Michael here.

12 mosquito bites. And they bite hard here in the jungle. We have been here for a little over a week, and I have been keeping busy. Mostly just reading and working on the things I need to turn my time to when I go back to the U.S. in a 20 days. “El tiempo toca al fin” in english… the time is coming to an end here. It is hard to believe that 8 months have gone by. Including the time I was in Viet Nam, I’ve spent the last 9 months outside the U.S. I have felt homesick here and there, but I am glad to be here. I wouldn’t mind staying another month…. But duties call and I must answer.

Summer school for me it looks like. Plus I need a job. And a place to live in Berkeley. I need to beg one of the deans to stay another semester, or else either risk not graduating next spring or burning myself out with 22 units and a thesis (ANNNND A JOB) next fall. Well, trying not to let that put me too much in bad spirits. I’m happy continuing my studies of Spanish… and reading for pleasure. I am immersing myself into Ecuadorian politics through a book called “Un Pais Entrampado“ (An entrapped country) as well as going through Karl Polanyi’s Great Transformation again. And of course, I wouldn’t mind a few more adventures in Ecuador

So back to the mosquito bites. This past Sunday, Lan Anh and I went to another farm, more of a little cabin jungle resort than a farm though. We went with Bertha and Maximo, the owners of this place being friends of theirs.

In short, the experience has made me realize how I am such a “city boy”… the insects just bite so ferociously and I am always paranoid about the spiders… big and colorful some of them, but nonetheless give me fright. The forest seemed to both enclose around us and also at the same time felt quite open with the river sagacho flowing on the western face of the land we visited.

We ate heartily and healthy, a kind of chicken wrapped in a leaf that soaked up the natural flavor released by the leaf when cooking over the open fire… fried yucca… mini banana fried in flour called “niños envueltos” or “kids all wrapped up” as it sounds best, I feel, in English. Bertha taught Lan Anh how to swim a bit… it was great fun watching her kick and paddle in the current holding onto a rock. We plan to return to the farm next Sunday to learn how to make chocolate and coffee, which is one of the cultivations on the farm. This time I’m going to accept wearing some insect repellent…

The only other thing to report, though would be much better if I could get a picture of it, are the thunder and lightening storms that happen here a few times a week during the night. The day before last the shaking of the earth because of the thunder sounded like armaments being exploded over the town as if an invading force was bombarding its way through. Replete with windows shaking and the power going out after a boom that sent a shock of terror through my own spine. Never have felt frightened because of thunder and lightening here, but even the lightening is so powerful it lights up the entire sky and you can see it lance out as if a laser bolt aimed for you. Yeah, a picture would be much better.