Life in Otavalo

The wonderful thing about our planet is that you can go anywhere in the world, experience totally different things in completely different places, and still relate to the people of the area in some way or another.

Though the living, the food, the transportation, the clothes, the language is different, I still feel like I belong, that the people here are really just like me, despite outer appearances.

So here are some ways things are different, because that’s probably what everyone wants to hear about.

1) Rice.  I have been eating a TON of rice.  Probably more rice in the last four* days than in the rest of 2011 combined.

2) Bread.  There’s a bakery about five minutes (walking) from where I’m staying with fresh rolls and all sorts of yummies every morning for 12 cents each.  I’m in heaven!

3) Fruit.  I love fruit.  Especially fresh fruit, and exotic fruit, and cheap fruit.  All of which is in abundance here.

4) Housing**.  Though there are places that are similar to housing you’d find in a city in the US, there are also houses built in the traditional way, and others that are kind of a cross between the two.  Here are some pictures of where I’m staying:

This is our corner of the house

The kitchen/dining room/living area

Valerie in front of her bed

My bed and the AWESOME sign that
Valerie, Kendy and Dagmar made for me!

I’d take a picture of the whole bedroom, but there’s a laundry line strung through the center of it cutting it in two for the picture.  The whole house is the kitchen/dining room/living area, the bedroom/laundry dry room, and the bathroom.

Also, there’s a dog that lives on the roof, and chickens in the backyard.

5) Climate.  You would think it’d be hot here, but really it’s not.  Otavalo is at about 8000 feet elevation***, so it’s cool at night and warms up enough in the day to be comfortable in shorts and a tee shirt, but is not oppressively hot.  Generally it’s sunny in the morning and sometimes rains in the afternoons****.  There’s no need for either air conditioning or heat.  It’s the perfect temperature!

6) The market.  I know there are lots of markets all over the US, but I really like the markets here.  Besides the fruit market, which I’ve already said that I love, there’s the other market with all sort of stuff.  Today I went shopping Ecuadorian style!  Thankfully Valerie was there to translate for me.  Just about everything was handmade with vibrant colors and cultural taste. 

A street near the market

7) Carnival.  The first week or so in March (and the last in February in anticipation of the coming weeks) are “Carnival.”  I’m not really sure why they have this celebration, or what it means, but it gives children free range to throw water balloons and spray foam at people passing by.  So much fun!  

Regardless of these superficial differences however, the people are just like you and me, living a different way.  I love that I can travel to the southern hemisphere and still make friends with other people, even though we don’t even speak the same language.

Today was my last day in Otavalo, tomorrow we’re going to Quito to go zip-lining, and then from there to Manta where I’ll spend my last few days in Ecuador on the beach!

 

 

*FOUR!!! Oh my gosh I’ve already been here FOUR days!?

**I figured I should mention something besides food…

***I’m not used to this…  For the most part I’ve been ok, though sometimes my feet fall asleep more often than they did at home.  Running or hiking becomes more difficult and I get out of breath more easily.  Yesterday I played tag with the kids and today I played some soccer at the Institute, and both times I was dying for oxygen.

****Because it rains a lot and there’s no way to really dry anything out, everything is always damp.  Clothes don’t really dry unless you hang them in the sun, and that’s hard to do when it’s raining.  There’s a mold that persists no matter what you do, and everything smells slightly mildewed.