First Couple Days...

My dad and I left home at 3 am on May 27 so I could catch my 8:40 flight. I landed in Miami and caught another plane to Quito, Ecuador. I ended up sitting next to a girl from Iowa who is also participating in my program. We were able to get to know each other a bit and accompany each other through customs. I was greeting at the airport with hugs and kisses by my host parents—‘mama’ y ‘papa’. I also learned that I would be sharing my homestay with Tara from New Jersey. We arrived home to find it very elaborate and beautiful. We each have our own room and attached bathroom. I also have a 52’ TV! I’ve yet to turn it on. I met my two brothers Jonny & Tato. Jonny is engaged and does not live at home, but is very nice. Tato is really great since he speaks the most English out of the whole family. They want to limit our English so we learn the language quicker, but it is nice to be able to communicate clearly. We also have a 3rd brother, Christian aka Chano, who we will meet another day. After we had our luggage put away and called back to the USA, Tara, Tato, mama, papa, and I enjoyed dinner prepared by Beling. Beling is the young house keeper. She is a very good cook! We then watched the futbol (soccer) game since the Ecuador team was playing.

Yesterday Tara and I had fresh bananas and papayas for breakfast with mama. We were then escorted by our mom two blocks to the IES center. There we met the rest of our compañeros or classmates. We went through a day of orientation including presentations from a doctor and state policeman. In the afternoon we took a placement Spanish test and then got ready for a bus tour of the Centro Antiquo or Old Part of Quito. We saw a very ornate and beautiful church and convent where we were able see all from climbing the roof of the church and to exploring the cellar below. We saw much of this part of the city. The architecture is very colonial and beautiful. We then had a welcome dinner at a fancy restaurant located in the same square as the house of the President of Ecuador.

I made it through my first night and full day without problems. Unfortunately it that didn’t last long. I haven’t been feeling well and spent a majority of the night getting sick. Apparently it is going to take some time for me to get used to the food. My family was very helpful—I ended up calling them at 3 am (we have phones that connect each room) and they brought me some tea and made sure I was comfortable. They say that most sicknesses like this don’t really last long, so hopefully I will be 100% again soon.

Tomorrow we are visiting the University for the first time. Here we will learn about our class schedules and expectations and things like that. It should be exciting!

It is colder here than I expected—only in the 50’s. It also rains everyday. I am looking forward to the three weeks we spend in the Galapagos where tank tops and shorts will be sufficient.