Hablo espanol (un poco)

Hola! After a fabulous week being a house bum in Los Angeles, courtesy of my friends Emily and Gene, I left for Quito, Ecuador, where I am attempting to learn Spanish. I chose Ecuador because it was relatively safe (i.e., I might have my money stolen, but no one is kidnapping me to gain the US government's attention), but would not provide me with the comforts of a first world country. Weather was also a factor - a country on the equator can't be cold . . . Quito being 9,000 feet above sea level provides a cooling effect as it is usually 60 degrees year round.

I'm staying with a great family here. Fabiola is my "host mother", and her 14 year old daughter Estefani lives with her. All meals (lunch and dinner) start with a soup . . . sometimes people put popcorn in their soup instead of crackers! I saw a lot of Quito on my first day here. Estefani walked with me to El Parque La Carolina, and then we walked with Fabiola around Centro Historical (the old city) to see the churches and plazas. The old city is by far the most scenic. It is also the place for demonstrations, the most frequent of which involve mothers peacefully protesting the government's refusal to give money to public childcare centers.

After a week of being here, I have a regular routine. I go to class for 3.5 hours in the morning, and it's a 1:1 student teacher ratio so my constant participation is required. (Those of you who watched me sleep through classes can appreciate that.) I learned a lot the first week and can now say most of what I want to with some difficulty. (I only understand the responses 50% of the time.) Oh, and I can only speak in the present tense. After school I head to the gym in the Hilton hotel. The city is too polluted to run in the streets (people that do wear masks), and I couldn't stand the thought of not running for a month . . . so I paid to run in a very nice facility that also has an outdoor pool =) Then I head back home to study and do homework. After dinner, I usually read (Bilbo Baggins is about to save the day). Some evenings the school plans events so we can see other aspects of the city.

It's amazing to me what American has managed to export to the far ends of the world. For the most part, Quito is not a wealthy city, but there are a couple new malls that seem wholeheartedly American. There's a Cinnabon and Baskin Robbins . . . and the same type of boutique stores one would find in Tyson's Corner or Lenox Mall. The top floor is usually a food court with a bagel place and a Kenny Rogers´ Roasters. I then ventured into a more traditional street market that sold arts and crafts. Thinking it would be touristy but more authentic, I was dumbfounded to observe a vendor watching an episode of Full House dubbed in Spanish. Oh, and then there's the music realm. While Latin America has its share of pop music stars, Britney Spears and some of the American boy bands have equal popularity. My only consolation is that the same radio stations play Bon Jovi . . .

I spent last weekend with Diego (the director of the school) and Tim (another student) in the charming town of Banos. Banos is known for its hot springs, provided by the neighboring volcano. We hiked up a nearby hill and in certain spots could sense the thermal activity beneath our feet! The town has also utilized local resources and built a church out of volcanic rock. The area around Banos has numerous waterfalls, which we saw on our bike ride. The ride ends at Pailon de Diablo (Devil's Bowl), where we hiked down to the main waterfalls. Equally as impressive is the steepness of the surrounding hills. In some places we could see the switchbacks leading up to a lone residence at the top. I'm wondering how often those residents make the trek down.

Back to school . . . next time I shall have pictures of the churches in the city as well as pics from the equator!

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