First entry
Trip Start
Aug 29, 2008
1
9
Trip End
May 29, 2009
Quito, Ecuador,
Ecuador
Sunday, August 31, 2008
By this time it was about midnight. We drove through the city observing the baron urban landscape. I was reminded of my trip to Nicaragua - densely packed businesses on every stretch of blacktop protected by brick walls and steal gates lined with a combination of spikes, barbed-wire or broken glass to avoid the risk of robbery. Much brighter than Managua, but it definitely isn´t Minneapolis. The metropolitan stretches for miles to the East and West, with few skyscrapers and a rich diversity of people, architecture, perspectives and emotions.
The first week is our week of orientation: going over safety concerns, cultural differences, details in our class schedule, warning us about street dogs and telling us to bathe regularly
Our harvest hike
. Apart from this we have plenty of time to wander the streets of Quito, in search of Vegetarian food and crafts made in Ecuador. In total there are 17 students, about half of which are from Trent while the other half are from other Canadian Universities. I am one of 5 boys and I am the only person in the program who is not from Canada. On Sunday morning the group went to visit a small living community on the Edge of Quito called ¨Pumaski.¨ We were greeted with a song and a short lesson in Quichua, one of the indigenous languages spoken in the Andean region. After this, we took a short hike to observe the harvest of a sacred plant called Pencan. Resembling an enourmous Aloe plant, Pecan has many uses. The leaves of the plant can be made into anything from the roof of a house to a belt or a pair of sandals and it secretes a delicious nectar that is rich with Calcium and other vitamins. As one of the young men cut into "heart" of the plant resembling a pre-historic over-growth, he spoke to it. He thanked it for its sacrifice, for giving him nutrients and sustenance. From the time one begins to harvest the "blood" of this plant, it produces 8 liters of nectar a day for three months until it expires.
After returning to their living quarters, we feasted on a 3 course meal of quinoa soup, salad and a rich chocolate cake. The entire meal was vegan, oil-free and created from local, native plants. The entire community is very conscious of what they consume, honoring what they take and taking only what they need. Normally this lifestyle is associated with isolation, but it was incredible to see this beating heart on the edge of an enormous metropolis, living sustainably while maintaining strong links with the community, hosting events and teaching Quichua lessons to those interested
Pencan
. I felt warm to be in the presence of such communal wisdom.Later that night, Carlos, an Ecuadorian friend of mine from Trent, took me and a few others out to see another perspective on the city. We went to the top of a large hill (of which there are no shortage in the Highlands) upon which stood an enormous statue of the Virgin Mary. From there we were able to see the whole city at night; a stretch of lights spanning through a valley that winds through colonies of mountains on both sides. Quito is quite beautiful to look over. I had the opportunity to do this again when visiting Old Quito, climbing to the top of a mammoth Basilica, standing in a tower over looking a never ending river of densely packed cement-brick buildings.
Touring Old Quito brings about conflicting emotions. Full of churches, museums and a wide array of colonial architecture, there is not doubt that it is beautiful, but it a sight of ominous beauty. Though intricate, colorful and sometimes epic, it is still deeply rooted in a painful history of conquest and genocide. The living history that plagues the American continent seems easily, yet shamefully, hidden in the United States. Here this specter is more opaque, and being a white person, wealthy enough to obtain a higher education, travel abroad and explore far-away places, I cannot consider myself entirely separate from this colonial legacy.
Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures & Videos
Bascilica
|
El Virgen
|
Our view
|
Comments
Auntie Pat
We'll I recieved your first blog, thanks to your Mother and Sheri.
Your gift of writing must come from your Mother, but then I'm sure your Father writes for grants and many other things for work.
If you let us know when you post to your blog with just a brief email, we will all know when to look!
Keep yourself safe....God Bless.
email updates
Anyone who wants email updates can receive them directly from this site each time Riahl posts a new entry. Look under his picture on the main blog page and click on 'Get email updates.' You may be instructed to enter a user ID and password, but just follow instructions. Thanks for your interest in what Riahl is learning.
Paula