Somos Equatorianos

A week and a half ago I had a true cultural experience: sitting in the stands as the Ecuador national team played Bolivia in soccer. We somehow managed to be in the "rowdy" section in the stadium. Before the game even started, a gigantic Ecuadorian flag emerged that covered our entire section. Every time Ecuador scored during the game we were essentially showered in beer because excited fans just threw their cups everywhere. Needless to say, Ecuador won the game and we all had a great time!

The following weekend I took my first trip out of the city to Otavalo, a small town two hours north of Quito that is known for the indigenous craft market that occurs on Saturday mornings. We arrived on Friday evening but only began to explore on Saturday. The market was quite a sight. It is centered in the main square of the town but sprawls onto various streets and alleys. From chickens, to scarves, to jewelry, to hammocks, the market had almost everything you could want! I spent a good few hours simply wandering through the various stalls admiring the beautiful embroidery and vibrant colors. Following our shopping stint, we wandered away from the center of town to find a tree called El Lechero.
According to ancient legend, the tree has healing powers and can cure ailments. While the tree was majestic, the surrounding scenery was simply breathtaking. We were lucky to catch a few minutes of sunshine before the clouds rolled in, covering the surrounding mountain tops. While we sat peacefully enjoying the scenery we suddenly realized that a large group of people with go carts had gathered at the top of the hill. We wandered over and asked a policeman what was going on, only to find out that a go cart race all the way down the hill, around some of the scariest curves I have ever seen, was about to begin. We hitched a ride with the race officials back down to Otavalo to witness the festivities. The streets were lined with people in anticipation of the race. I have no idea how they actually stayed on the carts because their mechanism of steering was simply leaning to one side or the other. It was quite a sight! We returned to Otavalo and thanks to the Lonely Planet, found a delicious pie shop that served hot apple, pineapple, blackberry, strawberry, and chocolate pies. It was the perfect way to end the afternoon!


On Sunday a few of us ventured about 15 km out
of Otavalo to Laguna Mojada. We had originally
thought about hiking but thank goodness we decided to take a taxi. The 15 km distance was essentially completely vertical and took almost 40 minutes by car. The Laguna originated from a volcano that erupted and left a basin that slowly filled with water. Although it was quite chilly, the crisp air was the perfect escape from the city crowds and pollution of Quito!

Since returning from Otavalo life has continued to be very busy. On Monday evening the Rotary clubs of Quito hosted the Rotary International President, Dong Kurn Lee. There are currently 5 Ambassadorial Scholars in Quito and we attended the event together. It is very interesting to note the huge differences between Rotary in Ecuador and Rotary in the States. I expected quite a few of the differences, especially in terms of the social/economic status of Rotarians here, but I don't think I quite anticipated the political influence that Rotary has. While the Rotary International president was addressing the crowd, everyone suddenly stood up to signal the arrival of the vice president of Ecuador. It was crazy! The dinner turned out to be better than expected as we were able to meet quite a few members of the Quito Rotaract club who seem to be active. I hope to be able to get involved with some of their projects soon.

I hope everyone is well and that I hear from you soon! Much love!