So I know, sometimes we go overboard in the States. For a school to go anywhere that's not school with their students they have let the parents know and get their permission, plan the trip, get extra chaperones to make sure none of the students run off, etc, etc, etc. We all love to roll our eyes that the
So how do the Ecuadorians do something like this? Well, permission slips don't exist in this country.. If the school says 'jump', the students jump. If they say 'go here', the students go there. Once, the child of a family that I know went with his school to the movie theater to see some 'educational' movie (I don't remember the name, I just remember that it didn't sound all that educational). The parents found out AFTER the fact when the kid arrived home and told his mom and dad that he needed to take $10 to school the next day to pay for the field trip he had ALREADY gone on. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at this.. The hourly minimum wage here comes out to something like $2.70.
Anyways, around 8 AM this morning (towards the end of my 7-8:15 AM class) I started to notice that cars were starting to drop off kids and bikes outside of our school..
'That's cool,' I thought. 'I want to bike!'
When I got downstairs around 8:25 I realized that absolute mayhem was unfolding outside.
"What's going on?" I asked some of the other teachers. I found out that a lot of the high schools and some of the universities in Cuenca were biking around the city today.
There were hundreds of high school students (lets say 13-17 here in Ecuador) students gathering on the street. But, here's the catch... The street was still open and cars were slowly pushing through the throngs of students, honking to tell students to pedal (and pedal quickly) out of the way.
I stepped outside to watch. This was too good to miss. Among the hundreds of students students (and several cars) I think I saw... Four teachers. That's right. FOUR!
On of the teachers was standing on the corner and shouted, "Asuncion! Por aqui!" (Asuncion - one of the high schools. This way!). The mob of students just continued to mill about.
'This is hilarious', I thought again.
I went inside to get my camera. Picture opportunities like this don't come along too often. By the time I got outside (maybe 2 minutes later) all of the students were gone.. Maybe it was better organized than I thought. I'll let you be the judge.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Parque Nacional Cuyabeno
After the unfortunate experience (to say the least) in Quito, we took another overnight bus (left Quito at 11:30 pm and arrived at 7 am) into the Amazon and arrived in a small town called Lago Agrio. There we met up with two different groups of Germans and waited to be picked up by the tour company (for those of you that hear the word 'tour' and cringe, it's basically impossible to visit any remote parts of the Amazon without being on a tour). We got picked up around 9 am started a 2 hour bus ride along a road that parallels the Trans-Ecuadorian pipeline (we were in the part of the country where the people had filled the largest class-action lawsuit against an oil company. Ever. I'll go more into that in the next post.). Finally, we got to a river, boarded a boat and headed even deeper into the jungle on a 2 hour canoe ride.
I don't know why, but the entire canoe ride I couldn't help compare it to the jungle tour at Disney. I don't know why... I guess because it was just a surreal experience. This part of the jungle has an abnormal amount of water, making it possible to get to a lot of different places via canoe. And, right by the lodge there was a large lagoon where we could swim (as long as we only saw in the middle off the canoe.. Close to the shore it can be dangers since you're close to the animal habitats). And, then there was the lodge.. An oasis in the middle of it all. The beds were comfortable, the cabins were quaint, there was a room with nothing else but hammocks and there lots of delicious food.
Also, most importantly, during the course of the 4 days we were there we saw; endangered pink river dolphins that are only found in a river in China and in the Amazon river, an anaconda, several different types of monkeys, piranha, caiman and an uncountable number of beautiful, colorful birds. It's hard to explain it all in words, so hopefully these pictures help..
Our canoe ride to the lodge. As I said, it was so incredible that I actually had trouble believing where I was. I can't even describe it.
Very early in to the canoe ride we saw an anaconda sunning itself by the river. Our guide told us that anaconda's can exert something like 6 kilos of pressure per square centimeter where they constrict.. Not something I want to see or experience!
Some monkeys were playing in some trees by our lodge before lunch one day.
One of the monkey's friends in the next tree over.
Every evening we went out into the middle of the lagoon by the lodge in the canoe where we could swim and watch the sun set. It was quiet a way to end the day, but the guide made sure we stayed in the middle of the lagoon. Swimming closer to the shore you'd run the risk of running into some of the other inhabitants of the lagoon.. The most dangerous? The electric eel!
Even trips to the bathroom reminded you that you were in the middle of the jungle.. When the toad jumped out of the sink to a ledge about 4 feet away it almost scared the life out of me.
No trip to the jungle would be complete without seeing a big, hairy spider.. I didn't feel the urge to get too close, though, and let the guide take the picture.
Here I am by a sign by the canoe landing. Every once and a while I have to prove that I haven't withered away or been befriended by an anaconda!
I don't know why, but the entire canoe ride I couldn't help compare it to the jungle tour at Disney. I don't know why... I guess because it was just a surreal experience. This part of the jungle has an abnormal amount of water, making it possible to get to a lot of different places via canoe. And, right by the lodge there was a large lagoon where we could swim (as long as we only saw in the middle off the canoe.. Close to the shore it can be dangers since you're close to the animal habitats). And, then there was the lodge.. An oasis in the middle of it all. The beds were comfortable, the cabins were quaint, there was a room with nothing else but hammocks and there lots of delicious food.
Also, most importantly, during the course of the 4 days we were there we saw; endangered pink river dolphins that are only found in a river in China and in the Amazon river, an anaconda, several different types of monkeys, piranha, caiman and an uncountable number of beautiful, colorful birds. It's hard to explain it all in words, so hopefully these pictures help..
Our canoe ride to the lodge. As I said, it was so incredible that I actually had trouble believing where I was. I can't even describe it.
Very early in to the canoe ride we saw an anaconda sunning itself by the river. Our guide told us that anaconda's can exert something like 6 kilos of pressure per square centimeter where they constrict.. Not something I want to see or experience!
Some monkeys were playing in some trees by our lodge before lunch one day.
One of the monkey's friends in the next tree over.
Every evening we went out into the middle of the lagoon by the lodge in the canoe where we could swim and watch the sun set. It was quiet a way to end the day, but the guide made sure we stayed in the middle of the lagoon. Swimming closer to the shore you'd run the risk of running into some of the other inhabitants of the lagoon.. The most dangerous? The electric eel!
Even trips to the bathroom reminded you that you were in the middle of the jungle.. When the toad jumped out of the sink to a ledge about 4 feet away it almost scared the life out of me.
No trip to the jungle would be complete without seeing a big, hairy spider.. I didn't feel the urge to get too close, though, and let the guide take the picture.
Here I am by a sign by the canoe landing. Every once and a while I have to prove that I haven't withered away or been befriended by an anaconda!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The mustard trick 2.0
When I did study abroad in Ecuador in 2009 we were warned that thieves in Quito had been know to spray mustard (or another staining substance) on the back on a tourists pants. The same thief, or an accomplice, would then come up to you and point out the mustard and tell you that they knew of a place where you could clean it off. If you went with them, they would get you away from other people and then rob you.
Once in 2009 I was walking through the Historic Center in Quito with a friend. That day in particular I was especially nervous since I had my laptop in my backpack, something I rarely took out of the house. A man came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. He pointed at the back of my pants. I looked and saw mustard down my right pant leg. He told me he knew of a place where I could clean my pants. I started to follow him out of instinct, but then I remembered the warning we had all been given about this exact situation. I turned around and walked away in the other direction with my friend.
Fast forward to 2012...
I arrived in Quito with a friend this morning (we took a night bus last night) and after dropping our stuff off at a hostal I took off to walk around the city (my friend had to stay at the hostal and do some work). I don't know what it is, but I just love walking down the narrow streets of the old town, seeing the different churches and squares. 12:30 rolled around and I started to make my way over to an indoor food market to meet a friend, who lives in Quito, for lunch.
I wasn't entirely sure where I was going so I would walk a couple of blocks and then check the map in the Lonely Planet. That's how I ended up at a random street corner about 8 blocks from the heart of the Old Town. I was looking down at the map when a guy to my left caught my eye.
"You want to go that way," he said while he pointed towards the center of the Old Town.
I ignored him and started to turn my attention back to... SPLAT.
A brown substance was all over my shirt.
'How do I have dulce de leche (think caramel) on my shirt...' I thought.
Another man came up to me. He pointed to the balcony above me and said, "You need to move."
I just stood there in shock, trying to figure out what had just happened. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but what was really only a second or two, my brain started to work again.
'There is no way this came from the balcony. I need to get out of here'
I turned to my left and walked through a door and into a shop.. That's when the smell hit me. Whatever was on my shirt smelled horrible. I mean, terrible.
I asked the gentleman in the shop if I could use the bathroom. He warned me that the people outside were trying to rob me and then kindly pointed me in the direction of the bathroom.
As I walked into the bathroom, the truth finally dawned on me. It wasn't mustard this time. It wasn't ducle de leche. I was feces (pretty sure it came from a human too). I was furious.
'Rob me. Push me. Punch me. But this?!?' I didn't want to believe it.
Luckily I had another shirt in my backpack. And the thieves didn't get anything of mine. But, it had gotten on my shirt, pants, shoes, backpack and guide book.
T-shirt went in the trash. Pants and backpack got a good scrub with detergent at the hotel. Shoes.. We'll it's just a spot. And I haven't looked at the guidebook yet. I just put it under the bed telling myself I'd deal with it later.
No pictures this time... You don't want picture of this. I was trying to figure out why I got so hungry around 5 pm. And then I realized.. the smell had killed my appetite at lunch. I had tried to eat, but couldn't.
DEAR CRIMINALS OF THE WORLD,
THERE ARE SOME LINES THAT SHOULDN'T BE CROSSED. EVEN IF YOU'RE ABOUT TO ROB ME!!!
SINCERELY,
ME, HUMANITY, HUMAN DECENCY
When I finally left the store bathroom and stepped onto the street I swore loud enough to startle a man 5 or so feet away. You should all know me well enough to know that it takes a lot to get me to that point.
Once in 2009 I was walking through the Historic Center in Quito with a friend. That day in particular I was especially nervous since I had my laptop in my backpack, something I rarely took out of the house. A man came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. He pointed at the back of my pants. I looked and saw mustard down my right pant leg. He told me he knew of a place where I could clean my pants. I started to follow him out of instinct, but then I remembered the warning we had all been given about this exact situation. I turned around and walked away in the other direction with my friend.
Fast forward to 2012...
I arrived in Quito with a friend this morning (we took a night bus last night) and after dropping our stuff off at a hostal I took off to walk around the city (my friend had to stay at the hostal and do some work). I don't know what it is, but I just love walking down the narrow streets of the old town, seeing the different churches and squares. 12:30 rolled around and I started to make my way over to an indoor food market to meet a friend, who lives in Quito, for lunch.
I wasn't entirely sure where I was going so I would walk a couple of blocks and then check the map in the Lonely Planet. That's how I ended up at a random street corner about 8 blocks from the heart of the Old Town. I was looking down at the map when a guy to my left caught my eye.
"You want to go that way," he said while he pointed towards the center of the Old Town.
I ignored him and started to turn my attention back to... SPLAT.
A brown substance was all over my shirt.
'How do I have dulce de leche (think caramel) on my shirt...' I thought.
Another man came up to me. He pointed to the balcony above me and said, "You need to move."
I just stood there in shock, trying to figure out what had just happened. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but what was really only a second or two, my brain started to work again.
'There is no way this came from the balcony. I need to get out of here'
I turned to my left and walked through a door and into a shop.. That's when the smell hit me. Whatever was on my shirt smelled horrible. I mean, terrible.
I asked the gentleman in the shop if I could use the bathroom. He warned me that the people outside were trying to rob me and then kindly pointed me in the direction of the bathroom.
As I walked into the bathroom, the truth finally dawned on me. It wasn't mustard this time. It wasn't ducle de leche. I was feces (pretty sure it came from a human too). I was furious.
'Rob me. Push me. Punch me. But this?!?' I didn't want to believe it.
Luckily I had another shirt in my backpack. And the thieves didn't get anything of mine. But, it had gotten on my shirt, pants, shoes, backpack and guide book.
T-shirt went in the trash. Pants and backpack got a good scrub with detergent at the hotel. Shoes.. We'll it's just a spot. And I haven't looked at the guidebook yet. I just put it under the bed telling myself I'd deal with it later.
No pictures this time... You don't want picture of this. I was trying to figure out why I got so hungry around 5 pm. And then I realized.. the smell had killed my appetite at lunch. I had tried to eat, but couldn't.
DEAR CRIMINALS OF THE WORLD,
THERE ARE SOME LINES THAT SHOULDN'T BE CROSSED. EVEN IF YOU'RE ABOUT TO ROB ME!!!
SINCERELY,
ME, HUMANITY, HUMAN DECENCY
When I finally left the store bathroom and stepped onto the street I swore loud enough to startle a man 5 or so feet away. You should all know me well enough to know that it takes a lot to get me to that point.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The picture that really is worth a thousand words
Just in case you didn´t believe me, here is the picture from the day I went down to the river with my friends. Quick recap.. A couple of friends of mine (foreigners) who live in Quito were passing through Cuenca and we decided to go hang out by the river before we went to get ice cream (stressful day, tell me about it!). There we were, sitting by the river, when one of the guys said, ¨Guys, you´re not going to believe this. Look behind you.¨ We looked behind us and there was a guy standing by the main path just staring down at us. In no way was he trying to pretend that he was doing something else. He was just staring at us. When we looked, he stepped behind a tree, but stuck his head out and kept staring at us for a good 10 minutes. HOW CAN I NOT FEEL LIKE A ZOO ANIMAL SOME DAYS!?!?!?
Just a side note.. Even though this picture looks creepy and we probably would have ran for it if we had been in a remote area, we were 50 feet from one of the busiest streets in the city!
Just a side note.. Even though this picture looks creepy and we probably would have ran for it if we had been in a remote area, we were 50 feet from one of the busiest streets in the city!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Do you play racketball?
I'll be honest. Making Ecuadorian friends here, real friends and not the type you talk to only when you randomly bump into them, can be a challenge. Some people wonder why... Here I am; tall, white and blond. Shouldn't that make it easy? Well, there's a big difference between getting attention and making friends.
Getting attention:
- I was walking along the edge of a park the other day and I head someone shout, "Gringo!". I knew it was intended for me.. There were no other foreigners in this part of town. Seriously. I looked around. Spotted. A teenage kind was sticking his head out of the second floor window of a nearby house. "Gringo!". I guess the show he had been watching had just gone to commercial break. Was he going to become a lifelong friend? Doubtful.
- Last week I was walking by another park (maybe this is a pattern...) and two kids shouted, "hello!". This always puts a smile on my face and I responded with, "hello". Two steps later and I heard, "you want to be my romantic friend?" Again, these were two young teenage boys. My smile turned into a laugh. I shook my head and kept walking. Should I have offered to teach them English? Why bother!! It sounds like they're already learning plenty from tv and music.
- Last week I meet up with some other foreigners that live in Quito but that were passing through Cuenca. We decided it would be nice to go hang out by the river. I was sitting with my back to the road when one of my friends started staring at a tree about 20 feet behind us. "Guys check this out...", he said and nodded in the direction of the tree. Not being subtle at all, we all turned around to look. A guy had was just standing next to the tree staring at us. Not pretending to be doing anything, not pretending to be staring at something else. Just staring at us. When we all turned around he stepped behind the tree. Seconds later his head popped out and he continued staring at us. Should we have gotten his number? Sadly, he left before we were able to even say hello.
So, when someone who actually seems nice and interesting (if the above tales are any indication, the bar might not actually be that high) asks you if you want to do something, you stop saying "no". Even if (1) it doesn't sound that interesting or (2) it's something that you are clueless about. So, when one of my classes ended recently one of my students came up to me:
"Mike, do you play racketball?"
"Of course I do!"
I've only played it once before, but I know how to play squash and tennis
"Mike, can you teach me to play racketball?"
"Definitely!"
I remember most of the rules from the one time I played...
Getting attention:
- I was walking along the edge of a park the other day and I head someone shout, "Gringo!". I knew it was intended for me.. There were no other foreigners in this part of town. Seriously. I looked around. Spotted. A teenage kind was sticking his head out of the second floor window of a nearby house. "Gringo!". I guess the show he had been watching had just gone to commercial break. Was he going to become a lifelong friend? Doubtful.
- Last week I was walking by another park (maybe this is a pattern...) and two kids shouted, "hello!". This always puts a smile on my face and I responded with, "hello". Two steps later and I heard, "you want to be my romantic friend?" Again, these were two young teenage boys. My smile turned into a laugh. I shook my head and kept walking. Should I have offered to teach them English? Why bother!! It sounds like they're already learning plenty from tv and music.
- Last week I meet up with some other foreigners that live in Quito but that were passing through Cuenca. We decided it would be nice to go hang out by the river. I was sitting with my back to the road when one of my friends started staring at a tree about 20 feet behind us. "Guys check this out...", he said and nodded in the direction of the tree. Not being subtle at all, we all turned around to look. A guy had was just standing next to the tree staring at us. Not pretending to be doing anything, not pretending to be staring at something else. Just staring at us. When we all turned around he stepped behind the tree. Seconds later his head popped out and he continued staring at us. Should we have gotten his number? Sadly, he left before we were able to even say hello.
So, when someone who actually seems nice and interesting (if the above tales are any indication, the bar might not actually be that high) asks you if you want to do something, you stop saying "no". Even if (1) it doesn't sound that interesting or (2) it's something that you are clueless about. So, when one of my classes ended recently one of my students came up to me:
"Mike, do you play racketball?"
"Of course I do!"
I've only played it once before, but I know how to play squash and tennis
"Mike, can you teach me to play racketball?"
"Definitely!"
I remember most of the rules from the one time I played...
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Beware of Your Fruit and Vegetables
I'm hoping this will be one of two posts in the next day to basically catch everything up to where it is right now. Why did I drop off the radar last week?
I had just finished the ordeal with my ID card 2 Fridays ago (October 9) and gone to the dance class that the school offers the teachers (for free, which is a nice perk). One my way out of the school I noticed some of the workers watching the Ecuador vs. Venezuela game on a TV downstairs. I joined them and while I was watching the game I drank two glasses of the tap water (It's safe to drink here in Cuenca).
Near the end of the day I finally headed home and had a basic pasta for dinner with tomatoes, onions and tuna fish. I headed to bed...
1:45 AM a house alarm on the street started going off. As I came out of my deep sleep I could tell that I wasn't feeling well. I was pretty sure that I was running a fever. The alarm went off for 45 minutes (yeah, it sounded like it was just outside my room wince the window's here aren't that think) before I was able to go back to bed. As I fell back asleep I told myself that I would feel better in the morning.
8 AM rolled around.. And I was feeling just as miserable. I was able to get dressed and make it out to the living room, but no further. I told one of the other teachers that I live with that I wouldn't be able to go to school and went back to bed. My ordeal with my stomach bug had begun.
All told, between when I went to bed on Friday night and Sunday afternoon (just over 36 hours), I slept for about 27 of those hours. But one thing that I learned during study abroad is that my body is strange. With a stomach bug my biggest symptom tends to be a fever that comes and goes at random (I have no idea why). It's definitely not a symptom that their used to seeing.
I was able to make it to classes on Monday. I thought I was starting to feel better. My appetite still wasn't back, but I was force feeding myself bread to give myself the necessary energy to be out and about each day. Tuesday and was even better, but still only a small appetite and minimal energy. This whole time I was trying to figure out what, exactly, had gotten me sick. I kept saying it was the two cups of tap water that I had had on Friday night. I had myself convinced that this was the case... Until someone asked me what I had had for dinner and I told them, "pasta with canned tuna and... Oh. Tomatoes and Onions I bought at an outdoor market." It finally hit me. I had washed those things like we wash them in the states.. You run water over the for about 2 seconds. Here it's recommended that you either boil the vegetables or you actually use a disinfectant on them.
Here I had been, always being careful of the salads in the restaurants. Always knowing that you had to be careful for fruit and vegetables without a thick skin. And this time I had just completely forgot. And it took me about 4 days to even realize my mistake!
Anyways, Thursday I started to feel miserable again. After coming home to take a nap I could feel that the fever had come back. I made it to my first evening class, but couldn't even make it through that. I stopped at a drug store on my way home and asked for a pill that would help me sleep (it was only about 7 PM and I wanted to go to bed). I bought one pill (you don't have to buy the whole box here) and I spied a white chocolate Toblerone next to the register. It was the price of an entire lunch.. I bought it. I know what some of you are thinking about putting dairy in my stomach while I have a stomach bug. I didn't care. I had finished the entire bar before I had even gotten home. I tasted sooooo good.
The following day I got up early and was at the doctors by 5 minutes after 8 AM (they opened at 8). After standing in line to register I was sent to the Social Services room... To register in their computer system. Then back to the waiting area. I could feel my fever coming back. I felt miserable again.
After a short wait I finally got to see a doctor. I told him my symptoms. I tried to explain to him that the fever had happened before and that it had been a sotmach problem. After a brief inspection he wrote me a prescription saying that he couldn't be sure it was a stomach problem, so the pills would just help with my general sick/bad feeling. It wasn't what I had wanted, but I filled the prescription (10 pills were 50 cents and seeing the doctor had only been about $7.50) and headed home.
At home I hopped on the internet to try to figure out what he had given me. I didn't have to punch anything into Google though... It said 500mg Acetaminophen. He had prescribed me essentially Tylenol. I was furious. This would do nothing for my stomach and, I ALREADY HAD BOTTLE OF THE SAME THING IN MY ROOM. It's called Tylenol.
I wouldn't advise anyone to do what I did next.. I had brought Cipro with me from the States. It's a very strong medication for stomach infections. After thinking for a few minutes and thinking that this fever would just keep coming and going, I self-diagnosed myself and prescribed myself the Cipro.
Within 24 hours I was already feeling better (it's a 5 day course of meds). I guess that moral of the story is that I'll have to lie to the doctor in the future... Maybe that's not the best moral to take away from the story, though. I'll let you be the judge.
I had just finished the ordeal with my ID card 2 Fridays ago (October 9) and gone to the dance class that the school offers the teachers (for free, which is a nice perk). One my way out of the school I noticed some of the workers watching the Ecuador vs. Venezuela game on a TV downstairs. I joined them and while I was watching the game I drank two glasses of the tap water (It's safe to drink here in Cuenca).
Near the end of the day I finally headed home and had a basic pasta for dinner with tomatoes, onions and tuna fish. I headed to bed...
1:45 AM a house alarm on the street started going off. As I came out of my deep sleep I could tell that I wasn't feeling well. I was pretty sure that I was running a fever. The alarm went off for 45 minutes (yeah, it sounded like it was just outside my room wince the window's here aren't that think) before I was able to go back to bed. As I fell back asleep I told myself that I would feel better in the morning.
8 AM rolled around.. And I was feeling just as miserable. I was able to get dressed and make it out to the living room, but no further. I told one of the other teachers that I live with that I wouldn't be able to go to school and went back to bed. My ordeal with my stomach bug had begun.
All told, between when I went to bed on Friday night and Sunday afternoon (just over 36 hours), I slept for about 27 of those hours. But one thing that I learned during study abroad is that my body is strange. With a stomach bug my biggest symptom tends to be a fever that comes and goes at random (I have no idea why). It's definitely not a symptom that their used to seeing.
I was able to make it to classes on Monday. I thought I was starting to feel better. My appetite still wasn't back, but I was force feeding myself bread to give myself the necessary energy to be out and about each day. Tuesday and was even better, but still only a small appetite and minimal energy. This whole time I was trying to figure out what, exactly, had gotten me sick. I kept saying it was the two cups of tap water that I had had on Friday night. I had myself convinced that this was the case... Until someone asked me what I had had for dinner and I told them, "pasta with canned tuna and... Oh. Tomatoes and Onions I bought at an outdoor market." It finally hit me. I had washed those things like we wash them in the states.. You run water over the for about 2 seconds. Here it's recommended that you either boil the vegetables or you actually use a disinfectant on them.
Here I had been, always being careful of the salads in the restaurants. Always knowing that you had to be careful for fruit and vegetables without a thick skin. And this time I had just completely forgot. And it took me about 4 days to even realize my mistake!
Anyways, Thursday I started to feel miserable again. After coming home to take a nap I could feel that the fever had come back. I made it to my first evening class, but couldn't even make it through that. I stopped at a drug store on my way home and asked for a pill that would help me sleep (it was only about 7 PM and I wanted to go to bed). I bought one pill (you don't have to buy the whole box here) and I spied a white chocolate Toblerone next to the register. It was the price of an entire lunch.. I bought it. I know what some of you are thinking about putting dairy in my stomach while I have a stomach bug. I didn't care. I had finished the entire bar before I had even gotten home. I tasted sooooo good.
The following day I got up early and was at the doctors by 5 minutes after 8 AM (they opened at 8). After standing in line to register I was sent to the Social Services room... To register in their computer system. Then back to the waiting area. I could feel my fever coming back. I felt miserable again.
After a short wait I finally got to see a doctor. I told him my symptoms. I tried to explain to him that the fever had happened before and that it had been a sotmach problem. After a brief inspection he wrote me a prescription saying that he couldn't be sure it was a stomach problem, so the pills would just help with my general sick/bad feeling. It wasn't what I had wanted, but I filled the prescription (10 pills were 50 cents and seeing the doctor had only been about $7.50) and headed home.
At home I hopped on the internet to try to figure out what he had given me. I didn't have to punch anything into Google though... It said 500mg Acetaminophen. He had prescribed me essentially Tylenol. I was furious. This would do nothing for my stomach and, I ALREADY HAD BOTTLE OF THE SAME THING IN MY ROOM. It's called Tylenol.
I wouldn't advise anyone to do what I did next.. I had brought Cipro with me from the States. It's a very strong medication for stomach infections. After thinking for a few minutes and thinking that this fever would just keep coming and going, I self-diagnosed myself and prescribed myself the Cipro.
Within 24 hours I was already feeling better (it's a 5 day course of meds). I guess that moral of the story is that I'll have to lie to the doctor in the future... Maybe that's not the best moral to take away from the story, though. I'll let you be the judge.
Monday, October 10, 2011
One day, One ID card
With my papers in hand on Friday we headed off at 10 AM to catch a bus to the immigration building on the other side of town. Surprising ourselves by not getting lost, we arrived at 10:30, 30 minutes before the scheduled time (don't worry, though, we were able to pass the time by watching wrestling on the big screen TV at the building. I'm just so proud of some of the things our country is exporting...). 11 AM Ecuadorian time (aka. 11:15 according to everyone else's watches) rolled around and the process began. The first two people went up to the desk and things went smoothly. They had their newly (and still warm) laminated ID cards in hand. I went up with one other teacher. The police officer asked for my passport. I showed it to him. He flipped through the pages. He then asked for my old ID card (the one I had gotten when I studied abroad during the fall of 2009). I told him I didn't have it.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because it expired almost 2 years ago," I said.
"Sorry, we need to see it for you to get your new ID card," he responded.
After a quick back and forth I realized what I needed to do to get my new ID card:
1. I need to go get a lawyer to write a piece of paper saying that I don't have my ID card from when I studied abroad (which expired in December of 2009).
2. I needed to go to another police station and get them to print a new copy of my old ID card which, did I mention, EXPIRED IN DECEMBER OF 2009.
3. I then had to bring that old ID card back here so they could see it and then shred it before they would issue me a new ID card.
I had good directions to a lawyer given to me by the lady at the school making sure that we all got out ID cards...
1. Go to the intersection of "Benigno Malo and Sangurima".
Check. That wasn't too far from where I live.
2. Look for the "old house."
WAIT, WHAT? Just in case you weren't aware... Cuenca was founded by the Spanish in 1557 and many of the buildings close to the center of town can easily date back over 200 years.
"Do you know the address?" I asked.
"Just look for the old house," she replied with the 'it's not that difficult' look on her face.
"Ok. Should I tell the lawyer I'm with the school? Are they connected to the school in anyway?"
"Nope, this is just a lawyer"
"Ok," and I walked away wondering 'there are lawyers every block. Why do I have to go to the old house??'
After finding the intersection I looked around. Exactly as I thought... Every building looks just as old as the one next to it. I started walking into every store asking if they did 'Denuncias'. I finally found one, though I can't tell you if it was the one I had been given directions to.
After telling the young woman what I needed and making sure that the price was what I was told it should be ($5), I took a seat. I explained to the girl that I didn't have my ID card from 2009 and that I had left in at home in the States since I didn't know... She cut me off.
"You have to have lost your ID card here in Cuenca," she told me.
"Umm..." I didn't really know what to say.
"So you have to lie..."
There was a long pause.
"I was robbed the other day," I told her.
"No, it's better if you just lost it. Hold on"
And she started to write my Denuncia completely inventing my lie for me. It completely blew my mind.. I was supposed to get this statement from a lawyer to make sure that it's a truthful statement. It's like getting something notarized in the States. Yet, here the lawyer was writing my lie for me and being complicit in it as well.
"How about you lost it the 28th of August," she asked while stealing a glance at her calender.
"Sure," I said, not knowing what else to say.
She continued to type away.
"Wait, I wasn't in Ecuador on the 28th of August. How about the 15th of September?" I asked her.
"Sure!"
Five minutes later I had my official document in hand... But there was nothing I could do with it yet. I was already lunch time and most everyone goes home for lunch in Ecuador, even the police. I'd have to wait till 2:30 pm or so to do any of this to go to the police station. After cooling my heels at the school preparing for my Saturday class I got a quick bite to eat and was on my way. I wanted to get this done today.
I found the police station and, for some reason, thought it would be best to be directed where to go by the lady selling sweets in the middle courtyard.. After going to the wrong office first, I was directed to a small hole in the wall at the top of the staircase where I presented my Denuncia. The guys took one look at it.
"It's not written correctly, you need to have these words removed," he advised me.
I walked down two doors to the lawyers office and told her my dilemma. She printed off a new copy and, in no time, I was standing back in front of the hole in the wall. I was a little nervous. I was expecting to be asked how I had lost my ID. Well, I actually didn't know what to expect, but I was still a little nervous.
"You're an English teacher? That's cool! I'm learning English," he said with a smile on his face. I smiled back.
"Read me your passport number," he told me. I read it to him in Spanish.
"Oh, I really want to practice my English. Can I read it to you in English?" he asked. He read it to me in English and I told him that it was perfect. He smiled. He signed the piece of paper and I was on my way (yep, that's correct. I was wrong when I said they were going to print me a new old ID card).
Back at the police station I waited in line again and got to watch TV again (this time it was a soccer match, though). There were these two young men sitting next to me, clearly waiting for something. A couple of minutes later a woman walked in and shook all of our hands saying, "it's nice to meet you". I was really confused. Should I stand? The cop glued to the TV had even stood when she came in... Before I did anything, though, the police led her and the two young men away to a side room to talk about their immigration issues. She was a lawyer that was going to help them out... I guess it looked like I had immigration issues myself...
10 minutes later I had my new ID card in hand and was out of the police station. It was 3:40. It had been a long Friday. So much for a day off. I had 20 minutes to make it back to the school to go to my free Salsa dance class.
This post has been a lot longer than I thought it would be... I'll catch you guys up another night. This was just too good a story to pass up. Hopefully the details were worth it.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because it expired almost 2 years ago," I said.
"Sorry, we need to see it for you to get your new ID card," he responded.
After a quick back and forth I realized what I needed to do to get my new ID card:
1. I need to go get a lawyer to write a piece of paper saying that I don't have my ID card from when I studied abroad (which expired in December of 2009).
2. I needed to go to another police station and get them to print a new copy of my old ID card which, did I mention, EXPIRED IN DECEMBER OF 2009.
3. I then had to bring that old ID card back here so they could see it and then shred it before they would issue me a new ID card.
I had good directions to a lawyer given to me by the lady at the school making sure that we all got out ID cards...
1. Go to the intersection of "Benigno Malo and Sangurima".
Check. That wasn't too far from where I live.
2. Look for the "old house."
WAIT, WHAT? Just in case you weren't aware... Cuenca was founded by the Spanish in 1557 and many of the buildings close to the center of town can easily date back over 200 years.
"Do you know the address?" I asked.
"Just look for the old house," she replied with the 'it's not that difficult' look on her face.
"Ok. Should I tell the lawyer I'm with the school? Are they connected to the school in anyway?"
"Nope, this is just a lawyer"
"Ok," and I walked away wondering 'there are lawyers every block. Why do I have to go to the old house??'
After finding the intersection I looked around. Exactly as I thought... Every building looks just as old as the one next to it. I started walking into every store asking if they did 'Denuncias'. I finally found one, though I can't tell you if it was the one I had been given directions to.
After telling the young woman what I needed and making sure that the price was what I was told it should be ($5), I took a seat. I explained to the girl that I didn't have my ID card from 2009 and that I had left in at home in the States since I didn't know... She cut me off.
"You have to have lost your ID card here in Cuenca," she told me.
"Umm..." I didn't really know what to say.
"So you have to lie..."
There was a long pause.
"I was robbed the other day," I told her.
"No, it's better if you just lost it. Hold on"
And she started to write my Denuncia completely inventing my lie for me. It completely blew my mind.. I was supposed to get this statement from a lawyer to make sure that it's a truthful statement. It's like getting something notarized in the States. Yet, here the lawyer was writing my lie for me and being complicit in it as well.
"How about you lost it the 28th of August," she asked while stealing a glance at her calender.
"Sure," I said, not knowing what else to say.
She continued to type away.
"Wait, I wasn't in Ecuador on the 28th of August. How about the 15th of September?" I asked her.
"Sure!"
Five minutes later I had my official document in hand... But there was nothing I could do with it yet. I was already lunch time and most everyone goes home for lunch in Ecuador, even the police. I'd have to wait till 2:30 pm or so to do any of this to go to the police station. After cooling my heels at the school preparing for my Saturday class I got a quick bite to eat and was on my way. I wanted to get this done today.
I found the police station and, for some reason, thought it would be best to be directed where to go by the lady selling sweets in the middle courtyard.. After going to the wrong office first, I was directed to a small hole in the wall at the top of the staircase where I presented my Denuncia. The guys took one look at it.
"It's not written correctly, you need to have these words removed," he advised me.
I walked down two doors to the lawyers office and told her my dilemma. She printed off a new copy and, in no time, I was standing back in front of the hole in the wall. I was a little nervous. I was expecting to be asked how I had lost my ID. Well, I actually didn't know what to expect, but I was still a little nervous.
"You're an English teacher? That's cool! I'm learning English," he said with a smile on his face. I smiled back.
"Read me your passport number," he told me. I read it to him in Spanish.
"Oh, I really want to practice my English. Can I read it to you in English?" he asked. He read it to me in English and I told him that it was perfect. He smiled. He signed the piece of paper and I was on my way (yep, that's correct. I was wrong when I said they were going to print me a new old ID card).
Back at the police station I waited in line again and got to watch TV again (this time it was a soccer match, though). There were these two young men sitting next to me, clearly waiting for something. A couple of minutes later a woman walked in and shook all of our hands saying, "it's nice to meet you". I was really confused. Should I stand? The cop glued to the TV had even stood when she came in... Before I did anything, though, the police led her and the two young men away to a side room to talk about their immigration issues. She was a lawyer that was going to help them out... I guess it looked like I had immigration issues myself...
10 minutes later I had my new ID card in hand and was out of the police station. It was 3:40. It had been a long Friday. So much for a day off. I had 20 minutes to make it back to the school to go to my free Salsa dance class.
This post has been a lot longer than I thought it would be... I'll catch you guys up another night. This was just too good a story to pass up. Hopefully the details were worth it.
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