Fakte Ecuadori kohta/Some facts about Ecuador

Ecuador on täpselt samasugune nagu teised riigid, aga ainult natuke eriline :)

-          Piim on siin ainult 12%ne, nagu jooks kohvikoort.

-          Luksusmaks on kuuldavasti 120%, see selgitab, miks Euroopaski kallimas hinnaklassis olev Ritter Sport shokolaad siin 3 dollarit maksab... Sama käib ka näiteks Nivea toodete ja autode kohta.

-          Ecuador toodab küll ise naftat, ent ekspordib selle USAsse ümbertöötlemiseks. Sellegipoolest maksab gallon(~ 4 liitrit) bensiini umbes 1.5 dollarit(diisel umbes 1.2 dollarit). Kohalikud väidavad, et see on kallis, aga mulle tundub, et jagatakse poolmuidu. Ka shokolaadi toodetakse väidetavalt välismaal, ehkki Ecuador on üks maailma suurimaid kakaoubade kasvatajaid.

-          Chiquita banaanid pärinevad Ecuadorist

-          Enamikel kordadest, kui küsin  mis puuviljaga tegu on, saan vastuseks sellise nimetuse, mida enne kuulnud pole. Lisaks avastasin esimest korda banaani süües, et tegu on ühega umbes neist kümnest banaaniliigist, mida Euroopas pole ja mis on sootuks küpsetamiseks mõeldud

-          Dušši all käimine on kui õnnemäng. Meil on majas kolm vannituba, neist ühes on ainult kuumaveekraan – pead pesta on võimatu! Lisaks on dušši alla minemisel pisikesed reeglid, mida tuleb järgida... Kui pesumasin käib on külm vesi garanteeritud! Kui keegi teine on parasjagu dušši all, siis vee survet nii palju pole, et saaks samal ajal dušši alla minna(milleks on kolme vannituba vaja, kui neid korraga nagunii kasutada ei saa?). Kui keegi on parasjagu vett tõmmanud, siis dušši alla minekuks vett pole – tuleb 10 minutit oodata! Lisaks tuleb meeles pidada, et paberit potti visata ei tohi.

-          Kõik praht visatakse auto/bussi aknast välja

-          Ükski bussisõit ei möödu ilma, et keegi midagi müüks, laulaks või muud moodi raha üritaks teenida

-          Siin on moes kõik see, mis umbes 10 aastat tagasi Euroopas moes oli

-          Sünnitusmajast bussiga koju minna on tavaline. Iga paari päeva tagant on mõni selline naine linasse mässitud vastsündinuga rahvamassi seas bussi trügimas

-          Liiklus on muidu parempoolne, ent trollid sõidavad vasakul pool (vähemalt osad neist)

-          Toas käiakse välisjalanõudes

-          Kohvi joomine tähendab siin enamasti seda, et 90% moodustab piim ja ülejäänud 10% on veidral moel pliidil keedetud kohv

jne.

L.

Ecuador is exactly like other countries, except it's a little bit special :)

-          Milk has 12% of fat in it. For the English: it’s like a mixture of blue milk and double cream.

-          I heard that the luxury tax is 120%, which explains why for instance Ritter Sport chocolate costs around 3 dollars, a small Snickers bar a dollar. It’s the same with for instance Nivea products and cars.

-          Ecuador produces nafta, however, it has to be exported to the US to have it purified for petrol. Nevertheless one gallon(~4 liters) of petrol costs around 1.5 dollars(diesel about 1.2). The locals say it’s expensive, but it seems to me they are giving it away almost for free compared to European prices. Chocolate is also produced abroad even though Ecuador is one of the biggest cocoa bean producers in the World.

-          Chiquita bananas come from Ecuador

-          Most of the time when I ask the name of a fruit  I get told a fruit name I have never heard before. Also, the first time I ate a banana here, I realized that it’s one of the ten kinds of bananas that we don’t have in Europe and that are meant for cooking.

-          Taking a shower is like playing a lottery. We have three showers in the house, however, one of them only has a hot tap – makes washing hair impossible! Furthermore, there are some rules that have to be followed for taking a shower... if the washing machine is on then there is only cold water. If someone else is taking a shower, then it is not possible to take a shower since the water pressure is very low (not quite sure why we have three showers...). If someone has flushed the toilet then there is no water for the shower for about 10 minutes.  Also, toilet paper has to be thrown into a bin.

-          People through rubbish out of the bus/car windows

-          There is always someone on the bus who is sells something, sings or tries to make money in some other way.

-          Fashion is about 10 years behind of Europe.

-          It’s common to see women, who have just given birth, taking a bus home from the hospital. I have seen quite a few women trying to get on a very crowded bus with their newborn babies. Also,  buses never seem to get full here.

-          Cars and buses drive on the right lane, but some of the trolleybuses drive on the left lane.

-          People wear shoes at home.

-          Having a coffe at my house usually means that you get a mug that consists 90% of milk and 10% of coffe that is boiled in a strange way.

etc.

L.

Esimene tööpäev ja esimene haigla külastus/First day at work and first trip to the hospital

Minu päris esimene tööpäev oli täiesti peapeale keeratud. Esimene pool päevast möödus nii nagu planeeritud. Mina ning Xime, töökaaslane, saatsime kaks vabatahtlikku nende projekti. Nad hakkavad ühes Quito lähedal asuvas koolis lapsi õpetama. Kool ise tundus üsna tilluke, ent väidetavalt õpib seal üle 400 lapse. Ailine, mu siinse pere lapselaps ütles eile, et nende klassis käib 50 last. Seega 400 last kooli kohta ei ole sugugi palju. Kõige pisemad olid kõigest viie aastased ja näisid pisut ehmunud, kui klassi astusime. Ehkki hakkasid mõne hetke pärast kohe tutvust tegema ja julgemad astusid ligi ning kallistasid oma uusi õpetajaid. Välismaalastega on nad aga ilmselt harjunud, kuna aastas on nende koolis paar välisvabatahtlikku. Hetkel on seal koolis lisaks kahele USAst pärit vabatahtlikule tunde andmas ka üks Jaapanlanna.

Meie Ximega ei saanud aga kauaks jääda, kuna muud toimetused vajasid tegemist. Teel tagasi Quitosse muutusid meie plaanid aga täielikult. Nimelt olid 8 vabatahtlikku käinud pühapäeval Cotopaxi vulkaani otsas mägijalgrattamatkal. Neist üks ei kõndinud koju omal jalal ning teine toimetati esmaabiosakonda. Üks tüdrukutest oli otse lõuale kukkunud ning vajas kohest opereerimist. Operatsioon kestis kaks tundi ja loodetavasti taastub ta peagi täielikult. Teine tüdruk on hetkel ajutise kipsiga, järgmine nädal saab uue kipsi, millega on sunnitud 6 nädalat ringi käima. Meie Ximega läksime seega haiglasse pabereid taga ajama ning operatsioonilt toibunud vabatahtlikule seltsi. Kuna tegemist oli erahaiglaga, siis oli haigla väga puhas ja kaasaegne. Ei mingeid järjekordi ega midagi. Kuna haigla asus aga samuti Quitost väljas, ent hoopis teises Quito otsas, siis tagasi kontorisse jõudes tegelesime veel mõnede tegemist vajavate asjadega ning tööpäev oligi läbi.  

Järgmiste seiklusteni,

L.

Kool Quito lähedal. Koolil on lisaks pildil näha olevatele majadele veel üks hoone, mis mahutavad umbes 400 õpilast. Eemal paistab org/A school near Quito. The school has one more building besides the ones that can be seen in the picture, they fit over 400 students. There is a valley behind the school.

Kõige nooremad õpilased ning nende jaapanlannast õpetaja/the youngest students and their Japanese teacher

My first day at work was nothing like planned. Me and Xime, my co-worker, spent first half of the day dropping two volunteers off at their projects. They will be teaching in a local school close to Quito. The school seemed to be quite small, yet they have over 400 students. Ailine, the granddaughter of my host parents told me yesterday that there are 50 children in her class. Thus 400 children for a school is not much at all. The youngest ones were only 5 years old and seemed a bit frightened when we walked into their classroom. The bravest ones even came over and hugged their new teachers though. However, the students are probably quite used to foreign teachers as they usually have a few volunteers teaching there every year. At the moment they have a teacher from Japan besides the two volunteers from the US.

Me and Xime couldn’t stay for long though as we had lots of other things to do. Our plans were changed on our way back to Quito, however,  and we had to go to the hospital. 8 volunteers had gone cycling in Cotopaxi the day before and two of them fell. One of them fell on her jaw and needed an immediate surgery, the other one broke her leg in several places and has a cast now. So we went over to the hospital to get the papers sorted and to give company to the girl who had had a two hour surgery the night before. Luckily, she will recover fully. The other girl has to wear a cast for 6 weeks though. The hospital where the volunteer had her surgery is a private hospital and it’s thus very nice, everything is new and there are no queues. However, since the hospital was outside of Quito, but in a different end of Quito, me and Xime only could do a few other things once we got back to the office and the day was over.

Until the next adventures,

L.

El Teleferico

Pühapäeva hommikul tegin silmad lahti ja kuna päike paistis, siis otsustasime Telefericoga ühe Quito vulkaani otsa sõita. Mõeldud, tehtud! Lõikusime kiirelt papaia lahti, praadisime paar muna ning asusime teele. Sõitsime metroo bussiga lähimasse peatusesse ja asusime telefericot otsima. Miskipärast kinnitas üks juhuslik vastutulev kohalik, et loomulikult on teleferico lühikese jalutuskäigu kaugusel. Meil võttis see aga umbes 40 minutit, kuna iga pisemgi tõus võttis hingeldama. Quito asub siiski kilomeetrite kõrgusel... Kohale jõudes viis kohalik buss meid väravast sihtpunktini, kus ootasime ligikaudu pool tundi ning seejärel saime umbes 10 minutit mäest üles loksuda. Teleferico sõidab 2950lt meetrilt 4100 meetrini, seega on tõus kohati üsna järsk. Vulkaani nimi on Pichincha ning selle kaks kõrgeimat tippu on Guagua(4784m), ketšua keeles laps, ning Rucu(4695m), mis ketšua keeles tähendab vanurit. Pichincha on endiselt aktiivne, viimati purskas 1999 aastal ning kattis Quito tuhaga. Viimane suurem purse enne seda oli 1660ndal aastal.

Tavaliselt on vulkaani tipus selge taevas üksnes keskpäevani, ent meil vedas ja päike paistis hiljemgi. Ja päike on seal tipus väga tugev! Nagu tuulgi... ehkki mulle Tuve'ga tegid vatijopedes kohalikud nalja :) Õhu hõredust me kumbki ei tajunud, kui siis ainult treppidest üles liikudes. Vaade oli aga lihtsalt võrratu! Veetsime mõned tunnid vaadet imetledes ning vaadates lennukeid maandumas. Seda ei juhtu just iga päev, et saab lennukeid ülevalt alla vaadata ning lumiseid vulkaanitippe teisel pool Quitot näha. Tagasi Quitosse jõudes tegime kiiresti süüa ja valmistusime algavaks töönädalaks.

L.

Telefericot otsimas/looking for Teleferico

Kloun bussis/Clown on the bus

Lumised vulkaanid/Snowy volcanoes

Quito

Rada/the path

Cotopaxi(5896m)-üks kõrgemaid tegevvulkaane maailmas/Cotopaxi(5896m)-one of the highest active volcanoes in the World

Tuve ja mina/Tuve and me

Teel alla/on our way down

Since it was sunny on Sunday, me and Tuve finally decided to go on top of Pichinchua by Teleferico. We ate some papaya, fried some eggs and left the house rapidly. It took us half an hour to get to the closest metrobus stop and we decided to walk from there on since one of the locals ensured that it's only a 10 minute walk to Teleferico... Well, maybe it is if you run a marathon :) It took us about 40 minutes to get up there since it's really hard to walk up the mountais here. Quito is a few kilometers above the sea level after all. There was a bus that took us closer from the gate and after half an hour of waiting in the queue, we finally could enjoy the ride up the volcano. The Teleferico rides from 2950 meters to about 4100 meters and it only takes about 10 minutes. The name of the volcano is Pichincha and it's two highest peaks are Guagua(4784m), which in Quechuan means a child, and Rucu(4695m), which in Quechan means an oldster. Pichincha is still active. The last time it erupted and covered Quito in ashes was in 1999 and the mayor eruption before then occurred in 1660.

It's usually sunny up there only until midday, but we were lucky and the sun was shining the whole time. And the sun is extremely strong up there! So is the wind though...  It wasn't hard to breath up there, but it was hard to walk up the stairs. Nevetheless, the view was amazing! We spent a few hours enjoying the view of snowy volcanoes, Quito and planes that were landing, after which we went home to cook and get ready for the week.

L.

Unenäopüüdja/Dream catcher

Laupäeva varahommikuks oli meile, vabatahtlikele, organiseeritud Otavalo külastus. Otavalo on tuntud oma turu poolest, mis õigupoolest moodustabki Otavalo, sest turg on linna suurune. Otavalo turg on Lõuna-Ameerika tuntuim indiaani turg. Kohalikud müüvad kõike, käsitööst jalanõude ja toiduni. Meil oli Otavalo külastuseks küll kahjuks ainult üks tund, kuna pidime edasi kiirustama, aga õnneks on Otavalo ainult kahe tunni kaugusel, seega on sinna lihtne uuesti minna :)

Järgmisena külastasime Peguche koske, kus vapramad meist ka ujuda said. Ujuda oli muidugi küllaltki keeruline, kuna põhi oli kivine ja vesi ei olnud eriti sügav ning lisaks oli kosest tingitud õhuvoolu tõttu raske hingata. See-eest oli vesi küllaltki soe! Ma üritasin ka kose taha minna, ent seal ei olnud võimalik hingata ning vee surve oli 18 meetrise languse tõttu üsna tugev. Hiljem kuulsin, et kose taga on võimalik ainult nägu vastu seina olla, sest ainult nii on võimalik hingata.

Edasi sõitsime ühe vulkaani juurde, kus keset vulkaani oli laguun. Väidetavalt on vulkaan endiselt aktiivne ning seetõttu on järve keskmes vesi mõnes kohas soe. Meie paadiga järvele ei läinud, küll aga oli vesi imeilus ja läbipaistev ka kaldalt vaadates. Hilisõhtul jõudsime Quitosse tagasi, kust mõni meist pidi veel kaks tundi bussiga sõitma, et koju jõuda. Meil Tuvega läks lihtsamini, pool tundi ja kodus me olimegi :)

L.



Teel Otavalosse/On our way to Otavalo




Otavalo turg/Otavalo market



Meie ja poiss alpakaga :)/Us and a boy with an alpaca :)

 

                                

Peguche kosk/Peguche waterfall





Kraater järv/Crater lake





                     

    Mina kraater järve ääres/ Me by the crater lake



  

Unenäopüüdja/Dream catcher



Saturday was a busy day, because the organization had organized us, the volunteers, a trip to Otavalo. Otavalo is famous for its market, which is almost as big as the town itself. It is the most famous indigenous market in South-America. The locals sell everything from handicrafts to shoes and food. Unfortunately we only had one hour in Otavalo, but it's only two hours away, so it's easy to go there again :)

We also visited Peguche waterfall where the bravest ones of us went for a swim. It was a bit difficult to swim since there were lots of rocks in the water, the water wasn't very deep and it was hard to breath. Nevertheless, the water was quite warm! I also tried to go behind the waterfall, but I couldn't stay there for long since there was no air and also the water pressure was very strong as the waterfall was 18 meters high. One of the volunteers told me later that you can only stay there if you face the wall behind the waterfall, because this is the only way you can breathe behind it.

The last stop was by a crater lake on top of a volcano. The volcano is apparently still active and thus the water is warm at some places in the middle of the lake. The water was really beautiful and see-through. We got back to Quito late in the evening, where some of us had to take a two hour bus ride to get home. Me and Tuve were lucky to reach home in half an hour to rest and get ready for Sunday :)

L.

La Liga

Nii uskumatu kui see ka pole, aga eile käisin elus esimest korda jalgpalli vaatamas! Pärast Hispaania keele tunde, töökohtumist ning teiste vabatahtlikega pargis aega veetmist kiirustasin koju, et siis Tuve'ga Metrobus'ile minna. (Metrobus on segu bussist ja metroost, nagu nimigi ütleb. Metrobus sõidab keset autoteed, selleks eraldatud osas ja igas peatuses on pisikesed rongijaama meenutavad ehitised, kuhu pääseb üksnes piletiga. Pilet on kõigest $0.25 ja jänest sõita on võimatu!) La Casa Blanca staadionile jõudes oli tükk tegemist, et Omar, ta tütar ning sõbrad üles leida, sest Tuve väitel oli pealtvaatajaid umbes 22,000. Aga üles me nad leidsime ja edasi suundusime läbi kahtede väravate staadionile. Inimesed olid väga rõõmsad ning laulsid trummide saatel terve aja. Seda ka siis, kui vastasmeeskond värava lõi! Publik oli võrdlemisi rahumeelne, kuna tegemist oli kõigest sõprusmänguga, päris mängud algavad alles pühapäeval. Elamus oli see aga sellegipoolest. Juba enna mängijate väljakule kutsumist lauldi, lasti rakette, pandi plakateid üles jne. Kui mängijad väljakule tulid, kattus staadion ühtlaselt ilutulestiku, tulekustutite tossu, valgete lintide ja kõige muuga, mis kõik hiljem staadionile maandus. Mängijaid ei paistnud see aga häirivat, et enamus sodi väljakule jäeti. Üksnes äärejooned tehti puhtaks. Valgeid linte loobiti seetõttu, et Quito meeskonna La Liga värv on valge. Vastasmeeskonnaks oli miski Columbia meeskond, väidetavalt üks parimaid. Lõppseisuks jäi 1:1, seega rõõmuhõisked jätkusid ka pärast mängu :) (Pildid allpool)

Homme on  mu viimane hispaania keele tund, õigemini on meil eksam! Hurraa erinevatele ajavormidele ja ebareeglipärastele sõnadele! Need, kes läbi kukuvad ähvardati koju tagasi saata!  Tegelikult mitte :) Lähme hoopis kõik koos empanadasi tegema ja pärast seda saame loodetavasti censo'd. Censo on midagi elamisloa sarnast, mis pärast kolme kuud Ecuadoris on hädavajalik. Ilma selleta võib vangi sattuda. Lisaks on see kasulik, kuna sellega saab paljudesse kohtadesse kohalikele mõeldud hinnaga sisse :)

L.

Inimesed mänguks valmistumas/ People getting ready for the game

Vahetult pärst mängijate saabumist/ Right after the players arrived

I went to my first football match yesterday. It's unbelievabel, I know! So after the Spanish classes, a meeting at work and some time at the park with the other volunteers I hurried to get home and take a metrobus to the stadium. (Metrobus is a mix of metro and bus, as the name says. It has it's own lane in the middle of lanes meant for cars. Every stop is like a small train station and the only way to get on it is to have a ticket. Tickets cost only $0.25.) It was a bit difficult for me and Tuve to find our hosthamily and their friends once we got to La Casa Blanca Stadium, because there were about 22,000 other people...but we found them eventually and made our way into the staium through two gates. The people were all merry, they played drums and sang the whole time. They didn't even stop when the other team scored, but it's probably because it was only a friendship game and the real games begin on Sunday. It was a great experience nevertheless. Once the players came on the stadium, the people started shooting fireworks, throwing white ribbons and they even had fire extinguishers! It all landed on the stadium and only the baselines were cleaned. It didn't seem to disturb the players though. People threw white ribbons because white is the colour of the team from Quito, la Liga. They played against some Columbian team, it was said to be one of the best ones. The game ended with 1:1, so the people carried on singing after the game :)

Tomorrow is my last Spanish class or actually we just have an exam. Hurray for different tenses and irregular verbs! We were already warned that the people who don't pass will be sent home! Just kidding :) We're going to make empanadas instead and after that we'll hopefully get our censos. We all need one, since it's illegal to be in Ecuador after three months. So if you don't have one you can get arrested. It's also useful, because most places will charge you the same price as the locals if you have one. 

L.

Centro Histórico

Täna, pärast hispaania keele tunde, käisin koos teiste vabatahtlikega  taaskord Quito vanalinnas. Seekord külastasime ka kirikuid ja Basílica del Voto Nacional'i, mis on neogooti stiilis ehitatud basiilika. Vaieldamatult üks mu lemmikumaid ehitisi vanalinnas! Ronisime ka mitmete tornide tippu ja vaade oli lihtsalt võrratu, aga las pildid kõnelevad enda eest :)

Today, after the Spanish classes, me and the other volunteers went to explore the old town. This time we also entered some churches and Basílica del Voto Nacional, which is a basilica in a new-Gothic style. Definitely one of my favorite buildings in the old town! We also climbed up the towers and the view was just amazing, but let the pictures talk for themselves :)



La Plaza Grande, vasakul on presidendipalee/La Plaza Grande, President Palace is on the left




San Francisco kirik/San Francisco Church




Basílica del Voto Nacional




Vabatahtlikud. Ülevalt vasakult: Simon (Saksamaa), Tim (Saksamaa), Liz (USA), Harold (USA), Alt vasakult: Konstantin (Saksamaa), mina (Eesti), Sonya (Saksamaa), Hannes (Rootsi), Silja (Island), Erin (USA), Jordan (USA). Puudu on vaid Olivia (USA) ning Tove (Rootsi)
The volunteers. From top left Simon (Germany), Tim (Germany), Liz (USA), Harold (USA), from bottom left: Konstantin (Germany), me (Estonia), Sonya (Germany), Hannes (Sweden), Silja (Iceland), Erin (USA), Jordan (USA). Two people are missing from the photo: Olivia (USA) and Tove (Sweden)




Basílica del Voto Nacional




Basílica del Voto Nacional, vaade tornist/Basílica del Voto Nacional, view from the tower




Basílica del Voto Nacional, vaade tornist/Basílica del Voto Nacional, view from the tower




Basílica del Voto Nacional, vaade kellatornist/Basílica del Voto Nacional, view from the clock tower




Kell, Basílica del Voto Nacional/The clock, Basílica del Voto Nacional




Basílica del Voto Nacional/Basílica del Voto Nacional



Espanglish ja nädalavahetus/ Espanglish and the weekend

Möödunud on 5 päeva ja olen siinse eluga võrdlemisi ära harjunud. Keeleks on esialgu 'espanglish', nagu mu siinne perepoeg, Omar, ütleb :). Olen juba paar korda ka hispaania keele tundides käinud, ent selgus, et algajate tunnid tähendavad lihtsa kõnekeele õppimise asemel erinevatele ajavormidele keskendumist. Esialgu on raske, kuid loodan, et saavutan kuue kuu möödudes sama taseme, mis siin juba pool aastat veetnud vabatahtlikud.

Vabatahtlikke on siin hulgi. Ligikaudu 30 neist saabusid augustis ning on siin terve aasta. Neist üks on soomlane, ülejäänud kõik on sakslased. Jaanuaris saabunuid on umbes 13: viis USA'st, üks Islandilt, kaks Rootsist, neli Saksamaalt ning mina Eestist.

Mu esimene nädalavahetus Ecuadoris möödus kiiresti. Reede õhtu veetsin teiste vabatahtlikega mööda vanalinna tatsates. Pilte kahjuks ei ole, aga plaanin sinna peagi tagasi minna. Quito vanalinn on väga ilus, palju pisikesi tänavaid ja imeilusaid kirikuid ning künklik nagu San Francisco.

Laupäeva varahommikul sõitsin Tove (Rootsi vabatahtlik, kes elab samas majas), Omar'i ning tema sõbraga linna nimega Quinche, kus toimus karneval 'Virgen del Quinche' auks. (Nimelt teeb Omar filme ja tal oli vaja oma filmi tarbeks sinna sõita). Kogu külarahvas ning ilmselt ka naaberkülade rahvas oli kokku tulnud suurteks pidustusteks. Muidugi olime mina Tovega kohalikele kui vaatamisväärsused, sest ühtegi teist turisti seal peale meie polnud. Me ei lasknud end sellest aga häirida ning võtsime kohalikest tavadest meelsasti osa. Ametlikule osale kirikus järgnes tantsimine klounide ja teiste tegelastega, kelleks inimesed end karnevali jaoks olid riietanud. Loomulikult kaasati ka meid ning hiljem selgus, et ka filmiti uudiste tarbeks. 

Pühapäeva veetsime kõigi vabatahtlikega ühes suures pargis Quito idaosas (Parque Metropolitano). Siinne organisatsioon korraldas ühe töötaja lahkumise auks BBQ, kuhu kõik vabatahtlikud olid oodatud. Park asus  mäe tipus, seega avanes sealt väga hea vaade Quito ümbrusele. Kuna Quitos elab umbes 1,4 miljonit inimest, mis on umbes sama palju nagu terves Eestis kokku, on Quito koos oma äärelinnadega võrreldes Tallinnaga väga suur. 



Quinche




Pidustused 'Virgen del Quinche' auks/Festival for the 'Virgen del Quinche' 




Kiriku lagi/the ceiling of the church




Klounid/the clowns




vaade pargist/view from the park



I've been here for 5 days already and I feel like I've got used to living here. Instead of Spanish or English I use 'Espanglish' as my host brother likes to say :). I've also taken some Spanish classes, but being in the beginners class is a lot more difficult than I anticipated. We focus more on the tenses, commands and irregular verbs rather than trying to master the everyday language. But even though it's difficult, I hope I'll get to the same level by the end of my stay as the volunteers who have been here for 6 months.

There are lots of volunteers here. About 30 of them arrived in August and are staying for a year, one of them is Finnish and the rest are all German. Plus there is about 13 of us who got here in January and are staying either for 2 or 6 months, 5 of them are from the US, 1 from Iceland, 2 from Sweden, 4 from Germany and me from Estonia.

My first weekend here in Ecuador passed very fast. I spent the Friday evening in the old town with the other volunteers (unfortunately I didn’t take any photos, but I’m planning to go back there soon). The old town is picturesque with its small streets, beautiful churches and lots of hills (like in San Francisco).

Me, Tove (Swedish volunteer who lives with the same family), Omar and his friend left Quito early on Saturday morning to go to Quinche, where there was a festival for 'Virgen del Quinche'. There were lots of people from the village and other villages nearby, but surprise surprise, me and Tove were the only foreigners. The official part at the church was followed by lots of music and dancing. Some of the people had dressed as clowns and other characters and tried to get the people to dance. Of course they also made us join and we found out later that they also filmed us for the news.

On Sunday we went to a park on the East side of Quito (Parque Metropolitano) with all the other volunteers to have a BBQ for one of the girls who has been here for 4 months and is leaving soon. The park was located on top of a mountain, so we had a nice view overlooking the surroundings of Quito.