I am here. I am in Ecuador. Let me say that one more time - I. Am. In. Ecuador.
I actually had to repeat that to myself a couple of times today as my host mom, Ana Lucia, drove us through Cumbayá, Quito to show us around a bit.
It's not that I never really previously thought of the reality of this trip. I think it's more of that I had just become so accustomed to thinking of it as something in the slightly-less-than-distant future. Now it's happening, and I'm still marveling at the fact that I actually made this happen for me. And that I'm here.
I've been here less than a full day. So far, I love it. A flight delay and a long line at customs put our arrival to home after 1:00 am (booooo 19 hour travel day), but even that couldn't mar the first impressions of my wonderful host family and beautiful location.
Ana Lucia picked up me and Patricia at the airport. Patricia is another American student with whom we are sharing a home - my American sister in an Ecuadorian family. Ana Lucia is so incredibly sweet. She doesn't really speak much English, but Patricia and I have both pleasantly surprised ourselves at our abilities to dig into what we learned in past Spanish classes and hold conversation.
Our home for this month is beautiful. It's small, quaint, and overall perfect. It sits in a small neighborhood called Miravalle - looks at the valley - and that's exactly what it does. The home has a view over much of the valley that holds Cumbayá and Tumbaco.
I actually had to repeat that to myself a couple of times today as my host mom, Ana Lucia, drove us through Cumbayá, Quito to show us around a bit.
It's not that I never really previously thought of the reality of this trip. I think it's more of that I had just become so accustomed to thinking of it as something in the slightly-less-than-distant future. Now it's happening, and I'm still marveling at the fact that I actually made this happen for me. And that I'm here.
I've been here less than a full day. So far, I love it. A flight delay and a long line at customs put our arrival to home after 1:00 am (booooo 19 hour travel day), but even that couldn't mar the first impressions of my wonderful host family and beautiful location.
Ana Lucia picked up me and Patricia at the airport. Patricia is another American student with whom we are sharing a home - my American sister in an Ecuadorian family. Ana Lucia is so incredibly sweet. She doesn't really speak much English, but Patricia and I have both pleasantly surprised ourselves at our abilities to dig into what we learned in past Spanish classes and hold conversation.
Our home for this month is beautiful. It's small, quaint, and overall perfect. It sits in a small neighborhood called Miravalle - looks at the valley - and that's exactly what it does. The home has a view over much of the valley that holds Cumbayá and Tumbaco.
Today, we were all treated to a late morning to sleep off the late airport night. We met one of Lucia's grandchildren, a darling 6-year old girl, and tagged along to drop her off at a day care/preschool so Lucia could show us around a bit - like which bus stops to use, where the university is, good places to eat, etc. Later, her husband - our host papa Carlos - joined us and we were whisked away to lunch. An entertaining drive through barrios ranging from shiny new malls to cows meandering in front of open shacks brought us another home. As it turns out, today's lunch was a large family occasion. That is, It was hosted by one of Lucia's sisters and included at least a dozen family members, mostly cousins and their families, all of whom greeted us with un abrazo y beso - a hug and a kiss on the cheek. You might think that it would've been entirely overwhelming, but everyone here is so warm and welcoming and interested in sharing stories (no matter where your Spanish skills lie) that it was really quite fun. It didn't hurt that we were immediately each supplied with a glass of sangria. The food was absolutely delicious, and the time spent chatting afterwards led to a session of one cousin playing traditional songs on the piano, and we didn't return until around 5 in the afternoon. Nevertheless, the late night, altitude, and large amount of Spanish got to us and Patricia and I each immediately excused ourselves for a siesta.
Tomorrow and Tuesday we have orientation sessions bright and early at the Universidad de San Francisco. My adventure here is just beginning!