After climbing Putzalahua last weekend I was very tired and
not quite ready to start the work week. On Monday it was difficult to walk. Every
part of my body was sore but work started none the less. This week was rather
productive at my high school. I was able to work with several of my teachers in
and out of their classrooms. This had been elusive due to time constraints and
cancelled classes. A fellow volunteer and I held our English club where close
to 70 kids showed up. We made small planters out of orange peels. The kids
really enjoyed making them. After they finished them we planted them in the
school garden. We will see if any of them actually grow. Due to dryer weather
and general lack of concern on the part of 13 year olds I am guessing we won’t
see too many buds.
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| Orange Peel Planters |
This weekend I went to a birthday party for my boss’s son
that was turning 9 years old. When we walked in I knew we were in for a treat.
Cake, party favors, all kinds of food, a bouncy house and a DJ all sat waiting.
The party was to begin at 2:30 so we arrived around then. The other Ecuadorian
guests arrived between 3:00 and 4:00. How American of us to show up so “early”.
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| Birthday time. Each of those baskets are party favors. |
Ecuadorian parties are all about food. I think I ate more
food that day than I ate all week. There was a continuous stream of plates
placed in front of me. Not wanting to be rude, I ate everything. Plus, I am a
volunteer so free food is the best. My boss came up to me early in the party and
asked that I cook hot dogs and serve them at some point in the party. I happily
accepted my new role as hot dog vender. I even got to use a sweet hot dog cart.
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| Awesome right? |
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| Ecuadorian Tug 'o War. No rope necessary |
We played many games and watched on as the kids enjoyed
themselves. Everyone at the party was genuinely nice and didn’t seem to find it
odd that Gringos had invaded the party. We were accepted into the group just as
anyone else would have been.
Just today a group of us went to the Ilinizas. These are two
large, very high snow-capped mountains about an hour outside my city. We signed
up to go on a short hiking trip with the local gym. Our destination was not the
summit but to hot springs that were high on the slopes of Iliniza Norte. We traveled by bus over very bumpy dirt roads
before we had to get out because the bus could go no further. We had hiked
about 2 hours when we reached a mineral water fall that was about 40 feet high.
The water was warm and steam was coming off of it. The mineral rich water had
stained the rock to a burnt orange color. We took photos and then continued on
our way.
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| Mineral Waterfall near Los Ilinizas |
A short but very steep hike led us to the springs. The
weather was very cold due to the high altitude (roughly 14,000 feet) and the
steam from the springs could be seen from a great distance. We were some of the
first to arrive at the springs. I quickly stripped down and threw on my bathing
suit. The water was warm and felt nice considering the bitter cold and wind. I
stayed in the springs for about 30 minutes and then made the decision it was
time to get out. That was about the coldest I have been here in Ecuador. Trying
to dry off and put on pants and tie my boots in the very cold air about turned
my fingers to icicles. We spent some more time around the springs and then
headed down late in the afternoon taking in the majestic views of the Andes.
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