Quito!

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Once arriving in Quito, I was able to get off at the right stop (expertly directed by Uncle David!) and take a taxi to Los Granados, the area where he is living. However, since he was involved in classes at the University, I was met by Diana, a 19-year-old girl who I was also staying with during my time in Quito. I had dinner with her, and some ice-cream and sweets and we got to know eachother, comparing food differences from our countries (she is actually Colombian!) and having a wonderful time together. At about 9.00 in the evening I was finally able to see my Uncle after a whole week of being in Ecuador! but the reunion was short since we were all tired and eager to get to bed...
After some breakfast all together at 7.00 the next morning, I was off with Diana and some other Quito youth of all ages to the Valley, where we played a great game of soccer, a game of ping-pong called Mosca that involves two rackets and running around the table passing the racket on to the next player and gradually knocking people out until the two remaining play to the best of 5. THis is a pretty hectic game invilving a lot fo running and crashing into each other but really a lot of fun!
We experienced the Ecuadorian costant change in weather (which I had a lot of in Otavalo also!) of sun-rain-sun-rain-sun-rain and after staying at the sports complex we were at until 4.30 due to the constant weather changes (when we were originally going to leave at 12 or at the latest 2!) we made it to the outskirts of Quito where our group of 18 had a lovely pizza dinner and enjoyed exchanging jokes, stories and latest news. I managed to get sunburnt with a nice farmers tan on my arms and neck and who would have though it possible when such strong sun was followed by a deluge of torrential rain! It really is incredible how quick the eather changes and you can never determine before hand how the day will turn.
Diana and I got back to the house around 8.00 and after a long day and only about 20 minutes of having seen my Uncle, I was ready for bed!
ON Saturday Diana and I where up and made a nice breakfast and then Uncle David joined us to go up to the park right behind the house (park might be an understament becuase this was huge! with so many trails and paths that if I hadn't been with someone, I would definitely have gotten lost!) and Diana and I went jogging while Uncle David led the way on his bicycle. Unfortunately, Diana twisted her ankle about 3/4 of the way in one dirrection and so the light spirit and fun of the morning was swept aside but she insisted it was fine so we after stoping for a carrot-mandarine juice, we made it back to the house feeling good.
After getting changed and refreshed a bit, we met Uncle David in the center of Quito in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel (very fancy!) and then went up to the wax museum which gave a pertty good sum-up of the history of Ecuador and its various phases and power-seeking groups. Diana at this point was feeling more and more sore on her ankle but still didn't think it was anything serious.
We stopped for some lunch of soup and and shicken an rice and I tried some of the Ecuadorian treats of Humita, a savory corn doughy snack that is eaten warm and another sweet flour doughy dish, and both are made and cooked in leaves. very good stuff, but nothing like I have tried before! After this pleasant break we went to visit a church which is HUGE and contains more gold than is needed to repay the external debt of almost all of South America (this might be a slight overstatement) but it really was overwhelming!
After all this and accompanying Uncle David to a reunion, Diana's ankle had swolen to three times the size and we decided it was necessary to go to the hospital and get an X-ray even though she had felt all day that it was fine and nothing to really worry about. I stayed home to make brownies and some icecream with the little kids that are at the house on the weekends and when Diana and Uncle David got back, her ankle and leg up to the knee was in a cast! Tha changed the happy emotions of the evening, slightly subdueing us but was not enough to keep us from enjoying some brownies and vanilla icecream (that was more cream becuase it hadn't set yet...) And then with Uncle David we decided vanilla was not creative enough so we whipped it up some more and added coffee and chocolate to make a nice coffee icecream! (which we had to try sunday morning of course when it set!) Diana and I ended up spending the night at Uncle David's becuase it was easier to manuever around and I played nurse for Diana, helping her change and get around. Not always an easy thing to do!
Sunday morning we had nice french toast for breakfast, I had a skype call with Brucie and Tad in beautiful Metamorphosis and missed them but loved hearing their voices! And now as I am writing, I am hoping to get a call back from the rest of the family and planning my way back to Otavalo for school tomorrow morning after a little birthday part event here at Uncle David's. It was wonderful to spent this time in Quito and I am already trying to figure out when I can get back again! Especially since the youth have invited me to join in on their weekly Saturday soccer matches and after bonding with them I would love to do such a thing. I am also planning what parts of the country I need to visit and when and with whom, especially now I know my family is going to try to make it over in April for a visit and Noah trying to possibly get down before Christmas. I also have the option of visiting Colombia with Diana when she goes, so many things to do and seemingly not enough time to do them even tough I will be here it seems for ages! Already time is flying too fast and my fun times are filling up the memory space 😊 Well, well, got to go down for a cup of tea and hlep make the birthday cake for later! Mats Mouts, hugs and kisses and lots of love!

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Comments

[Mom]

So Proud!
Hi Liz, So much fun to read your blog and share in your weekend!! Never a dull moment! So glad to hear that you are keeping the soccer going. When do you apply for your Haverford Scholarship? Papouli and Tad are here for a few days so the house is full even thought Daddy and Brucie are gone. Big filakia from me, Mom