Public Transportation

Having never lived in a big city, I am a complete novice when it comes to public transportation. I would say that taking the bus to and from school is a wonderful thing and also the worst thing about Quito. Depending on the day, I either get to stand up, with my pack on my front, hanging by my arms from the bars or worse, I am smashed in the doorway like a sardine, wondering if it is better to save my computer from ladrones or keep myself upright; I never get a seat in the morning except for maybe the last 5 minutes. On a good ride, the bus driver does not drive like a maniac - he understands that there is such thing as slowing down before stopping. Normally, even sitting down is a full body workout.

When I first got here, I thought I would never understand the blue buses - where they go, when to pay, how to get off. But now, I have 2 routes figured out (mostly) - to and from class and the other to the park/mall/movie theatre and sometimes back :) Getting on the bus is always a gamble.

the family business

http://www.quitoecuadorhomestay.com/Site/Welcome.html

viene el día del amor y la amistad

Yesterday we went to two flower plantations: one a large producer of Baby's breath (also called jib) owned by a crazy American guy and the other, one of the world's largest rose farms. It was interesting to see these two farms just before the biggest flower holiday of the year. Something like 80-90% of flowers sold in the United States are grown in Ecuador - interesting considering the land and resources it takes to grow flowers when food security is such an important issue in Ecuador. The farms we visited are sustainable with fair labor practices, but the unfortunate reality is that these are two of the best examples - not all flower plantations benefit the community or the environment. On the other hand, the flowers in both places were beautiful and will probably appear in some of your Valentines' Day bouquets! I gave a free bouquet of 11 roses to my host mom and kept the other bouquet to brighten up my room.

Today in the Centro Histórico...

I stumbled upon this in real time:

click for Spanish

click for English

And I almost got to see President Correa... almost.

San Pedro Claver

Quito is a city that spans anywhere between 30 and 80km (depending on who you ask) from north to south. Just when I had finally obtained some sense of direction in the busy, traffic-choked streets of La Mariscal (better known to the Quiteños as Gringolandia), I moved to a completely different side of town. San Pedro Claver, a few blocks west of the airport, will be home sweet home until the end of March. I have new street names and bus routes to memorize and a mission to replace my beloved panadería. My new family welcomed me today with open arms and a delicious bowl of ceviche - I think I'm going to like it here.

Happy Superbowl Sunday to all.

Soy la Margarita

I have a lot of anecdotes from the past week - too much for a blog post. This week was a crash test in my ability to adjust to the simple, Andean lifestyle into which I was adopted in the Intag Cloud Forest. From my family I learned to milk a cow, clean a chicken, plant carrots, harvest potatoes, weave cabuya, and ride a horse. Communication never came easy. And my North American idea of germs and personal space was the least sustainable thing I brought with me - germs do not exist and neither does personal space. My cute family in Palo Seco really did teach me a lot that cannot be shared except through experience.

As for my time in La Florida Reserve, mist nets, long hikes and group bonding were the highlights. I could easily make the cloud forest my home for some time (don't worry, Mama, I'm coming home in May as planned).

my address (hint hint)

feel free to write me:

Maggie Shipley
c/o Ms. Anne de Alvear, Director
Experimento de Convivencia Internacional
Hernando de la Cruz N31-37 y Mariana de Jesus
Quito, Ecuador