Jazz Concert in La Plaza de Teatros September 19, 2009

The jazz band had its first concert today in Quito, specifically in the Plaza de Teatros in the Old Town, or the old Spanish colonial neighborhood.  It was an awesome place to have a concert, surrounded by beautiful buildings on all sides in the heart of Quito.  The turn out was excellent with nearly 200 people there to listen, my host family included. 

 

The band sounded sick.  The repertoire was as follows: The Chicken, Ya Gotta Try, Oye Como Va (which really struck a chord with the Latinos), Body and Soul, Blues Anonimo, Two Seconds to Midnight, and Song for Bilbao.  It was such a great experience to play with a band so talented and in such an incredible place.

The Wedding September 13, 2009

My cousin Jose Luis was married last Saturday and we gringos of the family were invited!  The whole experience of going to the ceremony and then salsa dancing for hours on end afterwards was just incredible.  The ceremony was in an old yellow church in the far south of Quito.  It began like any ceremony in the states would, with the bride walking down the aisle to a typical wedding song joining the groom at the alter with the immediate family just behind them.  The priest then spoke for a while; of what exactly I’m not sure, but I’ve heard enough catholic masses to take a guess.  However, by the end of ceremony, nearly the entire extended family had surrounded the couple at the alter and was flashing pictures like a paparazzi crew. 

 

After the ceremony, we left for the reception.  The party was filled with traditions and enough salsa and rum to last the whole night.  When the DJ started playing the salsa, everyone immediately rose and danced their hearts out.  I actually think salsa is inherent in Latin genes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if babies come out of the womb here dancing.  My aunt Veronica pulled me into the dance floor and I attempted my salsa skills.  I’m sure this was a hilarious sight at first, but I eventually figured it out somewhat.  And if I still was making a fool out of myself, I had a good time doing it!  After about four hours of salsa, the DJ put on some American swing.  My two gringa cousins, Susan and Elise, and I jumped back to the dance floor and swung our hearts out.  The music transitioned from In The Mood to Grease, and was a lot of fun to dance to.

My Classes at the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito September 1, 2009

I am impressed every day by what USFQ has achieved in such a short time.  Today the school celebrated its mere 21^st birthday and it is considered to be one of the best liberal arts schools in Latin America (although I suppose that view is biased since the only people who have expressed that opinion outwardly are USFQ professors.  However, the school does have the only college Big Band in Ecuador, and it is sick.  That certainly counts for something).  The school itself is beautiful with interesting architecture, tiles, and a pond surrounded by large mountains. 

 

Taking classes with Ecuadorians is an enriching experience.  In my class Temas de America Latina (Latin American themes) we are currently studying the history of US-Latin American relations.  I’ve been exposed to these themes in various courses over the past years, but through US textbooks and with US students.  Now I am exposed to these same issues through the Latin American perspective surrounded by Latin American students.  It sheds a new light on my own country.  It makes our historical mistakes stark and clear, but also all the good aspects of our country as well.  There of course was the occasional US supported coup of elected leaders in Latin America, but there was also the Peace Corps.  However, it is important to note that on a personal level, nobody judges others based on nationality, or historical grudges.  Everywhere I go I am greeted with a smile, a handshake and kiss on the cheek.  That is, I think, what cultural exchange is all about.

La Mitad del Mundo August 30, 2009

Today was awesome.  My host mother, along with Veronica and Fanny and Victor took three of us gringitos to the equator, or en espanol, la mitad del mundo (half of the world).  The equator is only about a half hour north from where we live.  When we arrived there, a group of Indigenous people was performing a long dance routine.  Their dance was just incredible.  It was almost like Andean square dancing/line dancing.  To the beat of Andean drums and to the melody of captivating pipe whistles, the dancers performed dazzling routines to act out their culture with emotion.  All the many dances were complicated and creative, involving intricate moves between couples and the group. 

 

One dance in particular struck me as exceptionally creative.  A large pole was brought to the center of the floor, with about twelve long ribbons tied to point atop the pole.   Each ribbon was claimed by a dancer who stretched their ribbon out to the radius to form a colorful circle.  While dancing and turning on each beat, the dancers weaved the ribbons between each other, creating a beautiful braded pattern along the pole.  When the weaving was about a quarter way down the pole, the dancers reversed, and danced the pattern back to untied ribbons again.  (See movie if that description was confusing)

 

Then we walked to the equator itself.  The line is painted on the ground, and we took touristy pictures straddling the line.  It turns out that when GPS first came out, it was discovered that mitad del mundo is actually is actually about 100 meters off the equator...but for all intents and purposes i stood on the equator.  

Arriving August 22, 2009

I made it!  I am here in one piece, which is more than I can say about my luggage which is probably still hanging out in Miami, but that aside, everything is cool.  After I waited in vain for my bags, I passed through customs into the room where my host mother Sonia was waiting, holding a sign with my name.  As soon as I met her, and the rest of my family, any anxieties of living in such a foreign place were assuaged.  My mother gave me a big kiss on the cheek, which apparently is customary in Ecuador because I give and receive kisses on the cheek to every Ecuadorian female I meet.

 

Sonia lives alone on the second floor of her house, but her parents Fanny and Victor live on the first floor of the house.  Her sister Veronica lives around the corner and her other sister Paquita lives another block from Vernonica.  All of these families are hosting a student as well, which makes four of us Americans, or Gringos as Latin Americans call us, part of the family.  The family is even more extensive.  Sonia has many siblings: Julio, Mauricio, Paquita, Veronica, Richard, Jose and many others I can’t remember.  All have children, from five years old to marrying age.  A cousin is actually about to be married in a few weeks and we Gringos are going to the wedding!  It should be a very interesting cultural experience.

 

When I arrived at the house, two of my fellow gringos in the family were already settling in.  We all sat down to our first dinner with our new host family.  We were served a delicious soup and then a course of chicken with coleslaw (which actually turned out to be KFC.  Our family wanted the gringitos to have an easy first meal I suppose).  During dinner, various children and other family members passed in and out the house.  Our host parents taught us important phrases and words that will come in handy here in Ecuador.  For instance, the Quecha phrase “¡Ay yi yi!” is “what a pain” or “this can’t be serious.”  “¡Ay chi chi!” is “cold!” and “¡Ay ri ri!” is hot! 

 

I can’t wait to experience the adventures that are to come.