oTaVoLo...and Other Stuff...

Wow…Good morning everyone. I can´t believe over a week has gone by since my last blog post….I’ve got a few things to catch up on. The only question is where to start…hmm…ok so last Saturday, Gabi and I went with the Ottosens to Otavalo. Otavalo is about an hour and a half, two hours out side of the city of Quito. Driving there in our bus I felt like I had crossed the world and back. We crossed so much vegetation diversity, it was insane. We went from dry sierra, to green jungle, back to what I think resembles Idaho. (haha kinda…) The greenery results from growing crops such as corn, and roses, and all other sorts of vegetables. Since it was January I of course was amazed there was corn. Corn was growing in all stages, from short, to tall and everything in between.

Upon arrival at the terminal in the small city of otavalo. (otavalo is about the size of Provo, it has about seven wards and two stakes.) We headed into the center of town where there is a huge plaza. The Plaza is set up for the market, where the indigenous people bring their hand make crafts to sell. It was amazing. So many colors, and beautiful things. They sell for very cheep too, which kinda makes you sad because you know how hard they work. It´s fun to sit and watch them weave the hand made sweaters out of yarn, or twist the wires to make beautiful necklaces. I ended up buying a hand carved nativity scene, and some necklaces. However if you´d like to put a special word in I am returning to otavalo at the end of this month and i´d love to pick up something for you.
Otavalo sits at the base of a big volcano, which you can see from my pictures, and then at the base of the volcano is a lake. The city stretches out over the lake. The city has been renovated over the years to attract tourists, but you still get the feel of small town Ecuadorian life as you walk the cobble stone streets. The people all wear their traditional dress, with long beautiful black braids. I guess tradition is that the longer your braid the better a person is. For example if you sin, your braid gets chopped off, so you can tell the good boys versus the bad boys. It was fun to be there with the O´s, because the are well known. And we were often offered special prices because we were members of the church. After we shopped the market for a while, we grabbed a bite to eat and decided to head up to the Peguche water falls. It was about a fifteen minute hike up to see the falls. Elder O and I decided that with the mixture of the smells, and the scenery, and the feeling, we felt like we were back at home in the Unita Mountains. It was absolutely majestic. You could walk right up under the falls practically. It was breath taking. But then again I am kinda a sucker for out doorsy things.
My day in otavalo was the perfect way to end the Christmas break…I couldn´t believe the two weeks had already come and gone…and mostly I couldn´t believe that I had survived!
Well week one back to school came and went. I went into the new year with a whole bunch of goals to do better, etc.etc. I really tried to focus and be “smart”. (haha) I´ve just decided it is a dang good thing that my grades don´t count. Also as I mentioned in my last blog (or two blogs ago) I refuse to surrender my size five pants. So my mom and I made up some fitness goals, (my mom in the states…she´s kinda strict haha) anyway…so i´ve been trying to keep to those goals too. However I do kinda have a funny story about it. It´s been pouring rain all week this week, so I haven´t been able to exercise outside. So I decided to try the parking garage down stairs. Well on Tuesday I went down stairs, to run laps around the garage. I didn´t want to lug aroung my big set of keys so I just brought the house ones, but not the ones to get back into the apartment building. (I am sure you can see where this is headed) well I was just running away, and I didn´t realize that the door that I had left propped open for my benefit suddenly had gotten closed. Well I ran over to it to go up and get ready to go to institute and I realized that I was officially locked in the parking garage. It was about 4:45 in the afternoon, all those who normally return for lunch had gone back to work and my family doesn´t usually get home until about eight or nine at night. So I sat there wondering what to do…after about fifteen minutes I heard peoples voices coming from about the fourth floor. So then I just had to get up enough courage to yell up to them. So I sat for about another five minutes mustering up enough courage to yell for help. Well I started yelling “ayudame porfavor!” and no one answered…so then I just started yelling “porfavor!” after about five minutes of yelling someone finally answered back and I explained what happened. He came down and let me in, but I decided it was smart to always carry a cell phone, and ALL of my keys.
The rest of the week passed relatively slow with few exciting things to talk about. I did have the opportunity to go to this awesome restaurant owned by our stake YW´s president. Her husband used to be a merchant marine sailor so the restaurant is decorated as if you are on a boat. And all that is served is sea food. Now all of you basically know that I really didn´t like fish unless it was Grandpa Rex´s, well here…I love it. I got this delicious Cebiche Camerón dish. (shrimp). Also this week I finally got a new Ecuadorian ID so I am not illegal. And por fin my debit card came! So I am not broke either. Last night I made a peach pie, with out a receipe, and I had a BLINK marathon with my mom. (blink is my FaVoRiTe card game…) Today I get to baby sit Owen for Josh and Melanie so I am super pumped about that…I don´t think I have actually baby sat since I was like a junior.
I am alittle worried about my sweet Cynthia and my grandma. It´s hard to be so far away from those you love when they are hurting…I know I couldn´t do anything even if I was there…but it´d sure be reassuring if I could just give them a hug.
Well I hope you are all having a grand and exciting January! (oh p.s. I ate watermelon! In January! How coolio is that?!!!) I love you all…and stay posted for the next grand and exciting adventures of a blonde…lost in Ecuador…
Hasta luego,
Em