Quito – HurricaneMaine

Celebrations

I am grateful for celebrations that bring people together.

Salsa night with Melanie, center, and Natalia from Brazil.

Who could not celebrate the first time ever Reese’s is sold in Ecuador?

A group of us also gets together regularly at Susan’s house fire figure and wine.

Teacher prom is put on by my school. What fun. Dinner, drinks, she’s so much dancing. We danced for over three hours. It was exciting being at a dance where almost everyone dances and no one stops.

Not a celebration, but a friend and I going tutoring in Tumbaco.

And of course, the best celebrations are fire others and events in their life. Monica had her bridal shower and it was so much fun. Lots of games and merriment on a Friday night.

Just for fun, on many street corners people will offer entertainment for tips.

For mother’s day, I ride my bike on the ciclo paseo. As I was ready to enter the Centro histórico, I heard the sound of Elvis music. An Ecuadorian Elvis street musician (in the past I have seen the Asian Elvis in Hong Kong).

It was a beautiful day.

Later I went with my friend Monica to the Botanical garden and the Vivarium (snakes and frogs). Through WhatsApp, I talked for a little bit with Becca and Ryan and Ryan

The botanical garden was peaceful.

And the orchid garden.

The vegetable garden

We visited the carnivorous plants section where they have many varieties of pitcher plants and Venus fly traps.

No pictures can be taken at the vivarium which is a pity as they had so many different frogs, boas, pit vipers, and especially an axolotl. Afterwards we walked to the Gusanita which is a kiddie train that circles the park on the roads. It was pretty fun and especially to have a friend to spend the day with.

Museums of art in Quito

Artist Camilo Egas is a painter of indigenous art. I visited the free museum in Centro Histórico. He painted many indigenous paintings as well as paintings from the depression era when he lived in New York.

In the upper floor of the museum is a room of early 20th century political cartoons that were published.

This is a picture of a mural that was commissioned for an expo and painted by the artist.

Afterwards, I saw this street parade honoring a ban teacher that has recently died. Students and older friends played in bands in the parade.

The Viva Michelangelo exhibit in Quito used artistic interpretations and some reproductions to bring Michelangelo’s work to the people here.

A reproduction of scenes from the Sistine chapel.

The head of David was used to create different themes using AI.

Casa del Alabado Pre-Columbian Art Museum

I went with a friend to a museum with summer of the oldest artifacts in Ecuador.

It is dedicated to pre-Columbian art and artifacts and has a diverse collection of objects from various indigenous cultures from this region before the arrival of the Spanish. Its displays showcase authentic artifacts that depict the beliefs, rituals, and daily life of the ancient peoples. the exhibits were of pottery, sculptures, jewelry, and others.

These symbols seem to assist in other cultures on other continents as well

This vessel was used for making morocho, a corn based drink.

These were carried with people as good luck.

The building itself is beautiful and the original structure. New walls and structures were added as necessary to display the objects. The courtyards were equally amazing.

Afterwards we went to find some something to eat.

Basílica del voto nacional

A great day trip to Centro histórico in Quito finally led me to the Basilica. Every Sunday I ride the ciclo paseo and I see the basilica but had yet to step foot inside.

The Basilica del Voto Nacional is one of the largest neo-Gothic basilicas found in the Americas. Its architecture is like medieval European cathedrals.

The construction of the basilica began in the late 19th century and took over 100 years.

There are over 20 gargoyles as decoration on the exterior of the basilica. These depict Ecuadorian animals such as armadillos, iguanas, and Galapagos tortoises.

The basilica has four main towers that represent a different aspect of Christian faith: hope, charity, faith, and Jesus Christ.

The towers have stunning panoramic views of the historic center. Narrow and steep stairs were a little challenging but worth it for the view. Views from the towers:

Even though it is styled after European cathedrals, the basilica has many indigenous elements found in the stonework including animals and symbols.

Inside the basilica features are impressive stained glass windows. The altars are ornate as well as the vaulted ceilings.

Supposedly, the facade remains unfinished. I did not really notice this. It symbolizes that perfection belongs only to God.

Beneath the basilica, there are crypts for the remains of prominent figures. Chapels to saints are found inside.

Afterwards we walked from the basilica to San Francisco square. Here we had something to eat and drink while enjoying the view in the other direction.

As it is right before holy week (Easter also known as Semana Santa), one of the ritual dishes is Fenesca. It is a dish that takes some time to prepare but it’s really delicious.

Carnaval

In my school they have a carnaval celebration that turns the school a bit upside down. It is a long standing tradition. The 10th, 11th, and 12th grade nominate and vote for a representative to be on student council but is much like the carnival queen contest that used to be the tradition. What is really spectacular about it is that each class uses a theme, they plan a day of games for the 7th through 9th graders to court their votes for the winner.

Lots of water to keep everyone cool and of course fur fun. Combined with powdered dye…

The 10th grade whose theme was Peter Pan

12th grade theme of Aladdin. Pretty much everyone had a slip and slide. Some played soccer on it.
This one had giant bowling pins you slide into.

Some videos from end of the games:

That night was the show for each of the three grades. They coordinated costumes and dances to fit the theme. At the end of each of the class choreography, the representative candidate was introduced and brought to the stage in a carriage float. Then there is a speech from the escort and then the candidate.

I took some videos of portions of the dances. Students have been working on this for several months and it was very exciting to see them work collaboratively for such a presentation.

The next day was voting. And the 11th grade one. Their candidate is now on student council and the grade had the bragging rights for the best coordinated plan and fun.

Weird days of late in Quito

During school in January, reports came out about curfews and other changes to crack down on notorious drug gangs and problems in the prisons as most were under the control of the inmates. It was mostly due to one of the biggest drug lords having also escaped.

At first, we were not sure what to believe as there were many fake news stories just to create further panic. But we went home, stocked up on food (not like the US where everyone is buying toilet paper) and we prepared to go to online learning. Originally it was for 3 days but ended up being two weeks.

We are still under a curfew of midnight until 5 am which is fine for me. I am hardly out late as it is. Many of the cities near the coast do have a problem with crime and prison control but in Quito not as much to worry about. They have regained control of many prisons and also conducted raids that extended into other countries. The latest is a dual operation in Ecuador and Spain that uncovered illegal activity involving criminal organizations from multiple other countries. Much information had actually not been reported so as to not tip off those criminal organizations.

Regardless, I did not venture out for much of the first week except to get food. After that, I did some walks around the neighborhood and a few other things:

The hardest part was not riding bikes for the first two weekends until they allowed the bike riding route (ciclo paseo) to resume.

We have a few people in our apartment building and we met on the roof to enjoy yoga and get fresh air.

A walk in the neighborhood Park close to my house

We walked through the little village that is part of the park. Very tranquil and a beautiful day.

Though I did not take pictures, there was a good police presence in the park where they also use horses.

In the park, the native villagers had their llamas out!

Afterwards we ate at a little cafe in the neighborhood. Everything is made with plantains. On the left is cups made of plantains and filled with shrimp. On the right is the Bolon Verde with peanuts. So delicious.

On a bike ride I saw a person milking their goat
and selling the milk fresh on the street.
I missed that picture but saw another person
not far from there with their goats.

Of course a favorite is watching street performers at intersections. This one had enough time to set up a low tightrope and walk while juggling across it.

I took another tour in Old Town just to get out.

And eventually joined a book club with others from school. Great to get together even for a short time.

Lunch with friends including a new one. Loved meeting Kim and talking about common countries and realizing people that we know in common.

Life feels pretty normal except for curfew, but it has changed whether I will need traveling some areas anytime soon.

Around Quito

These are some of the other things I have been doing since arriving in Quito. School of always busy when starting in a new place: new programs to learn, procedures to follow, etc.

Several of the new teachers would go to a few music venues. This one was reggae type music with rap influence.

In my neighborhood is a great gelato place made with local fruits. Very delicious.

Another music event I attended was an afrobeats concert held at an old theater near the historical center. The headliner act is famous in Chile and the whole evening was fantastic. It was difficult to stay in our seats, everyone was dancing.

The opening band played classical jazz.
They were amazing.

I’ve had a few medical appointments about my knee. Walking home after one of them I spotted this place that had Bolivian empanadas

Colada morada is a warm drink made with a large quantity of ingredients including various fruits and purple corn flour. It is thick and actually quite tasty. It is seen here around various holidays including Day of the Dead. Along with a cheese empanada, it was delicious.

I have also never been to a professional soccer game. The stadium is close to school so what better way than to stay after school, grab dinner with friends, and take in a game.

At school, part of the IB program is to complete a G4 project. We took the students to the museum on the equator. It is actually along the equator as determined by GPS (I have been at the other location of where they thought it was by using maps).

Balancing an egg on a nail at the equator. Can you only do it here? Actually no. It just takes practice.

A blacksmith hummingbird. It makes a heavy striking sound when it sings.

We have also hosted a BBQ at our place. So great to see people out of school.

And Halloween parties, dressed as….weird barbie

More adventures to come….

Colegio Americano de Quito

One week was to just get the visas, get settled in an apartment, get a cell plan, bank account, etc. Finally it was time for the new teachers to be at school for a week.

First day of school for the new teachers.

We have an amazing lab assistant who is so knowledgeable, organized, and we have access to a lot of things which I was so happy about.

I’m the library, religion and mythology are in the same section…..

Sports field. We are high up and surrounded by all the mountains.

The patio de tortugas. There used to be giant turtles here until the government said they needed to be in a preserve or other place.

After another week with all faculty, students returned. I forget how much energy is required into getting to know a new system and culture in a school. In the second week we had an assembly. Students were asked to wear uniforms even though they do not have to on a daily basis. They started the assembly with both the Ecuador and USA national anthems and ended with the colegio song.

I was impressed that the focus of the assembly was on academics and the arts. Awards were given and a shout out to sports were mentioned at the end.

A student band played. They were very good.

Despite differences in how schools are run and a little disorganization especially where new platforms being used this year that there is little experience in, it has been a good start to the year. The students are kind and motivated in my class. There are always a few students who test you and they are in the lower grades, or 10th grade for me. There is a lot of support for any discipline issues which I’m grateful for.

Category: Quito