Quito
Last Thursday was Lio´s birthday, Titi´s compañero de clase en Leuven, Belgium. I was supposed to meet Titi and Lio in the park after class and then head over to the Yaku Museum (museum of water), but of course they were lazy and drinking wine all day in a different park so we never made it. 
Instead I joined them at the girls´apartment and we killed another couple bottles before heading out with the whole family to Cafe Mosáico, which overlooks the old town from a nearby hill. 
The view was sick, and we rode standing in the back of Daniel´s pick-up truck all the way to the restaurant enjoying the wind and sharp turns, yelling at people on the street and taking pictures of everything. From the balcony seating you can see everything lit up at night across the city, 
and I learned a little about how all the major Quito churches have been built upon the same sites as the former Inca temples of the sun, moon, etc. We passed a few hours with a little history, some strong brazilian liquor shots, finger food, and little Lucas running around for added entertainment. 
I had an exam the next morning to study for, but if you know me than you know I am easily talked into other things instead. A laid back night quickly turned into a late, crazy night. With Lucie at the wheel blasting a killer 80´s mix and their Spanish step-sister Maria in shotgun, Titi, Lio and I filled the back of the small hatchback as we screamed through the streets of Quito singing at the tops of our lungs. Locals respond better than expected to idiots yelling ¨Roxanne!¨out the window. Our destination was a club in La
Mariscal with a somewhat shocking $10 cover. But it was cool; one free drink and a lot of dancing, Maria chain smoking, and a nice glimpse into yet another Quito world. (By the way, I still did well on the exam Friday morning).
Yaku
Yaku is the Museum of Water, as the word means water in Quichua. Lio and I went Friday. It was fantastic. The mission of the museum appears to be to educate Quiteños about the importance of conserving water and all the problems of pollution, excessive use, etc. But they have also incorporated slides, a bubble room, and other hands on features that make the place a lot of fun. The museum had the first potable water fountains I´ve seen in Ecuador, and some incredible views of El Panecillo (virgin statue overlooking the old town).
Lio is a fellow Jew from Marseille, and it was interesting to hear that I was one of the first Jewish friends he had met in years. Even in Marseille he didn´t have but a few. I told him we could go check out a Friday night service at the synogogue here before he leaves.
I´d like to linger on Quichua for a moment, because the indigenous are such an integral part of society here. Yes, they are slowly modernizing and probably losing aspects of their culture in the process, but they have been largely incorporated into city life without undergoing major changes in their appearance, food, family life, and the rest. It´s a unique part of life in Ecuador; the indigenous live side by side with the rest of the population, even if they´re only selling umbrellas, cigarettes, and candies in the streets to get by.
We had a very interesting conversation in class about the indiginous the other day. In Quichua the word ¨pacha¨ means both time and space. The word ¨naupo¨means the past. But the indiginous do not view the world quite the way we do - that is, they do not accept a linear representation of past-present-future and the passing of time. Rather, life is cyclical, more like a spiral than a line. It´s really two dramatically different ways of looking at the world, and I think it is extrememly difficult for westerners to grasp. But if you can imagine that a growing spiral means that each circle is a year´s cycle, and that events in nature and the community repeat themselves, then you have a start. The past is therefore not necessarily before the present, but can also be future... (Smoke a joint this weekend and get back to me with your comments)
Ankle Update
Lio is a climber like Titi and after our Pichincha hike he expounded a new theory on my foot/ankle. If it´s a tendon that needs to heal, like we suspect because there is no fracture, then he thinks I need to stay away from any movements that cause pain, so that the stretched tendon can retighten back to normal and I´m not stuck with a longer-term problem. Well, I guess the only question then is how many months does it take to qualify as a long-term problem?
El Fin De Nivel Uno
I can´t believe 6 weeks of Spanish classes are over. I was really getting used to sitting in class, getting good grades, and being distracted by Micol flashing pictures of naked women on his cell phone. Each student had to present, in Spanish, a brief lecture about their country to round off the class. It was fascinating to catch a glimpse of Kenya, Switzerland, China, Holland, and Russia. It also sparked some interesting side conversations, like I had serious problems explaining the difference between public and private property to the 3 chinese kids. They work at stores here that are privately owned by their families - is the concept that hard to grasp?
For my part, in classic Fox sarcasm style, I drew a map of all 50 states on the board and opened with: ¨The United States is the best country in the world, and clearly better than all of your countries. In addition, George Bush is the best leader of the free world.¨ I said I was joking, and the professor loved it, but I think sarcasm is a particularly American flavor of humor... I went on to talk a lot about DC, politics, and the structure of our democracy, but also diffences between the east, central, and western parts of the country as well as the different types of lifestyles and industry. It is very hard to try and explain the USA.
Guayasamin
I have found a new favorite artist. For the most part, Guayasamin concentrated on painting peoples faces, and thorughout his career he focused intently on the plight of the poor and disenfranchised. At home that meant painting the indigenous, but abroad his paintings depicted such scenes as the Spanish Civil War, the German annihilation of a Czech village in WWII (this painting is sometimes compared to Picasso´s Guernica in Madrid), the brutality of the American bombings in the war in Vietnam, and the massacres and disappearances in Chile and Argentina.
The museum is housed in the Capilla del Hombre, a building with a striking design by the artist just below his home in Bella Vista, which overlooks the city. You can also wander around his property which is interesting but a bit freaky. Guayasamin was unique because he was so famous during his lifetime - he died in his 90´s in Baltimore, MD.
Just another interesting note: Guayasamin was close personal friends with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Gabriel Marcia Marquez, and interestingly even Alvaro Noboa, the populist, ¨anti-Chavez,¨free-trade advocate who also happens to be THE banana magnate and one of the richest men in the world (while about 45% of Ecuadorians lives in poverty). Noboa has run for president unsuccessfully since 1998, most recently against the current and very popular president Raphael Correa, who has responded forcefully to voter discontent with current levels of government corruption, political factionalism, and lack of social progress by marginalizing the mafia and elites. Noboa is well known for his philanthropy and for handing out cash to secure votes. Is it a coincidence that the price of bananas rose following his defeat? He intends to run again.
Finally a Haircut
Sometimes I´m still stunned by prices here. I got a complete shave and haircut for $5 down the street from my house. Although if you consider that $5 equals 20 bus rides than I guess it makes more sense? It reminded me of my most favorite and cheapest haircut of all time for $3 in northern Morrocco. Cutting my afro ain´t no piece of cake!
Happy 60th birthday dad! I wish I could be there with you.
Last Thursday was Lio´s birthday, Titi´s compañero de clase en Leuven, Belgium. I was supposed to meet Titi and Lio in the park after class and then head over to the Yaku Museum (museum of water), but of course they were lazy and drinking wine all day in a different park so we never made it. 
Instead I joined them at the girls´apartment and we killed another couple bottles before heading out with the whole family to Cafe Mosáico, which overlooks the old town from a nearby hill. 
The view was sick, and we rode standing in the back of Daniel´s pick-up truck all the way to the restaurant enjoying the wind and sharp turns, yelling at people on the street and taking pictures of everything. From the balcony seating you can see everything lit up at night across the city, 
and I learned a little about how all the major Quito churches have been built upon the same sites as the former Inca temples of the sun, moon, etc. We passed a few hours with a little history, some strong brazilian liquor shots, finger food, and little Lucas running around for added entertainment. 
I had an exam the next morning to study for, but if you know me than you know I am easily talked into other things instead. A laid back night quickly turned into a late, crazy night. With Lucie at the wheel blasting a killer 80´s mix and their Spanish step-sister Maria in shotgun, Titi, Lio and I filled the back of the small hatchback as we screamed through the streets of Quito singing at the tops of our lungs. Locals respond better than expected to idiots yelling ¨Roxanne!¨out the window. Our destination was a club in La
Mariscal with a somewhat shocking $10 cover. But it was cool; one free drink and a lot of dancing, Maria chain smoking, and a nice glimpse into yet another Quito world. (By the way, I still did well on the exam Friday morning).Yaku
Yaku is the Museum of Water, as the word means water in Quichua. Lio and I went Friday. It was fantastic. The mission of the museum appears to be to educate Quiteños about the importance of conserving water and all the problems of pollution, excessive use, etc. But they have also incorporated slides, a bubble room, and other hands on features that make the place a lot of fun. The museum had the first potable water fountains I´ve seen in Ecuador, and some incredible views of El Panecillo (virgin statue overlooking the old town).
Lio is a fellow Jew from Marseille, and it was interesting to hear that I was one of the first Jewish friends he had met in years. Even in Marseille he didn´t have but a few. I told him we could go check out a Friday night service at the synogogue here before he leaves.
I´d like to linger on Quichua for a moment, because the indigenous are such an integral part of society here. Yes, they are slowly modernizing and probably losing aspects of their culture in the process, but they have been largely incorporated into city life without undergoing major changes in their appearance, food, family life, and the rest. It´s a unique part of life in Ecuador; the indigenous live side by side with the rest of the population, even if they´re only selling umbrellas, cigarettes, and candies in the streets to get by.We had a very interesting conversation in class about the indiginous the other day. In Quichua the word ¨pacha¨ means both time and space. The word ¨naupo¨means the past. But the indiginous do not view the world quite the way we do - that is, they do not accept a linear representation of past-present-future and the passing of time. Rather, life is cyclical, more like a spiral than a line. It´s really two dramatically different ways of looking at the world, and I think it is extrememly difficult for westerners to grasp. But if you can imagine that a growing spiral means that each circle is a year´s cycle, and that events in nature and the community repeat themselves, then you have a start. The past is therefore not necessarily before the present, but can also be future... (Smoke a joint this weekend and get back to me with your comments)
Ankle Update
Lio is a climber like Titi and after our Pichincha hike he expounded a new theory on my foot/ankle. If it´s a tendon that needs to heal, like we suspect because there is no fracture, then he thinks I need to stay away from any movements that cause pain, so that the stretched tendon can retighten back to normal and I´m not stuck with a longer-term problem. Well, I guess the only question then is how many months does it take to qualify as a long-term problem?El Fin De Nivel Uno
I can´t believe 6 weeks of Spanish classes are over. I was really getting used to sitting in class, getting good grades, and being distracted by Micol flashing pictures of naked women on his cell phone. Each student had to present, in Spanish, a brief lecture about their country to round off the class. It was fascinating to catch a glimpse of Kenya, Switzerland, China, Holland, and Russia. It also sparked some interesting side conversations, like I had serious problems explaining the difference between public and private property to the 3 chinese kids. They work at stores here that are privately owned by their families - is the concept that hard to grasp?
For my part, in classic Fox sarcasm style, I drew a map of all 50 states on the board and opened with: ¨The United States is the best country in the world, and clearly better than all of your countries. In addition, George Bush is the best leader of the free world.¨ I said I was joking, and the professor loved it, but I think sarcasm is a particularly American flavor of humor... I went on to talk a lot about DC, politics, and the structure of our democracy, but also diffences between the east, central, and western parts of the country as well as the different types of lifestyles and industry. It is very hard to try and explain the USA.
GuayasaminI have found a new favorite artist. For the most part, Guayasamin concentrated on painting peoples faces, and thorughout his career he focused intently on the plight of the poor and disenfranchised. At home that meant painting the indigenous, but abroad his paintings depicted such scenes as the Spanish Civil War, the German annihilation of a Czech village in WWII (this painting is sometimes compared to Picasso´s Guernica in Madrid), the brutality of the American bombings in the war in Vietnam, and the massacres and disappearances in Chile and Argentina.
The museum is housed in the Capilla del Hombre, a building with a striking design by the artist just below his home in Bella Vista, which overlooks the city. You can also wander around his property which is interesting but a bit freaky. Guayasamin was unique because he was so famous during his lifetime - he died in his 90´s in Baltimore, MD.
Just another interesting note: Guayasamin was close personal friends with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Gabriel Marcia Marquez, and interestingly even Alvaro Noboa, the populist, ¨anti-Chavez,¨free-trade advocate who also happens to be THE banana magnate and one of the richest men in the world (while about 45% of Ecuadorians lives in poverty). Noboa has run for president unsuccessfully since 1998, most recently against the current and very popular president Raphael Correa, who has responded forcefully to voter discontent with current levels of government corruption, political factionalism, and lack of social progress by marginalizing the mafia and elites. Noboa is well known for his philanthropy and for handing out cash to secure votes. Is it a coincidence that the price of bananas rose following his defeat? He intends to run again.Finally a Haircut
Sometimes I´m still stunned by prices here. I got a complete shave and haircut for $5 down the street from my house. Although if you consider that $5 equals 20 bus rides than I guess it makes more sense? It reminded me of my most favorite and cheapest haircut of all time for $3 in northern Morrocco. Cutting my afro ain´t no piece of cake!
Happy 60th birthday dad! I wish I could be there with you.
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