Sam Gable - (I think I have parasites)
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07:05 pm
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(I think I have parasites)
Quito is full of mimes. It´s probably something to do with New Years. But that´s nothing compared to what happened on the coast, where in all the towns and villages children dressed in masks made out of fabric with eyeholes, walked in gangs, and carried beating sticks. I think I got out just in time. I´m in Quito right now hiding out in a hostal and trying to budget so I don´t have to go back to my host family´s house until Jan. 3rd, when my mom comes to visit. Again, there´s nothing that wrong with them... Also, I guess it´s a South American tradition to make life-size, painted paper people, and set them all on fire for New Years. They all have bright pink faces and black hair, some of them have glasses or mustaches, and there´s the ocassional Spider Man. I bet it´s caused a few city fires.
So the culture shock business is getting better. I´m having that thing where you want to be unconscious as much as possible, becuase waking up is depressing since your dreams purposely take you to more desirable places when you don´t like where you´re living. But I can sense it going away, and whenever I drink a cup of coffee or alcohol or walk through the city I feel fine. I took a huge walk today until I scaled the east side of the valley and saw the city fill another one. I really like Quito, but I´m not going to love it. I´m having to accept that in most cases you can´t put on a new culture. I´m stuck to my country, or Canada. After a while you want to be surrounded by people you instinctively understand and can speak the language of.
The view of the city from my hostal´s roof is amazing. The hostal´s in my favorite part of the city, which is where old town and new town merge, and the architecture mixes. You can find beautiful, delapidated mansions boxed in and hidden by ugly office buildings. The neighborhoods aren´t too colonial or too modern. It´s night right now and everything´s misty. It looks like a painting by a famous artist from here named Guayasamin. Which I´ll post.
And the Virgen on the hill is surrounded by Dr. Seuse-like trees made of christmas lights. I have to make the taxi ride up there by tomorrow night before they take everything down, except the Virgen, who is very pretty.
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![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/76013882/3803083) | | From: | ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) blake_reitz |
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| Date: | December 31st, 2007 02:03 am (UTC) |
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| | Also, that's an amazing painting. | (Link) |
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I never knew that South America was so anti-Spider-man.
| | From: | gable_s_c |
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| Date: | January 1st, 2008 12:49 am (UTC) |
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| | Re: Also, that's an amazing painting. | (Link) |
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I think they show their love by setting things on fire |
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