solo sé que nada sé

I've been in Quito now for almost a week. The trip down was wicked easy and I only had a 1 day delay for my baggage...not too bad. From my flight, the baggage of about 30 people didn't make it to Quito with us. But all is well now.

I'm living with a warm, welcoming Ecuadorian family which consists of my host mom, Salomé, and host sister, Gisela. They are such good people and I love conversing with them over dinner. Also, by some chance of fate, I made it into this home which happens to be vegetarian. Qué suerte!

This week at my school, Experiment in International Living, I had 4 hours of Spanish class each morning, mostly conversing and going over grammar but also learning about Ecuadorian culture and history. In the afternoons, we had orientation to the city and culture of Quito. The days have been long as we're each getting used to this new routine, but I know that the coming weeks will be even busier.

In my course are 6 other girls, and one lonely boy. But so far we all get along great; I'm glad to have these friends as a local support network.

I'm finally used to the altitude, but it took a few days. The first day I was here, my mom took me to el centro histórico, or the old town. Gorgeous architecture and old cobblestoned streets, but its also quite hilly so I was plenty tired when we returned from that! the air is much thinner here, for sure.

But I'm really enjoying this city so far. What I like best is that basically wherever you are in the city, you can still see a mountain or volcano or other greenery in the distance. Since Quito is in a valley, we are surrounded by glorious vistas. The view from the roof patio of my school is incredible--on a clear day you can see the snow capped volcano Cotopaxi, which is the tallest active volcano in the world!

Cotopaxi after a huge snowstorm (rain in Quito)

Ecuador also is home to Cayambe, which is the only volcano literally on the equator, and Chimborazzo which is technically the highest mountain in the world (when measured from the core). Pretty neat. I hope to be able to visit and hike part of Cotopaxi and other mountains in the area. There is so much to do in Ecuador, it's incredible.

Since most of you probably haven't been to Ecuador, or even heard much about it, I'll try to include some history/culture/interesting facts in each post, as well as some of my own observations.

One new phenomena is that 80% of the time, I'm the tallest person I can see. Okay, 80% is high. Really, I'm not that tall for US standards, but here in Ecuador, the average heights for men and women are much lower. Many men are my height, but few women I see are as tall or taller than I am. I pass by many adults and elderly people who are about chest high on me, but usually shoulder high is the average. It's no big deal, it just makes the hand holds on the buses and trolleys a bit low but perfect for smacking me in the face at a quick stop or turn.

Public transportation is really important here. There are at least three types of buses that run different routes all around the city. There are also 3 trolley lines that run North-South along 3 major roads. The city is organized on a North-South grid in the valley. I live in the Northwest part of the city so have to zigzag my way into the downtown area to reach the main streets. Each morning I walk to the bus stop a few blocks away, then switch to a trolley line which takes me to school. What's funny is that even though I technically live closer to school than some of my classmates, because I'm not as close to the N-S main streets, it takes me a while longer to get to school.

Let's see, what else.

At my house there are 2 dogs, Chiquita and Sultana, who are very friendly but also guard the house. Their domain is the outdoor garden and pathways. We have a very nice yard in our enclosed plot of land. The dogs always stay outside--since the weather is mild here and pretty much the same year-round, it works out well for them. There are also tons of dogs out roaming the streets.

Also in my neighborhood I once saw 3 cows grazing on the grass in the small park area, and also a man going around with 2 goats (my mom says that you can buy milk from him).

I try to stay connected with politics in the US as well as politics here (there is a very important vote coming up on september 28th--and voting is mandatory in Ecuador) but it's hard since for now I have limited access to the internet.

This weekend I hope to enjoy getting to know my city better and figuring out all the cool stuff there is to do.

I'll try to update again when I have a chance, but I know the coming weeks will be long and stressful--at least 10 hour days of classwork and teaching at school, 45-60 minute commute each way, coursework and family time on top of that once I reach home. So we'll see.

But I hope this finds you all well.
Chao!

written by

Theresa on August 29, 2008 from Quito, Ecuador

from the travel blog: Adventures in Teaching and Living in Ecuador

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