TEFL in Ecuador

The people of Riobamba seem disenchanted with parks and historical sites in general. They say, just build one cinema and they will be happy. Certainly the designers of Riobamba, like many idealists, included such peculiar and striking parks believing that the recreation of the parks and beautification of the city would not only relieve any need for cinemas, but would draw some tourists. As it is, there are only two main tourist attractions: the Devil’s Nose train ride and Mount Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador. The parks are little extras for the super-curious tourist. There they can find a concrete bust of some historical figure they have never heard of, nor would be able to learn much from the signs and placards nearby, even if they understood Spanish. They simply offer some of the best visual pleasures Riobamba has to offer.

El parque 21 de Abril sits on a modest hill by the charming Iglesia de San Antonio is a labyrinth of stone pathways encircling and rising to a lookout point with perhaps the best view of Riobamba and surrounding landscape available within the city. There is a rundown and nonfunctioning fountain, decorated with the colorful marble squares indicative of Ecuadorian art. Likewise, the colorful paint on the playground equipment, reminiscent of the crude prototypes there used to be in America, since replaced with their more innocuous plastic counterparts. The graffiti, while distracting and unattractive, is not gang affiliated and follows the general pattern indicated in the example: “I love you Anita. Never forget me.” I’ve got news for you, individual-who-cannot-show-his-love-in-any-more-artful-way-than-sloppy-black-spray-paint—she already has. I don’t even know him, and already I am trying to forget him.

Perhaps the most impressive park in the city is actually the cemetery. Lit up like a somber Broadway night with blue, green, and white floodlights, the cemetery looks like a Disney wonderland in a Roman theme, but the iron fence surrounding it and the knowledge that no one is there but the dead stifles any playful connotations. In front and center is a very conspicuous concrete arm rising straight up out of the ground, clutching a large metal olive branch. That coliseum-like structure must house someone important. Or is it just a landmark? There are large white walls divided into cubes just big enough to give the impression that there are coffins inserted into each one, and in the cubes are numbers, writings, flowers, and other commemorative items. The fact that the cemetery is not listed in any of the tourist brochures evidences a level of respect, and the large white pseudo-marble structures rising gloriously from the cold ground like that firm hand clutching the olive branch tells a small tale of the attitudes and beliefs held by Riobambans about death and the afterlife.

The largest park, near the heart of Riobamba, and across from the Olympic Stadium, is called Parque Guayaquil o Infantil. (The parks are often called by two names, as if to settle a naming indecision). It features a large pond in the center with paddle-boat rides. In the mornings, the pathways surrounding the pond are used by joggers to warm up for the day as the sun rises over the surrounding hills and mountains. A small art center in the middle of the park, where one can take guitar or piano lessons, or just view some local artwork, gives the impression that the parks of Riobamba don’t know any particular boundaries. I have yet to see the fountains of the pond in operation, but during cultural events and city gatherings, the park will come alive and display its full regalia.