Living in Quito
Trip Start
Mar 31, 2006
1
15
37
Trip End
Mar 31, 2007
Quito,
Ecuador
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Ola amigos, esta es Sheila hablando porque Chris es in Australia gagnando dinero! Yo soy en mi secunda semana de 1-1 classes en español y estoy cansado después quatro horas cada dia...yo estoy empezando me hablar a mi mismo en español!!!...........
I´m sorry there won´t be any photos this time but Chris has the laptop and photos with him - we may add some after the fact and so check next time you log in.
I have really been enjoying myself in Quito apart from the cool temperatures even though it's the middle of summer and we´re on the equator. I´m living in the old town and it is small enough to get your arms around and so it has become very familiar very quickly, and it feels so friendly. Although Quito is at 2,800 metres it is at the bottom of a steep sided glaciated valley and the city spreads both along the valley and up its sides and so wherever you go you´re on a steep incline. As I puff and pant my way up to my school which is 6 blocks "up" from my hotel I tell myself this is as good as the gym. Through my classes I´ve learned a lot about Ecuador since education, health, politics and religion are all good topics for my conversation classes. The schooling until 18 is free BUT the cost of 3 uniforms (three!!!!!) plus books plus exams takes it out of reach of many many families; hospital and doctor´s services are free but the drugs are not; there is no common standard for entry to university and so money is the only criteria - there are no bursaries or scholarships or even a loan program; the indigenous are not supported by the government and they are very poor with little or no education, however they are incredibly well organised and hard working and they produce an awful lot of the country´s agricultural produce; although predominantly roman catholic the indigenous have put their own flavour onto it and there are a lot of evangelical groups here too.
The ecuatorianos are very proud of their heritage and their music and dancing is performed frequently in public and generally for free, and they´re always well attended by local people, ie it is not put on for the tourist´s benefit. (Actually there are very few tourists around....I can count them very easily! ). We´ve been surprised at how little western music we´ve heard and even the young people are playing the local music.
A collection of observations, somewhat at random.......we have seen 3 iron bridges on main routes that have totally collapsed and have clearly been like that for many months (at least) - the local people have made a path by clambering across the girders to get from one side to another as commerce cant stop! the sidewalks in the towns are littered with deep holes in the concrete which are unfinished and so have no covers over them - you cannot afford to daydream whilst walking here; the sound (and sight) of a cockerel crowing at 9am from a tiny balcony above a busy downtown street; geraniums in window boxes along the narrow streets; the parks at the weekend absolutely full with entire families out for the day; brass bands walking in religious processions or playing in the plazas (I love brass bands); traffic lights treated as a "suggestion" rather than obligatory which we´ve since learned is because they are a relatively new phenomenon; the identical call from the indigenous street vendors (we´re convinced there´s a voice school for them to enable the production of the identical call!)......
The ecuatorians, as a people, are not at all intrusive and will be very respectful and give you your space, but if you smile there is an instant response and a very warm one...they are truly lovely people. In that vein we had an interesting encounter with the police as we drove into Quito just before Chris left. We found ourselves on a street that appeared to be 1-way the wrong way and so in a bit of a panic we drove the car onto the sidewalk whilst we looked at the map and decided what to do. Along came a policeman (of course) wagging his finger that we shouldn't be parked on the sidewalk. We had to hand over papers and licences and tried to explain our situation, but to a very solemn and unsmiling face. He and his superior then disappeared into a shop with all of our documents hotly pursued by chris (rule number one - don't lose sight of your papers). When they emerged from the shop it was all smiles and we all shook hands and they directed us to our hotel and waved us on our way....I have to say that contrary to what the guidebooks say we have had only friendliness from the police roadblocks...to date!
I´ve spent most of my spare time studying and doing my homework (plus Sudokus and my journal and my book) but I´ve also been to a symphony and guitar concert, to a café with live local music and to a couple of outdoor concerts in the plazas...all free except for the concert which cost $5 for a seat 5 rows from the front! They were all excellent and are a great way to observe local people. The cost of living here is amazing....$7 for my hotel room with a private bath and TV, $1.35 for a huge breakfast and $1,50 for a huge lunch; $4/hour for my Spanish lessons!!
Of course the dominant news item whilst I´ve been here has been the eruption of "mama Tungurahua", which I´ve been following on the TV and in the newspapers. It is about 120 km south of Quito and when we passed it both on our way south a couple of weeks ago and again on our return to Quito we didn't even see it because of low cloud, and now whilst it is performing I´m unable to see it because of school! The photos have been spectacular but of course there is much misery on the ground. Thankfully virtually no deaths but the Indigenous who were living on or near the slopes have had their houses, crops and many animals destroyed and since many of them cannot return to their houses there is an expectation that the government will provide them with new land and dollars. Since my Spanish comprehension has improved I can now follow the news on TV and in the newspapers but I almost wish I couldn´t since the world news is so depressing with Israel and Lebanon.....easier to be ignorant!
So mis amigos, chris returns tomorrow and we head off to Peru over the weekend so our next epistle will be Peruvian...hasta luego!
