Days 91 - 99: The Road to Puerto Chino is on Fire

Sunday, November 24, 2008 to Monday, December 1, 2008

Days 91 – 99. So I sort-of slacked off and forgot to write in my journal for the past week and can no longer remember every detail of every day. I’ve decided to write this entry a little differently, as a reflection of what I’ve learned and how I’ve changed during my time down here. First I’ll do a quick review of the past week on San Cristobal:

We didn’t have class on Monday because Judith was supposed to be on Isla Isabela. That trip got canceled, but because no one was at school anyway we didn’t have class. I took the opportunity to have the day to myself and relax before being thrown back into a classroom again. When Tuesday rolled around and we had our first class with Judith, everyone was thrilled to have her as a teacher instead of Gunter. Once we actually were able to learn about marine life instead of learning about the ocean currents and over-fishing I think the entire class took a greater interest and it showed in our enthusiasm. Judith was also sympathetic to the fact that we learned absolutely nothing about marine life with Gunter, which is sad because he has an immense amount of knowledge and I think he used to be able to communicate it, but can no longer teach. I mean, the man was once the director of the Charles Darwin Research Station. We should have been thrilled to have him as a teacher, but he was just kind of disappointing.

Judith actually only taught us for two days, because Thursday was presentation day. My presentation was on the Jessica Oil Spill of 2001 that occurred in Wreck Bay, about 800 meters from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Class was pretty interesting that day because we each had a different topic that dealt with marine life of the Galapagos. Since it was Thanksgiving, I told my host mom that I was going to make dinner with some friends, but Sam and I actually went out to dinner. We went to La Playa and had the most bizarre Thanksgiving dinner ever. Sam still had her bathing suit on while I had showered and put on a dress, there were sea lions chasing each other on the beach in the background with the city lit up over the bay, Christmas decorations were strung everywhere and Christmas music was being played from somewhere in the restaurant, Cartoon Network was on the TV that sat on the bar, we were speaking in Spanish, and we ordered Italian and Chinese food for dinner. It just didn’t make sense as Thanksgiving! After dinner we went to Stephanie’s house to play some cards on the roof, then walked back to Polo’s to meet up with some friends at the bar. I went simply to hang out and didn’t drink anything because I had an exam the next day. I think it was around 11 pm when I rolled out to go to sleep.

Friday was our exam, but it didn’t start until 10 am so we all had some time to study before taking it. Luckily it was a fair exam, quite the opposite of Gunter’s. At lunch today, since it was the last time we would be eating at Rosita’s, we were all given a small Pina Colada. After lunch I went to the beach since it was a beautiful day, and worked on my log book before dinner. Since it was Eliza’s 18th birthday, we all went out to celebrate with her. It was a pretty crazy night but I think fun time was had by all. Saturday I finished up my log book and species list and emailed it to Gunter, then spent the rest of the day at the beach with Rachel and Shawna because it was our last truly free Saturday. Saturday was also Eliza’s last day, so I went out in the evening to say goodbye to her. I couldn’t stay long though because I was just too exhausted. After breakfast the next morning, I left to go meet Eliza, Jairo, and Charlotte on the malecon. We walked around for a bit, checked out the baby sea lions and some blue-footed boobies, and got one last Magnum Ice cream bar before Eliza had to head home and then to the airport. It was a really sad goodbye, but I know I will see her again because she got into UofM and really wants to go there and I told her to come visit me anytime she wants (she is from New York). I went to the beach to do some reading – Victor lent me Harry Potter 7 which I had been listening to on my ipod but which cut-off before the end of the book – and was just getting to a sad part when Eliza’s plane took off. For some reason I was just really sad and I started crying. Maybe it’s because I know that’s going to be me in three weeks, and while I feel like I have made some good friends down here, I know we will be replaced in just over a month’s time by the new students from GAIAS…

It’s a bit of a shock as I sit here before class on my 99th day in Ecuador. Not only is it my 99th day in Ecuador, but it’s my 99th day away from my family, friends, home, and everything I once knew and was comfortable with. Things I never thought I would do if I had 10 years to do them I have done in less than 100 days out of my life. I have been to the Amazon rain forest and swam in a river full of anacondas, caiman, and piranhas, I have hiked on the two highest mountains in Ecuador – one of which is the closest point on the Earth to the Sun, I have lived with another family, jumped off a bridge, found my way through a foreign city using mediocre Spanish on my own, swam with sharks, and so much more.

With the realization that in three weeks from today I will be back Okemos, Michigan I suddenly want the time to slow down. Sure there are things I can’t stand down here, such as the continuous cat-calls from the slimy men, not getting hot water (or water at all), living with bugs and roosters and the noisiest dogs I’ve ever heard, and being force-fed more fish and rice and beans than anyone could possibly want to consume in a lifetime. I hate the fact that I have had to walk past two dogs that are chained up in front of someone’s house every day and witness their emaciation. They may be “introduced species” and should not even be on the islands in the first place, but if you have a pet, or are keeping the dog chained up it should at least be treated humanely. There is a huge problem with cats and dogs breeding and running wild on the islands, and it’s not because there aren’t laws or regulations in place, it’s because no one cares enough to enforce them. All pets are supposed to be spayed or neutered, but only about one fifth (or less) actually are.

Between the pet/animal problem and the lack of regulation and corruption that occurs with SICGAL it is obvious to my why there are such problems with introduced species and loss of diversity on the islands. SICGAL, the organization set up to keep plants, animals, and other organic matter from being transported between the islands, does the lousiest job I have ever seen. I have traveled between islands and am fully aware that I could smuggle drugs, animals, and fruits/vegetables/seeds between the islands without a worry of getting caught. And it’s not the foreigners or tourists that need to be regulated – they are (for the most part) abiding by all laws and regulations that the locals feel they are above. The small numbers of inhabitants on the islands means that everyone knows everyone else, or at least someone who knows someone and so on and so forth. This means that they tend to function in a very corrupt manner; if you are friends with one of the inspectioners for SICGAL then you can pretty much smuggle in whatever you want to the islands.

It’s the same thing with the Navy. They have tons of authority and power with no one to really control them, and they behave in corrupt manners. When fishermen are caught illegally fishing, the Navy will usually just be paid off by the fishermen and they are not actually sentenced or punished for their actions. It is infuriating to see the level of disrespect some people have for their island of paradise. Even the children here do not respect the beauty and diversity laid before them, and display this attitude by destroying plants, hurting animals, and littering like it is the end of all time. It’s just been an eye-opening experience to see all this first-hand I guess… Oh, and I think I may commit murder before I leave in three weeks, because the rooster on my roof is really starting to push my buttons!

While I may be frustrated with some things, there are also things I love, such as being able to walk through the streets at night and feel completely safe, looking outside and seeing the ocean every day, hearing sea lions chat and call to each other, watching blue-footed boobies dive into the sea for fish, and the general atmosphere and attitude of the people on San Cristobal. I love having local friends whom I can just hang out with, and I love the fact that wherever you go you can hear salsa music being played no matter the time of day. (Ok, maybe that gets annoying at 3 am, but otherwise it’s always nice to hear the music playing).

I’ve also come to accept things that I would have previously considered bizarre and mind-boggling, such as the road being on fire. When I say that, I mean it in the most literal terms: the road to Puerto Chino was actually on fire last week. They are in the process of laying a new road, and the tarry substance caught fire and could not be put out for a couple days. It was most interesting that when we were presented with this news, our reaction was to laugh and think it was hilarious, but not weird. Phenomena such as roads catching on fire, water just not being available to use the toilet or wash hands, roosters and chickens wandering the streets freely, going out to bars on any day of the week, going out to bars in bathing suits, and other things have just become the norm for us. It’s not weird anymore that we have to walk around the sea lions that lay on the paths, nor is it weird to make obnoxious noises and behave like a sea lion. (Forewarning: I may sporadically burst out into sea lion talk, don’t think anything of it, it’s completely normal).

There are many things I will probably miss when I am back in the United States. I will miss being able to go to the beach between class, miss my host mom and sister who I have come to be close with over the last couple weeks, miss laughing with my friends about absolutely nothing, and I will definitely miss watching the sun set each day at the same time. Having 12 hours of light everyday beginning and ending at almost exactly the same time has been very nice, and returning on December 22nd – the second shortest day of the year – will be somewhat of a shock. Speaking of shock, that’s pretty much what I’m expecting to go through upon returning to the U.S. I experienced culture shock when coming down here, and will probably experience some while being re-introduced to life in Michigan. I have grown and become much more independent over these past 100 days and can only hope I maintain my independence and retain all the knowledge and life-lessons I have gained while being in Ecuador (as well as my tan!).

Ok, enough deep thoughts for now. My brain can’t go that deep for too long while staring at the bay on a beautiful sunny day with bright blue skies.  Last night, November 30th, everyone got together at the school and cooked a huge Thanksgiving dinner. We had to delay it until Sunday because both the Marine Ecology class and the Politics class were on other islands for actual Thanksgiving Day. We had so much food and everyone was happy and cheery – it was just the best atmosphere anyone could ask for. The cooking took place at school and Maximo opened up the school kitchen for us to use as well. We ate chili, shepherds pie, chocolate covered fruit, cooked vegetables, salad, cranberries, cornbread, banana bread, ice cream, macaroni and cheese, caprese salad, chocolate bread, pan de dulce, chicken, wine, and pop. There was more food than anyone knew what to do with, and not one dish had seafood in it, which we were all happy to not eat for once. There was also no rice, which no one complained about either. By 10:15 pm, everyone had headed home with food babies (I think I was about 6 months pregnant) and passed out in food comas. In all, it was a very successful Thanksgiving on the Galapagos Islands.

Today, Monday, was our first day of our last class. Wow. Our last module. That’s kind of a scary thought… Diego seems like he is going to be a really good teacher and the class is super interesting as it is an anthropology class and I have a significant interest in that area. We do have a lot of reading, however, and I am not a fast reader by any means. Katie D also moved into my house this evening, since her place is no longer inhabitable and she has no one living there taking care of things. Her host mom, Diana, had to go to Santa Cruz with her mom because she has cancer. However, she didn’t leave anyone to take care of things around the house or to get Katie her meals. Dina, the cousin who we think is younger than Katie, came to stay but basically just made a mess and left dirty dishes and food around for days at a time. Finally, Katie ended up pitching everything because it was all rotting and smelling and had caused bugs to invade the house. Also, when you flushed the toilet, water came gurgling up from the drain in the floor. The sink never worked, and half the time there was just no water. Basically Katie could not go on living there so she was moved to my house since we had another free bedroom. Now it’s Lisa, Katie, and I, and we are all quite content living there. Ines and Karol are just great to live with and I have been able to joke around with them more lately. It’s sad though because I finally have a close relationship with them and it is right before I have to leave. Today was also Karol’s 13th birthday, but there was no party. She is a very happy girl and well behaved and probably one of the coolest host sisters on the island. The three of us headed to dinner which was on the other side of town. After dinner, Katie, Sam, Rachel, Shawna, and I went to the store and bought some candy then went back to Annie’s place to watch a movie. Annie is gone for the week, working as a bar tender on a cruise ship, and left the key with Shawna so she could use Annie’s place. We all cuddled together and watched Fred Clause, which wasn’t as funny as we were expecting, but I still enjoyed it. Then it was bed time – it was only 10:30 but felt like 2 am and I fell asleep as soon as I touched my bed.