Archive for the 'ecuador' Category

punch cinturon

Published on July 30, 2004 in bluishorange and ecuador. Closed

in ecuador, there are a lot of people who try to sell you things on the bus.  they jump on and walk up and down the aisle, yelling out the names of things they have for sale.  you can buy newspapers or candy or gum or oranges or watches or toys or cookes or cake or water or soda or anything you want, really.  today, while trying to explain to wiston, in spanish, that in the US it¥s illegal to sell things in a public place without a permit, i accidentally said “nobody sells themselves on the bus.”  this may or may not be true.

there¥s a certain type of belt (cinturon) that people here sell a lot, usually on the street.  they¥re made of some kind of thick fabric like a seat belt, the buckles are flat pieces of silver-colored metal, and they come in about a billion colors.  they only cost fifty cents apiece, so everyone has one, including wiston and megan and me and todo el mundo.  mine is, of course, orange.  today as megan and wiston and i walked down the street we played punch cinturon, which of course involved punching the person nearest you whenever you saw someone wearing the belt.  i think wiston won.

this afternoon a little girl followed me down the street for several blocks, sobbing, begging me to buy some of the candy she was selling.  my pity and my suspiciousness fought each other to the death.  the little girl was missing her two front teeth.

?????

Published on July 28, 2004 in best of, bluishorange, ecuador and lists. Closed

i{m going to type this as if everything on this keyboard were in the same place as on my keyboard at home, not because i think that all keyboards should be like mine at home )after all, the < and > are very conveniently placed on this here ecuadorian keyboard), but because i{m tired of searching for punctuation.

a list of things i should have brought from home, but didn{t—

more clothes for cold weather.

my other arm warmers.

more jewelry.

some sort of altitude’stabilizing device )i am at 2000 feet right now) which would allow me to not feel like my brains are drying out.

a tiny, tiny person who knows how to fix my watch, OR an additional watch.

more silly putty.

a sandwich board which says [hi. just because my spanish is bad doesn{t mean i want you to speak english to me. i am in your country, and i should damn well try to speak your language, shouldn{t i? for me, that{s part of the fun of it. also, i can understand your spanish better than your english. thank you.[

more undies, OR woolite to wash the undies i have, so i don{t have to wash them with shampoo.

ditto with the socks.

an umbrella that folds and folds and folds until it is the size of a sugar cube.

ditto with an english’spanish dictionary.

ditto with a water heater.

an invisible chain to tie things to my waist so i won{t lose them )things i have lost so far include my copy of entertainment weekly at the airport in houston, my salman rushdie book on the plane, and the tiny flashlight that andy loaned me )sorry andy)).

death cab for cutie{s the photo album, as i{ve had the first track in my head since i got here.

tortoise{s tnt, as that{s what i listened to when walking around london exactly three years ago, and walking around here reminds me of walking around in london.

a bigger suitcase.

—–

other things—

just now at this internet cafe i had a brief discussion with an english girl about the lovely bones. i told her i thought it was really well’written, but some parts were a bit cheesy for my taste. she asked me if i was satisfied with the ending, but i couldn{t remember how it ended.

right now they{re playing the song that{s at the end of mannequin. other songs they{ve played while i{ve been in here include the first track from yoshimi battles the pink robots, that single off the blondie album from a few years back, a lenny kravitz i can{t remember, and some other stuff that sounds familiar. i keep hoping for the first track from the photo album, but so far no dice.

today megan went to climb a volcano with some of her friends. i don{t think i could do that without vomiting or otherwise humiliating myself, and airlifting me up there was out of the question, so i stayed behind. i had all sorts of plans for things to do, but then i fell asleep reading and woke up three hours later. i told myself i didn{t have to feel guilty about those three hours because this is a two’week trip so i have plenty of time, and i haven{t really been alone since i got here and i really like to do that, and if i slept for three hours i must have been exhausted, but i still feel guilty about it.

i like quito overall, but it{s more frustrating than being in my sister{s all’spanish’speaking neighborhood, el guasmo, in guayaquil. here{s the deal— megan{s two friends here )they are getting married this weekend) both speak english very well. the guy doesn{t speak much spanish but the girl is fluent, so she and megan talk to each other in spanish all the time. if they want to say anything to me, though, they say it in english, so i have no need to listen to what they{re saying in spanish, and no need to speak spanish at all. this is a thing that sucks; my spanish was really improving in el guasmo, where i had to speak it to everyone but megan, and it made for some very interesting and often hilarious challenges as well.

in el guasmo i{d started to forget whether conversations i{d had took place in spanish or english. this was a good thing.

right now jim croce{s on, and somewhere, iguanas are fighting.

07/28/2004

Published on July 28, 2004 in ecuador and the small. Closed

on the eight-hour bus trip from guayaquil to quito, they showed two jean-claude van damme movies: death warrant and nowhere to run. i fell asleep before the first movie ended and woke up halfway through the second one, so i thought it was just one movie. how, i wondered, did jean-claude get out of prison and onto that farm? what happened to that mysterious red stuff he found in the pen? how did he end up on a tractor, pushing a giant barrel of water onto a flaming propane tank and saving the day? when megan told me that they were actually two different movies, i was much less interested.

the booger index

Published on July 27, 2004 in best of, bluishorange and ecuador. Closed

in our hostel in quito, the capital of ecuador:

me:  hey, when you walk around or take the bus in a big city, do your boogers get black?
megan:  yeah, they always do.
me:  it happens to me in london.
megan:  it’s kind of like evidence of all the pollution.
me:  there should be a booger index, don’t you think?
megan:  a what?
me:  like how bad the pollution is, as evidenced by the color of your boogers.
megan: ewww.
me:  yeah.  if your boogers are grey, you’ll be okay.  if your boogers are black, you better turn back!

things that happened

Published on July 24, 2004 in bluishorange and ecuador. Closed

my new joke is to ask my sister to translate really complicated concepts and/or words into spanish. here is a list of things i�ve asked her to translate:

�c�mo se dice perpetuate the stereotype?
�c�mo se dice space-age polymers?
�c�mo se dice corrugated metal?

also, someone said “ustedes,” and i thought they said “prosthetic.” i told megan this and she thought it was hilarious, and then she had to explain to everyone, in spanish, what a prosthetic is.

a ferreteria is a hardware store, but i like to think it�s a place where they sell ferrets.

megan�s friend wiston was watching hey, arnold! which i�ve never seen, so i asked him what it was, and he said, “�oye, arnold!” i found this hilarious.

iguanas fought.

i gave some silly putty to junior, the seven-year-old boy who lives in megan�s house. then i taught him how to say “silly putty.” by the end of the day, he�d played with the silly putty so much it was gray with dust.

today we went to see junior perform in a program at his school. his class wore hats and costumes and did some sort of traditional dance, which looked like square dancing. before the music started they were all lined up in formation on the sidelines. junior saw me and waved.

the most surreal thing by far was when i was sitting on the roof of the house with junior (7), carla (13), and liro (17). the television was on in liro�s room, and when the theme song to malcolm in the middle started, all three of them sang along in english. “you�re not the boss of me now, and you�re not so big…” then they asked me what it meant.

my sister answers the questions…

Published on July 20, 2004 in bluishorange, ecuador and lists. Closed

…and i show you her answers, skipping the boring ones.  i’m not entirely sure if any of you will find this interesting, but it does give you an idea of what i’ll be doing in ecuador.

—–Original Message—–
From: Megan Headley
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 2:09 PM
To: alison headley

I AM NOT YELLING AT YOU, CAPS ARE TO DIFFERENTIATE.

1.  are the outlets the same size and voltage there?  i mean, i assume they would be if a cordless phone here would work there, but i thought i’d ask just in case.  i’ll need to charge my camera batteries from time to time.

THE OUTLETS ARE THE SAME. I CHARGE MY CAMERA BATTERIES TOO.

3. is there anything else i should bring for your family / friends / organization?  things that they need or will like or will think are cool?  is there anything YOU need?

THAT IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION. ILL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT. THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND IS FOOD – FOR EXAMPLE, JOSE LUIS4S MOM LIKES TO MAKE COOKIES, SO MAYBE SOME CHOCOLATE CHIPS? OR ANYTHING THAT WE COULD COOK FOR MY FAMILY.

4. i was thinking about making a necklace for the mom in your family (i can’t remember her name).  do you think she would like it / wear it?  what colors does she wear?  how long should the necklace be?  should it be chunky or a bit more subtle?  you know what my stuff looks like; let me know what you think she’d want.  also, how old is the little girl?  if she’s old enough, i could make her a cute little elastic bracelet like i did for ginny at work.  ginny’s three, and she loved hers.

THERE ARE TWO MOMS – AZUCENA, WHO I LIVED WITH LAST YEAR, AND MARJORIE WHO I LIVE WITH NOW. AZUCENA WOULD LIKE ANYTHING THAT YOU MAKE – SHE WEARS JEWELRY A LOT. I WOULD SAY ANYTHING THAT MOM LIKES WOULD WORK. SHE IS ABOUT THE SAME HEIGHT AND SIZE, BUT A LITTLE CHUNKIER, AND WITH LONG HAIR. CHUNKY OR SUBTLE WOULD WORK. SHE IS THE ONE THAT BOUGHT ME THAT OUTRAGEOUS TANK TOP I GAVE YOU.

MARJORIE WOULD LOVE A NECKLACE FROM YOU, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND SOMETHING SMALL AND SUBTLE, WITH MUTED OR DARK COLORS. SHE IS ALSO VERY SHORT, LIKE MOM, SO NOTHING VERY LONG. THE BABY IS A LITTLE OVER TWO. SHE WOULD LOVE A BRACELET.

5. if a necklace isn’t a good idea, what should i bring instead?  i’d like to have a gift of some sort for your family.

WE WILL PROBABLY ONLY BE HERE A FEW DAYS BEFORE WE GO TO QUITO, WHERE WE WILL STAY IN A HOTEL. THE NECKLACE IS A GREAT IDEA. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING MORE RELEVANT FORTHE ENTIRE FAMILY, ANY GAME IS GOOD, ESPECIALLY ONES THAT ARE FUN FOR KIDS AND ADULTS (I DONT KNOW, JENGA, UNO, THINGS LIKE THAT). A BAG OF CANDY IS ALWAYS ENJOYED. REALLY, ANY TYPICAL GIFT THING THAT A GROUP OF PEOPLE CAN ENJOY. ALSO, WITH THE NECKLACE, YOU COULD ALSO BRING YOUR NECKLACE MAKING THINGS AND DECIDE HERE WHAT YOU WANT TO MAKE.

6. i know you said i’ll stand out no matter what i wear, but really, what should i wear?  i keep thinking about when we went to europe in high school and we were all in shorts so we looked stupid because nobody wears shorts there.  if i wear shorts or a skirt or a tank top, will everyone think i’m a ho?  i don’t want everyone to think i’m a ho.  heh.

YOU WILL NOT LOOK LIKE A HO. TANKS TOPS, CAPRIS, SHORTS, SKIRTS ARE ALL COMMON HERE. SHORTS MAYBE A LITTLE LESS SO, BUT I CAN4T THINK OF YOU WEARING SHORTS ANYWAY. DO YOU WEAR SHORTS?

BRING PANTS AND JEANS TOO. SOME LONG SLEEVED STUFF FOR QUITO, OR A JACKET. OH, AND BATHING SUIT JUST IN CASE. ALSO, BRING A TOWEL.

7. what about shoes?  what kind of shoes should i wear?

REALLY, ANY SHOES ARE FINE. MOST WOMEN GO AROUND IN SANDALS, BUT IM MORE OF A WALKING SHOE KIND OF PERSON, SO I WEAR THOSE BLUE SNEAKERS A LOT, I USED TO WEAR MY MAROON DOC MARTENS LAST YEAR BUT I DIDNT BRING THEM THIS TIME. SOMETIMES ITS DUSTY OUTSIDE. ALSO, FLIP FLOPS OR SOME SORT OF SHOE TO WEAR INSIDE. THE FLOORS ARE CEMENT, SO EVERYONE WALKS AROUND WITH SHOES ON.

10. can i wear my cowboy hat?  i like my cowboy hat.  jeff gave it to me.  it’s the hat that won’t quit.

OF COURSE. WON4T QUIT WHAT?

12. i just spilled coffee on my shirt.  but that’s not a question.

ARE YOU GOING TO BRING THAT SHIRT?

13. i was thinking i’d print out some of the photos i’ve taken and bring them along — photos of my apartment and the restaurant and my perrita bonita.  will people want to see these photos?  my perrita bonita’s curled up on a little pink blanket on the floor right now, and i want to take a picture, but if i get up she’ll get up too and then it’ll be ruined.  this always happens.

YOU SHOULD CARRY AROUND YOUR CAMERA. THEN NO GETTING UP. BUT A NEUSANCE (I CANT REMEMBER HOW TO SPELL THAT WORD)

PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO SEE PHOTOS. I GOT YELLED AT THIS TIME FOR NOT BRINGING ANY. MARJORIE WANTS TO SEE A PHOTO OF OUR PARENTS. COULD THAT BE ARRANGED?

14. what else should i bring / not bring?  what will we be doing most of the time?

ill stop yelling. as for what well be doing. in our few days here – in the city, theres not that much. well see the boardwalk, things like that, probably go to this place called Frutabar which i like.

in the neighborhood, youll meet everyone, walk around. relax. whatever. well go out dancing one night if you want. also, maybe you could help me a little with the design of my book.

a couple of things ill warn you about. one, people begin to make a lot of noise startign at like 6 o4clock in the morning. i never ever get up that early, but i start waking up, falling back asleep, etc. you are probably more used to quiet.

also, you wont really be able to walk around much by yourself (i know you like that, thats why im warning you). since people dont know you around here and you dont know the language that well. you can, however, walk around with anyone else, it doesnt have to be me. its not unsafe, i walk around by myself all the time, its just because you arent known.

food -
breakfast is bread, or empanadas, an egg, some sort of juice, fruit, things like that
lunch is always soup, and then rice with something – chicken, fish, salad, beans, lentils, things like that.
i pretty much eat whatever i want for dinner. a lot of times they dont make anything.

i dont know what well do in quito. wednesday are two options – tim and his friends are going hiking to this volcano, and alejandra is taking some people to otovalo (art craft stuff). thursday at night, there is some tour of the city in a chiva (a traditional car sort of thing). saturday is the wedding. while we are in quito, we can go to the mitad del mundo, things like that.

oh, i will go to pick you up at the airport in the organization’s truck. besides me, there will be the driver, and anyone else who wants to come. its likely that a few kids will want to go.

i thought of something else you could bring – music. especially anything thats fun to dance to while youre here.

i have to go now. these two girls just came in and are asking me to say everything in english, and then asking me what it means. its a little annoying. they asked me how i learned to speak spanish, and i said i spent time in Chile, so they said, sabe hablar chile? habla chile.

i said no, chile is a country where they speak spanish.

any more questions, email me.

love,
megan