Trip to Otavalo

Weather: Sunny and about 60-65 degrees (got sunburnt in Otavalo)

I'll jump back to yesterday since I didn't get a chance to journal. I started the day sitting though another 4 hour orientation directed towards all international students attending USFQ this semester. I've already sat through a general one for IES, and then a second one for USFQ that was directed just towards IES and exchange students. In total there's about 30 people in IES and about 10-12 exchange students that chose to enroll directly in USFQ. For me, IES was the best option since they are supported by UMaine. I also get added benefits like field trips (like Otavalo which I'll get to in a minute). Exchange students are in all my classes, and they live in homestays they just enrolled differently. There's been a lot of orientations which is understandable since we are brand new to this country. However, hearing the same thing five times over gets old pretty quickly.

Friday marked the day I finished up my week long Spanish course. We had a final exam after an hour of review, and it went pretty well. It's bad I am in vacation mode at the moment, and with my real classes starting Monday I need to get my butt into gear. After class a few friends and I headed to the mall across from campus and got Baskin Robins. For some reason my friend Amber and I had a major sweet tooth. Just a side note, Amber is from Texas but goes to school in Hawaii. In Cumbaya we are neighbors and we go to dance class together in the park up the street from us! On our way home from the mall, we stopped in a bread store that's located down the street from our houses. We ended up getting freshly baked rolls with sugar on the top of them and holy moly they were delish. We also got bags of raisin cookies and they were so addicting I ended up giving them to Ines cause I didn't need that much sugar. Later that evening, I attended my second dance class with Amber. I was a tad sore from the class the night before, plus walking up and down the hill to our homestays is literally a hike and a half. It was still so fun and when we first arrived we ended up having a good conversation in Spanish with a local. That was really cool for me since I normally stick with talking to my host family. After dance class I was off to bed since we had to be up and ready to go by 6:30am today.

As a side note, my professor for my political ecology class emailed us the other day saying that instead of classwork, we are going to do a study on the different types of plastics washing up on two beaches on San Cristobal. I emailed her back asking if it would be okay for me to use data from this project as my capstone, and that I planned on doing volunteer research during my time on San Cristobal. She ended up emailing me back saying that shouldn't be a problem and provided me with a contact so I can get going on research before her class even begins! Basically, I would be doing volunteer research to boost my resume but it would overlap with my course and I could use the data for my capstone at UMaine. I'm thrilled due to the fact I'm killing three birds with one stone. More to come on this...

Flash forward to this morning which started for me around 5:30am. I took Lucy's taxi (the taxi driver my host family always uses) and she got me to USFQ for 6:45am. Soon after we all arrived we were on the bus heading towards Otavalo. Our first stop was breakfast at a local restaurant near Otavalo. I had some fruit, hot chocolate, and some bread that almost is a cross between bread and crackers. They had live violinists and it was just amazing. The restaurant also had a breathtaking view of Imbabura which is a snowcapped

volcano...definitely a highlight and a great way to start the day!

After breakfast we went to Peguche waterfall right in Otavalo. What blew my mind is that on the way there we past cows on the side of the road that were grazing. These cows belonged to people but they just roam around. Granted this may not be the ideal environmental practice due to erosion concerns however, I didn't see a single barn anywhere. I know I keep repeating myself but the standards for food here are so high compared to America. The cows I saw were a lot smaller than the average cow in America, and I'm assuming this is because we genetically enhance our cows...here that is not a thing.

Anyways, the Peguche waterfall is located on a native reserve. The natives opened up the land to tourists so they could enjoy the view as well. Before getting to the waterfall, we passed through a little market set up by the natives that live in the area. For some reason we were told not to buy anything here and save our money for the Otavalo Market. I think our program director's reasoning was because we would get better bartering deals in Otavalo. There were also a lot of dogs around...more than I am use to seeing here. It was unclear whether these dogs were all strays or actually belonged to people. While we were walking from the bus to the market, there were baby puppies running around which belonged to an old Ecuadorian woman sitting on some steps. Everyone including myself went over to the puppies to get a closer look at them because they were just adorable. The old woman then started talking to someone she knew and called us all gringitos. It was hilarious because we got so excited over this one puppy, we lost all regard for what was going on around us.

After winding through the market we started our hike to the waterfall. It was a short one, but at times it was steep and I am still not used to

the altitude here which takes the breath out of me easily. I was hoping that by hiking the hill home everyday it'd get me use to the altitude faster. However, Otavalo is 2 hours North of Quito meaning it is about 2,500 feet higher in elevation than Quito. we got to the waterfall and before we could even see the actual waterfall we felt the mist coming from it. It was so refreshing because it was hot and a tad humid out. We then went up higher to be at the same height as where the waterfall starts (there was a viewing point that overlooks the whole waterfall). To be honest, as I write this it doesn't feel real that I am experiencing all these beautiful places. I think part of it has to do with the fact that I have been going non-stop since arriving here a bit over a week ago. Driving past the snowcapped Imbabura volcano this morning I was fascinated with how beautiful it was, but I was also thinking about what would happen to the area if it ever exploded (even though it is inactive).

After spending time at the waterfall we headed out to the Otavalo market. The people of Otavalo are famous for their textiles and artisan work. The market is always on Saturdays and I think I read somewhere it occurs a couple other days a week, but the biggest day to go is on Saturdays. Our Spanish teacher actually taught us bartering vocab so we would be prepped and ready to get some good deals.

As I walked into the market it was super overwhelming. There were people everywhere, both sellers and customers. There were people yelling to get your attention. They'd try to show you what they were selling, and you just kinda had to keep walking until you saw a tent you wanted to go to. Once I walked a bit deeper into the market it became more structured and less "in your face" if that's the right wording. My friend Nicola and I walked around the market together; her Spanish is a lot better than mine, so if I got stuck trying to barter she would help me out with some vocabulary. Overall, I made it through the entire market without using English (not that some of the sellers would understand) but that was a proud moment for me. I had to turn to Nicola for a bit of help at points but for the most part I understood everything.

I ended up leaving the market with pants that are one of the most well known items sold at the market. Apparently they are quick drying and could make great hiking pants. I got these for $5, I got two hair scrunchies for $1, a leather Ecuador keychain for $1, and two scarves that were made from Alpaca wool for $10. The lady originally wanted $10 for one scarf but I ended up getting 2 for $10. When I got back home and told Ines that, she was even impressed so I took that as a great sign. A lot of the time, the locals at the market will double the normal going price of an item just because we are white. The stereotype behind calling us "gringos" is that we all are rich and like

drugs. For me, hearing that my host mom was impressed by the prices I got showed that I didn't get swindled today so for me that was a win. The Otavalo market was a great experience and even though locals like Penelope (the host daughter) thinks the market is for gringos, I honestly didn't see that many white people there. It was a genuine market with people who are passionate about creating items. Granted, there were some items you would see repeatedly from tent to tent but there were so many handcrafted items it was truly amazing.

We headed to a much needed lunch after the market. It was an okay lunch in comparison to the ones we've had previously this week. The main course for vegetarians was a heaping pile of rice that had seasoning and some veggies mixed into it. The dessert was fruit topped with a homemade whipped cream and the meal was accompanied by a lime/lemon juice. It came with some sort of weird

soup at the beginning, I wasn't a fan of it but neither was anyone else. I'm still proud at how much food I've tried within a week long span.

Post lunch we headed to our last stop on our tour for the day...Laguna Cuicocha. This was a lagoon at the top of the 4th most dangerous volcano in Ecuador. It is still considered active but hasn't erupted for more than 1,000 years. We all took a boat ride around the entire lagoon and in a way the scenery reminded of mix between the Na Pali Coast and Alaska. This was an amazing experience and it is so weird to say that I took a boat ride in a lake that has formed on a crater.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. We got back on the bus around 5:30pm and did not get back to USFQ campus until 7:45pm. That's over 12 straight hours of being busy. Since the day began a lot of my friends were talking about going out to one of the bars near the USFQ campus. Part of me wanted to go really badly due to FOMO (fear of missing out). Another part of me was kinda nervous about the whole ordeal in part because my friend Amber wouldn't be around to Uber or take a taxi back with me. Since she lives so close to me, it would be super convenient and the buddy system is always a plus. I don't see myself going out much during my last 3 weeks in Quito because I have a lot of field trips coming up, and I'm sure we will all have a ton of homework to do. That being said, I do want to experience the nightlife in Quito at least once or twice because it is such a huge part of their culture here. Everyone goes out and dances the night away, so I think it'd be fun to have that memory in my back pocket. In the islands, it will be so much easier to go out because we are within walking distance of each other and the restaurants/bars. Due to the closeness in the islands a lot of logistics get thrown out the window which is super helpful and makes the night more enjoyable. Due to my fear of FOMO I reached out to Kathleen and told her my fears, she said she didn't go out her first weekend either and that made me feel a whole lot better. As I write this laying in bed, I'm happy I'm here resting, and not overdoing myself and end up getting sick. FOMO is definitely a thing that is not discussed during pre-departure meetings and orientations, you just don't hear of it. I think FOMO is why I am looking forward to the Galapagos Islands because we will all be able to be together more often, and not be so spaced out like we are here in Cumbaya.

To wrap up this lengthy post, today was a whirlwind of a day but it was absolutely incredible and I experienced three more beautiful parts of Ecuador that I won't ever forget. I've made great friends already and I am excited to see where this adventure takes us all. I don't think I could do an entire semester in Quito simply because I'm not a city person and it's pretty polluted here due to all the diesel. However, I am loving everything here from the food, to landscapes, to the architecture everything is just gorgeous.