"I need a favor... you see, I really need a visa for the U.S...."

Classes today were pretty good. For Spanish we continued watching a bit more of the movie, "El Crimen del Padre Amaro." I wish we could just finish watching it because I really want to see how it ends. I recommend you watch it if you haven't yet.

I took a really long nap today, longer than I wanted. Nonetheless I feel so much better; my headache went away. When I woke up, it was actually raining! Adriana advised that we go to the teleferico (cable car)- http://www.quito.com.ec/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.cmtproductos&product_id=116&category_id=&manufacturer_id=&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=114&vmcchk=1&Itemid=114

As soon as the rainy season kicks in hard, we will lose the chance of going. My host brother Juan Jose showed me his rain boots and he looks really cute in them. I need to get some and I need to get an umbrella. I can't believe I forgot that at home.

For dinner I had Ajiaco: sopa hecha con pollo y papas, es la especialidad de la comida bogotana. It was good. To drink I had jugo de mora, it tastes somewhat like Kool-Aid. I should start taking pictures of my meals so you can see. I must admit I was scared I wouldn't like the food here, but my host mom is a great cook and I have yet to turn down a dish... *knock on wood*

I have been here a little over a week and I have yet to feel homesick. I don't know if that's because I have been so distracted that I haven't had time to feel that, or if it's because I underestimated myself too much. Le doy gracias A Dios for giving me strength as well as many other things. I have had good and bad experiences, I have met good and bad people, and I have learned so much. I have had plenty of good laughs/times with Yonseili and other students that I am glad I made the decision to come.

Highlight of the day: I got proposed to by a guy from Israel. His name is ... well I'll have to make sure I get the right spelling, but it's pronounced like "Hen." It was funny of course, but I'm thinking he really would have done it if I had said yes. He also asked Yonseili and he was offering us his facebook credentials, a restaurant he owns... and I don't remember what else. He really wants a visa to go to the U.S.

Got my hair did

Our second week of school started off and ended well. Every week we will get a new instructor for Spanish and the instructor for this week is Professor Wagner. I was relieved that he didn't give us much homework compared to Viviana. Class was pretty funny, especially when we talked about bungee jumping. Then we watched 15 minutes of "El Crimen del Padre Amaro." I must finish watching it. Too bad marketing research wasn't as fun. We had a written, two-hour long test. Just what I look forward to on Mondays.

After school Yonseili accompanied her host mom for lunch and I had lunch with Brian from Philadelphia at a nearby Mexican restaurant, Ajo Macho. When I got home I saw Yonseili in the patio washing her shoes and I joined her so I could wash mine. Clementina helped us out, but I think that was only because she needed the lavadero to wash rags so she needed us to hurry up. We put our shoes up on the terrace so they could dry.

I needed to get a hair trim and Yonseili wanted to get a manicure. So we went to Rosita's salon - Aidelita (Yonseili's host mom) took us there and dropped us off only because they weren't doing pedicures today. I thought she wanted to hang out. Anyway, my hair's okay and Yonseili's nails came out great; I guess we'll be going to Rosita's salon during our stay here.

Nadia, the Lebanese student that was staying at my house left today.

Highlight of the day: Dinner chat with the host family and Nadia. We have good laughs at the table.

P.S. Happy Birthday Juan Dominguez.

Sunday with Familia Polit

Woke up with a knock at my door at about 8am. She (my host mom) told me I should get ready because we, including Carlos' mom, were to have breakfast out in a Colombian restaurant called S'pan'es. I had pretty good huevos rancheros and a hot chocolate with a croissant on the side.

At 11:30 was church. Adriana, Martica, Yonseili and I went. Afterward we stopped at Martica's apartment real quick because it started to rain down on us. After drinking tea and chatting for a bit, we went to Juan Jose's grandparents' house. Yonseili and I got soup, then we were served chicken, avocado slices, and a salad. It was delicious. I really enjoyed being in a big family environment even though it still isn't as big as mine. I love watching family dynamics and it was a pleasure meeting my host father's family. They were all wonderful and very hospitable.

Como Perros y Gatos 2, La Venganza de Kitty Galore in 3D (Cats and Dogs the sequel) started at 4:50 and it was barely 3ish. No, we didn't pick the movie. It was my little host brother's choice. We had to wait a while before the movie started. The ticket cost us $7 and it was at a Cinemark movie theater. The theater is in Plaza Las Americas where there are a few restaurants and stores, also a gym. *The picture of the Cinemark above is the one we went to, but not a picture I took. I found it on Google.* It was my host family, Yonseili, Martica, and three of my host father's nieces and I that went. Oh! Seats here are reserved when you buy your movie ticket, so you must sit in the seat your ticket says.

Highlight of the Day: Hanging out with Mr. Polit's family.

"Sheck-it-out, no problem"

Today 9 students from the school went to Otavalo, Ecuador. We had a blast.

We paid $19 dollars so that we can all go on a rented, grey, toaster-looking van to a bizcocho factory, see the beautiful views of all the landscapes, go to the market in Otavalo, the Cascada of Peguche, and to the lake in San Pablo which was created after the ice cap of a nearby volcano melted. We had a driver and a professor with us as well.

It took us two hours to get to the market, but first we made a quick stop to the bizcocho factory which was painted cow skin style. The bizcochos were different from what I expected. They were more like cookies. Nonetheless they were still very good. We got to go behind-the-scenes where there were two young guys making bizcochos. I asked how many they made a day. Any guesses? If you thought 3,500, you are right... IF you multiply that by 2. They make 7,000 a day! Of course, the room they're working in is very warm because of the ovens, so I can't imagine doing that many a day in such a hot room. Kudos to the bizcocho makers!

We went on our way to the market. I was fascinated by all the handmade things that are sold. Yonseili and I got ripped off $4 each. This is how it happened: Yonseili and I saw some pants that we really liked because they look really comfortable to wear. She asked how much they were and the little girl, Eddika, said $12 at first but went down to $9. We thought she was doing us a favor and we were fascinated by how amazingly helpful she was. She came and went to get us the size we wanted and the color we wanted. We even took a picture with cute little Eddika. Well, turns out Eddika wasn't just cute and little, she was smart and convincing. Right around the corner we saw the same pants but at $5. Eddika wasn't so cute to us anymore.

From there we went to the waterfall of Peguche only 5 minutes away from the market. It is considered a sacred place in the culture of the towns of Otavalo because it is such a naturally beautiful place. We got to take amazing pictures.

Cotacachi was the next stop. It was a nice town, known for selling a lot of leather merchandise. We ate there at a nice restaurant with very good food. Yonseili and I got arroz on pollo and drank cola. We had a lot of good laughs during lunch.

Then to San Pablo we went to see the lake. It was beautiful and there was a great view of the volcano.

The ride to and from was 2 hours long. I am so happy we had a van and that we didn't take the bus.

Highlight of the day: Totally unexpected - Indigenous lady at the market speaking to us in English when she was trying to sell beautiful table cloths. She was saying, "Look Ms., beautiful and in different colors. Sheck-it-out, no problem. Look all the different colors. Sheck-it-out, no problem."

"Entre mas cansado, mas ñeque" -Taxi Driver

TGIF

Today in Spanish class we had a ten-minute oral presentation to do about (1) an important event (2) a famous person or (3) an event in our lives. I picked (3). I talked about my trip to Washington, D.C. for the Presidential Inauguration January 20, 2009. I did okay, except that I need to work more on a few things. I didn't realize I really need improvement on my Spanish until I got here. Spanglish has helped me out a lot when I don't know how to say something in either language. Anyway, I still did okay. The written part was really long and boring.

After marketing research, Yonseili and I went out to lunch. We looked for a place called "El Coyote," but we couldn't find it. Thanks guy from beginner's marketing class! You really know how to give correct directions! Anyway, we ended up at a place where we thought we'd be eating pizza comfortably. But that wasn't the case. I became quickly uncomfortable when we sat in what was apparently a high-class restaurant where people "subtly" stared at us - the prices were about the same we'd pay at Chilis or Applebees back in the states. The restaurant was really cool, had a nice patio, and good food. But never again.

Oh, and today I believe we were followed. My host parents say that the guys probably just wanted to flirt. If that's the case, way to go Ecuadorian guys! You sure know how to give us girls a good scare!

We had a good chat with a taxi driver today. He told us he was having a long day of work and taught us the word "ñeque" which means fuerzas or strength. "The more tired he was the more strength he had." Of course, the word comes from the Quechua language.

Thursday shmursday

Didn't do anything much other than study and do homework. Chill day. Word.

Visit to the "Meddle" of the World

August 25th, 2010

Up on one of the walls at the school, there is a white board where there is a list of activities that are organized for the students. For today, Yonseili and I had signed up to go to the middle of the world. You may be wondering why it is that I wrote "meddle" on the title. Well, if you are and you want to know, it is because when we went to the Mercado La Mariscal, there were souvenir t-shirts being sold and one of the t-shirts said "Ecuador - the Meddle of the World." So that's why.

Everyone going was supposed to meet at 1:30pm at the school. Yonseili's and my Marketing Research class ends at 1pm. Well, we wanted/needed to go back home to get some stuff and leave other stuff and then make it back to the school by 1:30pm. So as soon as we left the class, we were James-Bond-style. We booked it to get a cab and headed home. It took the taxi maybe 10 minutes max to get here. Then, on our way back, we were stuck in rush hour traffic, "las horas pico." We were starting to panic, and to top it all off the cab driver we got was new to the business... he even had a map with him. But we made it with four minutes left on the clock...and we still hadn't eaten. So there we go booking it to a nearby store to get "segundas" which is rice, hominy, plantains, and pork to go. Then it was time to go a la mitad del mundo.

Yonseili and I went with professor Wagner on a taxi to get the 'metro,' which isn't really like an underground metro... it's a bus system. The other students went with the other professor to the same location. Then we went only with professor Wagner on the bus for a 40-minute drive. The ride truly was long. I didn't have a seat the entire time, it wasn't a smooth ride, the smell of exhaust s*cks.

When we finally got there, we went to the REAL middle of the world at the inti-ñan museum. We had a tour guide who shared a lot of neat information with us. We saw the skin of an Anaconda, huge spiders (Migala spider), a parasite catfish that can grow inside you, Candiru. Oh! and we saw "Tzanza's." They are shrunken heads used as trophies of war that were made by the tribes with a secret process to reduce the size of human heads, especially from their enemies. It is not done on human heads any longer, but is done on animal heads. The mystery of this process has not been discovered yet. But we were told the steps: (1) take head apart from body (2) make incision on the back so that organs inside, everything can be taken out (3) boil the head in secret potion (4) sew up the mouth and eyes -Tribes believed that the spirit of a person used to be in the head so they used to do this so that the spirit of the enemy wouldn't escape and take revenge- (5) stuff the head. Thought I'd share that just in case some of you might want to know a unique way getting revenge on someone... JUST KIDDING PEOPLE!

After that we were able to take pictures on the middle of the world line. I must admit it's amazing to be able to say that I went there because I remember being amazed by the equator when I was little, and never did it cross my mind that I would be going. Several things are done on the spot so that we are shown that we are for real at the "Mitad del Mundo." The following link talks about what we went through today: http://www.rampant-books.com/south_america_travel_tips/water_circle_clockwise_southern_hemisphere.htm

I really couldn't have put it any better myself, so I hope y'all take a look at the link!

Yonseili Flores and Miriam Engseth, a student from Norway, were able to balance the egg on the nail! It was exciting and they both got certificates that say they were able to do so on the equator.

Afterward, I went with Yonseili to "Gringolandia." Florian, the international student from France also living in her house until Saturday night, invited us there just to go have a drink and have fun. I don't drink but I figure it would be okay to go out and check out this so-called "White-people-Land." So we and Nadia, a Lebanese student who will leave Tuesday, got a taxi and headed to the university which is where we were supposed to meet everyone going. We arrived, hung out for a bit, and then took off. The place was definitely busy for it being a Wednesday night. There were a lot of people out enjoying themselves. We went into a bar in which it was Ladies Night. An international student told us to go with her because they give I don't remember how many free drinks before 8...ish. I just got a coke without ice, that I didn't even drink. We left early because we had to do Spanish homework. Of course, we were looked at kind of weird. Some people like honey on their pancakes, I don't. I'd rather have my cereal separate from my milk. I like ketchup on my cheese Ruffles chips. And I don't like to drink. It is what it is. Word.

Just another day in the neighborhood

Today I went to school. We had Spanish class with Professor Viviana and we were assigned homework. We went to Marketing Research class with Professor "Nacho" (Juan Ignacio Arrocha) and we weren't assigned homework, thank God. Professor Nacho is from Venezuela and has been living in Quito for 2-3 years. We had him for, basically, beginner's marketing but we were able to get an advanced class with the same professor and same NMSU students, minus 3 students who stayed in the beginner's class.

Yonseili wasn't feeling good today, and I'm hoping she gets better soon.

35-minute walk to school

Today Yonseili and I walked to school. Then, coincidentally, we bumped into Brian from Philadelphia who is also studying in Academia Latinoamericana de Español. We made it a deal to meet each other at the same spot every morning so we can all walk to school together. It took us about 35 minutes, and we were so thankful we bumped into Brian because although we were sure we knew the way, we probably would have wandered a bit before locating the school. Although walking to may sound really cool, it's not so much because of all the exhaust that is released by every vehicle here. Okay, well, maybe not EVERY vehicle. But, buses sure make up for what other cars aren't releasing. It was an okay day, not much else happened other than Spanish homework, whoop-de-doo.

Vocabulary I have learned thus far, that I can remember:

-Sorbete means straw

-Chuchaqui means hungover. So if you are hungover, you can say, "estoy chuchaqui." This comes from the Quechua language. But the Spanish language term would be "resaca" or "tener resaca."

-Instead of saying "okay," meaning that you understand something, you say "ya."

-My host mother Adriana says that in Colombia instead of answering to someone with what or "mande," you answer "Señor/Señora."

Highlight of the day: Walking to school! The pollution isn't good on the lungs, but I had never been able to say that I walked to school. Now I can.

First day of school

August 23, 2010

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. –Robert Lewis Stevenson

Today was the first day of school. I met up with Yonseili in the AM so her host parents could take us, and off we went. When we arrived, Aidelita, Yonseili’s host mom, walked in with us. I seriously felt like I was a little girl. Walking in to the school wasn’t strange because we had already gone Friday to talk with Patty about our class schedule. What was strange was seeing that there were students who were obviously international. I can say for the first time that I am not from the country, that I am an international student.

The plan for today was to have orientation for all the new students, a tour of the city, and that was it. But little did we know that Yonseili, Christian Sarmiento (NMSU Student also majoring in HRTM), and I were going to have class that day. Anywho, I’ll get to that later. When the bell rang, and I mean literally a bell, we were welcomed by Patty and we were asked to introduce ourselves. There are students from the states Philadelphia, Virginia, Michigan, as well as from Germany, Israel, Norway, and England. We are all here for different periods of time and most are here to learn Spanish. After the introductions, all the new students took a group picture in front of the university and we walked to the nearest bus stop. The bus ride is 25 cents which the school paid for. Before getting on the bus the director warned us that we would be getting the Chinese Metro experience because buses get so full that you lose all of your personal space and it is necessary to push yourself through the crowd. I had no idea what he was talking about until I lost all my personal space and had to push myself through the crowd. I was literally up against I don’t know how many people. It became obvious then how easy it is for a thief to take someone else’s belongings. I made sure to hold on to my pockets.

We went to the old/colonial part of Quito, Ecuador. We got to visit several churches and see the President’s (Rafael Correa) house. I also saw how poverty sweeps over the city. I saw women charging tourists so that they can take a picture with their children who aren’t looking their best, to say the least.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: THE BUS RIDE! Yonseili and I could not stop laughing. We were super crammed in the bus, the Ecovia. Talk about full!

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. 1 PETER 1:18 THE MESSAGE

Shopping!

August 22, 2010

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -T. S. Eliot

Today I went to mass and it was shorter than an hour. It was probably about 30 minutes long, 40 minutes max. Other than that there was nothing too different from mass back home. Actually, there was something too different. The church is closer to the airport than my house is and hearing a plane pass over concerned me. Every time I hear a plane pass by I get the urge to run outside and make sure that either a plane or a bomb isn’t coming down on us. When was mass was over we walked back home. Apparently every Sunday, Avenida de Amazonas (the street the church is on), closes for bicyclists. I don’t know why but it surprised me to see that here.

After mass, my host parents and a friend of theirs Marta, aka Martica, who is from Colombia, came along with Yonseili, Ashley and I to the Mercado de Artesanias. Juan Jose went to his paternal grandparents’ home, and that was a good thing because he would have gotten bored quickly while we were doing all the shopping. Before we went I had been told that in order to get good deals, it is necessary to negotiate with the vendors. It was hard for me to ask them to lower the price because most of the stuff is handmade and stuff that I don’t think I can find in “the states” easily. I asked a lady how much a scarf she was selling was for and she told me $12. Now, that was definitely high-priced for me because I knew I could find something as pretty or prettier for a lower price elsewhere, and I found out soon how much lower I could get it for. As we continued walking around the market I saw the same scarf but in a different color, and I asked how much it was for. It was for $4. I couldn’t believe how high the first vendor was going to sell it to me for.

After the market, we ate at Restaurante Rincon Ecuatoriano Chileno. I ordered chicken and the plate came with white rice, which was salty by the way, and french fries and a salad. It was all very good. What wasn’t so good is that we found out servers get paid $1/hr.

Instead of taking the bus home, we took a taxi. I was relieved because the bus this morning was packed.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Going to the Mercado de Artesanias was really neat. *We took a picture with our Aggie flag at the market. =) You can see that on Yonseili's blog: http://yonseilidaily.blogspot.com/

I am guiding you in the way of wisdom, and I am leading you on the right path. PROVERBS 4:11 NCV

Different Rhythm

August 21st, 2010

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

After breakfast we went to the market to get fruits and other groceries for lunch, here called “almuerzo.” At the market La Mariscal, there is a huge variety of fruits, vegetables and seafood. It was definitely interesting to see. While there, Carlos gave me an “uvilla” to taste. They are small, round and bright yellow/orange, and are very citrusy. There they have ladies follow you in carts (in which you place your food in) and they help you with it to your car or the taxi. It is necessary to give them a tip because they do not have a salary. Carlos and Adriana made the food together; we ate Cebiche de Mariscos.

So, how do I feel? The night I got here I did shed some tears when I got the chance to just sit down and be alone in my temporary room. It wasn’t so much that I wanted to cry because I was immediately homesick, but more like I needed to to do so after feeling so many emotions in one day. That lasted 1-2 minutes really. I somewhat miss home right now. I miss simply being in my own home, being COMPLETELY comfortable. I’ve taken 5 minute showers because the water hasn’t been warm.

I had a hot dog for dinner… it was great to eat something I was familiar with because it left the guessing game out of my mind about how the food was going to taste and how it was going to feel. Tomorrow I will be going to church with my host mom and Juan Jose. I look forward to it.

I can’t wait until schools starts. Oh! and our luggage still hasn’t gotten here. Delta told Yonseili that it is still in Atlanta, GA, so we can buy essential stuff for the mean time and Delta will reimburse us.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Yonseili, Ashley and I went for a walk down the street at about 9pm. They bought sandwiches, or sanduches, at a nearby place called Panaderia and Pasteleria “La Union.” Afterward we walked a bit further down the street and we saw a young boy, about 9 or 10 years old, blowing fire out of his mouth in front of traffic while the red light was on. CRA-ZY.

I Run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free. PSALM 119:32 NIV

Day 1

August 20, 2010

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Don’t hurry, don’t worry. You’re only here for a short visit so be sure to smell the flowers along the way. –Walter Hagen

I woke up this morning and I heard a male and female speaking French downstairs… that was totally unexpected. I know that there is an international student in what is supposed to be my room right after she leaves, but I also know that the student is female. So, who on earth was speaking French downstairs? I surely don’t think it was my host father… Unless, the female international student has a friend over? It’s a mystery at the moment.

For lunch, I went with Yonseili and Ashley to a nearby restaurant, La Tablita del Tartaro. I was a bit nervous walking in the city for the first time even though I wasn’t alone. The thing is, I know we stand out. All I can think is that we are targets for thieves. But I keep my cool and pretend to walk as if I own the place. I’ve heard that’s the trick. The looks definitely make me feel uncomfortable, but of course, what else am I to expect?

I went with my host mother and brother to look for an Ethernet cable so that I can extend the internet from my host parents’ room to what will be mine after Lea leaves my soon-to-be-room. No luck. They’re all kind of expensive here, and they’re not all that good. The walking and taking a taxi was interesting. I am having a hard time dealing with the pollution I am breathing in, from all the exhaust the buses leave. My eyes and my nose are irritated now. I’ve learned that I need to have thick skin when getting a taxi. Many taxi drivers, if they can tell I am not from here, will take advantage and either charge me more or take me the long way so they can ‘justify’ why they need to charge me more. I’ve also seen that traffic in Juarez is nothing compared to here. The streets here aren’t streets, they are race tracks. People swerve in and out of lanes like it’s nothing… I mean, it really takes skill to be able to drive here. You actually NEED the skill or people will chew you up and spit you out with the impatience and their car horns. Oh my goodness, I have never heard car horns being used this much. If I could get a penny for every time I heard one, I could retire as of yesterday.

The night ended with a chat Adriana (my host mom), Yonseili and I had. It was good.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Yonseili y yo nos fuimos a la terraza de mi hogar y vimos pasar a un avion muy cerca. !Parecia que las dos nunca habiamos visto un avion en nuestras vidas!

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. MATTHEW 6:33 THE MESSAGE

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Take off!

August 20, 2010 - at 1ish AM

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: They say you will never be lonely from the start of each day to its end if you walk life’s pathway with love in your heart...

The day before I left I was hoping I could simply rest and chill with my family, but of course that did not happen. I had to buy a few more things, such as mosquito repellent, and say one more goodbye to my cousins, aunts and uncles, and my grandma. As I was leaving my nina’s house (my aunt), I hugged my grandma, my nina, my cousin Nidia and then my cousin Nadia. I had kept it together until I hugged Nadia who hugged me as if she didn’t want to let go. That’s when all of us women began to tear up and cry. Thanks Nadia! So there I went again to hug Nidia, my nina and my grandma. I told them all I loved them. Saying goodbye to my sister and her family was no exception. The hardest part was saying goodbye to my nephew Arturo and my niece Stefany. I love them both dearly and I can’t wait to tell them about my experience here when they get older. I hope that one day they, too, have big dreams. For my last day in the “States,” I was also hoping to spend the entire day with Henry (my boyfriend), but unfortunately he had to work. He was very sorry, but I understand that work is work; nonetheless he hung out with me later in the day. I decided I wouldn’t sleep because I was scared I wouldn’t hear my alarm and I’d miss the plane. Plus, I needed to triple-check that I had all of the necessary documents already packed and ready to go.

So we (Henry and my parents and I) left to the airport at 3am. Yonseili and I checked in our bags and hung out for about half an hour. When the time came, we said goodbye to our families. I had a knot in my throat; I definitely didn’t cry as much as I thought I would when we left El Paso. It was hard leaving my parents and Carlos at the airport, but part of me was so excited I was stronger than I expected to be. I believe this trip, aka CHALLENGE, has come at a good time in my life. I needed a break from the routine and I needed to do something different. I know I can do this. I will survive!

The wait in Atlanta, Georgia, was almost as hard and about as long as the flight to Quito. All the comments about the airport were no joke – the airport really is enormous – so thank God I was with Yonseili; she definitely knew her way around. Ashley met us there, so we went from being two to three. We waited a while before we could see the city name Quito up on the gate screen. It was almost surreal to see that.

The flight was extremely long to say the least. We were on the air for 5 hours I believe. It was a bit weird being able to watch iCarly so high up in the air. I also watched The Last Song, which wasn’t bad but wasn’t good either. Yonseili and I, being that we got to sit together, got more and more excited as we got closer. We were able to see where the plane was on the screen in front of us. As we were landing, we took pictures and video from the plane. The city looked amazing and it looked very busy. Lights were running up and down all the hills, and there are plenty of hills. It was really neat to see everything that Yonseili and I had been looking at on the internet right in front of us. When we landed we asked the captain/pilot if we can take a picture with him. He said yes, AND he let us take a picture in the cock pilot; Yonseili wore the captain’s hat and sat in the captain’s seat. Now it was time to check in, get our luggage and meet our families!

Our happiness shut down after Yonseili and I noticed our luggage was nowhere to be found…just great! We had to get in “line” to fill out a form to report lost/delayed luggage. We waited there for so long that we were worried our host parents would leave because they’d think we didn’t show up after all. After a long time, a man came toward the crowd and we were relieved to see he was holding two papers with our names on them. The only problem was that he didn’t have Ashley’s name… I can’t imagine how Ashley felt. She had waited for us, but after she saw that (or didn’t see that), she obviously panicked a bit and decided to get ahead of us to see if her family was there. Yonseili and I finally left the crowd of upset Delta passengers and proceeded on with our carry-on’s to finally meet our host-families.

My Ecuadorian host father, Carlos Polit, is about 5’5”-5’6”, and is “moreno” or, I guess, brown. His hair is very short, like you can see his scalp, and his hair is spiky/straight. He was wearing a jean jacket with a green hoodie under, and jeans. He must be in his late 30’s or early 40’s. Who also seems that age is my host mom, Adriana Arango, and she is Columbian. She is from the same city as Juanes, Medellin. Yonseili was picked up by her host parents’ secretary, Carmelita. Ashley did not have anyone there to pick her up. We brought her along and into a taxi we went… there were 6 of us and the driver. My host parents were in the front passenger seat and in the back were the three of us girls and Carmelita. I’m not sure about the driver, but the rest of us did not have a seat belt on. That was interesting.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Definitely arriving to Quito, Ecuador. It’s still a bit surreal that I am doing all of this.

Walk in the paths He shows you: follow the life-map absolutely, keep an eye out for the signposts… then you’ll get on well in whatever you do and wherever you go. 1 KINGS 2:1 THE MESSAGE