Hola todos!
Exciting news in Ecuador: Ecuador beat Chile 1-0 in futbol! It’s an upset! Very exciting! Today the Ecuadorian students spent a half hour in my Religion Anthropology class arguing that a futbol game is a rite of passage (a ‘transforming event’) for Ecuadorians, hahaha, the teacher wasn’t having it.
Not so exciting news: it’s midterms week here. Yes, we have midterms. Yes, I have to study. The worst is an 8-page Political Science paper in Spanish, eesh.
Ahh I have two weeks to catch everyone up on!
Two weekends ago, my Volcanology class went to Cotopaxi, one of the 16 or so active volcanoes in the country. We saw lava flows and then Theo (professor) gave us 2 hours to do explore. I of course climbed as much as possible. It was so hard to breath. SO hard; I was breathing like I was sprinting all the way up, and I was walking at a snail’s pace. Nevertheless, I made it really high! Check the Facebook pictures.
Then, we went to a really dangerous volcano named Tumberagua, and learned how terrible it would be if it erupted (which it very well could do). There’s no alarm system. There’s no provisions for the people who would be displaced. Over 25 thousand people live in the lava flow. It’s a terrifying thought.
On another note, also in Volcanology class we made volcano models and then blew them up with gunpowder and dynamite. We had a 4 foot volcano that spouted fire and then exploded. This would never happen in the States!
Anyways, this weekend we went to the coast with the Kzoo program! Highlights of the trip:
We got to see a demonstration of the marimba and the dance that goes along with it, which is the music of the AfroEcuatorianos who live on the Coast. The women wear long white skirts and kind of swish them around to the beat, while the men wear white and carry red handkerchiefs. The dance itself had a lot of sexual overtones and was incredibly intricate.
We saw monkeys in the jungle. I held a shrimp! I swam in the Pacific. We ate lots of fish and bananas. I saw mangrove forests and 3 foot long swordfish that had been caught and pineapple plants (no, they don’t grow on trees). I learned that there are over 50 different species of bananas and that eating fresh seafood isn’t all that bad.
In other news, I’m playing in the futbol (soccer) women’s tournament at school. We won 6-0 in our debut! It’s a different type of soccer: we play on a smaller field and on dirt. The ball bounces like crazy, and it’s a lot more centered on touches than it is on being able to run fast or kick hard. It’s like indoor soccer, except you get filthy dirty. It’s probably pretty funny for the crowd because I start shouting out English or Spanglish phrases when I’m under pressure, which the entire rest of my team can’t understand (“Over here!” “On your izquierda!”).
I sent in my absentee ballot today, so I have officially voted! Yes, Uncle Jim and Aunt Linda, I voted straight party ticket, you don’t have to disown me from the family now.
Lastly, I’d like to send an extra-special shout-out to Jan and Ryan, who are getting married this week. I hope the wedding is as perfect as you guys are, and if there was any way I could be there, I would be. I hope people stalk you with cameras throughout the entire thing.
Tengan un buen día!
Lis
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2 comments:
Way to go, Lisa! I'm glad you voted. Things are looking well for the good guys! I talked to a Calvin Spanish professor who told me that Calvin turned down your school for their abroad program. She said the school was too upper class! Sounds like you are taking full advantage of your experiences. That will last a lifetime. Aunt Linda
Lisa...I was very upset about your exploration of the active volcano. This is very dangerous and who knows what could have happened. Something REALLY bad could have happened to you. Now if you want to go back after you and I are done working together...that would be ok....but for the time being I need you to avoid all such risky behavior.
Jim B
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