¡Estoy aquí!

After months and months of planning, I'm finally here. And I must say, I couldn't have chosen a better location. The city of Quito is nestled in the heart of the Andes Mountain range in Ecuador. A total of six and a half hours on a plane (Or what could pass as a plane since I flew Delta) heading straight South led me to one of the largest hubs in South America. From what I have learned from various guides and the internet, Quito is 23 miles long and about 2-3 miles wide. This was more than apparent from my plane window. The 9:45 landing gave for the perfect view of the city at night, entirely lit up, entirely as busy as during the day. After going through customs (whoever said patience is a virtue never traveled abroad), I soon met the most lovable family that Quito has to offer.

Ana Cecilia, or Anita, is the caring mother of Sebastián, my 12-year-old "hermanito". The man of the house is Borýs, a software programmer. Anita works for Colgate-Palmolive as a sales representative, which fortunately leaves me with all of the free toothpaste and soap I could ever desire. Sebastián attends school when he's not asking me questions about life in America and what my family is like. I have never met a kid who can talk so much, but I guess it's better than having a little brother who doesn't talk at all. They live in an apartment in the North side of Quito on the sixth floor. From the patio you can see the majority of the lay of the city and the mountains that provide the most awe-inspiring backdrop you could ever imagine. Pictures really can't capture how beautiful the scenery is, outside of the city, of course. Within Quito there is the most distinct class division I have ever laid eyes on. At every traffic stop (I would say traffic light, but I think there's like 3 in the whole city), kids as young as 4 and women as old as 137 offer to sell various fruits, drinks, or just ask for money plain and simple. It is often heartbreaking to say "no" to a young "pobrecito", but is necessary in order to ensure that a million more don't attack your car while stopped.

The only thing I am so far afraid of is being on the road. There is only one rule when driving, and that is "Do what you want." Nobody heeds any signs or lane markings, if there are any. I still have yet to see a speed limit sign or a police officer who has pulled over any car for any violation whatsoever. Es muy loco. If you don't like the way another driver is handling their vehicle, you let them know by honking your horn and giving them peaceful body gestures. Apparently, nobody is pleased with anybody else's driving skills, because horns are blaring all day and well into the night. The scariest thing is the lack of respect for pedestrians. I dare anybody to come here and walk across a street with oncoming traffic a couple hundred feet away, and just see if they slow down. If anything, they'll speed up and call you lovely names as they play God with your life.

Aside from the constant noise you will find in a big city and the realization that the poorest person in America is better off than half the people here, it is calming to say that the weather is more than delightful. Although Quito is extremely close to the equator, it's altitude of about 9,200 feet allows the climate to consistently remain in the upper-60's to lower-80's all year long during the day. At night, the temperature drops about twenty degrees. There are no floral seasons in Ecuador, just a dry season and a wet season. You can wear shorts and t-shirt or pants and a coat, and you'll be fine either way. The only thing I mistook from living at the beach for so long is the strength of the sun here. Twenty minutes outside without sunblock, cloudy or not, will surely leave you with a cute red hue glued to all of your exposed skin. I know this one from personal experience, but thankfully I did not get burned that bad.

So all in all, I am more than ecstatic to finally be here, living amongst the Ecuatorianos and learning so many things that one would never even have the opportunity to do in the States. I have a solid couple of days to explore the city before I begin my classes on Thursday, which I am kind of dreading now that I know how hard Spanish is to understand when it is not being spoken by your Spanish teacher. But I'll manage. That's it for now... ¡hasta luego!