Saturday 1-31-09: We arrived in Quito in the evening and our host family picked us up at the airport. Yolanda appears to be in her late 60s and is retired from working in a bank. 
Renè is probably in his 70s and is retired from the military - ¨Coronel Renè Alfonso Silva Romo.¨ Both are very energetic, friendly, and caring. They drove us back to their house which is lovely even by American standards. Filled with antiques - Renè collects antique phones, cameras, 
radios, and military items - it has the feel of a bed and breakfast...but a little different. Renè gave us the full tour while Yolanda prepared hot chocolate and bread and cheese for us. We sat down to snack and to get better aquainted. Well...Britton was pretty lost, so I got aquainted with them and filled him in when I could. Renè has 13 siblings and they all live in Quito. Yolanda only has one sister and she is our 
next door neighbor. They are very concerned that we have a fun, safe, comfotable stay with them.Sunday morning we had a meeting with the program to discuss cultural adjustments, classes, hospitals, expectations, etc. We had lunch out as a group; In equador, you can get soup, meat, 2-3 vegetables sides and really delicious fresh juices (exotic to us) for $3 including tax/tip. In the afternoon, Britton went on a hospital tour 
I went to the artisan area of the city with the program director´s daughter. The outdoor market reminded me of Chile but with more things made from cocnuts and not from lapiz and other stones which were so comon in Chile. 
Lots of wools and leathers, some made with more care than others, mostly things that we would never use or wear. That night we had dinner with our host family. Yolanda is a fabulous cook and she told me that she would teach me how to make a couple of Ecuadorian dishes. Yay!
Monday morning, Britton went on a hospital/city tour while I tried to volunteer at a school for little children. It turned out that the ¨English teacher¨did not speak English which was fine because she was only teaching the 4-5 years olds how to say a few salutations. 
I really felt like I wasn´t needed and that I wouldn´t get much out of it and their schedule was kind of crazy so unfortunately that was not a good fit for me. (I´m meeting with a doctor on Monday to discuss PT oportunities.) In the afternoon, we had Spanish class; 
Britton is in the beginning class and I am in the advanced. We both felt overwhelmed with all the rapid-fire information by 6pm.
I went to the artisan area of the city with the program director´s daughter. The outdoor market reminded me of Chile but with more things made from cocnuts and not from lapiz and other stones which were so comon in Chile. 
Lots of wools and leathers, some made with more care than others, mostly things that we would never use or wear. That night we had dinner with our host family. Yolanda is a fabulous cook and she told me that she would teach me how to make a couple of Ecuadorian dishes. Yay! 
Monday morning, Britton went on a hospital/city tour while I tried to volunteer at a school for little children. It turned out that the ¨English teacher¨did not speak English which was fine because she was only teaching the 4-5 years olds how to say a few salutations. 
I really felt like I wasn´t needed and that I wouldn´t get much out of it and their schedule was kind of crazy so unfortunately that was not a good fit for me. (I´m meeting with a doctor on Monday to discuss PT oportunities.) In the afternoon, we had Spanish class; 
Britton is in the beginning class and I am in the advanced. We both felt overwhelmed with all the rapid-fire information by 6pm. Tuesday morning, we both went on a tour of the Old City, a district just south of here, which is very beautiful. We took a few pictures that are included here is this order: The Virgen, the square by the President´s house, the San Francisco Square, and a beautiful street 
with shops and coffee houses called ¨La Runda.¨ Again, Spanish class from 2-6pm.
with shops and coffee houses called ¨La Runda.¨ Again, Spanish class from 2-6pm. For the rest of the week, Britton has Spanish class all day, and I have class in the afternoon. On Friday afternoon we will leave for Baños, a city about 3 hours south of here, for some 
weekend turism with several other students.
weekend turism with several other students. So far, we are having a good time, we are working hard to improve our Spanish and we are enjoying most of the cultural differences. We have adjusted to the altitude (it took about 3 days) and we haven´t gotten sick (knock on wood).
Everyday is an adventure!
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