Paseo en Bicicleta

All right! I bought a bike finally. I had been trying to get one from a guy I found one of the first days I was here but he kept saying to come back. I guess he was working on fixing up my bike. I like it a lot. It was $45 which is decent around here for a used bike. It is 3 speed and has handle bar breaks so I am set. I am not going to lie though, it was rough riding it back from town. There aren´t that many hills but getting back from Cotacachi is definitely more difficult than getting to it. I was huffing and puffing for sure. Then again, it has been a while since I have ridden a bike let alone worked out and all I eat here is potatoes and rice. Literally, every meal, even breakfast, has rice. I haven´t gotten sick though, which is super important. Apparently most people get diarrhea when they first get to the campo. Not me though. I have a stomach of steel! The teachers at Jose Vasconcelos (the school where I teach) said that I am the first to eat their food. Haha, it is my pleasure. I love to eat and thanks to mom and dad, I try everything even if I don´t eat it all.

I have completed my first week of teaching. I will be going to classes tomorrow but only to observe and help out. I am so glad that Fridays are observation days. It is so tiring to teach. I really appreciate how much teachers put into their days and work. The crazy thing is that I only teach 4 hours here and class only lasts 5 hours with an hour break. In the US class is from 8-3pm usually. I get home, eat lunch, and pass out for a good hour at least. I also go to bed around 10pm if not earlier every night. I will say that it is nice feeling tired and falling asleep right away, even if my mattress is a rock. Mi colchon es como una piedra! I don´t mind it that much though and I think it might be better for my back anyway. I am looking forward to sleeping in my quito bed friday and saturday night though. :)

That´s about it for now. I am working on my take home exam and hopefully I can get it done by next weekend so I can really focus on my research for my final paper. I also need to find a recorder so I can do interviews without as much difficulty. I may end up buying one while I am in Quito this weekend. I am going to ask if CIMAs has one I can use. I need to get there and do some reading of other monographs and print out some stuff. (It is free if I do it at school but it is .10 a sheet if I do it any where else) I also plan on printing out a picture of my mom and dad that I took while we were in Santo Domingo. I want to frame it and give it to them as a present.

A few observations I have made since getting to the campo

1. We only eat with spoons, large spoons. It makes for an interesting time eating meat.

2. If you don´t have a girlfriend and you are a guy here you play sports on the weekend. Otherwise you are with your girl.

3. Bikes are the best method of transportation especially since the roads suck! There are potholes everywhere.

4. I miss having a mircrowave.

5. We drink lot´s of tea because milk is harder to come by.

6. The town hall or casa comunal has a radio/loud speaker and at 5:40am on tuesday and thursday I have woken up to music and announcements. Needless to say, they wake up ridiculously early here but they also go to bed early.

7. There is a game called Burro (donkey) which is similar to go fish and really fun.

8. Coke is easier to find than milk.

9. Dogs are everywhere but most are really friendly, especially the puppies in my backyard. :)

10. Greetings are usually in Spanish and instead of kissing each other´s cheeks they shake hands. People are not as affectionate in public here as they are in Quito.

11. One of my students asked me what Negra was in English today and then proceeded to call another student black. Interesting how being black or dark is a negative thing.

12. There is a taller textil (textile workshop) in the school and the kids learn how to weave and embroider. I have been learning as well. It is super cool and a lot easier than I thought it would be. The products are sold in Cotacachi and Otavalo and help raise money for the school.
That´s all for now. I will add more as things come to my attention.