El Graffiti

(You guessed it...the graffiti.)

Most buildings in Quito have at least some graffiti on them. Unlike in the United States, this graffiti does not proclaim eternal love nor does it denote gang  territories. Rather, Ecuadorians use graffiti to disseminate political messages both in favor of and against the current government. While I certainly understand why some think that the graffiti is nothing more than an eyesore, I often appreciate the opportunity to see the opinions of an otherwise silent minority on display. Below is some of the graffiti on the wall next to my house:

"Vote YES" -- This graffiti suggests that people vote in favor of the government in the referendum scheduled to be held in May. Among other things, passing this referendum would increase President Correa's power over the judiciary branch of the government, a change which critics call a step towards dictatorship.

"Che lives on. The fight continues." -- Che Guevara's image is often invoked Latin American societies. Nonetheless, violent revolution has all but disappeared from the Latin America.

"Revolution and socialism" -- Again the artists invokes revolution. Notice the other partially painted over graffiti in the background.

"[President] Correa = hunger" -- This anti-government graffiti demonstrates that certain sectors of society do not believe that Correa's socialist policies are working.

Río Muchacho

(A small organic farm near the coast.)

I spent this past weekend at an organic farm near the coast. The owners of the farm seek to educate the population about the dangers of monoculture (the cultivation of a single crop) and deforestation in Ecuador. For an example of the dangers of monoculture, we need look no further than the Dust Bowl in the Midwest during the 1930s. The farm practices permaculture, a more natural form of agriculture which does not deplete the soil of important nutrients and does not require the use of artificial fertilizers. If you want to learn more about the farm, check out http://www.riomuchacho.com.

An enormous strangler fig that we saw on a hike. Strangler figs grow by first wrapping themselves around, or "strangling", another tree and later dropping roots from their branches to the ground. Sort of reminded me of Avatar...

The farm served food with traditional indigenous bowls and utensils. Both the bowls and utensils were made using the shell of a local fruit.

 Me trying to milk a cow with little success.

El café en Latinoamérica

(Coffee in Latin America.)

One might expect that Ecuadorians drink fresh coffee every morning because most of the world´s coffee comes from Latin America (Brazil is the world's largest producer and Colombia the world's third largest). While Ecuadorians do indeed drink a lot of coffee, Ecuadorians rarely make coffee from freshly ground beans. Most of the coffee in Ecuador is freeze-dried. Almost all restaurants here only serve Nestle (or some other brand of) instant coffee.

What I have with my breakfast every morning. My host mom generally gives me a cup of scalded milk in the morning and then I mix this in to make a drink known as café con leche (coffee milk).

El sur de Quito

(South Quito.)

Economically speaking, Quito is a very divided city. Most middle and upper-middle class individuals live in north Quito, while South Quito holds people of lower socio-economic status. South Quito is quickly expanding, and thus the majority of its residents are not originally from Quito. Over the last ten years, Quito's population has nearly doubled from 1.3 million to 2.5 million (this last number is just an estimate, pending the 2010 census results). Much of this expansion has taken place in South Quito. Because South Quito is such a new and rapidly growing part of the city, it contains a far greater diversity of people, from former farmers to recent immigrants.

While I live and spend most of my time in North Quito, I spent some time in South Quito last weekend, and I thought I'd post some pictures:

 Livestock is not technically allowed within the city limits, but the government will generally turn a blind eye until the population becomes dense enough for it to be problem. Given how quickly the city has been growing, the government will likely evict this livestock within the next few years.

A cornfield on the side of the road. Migrants who used to own farms in the countryside generally try to keep part of their former identities for as long as they can.

Ashley and me with a few South Quito residents in a community center.