Coffee & fireworks

This week included a couple of field trips and a total of two extremely close-up fireworks shows. Also multiple parades.
San Cristobal is celebrating its independence day as well as a few other things I'm not 100% sure about. There have been lots of parties these two weeks, and I went to a parade last week when the queen of San Cristobal was being crowned.

The contestant from my neighborhood.

After the parade, there was a concert and fireworks. There were dancers from town that performed, food, and lots of people. It was really cool.
Last week, we went on a field trip to El Cafetal, the farm that produces Galapagos Coffee, and another farm in the highlands. We saw coffee growing in the understory of the forest, a more environmentally-friendly way to grow coffee as it protects the species who live in the forest habitat and is not a monoculture. We took the coffee berries right off the bushes and sucked on them. They definitely did not taste like coffee. We also went to El Junco, a freshwater lake. We volunteered on the farm and helped the owner do a month of work in a few hours. I'm glad that this was part of our class because farming reminds me of home and it felt good to be among a forest of tomato plants for a little while to help a local farmer.

Working in the tomato forest.

We went to multiple parties in town this week. One night, I went down with my family to watch the second fireworks display. Both displays involved a massive tower lined with fireworks that simultaneously were lit up, followed by extremely close up-in-the-air type fireworks. It was super impressive and dangerous, and one of my friends was hit on the head with a firework rock! We definitely learned our lesson to stay farther away from these over-the-top shows.

My sisters Dayana and Analia in front of our house.

Last week, I finished up my open water diver's certification! We went on a total of 4 dives in the ocean and 1 in the pool. It was such a surreal experience to be able to breathe underwater, and I've already seen some awesome things on our dives, including a shipwreck! The Galapagos are one of the best places to dive in the world, so I decided that this certification would definitely be worth it. Soon, I'm going to plan a night dive and a trip to Kicker Rock, a place a boat ride away from the island where you can see hammerhead sharks, Galapagos sharks, giant schools of fish, and lots of other amazing things. I feel so lucky that the first place I get to dive is the Galapagos. It's also a lot cheaper than a diver certification in the States, so I don't feel bad about spending all of the extra money. 

Next week marks the beginning of Carnaval. So the parties in San Cristobal will continue. I'll make sure I document that here.

I think I'm beginning to assimilate here. It's a lot different than Quito because Quito was fairly westernized and felt a little closer to the US. Here, there's more of a culture shock. It's a unique feeling to be on an island in the middle of the ocean with nowhere else to go but here. There is definitely that relaxed, easy-going islander attitude that is rubbing off on everyone. People who tended to be very organized and type-A at home have said that they are changing. I think my personality fits with this lifestyle; I've never been one to micromanage everything. However, it's still a big change to be restricted to one 558 square kilometer piece of land. I guess I've never before realized my continental privilege. 

Chao!

First week in Galapagos

So now I am writing from San Cristóbal, Galapagos. San Cristóbal is the island closest to mainland Ecuador, and we flew in on a one and a half hour flight from Guayaquil on Sunday. I wasn't really sure what to expect, and I haven't even seen that much of the island, but I will tell of the experiences I have had so far.

This is the town I live in, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. This picture was not retouched in any way, the water is actually that blue. What I do with most of my time here, when I'm not in class, is go to the beach. There are some amazing beaches on the island, most of which I haven't even seen yet. I also have gone snorkeling tons of times, and every time I see the most amazing marine life. I've seen tons of fishes, sea turtles, sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, frigate birds, Darwin finches, the list goes on. Since the wildlife here has no natural predators, nothing is scared of you. That's one of the reasons Galapagos is one of the biggest tourist destinations (besides being the birthplace of evolution and modern Biology and all), is because you can easily see wildlife that you might never see otherwise. I'm sure I will post plenty of pictures of sea lions and such (because sea lions are EVERYWHERE), but for now I've been taking it easy with the pictures.

My backyard, with my family's two puppies.

Annaliya, my four year old host sister.

Playa Mann, the beach in front of my university.

My host family consists of my mom, dad, and twelve year old and four year old host sisters. They are really nice and easy to get along with, even though I don't speak much Spanish. I feel comfortable practicing my Spanish with them, and I think they will really help me learn. We live in a small, orange house that I need to climb a hill to get to, and I wasn't lucky enough to get internet in my house, but I was lucky enough to get air conditioning in my room, which I definitely prefer. It is so hot here. I know I can't really complain with Ohio and Michigan covered by multiple feet of snow, but still. 

A look-out point near Tijeretas, an awesome snorkeling spot.

The path to Tijeretas.

I am liking living here so far. It's a lot different from Quito because I no longer have to be constantly worrying about being robbed and getting places. Here, I walk everywhere, feel totally safe at night, and no matter where I go I will find some friends. I am planning on starting diving classes soon to get certified which I am really excited for, Galapagos is supposed to be one of the best places in the world for diving. The night life here is also fun. I will keep updating on what it's like to live in Galapagos, and post more pictures. Hasta luego!

Las montañas

Two weeks ago (I know it's been too long) I spent time in the paramo, at Chimborazo, and in the cloud forest. The paramo is a grassland that exists at a certain elevation, and only a few plants and animals are able to thrive there. One of those animals is the vicuna, a relative of the alpaca, PICTURED HERE:

The paramo has really harsh conditions, spanning from desert-like rocky areas to lower elevations with lots of grasses, shrubs, and hummingbirds. The weather changes really rapidly there; it can go from summer to winter in just a few hours. While we were hiking, it hailed on us and then an hour later became sunny and warm. And the views from up there were amazing. 

Valerian, which can be used as a relaxant.

Paramo

Hiking this high was pretty difficult. After just a few steps, my heart was beating really fast and I felt like I had just been running. It was really rewarding to get to our top spot, which was called the ear of Chimborazo, a cave where indigenous people went to pray to the mountain. When we reached the cave, our guide said a prayer in Quechua to help us have a safe and happy journey in Ecuador. It was really beautiful.

Our professor, Esteban, in the ear of Chimborazo.

Next stop was the cloud forest. This might have been my favorite field trip so far. Unfortunately I was not able to take any pictures there, so I will paint a picture with my words. The cloud forest is typically how you imagine a jungle, with plants living literally everywhere, to the point that epiphytes, or plants that grow on trees branches, cover up to 135% of branches there. When we went, it was incredibly muddy and we sank into the mud with almost every step, making the hike pretty difficult, which some people didn't like. However, I thought it was awesome and I stayed behind our guide, who wielded a machete through the forest to clear the way for us. After we finally made it to our halfway point, we swam in an ice-cold waterfall, which felt way too cold but really great at the same time. The cloud forest got its name from its higher elevation unlike that of a tropical rainforest like Tiputini; clouds roll through the forest, water condenses on the trees and flows downward, making it super wet and plant-y. I really loved all of the biodiversity and abundance of plants there, and I thought even though it was hard to hike through, it was incredibly beautiful.

On our way to the cloud forest, we saw Banos, a really cool town boasting a huge active volcano, Tungurahua. The crazy thing is, two weeks after we left Banos and the cloud forest, Tungurahua had a lot of activity and a huge ash storm resulted. Here's a picture I took of the volcano: 

Here's a video of it erupting: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/ecuadors-tungurahua-volcano-erupts-spews-ash/

This is terrible for the residents of Banos because it can contaminate water, kill animals, and be an all-around nuisance for people to clean up and such. But you have to admit, it's still really awesome. Ecuador is just so awesome. 

P.S. I am in Galapagos now! I will post soon about that, I just found a reliable internet connection to use!