FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN GUAYAQUIL AND UEES

So things have been pretty good in September and I feel sure this year will be the best for me.

Here are a few updates on certain things:

INTERNSHIP

On the Monday of our second week in Guayaquil/at UEES, I reported to the main campus for 9am to join the arts students on going again to some schools to talk about this play. I felt comfortable about it this time, but then I saw Javier and Anna, the two people I spent my time with, were not there today. I had kind of counted on partnering with them again, so got a tiny bit nervous again. We got in a little van and headed not to Guayaquil but in the opposite direction, up all the way through Samborondón until it eventually becomes a poor area. So, no longer Samborondón I guess? I wasn’t given a proper explanation of where we went but it looked like poorer disorganized area than I’d seen yet, and it was a 40 minute ride so I was able to have a quick nap on the way.

This time I was partnered with the guy who I thought was a teacher last time; he looks like Antonio Banderas, but with long hair and less like Antonio Banderas the more you look at him, so not sure where I’m going with this description. Anyway we went to a class and started talking and I could not understand these kids hardly at all. All speaking at once super-fast in a lot of slang talk, I definitely suffered this time. In turn it seems like they could not understand me when I spoke, even though no one else here has had trouble with understanding my Spanish so far. So I ended up resorting to just standing there while my partner did the talking, which really lowered my confidence. We headed to another school, but I was feeling a bit uncomfortable now. I was able to communicate a bit more in this next class of kids, but still struggled at understanding each other.

After that, it was time for a break before we headed to the next couple of schools. It was 11:30 now, which meant we would not be back at UEES until 2:30pm. This is supposed to be a morning activity and I should be back at Nizida’s for lunch before Spanish class at 2.40, so when one of the girls said she was going back I decided to go with her. This girl, who’s called Joanna and is heavily pregnant, was able to get us on a public bus that drives down back to mainland Samborondón and UEES. I had no idea what was going on as she asked people what bus to get and where from, everyone is shouting and jumping on/off different buses, and I feel like I just want to get back to nice Samborondón as soon as possible! Anyway we manage to get on a bus and during our conversation she tells me about her marriage and that her baby is due next month, all this she is just a year older than me. I also found myself having to protect her from people who keep barging through everyone pushing and shoving, so here I am like a knight in shining armour to this pregnant girl who I’ll probably never see again. We got to UEES after about half an hour.

The next day was the actual performance of this play, at the theatre Teatro Sanchez Aguilar in Entre Rios. Today, one of the French girls Marine joined us so I was happy to hang around with her. We basically had to usher these kids into their seats at the theatre, and then watched the play. Maybe because the actors were shouting or singing most of the time, but I did not really understand what was happening or what the story was. I think there was about 5 different stories each about one lady being tricked by a Don John type of character but I never understood the exact dialogue. I can’t say I was bored, because there was singing and dancing, but it did start to drag on a bit by the time it finished. It’s really strange how I could not understand them, did not make sense.

Poster for the play.

After this play, my time with these arts students was finished, there was nothing more to do now which was disappointing. Had this really been an internship? I looked for a new placement, and ended up going to Padre Damian, a care centre for patients who have previously suffered from leprosy. I also had the pleasure of going with Julie, another Frenchie, so we could both get lost together on the first day we went there. Also it was the first time I took the public bus to Guayaquil, which I had feared slightly. Having to jump on and off does give you a bit of adrenaline, and hey sometimes the driver is polite enough to wait until everyone is off the bus before he drives off. The time we spend at Padre Damian is quite relaxed, our main purpose is to spend time with the patients there. That includes, for example, playing dominoes, helping make food to give to them, even just conversing with them. One fragile old lady told me she had been put there by God but that she does not hate him for giving her leprosy, and that he also put me there. The centre is run by an American nun named Annie. She is a nice eccentric lady (she shouts a lot, but happy shouts, like hallelujahs).

CLASSES

During our first week, we assumed the class Institutions In Society would be easy and relaxed since we did not really do any work and it kept getting cancelled. But we were so wrong. This was discovered upon our first lesson back in the second week, when the teacher seemingly removed all friendliness from her system. She had sent us some pages over the weekend to read about Yasuni, the national park which is being destroyed to obtain its oil despite the threat to the wildlife and indigenous people who live there. Most of us had a quick read through, some did not, but we did not expect such a vicious interrogation and subsequent scolding on the matter. There is also the matter of the teacher locking the door at 9pm, and refusing to open it if anyone arrives later (although eventually she will). So we left the class frightened, and got used to a pattern of being set tons of readings which we had to read because we’d be tested on it in class. The teacher is kind of like Professor Umbridge, as some people have likened her. Bearing in mind we have internships in the morning,we tend to get to UEES in the afternoon for Spanish classes, then we have a few hours after of free time which should be spent reading 20 pages or so of Ecuadorian history. It probably does not sound that bad but it’s a little tedious especially when you then have this challenging class at night; some of the Frenchies were actually in tears because of the stress of this reading work/tests.

The Spanish class is pretty easy though. Mostly read Ecuadorian literature and then have to analyse them or something, and we have started to read a book called Baldomera whicih we will have to write an essay on, it’s actually pretty interesting. It’s set in Guayaquil and is about a woman called Baldomera, a middle-aged woman straight out of the ghetto who drinks all day and gets into fights with people. One chapter tells of a riot that goes on and a guy accidentally crushes a baby, so Baldomera promptly cuts his head off. I’m just saying it’s more interesting and entertaining than the usual books that have to be studied for in classes.

So the usual schedule from Monday to Thursday is wake up around 7:30/8, head to the internship for 9, back around 1, have an hour and a half to eat, then to UEES for Spanish class and then I have about four hours until the Institutions class. Those four hours vary, either I spend it in UEES or I go back home as sometimes the food is not ready in time for earlier. This is dangerous though, because with the heat and everything I end up having a nap if I get back home around 4ish. Actually a lot of students do this, then we end up rushing back to UEES in time for our night classes.

So, that means Thursday night is the night to party, there is always a cheerful mood on Thursday evenings as we finish at UEES. 

Karina, Angelike, and Don Andrea; the lovely ladies in charge of us!

INTERNATIONAL FAMILY

The international group is even closer now, and we pretty much have a great time together every week.

On the way to this club, myself and the two Australians Steve and Tiffany had our first argument with a taxi driver which was bound to happen at somepoint. We took the cab off the street from Samborondón to Guayaquil, to some shopping centre at the top of which this club was located. The taxi driver tried charging 8 dollars, two more than the agreed 6 (which is already more expensive than it would be with the safe company we usually use). So we just gave him the 6 and walked out the cab, and proceeded to go into the wrong building where we thought the club was. So as we came out again to go into the next building, we saw the taxi still there, the driver glaring at us. But yeah nothing bad happened.

We have also become frequent locals at Beer House, the closest thing to a pub around here. But it's no pub, it's actually quite a noisy bar.

Cheers!

Handsome fellas.

With some of the Mexican ladies.

Other times I frequently chill at the Mexicans' place.

Djibril!

With Nancy and Mayte.

MR LOVERMAN

They call me Mr Loverman. Me and Solbi started a relationship now, so that makes my time here even better. Also she is three years older, how cool is that. She has been round to the house and Nizida has been very friendly to her, again showing how lucky I am with this host mother because I know other host families would have issues of having members of the opposite sex visiting. Not sure how long it will last, but good to have fun for a while at least. My man Djibril got himself a girlfriend too, one of the Mexicans. International love!

MEXICAN PARTY

Mexico's Independence Day is on September 16^th, so Pepe and Karla hosted a Mexican party where they cooked Mexican food and had Mexican music playing. It was also Victoria's 24th birthday. Good times!

Our lovely chef couple Pepe and Karla at work.

Happy birthday Victoria bro.

Awesome picture with my buddy Djibril!

A much needed haircut.

Me and Solbi :)

Me and Karla!

Ole ole!

This is a picture of strictly just Mexicans, together celebrating the independence of their country. As you can see, I am also in this picture, officially changing my nationality to Mexican.

Having a great time with my new buds

BEACH VISIT

One Sunday I went to Salinas for the day with Tiffany from Australia. Salinas is beach town about two hours away, which also meant my first time taking a travel bus from the bus station. When you enquire about what the times are for buses, there is no such thing as receiving a polite response detailing the prices and different times. Instead you basically get shouted at that there is one right now go quickly now now go to the stop upstairs go! Next!

I was glad I had tiffany with me who had already travelled from here before, so I had someone to guide me around this chaotic bus terminal. Also, the buses have no toilets which made me worried. At least it’s only two hours to Salinas, but this is going to be a problem for other travels I want to do eventually which cover distances of 5 hours or more. Anyway, I was really excited to get to the beach and swim in the pacific, but it was quite disappointing. It was cloudy, windy, and a little chilly. It was like we left Ecuador and went to the UK. We just ended up napping on the beach and then went to eat then came back to Guayaquil. I didn't even take any pictures.