Hello everyone! As you may or may not have figured out, I finally have internet in my house. For those of you unfamiliar with Ecua-time, when the internet company said they would come hook up the internet (which I'm paying for, not my host family) last Monday, they really meant today.
But let's not dwell on this one frustrating point of Ecuadorian culture, because there are so many other points that are awesome! Because I'm sick today, I'm not really going to be very detailed about everything that's happened in the 2 weeks I've been here. So if you want to know more, you'll have to e-mail me.
Let's begin with getting here, because that was quite an adventure in itself. I flew from Miami to Bogota, Colombia. The airport was very interesting, and certainly let me know I wasn't in the U.S. anymore. They checked every passenger's ID as they came off the plane while drug dogs and policemen roamed everywhere in the airport. Then the group almost missed our flight to Quito because the airline changed the flight number and gate at the last second. We flew into Quito and began to land, only to abort the landing feet from the airport because the wind was too strong. I would say that was scary, but I was more concerned with not getting sick from all the strong turbulence. Because we couldn't land, we flew to Guayaquil, Ecuador. (It's south/southwest, on the coast. It's also the biggest city in Ecuador.) After waiting for hours at the Guayaquil airport, we finally were boarded back on the airplane, we took us safely to Quito. By the time we reached the hotel, it was 5 am.
I met my host family the next day. Honestly, with no exaggeration, I think I have the best host family. My parents are Gonzalo, a professional pasta chef, and Maria, a beautician. This means I eat soo much tasty food and get free haircuts. I also have a 6-year-old brother, Ariel. Ariel has the most energy I've ever seen in a child (even after working at CCY). He's really bright, and has beaten me at chess 3 times now. Gonzalo is usually home during the day while Maria is usually at the peluqueria. They're both really sweet, and I'm really excited to spend the next year with them.
In fact, my first Sunday in Quito, Chiara (a volunteer living with me during Orientation) and I went with the family to San Vincente to visit Maria's family. San Vincente is about an hour and a half east of Quito. We went to church (my first Roman Catholic service) before having almuerzo at Maria's dad's house with the family. Her family is huge, but really friendly. After almuerzo we drove to the family plot to harvest potatoes. In case you've never harvested potatoes before, it can be really difficult. I stupidly had not put on sunscreen, so I got a nice little sunburn. (Because of the elevation and proximity to the equator, the sun is a lot stronger here.) However, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. The family joked around a lot and seemed really amused by Chiara and me. Somehow they even talked me into trying Pilsener beer. (I hate beer, for those of you who don't know.)
Last Friday, all the WorldTeach volunteers (41 in total) received a salsa lesson. These were really fun. The instructor was really energetic, and it was pretty funny watching some people. After, a lot of us went out salsa dancing, which was also a lot of fun. If I can afford it, I'd like to continue taking salsa lessons this year. The next day, I - and my giant blisters - went to Centro Historico with some friends. Centro Historico is the historical area in downtown Quito. There are tons of churches, monuments, and other important buildings in this area. We had a Quito native with us - one of the volunteer's host brother - who told us a lot about the different places.
Earlier this week, I went with my family to visit another historical site in Quito - la Virgen. This is a giant statue of the Virgin Mary that stands on one of the giant hills over-looking the city. At night it's lit up by purple flood lights. You can go up in the statue and see all of Quito. Quito, by the way, is a huge, sprawling city. Google Earth it if you want to see for yourself. (If you want to see where I'm living, search "La Floresta," my barrio. Finding my address is too difficult.) Anyway, it was absolutely gorgeous. We went at night so I could see all of Quito lit up underneath the full moon.
Finally, to end with some interesting tidbits about daily life here:
1) I carry everything important - cell phone, money, copy of my passport - in my bra here. Pickpockets and thieves are simply too rampant. I can't trust putting things in my bag.
2) The plumbing system in Ecuador can't handle toilet paper. So when you use the bathroom, you have to throw any and all toilet paper into a trash can right next to the toilet.
3) Having a washing machine and hot water (both of which I have) here is a big deal. This is probably another reason why I love my family.
4) When you get sick, like I am now, oregano tea and natural remedies are preferred. So I've had to drink a lot of bad-tasting tea. :-(
5) Pretty much everything here, save electronics, is really cheap. I'm already starting to think of $4 as too expensive for lunch. (The normal price for almuerzo is around $2-$2.50 and includes soup, juice, and an entree with rice, some kind of vegetable, and some kind of meat.)
