First week In Ecuador

Classes/ School
My first week of school was a complete whirlwind but overall it was a success. My first hurdle was figuring out the bus systems. I figured out which buses I need to take to get to school but I am still nailing down which stop to get off on when returning home. I have to take two buses to get to school and my total commute time ends up being around one to one and half hours each way. This makes for a long day since I have 7 hours of school everyday this month. However, I can’t complain since I get to hike around Ecuador for the rest of the semester.
My biology class is awesome! The two professors who run my program teach the class and they are both really young and fun. The class is pretty intense right now since they are trying to prepare us for all of the fieldwork we have ahead. However, the professors are really good at making the information interesting so it is not too bad. My Spanish class is another story. We have two different teachers: one for conversation and one for grammar. So far the grammar part of the class has not been bad but the conversation section is killing me! Anyone who has ever heard me speak Spanish knows how bad my accent are pronunciation are-This does not make for a fun class. I am trying really hard to improve though, both at home and at school, so hopefully the class will get a little better for me. My horrible Spanish has also been giving me a hard time when I try to take taxis. The driver and I always manage to have some sort of miscommunication, which has been extremely frustrating for both parties involved. Funny story on how bad my Spanish is: We all went out to dinner last night and when I tried to order from the waitress (in Spanish) she told me “ No hablo Ingles (I don’t speak English)”. I am really glad that my four semesters of Spanish are paying off.




Exploring Quito
Friday night a group of us went out dancing. Within five minutes of entering the club I had decided that the Ecuadorian boys can dance more sexily and move their hips more seductively than I will ever be able to. Obviously, this realization did not stop me from trying though. After dancing we went to sing Karaoke. We put a total buzz kill on the place when we decided we should sing “Gangstas Paradise”. Our fellow Ecuadorian patrons were not too impressed by a bunch of white Americans trying to rap. All in all, it was a great night.
On Saturday morning my program met up for a tour of the Quito Botanical Gardens. The professors are extremely knowledgeable on Ecuadorian flora and fauna so this trip was really fun! It was also exciting since it was just a small taste of what is yet to come. Later in the day a few girls and myself took the Teleferiqo (a cable car) up to the top of the Andes near Quito. We took pictures (I can’t believe how big Quito is!) and hiked around on the top until the clouds moved in. I faced my fear of heights and the view was amazing! I also learned some valuable lessons: Prior to Saturday I thought that I was too hardcore for several things, sunscreen and altitude sickness being two of them (I “never” burn and I am from Montana where we climb mountains before work). Anyway after the garden tour and my first trip to the top of Andes, my sunburned face and pounding headache are telling me that I am definitely not as hardcore as I think. However, I am still convinced that I have a stomach of steel and an impeccable sense of direction. I will let you know when this changes.

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