Today Carlee and I took a taxi up into the mountains of Quito here we took a cable car (teleferiqo) up to Ruta del Ruca Pichincha, where the altitude was 13,287 ft. In the cable car we happened to meet two men from Seattle! One even had a daughter who studies at WWU. Small world! After taking a few minutes to adjust to the altitude we ventured along some trails. As we climbed further up, we could feel it in our chest. We took it slow and had lots of snacks with us to help.
Once back in the Mariscal neighborhood where our hostel is, we found a quant, classic, Ecuadorean restaurant for a late lunch. To start our meal, we were given a bowl of popcorn and plantain chips. Although a strange combination, it was two foods I love and it was great. We each had a typical Ecuadorean soup called "Encebollado" made with yuca, tuna, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, some other mysterious fish and tons of tasty seasonings.
Carlee and I had about two and half hours to kill before our ride came to take us to our respective homestays so we went out for some coffee. The cafe was a soccer cafe with beautiful wooden tables and chairs, with the best coffee I have had in Quito so far. The people working gave us complimentary cookies to accompany our coffee too :)
Around 6, Franklin, who picked me up from the airport and runs the Spanish school I will be attending, picked us up to take us to our homestays. He first took us to mine in the North of Quito. It was weirdly scary to say goodbye to Carlee, we have gotten very close in the past few days and I felt very safe with her speaking much better Spanish than me. Her homestay is all the way in the South of Quito, about an hour away from me. But luckily we will be going on an excursion with some other volunteers next Sunday, and then will be meeting with Diana together every Wednesday evening.
My host mom, Martha, came out to greet me in the pouring rain and led me inside. Walking in was a little overwhelming because they had company, were getting ready to leave for church, and seemed to speak only very quick Spanish. But after showing me to my room and giving me the wifi password, they left for about an hour, giving me time to unpack and settle in. While they were gone, I talked with my parents and then Jacob for a while, helping me feel reassured and much less culture/language shocked. When the family came home, the oldest daughter, Vivi (24), welcomed me to her home. She works at a travel agency and speaks English pretty well. The younger daughter is Nicole (18), and either her or her boyfriend have a stinkin' adorable grey puppy. I'm hoping it's hers and I can cuddle it. Anyway, Martha came to my room to give me keys and talk about meals. She was very patient and helped me to understand everything she was saying, asking me what food I liked and if I had any allergies (to which I replied "almost everything", and "no"). I'm really excited to get to know her more and improve my Spanish.
I've hopped in the shower, which is spacious and warm, and now winding down to go to sleep. My day starts at 7 tomorrow and is a long day of orientation to my internship, taking the busses, and my Spanish classes.
Muchos besos,
Zoe
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