"Lima, imagine if this was your house?"

Pregunta: Have you ever seen tie-dyed bell peppers?...me neither. I had to take a picture. I love bell peppers and green/yellow...therefore, I was super excited. Don't worry it's not real die...it's how they really are. Ecuador is awesome.


Yesterday, after work, I met up with the rest of my students during their culture class hour. After grabbing a pitsachio (yummers) ice-cream cone at Fruitilados, we went to Eduardo Vega's ceramic art gallery. This culture class field trip is the best one so far. Yes, it may have to do that we went to an art gallery(me + art = love)...but the art pieces were amazing. The students were amazed at the beauty and uniqueness of creativity of E.Vega. Vega is orginally from Cuenca but went to Europe to study art, but eventually Vega returned to his roots in Cuenca to continue his career in art. In 1973, Vega started his ceramic art business in Cuenca and then his name Vega became popular. By incorporating what he learned during his time internationally and with Cuenca culture, Vega has become a well-known creative artist in Ecuador. You can see his works at different historical places througout the city of Cuenca.

I immediately fell in love with Vega's work when we walked into the gallery. Vega uses a lot of earth colors with splashes of bright color. Vega also has a unique way to use shapes and texture to his work. I took advantage of the place and bought my loved ones some gifts. I wish fly to Houston right now just to give my mom her gift and then come right back...yes, that's how awesome it is. Let's just say I was walking around the gallery with my eyes drooling over the ceramic pieces. I was so engrossed in Vega's work that the Spanish professor had to literally drag me out of the gallery.

Also the view from the gallery was breath taking. One of my student's asked me: "Lima, imagine if this was your house?" I couldn't answer...that's how much I was in love with the place.


And yes, I splurged and got this beautiful tree tile for myself. (Mel, you should be jumping up and down for joy since this is going in our apartment) I had two main reasons why I couldn't leave without this piece: 1) I love trees...they are my favorite and 2) I love the color green...and 3) Art makes me drool with bliss...can't you see the twinkle in my eye. (I know I said I had two main reason but I figured the third was a given)

Ecuador + Art + Students = a very happy Lima.

ps~I was really...really....really bummed and a little shocked at Spain's loss yesterday. What was that all about? Also, Nigeria is killing me...I had hopes for them. Lastly, I'm torn who to cheer for in the France vs. Mexico....France, maybe?

Today is Flag Day

While the rest of the world was watching the France vs. Uruguay game, I was watching an live intense soccer game. At Yes, those are children. And yes, it was that intense. They had a ref and called yellow cards...there was even a red card. I loved it. I found myself shouting and yelling. Mama-Cuenca made fun of me.







I'm pretty sure these children could out play me any day. Besides from being out of shape and the high altitude, they had skills. In Latin America, the love for futbol starts when the child starts walking. It was interesting that the boys who didn't play were the ones hanging out with girls, you can see the seperation. I was ok with missing the France game...this was more entertaining.

I think in these past two weeks or so, I have eatten more hot dogs that I normally do in a year. They taste so amazing. It's funny what kinds of foods you miss while you are outside the states. In Costa Rica it was Cracker Jacks and I never eat them in the states. Normally, I would boycott a hot dog. Now when I'm offered a hot dog here....boom, I'm all over that sucker. Maybe being in Latin American makes me crave baseball food...who knows???

Another thing I miss about being in Latin America is how awesome birthday parties are. With futbol, food, loud music, and contests of who can shake their hips the best, birthday parties are a reason to celebrate life. Hermana-Cuenca and I had a blast shaking our hips and blowing our whistles.

It's World Cup fever here among my students and the Ecuadorians. (Note: my posts for the next couple of weeks will have a shout out to the World Cup) On Saturday, we all got together at a student's house to watch the USA vs. England game. We went gringo and order some good Pizza Hut and drank some Coke. During the national athem, I stood proudly for my country with my right hand over my heart. And yes, my students made fun of me. It was great to get together, talk in English, eat food covered in cheese, and make sarcastic jokes at the silly goals England and USA made.

My familia-Cuenca like calls me "La Waka Waka" now...since I would practice my Shakira moves around the house every now and then.

Today is Flag Day...and this morning I woke up with this song with my head, Wave Your Flag. Weird, I know. This song is a good picture of the patriotic pride and passion that we have in our countries. If you listen to the lyrics, they are a little political. Despite the hardships that the majority of the countries in the World Cup have, the World Cup is what provides hope and chance to work towards a goal (no pun intended). Yes, it's just a game...but it's more than that.

Now....wave your flag.

This time for [South] Africa

There has been talk about how there may be a tendency to assume that the World Cup of South Africa is the realistic picture of the continent of Africa. Maybe the Shakira's lyrics should be changed to "this time for [South] Africa". Africa is a continent with several different countries with their own culture and traditions. One day I will make my way to that continent...*squeezes eyes shut and clicks heels*...one day.

For those who more of an indepth picture of South Africa check out The Bicycle Portraits.

"The Bicycle Portraits project was initiated by Stan Engelbrecht (Cape Town, South Africa) and Nic Grobler (Johannesburg, South Africa) early in 2010. Whenever they can, together or separately, they’re on the lookout for fellow commuters, and people who use bicycles as part of their everyday work, to meet and photograph. They’re finding out who rides bicycles, why they ride bicycles, if and why they love their bicycles, and of course why so few South Africans choose bicycles as a transport option. There is no specific range of questions asked, they'd rather just establish a conversation around the rider’s life and where his or her bicycle fits into it." ~Quote & picture taken from The Bicycle Portraits website

"Why we are doing this...

As you'll see we are not photographing people who ride purely for exercise or recreation, but instead we are focussing on those who use bicycles as an integral tool in their day-to-day existence. We've noticed that in South Africa, especially in the major centers, very few people use bicycles as mode of transport. This is very strange since we have no proper public transport infrastructure, and that which does exist is expensive and unsafe. Given all the benefits of cycling - independence, fitness, cost-effectiveness, environmentally friendly - we would love to encourage the use of bicycles in South Africa amongst all social classes.

We've noticed that as our major centers develop there still seems to be a trend to make cities more friendly for cars, not people. While this might be happening in many places around the world the effect on individuals seems to be very dramatic in a country like South Africa, where there is a growing divide between those who can afford motorised transport and those who struggle to. Owning a bicycle in this social climate can be very empowering, if the correct infrastructure exists.

As you might know, South Africa is a world within one country, home to various cultures, with a tragic history of segregation and racism. Through this project we hope to give people a glimpse into each other lives through a well known object of movement, practicality and joy - the bicycle. Looking at individuals through their, sometimes unconscious, involvement in bicycle culture, we will inadvertently touch on many charged issues like the implementation of public space, lack of infrastructure development and also social problems like class division and unequal wealth distribution, but also perhaps bring those unfamiliar to each other together in their love for a simple thing...

Our long term goal...

Through publishing this book, we want to be able to assist the underprivileged cycling community through our project - be it teaching bicycle maintenance skills, providing necessities like helmets, tires, tubes, locks… It would be great to create a support structure for the people who appear in the book - this could be a trust funded by a percentage from sales of the cover price, or a charity set up in the name of the people who appear in the book etc. Ultimately we want to promote cycling as a means of independent transport to empower the underprivileged, and in fact, to encourage everyone capable to ride a bike as an alternative to driving a car, or even using public transport. We hope that this will lead to the kind of infrastructure development that is designed with all people in mind, not just cars." ~ Picture taken from The Bicycle Portraits website; Quote taken from The Bicycle Portraits Kickstarter page

If you pledge to help fund this project, you are essentially pre-ordering a book. To pledge or to get more information check out their Kickstarter page.

Maybe I Should Get Papa Lima on Twitter

It's crazy how different it feels to actually have leisure time in the evenings. It feels amazing that I can flip through a magazine while rocking out on my ipod without the pressure of homework waiting for me. Wow...is this how it feels to actually have a life outside papers, thesis and group projects. Shoooooot, I should do this more often. Ah, the bliss of flipping through a magazine, listening to Pitbull and let my barefeet be exposed to the world.







The World Cup is in 2 days and I'm getting pumped. I'm currently leg kicking and fist pumping in the air...that's how excited I am. I would have to give credit to the World Cup for the quality time I spend with my dad, Aka: Papa Lima. I can remember when Papa Lima first introduced me to the awesomeness of the World Cup.

Boom. My life was never the same.

I would run around the house singing "ole, ole, ole" and "gooooooooooooooooooaaaaalllll" at the top of my lungs. My mom, aka: Mama Lima, was always puzzled that I would prefer to watch men running around after a ball rather than play house with my Barbies. Papa Lima loved it. I also started a dislike for the Brazilian team at a young age. (Don't worry, I don't hate them anymore. I'm still deciding who I'm actually cheering for. Of course, I'll cheer for USA but let's be honest...I need a backup team. I can be like the Ecuadorian's here and go for Argentina....or not. I can't go for Italy because everyone and their mom is going for them now. Lame. Well, let's see how it goes...I'll keep y'all posted...as if you cared). Since I'm here in Ecuador for the first few weeks of the World Cup, Papa Lima and I will have to rely on Skype and emails to discuss/argue about who fouled who and why. Maybe I should get Papa Lima on Twitter...hmmmm. I'm beyond excited to get to Houston to sit by Papa Lima, eatting Mama Lima's burritos and yelling Spanglish at the tv.

Thank you World Cup, for being one of our common interests and creating a father-daughter bond that I cherished so deeply now.

I think it's time to sing "WAKA, WAKA...this time for Africa..." (Please note the beautiful picture of diversity at the end of the video. Awesome.)



Go Shakira...by the way, you are on my list of people I want to be when I grow up....because you can move those hips like ya...

Try Climbing Those Suckers

Well, friends and family, the moment has come for the proof of Lima eatting cuy. Yes, that's right. I finally have the pictures and internet to post these lovely documentations of me eatting guinea pig. Boom.

You remember the before shot of a furry little cute looking thing?...

...afterwards, there he is and there I am...freaking out. Apparently in my head, I thought that at any moment, he would have come back to life.

Then I took the plunge and took a bite of the cuy. Yes, I ate it. It was chewy and salty. I did not like it at all. It was probably the most terrifiying food experience I have ever had. I was shaking...that's how much I was freaking out. My students got a kick out of watching me freaking out touching the cuy. For the rest of the night I filled myself with potatoes and mote (a corn type food).

Well, now I can check that off the bucket list...check.
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Saturday morning my host family and I took an adventure to Paute. My family is buying property to continue to build their business. This has been our lives for the past week of business talks and meetings at the banks. Finally, I was able to see the land that the family has been buzzing about. The property is huge. The scenery is breathtaking. The house is beautiful with all of these hidden antique features. I will retell my lovely Saturday through picture form...(These pictures don’t do justice of providing a glimpse of the place but it will have to do).

The property is located on a mountain, so numerous set of stairs were found all over the place. Here’s one set that I thought looked pretty cool. Try climbing those suckers…thank you, altitude....I can never breath again.

Mama-Cuenca, Abuelita-Cuenca, Megan (one of my students and my "second cousin") and I took a mini hike through the property.

We stopped to take in the scenery for a bit. Abuelita-Cuenca was in her element at this point. She grew up in the country.

We found berries on our mini hike.

I was skeptic of trying the berry even after mama-Cuenca reassured me a billion times that it was ok.

I ate the berry. Then I made the executive decision that it was probably one of the best berries I have ever eaten.

During our mini hike, we had a mama-Cuenca moment. We lurve each other.

Then abuelita-Cuenca decided to continue on her exploration. I followed. I thought Surely if she can do it, then I can too. Little did I know...

By the time I caught up to abuelita-Cuenca, I was huffing and puffing. Again, thank you altitude. Abuelita-Cuenca then decided to go back the stairs and I just stared after her.

Lesson of the day: Don't mess with abuelita-Cuenca.

Even primito-Cuenca was so happy because of the awesomeness surrounding him.

This was one of my favorite moments of the day: abuelitos-Cuenca sharing a moment by the poolside and I was able to capture it.

While exploring the property and the sweet house, I kept finding hidden antique treasures. They made me drool with delight.

Of course, I have to give out a shout out to the flowers. They made up about 50% of the awesomeness of the place…and pretty much all of Ecuador.

As you can see, it was a pretty awesome day. It was much needed. At one point, I just sat on the steps and gazed at the scenery before me. All I could do was to sit still. I needed to stop and recollect myself. That place made me be still and soak in what the Lord had created. I prayed some prayers of worship. I could not help but praise the Lord for how mighty and powerful He is.

When was the last time you sat still?....that you stopped and sat?...with no ipods or cell phones?...where it was you, beauty and Jesus?

Are we too afraid to stop and face what’s actually there? Or are we too consumed in our constant go of our lives that we don’t have time to stop? Why can’t we stop? What will it take for us to stop? What will happen when we don’t stop?

...what are we going to lose?

I came back from that mini adventure and took a nap. Boom. That’s how much it relaxed me.
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Sunday I was reunited with my students at church and spent the whole day with them. Monday we went to the Banco Central of Cuenca and was immersed in Ecuador’s history. We saw different exhibits of Ecuador’s tribes and some old school ruins, which we became a little creative to interact with. I just would like to give a little shout out to my students. There’s never a dull moment with them. Somehow they can make the boring museum’s fun. There’s always a story to tell or a joke to laugh about. From double espresso’s and ice cream at the Fruitilado or random dance moves in Spanish class, my students make the trip worth it. Funny thing is that I’m probably learning just as much from them. They keep me on my toes. They find the most random questions to ask about Ecuadorian culture that most of the time I say “I don’t know”. My favorite part about my students is the ability for them to laugh at different situations. They laugh at themselves when thinking gringo meant handsome in Spanish to throwing away half of their breakfast when their host mom is not looking because they are too full too eat. They never stop to amaze me to find creative ways to make culture learning fun…even it meant laughing at silly things like butts.

So...What Will You Do Today, Lima?

So...what did you do yesterday, Lima?

You know, enjoyed Ecuador.

Well, I also met my students down town at the Fruitilado to get some coffee and ice cream. I was judged by Taylor (aka: Bestie), one of my students, because I put a teaspoon of sugar in my double espresso.

She even sneered at my coffee.

But then we decided that we will still be Besties and not let the teaspoon of sugar separate us and our love for coffee. (I’m expecting Mary Poppins to jump out of a random fireplace singing a song about how a teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine goes down)

Then we decided to take a stroll around downtown. I sat with Laura, another one of my students, on a cool bench we found. While people watching and soaking in the scenery, we talked about mama boys, El Salvador, and our humble beginnings as wanna-be photographers.

This is the awesome scenery we were enjoying while sitting on the cool bench.

I wanted to take a cool picture of us on the cool bench but my first attempt was off, as you can see. Then my battery died. Sad day.

And then we tried cuy….cooked guinea pig.

Are you serious, Lima?

Heck yes, I am! Buuuuuut, since my camera battery died, I couldn’t document my experience. Bummer. Luckliy, Laura came to the rescue and brought her fancy camera. Yay. Here's the catch, I’m holding off on telling yall the memorable experience of the genuine pig until I receive those lovely pictures. You just have to see it to semi-experience it.

Here's a before shot. Aww, so cute :P

So...what will you do today, Lima? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe get some ice cream, coffee, eat some guinea pig…

....you know, enjoy Ecuador.

Skype gets a two thumbs up

Yesterday was a day spent of classes for mis chicos. Their day started out with four hours of Spanish class and then the afternoon with another 3 hours of culture class. Woof. On the flipside, culture class is only a couple days of the week. During the mornings, when the students have Spanish class, I have the joy of “working” on my thesis. Don’t ask me how much I have done, the question is “have I started?”. The word “thesis” turns my off motivation to do any work. Honestly, I spend most of my morning catching up on emails from my job back at Taylor and other miscellaneous productive tasks that take up a good chunk of my morning. I do get to interact with the students during their culture class, and get to take a couple notes on my own. It’s like a win-win situation. I help students understand the Ecuadorian culture in their own context, and I get some culture immersion of my own. I’m a fan of win-win situations.

This late morning I got to Skype with my lovely Boricuan best friend, Annette. I miss my bff. We are like two peas in a pod. It’s friendships like hers that make me miss Texas. At least we have Skype to bring us together and laugh at our cheesy jokes and weird hand gestures. Skype is awesome. I love talking to people and I love free stuff. Therefore, I love Skype. It’s amazing how I can have a conversation thousands of miles away and get to see people’s faces too. I’m all about faces. Skype gets a two thumbs up for free communication, especially for those who have international friends or are located far away from your loved ones.

Tonight we are going on an adventure to try Cuy. What is cuy? Cooked guinea pig. Yes, the cute little furry things that gringos have as pets. According to Wikipedia, cuy is “a traditional food of Peruvian, Colombian, and Ecuadorian Andean people”. We are and we would. My students are ecstatic. I’m freaking out. Talk about culture immersion and trying new things. I’m slowly breathing in and out as I think about what I’m about to endure tonight.
Pray for me.