Las Galapagos (One of the "Wonders of the World")

Day 1: Quito→Guayaquil (costal city)→Las Galapagos

After arriving in Las Galapagos, we hopped on a boat to get to Isla Santa Cruz where we would be staying for the next five days.  The adventure began.

The tropical water of the Galapagos was actually that color.  

The streets of Isla Santa Cruz.

Reid, from Washington, touching the tallest
type of cacti in the world.

                                     A beautiful, yellow lizard type iguana.


             There are 10 different types of turtle species  
          just on the Galapagos Islands.  We also
         learned that one can tell if a turtle egg is
         male or female by its temperature. 

           








Day 2: "Isla Isabela" (the biggest island in the Galapagos)

Heading off on another day of adventuring--we took a 2+ hour boat ride to get to Isla Isabela.

Saw flamingos in their natural habitat--a lagoon.

We also had the opportunity to go to many turtle breeding

centers where they took many turtles in at a young age to keep them safe; they would then send the turtles back to   

                                                                                                            their natural habitats when they were around 3-4 years old. 

Yes, we did go swimming in November. What a life!

It was surreal to see flamingos, turtles, and then penguins all on the same day.

These are white-tipped sharks which are the only type of shark, I believe, that can sleep while not moving.  Most other sharks have to be constantly moving to stay alive.  These sharks are an exception.  In the Galapagos, one can also find whale sharks, great white sharks, as well as many other species.

Day 3: Snorkeling!!

 Ashley (from Michigan) and I standing by the well-known black iguana of the Galapagos.  They literally were everyw

 My lovely sister from Germany, Babett, standing on the volcanic rocks of Isla Santa Cruz.

 Going snorkeling :) I saw a puffer fish which was awesome!

Going swimming in the beautiful waters of this hidden channel.

Day 4: "Tortuga Bay"

 Tortuga Bay--all the Germans were amazed because back at home, it was snowing for them.

 Tj (from Canada) and I :)

 Going into a lava tunnel.

 
Melissa has an idea :) My buddy from Mass.

Tj and I going crazy behind a turtle.

Day 5: Heading Home

Babett and I in front of a huge sunken crater.

   Overall, going to the Galapagos was an incredible experience and it makes me realize more and more that we live in such a wonderful, creative, and intricately made world. Gracias padres for allowing me to experience this!

      October 26th-- "The Opening Ceremonies"
         

                
                     The day before we picked the song and the two exchange students of the class (TJ from Canada and I) choreographed the dance.  Now you are probably wondering what all this is for.  Every colegio here in Quito has a school sports tournament that is spread over a months time.  Each curso (or grade) creates a team name, picks a mascot, and then presents in front of the whole school in the opening ceremonies which is this video.  Each grade has the freedom to do whatever they want in the presentation so we decided to go all out.  Our mascot was the "Pac-Man" and so our team name was "Six Pac-Man."  In my opinion, this whole sport tournament concept is awesome because of the team building that is involved.  The classes become closer and this gives them a sense of teamwork.  Just the other day, we as quinto curso girls played sexto curso (senior girls).  A lot of the girls on our team thought it was not possible to beat the seniors but things changed that day.  We ended up winning the game 2-0 with two epic goals made by our whole team effort.  All the quinto curso guys were shouting hilarious chants as we, girls, kept up our game.  Those are the moments that I will always remember. :)

"Six Pac-Man"--They go all out when it comes to team spirit :) Here are two wonderful young ladies in my class: Majo y Briggette

The team! Yes, we have matching shirts which are awesome.

The quinto curso ladies; we are getting more confident with our soccer skills after every game.

The lovely sexto curso class (seniors) who all dressed up from the movie "Grease."

Our mascot, the Pac-Man, and I 

Getting ready to dance in front of the whole school

    Just yesterday, I was standing on the equator with one foot in the southern hemisphere, one in the northern hemisphere.  Now, that is a grand concept! A woman was actually trying to balance an egg on the exact line because it is said if one tries to do this, it is possible because of the complete balance on the equator.  The problem with this is that the equator line has changed because of continental shifts, earthquakes, and the like but hey I was technically on the equator or very close to it; and yes, the toilets actually do flush the other way here in Quito, Ecuador because we are in the southern hemisphere.

What's Different About Living On the Equator:

1. There is no day-light savings time because there is no need to save daylight. It gets dark around 6-6:30 pm almost all year around.
2. Technically speaking, there are only two seasons here: summer & winter. (It's November here right now and it's sunny and beautiful out---what a life!)
3. Millions of different species of animals live in Ecuador because of the four diverse climates/environments in just one country: a) the Galapagos b) the coast c) the mountainous region b) the Amazon
4. When it's sunny out, it is really really bright outside! You can get burnt in just the first minutes of being out in the sun---of course this happens because one is closest to the sun on the equator most of the year.
5. Many animals migrate here which results in penguins from Antarctica and whales from Alaska hanging out together at the Galapagos :) (Going there in about two weeks!) 

Babett and I standing at the equator=Latitude 0--0--0 (La Mitad del Mundo)

         Now it is time to learn a little bit about the Ecuadorian food...

               First off, the food is wonderful here, absolutely wonderful!! Every time when I come home from colegio (school), I know a lovely plate of Ecuadorian food is waiting for me.  It's like I'm eating at a restaurant but every day for every meal. Yes! 


            Typical Ecuadorian Dishes/Foods:




"la fritada"----a dish that includes corn on the cob (choclo), sweet plantains (plantano maduro), beef (carne), baked potatoes (papas fritadas)

"los gatos encerrados"--this literally translates to wrapped-up cats but of course, that is not what one is actually eating; this is a wonderful dessert that consists of cheese and banana cooked inside a fried outer shell (SO, SO TASTY!)

"colada morada"--this is a typical drink that is made during "el Dia de los Disfuntos" or the "Day of the Dead"; this thick, fruit drink consists of 5+ different fruits including the rinds of pineapples and it is usually drunk when heated

"caldo de gallina"--chicken soup; they basically put half a chicken in your soup and wish you luck

"caldo de patas"--another wonderful soup that is made with peanuts and cow's foot ( la pata de la vaca); now this may sound gross but it is actually quite tasty

 

"chocolate caliente con queso"--they don't just drink hot chocolate here, they drink hot chocolate with cheese




"pan, pan, pan"--bread, in general, is the basis to almost every meal here; when you go to a bakery you don't just have whole-wheat and plain bread to choose from, you have over 25+ options. I have yet to try every type.

 "jugos frescos"---in general, fresh fruit drinks are very typical here in Ecuador. I drink at least two different fresh fruits drinks everyday and they are so delicious! Types: guayaba, guava, la tomate del arbol, piña, mora (blackberry), naranja (orange), etc.



















   "cuy"---guinea pig; enough said











                  Food is definitely a huge part of the Ecuadorian culture; meal time is specifically a special time to bond with the family here.  I have shared many hilarious, cultural, as well as religious discussions over wonderful meals of delicious Ecuadorian food with my host family.  I've also made it my goal to learn how to cook Ecuadorian style :) 


            More to come! If you got really hungry by looking at all this wonderful food (except the guinea pig...), I challenge you to go for it and try to cook one these tasty meals yourself.  If the Ecuadorians can do it, it's possible.

¡Buena suerte y buen provecho!

       Serena

Ecuador = Four Seasons in One Day

A beautiful view we got heading up to hike Pasochoa a few weekends ago.

     
             When I wake up at around 6 am every day, it's already bright outside and people are already starting their days.  From morning to mid-day, it's usually very beautiful outside--sunny and comfortable--but then comes the rain at around 4 pm.  Man, when it rains here, it rains!  Now, this is not the weather schedule every day but this is the weather norm.  It's funny but people don't own rain jackets here.  When I walk around with my hardcore "event" rain jacket, people look at me as if I'm strange.
           Just last night, Brian (host brother-22) took Babett (my roomie) and I to an outdoor concert at "La Plaza de los Torros" and guess what, it rained the whole bloody time! But hey, it was an experience though standing on concrete terrace seats, moving to 80's Ecuadorian music, and being totally drenched.

Check out this video if you want a taste of what the concert was like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWn6Oi29nT8

In general, if you want to mix up your music playlist a bit, listen to some of this catchy latino music :)

   "Hasta Que Salga El Sol"--Don Omar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwvt2U9WLqM

   "Pasarela"--Daddy Yankee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld3p2BbUwO4

   "Madrid"--Fernando & Sorocada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNTyvhRdZns

  "Balada Boa"--Gusttavo Lima

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NNi4JIwsCo

My host family sitting around the dinner table, enjoying life--the little moments :)

    Now for the little moments:

-Went to an LMFAO concert for the experience :) We were definitely party rockin'!

-The last few Fridays, TJ (exchange student from Canada) and I have been invited to hang out at our guy friends' houses.  This consists of playing soccer or any sport you can think of using a soccer ball :)  (Hopefully I'll find a girl's team to play on soon but if not, I guess I'll keep playing pick-up fútbol games with the guys.)

-I have an awesome math & physics teacher who looks like a Native American straight out of a tribe from the NW.  Yes, he has long black hair and wears turtlenecks basically everyday.  He has a total passion for math & science in general and you can totally tell. He gets into deep topics about philosophers and his goal, as a teacher, is for us, students, to actually understand the material, not just memorize the facts and move on with life.

-If a guy's voice cracks, nobody cares haha :) I think that's awesome.  Actually, guys make all sorts of hilarious noises when they're excited or amazed--very, very entertaining!

- Bus transportation is also very entertaining here.  If you get on the bus during rush hour, you are literally butt to butt and stomach to back with people that you have/and will never know--what a bonding experience.

Our wonderful pink, pink room :) Yeah, I've got the top bunk.

         Story time: Babett and I were coming home from buying books at "Quicentro" and of course, the only way to get home was to ride the bus so we did just that.  I crammed unto the bus and Babett barely made it. Half her body was still hanging out of the door while the bus door was trying to close.  She somehow made it. All I could see of her was her wet rain jacket hood crammed between two huge people.  "You ok down there Babett?," I asked and I got a strained "yeeess." Oh what a life we live. :)

"El Dia de la Bandera" (where the highest achievers of the senior class get recognized)

    My host sister (mi ñaña) Brenda was 4th in her class of 120+ I believe. She is a very hard-working and studious sister--she definitely deserved this honor.

"El Centro Histórico"---this is the plaza where all the Ecuadorian governmental power is located.  There is a building that represents the church's voice, the "pueblo's" voice, as well as the government's voice.  Also, there is no other place in Latin American that has this much power condensed into one place I believe.  

A beautiful iglesia in the historical center of Quito.

The adventures keep on coming :) More to come!

I will end this blog time with a bit of Ecuadorian humor. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN-rQ0DvKVQ