A Weekend in Baños, Part 2: Getting Aquainted with the Town

After the lunch we walked around a bit and met up with more of the volunteers that were in town for the weekend. It was getting late and we were in no rush, so we didn't bother to find anything in particular to do. We walked over to the waterfall and had a good view of the town, which is very small, and then walked back towards the center. The town is known for its natural baths, hence the name Baños, but we never wound up going in them. They didn't look that appealing after going to Papallacta, which had much nicer baths.

Window shopping and getting a feel of the city, we decided on mountain biking the following day. Going with Exodotours, we worked out a deal for $22 to rent bikes and trek half of the 61 km to a town at the edge of the Amazon Rain Forest called Puyo. From the last waterfall on the route we would be taken in a truck to Puyo, where lunch was included, and check out an animal reserve with monkeys. It was a good deal, and we would have a guy following us to make sure nothing went wrong. If we'd just wanted to rent the bikes it would be $5 for the day, but we went for the higher end deal. Leaving at 9:30 a.m. from Baños, we would return from Puyo at 5 p.m.

For the rest of the afternoon we strolled and had a few beers, and after a good dinner, we were too tired from the long day to do anything else. Because it was a holiday weekend, the town was electric and ready for a party, but we couldn't take part.

The town of Baños felt very safe, even though there were tons of tourists around. The economy of the town depends on tourism, so safety is important there. Though I wouldn't want to spend an extended period of time in a touristy town, it was a nice break from what we've been doing over the last month. I felt like I could actually take out my camera and leave it around my neck, and though I had reservations at first, I realized that I'm blond and no matter what, people will know I'm a tourist from a mile away.

It´s a funny town because it almost feels like Disney Land. Everywhere you go are tourists off to do extreme sports or some kind of excursion. The town is sort of like the equivalent to Interlaken, Switzerland, where tons of backpackers head each year to do extreme sports like skydiving, canyoning, and paragliding. Literally all day long people drive by in ATVs, motorcycles, or go carts that they use to tour the surrounding areas, and since the roads are so narrow, it feels like you´re actually walking across a track meant for them. The motors roar all day, but it doesn´t ruin the tranquility of the town. At night in Baños, the church is lit up with purple lights, and actually looks like the magical palace in Orlando.

In the morning we woke up early and had a great breakfast on the rooftop of the hostel. I got two pancakes with sugar cane syrup, but it kept reminding me of a rum I tried in Grenada that was made of sugar cane, and after one pancake I was too full to continue. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was heating up quickly, and I realized that I hadn't brought any sunblock. A big mistake.

A friend had told me it was cold there and it totally slipped my mind. I had to mooch some sunblock off of the others, but it didn't do, and by the end of the day my arms and knees were pinkish-red. You'd think I'd know better by now, living on the equator, but I'm still an idiot about it.

The tour agency was right across the street from the hostel, so we moasied over around 9:30 to pick up our bikes and get started. After very quick test runs down the street to make sure they actually worked, we put on our stupid-looking helmets, which probably wouldn´t actually help in an accident, and headed out.

Read more in Part 3...

Above: The start of the bike ride, The view from the rooftop restaurant at the hostel, A man eying some tantalizing street meat,

A Weekend in Baños, Part 1: Getting There

With a three day weekend to celebrate the independence of Guayaquil, a few of us decided to take a longer trip and head up to Baños, a small down about 8 hours from Cuenca and 3 hours from Quito. To get there and maximize our time, we left early on Friday morning, catching the 5:15 bus out of Cuenca. It was a tough wake up call.

I caught a taxi to the terminal and after I got out I realized that my cell phone fell out of my pocket in the car. I ran after it but the driver was already gone. I stood on the corner furious with myself and totally upset that I'd lost another phone. I was hoping my friends Lauren and Annie would should up soon so I could call the phone and beg the driver to come back. But before they even got to the station the driver pulled up holding my phone, saying I forgot it. I was shocked. Somehow, I managed to find one of the honest taxi drivers, and he actually came back to give it to me. I don't even know how he saw it since I was in the backseat. Now I knew the trip would be off to a good start.

The bus ride up was lousy and long, as we stopped for everyone on the side of the road. That's what you get when you pay $7 for an 8 hour ride. The stink in the bus kept getting worse as we wound our way through the Andes, and after trying to grade some papers for a while, I started to get a little nauseated. After long enough, we finally made it to Ambato where we switched buses for the 45 minute ride to Baños. The change was dramatic. The new bus was like a party bus, comfortable and with cool salsa music playing. The atmosphere was also good, as everyone knew they were on their way to a fun destination.

The trip in through the winding roads was beautiful, but it only got better as we entered the town. Hot but not oppressing, the temperature was perfect to walk around. After finding our hostel that our friends had already gotten rooms in, we dropped our stuff off and got some lunch. We stayed at Hostal Plantas y Blanco located on Martinez y 12 de noviembre. This was a great location because it was right on a main drag where all of the tour booking agencies were located. We paid $7.50 a night because it was a holiday weekend, but normally it could be a little cheaper.

The rooms were comfortable and clean, and we were given towels for free. A great plus about this place was the breakfast restaurant on the roof with a great view of the town and mountains. The food was delicious, and the pancakes were a specialty, though I couldn't eat more than one. If you'd had the appetite, you could eat fruit salad covered pancakes with sugar cane syrup for about $3.

At night, people hung out on the rooftop and grabbed beers from the fridge, that you would later pay for on the honor system. This hostel also had free internet and steam baths, so all told, it was a hell of a deal. This was my first hostel in South America, and I was not disappointed.

More to come...

Above: Three photos of the town of Baños from Hostal Plantas y Blanco

Getting Into a Groove

It's been kind of difficult getting adjusted to being a teacher. Deep down, I still want to be sitting in the mess of chairs looking at the board, daydreaming while looking thoroughly interested. I have my routine now, and that's fine, but I still feel like I'm a student. It was a tough week for classes, knowing that we have Friday off. Even though my classes don't start until 1 p.m. I was walking in feeling tired and not wanting to deal with it.

There are those days when I just don't feel like talking much, but I am the teacher, and I have to be on for 2 hours.

I was afraid that my students could tell my enthusiasm had dipped a little in the second week, but no one seemed affected. I teach at a university, and a prestigious one at that, but sometimes I feel like I'm dealing with children. They complain and whine as you would expect from Ecuadorians, but it's frustrating. I know that I'm not here to change their educational system, but there are just some parts of their society that drain me.

An example of this is the way students talk while others are presenting to the class. I hated this as a student and I still hate it, maybe even more, as a teacher. It's hard to speak a different language in a big class, and it's even harder when someone else is talking or laughing. I've instituted a policy whereby I take away 10 cents every time someone speaks Spanish, uses their phone, or speaks while someone else is speaking. But no one really seems to care.

They almost find it funny. When I take away the money everyone giggles and talks even more. I don't want to take their money, but was told that it's a part of the education system to use fines. Today, students started ratting out others and were constantly telling me I should take away ten cents. They think it's a joke.

There's also the problem of keeping people interested. I feel like I'm a monkey up there sometimes, asking over and over for volunteers or if anyone would like to share with the class. The same thing always happens. No one wants to speak, finally out of pity someone shares, and slowly more and more people want to. But it takes so much to get them to speak. It's tiring just to be up there in front of the class.

I usually give a 5 or 10 minute break because they are 2 hour classes. Even though I remind them to be on time, some are always late. I understand that the concept of time is different, but it's so frustrating to feel like I'm talking to a wall. I told everyone to be on time for the test, and most of the students strolled in late. This is to be expected, I suppose.

Over the last two weeks my respect for all of the teachers I've ever had, even the awful ones, has increased in triplet. Maybe the hardest part of teaching is just thinking of what to teach, and gauging how long things will take, whether or not students will enjoy it, and if you're grading too hard or being too lenient.

Today I gave my first test, and though I thought it'd be nice to finally be the one giving it, it was still some work. I remember my teachers used to sit behind their desks and read or do other work, but after sitting for 2 minutes I realized I would have to walk around to make sure no one was cheating. It was interesting though, to finally not be the one stressing over the test. Test day was actually relaxing, because I didn't have to talk much.

I thought the test was too short and easy, and when everyone was done in 40 minutes, I thought that was confirmed. But after grading a few, I can see that most of the people are probably going to fail this test, which at the level they are in, they should pass with ease. I wonder if it was my bad teaching (very possible) or the education system as a whole. I just don't know yet.

But enough about the teaching troubles, because now it's Thursday night and there's a long weekend ahead, wahoo! President Correa has declared Guayaquil's Independence Day to be a national holiday, so everyone gets an extra day off. From time to time, apparently, he'll just announce that it's a holiday. Cool with me.

A few of us are heading up to Banos, up north by Ambato for a couple of nights. It's 8 hours away by bus, and we're taking a 5:15 a.m. bus. Ouch. That means I have to wake up around 4 a.m. and get there a little early to buy my ticket. There's supposed to be an active volcano and some good hiking in the area, so I'm looking forward to it. When I come back, there will be more pictures and hopefully good stories too.

Above: Yes! It's the second picture of Cuenca. Next to the Rio Tomebamba.

The Weather

Finally, a picture of Cuenca. Rio Tomebamba
It's amazing how much of my life is still determined by the weather. Being from the northeast, I've grown up with some crazy storms and a climate that would make even the happiest person start feeling helpless. There's something about the climate in Boston that just makes people much more sensitive to weather changes and appreciative of good days. At the same time, it has created a sort of "state-wide pass time" for those of us from the area. Every day we love to discuss the weather and how it's either great or terrible.

Now down in Cuenca, far away from Beantown, I'm still finding weather to be a huge part of my life. The saying in Quito is that you experience four seasons in one day, and the same could be said for Cuenca. In the mornings it's a bit colder and by the afternoon has warmed up to somewhere in the 70s, Fahrenheit. Later on as the sun starts to set, it gets chillier, and by nighttime you're back to where you started in the morning. On top of all of that, it pretty much rains every day at different times.

Sometimes it will rain hard in the morning or afternoon, but only for a half hour. Other days, it will rain gently towards the end of the day and throughout most of the night. Basically, if the day starts out perfect with no clouds, you can be assured that by 4 p.m. it will be overcast and rain will be on the way.

The mentality of a person from New England is that you have to appreciate the weather as it comes, because it can change without much warning. I'll never forget when I was in elementary school the blizzard in April. In the winter we comment on how cold it is and the miserable conditions. February will always have an image in my mind as the worse, most disgusting month of the year, no matter where I live. If I move to the South Pacific I'll still imagine February as slushy snow and grey overcast sky for 28 days.

In the summer it's too hot and humid, and every day brings the surprise of, "I can't believe how humid it is today," from one or two people. But these extremes truly make us appreciate our short-lived spring and beautiful falls. I'm missing the foliage right now, though I never cared much for it until a couple of years ago. To me it always represented the oncoming of school and colder weather.

The spring and fall at UMass were some truly beautiful months. Everyone was outdoors and doing something, anything, to shake off the cobwebbs of winter and to enjoy the weather one last time. There was a kind of energy and happiness that I've never seen anywhere else as there was on that campus in those warming up and cooling down months. Here, however, I see the students just hang out outside the classrooms all day, seemingly unaware of how "pleasant" this weather is.

Everyone complains that it's cold here, but to me it's just fine. I almost feel bad for the people here, and the people in any location where there isn't a definite change in season. It's terrible having to wait months to be able to do things outside again, but once it comes you are all the more grateful for it.

It's funny that I'm down in South America and I'm still thinking of the weather up in Boston. And I thought I was going to be living in permanent summer, but high up in the Andes, it's actually quite different. I have all of these pairs of shorts that I'll never wear. Oh well, I can still get a sun burn just by standing outside for a few minutes.

UPDATED: 5:08 Local Time...It is pouring again, for the third time today.

Weekend Activities

Teaching a night class is hard enough. Teaching a night class on Friday night is even harder. Of the few students that actually showed up, they were all pretty rowdy and anxious to get out. Starting Friday I had to initiate a system of punishment in the form of fines. I got the idea from my host mother who told me that it's pretty common in Ecuadorian schools.

Anytime someone is on their phone, talking while someone else is speaking, or speaking in Spanish, I fine them 10 cents. It doesn't seem like a lot, but the students are not happy about it. They moan and whine, and I'm hoping they get their acts together soon. Mainly because the money is going towards extra photocopies for homework, which means I'll have more to grade.

Of course, just as I'd taken money from someone, my phone started to vibrate and all of the students yelled that I had to pay 1o cents. I told them that I didn't answer the phone and only had it on for a clock. The person who was calling was actually my field director who was in town for the weekend.

After class and dinner, a few of us met up at Cafecito, a cool little hostel/cafe/bar where not only tourists hang out, but actual, real-live Ecuadorians. We grabbed a couple of drinks and then headed over to a salsa bar. We must not have gotten there until midnight, because before I knew it, it was 2:30 a.m. The club had this weird policy where you were handed a sheet and every drink you ordered was tallied off, and you would pay, along with the cover, before you left. It seems to me that it's in a bars best interest to collect the money as soon as possible.

I must have had more to drink than I realized because on Saturday I was feeling pretty tired and hungover. I took it easy for the most part, the only activity before lunch being a trip to a local store to finally buy a new watch. I knew I didn't want to pay more than $10, and was working on my best haggling techniques. The man in the shop could only offer me two used pieces of junk for $10, the next cheapest thing being $15. And that was another piece of junk.

I pulled out all of the tricks. "No sea malito," which is essential for haggling in the Sierra. I told him that my watch was stolen in a bus robbery, that I was a volunteer that made very little money, and that I was in Cuenca to help. After about ten minutes he finally caved and told me anything from a particular row was $10. So after all I got the price I wanted, and now have a newish, kind of shiny silver piece of junk watch. I'm pretty sure it's made from scrap parts because one side of the watch says "Citizen" and the front says "70 China Army."

I tried to grade some homework assignments too, but it was agonizing. Going over the same worksheets in remedial English is draining, and after 3 I had to take a nap. After that I only got through 3 more.

On Saturday night my host sister Chio was organizing a city tour and a trip to Turi, a spot on a hill that gives a view of the entire city. I thought we were just jumping on a city bus and heading up and back, but it turns out we were going in a privately rented city bus turned party bus. The guests were from different parts of the country, and they'd been in town for the Microsoft function at the university that Chio was hosting.

As I got on the bus I tried to hand someone 25 cents, until I realized that it was all for a party. The guys in the back were going crazy and having a great time, and we got a brief explanation of what we were seeing as we headed up to Turi. The view was nice, and I'll definitely have to head back during the day. After the tour we wound up going to a couple of different bars. The first one was the size of someone's basement with a couple of people dancing. It was cowboy themed, and I was the only gringo in the place. Everyone stared at me, but it was OK. Someone handed me some very strong, hot tea with alcohol, and I only took a few sips because it was so strong.

After that we headed to another bar where we were lead upstairs and a live singer gave a shout out to a Colombian guest of honor, Willy, for his birthday. The nice thing about being the only gringo in the group is that when you walk into a bar or club, everyone looks at you, but differently. There's a look of question, as to why this gringo would be with so many locals. Obviously, you aren't a common tourist, and there's more to you that they'd like to know about.

Some of the people you're with even open up and talk to you. Willy was very interested in talking, and we had some good conversation. He invited me to stay at his place in Bogota whenever I want. After a long enough day I called it quits and was going to get ready to head to Cajas National Park on Sunday.

When I woke up, however, I found out that the trip was canceled because the bus driver was sick. A compromise was to go to Banos, a local thermal spa with some hiking. I was told we'd be back by 4, which was good because I had to get to work on my lesson plans for the next day. First we headed to a mall where we had lunch. I finally got to try some Ceviche, a popular dish in Ecuador. It was good, with shrimp, mussels, and a bunch of other stuff I couldn't identify. It also came with banana chips, yucca, and popcorn.

By the time we left the mall an hour and a half later, it was getting late. We got on a bus and I was surprised to see that we got off at another, bigger mall. Apparently we were going to bowl, but the lanes were full, so we went to an arcade where I watched some people play Dance Dance Revolution. I was tired and just wanted to get back to work, but we stayed for a long time before heading back over to the bowling alley.

I'm not good at bowling, but I was in the lead for most of the game until finally at the end I was beaten by one of the people we were with. I was pretty disappointed, and I never care how I end up in bowling. I think I just wanted to win one for America.

By the time we left the mall it was already 7, and there was obviously no way we were going to Banos. The other guys wanted to go see a movie, but I had to leave to get to work. So all in all, it was a pretty interesting weekend, though I never made it to Cajas or Banos. But with a year to get things done, there's no rush, and it's better to just take it slow and let things develop.

Finding Time for Election Coverage

My first month in Ecuador has been filled with news and talk about the important election that took place last Sunday for a revised constitution. Because I've been thinking and dealing with all things Ecuadorian, I haven't had much time to focus on the upcoming election back home in the United States. I don't even have much time to scan through articles and see what's going on half the time, but tonight a few of us were able to watch the Vice Presidential debate.

It was a beautiful day; a welcome relief after a couple of days of rain and dreary weather. My classes have been going well all week, even though I'm starting to feel like I'm repeating myself too much, but it's been a good first week overall. I got a text from Lauren asking if I wanted to go to a bar with them near the university because they'd be showing the debate. I don't even know how she found a place that would show it, or why the bar would show it in the first place, but I was glad there would be a place to keep up on American politics. Naturally, when I think of a bar in South America, televised American politics is one of the first things that pops into my head.

After my class got out at 8 p.m. I headed over and met up with the 3 other Americans sitting at the table in the corner, focused on the already in progress debate. It was kind of a weird place to watch. The lighting was extremely dim and occasionally would flicker as power was drained away. Though I've been told bars have been getting busier on Wednesday and Thursday nights, the social scene down here is usually restricted to Friday and Saturday.

The bar was pretty empty except for some rowdy people in the next room playing billiards. In the background Semisonic, Beck, and Red Hot Chili Peppers were among others that set the soundtrack for the debate. But that was all put mostly in the back of my mind as I tried to eat a chicken sandwich, drink a beer, and figure out where the politicians stood.

Politics aside, it was just nice to hear some people talking about the issues that are relevant to my family, my friends, and of course myself. I could imagine thousands of other expats throughout the world crowding around the neighborhood TV and hissing or cheering with every other comment. There were a fair amount of cheers and jeers at our own table, and I found it funny that no matter how far away you get from home or try to learn about a different culture, you still have your own invested in you deep down, so that you never truly leave home without it.

It's so ironic that we should be out of the country, missing this historic election that could determine the fate of the country. Yet we found ourselves in another country with its own historic election. We're Americans, but we live in Ecuador now. Which election is ours?

As it turns out, I might not even get my absentee ballot in time. It's probably headed to Machala right now, where I no longer hold residence. By the time it gets sent back to Quito, if it does, it would take another stretch of time to get down to Cuenca, and then I'd have to ship it back to the States via Pony Express. The notion of an absentee ballot counting is pretty far flung, but it's the idea of it that counts, and I want to be able to look back in the years that come and say that I took part in an historic election.

In the meantime, I'll just have to keep getting my information second hand and simply scan headlines for information on what's going on. But next week, we gringos will meet up again and watch the next debate at the same darkly-lit, mostly empty bar, save for a few Americans, hungry for news of the old country.

And Now I'm a University Professor...What?

That's right. Today was the first day of my new job as a teacher, as a professor at the University of Cuenca. Classes actually started last week and I figured when in Ecuador, so I showed up a week late. Actually, I was still at orientation and the university started pretty early, so it's not my fault. That's another thing I'll have to get used to--avoided guilt and blame. It's such a part of culture that it's actually built into the Spanish language. You didn't drop the dish, it made you drop it.

So after recovering my textbooks from a friendly fellow professor from England, Dave, I worked on my lesson plans yesterday and waited around to get to work. My classes are from 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Monday through Friday. I'm going to see if I can somehow get the Friday night classes moved up, but I'm not holding my breath. That means weekend trips for the next seven weeks will have to be very local.

I woke up early and tried to kill the time by reluctantly starting to study for the GRE, the miserable test to get into Grad school. Standardized tests are the work of the devil. The hardest part of the day was making my necktie, which took about a half hour. It's not a skill I've developed over the years, and only making them occasionally, I really do suck at it. I'm not a tie-wearin' kinda guy, but I thought it'd make a nice impression on the first day.

Later on over dinner with Lauren and Claire we discussed whether or not you "make" a tie, as I suggested, or "tie" a tie. I think the latter is redundant, but they disagreed. What are your thoughts? After a quick lunch I headed over to the university, an easy 10 or so minute walk from my house. At this university the professors have to sign in as proof that they actually showed up. The secretary set me up with a couple of markers, a locker, and key to the faculty bathroom, and I was feeling pretty good about the situation. Then I realized that I'd left the eraser at home, and had to erase the board with a sheet of paper as it smeared across the white background. A great way to start teaching.

It's hard to be a funny, informative, stern, but altogether understanding and easy going teacher right off the bat. So I took a harder role and made it clear that the rules were unbreakable. After a week of a substitute teacher filling in, I think the students might have been a little shocked at finding a native speaker who has rules. My plan isn't to be the hard nosed teacher who takes away all the fun, but as we were instructed at orientation, you can always start out hard and get easier, but you can never start out easy and get harder. Especially here in Ecuador, where a student will take an inch and run for miles.

Class went along well enough, and though it was hard to gain much enthusiasm from the students, no one through tomatoes at me at the end either. With a few hours to kill, I hung out in the computer lab and graded some homework from last week, then worked on tomorrow's lesson plan. It's hard to judge how long an activity will take, and it's always better to overbook. In the first class I thought an activity in the workbook would be good practice and take about 10 minutes, but it turned out no one had the book. I'm supposed to photocopy it when I want to use it, and then students work on it. I had to scramble fast and, while trying to act like it was all part of my plan, adapt the activity on the spot.

The nice thing about teaching English is the understanding factor. Some people find public speaking hard because every word you say is scrutinized. But for me, I can take solace in the fact that if I say something stupid, they probably won't even understand me, at least at this level anyway. What I'm saying is probably too fast for them anyway, since the majority of native speaker experience they have is from TV and movies.

The second class at 6 p.m. went about the same. It's a lower level, but I found that they kept up just as well as the first class. They had more of a sense of humor too. We had some fun as I told them why you don't call a woman handsome or a man gorgeous too often. Throughout the class fireworks were going off, and at times seemed right outside the room like gun shots. I don't know why, but every night in Cuenca someone sets off a ton of fireworks.

Once class ended and I got lost on the way out of the university, I was relieved to have some dinner with friends and unwind. It was a long first day, and I'm glad it went well and is over. But at the same time, that's just day one of the rest of a year. At some point it will become more of a routine, but for now, just coming up with a lesson plan is a hassle enough before teaching, and if I could just learn how to make a necktie, it might make my day go a bit smoother.