I want to apologize that this is my first post since I arrived in Quito. It is a little difficult to find the time to sit down and write because so much has been happening. When I first arrived it was fun getting to know everyone in the group and it seems that everyone gets along very well. We spent the first night in Quito and after went to an awesome hostel named Racho Alegre for about 3 days where we had a salsa lesson and were introduced to a fusion of modern and indigenous music. The town called San Antonio is also called el Mitad del Mundo because it is the so called center of the world aka the equator. Later in the week we did something called a “drop off” where we had to figure out the buses in town to get to a particular town. We were supposed to go to a town called Nanegalito but there was a landslide a few weeks prior and the buses were limited so the group and I traveled to a town called Paulagua that is in the crater of a volcano. I am unsure if the volcano is active or dormant but here we walked up a street pretty much in the middle of nowhere to grab another bus that ended up being nonexistent. However, we did find a museum that had artifacts and displayed art of a few local artist that was pretty awesome. Later we caught the bus back to Quito to meet the rest of the group after having lunch. The food here is pretty awesome! Fresh fruit juice of fruits I have never had before with every meal, lots of rice, various types of meat, fresh bread, fresh everything…YUM! So after returning to Quito we listened to a panel of Ecuadorian students answer our questions and a group of us went out to a region called el Mariscal which is where all the gringos and travelers drink and stay when they are visiting. I didn’t stay out too late because the next day we got to meet our awesome host families!!! We had a few hours before we needed to get on the bus to meet the fams so a group of us took the trolli-bus to a part of historic Quito to see the Bascilica del voto Nacional. I think I can add pictures but I don’t know so if they are not here please google it because it is AWESOME. We were able to pay a few dollars and climb to the top of the tallest towers on these tiny ladders, a heart racer for sure! Next, we returned and had to buy flowers (which are super cheap $1 for 12 roses) and dress nicely to meet our families that live in a valley called Los Chillos outside of Quito. I was incredibly nervous but my family is so nice and helpful with my Spanish. They have had 6 students before me so they know what they are doing. It is composed of a single mother, Nancy and her 3 kids Juan Pablo (23), Marco Antonio (27), his wife Johannah, and Anita (21). The town of Sangolqui is really close to Cotopaxi and has an awesome view, Anita studies Ecotourism and know a lot of great places around the area so hopefully in the next couple of weeks I can climb to the top of the highest active volcano in the world! (just kidding mom) and check out some other outdoors activities in the region. The first day we went to a party in Quito for the birthday of one on Nancy’s friends where I was served pork chops, a thin steak, 3 varieties of sausage including blood sausage and a variety of vegetables. Later Anita and I went out with the son of one of the women there, Andres, to watch a soccer game and later went to a place with a lot of young Quitenos where you could buy a beer and smoke the hookah. My family loves Italian food and I had brought up the fact that I could cook a little bit, so today we went to the market to buy ingredients for lasagna. Little did I know I was cooking an entire lunch for 10 people, and to make spaghetti sauce I had tomato paste! It turned out pretty good, I used the pre-cooked pasta and it was a little undercooked when it was served and everyone liked it or at least they said they liked it and we all ate it for dinner also. School starts tomorrow and I will be taking the bus with my friend Mindy and her host mother Sandra. I am really enjoying myself here and remember that I love you all. I will try and update you soon but for the next month INTENSIVE SPANISH!!!!!!!! Xoxox
Meredith