We are on the island of San Cristobal (pop. 7000) in the largest of the 3 cities. It is very small and simple compared to Quito. All of the roads are either dirt or brick and it is possible to walk anywhere in town.
Here is a picture from the steps of our University, it is located just across the street from a beach! We definitely spend all our time there before class and during our break. swimming/playing frisbee/or just enjoying the view. A majority of our afternoons are free and we plan on spending them exploring the island. Today I went swimming all afternoon, but there is also snorkeling, hiking, bike riding, etc. I plan on snorkeling tomorrow!
San Cristobal island is the only island in the Galapagos where humans and sea lions share the same beaches. Today while swimming around and a sea lion popped up out of the water a few feet in front of us! I've also seen some sweet pelicans and crabs and lizards. Humans are required to stay 2 meters away from all the wildlife so not to disrupt their normal behaviors more than we already have.
My family here is a lot different from the one in Quito. Just like the island itself they are much more calm and laid back. Here I have a brother who is 14 and speaks English very well. Everyone in my group are paired up with a home stay. Here I am with Ali instead of Tara. There are two other girls are living with relatives of our family, so I think we will be spending a lot of time together. Our house is really small and completely cement. Ali and I share a room with a bathroom. It is very quaint and pleasant. This morning we were woken up at 4:30 by roosters crowing very loudly. Apparently so was the rest of the group.
Our professor's name is Diego and he spends a lot of time in the Galapagos. For the next two weeks we will be learning about Human Ecology. This is the study of the relationship between people and their environment. He gave us a rundown of the class today and it sounds really interesting.
The next 3 weeks are going to be amazing!
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