Cuenca y la escuela

Today was my first day of school. The temperature is hovering around seventy degrees and partly cloudy. My host father, Paúl drove us to school this morning, though we will usually walk there, being only ten minutes away from my house. Our host family is awesome. My host mother, Nelly, is a doctor and professor of medicine. Her esposo, Paúl is a businessman who sell furniture out of his store. Their daughter is a 17 year old national ping pong champion in Ecuador. She has no less than 20 trophies and 50 medals for her skill. She something of an icon in Ecuador. I live at the top of a 3 story house with them. It is quite beautiful. Furthermore, their entire extended family lives adjacent to them. Literally next door neighbors. They are quite a fun family.

Cuenca is nothing short of beautiful. It is nestled within the hills of the Andes. Being 2500 meters above sea level makes breathing getting used to as there iis less oxygen up here. The city itself is the marriage of tradition and modernity. For example it lacks the obtrusive skyscrapers that can offset the traditional flavor of other cities. Many of the buildings are from the Spanish colonial period, located in la Ciudad Vieja. There are between ten and fifteen churches in that area. The latest cathedral was begun in the nineteenth century and only completed in the last few decades. It was built completely out of bricks, and due to its fragility, was never completed. I will find more info on this tomorrow. There are stone pathways in Cuenca that predate the Inca period. It is amazing that something so old can endure for centuries in a city of 300 thousand people.

Terra cotta roofs are the norm for most buildings here.

I visited the outside of a cloister today. These cloisters, due to Catholic law, are only allowed in Europe and Latin America. It is one of three in Cuenca. Women enter its walls to become nuns. However, there are never allowed to step outside again. The door to the cloister has no key holes from the outside, a symbol of their devotion. I found this quite shocking as they do not have this in the US, but I cannot judge. Interestingly, there are always twenty nuns in this cloister. No more, no less. The nuns within spend their lives, among other things, making various foodstuffs for the local people. For example, they produce a healing tonic from the herbs of 25 plants. It is said to have healing properties. The tonic can cure a hangover, mend a broken heart, and allow one to speak perfect Spanish. But do they sell it in a bottle...

For the next four weeks I will be attending Estudio Sampere. Originally founded in Spain over 50 years ago, it is the only branch in South America. I find myself in the company of many European students. Their nationalities include English, French, Dutch, German, Austrian, and Swiss. It is incredible that strangers living across continents can forge a bond through a language that is not even their own...

Unfortunately, no one knows where Minnesota is... weird for me. While I am here though, I would like to debunk any stereotypes that they have of Americans. Ecuador has smashed my presuppositions to smithereens.

I have three classes every day at Estudio Sampere. They include Grammar, Conversational Spanish, and Ecuadorian Culture. I begin at 7.45 and finish around 2. The atmosphere is relaxed, but every one is here to learn, so it will be an intensive and aggressive experience.

I have been in Ecuador for 2 days and have already learned so much. It is a completely different lifestyle here, though I can see why it makes so many happy. Cuenca is said to be La Patrimonia de la Humanidad. Basically, it is the cradle of cultural heritage, art, and peace. There is a sense of community here that makes even a foreigner feel at home

In short, it feels like paradise.