rainy and/or cloudy in the afternoon. :)

Photos!

-EM

Estoy aquí!

I am here!

Traveling yesterday was kind of a drag. In the past I've really kind of dreaded flying in airplanes, and the same was true of yesterday, BUT after our first take-off in Chicago I was feeling totally comfortable with it. I don't know why the change in heart, but still traveling just makes you feel yucky. You're in such a small space on the airplane and you have to step over people to do anything and the temperature is never right and the food is never great, so I'm glad that part of the journey is over. But God gave me safe travels and that was a great blessing. I was much more of a mess of emotions than I thought I was going to be, another reason why I'm glad yesterday is over.

Our landing into Quito was pretty much what I expected it to be, and it was awesome. (When I say "our" and "we" I'm talking about the other MSU students who were on the flight with me: Carly, Matt, Vicki, and Rebecca) There were a lot of clouds and such as we were losing altitutde, but you could still start to see some lights and such. There was also some lightning (relámpagos) that lit up the clouds and the mountains to the East. It was SO cool. I don't think I could possibly describe how awesome it was. THEN we burst through the last bits of cloud and Quito in its glory was before us. Huge. So many lights and cars and it was so hilly. Glorious. I'm glad we landed at night so we could see that. Then we deboarded (probably half our flight was American international students going to USFQ, or so it seemed), waited in line at customs (which was kind of nerve-wracking but ended up totally fine), got our luggage, sent it through one more security scanner thing, then wow. There were these electronic doors that opened onto probably 200 people holding signs with names on them or just waiting for people to come through. It was a bit overwhelming but very cool. There was someone holding a USFQ sign and since I didn't see my name I just went over and stood by her, she asked me about my host family and then went and found Isabel out of the crowd. Crazy.

Mi familia antrifonia (my host family) es fantástica. Isabel (my host sister) picked me up from the airport so that Marcia (my host mom) could be at home with Joaquin (Isabel's 7-month old son who is adorable y siempre feliz). She was super nice right off the bat and the way she speaks Spanish to me is perfect because it's slower and clearer than I think she speaks to everyone else. She said that my Spanish was good and was impressed that I can understand most of what she says. She drove me home (everyone was right, the way people drive here/the way the streets are is much different than in the U.S.) and then I got a tour of our gorgeous apartment and my room and bathroom. It is all perfect; I will upload pictures of it soon. And we have wireless internet (inalámbrico) here! This makes communicating that much easier. I was quite tired so I went to bed and slept until around 11:00 this morning.

Today I took a shower (I must've done something wrong though because I could not figure out how to get the water very hot), had breakfast, unpacked a little, and then we went out and did some errand-running. I wasn't feeling too well at breakfast, I think I'm having a little bit of mal de altura (high altitude sickness). It is unavoidable when flying into a place that is much higher than the one you left so I am just trying to stay very hydrated. This is easy because they boil their water to drink! So I don't even have to buy water bottles or anything. Although I was at the store today and a bottle of water was like 37 cents so that wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world. I was feeling much better by the time we ran our errands. Quito is beautiful, and not only in the way that cities are beautiful, it is beautiful in the way that the combination of cities and nature are beautiful. The window in our living/dining room looks out over the road to Cumbayá (the city where USFQ is) as well as looking out at a park full of trees (arboles) and other buildings and such. It is GORGEOUS. Isabel, Marcia, Joaquin, and I went driving around today to make some copies and we parked underneath this giant palm tree (palmera, a word Isabel taught me). We chatted about so much stuff, especially the differences in stuff between the United States and Ecuador. I would ask about something and she would say, oh is it not the same in the United States (all in Spanish of course) and then that would get us jumping around from one topic to another. Very educational already. :) We also went to el supermercado Santa Maria (the grocery store). When we parked we were facing these giant green-covered montañas (mountains). You just don't get that in Michigan. Ha ha. The supermarket was great. I was definitely getting, "you don't belong here" looks, which was fine. I bought some of the toiletry stuff I needed, and instead of buying the imported American brands (which they had but are more expensive) I simply bought some of the more local brands. I don't know how local they are, but I don't recognize them. :) As I was looking at the shampoo I noticed that there was one shampoo they had that had placenta in it. Placenta is the same in Spanish and in English, and the label had a woman holding a baby on it. I was amused and intrigued.

The city is so colorful and so big and I love noticing all the differences.

Also, the degrees here are in Celcius. And I know the whole times by 9, divide by 5, add 32 thing, but I'm much too lazy to do that so I've decided to just figure out what it feels like when it's so and so degrees Celcius. Today it was nice and warm outside and cooler in our apartamento (apartment). AND NO SNOW. :)

When we got back from the grocery store we ate lunch. We had this delicious meal, un "plato tipico" (typical dish), of pasta with this chicken and sauce stuff over it. With lemonade that tasted very fresh and an apple. I was not sure what to do about the apple because I didn't really know how it was washed, so I just took a middle route and cut it apart and didn't eat the skins. Then we watched some TV (I could understand almost none of it, but I was also very tired so that might have been why) and then I took a nap. I slept until like 7:00 which was later than I had planned on, and was a little disoriented (as always) when I awoke. I may have turned down their offer of dinner, not sure, and I really hope I didn't because now I'm hungry. Ha ha. Oh well, you live and learn.

This place is full of rich surprises.

-EM

P.S. I LOVE YOU ALL. And sorry that was like SO long. No one is going to want to read it all, but it's okay, you can just skim if you so desire. :)

P.P.S. I was getting real terrified on the flight over about speaking Spanish and such, and I know it will be much harder when it's with the people of Ecuador who don't know I'm not very good at Spanish (yet ;)) than with my host family who is very understanding when I don't understand something or know how to say something, but speaking with them has made me less nervous about the whole Spanish part of everything.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

So I leave tomorrow.

Words cannot really accurately describe how I am feeling.

This is ridiculous in an awesome and nerve-wracking way.

My next post will be from Ecuador. No big deal or anything. ;)

-EM

Saying Goodbyes

Goodbyes are always a tricky thing. They may be the last time you see someone for a while, a long while, or ever. Richard Bach (whoever that is) once said, "Don't be dismayed at goodbyes.  A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.  And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends." I usually don't try to place too much emphasis on goodbyes. The time you have spent with a person, the memories you share, the conversations you've had, that's what truly matters and that is most often what you'll truly remember while you're away from and missing that person. That last hug or shared conversation is meaningful in the moment, but then it is gone and what holds you tied to that person is your love and care for one another.


I've never really had to say goodbye to people like I have had to this past week and will have to in the week or so before I leave. It's almost like a mourning process. I will not be living in the dorms next semester with all of my friends. 114 Gilchrist Hall will no longer be mine. That will not be my place because I will have left it. And while I will be returning next year, things will never be the exact same as they were when I left. Something that seems so trivial, a last shower in the dorms, is really so important because it represents how at home and happy and blessed I have felt during my time thus far at MSU. And this home is what I will most be missing during my time abroad; the feeling that everywhere I turn there are people to take care of me and love me and laugh with me and eat with me and share with me and care about me and talk to and listen to. It is this experience of shared living that I love so much about my GFG family. While I will not be returning to the dorms as a resident, there are new and exciting things to look forward to about next year. A HOUSE! Living off campus is something I have been looking forward to ever since we started house-hunting in September. Caitlin, Colleen, Andrew, & I are going to have a blast figuring out how to live in and take care of a house together and I am so excited to do that. I'm excited to have my own room and dishes and just so much more personal space than in the dorms. I'm so excited to be able to return to State of Fifths. This semester they will be competing at ICCA without me, which is sad, but I am overjoyed to be able to hear of their successes and cheer them on from afar as they face their competition. They are another family for me that makes me feel loved and cherished and important, and I am excited to return to sing with them and audition new family members.


Leaving MSU for a semester is a very hard thing for me to do because of how in love I am with it, but I am confident that this semester will be more than worth it.


-EM


P.S. Check out this virtual tour of the USFQ campus: Virtual Tour