Happy Holidays and Vacations

Beautiful sunset at the Laguna Grande,
Cuyabeno, Ecuador

Feliz Año Nuevo to all! It's been a wonderful month of vacation for me, a much-needed break after a cycle full of volunteering, working, and learning. I spent my vacations here in Ecuador, as I wanted to take the time to explore more of the country that I'm living in. The week before Christmas, I went to Quito, stopped by some beautiful thermal baths in Papallacta, and made my way east to see the Amazon in Cuyabeno. It was a wonderful experience getting to know more about the different regions of Ecuador. The Amazon in particular was great, and I spent a lot of time on a canoe going down the river and watching for birds, pink river dolphins, and other fun animals. What I appreciate most about my visit to Cuyabeno is that it helped me realize the complications of tourism in a nationally preserved region. On one hand, tourism efforts use resources that aren't necessarily friendly to the local or global environment, for example, the motor canoes that are required to get tourists to the lodges in the area. On the other hand, as my tour guide suggested, if it weren't for tourism there's a good chance that oil companies would take over and completely exploit the resources of the area, as they've already done with other parts of the country. It's not always easy to say what's good and bad in tourism, and ideally no exposure to humans would be the best for conservation, but next time I plan a tourist-y vacation I'd want to make a conscious effort to choose companies and businesses that try to make a smaller environmental impact.

The Christmas tree in the middle of Plaza
Otorongo, Cuenca

For Christmas I decided to stay in Cuenca, just to see what it's like. Traditionally, Cuencanos tend to spend time with their family and celebrate Christmas by having Christmas Eve dinner, going to mass, and hanging out with family on Christmas Day. Since I wasn't around my family for Christmas, on Christmas Eve I went out and walked around looking at all the lights around town, and on Christmas day a group of us teachers went to the spa in Baños to relax. We also had a get-together that evening. It was wonderful and comforting to know that even if you're far away from family you don't have to spend Christmas alone.

Ayampe, Ecuador

After Christmas, I made my way to the coast and stayed there for a few days. I visited Olón and Ayampe, which are both beautiful beaches but very different. It was nice to get away from the major cities and enjoy the ocean. One of my favorite parts of visiting Olón and Ayampe was seeing all the friendly dogs and cats on the street! I definitely want to go back to the coast again, possibly in our next round of vacations.

I spent New Years in Cuenca, and it was fun to see the Ecuadorian traditions of celebrating New Years. In the days leading up to New Years, you could see monigotes, aka año viejos, being sold on the streets. Año viejos signify the old year. They can take the form of people or well-known characters, and recently dogs. People buy them for their family or household, strap them to their cars, and have them ready to burn for New Years. When the clock strikes 12 on New Years Day, people burn the monigotes to signify the end of the old year. In Centro, you could also see giant monigote displays that are mostly done by the city, or sponsored by the local neighborhood. These are also burned at midnight.  I personally enjoy this tradition because it encourages a mentality of letting go of the past. All night long you can hear loud party music and see fireworks going off throughout the city. It's a fun time, a very different experience from New Years in the US.

Burning of the monigotes on New Years Day, Cuenca

Since New Years, I've been relaxing in Cuenca and getting myself organized for the new cycle, which starts tomorrow. I wish I had more time to explore and relax, but it'll be good to start teaching again, and a lot easier compared to the first cycle. I'm excited to go at it again, this time more organized, prepared, and confident in myself as a teacher. I have higher hopes, so stay tuned to see how that goes.

Chao Chao for now,
Jossel Franco