Traveling and doing touristy things has been heavy on my mind, but also difficult due to Covid. In my first two weeks in Ecuador, I focused on getting adjusted to both my classes and schedule and it became difficult to go on adventures. In combination with the rise in covid cases, there hasn’t been much to do. This has been giving me guilt about wasting my time here, and not going out enough.
However, this weekend I finally got out and decided to do some exploring. On Friday, Vanessa and I (another Linfield student) decided to explore el Centro Historico de Quito. This is the oldest part of the city and has been preserved to maintain its colonial architecture. There are also museums and churches here which contain some of Ecuador’s most important artworks. During this outing, we went to El Museo Fransciscano del Padre Almeida. This is both a museum and a convent and it has both beautiful sculptures and paintings. You can also go up to their tower and there’s an amazing view of the entire historic center. Although it was rainy, as Oregonians we were used to it and still able to enjoy such a beautiful part of our new city.
This weekend continued to be exciting as the international students organized an outing to “ La mitad del mundo.” Ecuador is named after the Equator because Quito is located where the Northern and Southern hemispheres divide. At this location, twenty minutes north of where I live, there are two museums where you are guided through Ecuadorian culture and other interesting phenomena. For example, you are able to balance an egg on a nail, step in both the northern and southern hemispheres at the same time, and guess the exact time of the day by the sun’s shadow.
While we were here, we were able to “tour” Ecuador’s various regions and see recreations from different locations and their cultures. There are over a dozen different “nationalities” within Ecuador and each group has its own customs, dialect (and/or language), and way of life. After we toured both museums, we went into the little shops for souvenirs, artisanal wine, and other Ecuadorian delicacies.
We ended the night by going to an Ecuadorian classmate’s home to hang out and dance. Overall, It was a successful weekend full of meeting new people and seeing new places!
Un Abrazo,
Salma Galvan
