Days 11, 12, and 13

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Day 11: Quito

For breakfast, we had tea/coffee, bananas and plums, and french toast with maple syrup from Canada. After some downtime, Zully, Kim, Thomas, and I went to a park and walked around (Mama was in the hospital so she did not come with us). The weather was nice and we had a great view of part of the city! Then we went with Zully to get her car washed. They did it all by hand and also cleaned the inside. This was interesting to me because I am used to an automated carwash that takes a few minutes. For lunch, we had rice, meat, and potatoes with garlic mayo. They had a couple different flavors of mayo, which I did not know existed. It was actually pretty good. We had a couple hours of time to ourselves to rest. I spent some of my time talking with my friend, Jerilyn, which was really great. It was fun to tell her everything I've been up to and what life is like here. In the evening, we made the dough for empanadas and let it set. While we were waiting, we went to the supermarket and I was able to get a few items to bring home with me. Back at home, we rolled out the dough and made the empanadas. It was slightly different than we made them in cooking class but they were still delicious! They also put sugar on top which may not sound like it would go with dough and cheese, but it is delicious! After cleaning up from cooking and dinner together, we watched Friends and got ready for bed.



Day 12: Quito

I got to sleep in today since we did not need to be at ACLAS until 10:45 and it was nice to have a later morning. For breakfast, we had tea/coffee, hot ham and cheese sandwiches, and pineapple and kiwi. Kim and I ended up getting to ACLAS early, so we spent some time with our classmates before our lecture on the history of Ecuador and Quito. It was interesting to learn about the different influences and events that influenced life here today. We also had pre-trip information for our tour tomorrow. Most people went home for lunch, but Kim and I didn't want to walk home and we knew no one would be home, so we packed. We had a salad with corn, peppers, and cheese, chochos with roasted corn, and lime Doritos. We went to the mall to pass the time, then met some friends at ACLAS. We spent some time talking before going to the park to walk around and enjoy the weather while we could. It had been forecasted to rain the whole day but hadn't started yet. We also got ice cream before heading back to ACLAS. We ended up talking and sharing memories for a while before heading home. As Kim, Brianna, Halie, and I were walking home, it started to lightly rain so I am glad we left when we did. Probably less than an hour later, it started pouring and has not stopped for hours. Kim and I ate alone since Zully was at the gym and Mama was at the hospital because her boyfriend had surgery today. We had thick french fries and a chicken patty, which looked different than what I am used to because it was not breaded. We spent our free time talking and watching TV. It was a nice, more relaxed day overall.



Day 13: Quito

This morning we had a hot ham and cheese sandwich, bananas, oranges, apples, and coffee or tea. The whole group met at ACLAS and took a bus to the historical part of Quito. We went to a few different cathedrals. We spent a lot of time at the first cathedral. Most of us decided to climb the towers and get a better view of the city. There were a lot of different places to explore that required climbing spiral staircases and staircases that were basically ladders as well as crossing a wooden bridge. It was a little nerve-racking and I wasn't sure how sturdy everything actually was, but the view was beautiful! We then walked through the city on a tour. There were some steep roads! We saw a few other cathedrals and one was decorated with gold leaf almost everywhere! It rained in the middle of our tour so we got a little wet but we weren't outside for a long time. Once we were ready, we got back on the bus and had lunch. Kim and I had pasta salad that we made the night before with hot dogs and peppers in it. While we were eating, we drove to the top of a hill where a statue of Mary is. Some of us used the bathroom here and we had to pay. This was the first time I have done this while in Ecuador and it makes me appreciate free public restrooms back home. We had another great view of the city and could climb up the statue building as well. It was a normal staircase so a lot easier and less nerve-wracking. It started to rain again, so we got back on the bus and headed to ACLAS. There, we surprised Dr. Reyes for his birthday. We had an apple cake that was good! It was like a moist bread. I was pretty tired but some of us hung around and talked for a while. We walked back home just in time because minutes after we got inside, it started pouring. Kim and I both worked on assignments, then ate dinner which was chicken with corn and scrambled eggs. Mama and Zully went out, so we had the night to ourselves. We watched a movie and talked before getting ready for bed. I FaceTimed some of my college friends and it was so good to see them and talk with them! A great way to end the day 😊



Social Level Reflection:

During my stay here, I have noticed that there are plants everywhere. Our host family has plants at the house. I see trees and grass on the way to ACLAS every day even though it is a city. I think there is more green here than there is in most US cities. There is a garden at ACLAS. I have walked through the park a few times and there is green everywhere. Even inside there are many plants. At the hotel we stayed in, there were box plants in the middle of the building with natural light coming from the roof. I have also found concern for the environment. In the hotel, there was a sign in the shower that reminded people to only use as much water as they needed. I saw a mural outside a school on the way to ACLAS that says to conserve water and soil for a better future. In our home, the lights are turned off if no one is in the room. A lot of the local produce is grown without any chemicals. I have found this to be different than life in America. While we do have green space and I live in Lancaster County which has a lot of farming, I think we are more wasteful and less aware. I think that this is a great aspect of life here in Ecuador. I love that there is a concern for using resources carefully. I appreciate the plants that are in or around buildings, especially since we are in a city. I think it helps provide cleaner air despite the pollution of city life. I also love that their produce is organic here. I think in America we want our food to be perfect and easy, so we use chemicals, but that is not great for us or the earth. Using our resources responsibly is important and while we all have work to do no matter where we are from, I think the rest of us could learn something by observing the abundance of greenery and emphasis on conservation here in Ecuador. In the Insights Guide (pages 51-52), it talks about how Ecuador has been trying to find the balance between this conservation and care for the earth and the oil industry. When oil was found in the Amazon, it boosted the economy but caused deforestation. I think this goes to show that every country has its own unique challenges and decisions to make. People raised awareness and put on the pressure, which caused the oil companies to make better environmental choices. Even though it is not perfect, I have loved being surrounded by plants wherever I go.

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