Sunday, May 27, 2012

I had the opportunity to visit La Basilica del Voto Nacional (Basilica of the National Vow).  It was all made by hand and took almost one hundred years to make! It is made out of stone with intricate designs.  We were able to climb to the highest part of the towers.  It has such an incredible view of the city.  We happened to be there on a clear day so not only were we able to see the city and mountains, but we saw Cotopaxi seventeen miles away!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Getting the hang of it

With one week down I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of living in a big city.  While the buses and taxis seemed overwhelming at first, I've learned how to start getting around the city with out much trouble.  It's not as difficult as I thought it would be.

After my first week of classes I'm very excited to study at the Universidad de San Francisco Quito.  The professors are not only very knowledgeable, but are also very welcoming and engaging for us exchange students.  The university has done a great job of getting us acclimated and comfortable with not only the campus, but Ecuador as well.  I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to go to such a prestigious school.

Ecuador is a great country to travel and explore.  From vast mountain ranges to peaceful ocean shores it has just about everything.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit one of the highest active volcanoes in the world.  Cotopaxi can be seen at a distance in Quito, but as our guide was driving us up to it we could not have imagined how massive it is.  Quito is already at a high elevation, but as we were hiking up Cotopaxi we reached over 4,500m.  This made it very difficult to breath so we could not make it all the way up with out spending a whole day doing so.  None the less, we made it far enough to reach the red dirt from the lava.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Primero Dia

Today is my first full day in Quito.  Yesterday was a long day of travel, but it was very smooth.  I traveled with one of my classmates from Central, Chelsea.  We were both very anxious!  At the airport we met other Central students traveling to Costa Rica for the summer.  We also met a retired missionary who has been working in Quito for a long time.

We arrived in the airport late at night where we were greeted by Veronica.  She works at the University with the exchange students.  She introduced us to our host families and we were on our way!  I was picked up my Nicole.  She is my host sister and is a veterinarian.  She works long hours so she doesn't get to spend much time at home.  My host mom, Mami Sandy, is very welcoming.  Her daughter describes her as "super hippie" and she describes herself as a "clown".  As she was telling me the rules of the house, I thought this one summed them all up.  "There is always enough food for one more person." She loves people and makes a point to make sure we are all welcome.  I really admire that.  In the states the only pets I owned was a hamster and bird.  My house here has multiple dogs, a rabbit, and a turtle! It might take some adjusting, but the pets all very fun and I'm warming up to them already.

Because of Quito's altitude, I find myself being short of breath very easily.  Unpacking my suitcases, washing the dishes, even as I am sitting and writing this! It will only take a few days for my body to adjust, but it is a little weird still.  

Today is Mami Sandy's birthday! She is having some people over tonight and she said she would teach me how to cook!  My cooking skills are very poor so I'm not sure she knows what she's getting herself into, but I am so excited! 

Here are some pictures of my new room! :)

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Patiently Waiting...

I am just eleven days away from leaving to spend nine weeks in Quito, Ecuador.  As I am enjoying my time at home with my family, it is weird to think that as I am sitting here in 70-degree weather I will be traveling to the equator for a much cooler summer. The temperature during the summer doesn't get cooler than 50-degrees, but not warmer than 65-degrees.  How is this possible when it's located only 15 miles from the equator?  Quito is 9,350 feet above sea level.  The Quito area is the only place on the equator that gets snow.  Another piece of information I didn't know if that Ecuador is located to the east of Michigan.  This sounds obvious, but many people in the Midwest picture Ecuador as being farther west.