A Week of Change

This past week has brought several big changes...the end of orientation, the move to Ambato, the beginning of my teaching duties, and a crazy new haircut.

I was really sad to leave Quito, but my stay there ended with one of my best days in Ecuador so far. On Thursday morning, I went to my host brothers´ salon in the upscale Quito mall to be a hair model. I wasn´t exactly sure what this was going to entail, but I found out as the day went on, for 5 hours. In the morning I got my hair chopped off to just above shoulder length and colored. I went back in the afternoon for a makeup session. Then, I was led down to a stage on the main floor of the mall, where I sat in a chair and let the stylist cut my hair. While half the mall is watching, this woman is cutting my hair (without a mirror for me to see what is happening) and people are making surprised and happy faces. And, of course, there is commentary from the 2 MCs who work at the salon. I got a little nervous when I saw a 4-inch piece of hair fall to the ground, knowing that she had already cut about 6 inches off earlier that morning. (Ecua-snap!) Whoooaaa it´s crazy! I came out of this hilarious experience with a super modern, assymetrical haircut with blonde highlights and makeup that kind of made me look like a hooker. HAHA! The things I do for my host brothers...unconditional love, as Alex calls it. I have since washed the makeup off my face and have come to really like my haircut. I will put up pictures as soon as I get my camera cord in the mail. I also got a gift certificate for the salon as a thank-you, though I´m not sure I´ll be able to use it for much, considering that I think my haircut cost around $200 at a normal price. EEK!

That evening I cooked dinner for 7 people in my family and we had a really nice time. I made asparagus, goulash, and apple crisp. I realize that those things don´t really complement each other, but they are just 3 things that I eat in the US that I wanted to share with my Quiteño family. Pablo brought wine, I was thoughtful enough to decorate the table with some beautiful flowers (so cheap in Ecuador!!), and Alexito brought the most amazing macadamia-walnut cheesecake from Casolette again. I had a chance to show them some of the photos I brought from the US and I was so happy that everyone could come and share a final meal with me and the fam.

Friday I came to Ambato and I´m still getting settled in. My room is awesome - I have the whole third floor of the house with my own bathroom and a big bed. My family is very sweet and it´s fun to get to know them. Emily, my three year old host neice is really entertaining and I think I will have a lot of fun with her over the next year. I have already started my duties at SECAP by giving the entrance exams yesterday. There is a huge range of ability in a group of about 35 people, whom we will split into 2 intermediate and 2 advanced classes. I will teach advanced (level 6) and then move up with my students for 2 more semesters until they finish the 8-level English program. I´m pumped to get back in the classroom, though there are certainly going to be some challenges at SECAP because they are completely disorganized. On the plus side, though, the other volunteer and I have pretty much total control of the English program there and are free to do whatever we want.

For my cultural experience of the week, I went to the market today. It was Saturday morning so it was especially crazy!! The way it works is that you get a big grated bin that you set in the middle of floor and then pick through all these stalls and bags of fresh produce to find what you want. Nothing is processed or even given a cursory washing before hitting the store, so you just pick through a bunch of dirty boxes and bags. At first I was terrified because it´s a total madhouse and definitely not up to American sanitary standards (think whole pig roasting what is essentially a tin garbage can, intestines piled in a non-refrigerated dish, and sausage hanging from the pipes on the ceiling) but it was kind of refreshing to see everything in a more natural state. Definitely will be sure to wash, peel, and boil all that stuff!! As you get closer to filling your bin, it moves down the line and market workers start assessing how much you bought. Everything is by appearance, not weight, so I was told to pack the green beans tightly into the bag so it looked like there were less. We got probably 25 pounds of fresh produce, everything from sweet tomatoes to potatoes to carrots to bananas for $13.70. Awesome! We caught a ride home from a man who works at the market. His truck is at least 30 years old and really small, so I sat in the back and held on tight as we drove over the cobblestones back home.

Tonight I´m headed over to another volunteer´s house for board game night. Woo! All 5 gringos in Ambato in one place! We are opting for such a tame gathering because this weekend is a dry weekend. From noon on Friday to noon on Monday it is illegal to buy or consume alcohol, due to the referendum that will happen tomorrow. If anyone is caught under the influence in any way, they are put in jail and fined, apparently. I am pumped to see how all the political activity develops over the next couple of days! I´d be interested in seeing if any of this makes US news, so shoot me an e-mail if you see anything about the consitutional referendum or Rafael Correa´s successes or defeats to come.

Again, thanks for reading.