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Archive for October, 2006

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In between

Tuesday, October 31st, 2006

Gringos don’t seem to mix well with locals here. They move around in herds or small groups. Their backpacks all look the same, their light hair pokes through the ceiling of the crowd like flashing red signals, and their body hair is clearly visible on the fair skin over their skinny, bare calves. Often, there is a pair of them at the internet café, a group sitting together around the table at San Valentin Café, or a raucous herd in the discothèques dancing very conspicuously around a table with a bottle of rum or vodka in the center. I look at them as complete foreigners, and they look at me the same, but I’m not exactly native either.
[read on]

Strangers and Friends

Tuesday, October 31st, 2006

The fact that my friend Yesi is such a poor representation of her own people may be why I allow myself to hang around her. Being with her is like being a part of some comically mismatched duo. My skin is darker than hers, I am infinitely more passionate, more romantic, much more relaxed, and in other words more of everything she should be as a Latin woman. This is what is going through my head while I sit at the kitchen table of her friend’s house, bored out of my mind, listening to them whine and babble about relationships, staring at her eyelashes thinking about how much they bother me.
[read on]

A quick glimpse of the parks of Riobamba

Thursday, October 26th, 2006
Parque MaldonadoCertainly the most striking thing about Riobamba is its parks and historical buildings, which often accompany one another, and litter the historical Primera Constituyente street. Although very impressive ... [Continue reading this entry]

My Hotel Friends – Oct 11, 2006

Monday, October 16th, 2006
My first marriage proposal of the trip occurred today. All the guys at the front desk thought it was hilarious. Silvia has proved to be a very funny and in-your-face old woman. “You’re very handsome. Are you single?” she asked ... [Continue reading this entry]

My Riobamban Social Life

Sunday, October 8th, 2006
Social life in Riobamba exists almost entirely on one length of street separated by a median with palm trees, called “10 de Agosto.” There are numerous restaurants and shops, karaoke bars, night clubs, and there is one clothing mall which ... [Continue reading this entry]

TEFL in Latin America: Culture Shock

Sunday, October 8th, 2006
Suddenly in a classroom setting again, roles reversed, my mind flashes back to the 3 P’s posted on the wall of my elementary school classroom: Prompt, Prepared, Polite. I remember them because they seem to represent a large part of ... [Continue reading this entry]

First few days. My experiences. Your entertainment.

Monday, October 2nd, 2006
Top two things not to do your first day in Ecuador: 1. Lose your passport. 2. Lose your wallet. I picked the smarter of the two. So, my first lesson for travel around the world is to trust in the ... [Continue reading this entry]