My First Day in Quito

Today is my first day in Quito, Ecuador!  What a long day it has been, too.  I started at 3 a.m. central time to catch my flight at 6. On the plane  I met a woman, Catalina, who lives in the U.S. but is originally from Quito.  Three hours later I felt like I had known her for years!  She gave me phone numbers and contact information of her friends in Quito in case I have any problems. Talk about friendly!  Finally, 12 hours later, I arrived in Quito only to find that my ride was not waiting for me!  It was very confusing and scary.  Call it bad luck if you will, but at least I found a nice woman who helped me out and found a tourist booth, who then called the number given to me by my school, who then sent my ride to pick me up.  I guess my ride thought I landed at 9 p.m. and not 6.  When people say Ecuador is known for being patient and friendly to gringos, they are not lying.  Not only was Catalina great, but everyone at the airport was fantastic, too. Even though they didn’t speak a word of English, they were patient and helped me until they were sure I had what I needed.  My host family also seems extremely welcoming.  My host mother, Zayda, fed me a snack as soon as I arrived, gave me a tour of the house (including my own restroom with which she assured me I could use as much hot water as needed), set up my laptop with internet, and insisted I use her landline to call my mom long distance. Although these amenities may not seem like much for those of us living in the U.S., in Ecuador they are a great deal to offer.  Zayda has mentioned several times that this is my new home and these people are my new family….it is very comforting.  She is also very patient with me and repeats her sentences a lot.  Hopefully I will get the hang of the pace and accent that los Ecuatorianos have!  I also live with her husband, Manolo, her daughter, Coya, and Coya’s son, Aaron.  Each have a distinct personality and I can’t wait to get to know them better.  The altitude has given me some problems.  My stomach feels as though it’s in knots, the same as when you are very nervous for a big exam.  Manolo says that high altitudes upset people’s stomachs when they first arrive so I need to be careful of what I eat.  I also have a splitting headache.  For those of you planning to travel to Ecuador, make sure you bring Tylenol for when you arrive, it’s been a lifesaver.  Also, don’t go up the stairs or lift things too quickly because you will get very dizzy.  Trust me, I learned the hard way when I fell going up the stairs :x.  Well, I start my first day of classes tomorrow and can’t wait to tour the city!

Until then,

Amy