Today is the last day of orientation! It’s hard to believe. This week’s activities have been less tedious and more fun. On Tuesday our last activity of orientation at the Catholic university was a salsa lesson! I actually really enjoyed it and I think I might take one of the free classes with a couple other students. On Wednesday we learned a little bit more about the history of Ecuador and we also met with the woman who is coordinating our service-learning projects (she also teaches the seminar we have to take). I’m hoping to do a little bit more research on the organizations, but two of the options she presented to me based on my application were 1) working in a school that teaches every subject through the arts and 2) working in a community school with children whose parents are in prison. Both options seem really interesting, although one is a bit of a trek. I don’t begin the service until around February 1st, so hopefully I’ll have my placement in a couple weeks when my schedule is definite. Right now it looks like I might be volunteering from about 9-1 on Mondays and Tuesdays.
That said, I think I finally figured out my classes. It was a very long and complicated process with many factors to consider and many things up in the air. I’m happy with the way my schedule worked out; hopefully I don’t go to my classes next week and decide I need to change it! I was really bummed because I wanted to take this awesome IES class that covered all popular arts—visual arts, music, literature, theater, film, etc.—and included fieldtrips. However, when only three students were interested, they had to cancel the class. So instead I decided to take a class at the Catholic university that’s kind of like a combination between an art history class and an art workshop. We’re going to learn all about the history and practices of Ecuadorian indigenous ceramics and we’re going to make our own! I’m really excited. The only downside is that I’m not sure if I’ll be able to bring home everything I make. As of now, I’m also planning to take an Education class at the university that’s about the role of family and community in education. I haven’t seen a syllabus and I know very little about the class, so I could potentially change my mind. There’s one other class at the university that I may or may not take. It’s about music therapy and it’s totally just for fun. I might have to drop it though in order to do my service in a school because I need several hours free in the morning.
At IES I’m taking the service-learning seminar, which covers many current sociological issues. I also decided to take the Environmental Diversity of Ecuador class because I’ll probably never take anything like it and we get to go on field trips! I placed out of taking a Spanish class at IES, and basically any reading and writing intensive class at the Catholic can count. It was a tough decision because I really want a grammar review, but it was just making my schedule too complicated. I talked to the professor and I’m going to do some review on my own and maybe stop by the class once in a while when I’m free. As of now it looks like I’ll have class from 3-5pm and 5:30-7:10pm on Mondays, 3-5pm on Tuesdays, 9-11am and 5:30-7:10pm on Wednesdays, and 2-4pm on Thursdays. The best news about my schedule is that I have no class on Fridays! I don’t think anyone in the program does, which will be great for traveling. It will be strange having classes so late in the day, but it will make the service-learning schedule easier and I’ll get to sleep in until it starts! I’ll also be able to eat lunch at home, which is a big part of the culture here.
Yesterday we visited Ichimbia, which is kind of like a park/museum that features an exhibition on Ecuador’s biodiversity. It’s located between modern Quito and old Quito, and because of the elevation you can pretty much see everything. The only bummer was that this trip was unplanned, so I didn’t have my camera. I’m trying to only bring it with me when I really need it, which is recommended. I might go back some time so I can take pictures! Upstairs they have examples (all of which used to be real) of many different animals, as well as flora and fauna. There were birds, butterflies, reptile skeletons, different dried plants, and much more. Downstairs they had an exhibit of live frogs, snakes, and lizards. It was really cool!
This morning we went to the Museum of Mindalae. They have all kinds of indigenous artifacts including jewelry, weapons, ceramics, musical instruments, figurines, clothing, textiles, and more. After we finished our tour, we got to make our own jewelry! Pictures are coming soon!
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