The past couple weeks have been crazy! I'll try to keep it short.
While the Manchester group was at the station, we were able to meet a ton of cool new people! We also had a lot more opportunities like visiting a lagoon where we saw Hawatsons, traveling up to the caves (so much fun!), and spending time in the Center for a community day.
Community Day was quite interesting! There has been a push to preserve the more traditional practices of Payamino and this was the perfect day for them to share a little bit of it with us. We got to see traditional dances performed by members of the community both old and young. There was even a chicha dance where everyone got to try a bit of my new favorite drink. We had a "traditional" lunch of plantain, fish, rice, heart of palm, and wayusa. We played a few games of futbol afterward which was an absolute blast! I think the gringos lost both times. Then they had arranged a blow gun contest for all of us. I did quite awful (there's a picture up on the photos page).
We were loving Payamino so much that we wanted to extend our flight and not work in Quito at all. We were having trouble sending the plants we had collected from Coca to Quito anyway so our professor agreed we need to stay in Payamino until our plants were in fact shipped.
We were able to leave with the Manchester group. It was a very sad goodbye. Both Jane and I were bawling our eyes out at the thought that we were actually leaving. In Coca, we were running around like crazy trying to print and copy all the things we needed to take into the Ministry bright and early the next morning.
I wish I could explain how frustrating it is to go back and forth between the Ministry and the Hotel Rio Napo, but you will never truly know until you experience it yourself. In one day we made the trip about 5 times, each time needing some person to send one more thing or sign one more document. When we were finally able to leave our plants there for inspection, I ran out of the building screaming with joy.
I would just like to note that dealing with these permits in Ecuador is significantly easier than in other countries. These were only slight inconveniences due to miscommunications in comparison. It could have been so much worse.
Our changed flight wasn't until that Thursday so we were hoping that if we could get everything with the Ministry figured out on Monday, we could catch a ride back to the station in Payamino. Unfortunately, we were still missing one document in a PDF format by the time they left.
When we showed up at the Ministry bright and early Tuesday morning, we actually showed the lady how to convert the document to PDF format and we waited at the Ministry for our one last signature. I was bound and determined not to leave there until we had our plants with us and a mobilization permit. Unfortunately, we were told it was best to leave and come back in two hours.
Finally when we returned, our plants and our permit were ready. I think the Ministry ladies were glad to see us get out of there for good. After we shipped these out, we packed up our back packs, left our huge suitcases at the hotel, and jumped a bus to Payamino. We didn't think in the slightest that we would have a chance to actually go back and say our proper goodbyes, but alas, it happened.
Actually, we were getting nervous that we weren't going to be able to catch the ranchera back to the community, but when we arrived in Loreto, it was still there waiting for us. It was like a dream driving back to Payamino. We were able to stay there for a couple more days, surprising all the people we'd said goodbye to, had our first jungle pizza (made specially by Rachel), and got to attend another Kichwa party arranged to support a certain political figure of the area.
It was so wonderful to be back even just to say goodbye one last time. There really is nothing like saying goodbye twice. We left the station for good at 4am on Thursday. The 5:30am ranchera didn't show. We were getting very nervous because it hadn't shown up the week before either due to it being summer hours. We were just about to walk back to the station to get the number for a taxi when in desperation, I asked a little boy if he knew when the ranchera was supposed to come. Within 2 minutes of talking to him, the ranchera arrived and I yet again screamed with joy. We thought we were going to be stuck there (no problem to us, but we did have a flight to catch!)
After retrieving our luggage from Carlos and Mariela from the Rio Napo that they most graciously kept there for us, we were off in our plane to Quito. During our ascent, I was able to follow the river up and find Payamino from the air. I was instantly in tears. It was so hard seeing this place that I had called home the past 7 weeks fly away from me at such a fast pace.
In Quito we were able to say our goodbyes to Xaali--it was weird hanging out with her not in the jungle! We also spent some time in La Mariscal market buying all our souvenirs. When we weren't working at the herbarium, we were able to spend time with our Ecuadorian friends that we met at Alma this past year through the exchange program. It was great to see them off campus!
In the herbarium, we were able to mount last year's collections from the spring term and then start work with our own specimen collections when they were all dry. It was long tedious work, but it was necessary. Unfortunately because of our delay in retrieving the mobilization permit, we did not have enough time in Quito to start identifying the plants. We still have some final work to do here back home, which is where both Jane and I are now.
It feels so weird to be back in the U.S. I keep wanting to answer people in Spanish, it feels so foreign to use my phone, and I keep forgetting that our plumbing systems actually are made to support toilet paper.
Overall, I cannot believe that this experience has come to an end. Although, I feel like with all that I have learned and with everyone that I have met, this will never leave me. I hope to one day return to Payamino whether to continue work on this project or one of my own. Perhaps I'll even be back in May on Dr. Doyle's Spring Term. Who knows?
I cannot thank Alma College enough for funding us on this beautiful excursion. It was so worth it. I want to thank my professors too for believing that I was the right person for this project and always keeping me in mind when opportunities arise. Finally, I want to thank both the community of San Jose de Payamino and the research station Timburi Cocha. Without these two networks, my time in Ecuador would never have been the same.
I will miss it all. I move back to Alma in two weeks for band. Hope to see you all there!
Samashun.
While the Manchester group was at the station, we were able to meet a ton of cool new people! We also had a lot more opportunities like visiting a lagoon where we saw Hawatsons, traveling up to the caves (so much fun!), and spending time in the Center for a community day.
Community Day was quite interesting! There has been a push to preserve the more traditional practices of Payamino and this was the perfect day for them to share a little bit of it with us. We got to see traditional dances performed by members of the community both old and young. There was even a chicha dance where everyone got to try a bit of my new favorite drink. We had a "traditional" lunch of plantain, fish, rice, heart of palm, and wayusa. We played a few games of futbol afterward which was an absolute blast! I think the gringos lost both times. Then they had arranged a blow gun contest for all of us. I did quite awful (there's a picture up on the photos page).
We were loving Payamino so much that we wanted to extend our flight and not work in Quito at all. We were having trouble sending the plants we had collected from Coca to Quito anyway so our professor agreed we need to stay in Payamino until our plants were in fact shipped.
We were able to leave with the Manchester group. It was a very sad goodbye. Both Jane and I were bawling our eyes out at the thought that we were actually leaving. In Coca, we were running around like crazy trying to print and copy all the things we needed to take into the Ministry bright and early the next morning.
I wish I could explain how frustrating it is to go back and forth between the Ministry and the Hotel Rio Napo, but you will never truly know until you experience it yourself. In one day we made the trip about 5 times, each time needing some person to send one more thing or sign one more document. When we were finally able to leave our plants there for inspection, I ran out of the building screaming with joy.
I would just like to note that dealing with these permits in Ecuador is significantly easier than in other countries. These were only slight inconveniences due to miscommunications in comparison. It could have been so much worse.
Our changed flight wasn't until that Thursday so we were hoping that if we could get everything with the Ministry figured out on Monday, we could catch a ride back to the station in Payamino. Unfortunately, we were still missing one document in a PDF format by the time they left.
When we showed up at the Ministry bright and early Tuesday morning, we actually showed the lady how to convert the document to PDF format and we waited at the Ministry for our one last signature. I was bound and determined not to leave there until we had our plants with us and a mobilization permit. Unfortunately, we were told it was best to leave and come back in two hours.
Finally when we returned, our plants and our permit were ready. I think the Ministry ladies were glad to see us get out of there for good. After we shipped these out, we packed up our back packs, left our huge suitcases at the hotel, and jumped a bus to Payamino. We didn't think in the slightest that we would have a chance to actually go back and say our proper goodbyes, but alas, it happened.
Actually, we were getting nervous that we weren't going to be able to catch the ranchera back to the community, but when we arrived in Loreto, it was still there waiting for us. It was like a dream driving back to Payamino. We were able to stay there for a couple more days, surprising all the people we'd said goodbye to, had our first jungle pizza (made specially by Rachel), and got to attend another Kichwa party arranged to support a certain political figure of the area.
It was so wonderful to be back even just to say goodbye one last time. There really is nothing like saying goodbye twice. We left the station for good at 4am on Thursday. The 5:30am ranchera didn't show. We were getting very nervous because it hadn't shown up the week before either due to it being summer hours. We were just about to walk back to the station to get the number for a taxi when in desperation, I asked a little boy if he knew when the ranchera was supposed to come. Within 2 minutes of talking to him, the ranchera arrived and I yet again screamed with joy. We thought we were going to be stuck there (no problem to us, but we did have a flight to catch!)
After retrieving our luggage from Carlos and Mariela from the Rio Napo that they most graciously kept there for us, we were off in our plane to Quito. During our ascent, I was able to follow the river up and find Payamino from the air. I was instantly in tears. It was so hard seeing this place that I had called home the past 7 weeks fly away from me at such a fast pace.
In Quito we were able to say our goodbyes to Xaali--it was weird hanging out with her not in the jungle! We also spent some time in La Mariscal market buying all our souvenirs. When we weren't working at the herbarium, we were able to spend time with our Ecuadorian friends that we met at Alma this past year through the exchange program. It was great to see them off campus!
In the herbarium, we were able to mount last year's collections from the spring term and then start work with our own specimen collections when they were all dry. It was long tedious work, but it was necessary. Unfortunately because of our delay in retrieving the mobilization permit, we did not have enough time in Quito to start identifying the plants. We still have some final work to do here back home, which is where both Jane and I are now.
It feels so weird to be back in the U.S. I keep wanting to answer people in Spanish, it feels so foreign to use my phone, and I keep forgetting that our plumbing systems actually are made to support toilet paper.
Overall, I cannot believe that this experience has come to an end. Although, I feel like with all that I have learned and with everyone that I have met, this will never leave me. I hope to one day return to Payamino whether to continue work on this project or one of my own. Perhaps I'll even be back in May on Dr. Doyle's Spring Term. Who knows?
I cannot thank Alma College enough for funding us on this beautiful excursion. It was so worth it. I want to thank my professors too for believing that I was the right person for this project and always keeping me in mind when opportunities arise. Finally, I want to thank both the community of San Jose de Payamino and the research station Timburi Cocha. Without these two networks, my time in Ecuador would never have been the same.
I will miss it all. I move back to Alma in two weeks for band. Hope to see you all there!
Samashun.
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