Finalmente, estoy aqui

Okay, so it's been a pretty crazy few 3 weeks, not going to lie. I feel pretty terrible that I haven't wrote on this because this was my way of keeping in touch with the world, but I've just been so busy.

First, I have to say that I made a mistake about one of my "brothers" in Quito.!! The older brother of my homestay family (David) is living Arizona. He went to University of San Francisco for his undergrad in Chemical Engineering and now he is getting his PhD in Arizona. Also, the brother who lives here (Diego) isn’t really interested in Chemistry—I was a bit confused. But, he is studying medicine. Oh man was I off!! Haha.

Every day (Monday thru Friday) I have class at Fundacion CIMAS from 9-5 (mas o menos). Fundacion CIMAS is an NGO focused on development in Ecuador by educating students about the history, politics, economics, cosmovision, and development theory in the country. The organization is just fabulous. We talk about all the things that I’m passionate about and interested in. When I get home from CIMAS, which is about 5 or 6, I have dinner with the fam, do homework, and either go to sleep or go out. So basically I'm either too exhausted to write or I'm out haha.

On the weekends, I have been traveling a lot. But, the weekend after my last post, I stayed home, because I had to do laundry with my home-stay mom all night, which was totally fine, but didn't get to go out...But no worries ladies and gents, I've definitely made up for it. I went out wedensday night to a bar called Bungalow 6 in the Mariscal (touristy part of Quito) which was reallly fun--got some free drinks! hehe. Its free for girls from 7-10!! Plus, I became friends with one of the bartenders and we would have gone for drinks and coffee a couple of times to practice my spanish more which has definitely helped. Then, the weekend before last I went to Banos which is near Ambato. (South of Quito--see map). Banos is known for many things: the banos (which are "baths"--more like hot tubs but as big as pools--and the source is from the nearby volcano), hiking, rafting, biking, canyoning,bridge jumping, and of course the nightlife. I did everything except canyoning. Yup that's right. I jumped off a bridge, twice! The ropes are tied around your waist and you jump off and hold onto the ropes like a swing (see pics). But, the second time, the ropes were attached to me from the back instead of the front, so I had no rope to hold on to (pretty scary!) and so when I jumped off it was like I had no support on..and I felt like an angel flying in the air. I can't even explain how amazing it was!! Definitely you need to check out the pictures that I uploaded to dotphoto (see link on the right). So amazing!

Then this past weekend was Carnival, and we--5 girls on the program-Me, Carla, Emily, Aviva, and Christina--went to Atacambes which is a little bit South of Esmeraldas (30 min south). This place is known for being crazy during Carnival--oh and it was. There were thousands of people of there. Unfortunately, no pics because I was afraid of it getting stolen (lots of robberies there---good example: my phone was stolen this weekend). But, I'm going to go more into detail about this trip another day because I have another trip tomorrow with my class sooooooo--i'll definitely write again when I get back. I'll try to be better and keeping up with this!

Miss my family and friends--love you bubby--hope you get better soon..........

El viaje y mis pensamientos

27/1/2007

Hola chicas y chicos! O.K. Yo regresé a mi casa en Quito a las seis después de un viaje con CIMAS y los otros estudiantes. Fuimos a los Bancos y fue hermosa y tranquíla. Me encanta el campo, por eso el viaje fue muy divertido para mí.

During the trip, the students were able to bond and become much closer than before. It’s very difficult to get to know one another when we are really only supposed to speak Spanish because of our limited Spanish skills. However, I shouldn’t say that because some of the students are excellent Spanish speakers. We hiked through trails, went swimming in the river and the pool, made bread from scratch, learned how chocolate is made straight from the cacao plant, and ate A LOT. They eat such big meals here, so I am extremely full after every meal. I don’t want to be rude and only eat half, especially when I’m at my house in Quito.

Besides socializing and just talking with one another, we also did something that could be called an “icebreaker” but not as corny as I thought it would be. Essentially, we shared stories about an object or a person that is a significant part of our lives and why. It was interesting to here about other people’s personal lives and break down some barriers to becoming more of a family. My “object” represented the powerful women who are in my life. Although I haven’t received the object yet, the thought of it is very important to me. My mom has a pair of diamond earrings that have been passed down and at one point (I think once my sister and I get married) she will give each of us one earring to make into a necklace. I think that my mom, my grandma, and my great-grandmother are such strong women and I look up to them a lot; even if they don’t know it. When I think about how this experience will have its ups and downs, I especially look up to my mom (wow I feel like I’m about to cry). She has been through a lot and tends to keep it to herself, but I know how hard things can be. I’m so proud of her ability to keep her head up and it makes me feel blessed to have such a strong person to look up to in my life.

Once I got back to my house in Quito last night, mi mamita and I had a nice dinner just the two of us. We talked for about an hour and a half (yes in Spanish) about life in Ecuador: the problems which she is frustrated with, the new President, and especially her children. She always talks about how intelligent and great her children are, which they are, and it is disappointing to her that her children won’t be able to get a job in Ecuador that will pay enough. The only jobs for engineers (her older son in the U.S who is studying at the University of San Francisco—yea he’s not studying medicine, he’s trying to get his doctorate) in Ecuador pay $400/month, which is not enough to live on! How much of a disincentive is this for students to get a magnificent education and not be able to earn the rewards of all their hard work! I remember in my economic development class that a major problem in developing countries is that the government spends money on higher education but they don’t have jobs to pay the graduates what they deserve. Thus, many students end up leaving Ecuador to earn enough money to survive and perhaps send money back to Ecuador for the rest of the family (oh brain drain). You hear about such problems but for a mother with no work, and such brilliant children, this must be very stressful.

We also talked about the new president and how he is “representing the real people” and especially, the poor. However, a major issue is the National Congress which is very right wing, and conservative. She feels the only way any change will happen is if representatives aren’t corrupt and care about greater things than making money. Does this ring a bell in the U.S.? It seems that the only way a person can rise to power and become President or another political official, they have to have money in order to be known and have “ties” with other political officials (perhaps corruption). Qué lástima!

So, it seems that I’m getting more used to the city. It’s still hard because I feel like I can’t go anywhere alone, but with time it will come. Mi mamita is not very comfortable with me going anywhere alone, so I’m pretty sure that won’t happen for another week; except when I go to CIMAS and come back. Starting Tuesday, I’ll be taking the bus all by myself! Should be pretty interesting! Haha.

Once I get myself out there and force myself to be a bit more adventurous—a bit, and only safely—it will be much easier and I will be able to learn more of the language. I still feel like I have so much to learn about the language and it is hard for me to understand many people because they talk too fast. I’m going to try and watch more Spanish television, but the TV isn’t very clear so it’s hard for me to comprehend what is going on without seeing anything (I can only hear). Through the program, I can have a tutor and I’m thinking about doing it. It’s only for about a ½ hour or 1hr a week which may be very helpful. On Monday, I’m going to ask about the tutoring program I think.

Well lunch is in a few minutes! Man, I feel like I’m eating every five seconds—good thing I walked with mi mamita for 2 hours or so this morning. Then it’s time for lavar la ropa, then dinner, and then I might be going out. I figured out that one girl in my program lives more north of me, so we are going to try and meet and then meet everyone else after that way we aren’t alone for too long at night. Probably the easiest thing to do would be for her to take a taxi to me and then for us to take a taxi together to wherever everyone else is meeting. She is supposed to call me tonight, so we’ll see how that goes! I think it would be good for me to go out…I feel like I’m stuck in this house every night without anything to do except eat, sleep, or shower. This is okay, but I need to explore more and hang out with more locals to really get a handle on the language.

I’ll probably write another entry this weekend about my experience with washing my clothes (wow exciting) and going out tonight (much more exciting).

I miss all of my friends so much and I wish I could contact you more and talk with you more, but it is just so difficult!! Feel free to email me though or send me letters!! My address is on the left hand side of this page, so write to me!! I need all the support I can get. :)

My First Post from Ecuador!!

24/1/2007

Disculpame por el tiempo largo que no puedo escribir en este “blog” pero no tengo el internet en mi casa y no he tenido tiempo para buscar un internet café. Pero estoy aquí ahorita! Es mejor en español o en inglés? Necesito practica en español pero para mis amigos y mi familia que quieren leer esto, es mejor en inglés.

Okay, hello all! So, I am in Ecuador and it is fantastic! Although it seems my Spanish isn’t too bad (unless you know how to speak Spanish and realize all the mistakes I’ve made), I feel it is terrible. I can barely understand the family that I live with! Everyone talks rapídismo (very fast). I don’t have too much trouble with the professors at CIMAS (the organization that runs the program and works closely with the University of Minnesota) because they pronounce their words clearly and realize that many of us have some difficulties with Spanish. But, it is very different in my home-stay because they are used to talking fast and not pronouncing every letter. We do this English, but do not realize it because it is our first language! Wow, this is actually hard to write because I am starting to think a little bit more in Spanish every day.

In any case, I need breaks from Spanish because I seriously have headaches at night because I feel like I am always thinking so much about what other people are saying and about what I need to say. It is a crazy feeling. I realized in the past two days that I am going to have a difficult time doing this research project. I need to have 100x more confidence in my ability to speak Spanish than I do right now. I am afraid to explore the city because I think I’ll get lost and never find my way back because I am not confident with my Spanish skills. But just as my professor says at CIMAS “a poco a poca” (a little bit each day, a little bit at a time and everything will be easier—very optimistic). One problem that I have is when “mi mamita” (my home-stay mother) is talking to me and I don’t understand, I just nod my head and say “Sí, sí!” Obviously, this is not the way to learn the language, but I feel terrible saying every five seconds “repita por favor?” (Repeat please?) or “más despacio por favor (much slower please!). But, I realize I need to do this if I want to be fluent in Spanish, which has always been my goal since the 8th grade.

Okay, so how to approach this project? Well, I think in a week or two my Spanish abilities will be much better. Plus I need to get acquainted with the city before I can even think about the project. But, I do think that the classes I am taking are a great way to start this project. I haven’t started classes yet, but I will start soon. We will be talking about the multidimensional nature of development and how so many different factors are connected and cannot be separated when investigating how development does or could work in a country. We will be studying philosophy, history, economics, politics, and other parts of the many cultures that are in Ecuador. It’s important to realize that Ecuador is a country with much diversity. Not only including its biodiversity in plants, flowers, mammals, birds, etc. But also, the country has a “megadiversidad” in people, cultures, experiences, and values. It’s the same in every country but is underestimated and misunderstood. Not everyone in Ecuador have the same interests, the same goals, or the same values. Thus, development cannot be a model for the country. Instead, there needs to be bottom-up growth in opportunities because they are the ones living in these conditions. If they are happy with their current lifestyles then if people from the outside try to change parts of their lives, they will definitely not be successful.
So I’m guessing people are interested in what the heck I’m doing here. Well, on Monday we arrived in Quito around 10:15pm and then we were off to a hotel for the night. However, we had to wait at the airport for about an hour because some students were late and one student didn’t have his checked bags because they were lost. (Qué lastima!). Good news: he got them back on Wednesday. So, we stayed in the hotel on Monday and then waited for a staff member of CIMAS to meet us at the hotel and bring us to CIMAS on Tuesday morning. While waiting, we had breakfast at the hotel. I forgot how much I love breakfasts in Latin America. The fruit is amazing. I know I need to be careful with it (because of the water that is used to wash the fruits—especially if they don’t have skin to peel), but the fruits are just so fantastic. I can’t resist! There is always fruit, bread, coffee, and juice. When I’m in the states, I feel like it is a routine, but here it seems so much more meaningful. You are always sitting with other people and talking about life or what have you. I don’t know how to explain but it is just different.

Once we got to CIMAS we received a fabulous welcome from all the staff. Our Spanish professor, Emilia, is fantastic. She is so patient with us and always wants to help. She also emphasizes that we, students, have to eliminate our fears of Spanish, eliminate the concept of competition between each other, and we have to become a family; a community. These are the most important things to know right now. I have never heard a Spanish teacher say such things. Man, this place is amazing. After meeting different people who work at CIMAS we listened to presentations about the organization, its history, its objectives, what the organization offers us and what we will give back to the organization. I think CIMAS is a magnificent place. Everyone is part of a family and they have such great ideas and models for students to learn about development. I’ll get into that once the classes start next week. Then I finally met my family that night (Tuesday night). Mi mamíta se llama Mónica Proaño and she has two sons. One lives in the United States while he is studying at the University of San Francisco. I thought that he was studying medicine, but today mi mamíta said something about him being an engineer so now I’m a little confused (again Spanish abilities = subpar). Her other son, who lives with us in Quito, se llama Diego Ricardo and he is 22 years old. He is also studying science like his brother. He is studying medicine, chemistry, is working in a hospital, and also teaches high-school students science (como mi mamá en los Estados Unidos!). So there are three of us living in Quito in an apartment. I will try to put a map up soon with where I am living so you have more of a reference point.

So, that is basically the deal right now. Today, mi mamíta showed me the route I have to take to CIMAS from my apartment, but the bus system is pretty chaotic. It’s hard to tell which bus to get on and people jump on and off while the bus is still moving. Craziness. But I’ll get used to it. I need to ask mi mamíta another time what the names of the buses are that I need to take in the morning. I remember that in order to get back to the apartment I need to take the bus que dice “estadio” because we live close to a huge soccer stadium que se llama “el estadio olímpico”. I hope everyone knows who is reading this that you will be learning spanish with me!! Haha.

Ahh, I need to take more pictures! I haven’t taken one! But tomorrow, we are going on a trip to the north-west of the country to see, first-hand, the biodiversity throughout the country. I will try to upload these to the website as soon as I can! However, it is very difficult because I don’t have much access to the internet. In any case, I will try my best.

Okay, es a las nueve y cuarenta y tres por la noche y puedo levantarme a las siete menos cuarto. Ay! Muy temprano! Y necesito practicar mi español y no puedo hablar en inglés. Sin embargo, hablé con mi madre en los estados unidos para una media hora porque le extraño a mi mama mucho. En realidad, les extraño a todos mi amigos y mi familia pero generalmente hablo con mi mamá todas las días y es muy extraño que yo no puedo hablar con ella. O.K. Necesito dormir. Hasta la próxima vez.

Some thoughts about my project....

So, for the past couple of days, I've been trying to map out how my research project should be organized. But, I can't really organize this project because, in reality, the local circumstances of my homestay and my internship will determine the scope of my research.

(the picture above is one from Honduras of some women who are part of a solidarity group who receive microfinance loans from an MFI called "FUNED")

I'm not sure if I actually went into what microfinance is and why I am interested in it. In essence, I still question its effectiveness; however, in theory, it is supposed to be a creative way of using capitalism to create opportunities for the world's poor (check out Mohammad Yunus winning the Nobel Peace Prize this year because he started Grameen Bank--a leader in the field of microfinance). Small loans are given either to individuals or groups of individuals who do not have the wealth to go to a regular bank because they don't have collateral. Instead, peer-pressure and other types of "social collateral" are used to ensure repayment of loans. Interest rates are higher because of the high transaction costs of giving out multiple small loans. MFIs provide financial and even social services such as education, business training, and health services. Also, the institutions can take multiple forms and have the potential to help many people who lack an opportunity for social mobility. However, the question remains whether individuals, especially women who are targeted the most by microfinance institutions, are empowered by this new opportunity to access financial services.




(this picture is of a microfinance client and his wife who were able to run a small store in their village ("pulperia" in Spanish)--these types of stores are numerous throughout the country--and I'm predicting that they are also throughout Latin America, but perhaps with a different name?? not really sure, but I guess I'll find out soon enough)

Okay, so that's the jist of microfinance, but I'm sure I'll go more in depth with my thoughts about the process later on. In any case, I've come up with some questions I would like to ask of microfinance clients (some questions could be asked of non-clients, as well) in Ecuador.

1. What led he or she to become a client?



2. How did he or she view the MFI (microfinance institution) in the beginning of the loan process versus now?



3. How did he or she hear about microfinance? (Were they targeted by the MFI or did they seek out the loan)



4. What were their loans used for, how much was their first loan, what loans are they on now, and how much is it for?



5. Are they taking out loans from more than one MFI?



6. How many microenterprises do they have, or did they diversify a single microbusiness?



7. Did their children go to school before receiving a loan? If not, are they now?



8. What would be a typical day for this person?



9. If this person could change on thing about his or her life, what would it be?



10. How does this person feel about the new president-elect?

So these were some questions I just thought of really quickly. But, this project is a work in progress.

Next on the list of things to worry about--how to pack light.....

Ecuador Countown, 1 Month 5 days

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." –- Miriam Beard

Traveling is my passion. Why? I haven't quite put my finger on the reason, but one definite factor is my need to escape the bubble in which my family wants me to remain trapped . I'm supposed to live a "normal" life full of success(whatever that means). Perhaps it is essentially this escape that has pushed me into a plane 4 times in the last 2 years to travel throughout Latin America. On the other hand, my heart has led me to foreign destinations because I want to "make a difference". (the picture to the right is from my trip to Honduras--Copan)

To be honest, I don't know how this goal has developed, especially since after high school I planned on becoming a big CEO of a major corporation like my father. But, it could be that recent events in my family, and my first real abroad experience steered me away from this materialistic vision. I have become drawn towards one that to me seemed more fulfilling. It would be a life that I'd be proud to live and be passionate about.

So what takes me to Ecuador you ask? Well, I will be spending 4 months outside of Quito with a host family through a study abroad program. This program is focused on International Development through the University of Minnesota. I will be taking classes in Spanish on International Development Theory, Country Analysis, Advanced Spanish, and I will be participating in an internship. The internship will be the most exciting part of this trip because I will be working at an NGO focused on development in Ecuador. As a likely career path, this trip will determine the direction of my future. However, the parts of my trip that will be the most interesting for others to read about will be my interactions with the locals, my research project that will turn into my senior thesis, and other daily adventures. Well at least it would be interesting to me.

My research project will be an analysis of specific development strategies in Ecuador, how they have impacted specific communities, and on a larger scale, how this micro-analysis will be insighful for future development in Ecuador. I also hope to include some of the recent elections in Ecuador and how Rafael Correa will play a role in determining a clear future course for the country distinct from United States interest (something to get into another time).

On this blog I will post a journal at least twice a week (probably typing up my written field notes), and will reflect as much as possible on my findings. I encourage and hope for input from others reading this blog as well!

Until next time................