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Published: January 14th 2007
Domingo Square in Old Town
This is Mariscal Sure, the marshal in on of the key liberation battlesHola mi amigos!!
Well, I have finally arrived in Quito! I have I been talking about this for far too long it seems and after a lot of hurdles to jump through, I’m getting settled into my job and enjoying the sights and sounds of Ecuador.
The trip started off rather in a bad way, however. I was just putting the finishing touches on my packing last Wednesday night, when I decided it would be a good idea to check my email. As it turned out there was an email from the guy who I’ve been in contact here in Ecuador telling me that there has been some sort of horrible misunderstanding and I should cancel my flight and not come. Obviously horrified, I replied to him saying that I was on my way to the airport (we were leaving in about 3 hours from that point), and that there was no way that I could even think about cancelling my plans!
So, the next morning without a job and without any real plans, I boarded my first flight on a series of three to get to Quito (Miami to Bogotá to Quito). Flying down was somewhat uneventful,
Presidential Palace
With a huge square in front of it, the Plaza Grande. the flights in and out of Colombia were interesting, I was one of the few, if not the only, English-speaker on the flights. From the looks of it where we landed, the countryside is beautiful: rolling hills, agriculture, and lots of animals. The airport, however, is sort of more what I was expecting of Columbia: only a little run-down, but guards everywhere with the clear presence of weaponry. Arriving in Quito was fun as well. The city is a valley of the Andean mountain range and so to land, the airplane has to pretty well circle down and into the city - the airport is right in the middle of town!
I eventually got the job worked out the next day by going into the centre and asking what was up. The guy who I had been speaking with had resigned and everyone was extremely apologetic about the situation. They moved me from what was my hostel into one that they paid for, which is where I am now. It took a few days, but I finally got it all straightened out, and am now with a job in Quito (not Guayaquil as originally thought) teaching at the centre
The Mercedarian Church
This church was built in 1700, centre of the old town. This is the cursed tower! and also for executives at an oil company. It should be fun!! I really like the program they use to teach with, but I’ll talk more about the school and my extensive training process in a subsequent entry.
Quito itself is pretty beautiful. I spent most of the day on Saturday wandering around the Old Town looking at and visiting churches and buildings dating back to the 16th century: really beautiful stuff. You can always see the mountains wherever you are, the largest are to the West, and it is from that that you can get your bearings in the city. I spent the most time at the Church de la Merced (the pictures) which was built in 1700. The tower (in the picture) has the largest bell in Old Quito. It's the only part of the church that is not blessed (who knows why!?) and is said to be posessed by the devil!
The hostel that I’m in is more like a budget hotel actually; I have my own room and bathroom but there is a shared kitchen. It’s really nice having my own space, but it’s been a bit hard to meet other travellers staying here
Inside the M. Church
Jesus with his crown of thorns (I don’t think there are too many in this hostel). I have been shuffled around in the rooms a few times, just because the reservation was made at the last minute, and so when I got back to the hostel on Monday evening, the owner came up to me and told me, we needed you to switch rooms today. I was like ok, I’ll go pack my stuff, but he said, nope, we already switched your room!! A little sketched out, I asked, ok so where am I going? Down the hall he replied. I told him then that there was things locked in the wardrobe, assuming he must have busted the lock open to move its contents. Don’t worry, he assured me, we just moved the whole wardrobe!! He showed me up to my room and, as I had done the night before, all my things were out of my bag and unpacked on the bed in the exact same order as when I had left in the morning (even a little more organized perhaps!) but in a different room!! Sketchy as it was, it was kind of amusing.
I have told some people over MSN that I’m
The Organ in the Mercedarian
Added 100 years after the church was built feeling a bit of reverse culture shock. I don’t know what I was expecting, but Quito is a very modern city. I can get pretty well everything that is available in Canada and am now accessing the internet wirelessly from my room in the hostel! It’s a bit weird. The thing that is still taking some getting used to is the language. I don’t know much Spanish, although I am leaning, so it can be tricky at times to communicate with people, many of whom do not speak any English at all.
So, that’s sort of the overview for now, I’m going to spend the next few days looking for an apartment and getting settled that way. I will write more soon.
Hope everyone is doing well and talk to you all soon!!
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Sarah
non-member comment
hurrah for your balls!!! I hope your settling in gets a little easier.