this weekend
June 15
This weekend I have watched a few soccer games. My roommate's boyfriend plays for two teams. One is pro and the other is more for fun. It was really a lot of fun. For the first game we had to get up so early so we could travel two or three hours south of Quito. The countryside was so beautiful so the ride passed so quickly.
The field wasn't as impressive as I was expecting. It was similar to the fields I had played on in Great Falls. It was pretty cold too. One thing that struck me was how well they played the ball. Both teams made use of the entire field. There wasn't bunching which was characteristic of soccer in Montana even at the most advanced levels.
It was really cold. The weather in Quito is driving me crazy. The rainy season hasn't stopped. I keep hearing that it is supposed to be done in May. Yet here we are in mid June and it's still going on. I'm not a fan of hot weather and I think rain is good but how much it rains in Quito depresses me. It is constant and the streets are so gray and I get soaked.
It was interesting on the bus ride to the fields as we passed the green fields and the mountains I couldn't get over how different it was from Quito which is grey and seems a little dirty. The other thing I was thinking about were the terms, "developing" and "third world." Those are terms I think after living in Ecuador for five and a half months need to be used very carefully. All of the Ecuadorians I have met are intensely proud of their country. They speak of it with a reverence and such pride. They speak of the beautiful beaches, costal cities, mountains etc. To me more and more these terms imply a superior complex. It makes me think...What makes the US and other "First world" countries? I know it has something to do with trade and imports but I just feel like the terms need to be used very carefully. I feel like it implies such a superiority complex and sort of an imperalistic view of the world.
I feel like in some ways Ecuador is way ahead of some of the First World countries. They have a value for people in general. It took some getting used to but I have gotten so used to and accostomed to doing the air kiss when I see people or when I say good-bye to people. I love it. I think it's a beautiful thing. When there is a party or something and people don't know each other what it says to me is, "Even though we don't know each other I recognize your value as a human being and we all belong to the community of the human race..." Even though men don't do it to each other they will still go through and shake hands or pat each other on the shoulder.
Today (June 15th) was beautiful. I went to another soccer game in Quito and it was so much fun. The crowd was so enthusastic. I am tired and sunburned but it was again nice to feel the sun on my face and watch very talented players move the ball forward utilizing the entire field.
After the game we went to this bar called Bungalow. At Bungalow one the workers named Glenda wants to learn English so today she spoke in English and I occasionally corrected her and I spoke in Spanish and she would correct me occasionally. At the beginning I was a little rusty but as we got going I started to feel more confidence. We are going to do that probably once a week. Her accent is a little different. She is what we call costena meaning she is from the coast so she speaks a little faster and it's a little harder to understand. It makes me appreciate so much more when people come to the United States with all of the strange accents there.
This weekend I have watched a few soccer games. My roommate's boyfriend plays for two teams. One is pro and the other is more for fun. It was really a lot of fun. For the first game we had to get up so early so we could travel two or three hours south of Quito. The countryside was so beautiful so the ride passed so quickly.
The field wasn't as impressive as I was expecting. It was similar to the fields I had played on in Great Falls. It was pretty cold too. One thing that struck me was how well they played the ball. Both teams made use of the entire field. There wasn't bunching which was characteristic of soccer in Montana even at the most advanced levels.
It was really cold. The weather in Quito is driving me crazy. The rainy season hasn't stopped. I keep hearing that it is supposed to be done in May. Yet here we are in mid June and it's still going on. I'm not a fan of hot weather and I think rain is good but how much it rains in Quito depresses me. It is constant and the streets are so gray and I get soaked.
It was interesting on the bus ride to the fields as we passed the green fields and the mountains I couldn't get over how different it was from Quito which is grey and seems a little dirty. The other thing I was thinking about were the terms, "developing" and "third world." Those are terms I think after living in Ecuador for five and a half months need to be used very carefully. All of the Ecuadorians I have met are intensely proud of their country. They speak of it with a reverence and such pride. They speak of the beautiful beaches, costal cities, mountains etc. To me more and more these terms imply a superior complex. It makes me think...What makes the US and other "First world" countries? I know it has something to do with trade and imports but I just feel like the terms need to be used very carefully. I feel like it implies such a superiority complex and sort of an imperalistic view of the world.
I feel like in some ways Ecuador is way ahead of some of the First World countries. They have a value for people in general. It took some getting used to but I have gotten so used to and accostomed to doing the air kiss when I see people or when I say good-bye to people. I love it. I think it's a beautiful thing. When there is a party or something and people don't know each other what it says to me is, "Even though we don't know each other I recognize your value as a human being and we all belong to the community of the human race..." Even though men don't do it to each other they will still go through and shake hands or pat each other on the shoulder.
Today (June 15th) was beautiful. I went to another soccer game in Quito and it was so much fun. The crowd was so enthusastic. I am tired and sunburned but it was again nice to feel the sun on my face and watch very talented players move the ball forward utilizing the entire field.
After the game we went to this bar called Bungalow. At Bungalow one the workers named Glenda wants to learn English so today she spoke in English and I occasionally corrected her and I spoke in Spanish and she would correct me occasionally. At the beginning I was a little rusty but as we got going I started to feel more confidence. We are going to do that probably once a week. Her accent is a little different. She is what we call costena meaning she is from the coast so she speaks a little faster and it's a little harder to understand. It makes me appreciate so much more when people come to the United States with all of the strange accents there.