Holy Churches!

Okay, I have now been to three different masses at three different churches on three different Sundays and I see no end in sight to the diversity. I had read before that Quito had a lot of churches, but I'm still shocked at the sheer quantity of them.

Churches are to Quito as Starbucks are to New York. This is not an exaggeration. 

However shocking, I have to take a second to admire each of the churches I have been in so far. Whether they are small, enormous, traditional, understated, gothic or lavish, each of them has been beautiful. While I have never understood the necessity of extravagance in places of worship, I have to admit that I appreciate having something pretty to look at while the rest of the congregation mutters prayers in Spanish and I mumble "watermelon" over and over to look as if I belong. 

On Saturday I visited one of the most famous churches in Quito, the church of La Compania. Both fortunately and unfortunately, this church has been designated as one of seven historical landmarks in Quito, and photos are not allowed within. I can hardly attempt to describe the appearance of this gorgeous building, but close your eyes and picture an interior entirely of gold, with every surface covered in gorgeous Baroque details, and you might get a slight inkling of what I saw. It was amazing. Literally every surface is covered in gold. It's like Midas went inside and rubbed himself on every wall, arch, pillar, and stone. Lavish and beautiful. 

If you google the church you can see a few photos of the altar, but they don't even begin to do the church justice. Here's a picture I took of the outside, which is less brightly hued but no less intricate.

I also had to include this photo to prove that the skies in Quito really are as hypnotizing-ly blue as everyone says they are. I can't remember exactly which church this is, but it really makes for a beautiful picture. 

Que Rico!

I don't know how Ecuadorians stay so thin. I just can't comprehend it. I've been here less than two weeks and I can already see my stomach expanding. Everything I've eaten so far has been delicious! Not just good, or okay, or edible, but delicious!

Today was the best food I've had so far. For lunch I had a traditional Ecuadorian soup called "locro". It's basically a mix of cheese, potato, avocado, and love. I'm sure there are subtle herbs and mysterious spices as well, but I tasted love. To go with my love soup, I had empanadas de verde, fried banana "dough" stuffed with cheese. There are no words to describe these except for yum.

As if these things weren't rich enough, I had a quimbolito for dessert. A quimbolito is a type of dessert, sort of like a sweet pound cake containing raisins and wrapped up and cooked in huge leaves of some unknown plant. Amazing.

After digesting and driving around the downtown a little (it was hailing today and way too cold to walk!), we stopped to warm up with hot chocolate at a cute rooftop cafe with amazing views. Even hot chocolate is better here. Instead of powder, it is made by melting chocolate bars. Then, once it is liquid-y and sweet and amazing, they add chunks of fresh mozzarella straight into the cup. Sounds crazy, no? But the combination of the sweet and the creamy cheese is swoon-worthy. I like the way these people think.

 (View from the cafe. This is the historic older part of the city.)

I really should start exercising.

Primero, Segundo, Tercero

Today I got to see the school where I will be spending most of my time for the next few months. I met with my coordinator to work out a schedule of which classes I will be observing and teaching in and when, and the first thing I learned is that the grades are numbered differently than in the United States.

Ecuador has "Basic" which is grades 2-10. This is like 1st through 9th grade in the United States. Grades 2-7 (US 1-6) are Elementary, and 8-10 (US 7-9) are Secondary, or similar to Middle School. Finally, Diversificado 1, 2, and 3 are High School (like grades 10, 11, and 12).  If this seems confusing, my schedule for the next few weeks is infinitely more so. 

Today I observed grades 2 and 3 (US 1st and 2nd grade). Tomorrow I will observe grades 4 and 5 (US 3rd and 4th grades). On Monday, grades 6 and 7. On Tuesday, grades 8, 9, and 10. And on Wednesday, all three grades of Diversificado. 

Not only is this a little hard to keep straight, it is super overwhelming to meet ten different teachers and over a hundred students everyday. Whoa. 

The time I spent in grades 2 and 3 today was interesting. I can tell that my biggest struggle here will be when to use each language. The teachers speak mainly in Spanish when in conversation with each other, but they speak in English to their students. I kept getting confused and answering students in Spanish today, which is the opposite of what I am supposed to do. Oops. 

Also, if you thought you could escape Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers by leaving the continent on which they became famous, you are sadly wrong. They are all I heard in classrooms today, on the radio, and in between classes. They are also slathered all over backpacks, lunchboxes, folders, and pencil cases. Fantastic.

Dear Consulate General, Part II

Well, it didn't work. I even asked nicely but to no avail. Yes, I'm still in the States.  Whether you believe in luck, fate, or karma, clearly none of it is on my side. After days of waiting for my visa to arrive, I finally gave up all hope and called the consulate, my voice dripping with despair. Seriously.


They informed me, via form letter/email, that because I had not included a prepaid addressed envelope with my paperwork that they were not able to send it back, and that they had been holding onto it for 10 DAYS. Naturally, I was not pleased. Yes, I probably should have contacted them before the day before I was supposed to depart the country, but also, they probably should have contacted me on one of the 10 DAYS that they had my passport and did nothing. 


So, I canceled my flights, notified everyone I needed to, and settled in to wait. And by wait, I mean feel like I was on house arrest and check the mailbox six times an hour. Very exciting. 


On the bright side, after moping around for two weeks and watching an obscene amount of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I am finally getting out! I have new flights booked for tomorrow that I am determined will get me safely and speedily out of this country and into Ecuador. 


I did end up missing the first three days of school, which I am slightly depressed about, but I am so excited to finally get there and meet the staff/students at my school. What I need now is some extra travel luck, fate, and/or karma. So please, send me some happy thoughts. I'd prefer not to crash, lose my luggage, or get kidnapped tomorrow. Thanks!