I woke up today in my new home stay. It was nice. I spent
the morning walking around the city, getting lost, then getting unlost, then
getting lost again.
I love doing that. By the time I finished lunch, I was very tired. Could’ve been the food, but I think it is jetlag finally catching up. My new friends marveled at how I was so go-go-go after so much travelling, and said it was because I was 22. Well, I told them I’d crash and here it comes!
I really wanted to go exploring though, so I rested for a
bit and then headed out again. I have to spend my free time wisely, while it
lasts! I start teaching soon!
I was out and about once again, the tall girl in the clothes
that slightly stand out amid the wool sweaters and shawls. I had been asking
the folks in my home stay about bikes, and wasn’t getting much of a lead as to
how to go about getting one. I was desperately going through bike withdrawal,
after all, I was known on my college campus as the girl with the bike. And as
much as I loved my Mongoose, I was just fine with picking up something cheap
here. Then, I recalled a bike place near my old home stay from last winter. I
stopped by and made a semi spur-of-the-moment purchase. Used bike, gets the job
done, does okay on the hills, not super-expensive, I’ll take it! And now I have
my “gringa mobile” so I can be the tall girl riding the ghetto used bicycle.
What a sight. I will just never be normal (that’s too boring.)
So now I’m really happy to end my bike withdrawal. Just need
to acclimate myself to biking in Cuenca. After all, the altitude is higher
here, so I’ll take it easy. Even so, with that bike, I found discovering the
city easier, and thrilling. I think I’ve mentioned before the crazy traffic
here…
Maybe I should invest in a helmet as well.Anyway, I was greeted by a peculiar sight when I entered the kitchen tonight. A GIANT PAPAYA. I knew I chose the right place to live! I swear, this thing is about 70 times the size of a normal papaya. We were all taking photos of it, it was that spectacular. Jeez, I haven’t found a reason not to really like Cuenca yet.
Although I went on a wild goose chase for a washcloth today.
It would’ve been easier to find a goose here. I went around, store to store,
asking in Spanish for a washcloth, which I still don’t know how to say in
Spanish. I tried “toalla pequeña,” among other things. Someone handed me a
loofah, but I didn’t want that. Why was
it so hard to find a washcloth!? What do people wash themselves with around
here?! I finally went into some “everything store” and was charged $1.00
for one. I told my cashier that was expensive, it’s just a rag. She told me it
was cheap. Sometimes I wish I could put on a mask or something so people can
stop overcharging me. Or makes quick friends with the locals and have them do
my shopping for me. I needed this stupid washcloth, so I bought it.
…And now, the jetlag is definitely kicking in. I’m beat. I
need my rest if I’m going to tackle the day tomorrow. I need to get a
passport-sized photo so I can get my visa authorized. So I can be LEGAL! How
thrilling.
That reminds me of a quick side note…I met some more North
Americans today; a Canadian couple with permanent residency here. I keep
finding old people who move here for good, which I guess makes sense,
considering it’s cheap here, but it’s still Ecuador, and let’s be honest,
people my age aren’t exactly topping their to-do lists with living here. But
you never really appreciate or fully understand the magic of being here until
YOU ARE HERE. I love it here. I’d come back. And not when I’m ready to retire
either. I’d certainly visit this place again. Ecuador’s such a small South
American country and doesn’t get the attention it deserves. People sometimes
ask me “why are you going there?” To
which I respond “why not?” Sure, I never really thought of coming to Ecuador in
the past, but once I came with my college, I learned that there are probably so
many other places in the world that are worth visiting. Just because you’re
visiting doesn’t mean you’re going to stay there. It doesn’t mean you have to
live the same exact life as the people here. It doesn’t mean you need to
abandon your life and adopt some new lifestyle. But you should learn about the
place, experience it, and give it a chance. Some countries don’t allow women to leave the
house without a man, but I’d still like to visit these places. It’s an
experience I can learn from, and it can give me more perspective on my life and
others’ lives. Kentucky doesn’t allow people to keep ice cream cones in their
back pockets, but it might still be cool to visit it. Maybe I can have my first
run-in with the police there. Then again, would an ice cream cone even fit in a
girl’s pants pocket? They don’t make pants like the used to…some pockets are
even sewn closed!
…Clearly, I’m very tired. I need sleep. I’ll probably dream
about ice cream now. But hopefully not, because it’s kind of cold here and ice
cream thoughts wouldn’t help me warm up. But my alpaca blanket will.
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