After a few days of class in Quito we took off for the north, arriving to the beautiful city of Otavalo in the province of Imbabura for several days.
Tuesday morning we participated in Ecuador’s free health care system receiving yellow fever vaccines in preparation for our Amazon trip in a couple of weeks. Particularly useful for those going to the amazon for their service placements. The vaccine is only needed once in a lifetime so not a bad idea either for students interested in future travels. Tuesday afternoon we went to the little town of Nayón just over the east ridge of Quito valley for lunch and time to explore. Nayón’s economy revolves around their greenhouses as the town’s climate makes it an ideal place for plant growth. Each student purchased a little plant to bring back to their host families 🙂 We celebrated 3 birthdays this week! Jackson and Erica started us off, and we celebrated with Alexa on Thursday.Later Tuesday we made our way to the historic church and neighborhood of Guapulo. With incredible acoustics some students couldn’t help but start singing…. quietly at first then with growing confidence! Beautiful voices! María Teresa and Richard Students taking advantage of a free afternoon after unexpected cancelled lecture, they weren’t complaining!Our weekly Wednesday Casa Goshen discussion and group reflection time.Thursday morning we drove 2 hours north to the city of Otavalo, one of the most famous cities in the Andes for it’s artisan markets, products, and music. This region continues to maintain and promote the special importance of indigenous cultures and influence. Thursday afternoon we went to several workshops. Don Jose Luis invited us into his home for a lesson in making flutes and demonstrating sounds from various instruments some specific to Otavalo, others from Ecuador and others from neighbors Peru and Bolivia. Don Jose Luis is the leader of a group called Ñanda Mañachi, an interesting video featuring his commentary and more music can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp17-AON3OUJackson, Skylar, Erica and Simon testing their skillsAnna and Carolina getting some technique tipsClaireAt the second workshop we visited we learned about the creation of textiles, different types of raw materials, the wool and coloring, all the way to the final products. While often machinery is used to manufacture textiles now, this family tries to maintain techniques passed down from generations before.Carolina and SashaAnna Jackson and Richard giving Andrew a hard time as he tries to get some work done.Carolina, Anna and AnnaCarolina, Carissa, Claire and Celeste at dinner Thursday eveningErica and Alexa, birthday meal! Friday morning breakfast at Hostal Riviera Sucre.Nina and I wanted to share the beauty of Cuicocha with the students. While some of us did a shortened version, others convinced us to try to accomplish the whole 7.7mile rim trail! We obviously didn’t realize what we were getting ourselves into as our estimates of 2-3 hours were reached at about half way! Fortunately much of the second half was downward slope. We started off the hike in the clouds, and after about an hour the skies cleared for a magnificent view!This group began referring to themselves as the “intermediates”! And Simon would always add… “slash advanced!” “The Three Musketeers”Caleb and NinaSasha, Carissa and SophiaAt this point everyone in the hike was feeling little weary knowing that we could still see our destination across the way, when Caleb remembered a pack of skittles in his backpack! One student called it manna from heaven! That’s how memories are made, I suppose! SkylarAlmost there! All exhausted by the end, but spirits were high and all feeling accomplished! Safe to say we were VERY ready for lunch in Cotacachi a short drive away.Saturday morning breakfastCarissa enjoying a swing before heading out to the marketSaturday morning students explored the markets in groups, engaging with vendors and doing a little shopping. Otavalo’s Saturday feria is world renown! Diego and family came up to share Saturday morning with us.
Here is a short clip of some of the music Don Jose Luis and family performed for us during our visit… Enjoy!
Looking ahead to the coming week we have 5 full days of class as our “study” portion of the term all begins to wrap up with the completion of final projects and papers due for various classes. The students are planning a fun celebration/goodbye party with our Quito host families for Friday night.
