Saturday, June 14, 2008

Back to Quito!

If by some miracle I haven´t told you or much more astoundingly my mother hasn´t told you I will be back in the Andes for the summer traveling and doing research on indigenous education thanks to a generous fellowship from Carleton. I´m starting out in Ecuador (I´m actually writing from an internet café in Quito right now) where I´ll stay in a village outside Riobamba for a week and a half before my mom and sister arrive. After we tour around Ecuador for a week I´ll head to Cuzco, Peru where I´ll visit Macchu Picchu and sites and stay for another week+ in a rural village. Finally I´ll end my trip with a quick stop on Lake Titicaca (the highest lake in the world navigable by ocean-faring vessels) and in La Paz, Bolivia before I head to a village outside Cochabamba a little farther to the south. Hopefully then I´ll have just enough time for the 2-3 day bus ride back to Quito to catch my flight home!

Last night I arrived back in Quito, surprisingly pleased that the sounds (car horns, dogs) and smells (gasoline, roasting meat) haven´t changed a bit in 6 months. My taxi driver from the airport said my Spanish was great as we talked about politics and the weather but then again, I was paying him. Otherwise I´m just hanging out for a couple of days until I head down to Riobamba. I´m planning on having lunch with my host dad from the fall tomorrow and hopefully dinner with Charo, my host mom. I´m excited to reestablish contact with everyone.

Well, I´m going to go walk around for a while and get a feel for things again. I´m not sure how often I´ll be able to update but stay tuned!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Nate,
What does the header mean? "Who needs oxygen?"
--Jonathan

Anonymous said...

I am so happy to be hearing from you. Northfield just isn't the same.... I spend my days filing, typing, and crocheting that forsaken blanket while I listen to Harry.

Miss you.