15 Little Pigs Go To Market

Gualaceo is a little town about 45 minutes outside of Cuenca (my destination) and I think the only reason  my little group and I were shuttled about two hours completely out of the way is because of the farmers market. To describe this farmers market I will simply say: every mother in the united states who cooks would have a coronary at the pure sight of it. There were grains...

 

There were fruits (one of which we all have never tried called Granadillas and as we were all poised to take our first bites I made the astute comment that "it looks like alien brains!" and many people were quite upset with me. But really, they do)...

And (I´m cheating a little because the following part was not technically at the farmers market, however it was at an indoor market complete with cafeteria that was just around the corner) there was plenty of meat.

For no apparent reason (though likely due to the sudden boldness and sense of adventure that becomes the source of decision making while traveling) I had no apprehension whatsoever in ordering a greasy plate of roasted pork that had been plucked with bare hands straight from the inside of a roasting pig. Right there. Right in front of me. And it was delicious.

Food is often one of the biggest challenges people run into while traveling but that should come as no surprise. Three (four, five, six) times a day you must eat and you must eat as a traveler needs to eat which is usually more than said traveler eats at home. I´ve heard that walking and walking and walking and walking burns calories. But I personally find food to be one of the most exciting parts of traveling because I believe you learn much of what you end up knowing about a culture from its food. Ecuadorian food is not shy, keeps to its natural form, and when its all put together it can be quite colorful. Much like Ecuadorians themselves.

Guayaquil

I don't want to write this as if it's a journal, but let me just say, it took me 21 hours to get from New Orleans, LA to Guayaquil, Ecuador and it was awful. That should never happen to anyone.

Guayaquil is an interesting city, just like every other city in the world is interesting. There is history buried in the cracks of every wall just like every other city, there are people from a plethora of backgrounds just like every other city, there are unique restaurants and shops and monuments just like every other city, and of course there are statues of famous people all over the place, just like every other city. But what I really love about Latin America is that I can look at this hill...

and not be sure exactly where I am in the world. There is nothing that really stands out as being purely "Latin American" and that's what makes it so special; so many territories have influences this area that in many ways you can't distinguish one history from the other. A true melting pot, making Ecuador, which is as we all know a part of Latin America, a confusing place to visit. In the best possible sense.

Momentary Calm

Defining what the word "normal" means is not exactly simple. I don't think it takes a genius to understand that, seeing as how humans are thinking and decision-making beings. How can something that is by nature unpredictable be clumped together in a predictable group and called "normal"? Wouldn't it be unfair to generalize about a population in which being unique is not just a birth right but a virtue? Interesting thought, but allow me to contradict myself: When people are about to do something they have never done before, go somewhere they have never been before and see some things they have never seen before, they get nervous. That nervousness may come in the form of excitement and eagerness, intrigue and a sense of power or it could make you bite your nails and lose your appetite because of plain fear. Fear of the unknown! That's a good one. For better or worse, people get nervous. Period. But alas, that's not true either and I'll tell you why. Tomorrow morning I embark on an adventure. An adventure to last just under one whole month living, studying, and exploring in a place I have never been before called Ecuador. And I don't feel much of anything. Is that normal? Who cares, all I know is, in my final hours before departure, I am completely at peace.

Circumstances led me to elect Ecuador as my second study abroad location, but to be utterly honest before September of 2010 I had never really thought much about Ecuador. That's not to say that previously I had thought badly of Ecuador, it simply means I had never really thought of it. Even now, a day before I arrive in Ecuador, all I really know about it is that I will likely eat a lot of black clams and I may see some Blue-Footed Boobies (which are birds, children) on the coast. And that, my friends, is why I am not nervous. I have this idea, a philosophy you could say, that expectations generally (normally) lead to a bad time. With minimal expectations, everything turns out better than you imagined, and that is simply the best way for them to turn out. Accompanying my wise life philosophy, I have a deep passion for travel/culture/the world and at this point in my life nothing is more exciting.

And so, with my travel lust and low expectations, I calmly await our meeting, oh Ecuador, and all your black clam and Blue-Footed Boobie glory.