Dusty Blog
I know I've let the blog collect a lot of dust bunnies, but I'm back in action now! There's been a lot going on, but there's finallyyy a break in the action to fill you all in. The main highlights of the past 2 months were: 1.) the Maná concert, 2) Mothers Day, 3) a new job, and 4) my uncles' and cousins' visit here. And in addition, the anticipation of many pending trips.
#1 Maná
Maná is a rock group from Mexico that I've loved ever since I heard them for the first time in my Intro Spanish class during my first semester at Wellesley. They're not hard rock at all--it's kind of hard to explain their style. Their music has a lot of Latin flavor mixed with rock, and they have a mix of fast, energetic songs and slower songs. They are super famous in Spanish-speaking countries and they even have their popularity among people in the US, too. Anyway, I've become less and less of a concert person as the years roll on but I always knew I could make an exception for Maná. I think I had actually just told that to Alejandro a few months back. Anyway, lo and behold, I heard that Maná was going to be performing in Quito. Alejandro and I immediately ran out to buy our tickets because we knew they would sell out quickly. They were selling tickets on the first floor of one of the malls in Quito. We took one look at the line wrapping around the floor and decided it would be way better to buy online. That turned out to be the way to go: no lines, no fuss, and much less painful. Finally the eagerly anticipated day of the concert arrived. The concert was at the main soccer stadium in Quito and we had really good seats--not necessarily right up against the stage, but we weren't that far away and were directly in front of the stage. The weather was nice enough to cooperate which was marvelous, since we were at an open stadium.
As for the concert, it was amazing! I would say it was the best concert I've ever been to. There was no warm-up act so Maná came out right away. Their entrance was excellent: there was a screen covering the front of the stage, and one by one the band members´magnified silhouettes appeared, culminating in the lead singer's silhouette and his trademark long wavy hair. The stadium was packed full and everyone was screaming with excitement. The concert lasted 2 1/2 hours and the band played a mix of new and classic songs. It was great to be outside because the music wasn't so loud that it blasted your eardrums apart. Plus, the vocals were very clear so you could hear all the words which made it easier to sing along. There were also three screens, one so you could see the band members better, and two to provide images to accompany the songs. For instance, in one song about a heart pierced by thorns there was a picture of a cartoon heart with thorns spiraling around it. It was cool to be able to listen to the music and kind of see it at the same time.
One of my favorite parts of the concert was the drum solo. The drummer was like a madman up there playing his drums like a fiend (in the best sense of the word). He started out with very basic rhythms and then worked himself up to frenzy mode. He was playing so fast and with excellent technique the whole time. He even did little tricks like playing really fast while tossing one of the drumsticks in the air, playing behind his back, standing on his stool--you get the idea. In other words, incredible! I've always loved the drums even though I have absolutely no experience in that department, but even so, it's thrilling to see someone be able to play an instrument with such talent like he did.
The finale of the concert was also excellent. First, at the supposed end of the concert, there was an open suitcase on the stage. Each band member stepped into it in turn and slowly began to be lowered into it, making it look like they were all getting packed away into the suitcase together. It was pretty funny. Then, after much cheering and calling for them to comeback, they reappeared to play a bunch of songs, about 5 or 6. At the beginning of the final song, the lead singer started to unfold what looked like a Mexican flag. Then all of a sudden the crowd began to see bits of yellow, blue and red. When the whole flag was unfurled we saw that it was the Mexican flag attached to the Ecuadorian flag. I thought that was a nice touch, and as it turned out, Quito was a special place for the band because they kicked off their first ever international tour in Quito. At the real finale of the concert, flames spouted from the top of the stage and fireworks shot into the sky. All in all it was a concert and an experience to be remembered forever. And of course, I'm addicted to their songs now more than ever before.
#2 Mothers Day
Mother's Day was a lot of fun. After making sure to call my mama, we went to Alejandro's aunt and uncle's country house in Puembo, one of the valleys outside of Quito. His mom's whole side of the family came. We had a big barbecue and I tried fritada for the first time, which is a really yummy traditional pork dish. They made it differently than they usually do in restaurants here, and it was marinated, juicy, and reeeally good. The actual process of barbecueing and getting all the food ready took a while indeed, so in the meantime we all entertained ourselves with conversation, beer and wine. Alejo's uncle even let me pick out my own personal wine from the wine cellar to share with whoever I wanted. (Of course I picked the closest thing I could find to Riesling.)
The wine was excellent, and after mingling and finally sitting down to eat and eating ourselves stupid, we had to decide what to do next. I was in big danger of passing out from having such a full belly, but I decided to suck it up and take a walk around the property with Alejandro. We ended up playing a little bit of soccer: he took shots on goal and I was the goalie. That started to attract some of the cousins over to participate, and before we knew it we had a game going. I remained goalie for the whole game and my team won 10-8! Not bad considering I was playing in a skirt with stockings, a nice top, and no shoes. After that, a bunch of us played about 4 rounds of Ecuavolley, with 3 people on each team and a soccer ball instead of a volleyball. All I can say is ¨Ouch¨. The games were very fun and sometimes intense, but I must say that volleyball was never meant to be played with a soccer ball. End of story. I ended up having bruises up and down my forearms for a few days afterward but I still like to think it was worth it. All in all it was a really nice day, weather and activity wise, and I know we all had a great time. We got there at around 11 in the morning and didn't leave until 8:30 or so, so that should tell you something. Incidentally, tomorrow we're going back to the house to celebrate the first communion of one of Alejandro's cousins, and it's a suit and tie event. Why do I get the feeling I'll be playing goalie again tomorrow in my formal black dress with my heels cast aside...
#3 New Job
So after realizing that private English classes weren't going to cut it financially speaking, on a whim I took my resume over to an English institute after I saw a job opening with them in the classifieds. I took my resume in, had an interview the next day, and by the third day I was hired. I'm teaching advanced classes since I'm the only teacher who's a native speaker. I really get along well with my boss, my fellow teachers, and all of my students--everyone is so nice.
I started out as full-time, but that proved to be pretty complicated. First of all, my schedule was less than desirable because there was a 3-hour hole in the middle of my day when many people don't take classes. I needed to go home to have lunch, which meant waiting for and catching buses to and from the house, which added up to a lot of time en route to places and not much time for lunch or any type of relaxation before heading back to work. Second of all, I wasn't aware that I'd have to sometimes work 9 or 10 hour days to make up hours when students canceled their classes. 9 or 10 hour days may be doable in some jobs, but I discovered that it is more than exhausting when you're teaching. All in all, it turned out to be a lot on my plate and I felt a little overwhelmed and a lotta tired and stressed.
So a few days ago I changed my contract to part-time, so that means I work 5 hours a day in the morning or the afternoon, but not both in one day. So that makes it a lot easier in terms of transportation and not having to worry about making up canceled hours, etc. I feel a lot more relaxed and now I can just concentrate on giving good classes. I usually work with my students on reading stories, learning new vocabulary, listening skills with videos and cds, and different types of grammar exercises. My salary pales in comparison to literally any job you can think of in the US or another developed nation, but at least I'm making enough to support myself while living here and certainly more than I was making giving private classes. I'm happy I took a chance and I know I'm getting really good experience which will help boost me up the ladder in the future, either here or in the US.
# Family Visit
Last but not least, the family! My mom's two brothers, Nick and Mark, and her sister's two daughters (my cousins) Sara and Francesca, came to visit me about a week ago! We had such a blast and it was so wonderful to see all of them. It felt like it had been a long time since I had last seen them. The first night they got in, the girls decided to turn in after the long trip and since it was about 1 am, but the uncles powered on through and Alejandro and I accompanied them out to knock back a drink or two. It was great to catch up and chat about anything and everything. In the following days we really had a jam-packed schedule--by the end of each day we were completely wiped. The girls and I didn't even have the energy to go out dancing--imagine that! But it was worth it because we got in a lot of activities.
We did the cable cars up the Pichincha mountain, played a few rounds of air hockey at the amusement park at the cable cars, walked around the colonial part of Quito and visited about a thousand historic churches, went to Otavalo which is a town 2 hours north of Quito with an incredible market on Saturdays and a few lakes nearby that we saw as well, visited artisan and food markets in Quito, went to the bar sector a couple times for a drink or pizza, hit up a Saturday night party, made a time of it at Alejo's aunt and uncle's country house with a nice dinner, dancing, and even a sleepover, took a short tour of one of the more upscale malls, went to the Equator, walked in the biggest and most popular park in Quito called La Carolina, watched a playoff soccer/fútbol game that was important for Ecuador at a bar on a projection screen, and if there's anything else, I sure as hell can't remember because we packed so much stuff into 5 days. We even had time for the cuzzies to curl up in bed and watch some episodes of ¨Friends¨ together, one of our traditions. We tried out a bunch of different restaurants and even ate empanadas the size of our heads, which was quite thrilling, not to mention mighty tasty. I can't reiterate enough how much fun I had with my fam and how great it was to see them. It's definitely a visit I'll always remember. :)
#5 On the Horizon
Coming up: Wellesley in Quito (aka 3 of my closest friends from Wellesley are going to be visiting in a week!)
And, the big ¨Meet the Parents/Family/Friends¨ trip back to DC with Alejandro in August for a month!
Okay, I think that should tide you all over for the next 2 months (just kidding). I'll try to be better about updating. But hey, I have a valid excuse now--I'm a working lady! Nevertheless, I'll try and make sure the blog doesn't collect too much dust and will attempt to give it a good cleaning now and then.
xoxo
#1 Maná
Maná is a rock group from Mexico that I've loved ever since I heard them for the first time in my Intro Spanish class during my first semester at Wellesley. They're not hard rock at all--it's kind of hard to explain their style. Their music has a lot of Latin flavor mixed with rock, and they have a mix of fast, energetic songs and slower songs. They are super famous in Spanish-speaking countries and they even have their popularity among people in the US, too. Anyway, I've become less and less of a concert person as the years roll on but I always knew I could make an exception for Maná. I think I had actually just told that to Alejandro a few months back. Anyway, lo and behold, I heard that Maná was going to be performing in Quito. Alejandro and I immediately ran out to buy our tickets because we knew they would sell out quickly. They were selling tickets on the first floor of one of the malls in Quito. We took one look at the line wrapping around the floor and decided it would be way better to buy online. That turned out to be the way to go: no lines, no fuss, and much less painful. Finally the eagerly anticipated day of the concert arrived. The concert was at the main soccer stadium in Quito and we had really good seats--not necessarily right up against the stage, but we weren't that far away and were directly in front of the stage. The weather was nice enough to cooperate which was marvelous, since we were at an open stadium.
As for the concert, it was amazing! I would say it was the best concert I've ever been to. There was no warm-up act so Maná came out right away. Their entrance was excellent: there was a screen covering the front of the stage, and one by one the band members´magnified silhouettes appeared, culminating in the lead singer's silhouette and his trademark long wavy hair. The stadium was packed full and everyone was screaming with excitement. The concert lasted 2 1/2 hours and the band played a mix of new and classic songs. It was great to be outside because the music wasn't so loud that it blasted your eardrums apart. Plus, the vocals were very clear so you could hear all the words which made it easier to sing along. There were also three screens, one so you could see the band members better, and two to provide images to accompany the songs. For instance, in one song about a heart pierced by thorns there was a picture of a cartoon heart with thorns spiraling around it. It was cool to be able to listen to the music and kind of see it at the same time.
One of my favorite parts of the concert was the drum solo. The drummer was like a madman up there playing his drums like a fiend (in the best sense of the word). He started out with very basic rhythms and then worked himself up to frenzy mode. He was playing so fast and with excellent technique the whole time. He even did little tricks like playing really fast while tossing one of the drumsticks in the air, playing behind his back, standing on his stool--you get the idea. In other words, incredible! I've always loved the drums even though I have absolutely no experience in that department, but even so, it's thrilling to see someone be able to play an instrument with such talent like he did.
The finale of the concert was also excellent. First, at the supposed end of the concert, there was an open suitcase on the stage. Each band member stepped into it in turn and slowly began to be lowered into it, making it look like they were all getting packed away into the suitcase together. It was pretty funny. Then, after much cheering and calling for them to comeback, they reappeared to play a bunch of songs, about 5 or 6. At the beginning of the final song, the lead singer started to unfold what looked like a Mexican flag. Then all of a sudden the crowd began to see bits of yellow, blue and red. When the whole flag was unfurled we saw that it was the Mexican flag attached to the Ecuadorian flag. I thought that was a nice touch, and as it turned out, Quito was a special place for the band because they kicked off their first ever international tour in Quito. At the real finale of the concert, flames spouted from the top of the stage and fireworks shot into the sky. All in all it was a concert and an experience to be remembered forever. And of course, I'm addicted to their songs now more than ever before.
#2 Mothers Day
Mother's Day was a lot of fun. After making sure to call my mama, we went to Alejandro's aunt and uncle's country house in Puembo, one of the valleys outside of Quito. His mom's whole side of the family came. We had a big barbecue and I tried fritada for the first time, which is a really yummy traditional pork dish. They made it differently than they usually do in restaurants here, and it was marinated, juicy, and reeeally good. The actual process of barbecueing and getting all the food ready took a while indeed, so in the meantime we all entertained ourselves with conversation, beer and wine. Alejo's uncle even let me pick out my own personal wine from the wine cellar to share with whoever I wanted. (Of course I picked the closest thing I could find to Riesling.)
The wine was excellent, and after mingling and finally sitting down to eat and eating ourselves stupid, we had to decide what to do next. I was in big danger of passing out from having such a full belly, but I decided to suck it up and take a walk around the property with Alejandro. We ended up playing a little bit of soccer: he took shots on goal and I was the goalie. That started to attract some of the cousins over to participate, and before we knew it we had a game going. I remained goalie for the whole game and my team won 10-8! Not bad considering I was playing in a skirt with stockings, a nice top, and no shoes. After that, a bunch of us played about 4 rounds of Ecuavolley, with 3 people on each team and a soccer ball instead of a volleyball. All I can say is ¨Ouch¨. The games were very fun and sometimes intense, but I must say that volleyball was never meant to be played with a soccer ball. End of story. I ended up having bruises up and down my forearms for a few days afterward but I still like to think it was worth it. All in all it was a really nice day, weather and activity wise, and I know we all had a great time. We got there at around 11 in the morning and didn't leave until 8:30 or so, so that should tell you something. Incidentally, tomorrow we're going back to the house to celebrate the first communion of one of Alejandro's cousins, and it's a suit and tie event. Why do I get the feeling I'll be playing goalie again tomorrow in my formal black dress with my heels cast aside...
#3 New Job
So after realizing that private English classes weren't going to cut it financially speaking, on a whim I took my resume over to an English institute after I saw a job opening with them in the classifieds. I took my resume in, had an interview the next day, and by the third day I was hired. I'm teaching advanced classes since I'm the only teacher who's a native speaker. I really get along well with my boss, my fellow teachers, and all of my students--everyone is so nice.
I started out as full-time, but that proved to be pretty complicated. First of all, my schedule was less than desirable because there was a 3-hour hole in the middle of my day when many people don't take classes. I needed to go home to have lunch, which meant waiting for and catching buses to and from the house, which added up to a lot of time en route to places and not much time for lunch or any type of relaxation before heading back to work. Second of all, I wasn't aware that I'd have to sometimes work 9 or 10 hour days to make up hours when students canceled their classes. 9 or 10 hour days may be doable in some jobs, but I discovered that it is more than exhausting when you're teaching. All in all, it turned out to be a lot on my plate and I felt a little overwhelmed and a lotta tired and stressed.
So a few days ago I changed my contract to part-time, so that means I work 5 hours a day in the morning or the afternoon, but not both in one day. So that makes it a lot easier in terms of transportation and not having to worry about making up canceled hours, etc. I feel a lot more relaxed and now I can just concentrate on giving good classes. I usually work with my students on reading stories, learning new vocabulary, listening skills with videos and cds, and different types of grammar exercises. My salary pales in comparison to literally any job you can think of in the US or another developed nation, but at least I'm making enough to support myself while living here and certainly more than I was making giving private classes. I'm happy I took a chance and I know I'm getting really good experience which will help boost me up the ladder in the future, either here or in the US.
# Family Visit
Last but not least, the family! My mom's two brothers, Nick and Mark, and her sister's two daughters (my cousins) Sara and Francesca, came to visit me about a week ago! We had such a blast and it was so wonderful to see all of them. It felt like it had been a long time since I had last seen them. The first night they got in, the girls decided to turn in after the long trip and since it was about 1 am, but the uncles powered on through and Alejandro and I accompanied them out to knock back a drink or two. It was great to catch up and chat about anything and everything. In the following days we really had a jam-packed schedule--by the end of each day we were completely wiped. The girls and I didn't even have the energy to go out dancing--imagine that! But it was worth it because we got in a lot of activities.
We did the cable cars up the Pichincha mountain, played a few rounds of air hockey at the amusement park at the cable cars, walked around the colonial part of Quito and visited about a thousand historic churches, went to Otavalo which is a town 2 hours north of Quito with an incredible market on Saturdays and a few lakes nearby that we saw as well, visited artisan and food markets in Quito, went to the bar sector a couple times for a drink or pizza, hit up a Saturday night party, made a time of it at Alejo's aunt and uncle's country house with a nice dinner, dancing, and even a sleepover, took a short tour of one of the more upscale malls, went to the Equator, walked in the biggest and most popular park in Quito called La Carolina, watched a playoff soccer/fútbol game that was important for Ecuador at a bar on a projection screen, and if there's anything else, I sure as hell can't remember because we packed so much stuff into 5 days. We even had time for the cuzzies to curl up in bed and watch some episodes of ¨Friends¨ together, one of our traditions. We tried out a bunch of different restaurants and even ate empanadas the size of our heads, which was quite thrilling, not to mention mighty tasty. I can't reiterate enough how much fun I had with my fam and how great it was to see them. It's definitely a visit I'll always remember. :)
#5 On the Horizon
Coming up: Wellesley in Quito (aka 3 of my closest friends from Wellesley are going to be visiting in a week!)
And, the big ¨Meet the Parents/Family/Friends¨ trip back to DC with Alejandro in August for a month!
Okay, I think that should tide you all over for the next 2 months (just kidding). I'll try to be better about updating. But hey, I have a valid excuse now--I'm a working lady! Nevertheless, I'll try and make sure the blog doesn't collect too much dust and will attempt to give it a good cleaning now and then.
xoxo
