Well today is the last day of the first week of classes!
I made it ... hopefully I can figure out how to upload photos.
Last night we went to go see a movie at Ochomedio which is the cute little theater... but it was a special viewing and so we had to buy tickets for today instead.
Afterwards Nidhi, Courtney and I went to Equicentro and walked around. It's just a mall like we have in the United States. I didn{t know they had Taco Bell and Burger King here, but that was crazy. They even sell Pilsner (beer) in the mall food court. Que ridiculo!
We decided to get a little something to eat at TGI Fridays since the mall closes at 8pm here and TGI's is 24 hours. We definitely were a bunch of gringos in a gringo restaurant.
Anyways if you want to see my pictures click the following link: (I will try to find a better way to post them when I have more time because I have to go to my last class in 5 minutes)...
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb223/maraenquito/
Tenga un buen fin de semana!
I probably won't write on this until Sunday because we're going to do the Telefiquo tomorrow and going to Otavalo Saturday-Sunday.
Ciao!
Thursday 31 May 2007
Monday 28 May 2007
Days 1 - 3
Hola todos!!
Well, we are working on Day 3 of being in Ecuador and so far so good. Although I have shed a few tears, it´s not because I don´t like it, it´s because I miss all of you. I´m pretty much away from a lot of ¨normal¨ technology like en los estados unidos. Usually at night, I´d be on the phone talking to someone or online talking, but mi Ecuadorian mama doesn´t have internet and calling people is so expensive.
However, if you want to try to call me my cell number here is 092865746 and I think you add like a 59 or 59-3 in front.
Yesterday Elena (mi madre) and her brother Juli took me to downtown Quito and we saw the center part where the President stays, and la Catedral de San Francisco... along with some other Cathedrals... who´d knew the Jew would be getting all Catholic on ya´ll, eh?
It was beautiful and one of the Cathedrals was made during the art period of Baroque ... and I remember learning about that in my Spanish 432 class back at home. Everything here is beautiful... everything that I have read in books, seen on TV or videos is all coming to life (yes, I know that sounds cheesy, but it is true).
(P.S. the keyboard here is different then what I am used to.... so if you see misspellings or bad punctuation, I apologize in advance).
Other than that yesterday I met Elena´s cousin and her daughter along with Elena´s neice... everyone here is very nice for the most part and always with the kissing on the cheek or hugging (even if they just met you 2 seconds ago).
Today I went to orientation at La Universidad de San Francisco. I was so nervous about what to pack that I brought very plain, bland clothes and the students at this school are all preppy, for the most part, like at MSU. I shouldn´t have worried so much. Most of those students wear coach, Abercrombie, Hollister, Gap... etc. I didn´t realize how Americanized it was going to be.
Elena took me on the bus today and it takes three buses to get to my USFQ... and I have an 8.30 a.m. class every morning (that´s 9.30 in Michigan time). I have to wake up Monday - Thursday around 6.30 a.m. just so I can get ready and head off to the bus station. There are two guys that live really close to me Aaron from MSU and Nathan from UNC, and we´re going to try and take the bus together to school every morning or for awhile at least, until we´re all comfortable with being gringos in Ecuador.
After orientation, Elena and I went to her aunt and uncle´s house in Cumbaya (near USFQ) and their house is like a palace. Guarded gates, it´s own name ¨la casa blanca¨and they have a separate house for their cooks and maid. Lunch was exquisite, except I really didn´t like the idea of having cooks serving us the meal. It was a bit akward, if you ask me.
The aunt´s grandson was there with us eating as well and apparently he is studying business and chinese at Trinity University in Tejas... I think.
I´ve learned that I know a lot of Spanish, but that I have so much more to learn... Elena doesn´t speak any English (except on the busride home today, she told me she thought this one guy had a beautiful face in English).
Last night I went to go upload my photos from my camera onto my laptop, and just like my last Toshiba laptop, the computer part turned on but the screen is gone... so I don´t know if that just happened with traveling or if the screen went out. I am done with Toshiba´s.
When I get back, I am getting another job, saving $$, so I can buy a Macbook and some plane tickets to visit friends that no longer live in Michigan (you all know who you are).
Alright, enough of this. I am done blogging for the time being. Keep in touch. If you want to personally e-mail me, you can at aramphets at gmail.com or deutchma at msu.edu
Whichever, I should be able to check both. I´ll be online every so many days just to check up on everything.
But without a laptop, I hope I don´t have many papers because the internet cafe isn´t THAT convenient to do homework.
Buenos noches. Y ciao!
Well, we are working on Day 3 of being in Ecuador and so far so good. Although I have shed a few tears, it´s not because I don´t like it, it´s because I miss all of you. I´m pretty much away from a lot of ¨normal¨ technology like en los estados unidos. Usually at night, I´d be on the phone talking to someone or online talking, but mi Ecuadorian mama doesn´t have internet and calling people is so expensive.
However, if you want to try to call me my cell number here is 092865746 and I think you add like a 59 or 59-3 in front.
Yesterday Elena (mi madre) and her brother Juli took me to downtown Quito and we saw the center part where the President stays, and la Catedral de San Francisco... along with some other Cathedrals... who´d knew the Jew would be getting all Catholic on ya´ll, eh?
It was beautiful and one of the Cathedrals was made during the art period of Baroque ... and I remember learning about that in my Spanish 432 class back at home. Everything here is beautiful... everything that I have read in books, seen on TV or videos is all coming to life (yes, I know that sounds cheesy, but it is true).
(P.S. the keyboard here is different then what I am used to.... so if you see misspellings or bad punctuation, I apologize in advance).
Other than that yesterday I met Elena´s cousin and her daughter along with Elena´s neice... everyone here is very nice for the most part and always with the kissing on the cheek or hugging (even if they just met you 2 seconds ago).
Today I went to orientation at La Universidad de San Francisco. I was so nervous about what to pack that I brought very plain, bland clothes and the students at this school are all preppy, for the most part, like at MSU. I shouldn´t have worried so much. Most of those students wear coach, Abercrombie, Hollister, Gap... etc. I didn´t realize how Americanized it was going to be.
Elena took me on the bus today and it takes three buses to get to my USFQ... and I have an 8.30 a.m. class every morning (that´s 9.30 in Michigan time). I have to wake up Monday - Thursday around 6.30 a.m. just so I can get ready and head off to the bus station. There are two guys that live really close to me Aaron from MSU and Nathan from UNC, and we´re going to try and take the bus together to school every morning or for awhile at least, until we´re all comfortable with being gringos in Ecuador.
After orientation, Elena and I went to her aunt and uncle´s house in Cumbaya (near USFQ) and their house is like a palace. Guarded gates, it´s own name ¨la casa blanca¨and they have a separate house for their cooks and maid. Lunch was exquisite, except I really didn´t like the idea of having cooks serving us the meal. It was a bit akward, if you ask me.
The aunt´s grandson was there with us eating as well and apparently he is studying business and chinese at Trinity University in Tejas... I think.
I´ve learned that I know a lot of Spanish, but that I have so much more to learn... Elena doesn´t speak any English (except on the busride home today, she told me she thought this one guy had a beautiful face in English).
Last night I went to go upload my photos from my camera onto my laptop, and just like my last Toshiba laptop, the computer part turned on but the screen is gone... so I don´t know if that just happened with traveling or if the screen went out. I am done with Toshiba´s.
When I get back, I am getting another job, saving $$, so I can buy a Macbook and some plane tickets to visit friends that no longer live in Michigan (you all know who you are).
Alright, enough of this. I am done blogging for the time being. Keep in touch. If you want to personally e-mail me, you can at aramphets at gmail.com or deutchma at msu.edu
Whichever, I should be able to check both. I´ll be online every so many days just to check up on everything.
But without a laptop, I hope I don´t have many papers because the internet cafe isn´t THAT convenient to do homework.
Buenos noches. Y ciao!
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