As I lay here in bed having just arrived home from a 2-week vacation in Argentina with my mom, it is hard to believe that in another 6 short weeks I will be headed to Brazil to study abroad. It was fantastic to get out of the country again and visit Argentina for the first time, first making a couple day stop in Chile to see some old friends there, but it had a much different feel to it than studying abroad does.
I finished my finals on December 18th. My friend came to visit and explore Vienna with me on December 19th. We flew home on December 23rd. The few days that we were together were sumptuously filled, as I showed her some of my favorite places and places I’d wanted to go the entire semester, while simultaneously kissing Vienna goodbye (for now). I’ll share some of those spots here.
1. Spittelberg Christmas market
I’ve been back home for about two weeks now. It was great to see my family again, especially my dog. This painting is for my two dogs – Chantilly (Chanty) in Quito, a high-energy terrier; and Java in Brooklyn, a lazy, yet absolutely adorable, pug-beagle mix.
I’m sitting here, looking at all of the bags I have packed – my five months studying abroad in Ecuador, my life in Ecuador constrained to four bags. My room is completely empty – I forgot how bare it was before I, and my mess, moved in. I feel very weird about all of this – I’m operating on auto-pilot. As a countermeasure, I decided to draw my bags.
The Festivales de Quito are the celebrations in Quito at the beginning of December. The festivals commemorate the ancient founding of the city of Quito. The celebrations go on for about two weeks, and live music is played constantly – there was a band right by my house playing music until 11 p.m. each night. Early on in the first week, IES Abroad Quito got us a chiva to go around Quito! A chiva is essentially a party bus, and a total blast.
My internship/service learning assignment while abroad is at Tueri, the veterinary wing of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, which is in the neighboring city of Cumbaya. I have some mixed feelings about having my work so far from home, and of the city of Cumbaya itself, but my post will be focusing on Tueri.
I know I already posted about the Galapagos, but I felt like another post was necessary. One of the best parts of the trip was seeing all these animals that I had read so much about and seen so many pictures of, so I decided to paint a picture of one of the Galapagos’ most famous residents – the Blue-Footed Booby.
Quito has its own artisan market, which is just a bit south of the Plaza Foch. It is super close to my house, so I go quite often. The market featured all of the goods that make the Otavalo market famous (textiles, jewelry, leather goods), but in a smaller, easier-to-navigate space. In addition, many of us feel we can get better bargains in Quito.
I embark on a five-month study abroad adventure starting in about one week. In preparing for the trip logistically (how many pairs of shoes am I realistically going to wear?!), I’ve also begun to think about my hopes and expectations for my semester in London. If past experience is any indicator, I know I’m about to have the time of my life exploring England (and beyond!), settling into a daily routine as an international student, and occasionally embracing tourist clichés.
27 December 2015