Oct. 7: The Gringa Plays Frogger in Traffic

October 7, 2009

Location: Cuenca

Time: 9:22 PM

Weather: Cloudy with rain in the morning, hot in the afternoon

Yesterday I couldn't write much because of my homework load and other unforeseen circumstance.

Yesterday afternoon was the most fun I've had in Cuenca so far. About 10 of us went to the “Wunderbar,” a German-owned bar/ restaurant on Calle Larga rated high in my travel guides as being an über-trendy place to be at night. We decided to hit it up for happy hour before we had to be back at school. It's a beautiful place right on Cuenca's southern river, Tomebamba, (it has three or four surrounding the), with greenery and a lovely view. We met a 25-year old Canadian there who had decided to leave the cold of North America to live cheaply in the heart of Ecuador. Wanna know how much his rent costs living here in the city? $60. No, that isn't a typo. 6-0 dollars a month. He splits it with his Ecuadorian room mate, but he said it's just as nice as the $2,000 a month apartment he had in Canada. The guy was a bit shady and smelled of goat, however, so our general consensus was that he was into some sort of illegal business that allowed him to pay the $30,000 to get here—or else he was very rich and very lucky in the stock market business he's in.

Dancing with Pancho was hilarious. His shouts of, “Uno, dos, tres... cinco, seis, siete, BASICO!” will forever be ingrained into my mind as I dance Salsa. We danced for well over two hours and ended laughing. Leslie, Nate's sister (and my cousin) invited us to go dancing tomorrow night so I just might.

Today was okay.

I really resent Profesora Isabel (not to be confused with Mama Isabel) sometimes for pushing us so hard. I feel bad for it because she really is a nice woman, but when the other class has a paragraph of homework and our class has two full sheets of irregular verb conjugation, three chapters of Spanish literature, and a corresponding sheet of questions, I get very resentful. The most frustrating thing about learning a new language is the fact that self-expression through words is my major. I am used to having a firm handle on a language and bending it to fit my own ideas. There isn't a book I feel I can't tackle (okay, with the exception of James Joyce's Ulysses) or a paper I can't whip into shape with the help of a bit of effort and reflection. Now the language is tying me up and dragging me over the cobble-stone streets of Cuenca. Not being able to express myself orally or in writing is driving me absolutely insane. I'm too impatient (and proud) to accept the fact that I'm back to a pre-school vocabulary, relying on the pictures in my Spanish book to tell me what the story is about. After the four hour class period today, I was on the verge of a panic attack thinking about all the homework due tomorrow. A couple of the other girls saw what was happening and gave me a big hug to calm me down. You all know I've never been good at handling stress. This is no different. I'm sorry this sounds like whining but I need to get it out of my system here so I don't take it out on an unsuspecting Ecuadorian.

The girls in my class sat down this afternoon to work on the homework and we got all of the reading summarized. Two of the work sheets were not difficult—just time-consuming.

I told Mama Isa I wasn't coming home for lunch (almuerza)so we could work on our homework. We went to a corner cafeteria and got the almuerza deal. Most restaurants serve an ever-changing menu that includes soup, rice, meat, vegetables, juice, and some sort of desert for a set price. Today's special was soup with yuca (a potato-like root of the yuca plant—not yucca—which is the same as cassava, I think) and meatballs in a clear broth. The meal was fried rice with sausage, peppers, raisins (weird), onions, peas, and a fried egg laid overtop. A glass of fruit juice and sliced strawberries in syrup were also included. In America, a full meal at McDonald's costs about $5. The almuerza deal was $1.50. Amazing. I can't get over the prices. Rolls are about $.10 each and are the airiest puffs I've ever eaten. Panaderias are on every corner filling the air with a smell that practically grabs you by the collar and pulls you in.

City living is...city living. Walking to school is about 15 minutes, which is nice. I'm going to have buns of steel by the time I come home. The bad part about walking is having to cross Pumapungo, a four-lane road with a 5-second walk signal. I do not exadurate. I thought I was pretty darn good at jaywalking thanks to Bagley Road at B.W. Three days of hiking through the city has taught me that Bagley is NOTHING. Crossing roads is like playing Frogger: only the sharpest get across without getting squished. A big difference between America and Ecuador is the traffic rules. In America, you can get pulled over for any miniscule infraction. In Ecuador, you can run red lights, not use your turn signal, use stop signs like yield signs or signs that simply ignore them, run over pedestrians, go double the speed limit, drink and drive, do anything, really, without consequences. The police are few and far between and are able to be bribed with a few bucks for any given violation. We've heard many stories about bribes given to get out of arrests, impoundments, and even passport violations. So my walk to the Fundacion at 7 AM definitely wakes me up!

Mom, Dad, family, friends, don't think Ecuador is a lawless wasteland of corruption. Everyone is very nice and extremely accommodating. It's just different. :)

I love you all!!!