Bit and pieces

A post of pictures to show what I've been up to for the past few weeks!  

   

Some of the amazing sunsets I've seen - I can view them from right in front of the university!

We went on a 'field trip' to see how the island is powered (wind turbines and diesel), where the compost goes, where the water comes from (and how it's filtered.... or not really filtered as the case is), and the dump. It was an interesting few hours to say the least..... 

            The compost pile from a day's worth of collecting

Other pictures of trash, tin, and random items waiting to be taken to the mainland. Trash goes every 2-3 months so until then this stuff will just sit.

This is one of the water treatment areas in El Progreso at the top of the island. 

A farm house in the highlands in El Progreso

The streets and different vegetation in El Progreso

Every other Friday night there is a cultural night/talent show on the boardwalk (el malecone). Anyone can perform and the events lasts for about 3 hours. We went to see two of our fellow students play guitar and also to watch all the local talent. It was pretty neat!

A huge number of people come to cultural night (it's so loud that they probably couldn't sleep even if they wanted to!)

This picture is grainy but it shows one of the neat acts that we saw. In the back is a drum band made of up young people (students?). In the front is a monkey and a robot (?) that danced around to the music. They are made out of recycled materials to promote sustainability! Very neat. 

This is me in my room. It was taken by my host Mom's granddaughter who is 5 and doesn't care that I don't speak Spanish. If I count with her (Spanish or English!), pick her up and spin her around, or hang out with her she is happy.

A flower I saw on the way to school

I walk along this beach everyday to get to school - at night or the early morning I get to play "dodge the sea lions" too (it's pretty fun :-P)

My house! That grey concrete building is where I live. The first floor is a little shop, the second floor is the house (my room is just to the left of and behind that hanging pink curtain that is stretched over the outside hallway. The third floor is where we line dry our clothes and the fourth floor is where I sometimes get internet (the roof)! This street is just one block away from the boardwalk!

Sea lions everywhere!

The top right picture is from the beach - it's pretty common to see them snuggling up early in the morning or at night.

The picture right above is the playground off the boardwalk. We find the sea lions on benches everywhere!

This bottom right picture is a little baby sea lion that might have lost it's Mom =\

Crabs on the rocks. There are lots of different types here but I only know them as "big red crab", "little red crab", and "black crab" :D

Bird perched on the rocks (I'm seen SO many cool birds here!)

Lastly, this is a picture inside GAIAS where we all sit and do hw. Those doors are often open and they go out to a balcony area that overlooks the ocean. It's pretty awesome!

My classes don't officially start until Oct. 10th so until then I'm finishing papers from my summer classes and doing some service work. I'm helping out with some programming through GAIAS and also tutoring a woman for an hour a day. She's an advance English student named Dorys who is trying to pass her exit exam. She's a really hard worker and SO nice! It's been great!

Snorkeling trip to Leon Dormido

Wow! I can't believe I've been here just over a week! It's been really incredible so far and I'm excited to see what the next 11 weeks holds! I wanted to post about my 'everyday life' here but I feel compelled to first write about the amazing trip I took on Saturday.

I love the ocean so I was very excited to here that we would be going out on a snorkeling trip with the university. There are around 45 GAIAS students and we were split into three different boats with plans to go to three different sites. 

We headed out from the town of a beautiful sunny and warm day. There are always lots of boats in the harbor and we spent some time weaving in and out before we really got out into the open water.

Looking back through the harbor to the town

Our first stop was a protected area of the island where we got to see lots of wildlife! We got our first look at blue footed bobbies and also saw several sea lions, iguanas, and other birds (including a little chick nesting up in a tree!).

This is a shot of a blue footed booby diving into the water in search of some fish. Unfortunately I don't have a good picture of the blue feet. 

 The blue green water we would soon be snorkeling in

After a few minutes of watching from the boat it was time to get wet! Those that didn't have snorkel gear were able to rent (I have a mask and snorkel but needed fins) and we all got changed. Several people in the group opted to wear wetsuits because the water is cool. I decided to go without since it's warmer then the Oregon/WA coast or the New England coast!! 

I had my new underwater camera with me. I've been using here quite a bit but I had yet to jump in the water and plunge it in. I read a fair number of reviews of people having problems so I wanted to make sure that if I only got one good use from the camera it would be from something special. I figured this would be the perfect time to test it out!

These little fish were EVERYWHERE. They swim all around you and you can't help but run into them. 

Enjoying the water!! 

We saw lots of wildlife! Sea lions, fish, crabs, turtles, and sting rays! This guy swam right under us and I managed to snap this picture right before he went to go hide under that rock. It was amazing how close they come to you - if we had wanted we could have reached out and touched him!

The bottom was just 6-12ft down from where we were swimming which meant there were lots of colorful fish playing among the rocks. I dove down to get the picture of this little fishy and his brightly colored tail. Later on we saw a whole school of them!

After snorkeling at this spot for a while it was time to continue on. Our next destination was el leon dormido (or kicker rock). This great snorkeling spot and popular tourist destination is just a 30min boat ride from my town. We see the rock out in the ocean everyday from campus and it was exciting to be heading out there. I had heard from a local the night before that we would have the chance to swim with sharks so I was really excited to check it out!

 Nearing leon dormido

When we got there we quickly noticed the snorkeling would be very different. We'd be swimming through a crack in the rock where the current moves through. The sharks swim through this area also along with rays and turtles. Then we'd have the chance to snorkel alongside the rock wall and look for more turtles, sea lions, and colorful fish. It was much deeper deeper here (30meters or so depending on the area) and the water was a lot darker (especially as the clouds started moving in).

A shot of a couple of the sharks that were just a couple feet below us. I dove down about 5ft to take this picture and almost bumped into a shark as I turned to come back up. There were probably 15 or so below us which felt slightly disconcerting at first but soon was just really close. They didn't seem to care that we were there so we were able to spend quite a while watching them. This one is probably 4-5ft long. 

 Looking back through the cut in the rock that we swam though where we saw the sharks.

Along the rock wall there were lots of little fish and several beautiful red starfish

We got to see several turtles as we finished the snorkel that swam about 5-15ft below us. We could swim right up to them without seeming to bother them at all!

After leon dormido we went to our last stop - a little beach on the far side of the island. We ate lunch on the boat and then had about 45min to snorkel in the shallow water and relax on the beach. It was nice to relax, reapply sunscreen (very necessary for me because I got burnt the day before sitting on the beach for too long), and play around. The only downside was the absurd amount of vicious horseflies. I got about a dozen bites, mostly on my legs, which itch like crazy. Our guide said they were the only things we were allowed to kill :)

 Goofing around in the sand

One of several crab shells along the shore

 The finches are entirely unafraid - they remind me of seagulls in the states. They were constantly landing on the boat railing and practically on our heads!

Finally it was time to head back home. We hopped back on the boat and several us took a seat on the bow to enjoy the wind and the view. We were casually chatting when all of a sudden we saw one girl with her mouth wide open trying to explain what she was seeing. We all turned to find ourselves several meters away from a HUGE humpback whale and her calf. It was incredible! They jumped out of the water once and then continued to surface part way for about 20min. Our captain followed the whales for quite a while, at times getting just a few feet away from these huge creatures. It was a spectacular ending to an amazing day!!! 

Picture of the baby whale leaping through the water

We got back to the dock around 3:15 and walked home to relax, take a shower, and do some laundry. The night ended well with dinner at a restaurant called "Kicker Rock" (appropriate for the day's trip) and some dancing at one of the few clubs on the island.

Definitely one of the best days I've had here in Ecuador! Hopefully Bearclaw and Dan will be able to experience this trip (or one like it) when they come in just a few weeks! 

Island Life

Wow! I cannot believe I'm going to be spending the next three months living on an island! It's pretty amazing! I never had a childhood dream to go to the Galapagos like many of the students I'm with BUT I've always wanted to live near the ocean!!!

I live in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (bottom left corner - that red square) which is actually the capital of the islands!

On a bigger scale! San Cristobal was actually the first place Darwin stopped when he came to visit. Also, FYI, the Galapagos are about 550mi west of Ecuador and the equator runs through the top of Isla Isabela.  

I live right in the center of the town and just a block and a half from the ocean! It's pretty amazing. My host family is an older couple - Luisa is my Mom and I can't quite remember my Dad's name yet. Her daughter is also hosting a fellow student in another house. We live above a little shop on the second story. I have my own room, dresser, and table and there is a bathroom across the hall. There is a second bathroom in another area of the house where I can sometimes get hot water (or at least not freezing) water. Water goes out here quite often so you're never guaranteed a shower.

The beach across the street from campus!

The house is very different from the one in Quito (everything here is pretty different!) but I think it will still be good. My host family speaks only Spanish - other then accidental English words that I say there is no English spoken. There is a little more of an accent here and a slight 'slurring' of the words which makes it a bit harder for me to understand even the phrases I already know.

My rooftop (left) which is the fourth floor and the view (right) at dusk

Campus is pretty awesome! I'm here using internet now looking out to a great view of the ocean. We actually eat breakfast here three days a week (M, W, F) and, as a group of 45 international students, we eat dinner together on T, TH, Sat, and Sun. This is to lessen the cost for our host families. Dinner is usually at a restaurant where they have a set menu for us and breakfast is buffet style. Lunch is on our own. The campus is just two buildings and is right across the street from the beach (awesome!). 45 is by far the highest number of gringos that has ever come to study on the island (and everyone knows we are here). 

 View of the campus from the beach

Foot washing station (one of two) on campus so we don't drag sand inside!

The wildlife here is already abundant even in town! I can't even think what animal I'd compare the sea lions to. I see 60+ of them everyday. On my walk to school (which takes just 15min) I cut through a beach where many of them sleep. It's like playing a game trying not to trip over them! They are very relaxed to. They come right up to and unless it's a big male or a female with babies they are really unconcerned.

Mama and baby sea lions sleeping - I was standing about 2-3 ft away

People here are also generally more friendly. There are only 5,500 ppl on the island (or so) and the island is about 30mi by 10mi so everyone knows everyone. I get lots more "hola" and "buenos dias" that seem genuine here which is nice. I even went running yesterday morning and felt so much more safe.

Jac and I on day 2 exploring the town

I've been snorkeling and swimming a couple times and while the water is cool it's definitely warmer then the Oregon coast. I saw SO many fish, shells, and little crabs. No rays yet but I have friends that have seen them! So exciting!

I walk along this beach on my way to school!

I'll start my volunteer placement this week (I think I'm going to be working with GAIAS helping with outreach to the community!) and classes in early Oct. I still have work from my summer classes to finish, as well as a midterm from my class in Quito, so I definitely have plenty to do!

The sea lions are literally everywhere!! 

Overall, I love it here so far!!! Lots more to come later :)

My last week in Quito

I know I'm already in the Galapagos but I wanted to write a quick post on the end of my time in Quito before moving on to the other world that is the island of San Cristobal.

Most of the week was pretty relaxed. I was in class 12-2 for most days and taking Spanish class from 2-4pm. In Spanish it was usually just Sarah, Jacquie, and I so I got a lot of individually attention. That class was immensely helpful. I was able to learn a lot and now I need to work on memorizing words. I have the ability to make basic sentences but not always the vocab to say what I want. Still, I feel like I've come a long way from the middle of August.

On Friday night we celebrated Sarah's birthday (her actual bday was Sat but our plane for Galapagos left at 7:30am on Sun morning). We went into downtown Quito with several friends and headed to the Mariscol, a typically touristy area in the city with lots of bars, clubs, restaurants, etc.

 At Amy's house getting ready for a night of dancing and celebrating! 

The next day was our last day on the mainland. Sarah and Jacquie invited me to go with them to their host family's farm about an hour and a half from Quito. I squeezed in the car with them and their three host sisters who are all really nice. On the way we stopped for the most delicious popsicles. I had a coconut one and it was so amazing!

Upon arrival to the farm the first thing we saw was this little adorable baby goat just two weeks old! We all took turns holding him - so soft and light! When we brought him near his mom his bleating was super cute!

The baby goat

It was suggested we go horseback riding before lunch so Jac, Sarah, Moni (their youngest host sister) and I all went. Moni rode on the back of my horse for a time and was really helpful when our horses got a little persnickety. We were out for about an hour and despite a little rain it was a great ride with wonderful views!

On the trail

We returned back and had a wonderful lunch and some time to relax. We got to take a tour of the farm which included horses, miniature horses, 2 sheep, a cow, a donkey, the goats, and 2 dogs. There were also several ducks and birds wandering around. It was beautiful and the sun even decided to come out making the afternoon pleasantly warm. 

 "Keep your ducks in a row!"

To end the day we had the most delicious cheesecake to celebrate Sarah's birthday. It had a passionfruit topping that was incredible. We even got to have seconds at the polite but insistent encouragement of Jac and Sarah's host mom.

Birthday cake! Those black things are edible seeds from the passionfruit!

I headed home around 7pm to put some laundry in and pack. My host family got home and decided they wanted to take me out for our last night! At 9:45pm we all got in the car and headed to downtown Quito. There were fireworks over the town (maybe they were celebrating all the gringos leaving :D) and we saw all the churches and town squares lit up. It was so pretty!

We continued to La Ronda street which I'd only seen in the daytime. It used to be a dangerous area but now it's an area with many shops, restaurants, and music where both locals and tourists go. We wandered around for a quite a bit enjoying the evening and then decided on a little place with live Ecuadorian music. We ordered empanadas to share and mochas to drink.

At the cafe at the end of the night - My host Dad (Xavier), my host Mom (Janeth), my host brother (Juan), and me!

After relaxing for a bit we finally headed home. It was a great way to spend my final evening! I got home around 12:30am packed up all my stuff and collapsed into bed at 2am. Even though I had to be up at 4am (to get to USFQ at 5:15am) it was absolutely worth it to stay up! My family even gave me delicious sweet bread (they know how much I like it) and a baggie full of treats for breakfast in the morning.

I've really enjoyed my stay on the mainland and I can't believe the month went so fast! I wanted more time to see a little more of the countryside - I finally just felt like I knew were things were and how to get around!! However, I know the Galapagos will be a brand new adventure and I'm excited for that also!!!