Days 4-5: Settling In
Monday was the first day of classes and I was so nervous. The school I am attending, Centro Ecuatoriano
Carlos took us for a ride around Guayaquil to show us the difference between North Guayaquil and South Guayaquil. South Guayaquil is a much more poverty-stricken area and contains more drugs and prostitution. It is still beautiful, but there is a vast difference between North Guayaquil and South Guayaquil. North Guayaquil contains more universities and has more affluent people living there. One cool thing we learned was that there is a government hospital that is free and accessible to anyone. Surgery and medications are free for Ecuadorians and Venezuelans. Because of the turmoil in Venezuela, lots of Venezuelans have come to Ecuador and the president has welcomed them to jobs and free public health.
Driving here is the most insane thing I have ever seen. People do not respect the lanes, people honk their horns every 30 seconds, and kids ride on the back of motorcycles with no helmet or anything. I literally saw a lady holding her infant while on the back of a motorcycle with no helmet. It was very shocking to me, but I was told it was part of the culture here. I was also told there are rarely any accidents, which was even more shocking.
Food I have tried so far:
(Plantain is served with almost every meal and is very cheap in Ecuador)
- Bolon or Bolones is a traditional Ecuadorian dish served in Guayaquil and is usually a part of breakfast. It is basically a ball of fried, mashed, green plantain stuffed with something like meat or cheese. My host mother made hers on the healthier side (which I am thankful for), so she did not fry it. She topped it off with cheese.
- Soup and popcorn are served and eaten together here. Passion fruit juice (maracuya) is very popular here as well.
- Pan de Yuca with yogurt is a traditional healthy snack they eat here. I had regular pan de yuca, cheddar pan de yuca, tortillas de maiz, and mango yogurt from a restaurant called Naturissimo.
-Chifles are like plantain chips
- Sweet and Coffee is the equivalent to the American Starbucks except its 50% cheaper and has Hispanic foods
Extra Pics:
Carlos took us for a ride around Guayaquil to show us the difference between North Guayaquil and South Guayaquil. South Guayaquil is a much more poverty-stricken area and contains more drugs and prostitution. It is still beautiful, but there is a vast difference between North Guayaquil and South Guayaquil. North Guayaquil contains more universities and has more affluent people living there. One cool thing we learned was that there is a government hospital that is free and accessible to anyone. Surgery and medications are free for Ecuadorians and Venezuelans. Because of the turmoil in Venezuela, lots of Venezuelans have come to Ecuador and the president has welcomed them to jobs and free public health.
Driving here is the most insane thing I have ever seen. People do not respect the lanes, people honk their horns every 30 seconds, and kids ride on the back of motorcycles with no helmet or anything. I literally saw a lady holding her infant while on the back of a motorcycle with no helmet. It was very shocking to me, but I was told it was part of the culture here. I was also told there are rarely any accidents, which was even more shocking.
Food I have tried so far:
(Plantain is served with almost every meal and is very cheap in Ecuador)
- Bolon or Bolones is a traditional Ecuadorian dish served in Guayaquil and is usually a part of breakfast. It is basically a ball of fried, mashed, green plantain stuffed with something like meat or cheese. My host mother made hers on the healthier side (which I am thankful for), so she did not fry it. She topped it off with cheese.
- Soup and popcorn are served and eaten together here. Passion fruit juice (maracuya) is very popular here as well.
- Pan de Yuca with yogurt is a traditional healthy snack they eat here. I had regular pan de yuca, cheddar pan de yuca, tortillas de maiz, and mango yogurt from a restaurant called Naturissimo.
-Chifles are like plantain chips
- Sweet and Coffee is the equivalent to the American Starbucks except its 50% cheaper and has Hispanic foods
Extra Pics:
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| Being touristy |
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| A better picture of the boardwalk |
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