Letter From Cuenca

¡Hola, Exeter!We’re one month into our term abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador. The weather here is beautiful, if a little hot in our school uniform of gray sweatpants and t-shirts. Despite all-too-common illnesses and the looming threat of the Zika virus, the lifestyle here manages to beat New Hampshire and Exeter in winter.That said, we have tried to challenge ourselves in new and exciting ways. On our first weekend, we went on a night hike in the Andes in Paute (see Tessa’s Instagram). Our Ecuadorian siblings were not in the slightest bit afraid to climb over an hour upwards in total darkness, and so naturally we followed suit. During the journey, we almost lost Jebarbar Binks (our loving nickname for Señor Jebari—if you don’t get the reference, take a lap) to the dark and treacherous slopes. Jack climbed like a spider monkey to save him, while the rest of us laughed and sang, “Spider Jack, Spider Jack, does whatever a Spider Jack does.” Luckily, no one was hurt, and we got to see a beautiful combination of stars and city lights from the mountain top. Other interesting ventures we’ve undertaken include seeing the latest Star Wars in Spanish, attending a historic parade (albeit one littered with commercialized drug and alcohol paraphernalia to attract consumers) and challenging groups of Ecuadorians to competitive soccer and volleyball matches.Our experiences at the school, Colegio Aleman, has been, in a word, interesting. For starters, it’s a German-Spanish exchange school; all of our host siblings are semi-fluent in Deutsche and thus we can’t attend many of their classes. During our stay at the school, we will experience three different sets of exchange students from Germany, offering us not only a new, South American perspective, but also a European one. Our classes vary in difficulty, ranging from computer skills (how to turn on a computer, how to open Ecuadorian Excel, how to use Ecuadorian Excel) to Organic Chemistry (spoiler alert: we dropped that class).One of our favorite teachers at the school is a true admirer of the Spanish language; he teaches us both a two-hour fat block Spanish course (much like our English classes) as well as an Exeter only Ecuadorian culture class. The man is a graffiti fanatic, and one of our few complaints (and admirations) relates to his ability to transition any and every class lecture into a discussion on the subject. Our first class was about utopian society, where he and Rex argued vehemently (El Hueso received an ovation from the students for his sass/intelligent rhetoric), yet ended the question of the artistic nature of graffiti. The second was an analysis of the baroque period, but again devolved (for lack of a better word) into an adulation of the overwhelming benefits of graffiti. The teacher prompted us each to create graffiti of our own, and much to his dismay, Maya won the group’s approval, with her original adage: “Cuando la vida te da limones, haz limonada.”A lot of free time at school has been spent honing our athletic abilities. During our second week, while playing on a grass/sand/concrete EcuaVolley court—volleyball but with feet—the athletics director of the school recruited us for a tournament in Quito, the nation’s capital. Unfortunately, our facade of skill rapidly faded when the coach and three ninth graders beat our full strength team of six.Although disappointed, we channeled our frustration into energy for a game of bubble soccer. For the record, it’s as fun as it sounds, albeit incredibly dangerous; the game instantly devolved into a demonstration of machismo culture and a testosterone competition with tackling, hitting and bouncing galore, as well as a total disregard for any actual elements of soccer. Had this letter come later, we would have been able to detail our upcoming paragliding and paintball adventures, but alas, the struggle.The food here is stellar as the fruits and vegetables are remarkably fresh. The bakeries are great and the empanadas never fail to amaze us with their deliciousness. The milk, however, is a catastrophic disappointment; many mornings a bowl of cereal has been poured only for one to remember that the milk here is purchased in boxes or bags, a fact that is apparent by the taste of the milk. However, the plethora of freshly-squeezed juices compensate for the disappointment that other beverages bring.In the past week, we have taken time to explore the city and the many wonders it has to offer, such as the gorgeous cathedrals, four wonderful rivers and an authentic, traditional McDonald’s. This past Saturday, we got the chance to experience a variety of towns that neighbor Cuenca to visit authentic artisans and observe them working, including one who builds guitars, a silversmith, a potter and a weaver who made scarfs, dresses and local t-shirts out of llama hair and other more exotic animals. Watching each craftsperson at work was a unique experience, and many of us purchased souvenirs so that we could bring back a piece of Ecuadorian culture with us to the States.We have passed the midway point of the term with many memories but always have an eye on the future. Next week, there is the national holiday of Carnaval, which is essentially a city-wide water balloon/squirt gun fight that one cannot escape. It’s the five-day water fight you always wanted, but never really needed. In preparation for the event, we have practiced several times with our host siblings who, at the end of each school day as well as any time they are struck by boredom, attack each other with water and mud.Alas, before we can return to the sun and fun of PEA, we must endure a week long trip to the Galapagos Islands. We wish only for empathy and sympathy from all of the Academy students as we struggle through seasickness on our island hopping tour. We will be sure to take photos with all the wonderful, unique, colorful animals the islands have to offer, as well as find some way to leave our legacy. They say leave nothing but footprints, but we may leave a student behind (or a Jebari). They say take nothing but pictures, but we might bring home a sea turtle. We think that a student for turtle trade is relatively fair for the island.We leave you with the loving words of Jebari: “Don’t send them to Hell, send them to Exeter.” Oh, and good luck on exams!Much Love,Squiggity Squad, Cuenca 2016