Quito Arrival

I still haven't been mugged but sat through a lecture explaining all
the sicknesses I'm going to get and all the different ways I will be
mugged. I went to the old town today for the first time. I went with
a bunch of other Boston students and we figured out the buses and
stuff. The buses are cool in that they don't always stop and
sometimes you just jump in as they're driving past. They only cost a
quarter per ride so that's awesome as well. The university resembles
a fancy resort more than anything else. There's even a pagoda and
waterfall. Downtown Quito is really cool. There are palms around and
its much different from anything I really know. It's slightly similar
to France I would say but still very different. The best part is that
there is a view of the Andes almost anywhere. The colonial
architecture is cool too.

My host family is very nice. They've been doing this for ten years so
I'm not really much of a novelty. This can be good in that I get a
lot of independence to do what I want. The food is delicious. I've
been eating everything they offer. I didn't recognize half of the
fruits in the supermarket. There's usually an exotic juice to drink
and lots of rice and potatoes. They have a special spicy sauce called
aji that is always available so if there's something thats kind of
bland I can just pile that on. I haven't had guinea pig yet. I'm
definitely eating healthier than I ever have before.

My Spanish is ok. At times I surprise myself with how good it can be,
but other times I'm completely lost. I rarely understand my one host
sister so I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm an idiot. I talk a lot with
her husband though, and I understand him most of the time. He's a
pretty cool guy. The house I'm living in is really nice and spacious.
I have my own room and bathroom on the second floor. The sister with
her husband and daughter live upstairs. There's an adjacent apartment
where another daughter lives. They also have a dog who I get along
with wonderfully. One thing I've noticed is I cannot tell an
Ecuadorians age at all. When I first met the married daughter I
thought she was my age or a tad older. Since she has a daughter who
is at least 12, she must be much older. I feel like it would be rude
to ask so I just sit in the dark regarding that. Another weird thing
is greeting girls with a kiss on the cheek.

As a side note to Martinez and Megan the second song on the radio on
the way from the airport was Bad Romance, so that was very exciting.