After a stressful departure I have arrived in Quito and am quickly acclimating to the climate and life here.
Just before I was scheduled to leave to study abroad my dad needed to visit the ER/ICU for complications from a routine colonoscopy. He stayed overnight at the hospital and gave us quite a scare when he passed out in the ICU and required more attention. It was a timely trip as I was able to spend more time with him and remember what’s really important in life (I had previously found myself to be very concerned with what to pack for my semester abroad). It was a good chance for me to be present and spend time with my family.
Wednesday morning Dad was feeling better and I had finally packed my bags. My trip began with a delay at the Minneapolis airport which left me approximately 15 minutes to maneuver my way through the Houston airport and catch my connecting flight. Thank God I was in decent shape from lots of summer rollerblading with Brooks and attending a few cross-country practices- I ran the length of the airport and arrived at my gate just as they closed the door to the airplane. Luckily, the stewardess had already taken my ticket and they reopened the door for me. I don’t think it really hit me until we landed in Quito that I had actually made it on the plane.
My host mom, Lorenita, picked me up at the airport and within 15 minutes we had arrived at our apartment. Lorenita is so fun! She has so much energy and we spend a lot of our time together joking. She has two daughters, Carolina 20, and Gabi 17. My sisters were at the beach when I arrived and tonight was the first night we were all together. I know this is going to be a great home stay for the semester! We also have a dog named Chama who is often the center of our attention. I feel very welcomed and very at home!
It seems that my program will provide me with challenging classes and many opportunities to travel. This is exactly what I was hoping for! There are 26 other students enrolled in the IES Quito program this semester and we’ve been spending a lot of time getting to know each other during orientation. We have been learning meringue and salsa dancing. It’s a great and varied group and should be a nice home base.
The views here are INCREDIBLE! I can see Mount Pinchincha from my shower and every morning I can see the sun rise over the mountains and into my room. Our group visited the Mitad del Mundo, or the Center of the Earth. We straddled the (incorrectly labled) Equator and felt the affects of altitude and hot noon sun. I can’t wait to stray from the city and get to know many of the other beautiful parts of this country!
Yesterday I found my way to the mall to buy school supplies and a sweater (who knew it would be so cold on the Equator?!). I finally connected with Malory who is also studying here this semester, but with a different program. We had a great time catching up at TGIFridays (I wasn’t expecting to find a TGIFridays here- not visit it- but we found this was the closest place that’s open late between our houses). It was so good to see her and I’m really looking forward to traveling with her.
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I wrote this over a week ago and have found little time to send it. I will plan to post reflections here on my blog throughout the semester.
Peace,
Katy
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