Wednesday, September 22, 2010

You dance pretty

 Wednesday was Chris’ birthday. To celebrate her birthday she, Emily L, Omar and I went to Bigote for tea and bagel sandwiches. It was really good. I had a caprese bagel sandwich which was very tasty, and we shared a carafe of green tea. The tea was my birthday present to Chris since I didn’t get her anything else, haha. We hung out there for a while taking pictures and Omar read our eyes. He told his that his philosophy (one of many) is that you can read what anyone is feeling through their eyes. He said that both Chris and I are in love and Emily loves to learn or something, whatever that means. The place is pretty tiny- it’s just a couple tables and a small counter outside of the Vegetarian Restaurant- so it when was starting to fill up we left to free up a table.

Then I had about an hour and a half until I had to volunteer so I walked home, put my school stuff away, wrote out a vocabulary list, and walked back to the community center. It took a little longer than I thought it would to get there but it was still locked up when I did. Once we did get in the teacher wasn’t there to I gave a little English lesson using the whiteboard. I basically just wrote out the vocab list and read it with them. Next time I need to get them to participate more because some girls are shy.

When the teacher came in she brought with her a little old lady who was maybe her mother in law? She was 90 some years old but still getting around with only a little help. The girls cut her hair to prepare for Tumbaco (a nearby town) next week when they go to cut the ‘anciano’s’ hair at a retirement home there. Then they learned to do a hair style on each other and I helped by handing out the bobby pins. As the teacher was explaining things I would pick out key words she was saying and write them- and their English translations- on the board.

After class I walked home ate dinner early and then worked on some homework. We had internet for a little while but while I was mid- facebook photo upload it died again. Hopefully this gets fixed soon.

Thursday between my first two classes I went to the iStore in the bookstore to buy a new sync cable for my iPod since I left mine at home. I was disappointed I couldn’t use my credit from my photo book to buy it but it was only $14 so whatever. I’ll have to start buying snacks on my credit so I can use it up. In Anthro we had a 20 minute presentation that went on for an hour. They passed around some weird looking potato things that the Incas grew and they were really sweet and kind of strange.

In Soc we had a pop quiz that I wasn’t ready for. I had been behind on my reading a little and had fallen short a few pages in my reading. Of course that’s what the quiz was on. After that disaster I went with Danielle and Chris to find a computer lab. We hung out there until it was time to meet for Chris (and Grant’s) program-sponsored birthday celebration. We met up at front gate and waited around for 20 minutes or so, for what I’m not sure. When we left we were all following Margoth but when she asked for directions we realized she really didn’t know where we were going. Luckily it was just in the strip mall across from the supermaxi and wasn’t at all hard to find.

We went to Luigi’s which is an Italian deli/café/gelateria. Since there were so many of us we had to wait for them to arrange some tables into a U on the second level just to accommodate us. We all got a dessert with ice cream and I thought we were just going to get ice cream. I got the chocolate mousse cake and some strawberry sorbet- it was delicious. They brought out a cheesecake and a carrot cake with candles for Chris and Grant but then they took them away. I was glad they had the mousse option since I don’t like cheesecake or carrot cake.

We hung out there for a really long time- much longer than any of us thought. By the time we left it was dark. We’re starting to realize that whatever we do with Maria Teresa will take at least a half hour if not an hour longer than we think it will. Once we finally left we were trying to figure out what to do. Danielle and I wanted to go home for a bit to nap or something but a bunch of people wanted to get some beers or whatever. Danielle, Chris, Keunae and I had been talking about painting nails- I really needed to take off that violently pink French I had gotten Monday because it was chipping so bad- but Danielle didn’t want to invite everyone and impose on her family.

After taking way too long to figure out what to do, Danielle and I went to her house to do nails. Salome fed us first and it was one of the strangest things I’ve eaten here. It was bright pink soup! I think it was beets that make it so pink. I didn’t hate it like I was afraid I would but it wasn’t my favorite. Then we got a little tiny portion of stew and rice. I was glad I didn’t have to struggle to eat all my food. The stew was really tasty.

After painting our nails we called Chris who was with Emily T, Betty, Bianca, Keunae and someone’s Ecuadorian convopartner named David. We wanted to go to this bar called Turtle’s Head but there was a $10 cover! Well at least that’s what they thought. It was actually a $10 minimum each but that’s still a lot. So we met up in the park in Cumbaya- no one wanted to go all the way to Quito. David told us he knew a bar that didn’t charge cover so we decided to go there. It was just a little tiny place with a urinal outside the bathroom and an empty dance floor. It was weird but we decided to just stay. Everyone got beers but I just couldn’t drink mine so I gave it to everyone to share.

The only time we danced at all was to We No Speak Americano and maybe the song after it. David told me that I dance ‘pretty!’ Haha, I was dancing like a lunatic. Then after we sat down some old guys came over wanting to dance. I was happy I was on the side of the table that backed up to the wall so I wasn’t an easy target. Betty and Chris ended up dancing a little and the guy with Chris kept trying to get her to mover her hips. At one point he dipped her and she screamed! Haha, it was really funny.

Friday for lunch a bunch of us went to a Korean restaurant in Quito. Keunae had been there before and said it was good so Chris wanted to go there for her birthday. We took the bus to the Rio Coca station, joined up with Lauren who lives right there, and took cabs to the restaurant. We had our own room since there were so many of us. Most people got the lunch size of whatever meal they wanted but since Bianca and I were hungry we decided to share a normal size meal. On the menu it looked huge but it actually ended up being less food for each of us than if we had ordered lunches. Next time we’ll know. Despite the confusion the food was really good and I hope we’ll go back.

After lunch Lauren decided to go home because she was still feeling a little sick but the rest of us decided to walk to Quicentro since it wasn’t too far. On the way we passed a Forever 21 and had to go in. Was that a disappointment! It was not like Forever 21 at home, there were a lot of clothes but it was all crap. The best part of that detour was that Bianca found a great ‘Engrish’ bag.

When we finally got to Quicentro we made a beeline for the ice cream shop we went to the first time we were there. Danielle and I ended up getting the same thing- no surprise there- and it was delicious. Then we walked around a while but I didn’t buy anything. Danielle bought some top coat because we were planning on painting nails later but I think she’s the only one who bought anything.

Then we said goodbye to Keunae’s friend Jean and all 6 of us piled into a cab to Danielle’s house. When we got in the driver said $10 to Cumbaya but when we got to Danielle’s house he wanted more because it was a ‘different sector of Cumbaya.’ Yeah right. We tried to argue but we just paid. We really shouldn’t have but there were six of us in that car- that can’t be legal. Not that they care about that anyway.

At Danielle’s I painted Bianca’s nails because she couldn’t and then I did my toes. I ended up with orange fingernails and blue toenails! Go Illini! Haha. Then we did our makeup and took “Prom” pictures on the spiral staircase in Danielle’s house- which leads to a loft filled with chairs.

That night Christina was having a roof party at her house and we all needed to bring something so we made our way to the Supermaxi- which was packed- and headed out to Lumbisi. I didn’t buy anything at the Supermaxi because I was planning to get some chocolate bread in Lumbisi, mmmm! Since it was so packed it took some people a while to get out of the store but since there were so many of us and we’d have to take separate cabs anyway, half of us just left. But, on our way to the taxi area we saw a Lumbisi bus and just got on. As it was pulling away we saw some of our group walking by and felt bad they missed the bus. Eventually we found out they managed to get on so we all ended up getting in at the same time.

In Lumbisi Emily L showed us where Christina’s house was but I left with Emily, Chris, Danielle, Omar and his friend Fer so I could get some of that delicious bread. Emily and I both pitched in to buy 10 chocolate rolls and on our way to her house we shared one, it was sooo good! There we picked up her ‘aunt’ who was invited to the party as well and we all walked back to Christina’s.

At the party there was pizza which was kind of strange but good. I really miss Chicago pizza!! Most of our time was spent dancing and taking pictures and cooing over Christina’s adorable puppy, Ella. Danielle and I weren’t planning on staying too long- since we had to be ready by 5am the next morning- but the party started to die down early so a bunch of us shared a cab back to Cumbaya.

Hasta luego,
Caitlin

1 comment:

  1. The Turtle's Head is where all of the telepathy comes from.

    ReplyDelete