december.
as usual i´ve taken faaaaar too long to update this thing. subsequently i have a TON OF STUFF to write about!! so sit back and relax, cuz you´re going to be glued to your screen for the next half hour.
¡ferias de quito 2006 jesus de gran poder!
well, as in all parts of the world, the people here need to celebrate their city once a year. except that here it´s amazingly fun, and yes, that is a jab at river city days... hahaha! fiestas de quito are a week long. they began the 29th of november and ended the 6th of december. needless to say, i enjoyed them en full. here´s a basic idea of how the people of quito have decided to celebrate the glory of quito: public debauchery and bull fights. i loved it. i live fairly close the the plaza de torros and that´s where the biggest parties are. people are just drunk in the streets everywhere all day long, but don´t worry all the streets in the hood are closed off for this reason. now don´t get me wrong, there´s more going on during the fiestas de quito that just that. it´s just that only the gringos seem to go the other things. i went to a flamenco dance presentation in the plaza focht, the taste of quito (amazing food...), and various other activities in the city. but honestly, only the gringos go to these events. the ecuadorians mostly just go to the bull fights and street parties. let me tell you about the bull fights, cuz they were really interesting, if a bit morbid...
the bull fights are once a day. they begin at noon and last until about three. during the three hours three matadors each kill two bulls for a total of 6 bulls a day and 42 bulls throughout the week. (i hope my math is right on that?). it´s a bit over the top, but very interesting. to get tickets you have to go the the plaza around 10 and buy them from scalpers. there are actually official scalping companies who buy out the whole stadium, it´s very unfair to spectators. i don´t know why they allow it. they jack the prices up. i went to the bull fights twice and had to pay 20-ticket for tickets with a face value of 7, they were the cheapest, but you could still see really well. first with some friends and the second time i took my host mom and sister. my host mom cried when i asked her if she wanted to go to the bull fights with me. she got all welled up and said, ¨you´d go with your mom?¨ and i said of course. she loves the bull fights but hasn´t gone in four years cuz she can´t afford tickets. she had a wonderful time. anyway, the bull fights are filled with a lot of pomp. there´s a whole procession of people who come out before the fights in costume, a line of trumpets playing fanfares whenever someone comes out, and a military band in the stands playing music for dramatic effect. they were really cool. so i got to see the bull fights. there were two regular bull fighters each day and one roheneador, or bull fighter on horse. i´ve got some great pictures. the first day i went went really well for all the bull fighters. but the second day i went goes to the bulls. i think the bulls were extra energetic because they had the support of an entire animal rights protest outside the stadium. people were protesting the bull fights and screaming murderer and spaniard at us as we walked in through a police tunnel. anyway, except the horse bull fighter, the other two both got attacked. by both of their bulls. i was rootin for the bulls too. they both were fine, but one had to be taken off the field for like ten min. they were really bad bull fighters. that made it gross. they´re supposed to deliver the last death blow the the heart with a sword in one try. these guys took 4 or 5. gross. there are also giant parties in the plaza before and after the fights.
other stuff
what else? um, i went to the beace again during fiestas de quito. we had the week off of school. went to atacames. gorgeous beach. fun town. good times.
i´ve finished my first semester here. and i got STRAIGHT A´s for the first time in college. i registered for next semester. um, yeah. so school went well.
i went to the beach again this past weekend. canoa this time. very remote beach. very quiet. no one around for miles. very cool. lots of crabs.
it´s almost christmas. but it doesn´t feel like christmas. it´s just to hot and sunny for christmas. but our house is decorated beautifully. we´ve got it all. and i did the best present wrap job of my life on my host family´s present. it´s a new printer-copier. theirs is broken. but i wrapped it in fancy red paper and made a sweet gold bow. you´d have to see it to fully appreciate it. but my host mom said it was the prettiest present in the world. hahaha. it totally is. for christmas, tomorrow we´re spending it at my house. just my family. we have a whole turkey, real turkey, dinner made. it´ll be fun. and then the following day we´re going to my host uncle´s house for a formal family lunch. i don´t know what will all happen there. but it should be fun, i´m excited. sad i´m missing x-mas at home, but it´s only one year. i´ll be back next year. and i´ve escaped winter for a looooooong time.
it´s also kind of sad down here right now cuz i´m saying goodbye to everyone who was here for the semester. i´ve made a lot of really close friends in a short time, but i´ll get through it. i´m REALLY excite for my brother and sister to get here though! they´re coming the 28th for two weeks and it´s going to be sooo fun!!!!
i think that´s all for now. merry christmas to everyone. i hope you have a wonderful holiday season and i´ll see you guys in the middle of may! that´s not so far away. at least for me, time flies by here.
as usual i´ve taken faaaaar too long to update this thing. subsequently i have a TON OF STUFF to write about!! so sit back and relax, cuz you´re going to be glued to your screen for the next half hour.
¡ferias de quito 2006 jesus de gran poder!
well, as in all parts of the world, the people here need to celebrate their city once a year. except that here it´s amazingly fun, and yes, that is a jab at river city days... hahaha! fiestas de quito are a week long. they began the 29th of november and ended the 6th of december. needless to say, i enjoyed them en full. here´s a basic idea of how the people of quito have decided to celebrate the glory of quito: public debauchery and bull fights. i loved it. i live fairly close the the plaza de torros and that´s where the biggest parties are. people are just drunk in the streets everywhere all day long, but don´t worry all the streets in the hood are closed off for this reason. now don´t get me wrong, there´s more going on during the fiestas de quito that just that. it´s just that only the gringos seem to go the other things. i went to a flamenco dance presentation in the plaza focht, the taste of quito (amazing food...), and various other activities in the city. but honestly, only the gringos go to these events. the ecuadorians mostly just go to the bull fights and street parties. let me tell you about the bull fights, cuz they were really interesting, if a bit morbid...
the bull fights are once a day. they begin at noon and last until about three. during the three hours three matadors each kill two bulls for a total of 6 bulls a day and 42 bulls throughout the week. (i hope my math is right on that?). it´s a bit over the top, but very interesting. to get tickets you have to go the the plaza around 10 and buy them from scalpers. there are actually official scalping companies who buy out the whole stadium, it´s very unfair to spectators. i don´t know why they allow it. they jack the prices up. i went to the bull fights twice and had to pay 20-ticket for tickets with a face value of 7, they were the cheapest, but you could still see really well. first with some friends and the second time i took my host mom and sister. my host mom cried when i asked her if she wanted to go to the bull fights with me. she got all welled up and said, ¨you´d go with your mom?¨ and i said of course. she loves the bull fights but hasn´t gone in four years cuz she can´t afford tickets. she had a wonderful time. anyway, the bull fights are filled with a lot of pomp. there´s a whole procession of people who come out before the fights in costume, a line of trumpets playing fanfares whenever someone comes out, and a military band in the stands playing music for dramatic effect. they were really cool. so i got to see the bull fights. there were two regular bull fighters each day and one roheneador, or bull fighter on horse. i´ve got some great pictures. the first day i went went really well for all the bull fighters. but the second day i went goes to the bulls. i think the bulls were extra energetic because they had the support of an entire animal rights protest outside the stadium. people were protesting the bull fights and screaming murderer and spaniard at us as we walked in through a police tunnel. anyway, except the horse bull fighter, the other two both got attacked. by both of their bulls. i was rootin for the bulls too. they both were fine, but one had to be taken off the field for like ten min. they were really bad bull fighters. that made it gross. they´re supposed to deliver the last death blow the the heart with a sword in one try. these guys took 4 or 5. gross. there are also giant parties in the plaza before and after the fights.
other stuff
what else? um, i went to the beace again during fiestas de quito. we had the week off of school. went to atacames. gorgeous beach. fun town. good times.
i´ve finished my first semester here. and i got STRAIGHT A´s for the first time in college. i registered for next semester. um, yeah. so school went well.
i went to the beach again this past weekend. canoa this time. very remote beach. very quiet. no one around for miles. very cool. lots of crabs.
it´s almost christmas. but it doesn´t feel like christmas. it´s just to hot and sunny for christmas. but our house is decorated beautifully. we´ve got it all. and i did the best present wrap job of my life on my host family´s present. it´s a new printer-copier. theirs is broken. but i wrapped it in fancy red paper and made a sweet gold bow. you´d have to see it to fully appreciate it. but my host mom said it was the prettiest present in the world. hahaha. it totally is. for christmas, tomorrow we´re spending it at my house. just my family. we have a whole turkey, real turkey, dinner made. it´ll be fun. and then the following day we´re going to my host uncle´s house for a formal family lunch. i don´t know what will all happen there. but it should be fun, i´m excited. sad i´m missing x-mas at home, but it´s only one year. i´ll be back next year. and i´ve escaped winter for a looooooong time.
it´s also kind of sad down here right now cuz i´m saying goodbye to everyone who was here for the semester. i´ve made a lot of really close friends in a short time, but i´ll get through it. i´m REALLY excite for my brother and sister to get here though! they´re coming the 28th for two weeks and it´s going to be sooo fun!!!!
i think that´s all for now. merry christmas to everyone. i hope you have a wonderful holiday season and i´ll see you guys in the middle of may! that´s not so far away. at least for me, time flies by here.
posted by Adam (ebby) at 11:34 AM
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