My weekend...

Always an adventure here in Ecuador—I stood in two hemispheres at one time! (Note the picture!) I actually did this twice since the original Mitad de Mundo ended up not being the equator line. At the first sight there is a large monument and a small city filled with culture and vendors. The new sight has a village reconstructed by indigenous people and several experiments that proved it IS the middle of the world (aside from the GPS findings). I was able to balance a raw egg on a nail!! It was really interesting. We also visited the Virgin of Quito, which is a giant statue of a virgin located on one of the sacred hills surrounding the city. From the top of this you could see most of the city. It is huge. Hills upon rolling hills of square, adobe style house as far as the eye can see. Quito is home to 2 million inhabitants and sits in a valley between two mountain ranges. It is 60 km long and only 10 km or so wide. I don’t quite know what this is in miles, so you can do the math. It’s huge. That Saturday and that afternoon we were also supposed to visit several local churches. Plans changed when there was a large festival that brought thousands of people to the streets and caused many places to be closed. We ended up being able to experience a great part of their culture and see many different people. It was such a unique experience. As great as it was, we had to be very careful not to become victims of theft while among a large crowd. One of the girls of our group had her phone taken when a man ‘bumped’ into her. My family provided Tara and I each with a cell phone & I hope that nothing happens to them.

Sunday we took a trip. We drove through a couple small, poor, indigenous towns. The elders wander the streets in traditional clothing. They are barefoot and have bulky bundles on their back. Their faces are dark and deeply wrinkled. Children also wander the streets barefoot. They have an innocence about them that is indescribable. The people in these towns fascinate me and I enjoy watching them very much. Their lives are difficult and they have little, yet they seem to have little worries. Many hang out on the corners laughing and joking. Others shuffle in the dirt trying hard to make a living.
Needless to say I enjoyed the drive as much as I enjoyed the destinations. Yesterday the entire family—poppi, mammi, Jonny & his wife, Tato, and Chano—took Tara and I to see the countryside. We drove 2 hours to eat at some small restaurant/hotel. I had this fish called corvina. It was the best ever. We then went for a boat ride in a volcanic crater. (The other picture is Tara, Chano, Jonny and his wife, and I here) The volcano is actually still active—air bubbles up from the ground—but the last eruption was over 100 years ago. (Ecuador, about the size of Nevada, has somewhere around 76 volcanoes) The place was so beautiful!! The entire country is breath taking. We stopped many times to enjoy the view and take pictures.
Today was our first day of classes. It was 8 full hours and we have lots of homework for tomorrow…

p.s. I´ve been feeling much better!