The Beginning

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Hey friends!

I made it to Ecuador! So after losing 3 pounds of nervousness the morning before I left home, I met up with my brother Bill, Kristine, and their daughters Lauren and Allison at my favorite bagel spot before the airport, and then Mom and Dad took me to JFK. We cried a lot, but the person who checked my bags was Ecuadorian! I was there WAY too early, but used the time to talk to friends and nap a little on the lovely airport floor. I would have tooled around on the internet, but since Delta is so ancient they don’t have outlets accessible in the terminals.

The flight to Atlanta wasn’t too bad, my neighbor and I slept a lot.  Georgia’s airport is crazy, with trains to different concourses. I grabbed a sandwich and a banana since I hadn’t really eaten all day, and chatted with my sister Tricia and my parents. I barely had enough time in the terminal, trying to charge my phone & computer, figure out my internet because I think I messed it up, all while chatting with a man in the US Air Force waiting for his flight to Afghanistan. He kept asking me questions and didn’t know how to pronounce Quito, it was really amusing. His friend was not enjoying our conversation at all, which made it even funnier. I cried some more on the phone, and then was on the plane to Quito. I had missed a call from Trish so I called her while getting settled, and for me, the sound of a familiar voice sends me to pieces lately. The girl next to me, Tamara, said “I don’t know you but I’m giving you a hug.” We chatted a lot, and I found out that she teaches in Ecuador and still gets homesick, so was glad to have someone to talk with to keep her mind off things. She kept having to pee because she had 2 of her favorite coffees on her last day in the States, and the man in the aisle was very kind and didn’t mind, just joked about it. I watched My Sister’s Keeper and played bookworm with Tamara. A kid also going to USFQ (my university) helped us find some words towards the end of the ride! He was sitting in the row behind us and all of a sudden started to give us ideas. That’s what happens when you’ve been sitting for 5 hours.

Tamara and I stayed together through customs and baggage claim, and an older woman fainted from the altitude. I found my bags and got myself settled before going through the doors, to find those who were waiting for me. My new host mom was there as was Sharon from my program. They took me outside, and were shocked I was only wearing a long sleeve shirt-they were in winter coats. It couldn’t have been under 55 degrees. They tried to help me with my heavy suitcases, but since they are such small women it was more hindrance then helping-I was afraid I would demolish their fingers. Sharon took my passport, which was very unsettling as I had only just met her, and my mom locked me in the car while she went to pay the parking ticket.

We drove home, and my host mom right away dove in to help me unpack. This was also awkward, here’s a woman I don’t even know wanting to hang up my clothes and touch all my stuff. She asked if I was hungry, and since I was she made me a sandwich. She asked if I wanted mustard or “salsa de tomate” and I said oh Si, Salsa por favor! Well friends, salsa isn’t the salsa we know. It’s ketchup. And I don’t know about you but I don’t so much enjoy ketchup on my turkey. Oh well.

She realized I was tired, so told me we would finish unpacking tomorrow. I went to take a quick shower because airports and planes are dirty and my sister Trish always talks about that so now it’s in my head, and so I went into my own private bathroom-something I have never had in my entire life. The water was chilly, and I couldn’t figure out how to make it warmer but I was already naked and awkward and didn’t want to ask, so I jumped in, just to rinse off. My mom called in if I wanted help, and wasn’t it cold. But I said I was going to shower again tomorrow.

I spoke with home so they knew I arrived safely, and went to sleep. Thank goodness for my family, they are keeping me sane right now and I am so appreciative.  There was a note on my pillow that said welcome and happy new year, with a red star and a piece of chocolate. I got to sleep in for as long as I wanted on Saturday, and after we went to take the bus as a practice round, and then visited my host mom’s sister. They have a bit of a fancier apartment, but we had lots of chocolate, chatted, and ate dinner together.

Sunday I woke up early to go to Mass with my mom. A lot of people here bring their own baby Jesus to the altar and leave Him with the Nativity Scene. It’s a really nice tradition, and everything was so beautiful. We came back to have breakfast, and my host mom made delicious tomato juice-something I would NEVER drink at home, but it was really good. It’s almost closer to brown than red, and not nearly the same consistency as one would find from a can in the States.

We went to “el centro historico” where the President’s Palace is and lots of elaborate churches. I tried to get a picture of La Compania, a church of gold, for Kendra. The first guard said if we came back after Mass was over we could take pictures, but when we got there they told us no. I tried to sneak one anyway, but the flash went off and I only got the floor. Fail.

There are beautiful stories about the church and certain saints, but I’m already talking a lot so I’ll try to say a little of everything I did! I also saw a picture of Ecuador’s version of the Virgin Mary, along the lines of Our Lady of Guadalupe. And of course, took a pic of Saint Michael.

Monday was Orientation for USFQ-University San Franciso, Quito. We took the bus together (the girls in my program and one of our advisors). I take a bus to the Rio Coca station, and from there a bus to Cumbaya, a shopping center 5 minutes from the campus. The view on the way is gorgeous-mountains, valleys, so much sky. The campus is like a palace. It has a pond, trees, and ornate buildings. There are lots of awnings and breezeways, and everything is very fluid and open because of the year-round warm weather. I had a mediocre tour guide, but saw some of the buildings on campus and they have a funny looking gym and outdoor volleyball nets!

One day I will be an embarrassing tourist, wandering the school taking plenty of photos! I need to do the same for my house and neighborhood.

The girls in my program are really awesome. We all want to travel, and get along well so far. We are from a variety of places in the US and will all be doing different service.

Monday afternoon my host sister came back from the beach. We said hello, and she let me nap a bit. When she saw I was up and reading, she invited me into her room to watch TV. I had just read about how Ecuadorians watch TV as a family, and it’s good to bond even if you don’t like what’s on (and I hate watching TV!) So we watched Star Wars in Spanish, and had candy that I brought with me (kudos to Trish, they love candy!) so we shared a Twix and then some Doritos. It’s always awkward eating out of a snack bag with a person you don’t know, but she was really sweet. My host mom was so excited that we were chatting when she came back home. It was such an American sponsored hang out session, but with Spanish language.

The school sponsored a get together at Mulligan’s, an Irish-American bar downtown.  After much hesitation a bunch of us took a taxi together and went. We had fun, but after I came home and went to sleep, I woke up with terrible news. Something did not agree with me. If you read my e-mail, there’s plenty of fun details.  I was terribly sick, could barely move, and had to forget about privacy with my host mom. I went to the hospital many hours later, missing my Program Orientation for 2 IVs, 1 IV of pain meds, a shot of pain meds, and some pedialyte. It took all morning but finally I could return home with two kinds of medicine in hand. I also missed my first day of classes on Wednesday, spending all day reading up on cultural issues, culture shock, and language barriers from both SMC and my program here. I watched some TV, and didn’t nap all day because my host mom woke me up at 7am to take my medicine and I couldn’t fall back asleep. My host mom and sister were at work all day, and I was painfully bored. The power also went out, because here the government shuts off the power periodically to save money.

Wednesday night I translated some of my resume into Spanish, and my mom helped me with corrections. It was a little difficult, but good in the end because now she knows a little more about me.

Thursday I went to class, and it was nice to have my new friends so worried about me and glad to see me. My jewelry making class will be interesting, because I have to buy supplies at a store and I don’t understand everything my professor says. When they speak a different language, you can’t just look around the room or stare at a fixed point and listen. For me, the best way to focus is read the person’s lips and listen to what they say, but you really have to pay attention and it’s really tiring after a while. Especially at 8:30 in the morning. My volcano class is going to be AWESOME. We go on so many trips, the professor is hilarious, and he will supply us with all of our materials! After, I spoke with my other program advisor Tania about what I had missed on Tuesday, and cried some more. We talked for over an hour, and then I met up with the girls from my program. They took me to the store so I could buy a cell phone, and then we rode the bus home together.

Thursday was also my first time with internet I believe, and I walked wayyy further than I meant to in order to find an Internet Café. I found some closer to my house on the walk home, but they are still further than what my friends have to go to. Oh well, I definitely can survive without it, it’s just gonna take some getting used to.

Friday I had a checkup at the hospital, and found out I lost 7 pounds from being sick. All in all, I’ve lost 10 since coming to Ecuador. In a week. Sheesh!  I met up with the girls and went to el centro historico. We had a very questionable lunch, and then went to get “ice cream” that was more like creamy Italian ice. We walked around a bit, but since none of us knew what to do or where to go, we decided to go to the movies and saw “The Princess and the Frog” or “La Princesa y la Sopa?” then we ate dinner at a place Suzanna had been to many times before. I called my host mom to let her know, and she told me watch what you eat! Dinner was an interesting experience. After we ate, I asked a worker what the address was so I could call a taxi. He said he would call one, and then was looking at two phones. I felt weird, so we said no thanks! He tried to give me a flower made out of a napkin, but I also said no thanks and we walked back near the movie theater to call cabs.

Saturday we met at Hannah’s to go to the equator! We took the bus to “El Mitad del Mundo” (the middle of the world) and went to the main attraction location. Not a lot of people wanted to go into the monument/museum, so we just took the generic pictures posing over the line. Hannah and I mailed postcards home with stamps that cost $2 and we tried to go to a museum of a miniature Quito and other main cities, kinda like Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood, but that was closed. We saw some dancers, and ate lunch in a cute little spot. The waiter told us how to find the original monument (they moved the first mitad del mundo monument, which is smaller, to a different location) The bus was a little questionable, with the drivers having no idea what we were talking about. We got off the bus, in seemingly the middle of nowhere. Luckily a woman also got off with us, and told us where to go. We found it! And then took the bus back immediately after taking more pictures. Including that of a cow lying under a tree.

We’ll have to go back though, because I really want to see those museums, and there is a crater from a collapsed volcano that has lots of beautiful plants and multiple species of birds. There is also supposedly the sight of the real equator line a few meters away from the tourist one.

Saturday afternoon/night was awesome-I watched TV with my mom, organized my pictures on my computer (one of those things on your to do list that never get done because it’s not really all that important) and chatted. My mom made an omelet, French fries and rice for dinner, and had me try a type of fruit to help my stomach. She took the seeds out of it after I didn’t like it, and added sugar, but it still tasted really weird and gross. I tried some though! Then my host sister came home, and we talked a lot about making dessert-I’m gonna bake with them hopefully soon! I showed them pictures of my family, and we had some cookies that Suzy (my host sister) brought home. Then I called home to tell them about the equator and went to sleep…I’m having trouble sleeping lately even though I feel more settled. It’s hard to fall asleep, and I wake up a few times.  It could also be because one of the dogs, Auto, basically lives outside my window and is always jumping up against the gate.

Sunday I went to Mass with my mom again, and then had a nice long nap.  I caught up on my reading for school, watched more TV of course, and had a DELICIOUS lunch! Sunday is a big lunch day, and since lunch is already the biggest meal of the day they really meant business today. My host mom made some sort of potato pancake type thing, although it was more like a thicker squished ball of potato, a salad made of green peppers, cucumbers, tomato and avocado chunks, sausage that looked like hot dogs but tasted way better, corn with really big kernels, and mango juice. Oh and for dessert, freshly made crepes with apples and lemon juice. SO GOOD.

We went out for Kara’s 21^st birthday, and I finally ran into Alicia Pacelli, a girl from SMC who studied in Ecuador last semester and stayed for another. I had a really good chicken/mushroom sandwich with juice and shared a brownie. Then we went to a different spot so Kara could get her first ever glass of wine, and she probably drank about a half inch, but it was well worth it.

Okay that's all for now. I'll send my address in an e-mail later so that it's a bit more private.

I'm still really homesick, and I unfortunately never experienced that "honeymoon" feeling when I first arrived. I know I will love it I just wish that love came right now.

I miss my gypsies! and all that Vermont snow and chilly weather! feel free to comment or email me at my smc account for more info or lovin!