Classes and Adventures

This week has been a very fast-paced week where we're always doing something or going somewhere. My host family has also had a lot of family and friends drop by which has been great. Although I don't always understand the rapid Spanish dialogue, I feel comfortable around all the new people I'm meeting. Ecuadorian people are so welcoming and want to get to know you and make you feel right at home. We've met several family members and some neighbors of our host family. Our neighborhood is a gated community in the valley and it's so cute. It has some great views too!

Here is a view of some of the mountains of Quito from my street in my neighborhood.

Besides all the socializing I've been doing this week, I also had lots of school things going on. On Monday and Tuesday we had orientations, one specific to the GAIAS Program through Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and one general exchange student orientation. They told us a lot about Ecuadorian culture, history, and USFQ itself. We also were made very aware of all the dangers that can arise while in Quito.

On Wednesday we started class, which has been long and moving rapidly through the material due to the condensed format. Overall, classes have been pretty good though including the intermediate conversational Spanish class. This class has helped me to learn new words and grammar and review some grammar points that may be a little fuzzy.

We have a 2 hour break between classes, so we usually use it to go get lunch or walk around the mall.

I got this burrito crepe for lunch the other day from a crepe restaurant on campus. It was so good! Also since we have meal cards worth $5 each every day this week, this burrito and Snapple in the background only cost me like $2.

Today I'm finally getting to relax a bit, which has been wonderful. I napped for 3 hours and woke up to my host mom cooking dinner. Tonight we had Italian style pasta and shrimp; it was amazing! Despite all the relaxing today, I do have homework and a busy weekend planned.

Tomorrow we are going to Aguas Termales de Papallacta. They are natural hot springs about an hour away from Cumbaya.

Currently, I live in one of the valleys of Quito so this is a good representation of where we will be adventuring to tomorrow.

Then on Sunday my host parents are taking us to Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi is one of the tallest active volcanoes in the world and is the second tallest summit in Ecuador.

Cotopaxi

 I also have to start thinking about what I'm going to pack for our field trip to the coast. We will be traveling by bus and staying in hotels for our trip. Our bus ride will be 10 hours long just to get to the coast, which I'm not looking forward to. I get motion sick sometimes when I'm riding on buses, so Dramamine will definitely come in handy for this 7 day long adventure.

Chau for now