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Published: February 17th 2011
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Hello everyone!
After 4 very exciting days in Quito I have finally managed to get Internet! Hurray!
I'm having an amazing time so far after a rather stressful start with me almost missing my connecting flight to Quito in Houston (stupid immigration queue!). But once I actually was in the plane to Quito everything was fine and 5 hours later we were approaching Quito. Which really is one of the scariest things I've ever experienced. Quito Airport is literally in the middle of Quito so when the plane starts to "land" you get so close to the buildings you think you'll crash and die. And then out of nowhere the runway appears and the near death experience is over.
After another ridonculously long immigration queue I met my host family for the first time. It consists of Thelma (the mother), Lorena (the 40 year old Stewardess daughter) and Maya (the crazy tiny dog). They're all very very lovely but sadly refused to speak English with me from the start so after 19 hours of travelling I had to somehow manage my way through my first spanish conversation in South America. Once we arrived at the flat I just passed out
on the bed and next thing I know it's Monday and I have my first day at the Acadamia where I´m having Spanish lessons for a week. The people there are all very lovely and from all over the world really. After an evaluation test 2 other new girls and I got showed round Quito. Quito itself isn´t all that pretty really. It´s mainly the old part of the city which is nice. We went to look around a couple of important churches (there are like a gazillion around. the spanish did a great job there). And when we arrived at Plaza Mayor there was quite a big procession because on the 14th some war between Peru and Ecuador ended (with Ecuador winning) and we got to see the President of Ecuador! He even waved our way 😊 Quite amusing since I haven´t even seen Angela Merkel. After a bit more wandering around we returned to the Academia and had Orientation (which was pretty useless) and I went to buy stamps! And I did! Successfully! Which after my epic doughnut ordering fail in Barcelona was quite a thing 😉
On Tuesday more lessons but afterwards we went to "La
Mitad del Mundo", the Equator which runs right through Ecuador. We visited a museum which was really interesting actually. We did a couple of experiments to do with the Equator, like balancing an egg on a nail which is meant to be really easy there (I still failed), which way the water runs through the sink (it just goes down perpendicularily (is that even a word?), while it goes clockwise and counterclockwise south and north of the equator) and we tried to balance right on the Equator which is actually really hard! Apart from all the equator stuff the museum was also about the indigenous people from all over Ecuador. For example one tribe used to make shrunken heads (tasty!) so they showed us 2 real ones and how to make them (on a chart. we didn´t acutally make shrunken heads...). We also learned about their lives which were really well organised actually. So that was really good and the end of Tuesday.
On wednesday even more lessons (there is a theme here somewhere...) and afterwards we had our Valentines Day Party. So I returned to the Academia at 6 and the party commenced! There was quite a bit
of Salsa dancing and 2 very nice guys, francisco and estefán, tried to teach me. Bless them 😉 It was really fun though, but towards 9 it all sort of fizzled out and I was going to go home. On the way out I met a couple of the other students who were on their way to go out in La Mariscal (the touristy party centre of Quito) and they convinced me to go with them. So in the pouring rain we made our way to Mariscal and went to a Club. Which was hilarious actually 😊 so we had a really good night out there with loads and loads of dancing and more attempts at Salsa but somehow the longer the night the worse I was at it. Much to the amusement of the Ecuatorians that tried to teach me. And at half 1 I took a taxi back to the house of my host family. And because I´m a bit of a chicken and I got really scared in the taxi by myself I acted like I was on the phone to someone. Which in hindsight is slightly pathetic, but it made me feel better at the time
😉
And that´s pretty much all that has happened so far 😊
I hope you´re all well and I shall write again soon 😊
xxx
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Becki Barnes
non-member comment
becky-barnes@hotmail.com
OMG!!! Douche!!! 1. U have serious problems with airports...its like everywhere u go SOMETHING happens in the airport! :P 2. I would love to see u try to balance an egg on a nail!!! Would be THE funniest fail ever!!! Id laugh if they were actually pulling ur leg and secretly video taping everyone trying to do it for ages :P 3. Tasty shrunken heads????? Nice.....somehow i always knew u were like that! :P 4. Ooooooh Salsa eh ;). Just swizzle, twizzle and shake ur bum according to maria (flatmate) here! lol! Nd now i am watching her trying to demonstrate it on steve....he looks horrified...and she looks like a chicken with broken legs!!! Jesus!!! This is getting rather.....raunchy......he is now mouthing help.....not going to happen :P. 5. Really miss you douche!! And I'm so glad ur having a lovely time! Keep the blogs coming :D xxx