Library Quietime--or Lack of

I am sitting on the floor of the library studying right now. Yeah--the floor. The library here is very different the the library at DePauw.

When you walk in--there are signs everywhere that say no talking and no cellphones. However, neither of the rules are followed as I can hear many people talking--some about school, but for the most part just chatting. Also, I hear people answering and talking on their cell phones (one just beeped next to me as someone got a text). As long as you are not talking loudly--they do not seem to care.

The library itself is barely two floors of books. With only 20 study stations on the first floor and 20 four person tables with another 20 study stations on the second floor--it get crowded pretty fast. This is not the first time I have sat on the floor as I study--with over 5,000 students here, it is pretty common to see. The university does not have a huge library (or any other study space) as students do not live on campus and all commute everyday.

And when you leave, you have to have a guard check your bag to make sure you are not stealing any books. Overdue books cost you a fine too. Oh and the computers... well they are Macs that have a few years on them and do not always work. Sometimes you will get on them and they will all stop working at once for some unknown reason. It can be frustrating at times. And the campus has wireless but it does not always work either--sometimes it goes in and out too.

It's not a terrible library, it has plenty of books that my friends and I have no trouble finding (even the Harry Potter books in English) it's just such a different atmosphere than I am used to studying in. I really do not have a quite place to study. My home is quite for the most part--but I live in a big city, so quite means you can still hear the cars going by, the neighbors talking next door, car alarms going off, and many types of sirens throughout the night.

Thankfully--I brought ear plugs to Ecuador! They are my savior as I cannot do homework with noise. And they are so stylish.

El Jardin Botánico

I went to the Botanical Gardens here in Quito this weekend. Yeah yeah yeah, I know what you are thinking--whatever--a bunch of flowers. Wrong--there is so little you know! Ecuador is a MEGADIVERSE country when it comes to the botany and animals here. There are the Galapagos Islands, the Coast, the Mountains, and the Amazon all in a country the size of the state of Colorado. This creates great diversity in the plants and animals found here.

Ecuador is the most diverse country in the world per square mile (or kilometer) in relation to species and plants. So the botanical gardens hosted a wide variety of plants that I had never seen before. Although that is the case, I am in Ecuador and it is not kept up as well as the Botanical Gardens in Washington D.C. for example.

Here are a few pictures from the garden.--p.s.--the flowers are HUGE here. Roses and flowers both bigger than both of your fists.

Video Blog Numero 2

Hola! Below is the my second video blog--enjoy!



Check out the Gilman Scholarship here:
http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program

taxes and then some

Last week I received a note to go the post office and pick up a package. After finally finding the post office I get there and I have to pay to pick up my package. Why? Because of taxes on imported items. If an item is considered a 'luxury' and not needed to live--then it gets taxes pretty heavy when it is imported. President Correa's economic policy reflects on buying items in the country rather then sending your money out of the country.

Myself and many others in my program packed little when we packed up for our semester here because we figured (and we were told by many people) that South America is cheap. No problem--pack what you need, buy what you want when you arrive. However, because everything that is imported is taxes (up to 30% depending on the item) prices here are just as much or more than they would be in the states.

A few examples:

• a sweater here is easily $30-$50 while you can get cheaper ones of the same quality for $20-30$ in the states
• Imported shampoo and conditioner is $15 here and and $8-$12 in the states
• SHOES--oh my gosh-- a pair of shoes at a Payless here can run from $40-$90 easily where in the states Payless usually does not run over $30 (all shoes here are expensive though)
• Converse sneakers are $90 here and $50 in the states

It was a disappointment when I arrived to see the prices, however, it has also made me more aware. Now when I shop, I look for the yellow, blue, and red spiral thumbprint that says the product was made in Ecuador--therefore making it the cheaper. It's like buying the store brand vs. the name brand. It's also interesting to see which companies have factories in Ecuador--some that are United States-ian (lay's chips, coca-cola) and therefore the same price as the Ecuador brand.

It makes you more aware as a consumer and I think do I want to save $1.00 or just pay it? A dollar, not that much--but here, that's my bus fare for two days. I could ride the bus more and just eat the cheaper and generally same food. But then again--ONE DOLLAR or thrity-five cents? I am getting hung up on less than a dollar? It makes me feel like a cheap United States-ian as I attempt to rip off the already impoverished and cheap country. I should feel lucky that I can buy a bottle of soda for .35 or a a piece of fruit for .10.

But instead, all I see are the higher prices and ways to save money like any college student would. It's a hard choice that I face everyday--take the $1.00 taxi and get there quicker or walk fifteen to twenty minutes instead. I can easily spend all the money I would like here and not save as much and be fine for the most part. Or realize how I spend my money and save the quarters and dimes as much as I can.

Video Blog Numero 1

Here is the first of my video blog series: Semester on the Equator. Part of the blog is to inform others about the Gilman scholarship opportunity to help fund their experiences abroad. The Gilman Scholarship is a federally funded scholarship to help those that receive a Pell Grant. To learn more about the scholarship head over here:

www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program

(You can also find the video on YouTube under 'Semester on the Equator').

Hope you enjoy the video--It's my first and I'm still learning all the tricks and whatnot so please be nice.

"Oh Hey, How was the Homework for You?"

I've been in class for three days now at Universidad de San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and wow. It's kind of like high school--times 10. Everybody has a group of friends and they just hang out sitting on steps everywhere just talking all the time. I feel like such an outsider. After three days--I think I have made one Ecuadorian friend.

It's really hard to make friends here because it is a completely different system of meeting people--it has to just sort of happen.
--you cannot go up to people and introduce yourself
--you do not approach a group of people if you do not know them
--you wait for a moment when someone is by there self, in class and ask "oh hey, how was the homework for you?" and hope they keep the conversation going
--you introduce yourself at the end of the conversation and say "I'm Kelly by the way"
--but in the lunch line is not an appropriate of a time to casually talk to someone either as talking about food is not a way to create a friendship
--when people invite you out--YOU GO OUT and do whatever they are doing, otherwise it is an insult and you can kiss that blooming friendship goodbye
--you make one friend, they introduce you to their other friends, who introduce you to their other friends and so on
--small talk does not really exist outside of the first few sentences you exchange. If you have nothing in common then talking will be strained (or maybe it's just me as my Spanish is still struggling)
--when you are introduced to new people you kiss all of them on their right cheek, and also when you leave--also a cultural insult if you do not (and they may snub you from now on)
--when you say you are from the United States more than half the time (if they go to the University) they will start speaking to you in English and then it's awkward to try and switch the conversation back to Spanish.

I did not just make these rules up, other Ecuadorian's have told me. It is a different system of making friends for me and I wonder how to do it without good Spanish.

Non-existent Ecuadorian friends from USFQ aside, I found the first Harry Potter book in Spanish at my university's library! (haha after rereading that last sentence I now know why I have no new friends here...)