¡Estoy aquí!

¡Hola a todos!

Well everyone, I made it to Ecuador! I arrived late Friday night, around 12:00 at night. My host mother and father were there to pick up. I was very glad to arrive, as upon checking my luggage, I had to some how fit 9 pounds into my carry-on, already quite full. Apparently the scale I brought to Madison to check the 50 pound limit on my luggage was a bit off. Oh well, I was able to wear two jackets, carry extra shoes, and all was well. My mother, Marie Elena and my father, Francisco, o Pancho, both have been married before, so my family is big some days and other days not, as the children stay with both parents. Maria Elena y Pancho have one child together, Jose Maria, a very adorable boy who is about three years old. Then, Gabriela and Daniela are Maria Elena´s two daughers. I haven´t gotten to talk with them very much yet, as they were with their father this weekend. Pancho also has two children that I will meet this week! So, this past weekend I spent time mostly with Maria Elena, Pancho y José.

Our home is in a pretty big apartment in the northern part of Quito. We live on the 7th floor of a building and it is a pretty big space. What I´ve noticed is that most families who live in apartments or houses have a very nice dining room and sitting area for guests, and then apart from that, there are the bedrooms where the family lives. I have a room and a bathroom to myself which is nice, but it is a little apart from the rest of the families rooms. I have a great view of some of the Andes mountains and also the city. (will post picutres soon!) I don´t have internet at my house, so I will use the internet at the University mostly and also at some cafes.

Today we had some orientation at the University, which covered mostly ligistical things, some cultural aspects and also saftey issues. ¨´Don´t go here, don´t go there, and never never go there....¨ sort of thing. What is interesting however, is that my family lives next to a park called ´¨el parque Carolina¨ and my mother said that it is a nice, safe place to go. However, during the orientation today, the director said the park is dangerous at night. I recently went for a run in the park, during the day, and found it filled mostly with familes, cyclists, and a huge crowd of people doing aerobics. Take home message I guess for saftey issues is: use common sense, and look like you know where you are and what you´re doing.

This past weekend I got to experience some culture, as I went shopping with my family and also went out with some of their friends. We went to ¨´el mall Jadín,¨´ which is a mall very simliar to malls in the states, similar shops and similar food court. Later that night we went to one of my families friends houses, and then to a country club. The club was very nice, with a pool, golf, dining hall, and a common room. While the husbands played pool, I sat with the wives and had a mochacino. Although I didn´t say much this night and did a lot of listening, it still is good practice. I remember watching my mother talking very fast about something, and me trying to comprehend all the words, almost like speed reading, but instead of reading, what she was saying. I can understand pretty well, but still to form good, solid sentences is more difficult. Well, only with more time it will become easier! I will post pictures soon! Hope all is well in the states!