I went to an aerobics class twice last week and it was incredible! I have never stood out so much in my life, though, because not only do I look totally different than everyone else in the class, but I'm also a half second behind in every move because I have no idea what the instructor is saying. But I've really enjoyed it and it's a great way to start the day. It was really funny- on my first day the woman at the front desk said that she had seen my friends there the day before, assuming that the only other "gringas," or non-Ecuadorian-looking people, obviously had to be my friends (which of course they had been!). And the gym employees are really intense- they always pushing us to work harder, run longer, use more weights, etc. I think pobrecita Aubrey is still sore from her abs workout last week (any non-Hulk Hogan would be!).
But now to cut to the chase- THE BEACH! So there's a WT volunteer who lives in the tiny coastal town of
Montañita who has been lucky enough to house-sit for an American couple's hostel while they are out of town for 3 weeks. Lisa totally deserves it though, she usually lives in a one room apartment with no kitchen or anything (affectionately called the "hot box"). So all the Ambato volunteers headed to the beach- Dan and I after our classes on Thursday and the girls came to meet us when they finished classes Friday. The weekend was just a blast. The hostel we were in was huge- so we each got our own bed with beds to spare. On Friday I swam in the Pacific (not too cold), ate the traditional coastal food of ceviche (mix of fish, shrimp, and some veggies in like a vinegary broth), and then we had a huge BBQ/dance party on the patio while looking out at the ocean. Needless to say, it was well-worth the 12 hour trip to get there. Then on Saturday we went surfing! Lisa is friends with some surfers on the Ecuadorian national team that were kind enough to give us some lessons. Montañita has a prominent surfer community because it is known to have the best waves in Ecuador. Surfing was a lot of fun, and I actually pseudo-stood up on the board! Then again, I was in pretty shallow water and I looked ridiculous trying, but it was fun just to feel like a surfer chick for an hour or so. Then Saturday just kept getting better. Lisa's friend who owns a surf shop took us to this restaurant on the beach about 30 minutes north in the town of Las Tunas. We were the only ones in the outdoor restaurant and it had the most incredible view! The photo above is of me sitting in the hammock right outside the restaurant's entrance. Mark from Santa Elena came to meet us there as well, and it was so g
reat to see him again! Then we all piled back in the van and drove north on the coast to the well-known town of Puerto Lopez. Along the way we stopped at a gorgeous overlook, and you can see the whole WT gang there in the photo- BobbiLe, Aubrey, Mark, Eden, Dan, Lisa, and me. This picture cracks me up! We finally got back to Montañita and got ready for a night on the town. The highlight of the night was definitely the wedding that we crashed (!!!). Since the town is so small, and since Lisa is a celebrity (I'll get to that in a minute), we all got to go to the wedding, and what an experience that was! We salsa danced, toasted the bride and groom, and hung in there with the best of them until the wee hours of the morning.Montañita itself is an incredible place to visit- it embodies such extremes. On the bus ride there I could not get over the vast poverty- dirt roads, cinder block homes, barefooted children. Though I know there is a lot of poverty in Ambato, it certainly doesn't manifest itself like it does in a small coastal town. Lisa's living conditions are SO different than mine, and I almost envy how she can live with so little. But what a silly thing to envy when so many people in her town would do anything to sleep in my house in Ambato for a night. There are a few streets in the center of Montañita that cater to the tourists, and the joke of the whole weekend was that we felt like we were on a movie set. Thatched roofs, surf boards, fruit and jewelry vendors, palm trees...I felt like I walked into another world. And it's so fun walking around with Lisa as well, because literally EVERYONE knows her. It's impossible to walk with her for more than 10 steps without the old men on the bench, or children running down the street, or surfers walking by with their boards, or someone (anyone!), saying "Hi Teacher!" And that is what she is known by in the town- "La Teacher." She teaches 8 different English classes in the town, so she has a ton of students. And those who aren't her students know her just because she has such an well-known role in the town. I felt pretty cool just being associated with her for the weekend:)
So eventually the Ambato crew headed back onto a bus together at 2pm Sunday and made it back home around 2am. What a crazy trip it was! Our bus had some sort of engine trouble at one point- all we saw was one worker opening a huge trap door in the floor of the bus to look down onto the street while the bus was still driving. Then we watched this movie on the bus called Los Colombianos, which had a scene where everyone was on a bus and guerilla soldiers came on the bus and forced them off. Sure enough, after the movie was over, the police came on OUR bus, told us all to get off, and the bus was then searched for any illegal substances (apparently this is a common practice, especially on buses from Guayaquil to the Sierra). And then to cap it off, for the last few hours of our bus drive, while we were trying to sleep, two guys were standing next to us (they still sell tickets when they run out of seats) singing duets together. What could we do but just laugh at how riduculous the night had become? But that is what Ecuador is all about- never knowing what to expect, being up for anything, and in the end being very pleasantly surprised at fun new adventures and shared experiences.
And though I had a fabulous weekend at the beach, I should also say that living here isn't always easy- far from it! I do really miss family and friends sometimes, and it hits me at weird moments. Yesterday morning, for example, I was a pretty miserable person. The city had turned the water in my house off so I couldn't shower (after travelling from the beach for 12 hours), a woman at the bank was incredibly rude because I am an "extrañjera," and all I wanted to do was call family or friends back home who would just listen. But of course I couldn't get any calls to go through. Oh the fun of living in a developing country. But in those tough moments here, away from home, I know I have the other volunteers, my host family, and my students to cheer me up. Which they all did!
And today was such an incredible morning that it 150% made up for yesterday. I went with one of my students, Marco, to the town of Pillaro about 30 minutes away from Ambato. He is a director at a private bilingual school for kids from the town and from the campo nearby. It costs $24 for a student to go to school there each month, which many cannot afford, so obviously they are really hurting for money and resources. I agreed to go to the school and practice English with the children, since they so rarely come face-to-face with a native English speaker. Little did I know what I was getting myself into! I had a "Lisa-like" experience, and felt like I was back in Montañita, because by the end of the afternoon all the kids said "Hi Teacher!" or "Good morning Katie!" everywhere I went. I went into every classroom, all 13, and met with children from pre-school (sooo cute) up until the 8th grade. I went over colors, numbers, body parts, and such with the youngest kids, and the older kids played "hot-seat" with me. They got to ask me any questions in English and I then answered them back. My favorites were "Are you single?" and "Are you in love?" from children who could not have been more than 10 years old!! And yet again, everyone could not have been more generous. The teachers gave me roses and treated me to a lunch of soup at the school and then fritada in town. I'm going to try to rope Eden, Dan, and Aubrey into coming back to the school with me at some point, because they asked me to come back regularly if I can. And after such a splendid morning, how can I say no?
We are doing a lesson on food this week, so both of my classes are having pizza parties this week to celebrate, well...food! They have both also planned paseos, or field trips, for us all to take together in the coming weeks, so it's nice to have those trips to look forward to. But now it's time for me to lesson plan and head to bed. And I know I have been promising photos for I think over a month now, but in all honesty I have planned time into my schedule tomorrow to go to a fast internet cafe where I can apparently upload them (all the ones I have tried so far haven't worked!). So hopefully they will be up by tomorrow. And speaking of tomorrow, I wish you the HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS MOM!!! I love you and I wish I could be there to celebrate with you!! And I love the rest of you too...please send emails my way when you get a chance, letting me know what you've been up to...and all the nitty-gritty gossip as well.
Lastly, if you would like to send anything my way, I finally know my address. I can assure you anything would be much appreciated (and of course you'll get something in return). You can send things to:
Katie Appel
Casilla 18-01-1164
Ambato, ECUADOR
xoxo
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