View from (a little bit) above.
Quito es increíble. The city was built in the mountains, so it looks like it's sitting on rolling waves. I have to admit I was a little bit weary about coming here at first, which is understandable since most everyone I'd talked to about studying here was an overly fearful white person (like myself) who managed to instill some of their worry in me. "You better watch your back or those Ecuadorians'll jump your bones somethin' nasty!" Well, no, no one put it quite that way, but that's how it registered for the most part, and all I have to say is we are all pretty ignant when it comes to less affluent cultures.
Why yes, those are shards of glass cemented to the top of a fence.
Just like in any big city, precautions must be taken and one must be vigilant of his/her surroundings. Anyone can wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and all I can say is that sucks for them. I just want to know when Ecuadorians so far surpassed us in home security technologies. I think the shards of glass and electric and barbed wire fences are far more intimidating than a stupid beep that sounds when one is attempting a break-in. C'mon, America, you're the land of innovation and you're falling far behind. Primitivism for the win! My host family does have a padlocked gate however, but our doors are always open, and by that I mean they are literally ajar at all times, yet I couldn't feel more safe in this house with these people.
My living room.
Of course there are palm trees in my backyard.
View from my room. And a little bird poop.
This is what my ceiling looks like just in case you were wondering.
My host family has been so incredibly amazing and accommodating, including el nieto (grandson) who is eight and one of the wittiest people I have ever met. My host mother has made some of the best soups and dishes I have ever tasted, and the best part is that there is cheese in everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. We even put cheese cubes in our hot cocoa last night and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for feeding my addiction, Ruth - you da best. Everyone has also been so patient and helpful with my Spanish (or lack thereof), which has been a blessing since I literally haven't spoken a single sentence without fucking it up. Hopefully I'll progress soon and acquire a lot more vocabulary than I currently have, which is about that of a three year old if I had to put a number on it. The world outside is a bit more intimidating, but it's all the more intriguing.
View from outside my padlocked world. Montañas del cielo y la tierra.
Quito is chaos. The horn beeping, dog barking, cat calling, and sidewalk constructing never stops. There is no such thing as jay walking here because it's entirely commonplace, and there is also no such thing as driving safely. If you're going to be worried for me, worry about me crossing the street because so far that's seemingly the most dangerous thing about this place. I was almost hit by a bus today as a matter of fact, and instead of laying on the horn like a normal person the driver just flashed his brights at me. I obviously don't see you, dude, if I'm running out in front of your big ass bus. (My bad, I guess, since it was a big ass bus.) Luckily my peripherals caught on and my adrenaline kicked in in time to get me out of the way.
Please say a little prayer for me.
The air here (if that's what you call it) is stained with smog and the smell of gasoline, which will take some getting used to. Quito sits at about 2,000 meters above sea level, so I take five steps and need a water break. The fact that there's gas all up in my air doesn't help much. (There's no air in my air!) I'm sitting so high that I feel I could just reach up and grab some cloud if I wanted to. Not really of course, but the clouds do tend to swallow the tops of the taller buildings. You'll think it's foggy out, but when you walk downstairs you'll always be pleasantly surprised to find the sunlight. It is a pretty strange sight, but I've already seen stranger things.
For instance, dogs on roofs.
A triumphant pup on the ruff. I mean roof.
That's all for now, folks. I've only just finished my second day here, so things are about to get real interesting. This is only the beginning.
If you made it this far then thanks for reading! Love you! Ciao!
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