INGAPIRCA -The Week of June 18th-23rd

Todo la Familia, excepto Mario Esteban.
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Hey All,

So I know I have not updated in w hile but I have been super Busy with Schoola nd Activities!

So I left off on the Saturday of June 16th, which was two Saturdays ago. The next day On Sunday we all went to the Indigenous Ruins of Ingapirca. OUr travel guide for the day was AMAZING, his name was KUKO, which he was kind of like KIKE, for those of you who went on the Galapagos trip with me back in Spring 2005. Anyway, I sat up in the front again with mi amiga Hanna, and the first thing our tour guide did was offer us some water and COCO; which are delicious crackers that once you have one you have to finish the whole box. Plus they were the same crackers I was sad to leave behind on the cruise I took with friends and family in the Galapagos, I thought I would never see them or taste them again, we have reunited again, YEAH! haha!

Me and the Ruins at ingapírca
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So after all the snacks and water and talking about tourism with KUKO, which is what he majored in "Tourism", I told him that my brother Michael also majored in tourism, but that in the States it is called Parks and Recreation Administration, so it was cool to have that to talk about. Also KUKO brought his DAD along, because if you all remember it was Fathers Day last Sunday, Happy Belated FAthers day DAD, sorry I forgot to send an email. So this was a crucial part of our trip that KUKO had brought his dad, because between the two of them they were Hilarious! They talked about everything and everyone, and gave you those little fun facts about Ingaprica, like how this one tree and if you crush up its flowers it will make you go into a Hallucination state and you won´t remember a thing, and the Dad, joking around was like hey you better get some while noone is looking, haha.

THE FACE; but you kind of have to turn your head>>>
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Ingaprica looked exactly like it had in all the tourism information and it is where the Incas and other indigenous groups had been throughout the country of Ecuador. The ruins were in an eliptical shape, which we were told that is the only place in Ecuador, where the ruins were place in such a uniquie form and the blocks of stone were placed so close that you literally could not fit a piece of hair through the blocks of stone. So then after seeing the ruins we travled further down the trail and ran into this FACE on the side of a mountain. It was so cool, I will have a picture on here later, but according to geolocial survey, it was naturally formed, and it looked so COOL, that is all I can say.

Tacy y Yo y the ruins!
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The trip to Ingapirca was very Chévere (Cool) experience, and when I got back home I took a nap because I was so tired and when I woke mi papá was like you want to watch some TV, which is usually always on in their bedroom, so I was like yeah. WE watched a local news station called, Telerama, and they covered everything from Guayguil, to Quito, To All over the world news. Then he changed to CNN Ingles!, which had pretty much all the same news and he was trying to understand, but eventually he got frusturated and we switched back to some Spanish news, which was cool, because I needed the practice listening.

The counrty side, on its side.
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The Week of June 18th to June 23rd.

SO Monday was amazing with mi desayuno (breakfast), which had Queso Crema with it, which is Cream Cheese! and it had Jugo de Tomate and an Apple. Then for Lunch we Had Meat soup with Corn and then Meatballs and Rice. So besides the meals Ihad two classes today, so that means I had two classes every Mon, Wed, and Friday this week and then I would have One class Tuesday Thursday this week. The classes this week were definitely a lot more difficult than last week and it was harder to undestand mi profesoras today but as the week went on it was better and more constructive with my Spanish. Also, mi porfesora favorita is Gloria, who stays after class with me to help me with my pronunciation of the words which I definitely need. I am glad she corrects me because I definitely need the work. Then after classes today on Monday, mi hermano Mario Esteban, cam to CEDEI and helped Tracy and I ride the bus, which is for sure the craziest and most fun experiece I have had riding public transportation so far since I have been here. First of all we had to only walk a blck away from CEDEI and wait about a couple of minutes for our bus line 16, which comes around every 5 minutes, which is very convienent! Then the we have to hold our hand out for the bus and hope it stops and then have to quickly jump on the bus before it pulls away again, which is a crazy experience in itself. Oh and did I mention the bus only cost 12 cents for us to ride since we are considered students. Then the ride home is about 20-25 minutes. The bus is just like riding a Roller Coster, with little brakes in the niddle to let more people on  and off the bus, which you kind a have to jump off the bus while it is idling. Oh an you ahve to make sure to get up out of your seat about three blocks in advance so the bus can stop intime for you to get off, it was for sure a cool experience, and it drops me off right on my street!

So yeah that is a bus ride experience, and then in the afternoon this week through Wednesday we had a Ceramics class, which is where we got to make a mug and carve our own design in it and got to see how the oven  makes the very black color of the mug. The Ceramics place was about 20 more minutes walking away from CEDEI, and it was located in a local Ceramics Shop, where the guy there makes his living making plates and basically anything that can be made from ceramics. Then after Ceramics today on Monday, Tracy and I went to Milenium Plaza, which is about 10 min walk from my house and about a 1 min. walk form Tracy´s house. It is like a micromall, with a movie theatre inside of it and a food court and shops, like Hallmark inside. We had some icecream there before heading home and then when I got home I basically did mi tarea (homework) and went to bed, I definitely get more tired easy than in the states, I think it ahs to do with all the walking and the busy schedule they got going on for us here at CEDEI.

Then on Tuesday I had one class, with the Ceramics in the afternoon, which for some reason today I definitely gained a stronger appreciation for the phrase HAND MADE, it takes a lot of work to make these Mugs. Then after Ceramics I figured I would take the bus home since I did not feel like walking home. It was even a more crazy experience than the first. Half way through the trip we got stuck in a traffic jam, and another bus with the same line number on it, which was 16, tried going around us and nicked the back left corner of our bus and then just kept going, everyone on the bus was freaking out and the bus guide ran around to check the damage and then shrugged his shoulders and cam back on the bus and was like IR IR IR, GO GO GO, since we were running behind schedule, haha. Then whenI made it home, my house was filled with a bunch of ladies which I found out were  all of mi mamás family, sisters, aunts and grandmas. They all talked about a mile a minute and we all sat at one table to have some snacks which we made by mi mamá of course and it was just like when my mom has friends over for Stamp Club and they all start talking about something and can´t stop even to breathe. I eventually block the Spnaish out after a while, and I turned my attention to mi papá who was at the table, who was getting very flustered, because the table of ladies were talking aobut politics and mi papá works for the government and had some different opinions, it was definitely hilarious to watch.

Wednesday was like Monday, except for that I did not go to Ceramics because I was kind of burnt out from all the activities and I just wanted to eat lunch with mi familia and just chill with the fam today. WHich I was glad I went home because we had MASHED POTATOS!, which were amazing, I was definitely glad I cam home for lunch today! Later this afternoon, I went to the Mueso of El BANCO CENTRAL, which is musuem of the indigenous people of Ecuador. I went with Tracy because Tracy had to get information here for a paper she was writing for her classes and I kind of tagged a long to help here with her understading of the descriptions, since she is in a lower level than I am. The museo was very cool , with an exhibit on the tradition of SHRUNKEN HEADS! After the museo and things I went home and ate, and the whole group of us went out to CAFÉ Ecualyptus, which it was LADIES NIGHT there, so Tracy had recieved 4 FREE DRINKS, which she shared with me. It was a cool experience, because we met up with our travel guide KUKO; who had given us his number. He actually introduced the guys to a bunch of ladies so we oculd get to know some local Cuencanas! Very Chévere! Then we finished the night off with Salsa Dancing! I got to practice my skills I had learned from the previous week!

Thursday, Adios Mio, the Rain was crazy today, and the rivers were off the chain flooding throughout the city, luckly the river by my house did not flood, but some others had and the next day on Friday, all public schools were closed due to street closures! Mi papá worked late today since they ahd to pull government workers from different departments to help wit the situation of the rivers. But luckily everyone was alright and the damage was all fixable.

For lunch today, was probably the best lunch I have had so far. It was freshly made banana chips, wih rice, a side dish mizxture of peas, corn, avacado, and tuna. Also the soup was made with papas (potatos) and carne.

Friday: Today I was finally here and I had two classes and Lunch today would be with the whole family, like I had explained earlier in a previous blog. I had finally caveed in and got a cell phone today, which helps with keeping in contact with mi host familia and other friends I meet here. Also, then after lunch, Mario Esteban and I hung out and travled around Cuenca and went to the Stadium to check out the concert setup for the following day. On Saturday there was going to be a huge name singer, kind of like Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews Band type of show and music and mi hermano was very excited since he was going, unfortuantely I could not go because I was traveling to PRINCIPAL on Saturday June 23. We traveled around for while and I got to use mi espanol with more of his friends and it was very chévere to just chill with all of them and laugh about my jumbled Spanish, haha. Finally that night on Friday, I went with tracy to a very good Pizza place called "Fornace", wich for a personal filling pizza a coke is just around $2.50! Thena afterwards Tracy, Tara, and I went to a place called 4 Manos, or Hands, where we chilled until we all went home and got some rest for Principal the next Day. Well I will update Principal and this past weekend tomorrow and pictures as well, I hope all your summers are going sweet,

¡Ciao!