Week 25--

¡Hola de Quito, Ecuador!

A little painted picture for ya of my airplane travels to Ecuador…

I leave my house in Montevideo around 9ish in the A.M. to leave the country at 12 noon. I fly to Santiago, Chile, hang out in the Dunkin’ Donuts for 6 hours (the only place with wifi), fly to Lima, Peru, spend the night in the airport, and then finally fly to Quito at 6 in the morning on Sunday. I feel pretty rough. But I make it to Quito safe n’ sound, and I find my new host-padre waiting for me with a sign, COURNEY WALKER, in block letters. Welp…here goes nothing…

Ok, I’m putting the brush down, done painting. I’ll just explain the rest of my week to you regularly:

My host-family here is quite nice: Eugenio, Yoli, two daughters, and a dog. They have been hosting students from the school Academia Latino America now for about 6 years. They’ve had students from Japan, Germany, Switzerland (I think), lots of other places, and now little old me from Georgia/North Carolina/Uruguay. Although I think my Uruguayan accent annoys host-padre a bit, we get along just fine. He even showed me karaoke, which we apparently have in the house… First I rocked along to the song Todo Cambio, by Camila, and then paid tribute to my youth with the ‘English ballad,’ As Long As You Love Me, by the one and only Backstreet Boys. I got a better score on the Spanish song… what does that mean!?

I can see a volcano from my house!

The garden.

Cute little mirror! Note the penguin lamp in the backround.

View from my house at night.



Karaoke en casa-- video to come later.

I speak the truth—this first week has been pretty tough. As you may or may not know, I am here for 5 weeks working about 7-9 hours a day in a sports radio station called ‘La Red’ and also at la Academia Latino America (which I didn’t know I was doing until I got here, but that’s is A-OK). That being said, I don’t really have a lot of time to build friendships with people my age. Thanks be to God, I did meet a few friends on my first day of orientation at the Academia. Since they will be taking classes there and I will be working there, some of the professors took us all on a little city tour and laid down the ground rules for us. Anyways-- I guess what I am trying to say is… it is just a very different situation than my situation in Montevideo, or when I went to college for the first time, or when I moved to GA when I was eight… I don’t have a ton of time here, and I don’t have very many interactions with the other students.

Ecuadorian time is the classic ‘Latin American time.’ You say you’re meeting someone at 12…be there at 12:30. You’ll be early. This made it a liiiiitle bit difficult to get my internship up and running. Despite what my last paragraph described, which is how the rest of my days will be, I had a lot of free time by myself on Tuesday and Wednesday. Since my new friends were in class and I was in a brand new city/country, I was just feeling really alone. Typing it out now I’m like, “Ohhh, buck up, Court! Tuesday and Wednesday? That’s only two days!” But trust me, it felt like much longer. Ya see, I was starting to come down with something. Like ‘sickness’ type something. Like ‘I’m pretty sure I’m getting strep throat’ type something. I was just not feeling like myself. I think this made Tuesday and Wednesday harder than they should have been. I guess I lied a little—* on Tuesday on my out of a bookstore, I ended up running into two of my friends. We ended up making a day out of eating Baskin' Robbins (!) and finding them a cell phone--it was fun! Annnd on Wednesday afternoon I met up with a few girls and we went up the teleférico, which is like a cable car that brings you up to a mountain to look out at all (most) of Quito. It was beautiful, and I will be returning later during these five weeks with my camera and with warmer clothing. When I got home I was grateful that I had gone, but I also felt like I had been hit by a bus. I was definitely sick. But Thursday was my first day on the job! I couldn’t miss my first day at the radio! <--Like I said, the beginning of my week felt worse than it actually probably was. I think I was just sick...*

On Thursday morning I got up at 7:30 (breakfast is at 8) and left the house at 9 to get to the Academia by 9:30. I actually really enjoy my work at the school. I am helping with translations, promotional videos, and articles for universities in the United States. I have my own little space, and I even get to listen to Pandora Radio (which somehow works in the Academia and nowhere else outside of it?). Around 1:30, after my lunch break at ‘12’ (12:45), I made my way to the radio for my very first day of radio-interning. It is very different than I thought it would be, but I think it will be something that I grow to really enjoy, as I learn how to make it my own. Right now I am translating fútbol news from English into Spanish for the radio’s website. If you go to Google and type in ‘Radio La Red, Quito, Ecuador’ and then search my name—Courtney Walker—my articles should come up! I’ve only done two… but still. At the end of the day, my semi-boss brought me down to the broadcasting room. Right before I left, one of the broadcasters motioned me over to the microphone. “He’ll just ask your name,” they told me. The ‘on air’ light was shining above the broadcasters. Welp…here goes nothing…

It went a little something like this: (Remember this is all in Spanish)

Broadcaster 1: Annnnd we’re here with our North American/Uruguayan friend (don’t remember what else...) and what is your name?

Me: Courtney Walker

Broadcaster 1: Courtney! And why are you here Courtney?

Me: I’m here working for 5 weeks here… blah blah (I don’t remember again)

Broadcaster 2: (Something about Uruguay)?

Me: Yes, I am studying there (there in Spanish= allá—pronounced a-sh-á in Uruguayan Spanish) for the year at La Catolica.

Broadcaster 2: Jaja (haha), ‘a-sh-á’… you have the accent now.

Me: Yes, soy Urugua-sha! (little joke for all my listeners out there…)

…and so on and so forth.  

They even gave me a soccer ball! That was really cool—could’ve been my big break. I knew I should’ve broken out into song!

On Friday I was really feeling awful. I asked my boss at the Academia if she could call the school’s doctor, and she kindly did so while also notifying the radio that I would not be able to make it during the afternoon. The doctor said it could either be a virus or bacteria (aren’t those really the only two options?), so he gave me medicine for both. I was just thankful for anything that would make me feel like Courtney again. Out of self-pity, I went to the MegaMaxi down the street and bought myself ‘Bridesmaids’ in Spanish—o sea ‘Damas en Guerra’: the perfect way to relax and start to feel better.

On Saturday I really did feel a lot more like myself. My throat still hurt a little, but a million times better than before. I did not want to miss out on any ‘friend-time,’ so I decided that I would join my new friends Mercy and Becky (from Michigan and Wisconsin, respectively) in the old part of the city to go to a museum. I figured it would be pretty tranquilo, and I wouldn’t be pushing myself too hard. We ended up spending hours in this museum/convent/church which was beautiful and so full of character and art! I loved it. Definitely a good, peaceful activity to do while my health was on the rise!

Some interesting little statues in the historical section of Quito.

Peachy-keen building amidst a storm.

Today I went to Mass with Mercy and Becky because they were joining their host-mom at a church near their house. It was so nice not to have to go sola. Their host-family invited to me to stay for breakfast, which was very lovely. Afterwards, the two girls and I planned a little trip outside of the city for next weekend. Baños, Ecuador… here we come! Then came the best part of the day: we went to ‘la mitad del mundo!’ Or shall I say… the middle of the world! The equator!

I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

La Mitad del Mundo!

Handstands en la Mitad del Mundo.

0-0-0.

I obviously thought this was hilarious... Ps. We accidently match.

Two girls. Two hemispheres.

Perdón que este blog post es muy largo.

Abrazos para Uds. de Quito!

O sea—hugs for you all from Quito!

Courtney

*'d parts = edited after more thought and reflection



Weeks 23 & 24--

HAPPY NEW YEAR! WOO! 2013!

Sorry for the late blog post! My parents'/my friends were in Buenos Aires and invited me to spend New Year's Eve with them and their family, so... this blog post is late. ALSO, surprise twist! I am going to combine last week and this week together although this week is not yet over.  Saturday marks the day I leave for Quito, Ecuador, and I don't actually get there until Sunday, so... this blog post is now a blog post...s.

Christmas Eve/Christmas-- Christmas Eve, la Nochebuena, was a scorcher. Let me re-phrase for emphasis. So. Hot. ...Like To Kill a Mockingbird, Maycomb County summer without air conditioning type of hot. Early that morning, I learned that the buses stopped running due to the holiday and the family asado was beginning during Mass, so I would not be able to go to Mass on Christmas Eve. However, my host-family agreed to bring me Christmas Day, and all was well. To get out of the house a bit and avoid thinking of Christmas at home, I decided to go on a 10 mile bike ride. Casual. Despite the heat, it was nice to be in the fresh air, exercising and stopping for a bit to reflect/pray.

At night my host-family began the asado. Like I mentioned in my last post: total. meat-fest. On Christmas Eve I tried the following: 1) cow tongue 2) cow intestine 3) blood sausage. Surprisingly, the cow tongue wasn't so bad... the others were not too yummy. I know it may be childish, but I don't think I could eat any of that type of meat again simply because I know what it is. But the rest of the meat was delicious! My host-brother, Adrian, did a fabulous job grilling all of it. The poor guy was practically baking himself, with the heat of the parrilla and the heat of the air surrounding him. At midnight we all made our way outside for fireworks and some bubbly fruity drink called Fizz (or Frizz?). When the fireworks began, I felt like I was in the middle of a battle! The whole sky was lit up, and the 'BOOMs' came from all directions. I hate to admit it, but it puts the L.B.I. Bay Village 4th of July firework show to shame... Then it was time for presents! The Beloqui's kindly gave me a mug with a family picture on it and a lovely necklace. After a quick Skype call with my family, a conversation with my host-family under the stars, and a quick Skype date with David later, I was snuggled in bed ready for sleep.

I awoke Christmas Day early-ish to go to Mass. I love Christmas Mass in any language in any country--well... really I've only spent Christmas Mass in the USA and in Montevideo, but I'm assuming I would love it just the same. After Mass I tried to text my host-sister to pick me up, but my Uruguayan phone had run out of credits. I waited for her to call me, as I can only receive texts and answer calls when I don't have credits.  She sent me a text saying, "Call me when you're out of Mass" (in Spanish), soo I had no way of contacting her. I didn't know my Uruguayan number to put credits on my phone (dumb of me...you'd think after 5 months of being here...), nor did I even know if any stores would be open so that I could put credits on my phone, so I had to ring the bell of the nuns around the corner to use their phone. Embarassing, kinda. Yet another reminder of how thankful I am to have the ability to simply call in the United States, without thinking of credits. I can live without that ability (obvio), but I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy the convenience. Is that bad? I feel weird typing it...

The rest of Christmas day was pretty much a normal day in Montevideo! Luckily it had cooled down a bit, so Sabrina and I went on a nice walk along the rambla. We were blessed with a beautiful sunset--a mark of God's presence. Before bed, I was able to Skype with my family and my friend Sarah and then later with my primas-hermanas (cousins). What a wonderful way to end Christmas Day--admiring God's beauty in nature and with the ones I love abroad.

La Nochebuena--mucha carne, familia, y fuegos artificiales.

New Year's Eve/New Years-- A few days before New Year's Eve I made my way to Buenos Aires. I was so excited to see my friends and meet more of their extended family. When I got to their house, I was welcomed by so many people! SO many kids! I loved it! I felt right at home. There was a 'no English rule,' and it was cool spending time with these friends, with whom I used to speak English in the United States, in Spanish.

We spent two nights and three days at a family farm about 2 hours outside of the city. We rode horses, ate asado both nights, and had real, profound conversation. El campo (the farm) is so peaceful. No hay prisa, las estrellas son espectaculares, y la naturaleza es hermosa--o sea, there is no hurry, the stars are spectacular, and the nature is beautiful.

Quick little story: On Sunday we went to Mass at the town's Cathedral. It was a lovely church with a very pro-family priest (it was the celebration of the Holy Family that day). At the end of the Mass we were chit-chatting with him about the homily, different statues in the church, when he had arrived to the parish, ta, ta, ta... As we said goodbye he put his hand on my head and said, "Que tengas paz." That you have peace. I will never forget that. A small blessing that made a big impact on me. That you have peace.

We rang in 2013 back closer to the city. Extended family came in and we had yet another asado (I've had 4 asado's and many a left-over-asado in the past week and a half!). An uncle brought out a guitar and we (they) sang to classic Argentinian folk music. They even threw in 2 or 3 American classics for me! The solid sense of family was so comforting. At midnight the sky was once more filled with fireworks. We watched from a balcony and hugged each other tight as the New Year arrived. As the fireworks finshed up, we made our way downstairs for a family Rosary. What a wonderful way to start the New Year.

Quick little sidenote: Their 101 year old grandmother was visiting, and boy was she a hoot! She didn't want anyone to help her stand up, she danced a little jig to the guitar, and she told us stories about the economic/social state of Argentina in the past. When we prayed the Rosary, I could not stop watching her. I could really tell that she truly believes. She was so reverent. So sure. How I pray for that type of faith! What a gift. Better than any Christmas gift I could ever receive, that's for sure.

I am so thankful for my time spent with the Solanet's and for their welcoming and generous hearts.

Mi tiempo con la familia Solanet--muchos caballos, discusiones, y paz.

 

Welp, it's off to Quito, Ecuador. I don't really know anything about my Ecuadorian family except for their names, address, and professions. I haven't been able to communicate with them because the Organization I'm going with is not authorized to give me their email addresses... imagine my face when I read that email... But, apparently they will be at the airport waiting for me with a sign! That being said, I don't know how the whole 'internet-situation' is at my house (apartment?) there. I'll update everyone as soon as I can! 

 

I am a little nervous but excited for the adventure that lays ahead. Please keep me in your thoughts and/or prayers throughout the next five weeks (or the next 7 months if you want...)

 

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

 

Hablaremos pronto--

 

Courtney







Week 22--

I have now been in Uruguay for 5 months. ¡El tiempo vuela!

This week began bitter-sweetly. Bitter because all of my close friends here left to return home. Sweet because I realized how blessed these friends and I are to have helped each other grow this semester. Needless to say, I will miss them dearly.

I thought since school is out and my big trip is over I would have a truck-ton of time on my hands, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. This week was so busy! In a good way. I had (not in chronological order) a goodbye lunch and tea, a Christmas dinner with my friend Lindsay and the Anglican Church community, a friend’s graduation ceremony, and a tour of the Cathedral and other churches of Montevideo from my friend Gastón along with a quick stop in an art exhibition. On Thursday night after a ‘fin del año’ Mass at the University, my friend Lindsay and I (who didn’t leave until yesterday, but is returning. Woo!) went to a night of tango with her host-mom. We watched couples tango until 3 in the morning. It is truly an art. I can’t figure out how the tango-ers know how to move their feet around one another without falling on their faces. In addition to all of that, I finished my Christmas shopping, wrapping, and card-writing. I just want to throw it out there that I love writing and making cards for people.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, la Nochebuena! Here in Montevideo, Christmas is celebrated more tomorrow than on the 25^th. Christmas Eve is filled with celebration--apparently people begin around midday and continue on throughout the night. A little before midnight, my host-family and I will begin our asado dinner, which is like a huge meat-fest. See for yourself! Then, at midnight, the whole world of Montevideo sets off fireworks. Then, presents. Then, more meat eating and celebration… What a day! I am also excited to go to Mass with my new church community and share the gift of the Lord’s birth with them. It hasn’t really felt like Christmas is coming, in the Uruguayan heat (it is soo hot!) without my family and friends from the U.S. of A., but it is a nice reminder that this holiday should have Christ at its center anyways.

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

Praise God!

I hope you all have a very joyful, safe, and blessed Christmas. You all will be in my thoughts, as you’re laying out cookies for Papá Noel and I’m chowin’ down on meat.

 

Les deseo una muy feliz Navidad--

 

Courtney

¡Feliz Navidad!

My Advent Calendar, graciously sent to me by the Scheaf family--one more figurine to go!

¡Estamos listos para la Navidad!



Week 21--

Ch-ch-ch-¡Chile!

Alyssa, Molly, and I began week 21 by crossing the Andes in order to reach Valparaiso, Chile. The ride crossing the mountain range was magnificent—again, a reminder of the God’s beauty in the world. The roads were, however, a bit curvy for my liking. Talk about sweaty hands! My friend Molly is luckily a walking medicine cabinet, and with the help of some Dramamine I ended up feeling fine.

There were 29 of these curves. 29!

 

Colorful. Hilly. ßTwo words to sum up Valparaiso.

It’s one of those cities where you can walk around the entire day and feel satisfied. The walls and streets of the city are covered in street art and graffiti, and the houses are all painted different, vibrant colors. We learned that the people paint their houses different colors to establish a sense of ownership—to distinguish their house from the other houses. “See that blue house…that’s my house.” “If all of the houses have the same appearance,” one Chilean explained, “how could you point your house out to someone easily?” Tiene razón.

All of that being said--we pretty much walked around for two days simply admiring the uniqueness of the city. In my opinion, the best view of Valparaiso and the port can be seen from the top of Cerro Alegre. We arrived to the top via ascensor and were met with a view of the port, the huge cluster of houses, and Viña del Mar in the distance. In addition to meandering around the city, we stopped to take a tour of the cultural center (which had a fantastic photography exhibit), visit one of Pablo Neruda’s houses, and board a boat for a little zip around the port. After three nights and two days it was off to the neighboring city of Viña del Mar.



Our street in Valparaiso por la noche.

Centro de Cultura--photography exhibit.

Las casas de Valparaiso on a super cloudy morning.

Un arco iris de colores.

View from Pablo Neruda's home.

Little statue proposal goin' on. Sneaky Susan in the backround...

 

Sneaky Susan.

Street Art.

Pobre Papá Noel.

*Gasp!*

'The birds cannot live in the water because they are not fish.' Reeeeeeal deep.

Art.

El Puerto de Valparaiso.

El Ascensor.

Amigas en Cerro Alegre.

Cerro Alegre.

Colorful streets!

 

Viña del Mar is just as beautiful as Valparaiso, but in a completely different way. Valparaiso stands out in terms of distinctiveness whereas Viña del Mar stands out in terms of natural beauty--namely its beaches. We walked to a park, visited a museum (with an original Easter Island statue, ancient artifacts, and a two-headed lamb!), and…drum roll please...went SURFING! Oh goodness, was surfing fun. The “teacher” (debatable) gave us “lessons” (which lasted maybe two minutes) after some “yoga” (stretches) and then it was into the water for over two hours to catch some waves. I did not want to leave! I would have stayed in the water for hours on end if my body had been physically capable and if the time we had paid for had not run out. Let me tell you, it was exhausting. At times I felt like I would paddle for 30 minutes and not move anywhere. Exhausting, yes, but so fun. After two nights and two days in Viña, we boarded a bus to leave for our final destination—Santiago!



Viña del Mar!

Woa.

The water is so blue!

Original Easter Island statue.

Two-headed lamb! What?!

Pre-surfing.

 Yoga. Entre comillas.

Post-surfing.

 

Santiago reminded me so much of Buenos Aires for some reason. Probably because it was a big city, with many things to do and see—parks, museums, historical buildings, etc. And that’s practically what we did! We visited parks, did a city tour, and saw/learned about many of the historical sites of the city. I enjoyed the tour because we got to see many places in a short amount of time. Our guide taught us everything from little cultural aspects, such as the typical food and customs of Santiago, to bigger themes, such as the conflicts with the indigenous people and the dictatorship. Our tour guide, a local, showed us a typical Chilean restaurant and suggested that we try a plate called Chorrillana. For dinner we returned to the restaurant to test his suggestion… La comida estaba muy rica.

The Cerro de San Cristóbal was my most favorite place in Santiago, as well as one of my most favorite moments from our entire 2 ½ week trip. We took a bus to the top, from which you receive an incredible view of Santiago. From there we continued walking up the hill to a huge statue of the Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception. There is a little chapel, candles to light for personal intentions, and places to sit, reflect and/or pray. I enjoyed sitting with Our Lady and talking to Our Lord. Sitting there with Her behind me and the city of Santiago to my front, I felt such a sense of peace.



Santiago, Chile.

'Poetry is not sold; it is shared.'

El Parque de las Esculturas.

El Parque de la Esculturas.

Palacio de La Moneda, Santiago, Chile.

Random collection of bottles we found in the street--I thought they were pretty.

Santiago street art near Pablo Neruda's other house.

La Virgen en el Cerro de San Crisóbal.

Santiago behind us!

On Saturday we began our casi 30 horas back to Montevideo en omnibus. It wasn’t too bad. I actually had a pretty deep conversation with this one guy about true love, the basis of the family, faith, and different issues in society. All in SPANISH! Gosh, I love that. Finally…

I am incredibly thankful that I had to ability and the resources to take this trip to Argentina and Chile. If they had the link to my blog and could read this, I would want to thank all of the incredible people we met along the way--especially the locals. I learned so many lessons from them which I hope to carry with me throughout the rest of my life. Special thanks to my parents for their support, and especially for their trust. Thank you to Lindsay, Alyssa, and Molly for your friendship and for the many memories made throughout our time traveling together. And finally...thank you to all of you for your thoughts and/or prayers throughout my travels. I greatly appreciate them.

Welp. That was my big trip! I hope you enjoyed hearing about it.

Talk to ya Sunday--

Courtney