I’m in laying in bed, and for once it’s quiet. No festivals for carnaval. No dogs barking incessantly from nearby rooftops. No one playing basketball in the court below my window. It has finally rained and Quito is calm. When I first saw the view from my window, I was sure it had to be one of the best Quito could offer. I’m on the third floor of a very narrow but cozy house. My host sister and I are the only ones who occupy this floor, although aside from our rooms and a bathroom, there is only about 30 square feet of floor so to speak. The view from my window is of rolling green mountains with dramatic gorges, and a small waterfall here and there. And all up the sides, like some new species of tree, or at night light like thousands entrails of light, are houses painted in pink and blue and green pastel colors. The windows occupy a little over two-thirds the length and half the height of one wall. Every time I walk into my room, I am shocked by the view. But I have come to realize that breathtaking vistas are around virtually every corner here.
I started grinning stupidly on the plane, the type of grin that you just can’t wipe off your face, and it’s made the occasional appearance ever since. The families are so welcoming to all the students and know how to have a good time. I love talking with all of them, whether about intellectual pursuits or why failing to look someone in the eye will result in bad sex for seven years. They’re always making jokes, and they dance like crazy. And the weather is amazing. Every time my host family traces out a route for me, I think, “Oh, this is going to be terrible in the winter.” It’s a long-ingrained habit formed by inherent pessimism and cold climate. Then, with a start, I realize: No. It IS winter. It’s always like this. Even the rain is beautiful. When it rained earlier today, I could see how the clouds descended upon the mountain and houses. I’ve only ever seen clouds and drops of rain. But here, I could see the entire transition, how wisps of clouds touched the ground. I never knew.
I have a bad habit of comparing it to Argentina in my mind. It’s definitely different. Some of the words I use don’t translate in Ecuador. People are more punctual (although certainly not punctual by any standards in the United States). They eat dinner around 6:30 or 7:00 PM. They drink agua sin gas. But some things are similar. Greetings are one example. When you enter a room, you must greet everyone individually with a kiss on the cheek. If you don’t, you are maleducada (badly educated). The same goes for when you leave a room. It is one of the most fundamental aspects of life in Ecuador. There is no such thing as slinking in late or making a quick getaway. You have to interact. The same goes for meals: eating seems to be only an excuse for long conversations that can stretch hours into the night. People are much closer to their families here. My host brother, Miguel, is 31 and studying to be a diplomat. He lives at home, and it’s just a given that he will continue to do so until he is married. And maybe even afterward, if there’s room. Children are enormously affectionate with their parents, holding hands, stroking hair, sharing plates of food, constant kissing. At first it made me a little bit uncomfortable, but it’s really just another way of expressing familial bonds.
There are a ton of adventures and experiences to share already. I’m listening to Radiohead’s “The Tourist” and reminding myself to slow down a bit. There will be plenty of time to try everything. Since I can’t possibly explain everything we’ve done and seen, I will share just a bit through pictures.
The view from my window! You can’t tell in the photo, but I can see the volcano Cotapaxi in the distance.
Me with my host sister, or ñaña in quichua. Her name is Maribel; she’s 24 and studying to be a pediatrician. We’re in Parque Ichimba, a hill which overlooks much of the city and has some nice foliage and birds.
Maribel and me with my host mom, María Luisa. To the right you can see the famous statue, La virgin del panecillo. La colina (hill) is shaped like bread – hence, panecillo. My host dad, Miguel, says that this was an important religous center for indigenous groups prior to the arrival of the Spanish, who claimed it as their own.
The whole group of study abroad students at the equator. From left to right are Avi, Mariel, Anna, Jonathan, and me. Anna is standing directly on the equator. Avi and Mariel are in the Northern hemisphere, Jonathan and I are in the Southern hemisphere.
Mariel and Anna experimenting with the lack of gravity!
Cuy vivos.
Cuy muertos. Delicacy!
Me at the equator again, with the world in the palm of my hand.
Anna and I celebrating carnaval! Random strangers spray you with carioca (a colored foam something like soap) and attack you with bottles of water. This is still at the Mitad del Mundo, and we were listening to Trio Colonial, a famous group that plays traditional Ecuadorian music. The guy in the background is Phillip, Jonathan’s host brother. He’s the only host sibling that hangs out with the whole group of us... and such an instigator. He ran out of water, so he dumped an entire glass of beer on me. Afterward, we went directly to Mariel’s host family’s house for a dance party until about 9:00 PM, so I was sticky for HOURS. But I’m a big fan of Phillip – all the girls are. ;-) I'm also a big fan of his dad, Carlos. Everyone calls him Carlitos. He’s so much fun! I have had lots of good conversations with him about linguistics and Ecuadorian politics. And he’s such a prankster. He told all the college students that he wanted them to feel comfortable at the party, so he suggested beer pong. We all got really quiet and he said, “Oh you’re right, we don’t have beer. Wine pong!!” We didn’t play wine pong, but they made us a delicious drink with wine, honey, and spices – heated.
Almost everything here is delicious! Yucca, and all kinds of fruit that don’t even translate into English. There’s something they call the golden berry, because it’s so healthy. It looks a little like a yellow cherry tomato and tastes sweet and sour at the same time. And there's granadilla, which seems to me like a pomegrante-kiwi-orange hybrid. Love it.
The dogs outside are at again and I'm exhausted, so that's all for now. Besos a todos en los EEUU.
Okay, so this photo is not technically from Mindo. Instead, it was taken during a lunch Juan's house. Juan is our program director. He lives in Guapalo, an older part of Quito located on the side of a cliff. As a group, we concluded that his backyard looks like the Swiss Alps meets ancient Greece meets, well, Ecuador of course. It's absolutely gorgeous. I love this photo of us and I loved the lunch, a traditional coastal meal shared with high-ranking officials of Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS), one of the universities where we'll be taking courses. We had the chance to discuss not only potential courses and extracurriculars, but also favorite Ecuadorian slang. I lamented the fact that everyone drinks instant here and one of the women promised me coffee anytime I drop by her office, fresh from her husband's organic coffee farm on the coast. 
Me and Anna on our way to our hotel in Mindo.
One of the many great cloud forest views from the cabaña I shared with Anna and Mariel.
The main lodge where we lounged in hammocks during the day and played candelit chess at night.
Anna and Maribel walking to our cabaña from the main lodge. 
Philip showing us all how to get a butterfly to eat banana from your fingers. The woman in the background is Jimena, one of the awesome-incredible-fantastic-amazing-there-aren't-enough-superlatives-in-the-world-to-do-justice program coordinators.
And me with a beautiful ojo de bujo!
Avi, me, and Anna. 
This photo was half an hour in the making. Butterflies are beautiful, but so very fickle.
This is the garden adjacent to the lodge. All our vegetarian meals came fresh from here!
Our guide, Fernando, taking us on a short hike to learn about some of the most common cloud forest plant species. 
Covered in mud, but having a great time: Johnathan, Lolo (another program coordinator), and Mariel.
Survivor: Ecudaor. 
Our guides were amazing! They somehow managed to navigate six novices down the rocky Mindo River – and trust me, it looked like hard work. 
Tubing in the Mindo River: So. Much. Fun. There's really nothing more I can say.
About to zip-line! I didn’t realize that Philip was taking this photo, but I’m glad he did because I can recount the conversation verbatim. Me: I’m not going to die? Fernando: It’s not your time. Me: Promise? Fernando: I promise. Me: ¿Estás segura? Fernando: Seguro, por favor. I can’t translate the last two lines without some explanation. I was so nervous that I could barely talk and I accidentally referred to him as female. His response made me laugh and I felt better about jumping off a cliff with nothing but a single cable for support.
Here I go!
Please note that Philip is not wearing shoes.
Fernando is 22, but one of the other guides teased him for acting like a kid on the ropes. In this photo, he's is doing all kind of ridiculous acrobatics while adjusting his harness mid-air. You know - just chilling. 
Posing in front of the final line! In the background, you can see Lolo is already on her way.
