Semester in Ecuador: Quito & The Galapagos Islands

Weather: Sunny and 76 (I got a bit sunburnt today)

Wow...so today was my last full day in Quito. I can't believe how fast this month went by. It's really odd, I feel like I've been here for 3 months, but at the same time I feel like I just arrived.

This morning I slept in a bit as yesterday was a late night. I had some breakfast with Ines and then I met up with my friend Amber to get some bread for the last time. Instead of Pan del Parque (the usual bread stop) we went to another Panaderia a couple doors down (where my host family gets pan de pina aka pineapple bread). They didn't have the normal pineapple bread (see pic) but they did have a croissant sort of thing with the same pineapple filling. Amber and I each got one and for them both it was .50! It was delicious of course. I am definitely going to miss the variety of breads they have here. I'm hoping I'll be able to get some good bread in the islands, but I'll be having withdrawals once I reach the states in May.

Later in the afternoon I met up with Conor and we walked to Scala mall to get some last minute things before the islands. Everything is more expensive there naturally since it's an island(one tiny bottle of sunscreen is $20). I just got a couple things as I came pretty prepared with all the toiletries I would need. It was really hot out today so the walk to Scala was pretty brutal, especially on the way back since it's all uphill. Scala is the bus stop we would always get on in the morning and it's near Sabai where I went last night.

When I got back I started packing and it was a bit of a pain. In total, I brought 2 duffle bag suitcases and my daypack. I am leaving here with that same amount plus the backpacking pack I bought. So, my carry on is now my backpacking pack and I shoved my daypack/regular backpack into my luggage. Going to the islands we are allowed one big bag, a carry on, and a personal item. If we have an overweight bag or want to bring an extra bag we have to pay extra. The maximum for either of those things is $40. I'll gladly accept that fee compared to American Airlines $100-$200 charge for an overweight bag. We shall see how it plays out tomorrow. I'm excited for to be in the islands but just a tad anxious for when it comes to moving all my luggage around. I am getting a cab in the morning to take me to USFQ for 7:30am so having to load everything in and then out of the cab is a tad daunting.

Ines, Penelope, Angie, and I all had lunch around 3:30pm and then we were off to see Ines's sister. This was my first time meeting her, but I have heard from Ines that she has traveled the world and been to about 80 countries. She worked for UNICEF for several years so this made sense in a way but is still super cool. Primavera is where Ines lives, which is a neighborhood just outside of Cumbaya. Cumbaya is where USFQ is, and both Cumbaya and Primavera are located in a valley on one side of Quito. Ines's sister lives in the valley on the opposite side of Quito. Technically, Primavera and Cumbaya as well as the surrounding neighborhoods are all part of Quito. It's comparable to Boston as Dorchester, Roxbury, and Charlestown are all separate neighborhoods that comprise Boston.

Anyways, Titas (Ines's sister) has a huge house that also has a small guest house. The decorations were from everywhere she has been. A lot of them were from Africa since she spent three years there doing work. That being said, I lost some respect when I saw she had a zebra pelt as a rug as well as another pelt upstairs. She also had part of an elephant tusk that was carved. I held it and it was pretty heavy, so I am assuming that it was real. After spending so much time in Wildlife Conservation Biology learning about the illegal wildlife trade, I have become hyper-aware, and seeing these items that were more than likely part of the trade really bothered me.

When we all first arrived at Titas Angie and I went down to the river. There are steps in Titas's backyard that lead to this river. It was gorgeous and there was a lot of vegetation. It was crazy though because I was taking it all in and just how beautiful it was, but then I looked at the river closer and there was so much trash in it, I couldn't believe it. The river was really low and you could see the rocks in the river; it was the river banks that were cluttered with litter. After awhile of just sitting and talking, Angie and I headed back up to the house for some coffee and bread. Since I don't drink coffee Titas made me herbal tea that was really good. There was no tea bag, I think she picked the herbs from her garden and put them in. Her gardens were absolutely stunning and she had a huge avocado tree. The bread was pan de dulce or sweet bread. It's bread with sugar on top and of course very tasty. Angie gave me a tour of the house after and that's

Julia K

75 chapters

My Last Day in Quito

February 02, 2019

|

Primavera, Ecuador

Weather: Sunny and 76 (I got a bit sunburnt today)

Wow...so today was my last full day in Quito. I can't believe how fast this month went by. It's really odd, I feel like I've been here for 3 months, but at the same time I feel like I just arrived.

This morning I slept in a bit as yesterday was a late night. I had some breakfast with Ines and then I met up with my friend Amber to get some bread for the last time. Instead of Pan del Parque (the usual bread stop) we went to another Panaderia a couple doors down (where my host family gets pan de pina aka pineapple bread). They didn't have the normal pineapple bread (see pic) but they did have a croissant sort of thing with the same pineapple filling. Amber and I each got one and for them both it was .50! It was delicious of course. I am definitely going to miss the variety of breads they have here. I'm hoping I'll be able to get some good bread in the islands, but I'll be having withdrawals once I reach the states in May.

Later in the afternoon I met up with Conor and we walked to Scala mall to get some last minute things before the islands. Everything is more expensive there naturally since it's an island(one tiny bottle of sunscreen is $20). I just got a couple things as I came pretty prepared with all the toiletries I would need. It was really hot out today so the walk to Scala was pretty brutal, especially on the way back since it's all uphill. Scala is the bus stop we would always get on in the morning and it's near Sabai where I went last night.

When I got back I started packing and it was a bit of a pain. In total, I brought 2 duffle bag suitcases and my daypack. I am leaving here with that same amount plus the backpacking pack I bought. So, my carry on is now my backpacking pack and I shoved my daypack/regular backpack into my luggage. Going to the islands we are allowed one big bag, a carry on, and a personal item. If we have an overweight bag or want to bring an extra bag we have to pay extra. The maximum for either of those things is $40. I'll gladly accept that fee compared to American Airlines $100-$200 charge for an overweight bag. We shall see how it plays out tomorrow. I'm excited for to be in the islands but just a tad anxious for when it comes to moving all my luggage around. I am getting a cab in the morning to take me to USFQ for 7:30am so having to load everything in and then out of the cab is a tad daunting.

Ines, Penelope, Angie, and I all had lunch around 3:30pm and then we were off to see Ines's sister. This was my first time meeting her, but I have heard from Ines that she has traveled the world and been to about 80 countries. She worked for UNICEF for several years so this made sense in a way but is still super cool. Primavera is where Ines lives, which is a neighborhood just outside of Cumbaya. Cumbaya is where USFQ is, and both Cumbaya and Primavera are located in a valley on one side of Quito. Ines's sister lives in the valley on the opposite side of Quito. Technically, Primavera and Cumbaya as well as the surrounding neighborhoods are all part of Quito. It's comparable to Boston as Dorchester, Roxbury, and Charlestown are all separate neighborhoods that comprise Boston.

Anyways, Titas (Ines's sister) has a huge house that also has a small guest house. The decorations were from everywhere she has been. A lot of them were from Africa since she spent three years there doing work. That being said, I lost some respect when I saw she had a zebra pelt as a rug as well as another pelt upstairs. She also had part of an elephant tusk that was carved. I held it and it was pretty heavy, so I am assuming that it was real. After spending so much time in Wildlife Conservation Biology learning about the illegal wildlife trade, I have become hyper-aware, and seeing these items that were more than likely part of the trade really bothered me.

When we all first arrived at Titas Angie and I went down to the river. There are steps in Titas's backyard that lead to this river. It was gorgeous and there was a lot of vegetation. It was crazy though because I was taking it all in and just how beautiful it was, but then I looked at the river closer and there was so much trash in it, I couldn't believe it. The river was really low and you could see the rocks in the river; it was the river banks that were cluttered with litter. After awhile of just sitting and talking, Angie and I headed back up to the house for some coffee and bread. Since I don't drink coffee Titas made me herbal tea that was really good. There was no tea bag, I think she picked the herbs from her garden and put them in. Her gardens were absolutely stunning and she had a huge avocado tree. The bread was pan de dulce or sweet bread. It's bread with sugar on top and of course very tasty. Angie gave me a tour of the house after and that's

where I saw the pelts and Ines showed me the tusk.

We eventually left and headed back to Primavera, they were going to take me to Quito to do some sightseeing but Penelope had a migraine so we went straight home. I was fine with this because I was getting a bit tired. When we got back, I had a Spanish lesson to attend to and Angie was my teacher. It lasted about a half hour and then my brain was fully fried. Angie was reading me poetry in Spanish and I had to tell her what it meant in English and then actually read the poems to ensure I get my Spanish pronunciations correct. Afterwards, I facetimed mom and dad since I don't know how it'll work in the islands if at all. My night didn't end there....Angie, Ines, and I all played cards together. It was so much fun and I ended up winning, Ines said it was beginner's luck. She reminds me of Nana in a lot of ways especially when it comes to games. She was really competitive and it was hilarious. She would tap the deck before she drew from it and 4 out of 5 times she got the card she needed. It was crazy! Penelope was resting but I ended up getting pictures with Ines and Angie to commemorate my time here. Afterwards I actually saw Ines shed a tear which was shocking to me. It made me realize she really did enjoy having me here and she'll miss me. They gave me a beautiful blue bracelet too which was such a nice surprise. I will

definitely save it (and try to wear it sometimes) for years to come.

Angie won't be getting up at 7am to say bye (which I completely understand), so I said my goodbyes to her tonight which was really hard. I hope I will see them on May 4th when I have an entire day to kill in Quito before my flight at 11:30pm. If I don't end up seeing them, I plan on staying in touch and I told Angie she is welcome in Boston anytime. Angie doesn't want to have a phone so she shares one with Ines. She has no social media or anything so it will be a bit hard communicating in the future, but I just hope we don't lose touch as I truly consider her a sister. All in all today was so surreal and Quito has been so good to me. I have seen and learned a lot in such a short time, I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything.

Til next time Quito...



1.

The Stress Before a New Beginning

2.

Traveling to Quito

3.

First Full Day in Quito

4.

IES Orientation Day

5.

First Day of Spanish Class

6.

Galapagos Orientation and Day 2 of Spanish

7.

Quito City Tour

8.

My First Dance Class!

9.

Trip to Otavalo

10.

A Trip to Church and The Mall

11.

First Day of Wildlife Conservation Bio

12.

Teleferico

13.

Santa Lucia Cloud Forest

14.

Busy Saturday

15.

The Amazon

16.

Cotopaxi

17.

Guayllabamba Zoo

18.

Antisana & the Paramo

19.

Last Day of Class & Final Bus Trip

20.

My Last Day in Quito

21.

Traveling to the Galapagos!

22.

First Day of Class & Life in San Cristobal

23.

Adjusting & Trying the Tango

24.

Isla Española

25.

La Reina de San Cristobal

26.

$15 for 3 Amazing Places

27.

Tiburones de Tierras

28.

Spending Time with my Host Family

29.

A Trip to the Dump

30.

New Found Love for Essential Oils

31.

Isla Lobos

32.

2 Weeks on Island Time

33.

Last Week of Strategic Mgmt & a Run

34.

Getting Involved

35.

USFQ Family Day

36.

Picture Day and a Miracle

37.

First Day of Political Ecology

38.

Busy Week & Speakers

39.

Lobería & Meditations

40.

The 1 & 2 Month Mark

41.

Carnaval

42.

Rosa Blanca & Kicker Rock

43.

Plastic Pick Up & a Visit to the Hospital

44.

Low Key Weekend

45.

Last Week of Political Ecology

46.

End of a Module & Prepping for Spring Break

47.

Kick off to Spring Break: Floreana

48.

Isabela: First Full Day

49.

Isabela: Day Two & Start of Santa Cruz

50.

Santa Cruz & Return to Isabela

51.

Isabela Round 2, Day 2

52.

1/2 Day on Isabela & Santa Cruz Round 2

53.

Day Trip in Santa Cruz

54.

End of Break: Leaving Santa Cruz

55.

Elections and a New Module

56.

The Job Hunt Abroad

57.

Module 4: First Week Down

58.

Tijeretas

59.

Kicker Rock Round Two & Cerro Brujo

60.

One Month Remaining

61.

La Policia & Other Things

62.

Emotional Rollercoaster of a Day

63.

Santa Cruz + Bartolome

64.

Tortuga Bay & Leaving Santa Cruz

65.

Last Class & Summer Plans

66.

GIS, GIS, & More GIS

67.

Many Options

68.

360 Tour & 1 Week Remaining

69.

The Last Weekend

70.

Farewell Lunch with IES

71.

Family Time

72.

Last Day in San Cristobal :(

73.

Until Next Time, Galapagos

74.

Last Day in Quito/Homeward Bound

75.

Home Sweet Home

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