Actually, sometimes I wonder if it really is that special to be a CHINESE??? How come I get stared at just EVERYWHERE! I mean of course people do look at you in the streets, especially if you’re a different race, but anything more than 5 seconds makes you feel uneasy and uncomfortable yeah? When I walk in the streets they do turn their heads like a Ferrari just drove past! And when drivers drive past me they like to honk and go ‘Oy, Chinita (Hey, Chinese girl)!’ Argh. I remember the volunteer booklet told me that girls especially that of a different race should be expected to be stared at, whistled to and honked at. But well, I’m used to it and I don’t seem to mind anymore :p. I just try to get home before sunset everyday. For the past 2.5 weeks here I have only seen ONE Asian so far, it was a Japanese and he was walking alone, might be a tourist.
The weekend Banos trip was fantastico. The streets are pretty quiet at night so I tried to return to the hostel before the sky got dark. Nothing much I could do in my room so I watched TV. There was an English Channel… sth like ‘just for gags’ was on… omg… laugh die me… I gotta tell you guys about it when I come back to Hong Kong… I was laughing like an idiot on my own in the hostel room. I’m glad I booked a single room.
Saw the Ecuadorean Mok Hoi Him!! You know in Ecuador, the buses’ doors never close so it’s hop-on-hop-off, and lots of street kids hop into the bus once in a while to sell things to earn a bit of money, like 10 cents a bar of caramel, or mint, and sometimes they sell batteries (not sure if those still work) and Christmas ornaments during this time of the year… Then yesterday a kid (around 6/7 years old) hopped in with empty hands, said a few words, then started singing… OMG!!! And that must be a love song he was singing… since I heard things like ‘you are in my heart’, ‘I want to hold you in my hands’ – All those simple Espanol which I understood… and you gotta look at his facial expression and hand gestures… Very tou jui… he HAS TO sing in charn huk yut ding…. Will definitely make him a toi jue! Gave him a quarter before I got off the bus. I took a short video clip of him, but didn’t capture the funniest looks he had… Ask me if you wanna see it…
Hired an off-road kart, or mountain kart, or Mario kart(150cc)… not sure what it’s called… But they are driven on the road if not in the mountains, and the driver has to follow all road signs and traffic regulations like all other cars. I thought I need some practice in driving before I go back to Hong Kong or else I wont remember how to drive (Consider I have to drive the first day I go back… hehehe…) That guy in the rental store asked whether I got a driving license, I said yes, then he asked for my passport instead. Wow, so I don’t even have to prove my eligibility for driving. Then I took off. In the very first turn I made, I already made a serious driving error. All the cars were facing me. I was like wtf are these cars doing here facing ME??? Those drivers look back at me like wtf is this kid doing, driving in the opposite direction??? Then I realized… THIS IS SOUTH AMERICA! I am supposed to keep RIGHT! Omg, so I immediately drove back to the right side while all the cars honked at me. I headed for the mountains. I was driving at top speed. The road was SOOOO bumpy I almost fell of the kart. In fact I did fall off once but I landed safely on my feet. Driving that thingy was extremely SONG! Though that darn thing stalled a few times, checked under the kart and I realized the chain fell off the gears. I tried to put it back on but then I accidentally touched the exhaust pipe and burnt my hands!!!! Don’t worry I am fine, and I successfully put the chain back on. Now I wanna buy a motorbike when I go back to HK :p. Oh, and I became so used to keeping right now, I might now be facing the wrong direction in Hong Kong, which will be even more disastrous…
One thing I noticed in this country. Women love to breast feed whenever, wherever – in the streets, in the restaurant, in the supermarket, in the bus, in the museum, in the zoo, and the list goes on. I try not to look when they do it :p.
About work… There’s some kind of party today at the clinic and they are giving out Christmas presents to all sponsored families. Hundreds of people, parents and kiddos were queuing up at the front door to get their presents. Everyone except one doctor and one dentist had to help prepare the presents. Then my job was to roll up 2006 calendars. While I was doing it a few kids were watching me, then they started helping me roll them bit by bit, stick them, and eventually they took up the whole of my job. Okay, my turn to watch them then. They were very hyper and keen to help. When all calendars have been rolled up they asked if that’s it. I told them ‘Hay mas en la oficina’ (there are still more in the office), then one of the boys… about 3 yrs old, tiny built, skin head, brown hair, round face, tan skin, big glittery eyes, high pitched voice started jumping up and down and shrieked happily ‘Mas! Mas! Mas! Mas!’ (More! More!) Aiya… I wanna carry him back to Hong Kong.
That night my host wasn’t feeling well and she didn’t have dinner, so I dined with her nephew and niece. Her nephew started chatting with me about the World Cup, he told me how much the Ecuadorean national team has improved and they will be doing so much better this coming season. Then he asked what my favorite sport is. I said it’s Beisbol (I suppose you can guess what it is eh?) Then he got all excited and talked in bullet-gun speed and I couldn’t follow anymore. But I know he was talking about the World Series, how the Chicago white sox beat the Houston astros. Well, another White sox band-wagon fan…. I just went yea, it was such an exciting game, yea, white sox deserved that, yea, it was a brilliant team. Argh! I can’t even say ‘pitcher’ in Espanol!! FROM NOW ON, I am viewing the www.mlb.com site in ESPANOL!! Then I can chat with latinos about beisbol!
HEY JUDITH LING SZE MAN: You said you wanted a hot Latino guy as a souvenir right? What about my host’s nephew? Hahaha…
I am speaking more and more Espanglish, as much Chinglish as I have spoken in Hong Kong… haha…
NOW…. some photos, which everyone had requested… (Found it so hard to choose the ones to put here! Got lots more, will show u guys when I come back)
The streets near my host family (apparently this is like the richest part of Quito)
The clinic I work in
Area near it
Parents waiting for their kids’ turn
My trip to an animal rescue center in Santa Martha– The spotted one is an Ocelot, the Blotched/stipred one is a Margay.
A Jaguarundi — a strictly South American Wild cat
This Puma is SO SWEET, she loves to be stroked! And she is meowing here.
A Not-so-friendly looking Jaguar, but apparently he loves to play with humans
A Lioness and her cub!!!!!!!!! OMG! SO CUTE!!
A VERY old tiger rescued from a circus. He’s got no teeth and no claws, and finding it pretty hard to eat that chicken.
WOW!! Streets which celebrates my birtday!! Haha well actually 10 of August is quito’s independance day.. So they got 10th Aug Road everywhere.
Shoe polishing kids in hte city center
8 out of 10 cars I see here are Chevrolets… 1 is a Hyndai and the other 1 is all other cars. The only mini cooper I’ve seen in this country so far…
Domenica! Will grow up to be a really pretty girl 
Look what TV I watch here….
Doraemon and Nobita are everywhere…
This is hilarious
Even their graffiti
Are they lanterns?
Me standing on the Equator
Cowboy Looch! wahaha, just to show you guys that I’m still in 1 piece.
Buenas Noches!
Little kids
Market selling typical Ecuadorean Cloth
The kids here are having sth like a parade.. And that one dressed as a doctor is in charged of delivering water… ‘Cha sui bo’ hahahhaa
Carolina Park… The Hyde park equivalent of Quito
OMG look at the rubbish
cute puppies for sale
10 cents to know our weight? omg ppl are doing anything to earn money in here
Look at the beautiful scenery
All surrounded by green
Some random Town shots
