"Up where the clouds meet the snow."

To begin, deepest apologies for the complete lack of updates. I suppose to be honest, nothing has been too terribly blog-worthy.

I´ve been busy at my internship creating a giant database of NGOs, media outlets, senators, and congresspeople from the U.S. It´s a bit arduous, but I´m getting to be a total pro with Microsoft Excel. So, that´s good I guess.

Thanksgiving came and went, as it always does. I was able to call home and talk to like, EVERYONE. It was awesome. Thank yous to Mom, Dad, Kate, Warren, Pat, Beth, Cindy, Mary, Ryan and Grandma for putting up with the horrible delay. Tou are all the best and I love you.

Being the sentimental sap I am, the day was kinda weird. The worst part was being SO hungry and thinking of everyone at home eating an amazing dinner. Although, the asparagus I had for lunch really was delicious, and Mom promised me turkey with mashed potatos when I get home. Exciting.

Lately, when I´´m not making databases or missing Thanksgiving, I´ve been working on a giant paper for my independent study. I´m on the translating stage. So that´s taking 20 pages of my written work in English and translating it into Spanish. It´s going quite well, except I hit snags when I have to translate things like "international lending regulations."

I´ve also been looking forward to having the entirity of the week of 3 Dec - 7 Dec off to do a bit of traveling and, of course, enjoy Fiestas de Quito, however...SURPRISE we only get Wednesday and Thursday off that week (as does the whole country.) Well, hopefully I can swing a long weekend in the rainforest or something...

I´m down to about 3 weeks, which is absolutely incredible. Once the 18 Dec rolls around, I´ll be ready to get back home, but leaving will be horrible. I know Í´m just going to be a mess on the plane. Just a giant emotional train-wreck. Should be fun. :)

This week: relatively normal for the first half, then off to Otavalo for Thursday-Saturday, including homestays with indigenous families, a world famous market, and some pretty lakes. Look for a play-by-play next weekend.

Today, work on that paper, and celebrate Emma´s birthday with Mongolian barbeque and cheap cocktails. Yum.

Valle de El Chota

2 days spent in Valle de El Chota--4 hours north of Quito, known for it´s hot, dry climate, and it´s huge population of Afro Ecuadorians.

Our base, of sorts, was a center designed to promote cultural learning for tourists in the town of Mascarilas. We ate all of our meals in a dining room that always smelled like pizza, but we never actually ate pizza, which was devastating for me.

As one would imagine, the area is surrounded by the most beautiful mountains, and green, green, green. With the dollarization proccess, profitable agriculture nearly became out of the question, so many groups formed (usually comprised of women) to make and sell jewelery using seeds, clay, and glass, greeting cards made out of paper maché, as well as beautiful masks made out of clay.

We visited a pre-school, where we sang songs for each other and taught games like duck, duck, grey duck. We got our hands dirty making tiny ceramic pots and masks, and stayed with host families for the night.

The sun was hot, the Pilsener was served room-temperature, and the times were fun.

Vacation in Three Parts

10 day vacation. 10 buses. 6 students. 3 cities. 2 beaches. 1 backpack.

Part I - Canoa

more whole wheat pancakes every day for breakfast. lots of sun. Pilsener and ice cream on the beach for lunch. Mosquito nets. so much sunscreen. ocean gymnastics. drawing moustaches on your finger and putting it under your nose because it´s so funny. bonfire on the beach with local surfers. debating the politics and ethics of dance. mojitos. card games.

Part II - Montañita

more beach. wet. rain. seaspray. general humidity. beautiful beach. swinging in the hammock chair. too many fried plantains. slightly ill. a day of sprite and crackers. muddy roads. parlour tricks. more ocean gymnastics. sharing music. hot showers.

Part III - Cuenca

back to the mountains. fiestas celebrating the city´s indepdence. cold, crisp air at night. ice cream. sunny. beautiful rivers cutting through the city. colonial. a day hike in Parque Nacional Cajas. declicious wine and curried chicken. favourite ecuadorian city. guaguas de pan.

NOTE: Honestly, posting photos is a real headache. So, if you want to see photos, guess you´ll have to call me when I´m home. We´ll make a date out of it.

At the end of this week, we´ll be taking a program coordinated field trip to an Afro Ecuadorian community. Look for updates around Saturday 10 November.

Also, I miss you.