getting started

--finally after a week of orientation boredom, we started our real classes. im taking THREE art classes!! a spanish class, a volcanology class and an ethnography class. so far they all seem pretty good, my art classes are all with the same professor, so i hope i like his style :p he seems pretty cool, though he talks SOOO fast, had i not had the sylabus in front of me i probably woulda missed 70% of what he said.. im hoping that changes over the semester.. eek >_<

--as for the rest of the university, im going to go ahead and steal katie's words and call it a "country club" the campus seriously looks like there should be a 5 star hotel sitting in the middle of it. its a university for people who have a LOT of money in ecuador..who pride themselves on their appearance, their clothing, and the way they carry themselves. most everyone wears nice jeans, brand name clothing, jewerly, expensive stuff... and if you wear something else, you're strange.. wearing my cargo half pants the other day gave me a million looks, and i dont usually stick out as much as some others do from k

--i think id consider myself in the "luckier" part of the group, seeing as that many people cannot tell im from the US, until i open my mouth that is :D *sigh, i wish my spanish was better.. i find it generally easier to understand grown ups, my parents, professors, administration, etc.. mostly because they usually dont use much slang when speaking. UNLIKE the younger generation.. its really quite frustrating to not be able to make the jokes that i normally would or to not be able to converse easily with kids who go to school with me, not to mention the ecuadorians are super cliquish, much like the k group is except they're really hard to meet or get to know, since most of them are used to foreigners attending their school and leaving after a period of time ...augh.. anyway besides the language barrier though, many of us can easily pass as ecuadorians because we have darker hair and skin tone... iv been asked a few times for directions from the locals while waiting for the busses.. i guess its a nice thing to be able to fit in so easily, some of the girls with really blonde hair and lighter skin tones have been getting a lot of cat calls which has significantly bothered them and compromised their feelings of security. for me, its a strange feeling to be considered in the majority, since for most of my life i'v been considered in some sort of minority

--i didnt realize how much i would miss my guitar, even though i usually just mess around or learn specific songs, nothing great..especially since i cant even read music.. but on some of these nights, there's nothing id love to do more than sit out on my porch at night and strum my guitar

--after going to k for 2 years, i'v gotten used to a certain way of living..school pretty much takes over during the week, and during the weekends, (mostly friday and saturday nights) people hang out with friends, relax, party, etc.. but in ecuador, its completely different (or at least so far).. we have SO much free time, that after a while, going out to a bar gets old.. i have found myself wondering what else is there to do.. in fact, i actually want to have homework.. may sound crazy but at times, it can get pretty boring around here.. though for me homework is mostly painting so its not as crazy as it may sound ;]

--that being said, there IS always something to do in the weekends, and some of the weekdays too.. but being convinced to go out this past friday-cuase it was a "friday" when i didnt really feel like it.. i kinda had a shitty time. so the following day i trusted my instincts and just stayed in. roxanne and i ended up cooking my favorite banana and chocolate chip muffins and watching a movie, it was a great night, relaxing and just a good time. on saturday i was feeling more up for going out, so we went to a hookah bar, which i'v ALWAYS wanted to try :-] then we went for some dancing afterwards and i learned a few salsa moves from some people at the discotec.. just an observation- ecuadorian guys are super flirtatious.. which on the one hand can be annoying if someone is interested in them, you cant really tell their motives, single guys who go out to a discotec act the same as non-single guys who go out to a discotec by themsevles... on the other hand it can be really quite nice cause they're super friendly and open to teaching you dance moves or talking or whatever, anyway, that also turned out to be a good night.. AND THEN on sunday i went with some girls to juan's friends' fathers house in the south of quito.. Hay De Mi~!! it was by far the nicest house iv ever been to.. it had a pool, gacoozy (which i know i cant spell) a sauna, ping pong table, orange, grape and avocado trees, a bar..etc.. so we barb-q-ed some food, ate, and marinated in the gacoozy for a couple hours while drinking, then when we got cold, we went into the eucalyptus sauna and relished there, it smelled and felt sooo good ~.~ and they had aloe vera plants that we rubbed on our faces and hands.. and i rubbed a bit on ma' bella' so now my face, hands, and bella' are super~ smooth... .... ... ... ...

and so there i sat, in the middle of a gacoozy on a moonlit night, with friends, some old, some new, in the middle of ecuador.. and i thought to myself, if this isnt the most surreal thing ever... what did i do to deserve it all..

first week

i have i decided to blog about my travels. my journal has been useful for more personal use, but there is so much i would like to share with the outside world and its only the first week. i dun think ill be writing much in proper paragraph form.. more so points of interest, things that surprise me, highs and lows, a little background, etc

--the flight from atlanta to quito was the best flight i have ever been on..we flew through a lightning storm at 36,000 feet..it was, by far, one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen; it completely relinquished any nerves i had about meeting my family or living in a foreign country for the next 6 months (which is saying something cause i had a lot of nerves :p)

--there is a $40.85 charge to leave the country of ecuador by plane..before i leave i have to make sure i have at least that much in my account :|

--the bus system is looked down upon by the richer people in ecuador, they hate to use it, its often times described with the expression "que pena" which can mean any of the following: what a shame, how embarrasing, what a pain.. in any case its used in a very negative way

--it takes me a little longer than an hour to get to school, sometimes longer depeding on the 3 buses i have to take

--it is also very easy to get lost if you take just one wrong bus, or if the bus is sometimes incorrectly labeled. the first day i was here, mi madre took me to school and showed me each bus i was supposed to take.. seemed simple enough at first.. green bus followed by red bus with #10 followed by the bus that goes to cumbaya.. unfortunately there are SEVERAL green buses that dont all go the same direction and the red buses arent always labeled with a number. needless to say i got lost this past wednesday. i was sure i was on the correct bus, only to find myself in a very unfamiliar and sketchy part of quito after dark. so i got off, and waved down a taxi to take me home. to my surprise, the driver over charged me $5 EXTRA dollars not because my spanish was weak, or because i looked like an american, but rather because i stupidly mentioned to him that i was from the states *stupid *stupid.. i tried arguing the price with him cause it was so OBVIOUSLY too much, but didnt know any words in spanish for unfair or taking advantage of, so i finally just paid up.. i was pretty lucky just to find a taxi in that part of town actually :p but i learned my lesson

--taxi drivers here are either super nice and friendly or complete assholes

--the word for american, or really any foreigner is "gringo/gringa" in other latin american countries such as mexico, this can be a very derogatory and offensive word.. but in ecuador its not at all, and ecuadorians make it a point to emphasize that during their conversation with you. in fact many host families will call their students mi gringita (my little white one) as a term of endearment :)

--the word "chuchaqui" means hang over, many students have a joke on campus that its the first word foreigners studying in quito will learn :D

--mojito: white rum, sugar cane juice, lime, sparkling water, ice and fresh mint leaves --this has made for a surprisingly nostalgic drink, not because of the alcohol, but because of the smell and taste of fresh mint.. i used to live in troy, mi where the soil is perfect for growing mint. we had an entire garden full of mint plants, and when i was younger i would pick the plants, clean them in our basement and either sell them to our neighbors or hang them upside down to dry and pack them in cans for later use.. it was an entire process that was so calming and rewarding for me as a child.. in much the same way painting is for me now

--cuba libre: rum and coke, always served with a lime, which to me, lessens the really strong spice of the rum.. its a nice complement

--you can buy alcohol here for SUPER cheap, especially beer. you can find pints for less than $4 and fish bowls for less than $8.. thats right, FISH BOWLS :p the national ecuadorian beer "pilsner" is better than most beers in the US, especially for the price, but it hasnt really changed my opinion.. im still not much of a fan

--if you decide to come to ecuador, REMEMBER the air is soooo much thinner here since the city is at 10,000 ft.. which really messes with alcohol tolerance.. so take it easy the first week or 2, to allow your body to readjust. i can only drink about half as much as im used to before i feel buzzed, and walking up the hill to get up to my house everyday has left me out of breath this past week

--i am happily allergy free here!! :) the air is dry and crisp.. if you're standing in the sun it can be super brutal but it often times is chilly in the mornings and evenings

--my first night here, i accidently ran into my 18 year old host brother, Martín, as he was coming out of the shower...ha~ we both kinda nervously laughed it off, whooops~! anyway he's super silly and fun, im bummed he's traveling to WA to study for a year in a few weeks, i wnot really get to know him very well

--my host sister, Lucía is a sweet 14 year old.. i have yet to really bond with her, but i hardly see her during the week which makes it difficult, not to mention we're both on the shy side

--my host dad, Carlos, would do almost anything for me. he's a very generous and funny guy, often times making jokes, however like Lucía i hardly ever see him. he works long hours as a surgeon in a nearby hospital

--my host mom, Patricia, loves to talk and hear about my day, she loves shopping, but i get the feeling she is often times very lonely... since her husband works so much, and her kids are often out doing their own thing, she finds herself reading books and watching movies to pass the time.. as i sat down for dinner last night, i asked her what the telenovela was about that was on tv and she replied: "no se, solamente pon la televisión para un companero" (i dunno, i only put the tv on for a partner/some company)

--the family cat, Claudia.. super soft and fuzzy, very clean, mostly a warm white/grey color with some orange and darker grey on her tail, paws, and face. i dont think she likes me very much, but she loves to curl at the end of my bed and sleep.

--my meals heavily consist of carbs, carbs and more carbs.. breakfast is bread with jam and some juice or tea, lunch, the biggest meal, usually has a serving of rice AND potatoes and dinner is the lightest meal..my family isnt really into veggies.. and they dont drink milk :( but the fruits here are amazingly tasty! also as far as food goes, you have to be really careful about what you eat and drink.. pork is really a big think here too, but its not hard to find chicken or other meats :)

--in a city of 2 million people, 96% are catholic, 3.4% christains, and the rest are "other".. sadly there is not a single mosque in all of quito

the way i see it.. there are 2 opportunities for this trip.. 1. complete self reflection or 2. complete integration.. i havnet really decided which i would like my trip to be.. strangely i have been much more extroverted this past week than normal.. though im pretty sure that energy will ware out with the initial excitement of being here. idealy i would love for this trip to be an unequal combination of both self reflection and integration, but we'll see