First and foremost, Thursday night all the girls arrived between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. and all of their American Airlines flights were delayed (note to all those traveling to Ecuador on AAL, avoid it). After getting settled in, everyone went to sleep...except three of us. Elysse, Tina and I had lunch on Wednesday at a restaurant that ended up NOT following health regulations very well because we all became very, very sick. On Friday during the orientation we had a section on health where we learned a lot about being healthy and that 90% of all students would get diarrhea. On top of getting diarrhea, some would get an intestinal bacteria infection and as the facilitator put it, "we would know we have lived". I can now say "I have lived". This infection is unlike normal food poisoning and it lasts around 24 hours and will clear and reset your system, but I don't recommend it, especially when in a hostel, attempting to pack up your things and sharing a bathroom with 6 other girls. This is not the type of cleansing I ever want to experience again, but knowing my curiosity, I probably will.
And so you see why it was a long week. On Thursday amidst the runs to the bathroom and curling up on the couch, we got ourselves packed and into taxis to head to meet our host families. I can't thank the other women in my program for supporting us through that wretched time of sickness. We would not have been able to get anywhere without them!
On Friday we had to meet on campus at 7:30 for our first orientation and it went all day long! Imagine three sick girls sitting through a full day of orientation with about 50% of our normal energy, thank goodness we are almost always full of extra energy and we survived the day!
Saturday was the tour of Quito and trip to Mitad del Mundo (Equator!) We saw historic buildings, had delicious food, stood on either side of the equator and saw real shrunken heads! It was quite the day!
That evening Shelby and I headed to the farm with our host brother and his 3 year old son. The house on the farm is a true Spanish Hacienda built in the late 1800s. Many of the features are still original and the family bought the farm and the house when it was abandoned. They explained the amount of TLC the home needed, but it is beautiful now.
On Sunday we woke to an amazing breakfast overlooking all of Quito and went for a short hike further up the mountain. The rest of the day was spent playing with the three-year-old Gabriel, riding horses and eating Mexican tacos with cheese right from the farm. Did I mention our host family makes and sells their own cheese to local restaurants? It is our weakness in our Galapagos swimsuit diet.
The weekend ended on a great note and we went home full, happy and a little more tan thanks to the Ecuadorian sun.
Monday was spent at yet another orientation, but this one was GAIAS related and we got to hear more about our trips to the amazon and the university (GAIAS) on the Galapagos Islands. The rest of the day was spent running errands for our Visas, Censos and other documentation that legalizes us here in Ecuador.
Tuesday was our free day and we decided to make the most of it. After having our pre-paid delicious lunch on campus (crepes and salad). There is a culinary school on campus, you can just imagine how Food Network it is, including the plating and using foods that you wouldn't normally see in Ecuadorian cuisine. The afternoon we ended up watching the movie Ice Age in Spanish at Sarah and Jacquie's house as a storm deterred our trip to the market in Quito. After the storm we went over to a local coffee shop where I had an amazing caramel apple cheesecake and latte. Am I really in Ecuador?
Today was the first day of classes, but just like in the states, you want your hair to look just right. I had mentioned to my host mother that I really would like to get my hair cut as it had only been since December (eek!). She then called her stylist and got us both appointments and we headed out to enjoy a morning getting our hair done! It was so great to get my hair done, especially since I did not bring a hairdryer on this trip. I so enjoy talking with the ladies of the salon and getting some great bonding time with my host mom, Ana Lucia.
That's all for now, check back soon for more random stories and events of a simple life in Ecuador.
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