As we edged closer to our final days in Quito, feelings of anxiety and anticipation floated amongst our group–the anxiety of leaving such a wonderful place that we just began to call home and the desire to utilize every bit of time before we embarked on a new journey to Jordan. Our last weekend was an open schedule, allowing us to explore Quito on our own. For the first day of my free weekend I chose a tranquil way to start my day: a morning walk with a classmate to a nearby cafe. We ordered our usual black coffee and chocolate croissants, and took a seat on the outdoor patio, overlooking the heart of Mariscal Foch. My classmate and I exchanged memories as we reflected on our time in Ecuador, both in disbelief that our five weeks here were almost over. As we reminisced over our various Ecuadorian excursions, such as Mandari Panga and our home stays in Cotacachi, I was overcome with sadness at the thought of leaving Ecuador. Despite our busy scheduled, packed with fun excursions, I felt as though our time there was unfinished. There was still more to explore in Ecuador. I gazed at the square, trying to savor every last moment of Quito. As I sipped my coffee I looked around at the others in the cafe. Couples, friends, single-restaurant-goers, and unmatched card players were spread out around the cafe patio. Oh how I will miss the smell of cigarettes and coffee accompanied by Spanish covers of popular pop songs playing in the background! As I took my last sip, I looked around in an effort to preserve this moment and remember my time in Quito. 

On the second day of our open weekend, a few of my classmates and I went to a professional football game in Quito. We took a 30-minute Uber ride to the game and bought tickets from someone on the street outside the stadium. When we entered, we were greeted with the loud roars of die-hard Quito fans. The fan section was caged in by a 15-foot fence, and I would soon find out why. The fan section was constantly standing and singing cultural football chants accompanied by large drums being played on the bleachers. Each time either team scored, the fans would storm down the steps and climb the fence out of excitement or frustration. Police stood with their dogs on the sides as if they were ready for a riot, which made me nervous after the non-home team scored their second goal. Following some loud cursing in the stands, the home team made a quick comeback and scored goals in the 45th and 65th minute.

As our anticipation to travel to a new country grew, so did our anticipated workload. Much of our free time on our final weekend was spent working on our final papers and project for our environmental sustainability course, and our Ecuadorian history and culture course. My final project focused on the ethics and environmental impacts surrounding oil and mineral extraction in Ecuador, with my personal research focusing more on the social justice issues of mining and the ways in which indigenous communities have acted to protect their land against mining. I enjoyed listening to the other presentations and getting to see everyone’s hard work from our month in Ecuador. 

Our last day was spent at the museum at the “Center of the World.” The city of San Antonio lies on the Equator and is the highest point from the center of the Earth. The museum took us through the history of indigenous peoples in Ecuador, highlighting their culture, food, and housing. The museum had two traditional indigenous houses, one full of guinea pigs. It is known that if someone walks into a house and guinea pigs start to cry, they have brought in bad energy and need to wait outside. Fortunately I did not set off the guinea pigs but I cannot say the same for a few of my classmates. As soon as we saw the Equator, represented by a painted red line, I couldn’t help but be a tourist and take the video of me jumping over the line from one hemisphere to the other in addition to the picture of me laying on the Equator with both halves of my body in different hemispheres. We then did a couple experiments to demonstrate the changes in gravity over the Equator. Our guide placed a sink over the Equator and drained the water. We noticed the water drained straight down. He then placed the sink two feet to the right, over the southernmost hemisphere, and we noticed the water drained counterclockwise. He repeated the process a few more feet to the left in the northern hemisphere, and the water drained clockwise. I thought it was some sort of magic trick until we had to perform a “sobriety test” by walking along the Equator with our eyes closed and our arms out. I could barely keep my balance because of the gravitational shifts on either side. Once the group caught our balance well enough to leave the museum, we ended the day over some Ecuadorian pizza.

Once we returned to the hotel, it was time to pack for our flight to Amman, Jordan. Once we were all packed, we joined the faculty and staff of Andean Studies for our farewell dinner. Dinner consisted of amazing food and many emotional goodbyes. It’s hard to believe that we have already been in Ecuador for five weeks. It still feels like we just got to Casa Foch. As we embark on a new journey I will take my memories with me and never forget my experiences or the incredible people I met on this trip.