As I sit here, listening to "Papa Americano" and "Loca" and reflect on my time in Ecuador, thousands of images and thoughts rush through my head. I've been gone for 3 months and I've gradually been able to see the changes in my life. The way "Papa Americano" would play every single time we went out to the bars, how annoying it was at the time but how very comforting it feels now. Surprisingly I hear that song often here as well, but it will forever remind me of Whyna or whatever the bar was where they served $1 Cuba Libres (wonderful).
But then thousands of images of scenery I tried not to but took for granted rush through my brain. Even my journey to school was memorable. The way I would greet the bellman in the morning, walk up the hill and slide my feet on the sewers and painted sections along the way. If I was lucky, I could cross Eloy Alfaro and walk down it the whole way to De los Granados. Most days I wasn't so lucky, so I would walk down the sketchy dirt path, looking at the trash along the way and be completely immersed in the smell and filth that came from the diesel exhaust and would stretch the entire road. Men would constantly be hooting and hollering at me, saying "Hola bonita," or "Hola princesa," or my personal favorite "Tss tss tss." People would sell antennas, mandarins, cell phone cases, and any other random household item for a dollar in the middle of the street. Everyday I would see the black man smoking a cigarette sell his newspapers, the nice ladies at their little booth selling everything from crackers and candy to phone minutes. I would hop on one of the big green buses with the men, and occasional woman, yelling "Tumbaco Tumbaco" or "De la Reina del Sol" or other neighboring towns. Some days I would marvel at the scenery- the mountains and the cliffs, the signs, the houses, the colorful buildings, what people were selling that day, if the Hello Kitty bed sold yet (which it did around October because it wasn't there anymore) and knew I was in Ecuador. The best days for going to school were clear days toward the beginning of the trip where I could see Cotopaxi clearly in the distance, as well as the two other mountains- Cayambe and Itchimbimba maybe? Eventually someone would come and grab the random quarter or nickels and dimes I had. Sometimes people would sell mandarins, $1 knock-off DVDs, jewelry and the occasional empanada to the fellow bus riders.
Then I would jump off the bus in Cumbaya, just past the Fybeca drug store, in front of the Supermaxi. Then make my way across the street to the shopping center, which was especially difficult after they set up the traffic light so you had 20 seconds to run across 5 lanes, but always made it. Walked past the taco stand, Bigote (mustache) coffee shop, Banco Pinchincha, the Rastafarians selling various forms of bracelets, and saunter into the paradise which was Universidad San Francisco de Quito. A sort of Laguna Beach, a place that was so luxurious buried within the mountains and poverty of the rest of the country. It is the only liberal arts university in Ecuador, has the largest library (2 small floors) and is the most expensive, so only the very rich can go there. I can probably speak for everyone who went there that the academic side of USFQ was not nearly as demanding as our universities in the USA, even with the language barrier.
These small details are so rich and inviting, even after being away for so long. Simply going to school was an adventure. What a way to live.
