Hi guys! This is the first time I have even thought about tackling a blog, so I hope my writing is somewhat enjoyable. Some of my classmates suggested me to do this, and it’s not something I ever considered. Plus, it holds me accountable for actually scribing my time here. I am a third year graduate student at The Ohio State University. For the next five months, the majority of my time will be spent in Ibarra, Ecuador implementing a program on caregiver training and performing a needs assessment for occupational therapy services in the surrounding regions of Ibarra. (You probably read that on my home page). Arriving in Ecuador has been a long time coming- almost 1.5 years of being in school, completing clinical rotations, returning for a semester to draft my capstone project, and finally flying to Quito to start the whole adventure. So here we are!
This is also the first time I have traveled abroad completely alone- and I have already been forced out of my comfort zone, which is a good thing. Quito is a large city of 2.5 million people but totally manageable to navigate. From my hostel in the historic Old Town, nearly all tourist attractions are within walking distance or a short taxi drive away.
The first day here, I walked around for a long time just exploring the hilly streets in order to orient myself and see what all the tiendas sold, as I love souvenirs. Quito runs around 20 miles from north to south but only ~6 miles east to west. I decided to take a walking tour the first afternoon to get a brief historic overview of the area. I was able to explore the Mercado Central, where you can find all the local dishes and specialties for cheap (& delicious). You can buy a full lunch of the day, or almuerzo, for $2-3. Also on the tour were many points of interest- Plaza Grande: where Ecuador commemorates its independence from Spain; the presidential palace; Compañía de Jesús- a church completely decorated in gold; Calle Garcia Moreno- a street lined with 7 beautiful churches in a short distance; La Ronda- a bohemian area full of nightlife and canelazo, a warm, cinnamon orange alcoholic drink; and more important religious and politically significant buildings.
The second day, I woke up early to take the Teleferiqo cable car to a mountain viewpoint of Quito. To my disappointment, heavy clouds had already moved in, and I could only see 20 feet in front of me. On the ride up, I met an Australian and Brit so we traveled the rest of the day together. After soon leaving Teleferiqo, we climbed the stairs of the Basilica del Voto Nacional. This incredible neo-gothic church boasts two huge towers which you are able to snap a great photo of once at the top of the opposite side of the church. Definitely worth the $2 entrance fee! Afterwards we headed up to Panecillo, a hilltop where a 31m statue of the Virgin Mary stands. It is the tallest in the world as well as the only Virgin Mary with wings. We ended the afternoon at La Ronda with some delicious canelazos.The end of the day consisted of walking around and wanting to buy too many knick knacks that I don’t need, and finding a great dinner and coffee for just $5. There are so many solo travelers, mostly European. Many of them stated that they are able to take 6 months to a year off of work and travel with savings- no problem! What a dream that would be. The following Friday morning I was able to climb up a nearby hill to a mirador of the city, which was still beautiful even on a very cloudy day.
After heading back down, it was time to pack up and head to Ibarra- the city where I will be spending the majority of my time. I caught a taxi from Old Town to Terminal Carcelen in the north of Quito, managed to buy myself a $3 bus ticket amongst all the chaos at this huge terminal, and in 3 hours I arrived in Ibarra with no missing luggage. My capstone mentor’s mother was here to greet me after I arrived via another taxi to her house, and the first place she took me was El Quinde cafe. It is a local coffee shop owned by Colombian refugees, and past students and visitors have raved about it. They have Wifi in store, so I’m sure I’ll be spending much time there writing up my capstone. This is only my third day here, but the weather is so sunny and beautiful, the city is much more quaint than Quito, and I’ve already checked off one hike up to the Mirador- where the statue of San Miguel Arcangel overlooks and protects the city. What an insane view!
So far, I’ve got nothing to complain about. In a days time I will officially begin my project.