It Was A Zombie Jamboree

Where to even begin? So much has happened since my last post... Thursday night was Ladies night at Blues so the six of us went from 9-11:30 and enjoyed rum and cokes, appletinis, and margaritas for free! The night started getting a little weird when we were handed masks to wear. It got even stranger when 4 male strippers took the stage. We left soon after and met the boys at our favorite bar, which I still could not tell you the name of. This bar has the cheapest alcohol, the best music, and the owners love us! We basically go there every time we go out and I am not complaining. The drinks were flowing, the dancing got weird, and most of us were bimbammed (woops).

This next part of the story I am including not because I am proud but because I promised I would not hold back in this blog. Melissa Maria Montalto, I apologize in advance and your little sister realizes this was a terrible idea (I swear it seemed legit at the time). Anyways, after showing up to the bar I thought it would be an intelligent idea to look for more international students in La Mariscal (the place I had mentioned is the most dangerous place in Ecuador). I wandered until I was found by two Ecuadorian lesbians (names unknown) who befriended me. They walked with their arms around me looking for a bar that I don't remember the name of until I spotted Pat and Mike in the road. All in all, both Kevin and I did not make smart decisions Thursday night (Kevin I will spare your details, mi sacerdote).

Friday after school all thirteen of us went to Tim's house after a day full of exhaustion from the night before. Out overall laziness can best be portrayed by explaining that we voted against playing Charades due to the fact that it involved too much physical movement. Instead, we played Killer Wink and Mafia. No one went out Friday night because we had to wake up oober early for a museum trip. If you have been avidly following my blog you would know how horrific my last museum experience was. Well, this museum definitely was a close second. Two and a half hours of Pablo asking me which animal a sculpture represented was the bane of my existence that morning especially when it was either a jaguar or llama EVERY FRIGGIN TIME. I wish I had more to say about the museum but I was distracted by my game of Hangman with Colleen.

The group got lunch after, half at the Magic Bean and half at a Mexican place and then went to Toryns for an afternoon of trampolining and "Friends With Benefits". After the chick flick, Colleen, Kasia and I went for a cup of coffee. It seemed to be a normal Saturday afternoon in Quito until we turned the corner and found at least 300 Ecuadorian zombies parading down the street. I will probably never know their purpose or why they felt the need to snarl at me but, what I do know, is that it was freaking awesome (Picture Below). The afternoon got a tad weirder when I made eye contact with a girl across the street in La Mariscal after the parade... My initial confusion quickly became recognition as I realized that I was sharing an awkward staring match with one of the lesbian Ecuadorians who escorted me around Thursday night. Jajajajaja. Saturday night we all headed back to our favorite unnamed bar for some Pilseners and bailas until about 2:30am at which point I received a rose from some cute blond haired blue eyed southern gentleman. The night was incredible, of course.

Sunday I did a whole lot of nothing besides watching documentaries about Machu Pichu (in preparation) and Definitely, Maybe. Yesterday was Beth's Birthday so Amanda, our coordinator, canceled class and threw her a surprise lunch at her house. We all ate out in the garden which was absolutely breathtaking. It was there that we learned that no one is accompanying us to the Galápagos... Gonna be sick. We also had a dinner pizza party at Beth's house last night which was a lot of fun. As for today, I now have four classes on T/Th because I was able to register for Fotografía!!! Although T/Th are very tiring they are completely worth it because I have a 50 minute class Monday/Wednesday and no class Friday! As for tonight, this sexy lady tiene una cita...

First Week of Classes

If you know me enough, you know that the two things I cannot live without are iced coffee and, more importantly, mashed potatoes. Coming to Ecuador I knew that I would have to sacrifice the scrumptiousness of these two extraordinary delicacies for 4 and a half months. Ahh... but wait. There appeared to be a glimpse of hope. As I mentioned, KFC is the biggest food chain in Quito and yes, I did see one Dunkin Donuts. However, my deepest desires... all that I had yearned for had been completely shot down yesterday. Not only does Dunkin Donuts have no idea what an iced coffee is, apparently in Quito rice is the new mashed potatoes... you've gotta be shitting me.

The first week of school was wonderful. I have two-three classes a day and I don't start until 11 or 11:30. The best part of it all is that I have NO FRIDAY CLASSES!! As of right now I am taking Lituratura y Cine and Cultura Iberoamericana on Monday and Wednesdays and then Antropología Andina, Conversación Avanzada, y Evolución Humana on Tuesdays and Thursdays! I am enjoying all of my classes so far with the exception of Lituratura y Cine. Not only did I not understand our first reading in Spanish... I had no better luck when I read it in English. Luckily, my host father, Jaime, is absolutely brilliant. He was a psychiatrist and a book editor (he has worked on some of my textbooks and a lot of guidebooks to Ecuador). Thus, Jaime and I had to sit down after dinner on Monday night and read through the Borges essay together. To make a long story short, I can't even speak in that class and I comprehend only about 75% of what is being said so I may have to drop it.

All-in-all I have noticed a HUGE difference in work load. I feel like I barely ever have anything to do which has allowed for more free time. Pat and I joined a gym together and went for the first time today. Because of the altitude it is so much more tiring to work out. We only lasted for about 35 minutes until we crashed. Last night was also a lot of fun. The night started at Tim's house where we put together a band and rocked out for about 2 hours. From there we went to Buster's British Pub to watch the big soccer game! And of course, leave it to BC students to leave the pub after the game and have a philosophical/ theological discussion on a rooftop for two hours. In all seriousness, Kasia, Kevin and I just sat and talked for what seemed like hours about the most obscure human thoughts. It's nights like those that I will always remember years from now when I think about Quito.

Perhaps the most important news of all... (1) Galápagos in one week! And (2) I AM GOING TO MACHU PICHU!!! At the end of October Kevin, Jon, Pat, Nate and I are going to Cuzco, Peru for 5 days and then hiking the Incan Trail towards Machu Pichu for 4 days. The trek is going to be very tiresome and I will smell like a dirty sock by the end of it but I think it may be one the best experiences of my life. I definitely need to read up a little more on both the Galápagos and Machu Pichu before I partake in these excursions so that I can get the most out of them.  I can say with a smile on my face that I feel so incredibly fortunate to have these opportunities.

Quote of the Week: "You know how people say more money, more problems... I think it's like less money more problems"- Patrick Daly reflecting upon living in a third world country.

La Mitad Del Mundo

Last night Pat and I went to La Mariscal with some kids we met from Virginia Tech who will also be studying at USFQ. Because we didn't want to wander around like the first Mariscal night, I took it upon myself to look up the best bars to go to in Quito. Well, I am gonna assume that whoever posted the blog that I read was purposely trying to trick dumb Americans because when the cab got to the bar there there were three people inside (two fugly old ladies and one overly serious man staring out the window). Needless to say, Pat and I did not enter but rather, we found a bar that sells humongous cervezas for $1.50. We had a few drinks and then met up with the Virginia Tech kids. Somehow, the entire first hour that Pat and I were in the bar we failed to notice that there were 3-4 rooms in the back for dancing. We thought we were legit the only people in the bar but, in fact, there were probably almost 100. I can confidently say that Pat and I stole the dance floor. Hands Down.

This morning Jaime, Marta, Isabel, and I went to La Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the Earth) or, in other words, the Equator. There is a monument dedicated to the Equator but it's not even the real equator so we chose to go to the museum that hosts the actual line. There were different tests to prove that it was, in fact, the equator. For example, there was some egg balancing going on and demonstrations with water which I found to the coolest. To the left and right of the equator (just a couple of steps) the water spun a different way when the drain was pulled. However, when placed directly over the equator line, the water simply sink down without spinning in either direction. There were also homes from the early 19th century on site, which belonged to early indigenous tribes. In these tribes, which still exist today, they make houses that are no bigger than maybe 20 feet by 25 feet and house 20 people each. In each house there are 4 hammock beds.. so yes, 5 people share a hammock each night. Mitad del Mundo was definitely the highlight of my weekend and made for some great photo opportunities.

Lastly, my dog, whose name is actually spelled Kobe not Coby was named after Kobe Bryant... thought that was really cool. Also, on Ecuador's version of "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" contestants can only win up to $50,000. I found that to be somewhat contradictory to the name of the show but interesting because proportionally $50,000 to an Ecuadorian is like a million dollars to most Americans.

Grigos a La Mariscal.

After our last day of orientation and Spanish classes with Amanda were were given two treats.. (1) Pizza and (2) a departure date for our trip to The Galápagos. While most of us assumed that we would be taking this journey in October or even November, Amanda surprised us and told us that exactly 14 days from now we would be on our cruise ship (yes, cruise ship) from Guayaquil to The Galápagos! Because we go to BC (why else) apparently we are traveling around the islands of the Galápagos on an all-inclusive cruise ship. If I had not been in a room full of other students there is no doubt in my mind that I would have weeped like a small child or a proud mother at her eldest kin's high school graduation. Moving on to the pizza... surprisingly wonderful considering I am from New York and this is Ecuadorian pizza. We had ham and cheese pizza, vegetable pizza, meat lovers, and Hawaiian pizza. The place was very close to my school and there is a special for a personal pizza, french fries, and a drink all for like 3 dollars so I will definitely be a frequent customer.

La Mariscal, often referred to as Gringolandia, is home to Quito's nightlife. There are so many bars, karaoke bars, discotecas, casinos, etc that I will probably not be able to go to them all during my stay in Quito. La Mariscal is also known for being "The Most Dangerous Part of Quito". While there are many and I mean MANY people around on any given Th/F/S night once you wander a little into the side streets you're asking for a future police report. A member of my group, Toryn, lives right next to La Mariscal so we all aggregated at his house for some drinks and then walked over. Kasia and I were the last ones to arrive by taxi (our program prohibits us from using any other mode of transportation after 7pm). After hearing the lectures about the risks of taxis and people on the street breaking into them, Kasia and I were at full alert. However, this did not prepare us for the man who tried to get into Kasia's door right as we were arriving. Thankfully, the doors were locked and I had to yell at the driver to drive faster. It was absolutely frightening.

When we all arrived at La Mariscal we were completely overwhelmed and stood out so badly as gringos. We wandered around all of the streets getting a feel for the place and trying to figure out where we wanted to go. The first place we tried was WAY too loud to the point where we couldn't hear each other talking and consisted of mostly older people. We danced a little there, which is embarrassing because everyone here is a wonderful dancer and they salsa. Us... well, I am not sure I could give a name or even explain to you the dance moves we whipped out but they were ridiculously pathetic in any country. After that bar we went to a karaoke bar and planned on singing "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus, "Roxanne" by The Police, "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, and "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson (probably four of the only American songs in the book). However, it was getting late and there was a huge line ahead of us so we decided to leave.

This morning I had to wake up early and go get the rest of my visa paperwork completed. Marta, Isabel, and I ran a bunch of small errands like going to SuperMaxi (market), La Banco Pinchincha (bank), una pasteleria, etc. I tried to take a two hour nap (fail) and just finished eating a late lunch. We had what I would describe as a casserole of egg and tuna fish, platanos, rice, and limonada made with oat. I am not sure why they kept telling me that I had to drink the limonada extremely fast... for all I know it could have been a joke on me or perhaps something with the oat separating or condensing. On a final note, Marta is currently outside mowing the lawn while Jaime is inside washing the dishes. It's something so little like that that makes me realize (1) cultural differences and (2) how concerned with gender roles or appearance women in the US are. As I was watching Marta mow the lawn I realized that there is no reason a woman in the US can't do that... they complete various tasks that require much greater physicality but because mowing the lawn is "man's work" they simply won't do it -or- my favorite, they will hire an illegal immigrant to do it for them. Lazy, Lazy, Lazy.

Quito: Land of Murder, Rape, and GREAT Live Music.

"Less than one percent of murders and rapes in Ecuador result in a conviction. Just a few weeks ago we found the body of a young American traveler in pieces. Last night we received 6 serious cases involving felonies. Ladies, don't wear anything revealing.. it's like an open invitation to be hissed at or groped inappropriately. Less than 50% of the taxis in Ecuador are legitimate. In many cases taxis will force you to an ATM and steal all of your money; however, sometimes there are people simply waiting outside the bank because the tellers tipped them off that a gringo took out money from their account. They know precisely how much you have and in which pocket. In other cases a group of men in a truck will jump out at you on the street and steal your purse or cut it open on a public bus without you realizing. Also, look out for people passing out flyers on the street... a lot of time people take the flyers that are laced with an airborne substance... three days later you find yourself naked and confused in a hotel room without your wallet. The United States embassy has placed Quito as a level four extremely high danger level. But really, it's not that bad. Welcome!"- United States Ambassador in Quito during our orientation.

From the United States Embassy Website: "Crime is a severe problem in Ecuador. Crimes against American citizens in the past year ranged from petty theft to violent crimes, including armed robbery, home invasion and sexual assault. Several U.S. citizens have also been the victims of murder and attempted murder in the last several years with some of the cases still unsolved. Very low rates of apprehension and conviction of criminals – due to limited police and judicial resources – contribute to Ecuador’s high crime rate. Armed or violent robberies can occur in all parts of Ecuador. Thieves and small gangs armed with guns or knives are active not only in Quito, Guayaquil and Manta, but also in smaller cities. Multiple U.S. citizen travelers have been robbed after using ATMs on the street and when exiting banks. Travelers should avoid withdrawing large amounts of cash at one time from banks and ATMs. In some cases, robbers have used motorcycles to approach their victims and flee the scene. Tourists have also been robbed at gunpoint on beaches and along hiking trails. 

I apologize for the crazy statistics but I felt that including them was completely necessary for you to fully understand the fear that they instilled in the international students. At my orientation with Boston College we got to watch funny skits about the risk of plagiarism or missing class because you drank too much the night before. We played spoons and watched diversity videos. We played dodgeball and had an ice cream social... yay! At my orientation in Quito I was mortified by stories of brutal murders and theft by a United States Ambassador. It's completely safe to say I have lived my life in a bubble. Oh and, how could I forgot, on my way to orientation I sat next to a man who had a tattoo tear drop on his face. For those of you who are unaware, that means that he has killed a man. Yeah.

After orientation our group went out for dinner at Chipote Chillon which is a Mexican restaurant. We sat outside on the patio overlooking Quito and had the luxury of 2 for 1 Margaritas. Colleen's host brother brought all of his friends who definitely like to party. Rum bottle after Rum bottle... I was amazed. We then went to a bar/lounge called House of Rock where we got a table and many a drink. One of the Ecuadorian guys casually mentioned that his friend was shot 23 times at the Colombian/ Ecuadorian border (what!) A band came on at 12 and all of us gringos were screaming and dancing on top of the tables. We were more than surprised to hear The Killers and Oasis classics being played but hell, we didn't complain. First night out... GREAT SUCCESS.

The One With The Waiter Who Dressed Like A Purple KKK Member

There is a direct relationship between religious paintings, my period/hunger cramps, and my happiness. You see, the more religious paintings I have to pretend to be interested in, the more my stomach begins to hurt, and thus, the less happy I am. If I ran for president of Ecuador the first law I would implement would be a limitation on the number of naked baby Jesus paintings allowed in one art museum at a time. As an atheist who attends a Jesuit university and currently lives in a very Catholic country I do try to be as tolerant and inquisitive as possible about the religious beliefs I am surrounded by... however, if Jesus really cared about me he would not have chosen my lower abdomen as the site of World War Three this afternoon. 

Moving on... before the baby Jesus debacle our group visited La Panacilla which hosts a statue of the Virgin Mary who looks over all of Quito. The view from up there was absolutely incredible (picture below). I got a chance to use my new Nikon D3100 for the first time however, there is still a lot to cover in the Nikon D3100 for Dummies book that I purchased last night on my Kindle. After this excursion I had the luxury of not one but two walking tours dedicated to Baby Jesus and his homies. I will admit, the churches were absolutely incredible but I could have done without the hours of ranting about how Jesus will bring light to the world. We visited the Church of La Compañia de Jesús and the Church of San Francisco, which is the oldest church in all of South America. Construction began in 1535, only one year after the Spanish arrival. 

It was then time for lunch! Or so we thought... as the bombs and fighter planes were working their magic en mi estomago, Amanda y su hija decided that we had to visit a monastery first. In retrospect, I am glad that I was forced to go because once I entered I learned that this monastery was open to the public for the first time in over 415 years and would be resealing their doors on Friday. This was a prime example of a once in a lifetime opportunity. Once the nuns in this monastery join they are never allowed to leave its walls... It's insane to think how differently people spend their time on this earth.

Finally after 5 torturous Baby Jesus halls we were rewarded with fresh bread made by the nuns. I can't even begin to describe to you how wonderful this warm bread tasted after suffering for hours in the dark underground world of the monastery. For lunch we were treated to a very fancy meal at one of the oldest hotels in Quito. BC picked up the tab which is nice considering they make bank off of study abroad goers who have to pay BC tuition regardless of how cheap their actual program is. Pat and I shared dishes... We split the steak with eggs and avocado on top, rice, and french fries and the roasted pig with potatoes and vegetables. The food was absolutely incredible and much cheaper than those dishes in America. Perhaps the weirdest part of the meal was the man who delivered the desserts (pictured below). As a way of honoring those who had secluded themselves as a result of sin in the past, this man wore what appeared to be a purple KKK suit and delivered our desserts which included different pastries, a sorbet, and espumilla which looks like ice cream but tastes like whipped cream. 

I ended my day eating dinner with my host father, Jaime. It was nice to eat just the two of us because I got to share my story, who I am, where I come from, etc. As the days continue I don't feel as much like a stranger in their house anymore. I am more than happy with the family that I was given. Not only am I substantially closer to my university than all other 12 students, but my family is a lot of fun (I taught my dad how to say "This is the jump off" and "Peace Out" today)! Overall, it was just another wonderful day in Quito. Tomorrow is the international orientation so I am hoping to meet a lot of other students from the states! Making Ecuadorian friends will be the hard part... but I am determined. 

La Capilla Del Hombre: Guayasamin

There is a joke amongst Ecuadorians that when God was dividing the goods of the world he gave the soil, the sun, the plants and all other resources necessary for success to Ecuador. However, to balance it out he gave them the most unproductive people... It is for this very reason that Ecuador is still considered to be a "developing country". For those of you reading at home (especially my sister Melissa) I am not going to sugar coat the crime and danger that swarms Ecuador. There are broken beer bottles that surround the walls of my property to keep out intruders. Every time I am in our car my host parents refuse to start driving until I lock the door. My host mother has been robbed of all of her possessions six different times in her life. I am not sure I will be able to bring my laptop or camera to school because I fear being robbed on the bus and I attend the nicest university in the country. Situations like this make me realize that my life in the United States has been more luxurious than most could imagine. Every time I don't have internet connection I can't possibly be annoyed because I know that less than 6% of all Ecuadorians have access to the internet. Let us take a moment to laugh at American shows like "Survivor" where, like Daniel Tosh points out, sheltered and spoiled Americans are challenged to survive in conditions that most people in the world live in every day of their lives.

Rookie mistake numbero dos: Cotopaxi is the name of the tallest mountain surrounding Quito... it is NOT a local supermarket, Jessie. I also learned this morning that the reason the bus drivers will start driving while people are half way on the bus is because they are in an unspoken competition against the other bus drivers. Whoever can drive the fastest can cut in front of the others and pick up more people. This just reeks of lawsuit but here... anything goes. Moving on to my coordinator here at USFQ, Amanda. If Superman and Mrs. Doubtfire had a love child it would be Amanda. After every sentence she refers to us as "my children" or "my students" and explained to us today that Chinese people are so thin because they can't pronounce their R's. "Yo quiello alloz" certainly won't get you rice... good thing I have yet to see any Asians. She also explained to us that Pepe is short for Jose... Paco and Pancho are short for Francisco... and Nacho is short for Ignacio. I never would have made those connections just like I didn't realize that Enchiladas carry that name because they originated in Chile... bet you didn't know that either.

Perhaps one of the best parts of today was hearing a group of young children singing The Beatles classic, "Good Day Sunshine" in English outside of our classroom when it was far too early for me to be excited about grammar. We got a chance to walk around campus which is absolutely breathtaking (picture below). Yes, that is where I go to school... weird right? Marta prepared lunch for me today at home which consisted of a soup made out of avacado, potato, and platanos to start. We then ate tilapia, lentils, rice, and homemade limonada. In Ecuador, lunch is the biggest meal of the day, which is wonderful during lunch; however, I don't know how long I will last eating bread and cheese for dinner.

The group reconvened at La Capilla Del Hombre which is an art exhibit dedicated to the work of Oswaldo Guayasamin who may be my new favorite artist. Guayasamin's work is a tribute to not only the marginalized and oppressed in Latin America but all over the world. Guayasamin was known for traveling to secluded indigenous villages throughout Central and South America and capturing the essence of the struggle of the gente. He believed in a world of peace... a world where mankind could all hold hands. His inability to find such a reality in this world is portrayed through his dark yet realistic paintings of hunger, coldness, and solitude. An example of his work is below (along with a saying I really loved) but I highly encourage you to visit La Capilla Del Hombre if you are ever in Quito. Well worth it.

That's all for now folks... 

I Like To Eat Pavo (Turkey) NOT Polvo (Dust)... Rookie Mistake Numero Uno

For those of you who are unaware Quito sits at about 9,200 feet making it the highest capital city in the world. Such an extreme altitude has limited my ability to exercise (my host father says I need two weeks to adapt to the altitude before strenuous physical activity) as well as given me an extreme headache. Thankfully Tylenol or (tee-lin-all) is a word that exists in both Spanish and English.

For breakfast this morning I ate a cereal named "GOLD", which tasted like honey corn flakes, some queso, and jugo de taza. Tazo juice was the first thing I have not liked here so far. Imagine eating hot sun tan lotion... this was similar but probably worse. My host mother then drove me to La Universidad San Francisco de Quito, which is the school I will be studying at. Apparently international students often complain that USFQ is too snobby because it is the best university in Ecuador and the most expensive. Last time I checked those students pay $56,000 a year to waltz around Chestnut Hill in Polo and J Crew.

It was really great/weird seeing everyone from the group and finally having someone to say "what's up" to instead of "que tal". We spent the entire afternoon going over program logistics and getting to know each other. For lunch we ate at a Mexican restaurant named Cactus where I had the sweetiest, tangiest limonada known to mankind. Our coordinator, Amanda, then treated us to some helado (ice cream). This helado, however, is not made with any milk or cream. It is handmade in a way that I did not completely understand. Regardless, I had the guayabana y moro (guayabana and raspberry). After Day One of Orientation was over the host mothers came to pick us up. Kasia, Pat, and I, along with our host mothers, went to Paco to buy notebooks for school. Luckily all of the simple blue or black ones were taken so I will be attending class with one of the following notebook designs: a human skill, two asian girls shopping, two cartoon lovers sitting by a lake, or some dude playing basketball. I am going to make so many friends. We took the bus home which I will be traveling on every day to get to school. The bus will literally start driving while people are walking on and it only costs 25 centavos. Crazy huh?

Despues, my host mother, Marta, y yo went to the mall to purchase my snazzy cellular devise from Movistar, which is equivalent to Verizon or AT&T in the states. My phone looks like it is from 2001 but from the looks of my new notebooks I probably won't have friends to call anyways. In other news... Ricky Martin is gay? I never knew. There was a flashmob in Quito the day I arrived... would have loved to be a part of that. I am almost finished finalizing my class schedule but I think I may be able to take a photography class which would be great considering I dropped 9 C Notes on a baller camera before I left. I wish I could write more but my headache is brutal and I need to rest mis ojos. And yes, I confused the word Turkey for Dust... but it's cool because Marta didn't know the difference between Dork and Duck in English. Buenas noches!

"If You Can Dream It... You Can Do It"- Walt Disney

I would be lying if I said that I felt excited last night when I boarded AeroGal flight 701 to Guayaquil, Ecuador. On the contrary, I was consumed with a fear of the unknown. I was afraid of the language barrier (and still am)… I was afraid of that first awkward encounter with my host family, whom I had never met… I was afraid of missing out on football games at BC this fall and Marathon Monday next spring. While I completely understand that I will certainly not regret my decision to take a year off, last night I couldn’t help but consider the possibility of leaving JFK Airport and simply not going abroad this fall.

My flight departed JFK at around 12:30AM and landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador at approximately 6:45AM. It was a combination of the dry “raviolis” served on the flight and the fact that I understood more or less zero words that the man at customs said to me which resulted in my first “what the hell am I doing?” I met three people who were also connecting to Quito and we spent our layover together. One of these people, a man from Cuenca, picked up my bill for breakfast without telling me. It wasn’t one of those creepy dude gestures, but more so, I think he saw that I was literally on the verge of shitting my pants out of fear of this whole ordeal. Regardless, there was a man on my second flight who had a straw wrapper on his forehead and usually people realize when they perchance have a straw wrapper on their head. I wanted to say something but did not know the word for “straw wrapper”. He eventually realized and seemed un-phased… that was strange to me. This was a pretty substantial straw wrapper.

When I landed in Quito my host mother, Marta, y host father, Jaime, were holding up a sign with my name on it. As we made our way to our car there were young children, maybe about 5-8 years old, begging for money. It reminded me very much of the airport in Managua, Nicaragua where I will never forget seeing a young boy, completely emaciated, putting up one finger (signaling one dollar). We made our way through Quito to our home. Although I was completely pooped at this point, I unpacked all of my clothes and then lunch was served.

At lunch I met my host sister for the first time, Isabel. She is twenty years old as well. I wish I could tell you everything we ate. I know there was fresh lemonade, some kind of soup that almost tasted like potato soup or pea soup but I am certain it was neither. We also ate roasted corn kernels, pasta, and chicken. It may be difficult adjusting to a large lunch and small dinner… especially because I am hungry all the time. We also ate cherry ice cream for dessert, which I had never had before. Also, we have a chow-chow dog named Coby who is so cute and, for someone who does not like big dogs, you know that means he is actually adorable.

I took una siesta after lunch for about three hours and then grandma came over. We had bread and cheese for dinner (so strange… where is my red meat?) The grandmother had just returned from the Galapagos, which I never knew meant “turtle” in Spanish. Silly me. I am excited to go there soon too! Cuisine mistake number one: the chocolate powder is used for hot chocolate… not chocolate milk. Marta y Jaime looked a little confused when I told them I didn’t want the leche to be hot… it was probably because the powder doesn’t really dissolve in cold milk. Out of respect I felt obligated to drink the powdery disaster. Ever try to swallow a spoonful of cinnamon? This was the next worst thing. Almost as embarrassing as that time I thought the grandma was telling me I was beautiful but, in retrospect, she was definitely referring to something I had mentioned in a story. Well, I thanked her for the compliment, and took the ego check.

After dinner it was time for grandma to go home so we all piled in the car and drove across Quito, which is absolutely beautiful during the nighttime. It is completely surrounded by mountains and the lights from the houses on the mountains make the scenery absolutely breathtaking. Fun fact: there are more KFC’s closer to my new school than there are by Boston College. Step up your game. Regardless, this made me ecstatic because, if you know me at all, you know I can’t live without mashed potatoes and gravy. Now, I am absolutely exhausted and we have our first day of orientation tomorrow! Buenas noches, putas.