Thursday, February 28, 2008

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Saturday, February 23, 2008

what's going on

I guess i should mention that i made it back from the Galapagos Islands last week. It was a really awesome trip. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to such a unique little corner of the world. We lived on a boat for a week, so i was quite sea sick off and on, but overall, the experience was unforgettable. I regret not giving more frequent day-by-day updates. Trying to sum the whole trip up in retrospect is quite overwhelming. We did a lot of hiking and snorkeling, and saw loads of sea lions, sea turtles, crazy fish, blue footed boobies, other rare birds, giant tortoises (there has got to be a better sounding plural form of tortoise, right?) penguins, iguanas, et cetera....... but all that really matters is that I SWAM WITH GALAPAGOS BLACK TIPPED SHARKS!!!!oh yeah, better believe it. I almost swam with hammerhead sharks too, but they didnt want to come out to play.... i saw them after we got out of the water, but they just werent willing to approach me in snorkel gear. Also, i got really really really tan and i would classify that as exciting news.
























Yesterday marked the end of Block 1 of classes here on campus. (There are three blocks each semester). So we had quite a bit to get done. For Spanish class, I wrote and presented an on the Ecuadorean Environmental Movement.


We also had a big International Day Festival yesterday. There were two North Americans in each group and each group was assigned either a region of Ecuador or a different country. Lauren and I were assigned the coast. There was a surprise grand prize, but we still werent too motivated or competitive. Anyhow, everyone worked so hard and it was a blast. Everyone's booths looked incredible and we all danced like crazy. Lauren and i got up at 6am to make battered fried shrimp, plantain and cheese empanadas, chicken and plantain tamales, patacones (fried, mashed, salted, green banana chips), chifles (thin fried green banana chips), and pan de yuca (the most amazing little balls of the tastiest bread in the world). Anyhow, Lauren and I ended up tying in first place with Colombia!!! (colombia's group was elizabeth and conrad.... you should have seen conrad dancing La Cumbia.... oh my word.) So we split the prize (casssssh monay$$$$$$$$$$$) and then danced some more!!




































Anyway, we also had our one-on-one end-of-block 1 evaluations with our professor. Mine went super well and i got an A. Some people think that studying abroad is like a blow-0ff semester where you don't have to do any work. welll, i'll have you know, my class was super intense and it really challenged me. spanish class from 9-12:30 every day is NOT easy. I learned a TON already and my spanish is being de-gringa-fied more and more everyday. Next block, we are doing mostly coversation class which should be fun. Our prof said it is going to be really creative.

So mom and dad, you should be proud! And, hey! while i'm at it, here are some other great accomplishments in my life that may be hard for you to believe:

  • I go to bed and wake up early EVERY day. Today i "slept in" until 9:00!!!!!
  • I MAKE MY BED EVERYDAY!!!! I know this one might be kind of hard to wrap your minds around, but i swear it!!! This may be the single most impressive revolution that has taken place in my lifestyle since the time i became potty trained.
  • Also, my room is CLEAN. GASP!!!!
  • andddd, i have been eating fish!! mom, remember when you used to make that orange ruffy and i was pretty certain that it was the end of the world??? well, the cafeteria serves us fish a couple times a week and i EAT IT. it is not that i necessarily love it; i am still getting used to that SICK smell, but it certainly doesn't bother me.


Well, it is now the weekend and i feel an almost-unbelievable amount of peace right now. Block 1 is over so there is NO homework. This is probably one of the first entire free days that i've had since arriving last month. The sun is shining and the mountains out my window are looking extra green today. aaaaaah. goooood to be alive.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Original Cold Warrior



After nearly 50 years in which he has dominated almost everything in Cuba, Castro appears to be going quietly. I think his people were well prepared for his resignation. The country was spared sudden shock and given time to prepare for the future.

Due to the smooth political transition, I can't imagine anything too radical taking place in the near future. I doubt any sort of extreme short-term change. However, I am still really interested in what the future holds. This Sunday, the National Assembly will most likely elect Raul Castro as Fidel's successor. It is of course possible, although unlikely, that Raul will not be the next president of Cuba. Fidel never mentioned a specific successor in his note of resignation and he has spoken of handing over power to a younger nation. If Raul is not elected, it opens up some interesting possibilities. Other likely candidates are Carlos Lage Davila and Felipe Perez Roque, both loyal admirers of Castro. However, I doubt they have enough support of those within government circles.

All in all, i'd say this is a time of great opportunity and risk for Cuba.


Saturday, February 9, 2008

galapagos





tomorrow, i am departing for the Galapagos Islands.

i.
can.
not.
wait.


Thursday, February 7, 2008

volcanic eruption

Mount Tungurahua has been violently erupting.
i was just there. craaaaazy.
please be thinking of the displaced families.

Monday, February 4, 2008

greetings from ecuador.



after trying to send individual updates to each of my loved ones, i decided it would be much easier to give in and start a blog that everyone could access. forgive me if it seems as though i've dropped off the face of the planet. we have been moving forward nonstop and i havent had much time to communicate.

i don't know where to start, i have been in ecuador for maybe three weeks, but so much has already happened and there is no way to put it all into words. here are some highlights of my trip thus far:

//i live in a dorm on a seminary campus in northern quito, ecuador. it is a couple of miles from the equator. i have the most incredible view from my window. my roommate is a girl named rosa from Santo Domingo, Ecuador. She is just incredible

//our group consists of eleven students. we have really united as a group and are really close. everyone is super down-to-earth, easy-going and flexible. i don't think it could possibly get any better.

//my spanish is improving like crazy. i have spanish class Monday through Friday from 9:30 until 12:45. it is really intense, but our teacher is incredible and we have loads of fun. my classmates are Ben, Sarah, Betti, and Keren.

//i am also taking a Philosophy of Theology class that is really racking my brain. The class consists of nine students, so it is pretty interactive. I have only studied a little bit of philosophy prior to this class, so a lot of the concepts are really new to me and sometimes i think my head might explode, but i am learning a lot and learning is good. can i get an amen?

//we went to an incredible art museum called La Capilla del Hombre. It consisted of artwork by the ecuadorean painter Oswaldo Guayasamin. His paintings were huge and very heart-wrenching. I encourage you to check out some of his work and read up on his life.

//last weekend we went to BaƱos. I am not referring to toilets; I am referring to a town. Anyway, we ate lunch there, shopped around a bit, and then went out into the WILD. We drove past Mount Tungurahua, which is an active volcano. It was steaming out of the crater. Then, we hiked down to an enormous waterfall. Then we took a tiny open cable car across a huge valley and over a waterfall. In twenty years of life, i had never seen anything so beatiful. I cried. God seemed more real than ever.

//we went to our first futbol game. Ecuador v. Colombia. We went crazy. Ecuador lost by a point, but regardless, we had a blast.

//i am adjusting to the bathroom situation. Most places dont have toilet paper, and you cannot flush toilet paper anywhere. I am a creature of habit and i am probably responsible for several clogged septic tanks. It just seems silly that if you can flush a mass of human waste, you cannot flush an itty bitty 2-ply square of paper. excuse my impropriety.

//it is a bit colder here in quito than i had anticipated. although we are right on the equator, it is rainy season and we are way way up high in the mountains. i understand that chicago has been a lethal tundra as of late, so i am by no means asking for your sympathy.

//for once in my life, my lack of punctuality is acceptable. living in a culture where the clock holds little value has been quite the blessing. i think my mom would die here.

//ecuador is a very touchy culture. personal space is not as important. I think it has come from large families living in very small spaces together. you ALWAYS kiss eachother on the cheek to greet eachother. if you don't, the other person might think you are mad at them.

//we do all our shopping at the local store called SUPERMAXI.

//over the weekend, we went to Otavalo. It is an indigenous town north of the equator. I am still trying to process the experience. We spent our days outside of town way up in a village hidden in the mountains. we spent our nights at a hostel in town. The people were so incredible. They have held on so tightly to their culture and have refused to conform. It is crazy to think that for the most part, they are the same way that their ancestors were before those dirty spanish conquistadors arrived.

//meals are very important community time here. we eat breakfast at 7:30, lunch at 1:00, snack at 4:30 and dinner at 8:00. Lunch is the biggest meal. We eat some form of meat, mixed vegetables, an enormous pile of rice, and soup. (soup is one of the national specialties) Snack is fruit usually. Dinner is about the same as lunch, but smaller portions and without soup.

//i ate guinea pig yesterday.

//Yesterday, we took a boat out on a lake in a crater in a volcano. un-be-lieeeevable.

// i have been taking photos. you can see them HERE.



overall, i am having the most amazing time and things are going well. I will be leaving for the Galapagos Islands on Friday!!!!


love,
jacki

p.s. my posts won't usually be this painfully long and difficult to read.