Days 25-31/ Week 4: Havoc in the country

Wow I cannot believe it is October already! Time is flying by. The biggest thing that happened this week was the "Estado de Excepcion", or "State of Exception." The government took some economic measures to raise gas prices and the entire country started to protest. Not only are people
 protesting in the streets, but the city is in "paro," where the country is paralyzed because there is no transportation such as city and inter-province buses. Classes got suspended from schools and a lot of stores and restaurants closed early. During this time, the president could put police and military in the streets, so there were groups of policeman on every corner in the downtown area. Additionally, during this time people are not allowed to buy alcohol and there is a curfew of 10pm.

If you read my blog post about Cuenca, you will understand how shocked I am to read this article
https://cuencahighlife.com/public-transit-strike-paralyzes-traffic-in-cuenca-cops-douse-calderon-protesters-with-tear-gas/



Personal Thoughts during the "Estado de Excepcion"

 When the state of exception first started on Thursday, October 3rd, Keke and I were very cautious, but unaware of what was really happening in the country. It was a very shocking and intimidating  time for Keke and I because everyone told us to be very careful when walking in the streets and to never have your cellphone out because someone will take it and run. I received texts from everyone I knew in Guayaquil to go home and stay safe, but when I walked outside it seemed calmer than usual so I was confused, yet alarmed by all of the messages I received. I soon learned that most restaurants and stores were closing early because of looting happening in La Bahia, a place to shop. My internship was canceled for Friday and I stayed in the house the entire day because of small protest and the continuance of the "paro." On Saturday, we were told it was safe and the paro stopped, so Keke and I went out the whole day and shopped, ate, and even went out at night. Although things were normal in Guayaquil, I read tons of things online about riots and protesting in the highlands. Apparently, it was way worse in Quito and Cuenca than in Guayaquil, where it was relatively normal. On Sunday, we were told it was safe and things should return to normal by Monday, so there was hope for a normal week.


Groups of military and local police were found on every corner
Internship

This week we had nurse Juan, so we were able to do some more things. For example, we observed a blood drive and the process of finding a vein and sticking the needle in. Juan said we needed to pay close attention so that we can do it later on, which will be exciting. We also learned how to inject medicine into a patient's shoulder. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to do it, but we could watch. This week, we were able to input data into the computer, which allows Keke and I to interact with the patients more and ask questions. This is helpful because we are able to use our Spanish skills and talk with more people. We also learned how to salsa! The doctor gave Juan, Keke, and I lessons and it was extremely fun. Because of all the protest and things happening with the government, the clinic was very slow near the end of the week and we didn't have as many patients.

School

In Spanish and EC&S, it was basically the same thing as the other weeks. In Spanish, we did a presentation, but unfortunately because of the "State of Exception" we were not able to take our quiz at the end of the week. In EC&S, we made and presented a power point on Guayaquil and also went back to Mercado Artesanal. We were not able to go to a museum this week because of the "State of Exception" as well.


Other things we did:

We went to the movies! The movies here are almost exactly like the movies at home except they are way cheaper and there are Spanish subtitles at the bottom. We saw the movie "Yesterday" and had a great time.

After being in the house all day Friday because of the protest, on Saturday night, Keke, our teacher Primavera, her daughter, and I went to a micro-theater and the Henry Morgan Ship. Micro-theater is small performance in a small space that happens live! It seems to be a popular activity because since I have been here in Ecuador, I have seen three shows and they have all been very interesting. CEN invited Keke and I to two of the performances, which were in English. On Saturday, we went to La Bota, which is a performing arts theater in Guayaquil. This was the first show we saw in  Spanish and it lasted around 15-20 minutes. We also walked around the area and saw some great sights!





After the show at La Bota, we all took a ride on the Henry Morgan Pirate Ship. The ship carries out touristic and cultural tours through the Guayas river and allows people to see all of the Malecon 2000. It was extremely beautiful and relaxing.











Keke and I also went shopping at the local store and I noticed some different things they have here in Guayaquil!

Glass Gatorade Bottles and a flavor called "Apple Ice"
Eggs are not in the refrigerated section!


Other Food:


Avena is a drink that tastes like sweet creamy milk
An awesome Ice Cream shop that sells Liquor Ice Cream!
Ahi is a very typical hot sauce. Almost every restaurant makes its own and serves it with whatever you order



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