One month in Quito....

Well, I made it here one month.... sort of crazy to believe!! I arrived at exactly this time one month ago! I wasn´t sure that I would last this long, or that it would feel much longer than it has.... I have to say that it has flown by, thanks to the fact that I am truly enjoying learning Spanish, love the people at my school and love that I have made some great friends here!



One of the highlights of my Spanish progress this week was when I returned to a libraria to inquire about a book for a friend... I´d been in the store 2 weeks prior looking for (let´s be honest, children´s) books in Spanish. I´d garbled my way through the first conversation I had with the owner along with the help of my very patient Spanish teacher, Olga. Olga led the talk and I chimed in when I could. THIS week, however... I went back alone. I was able to ask about the book for my friend, chit chat (en Español!) about my progress and what I was doing this weekend.. etc. The best part was when the owner told me that she wouldn´t have known I was the same person because my Spanish was so much better! That is definitely motivating... because there are some days where I couldn´t have a coherent conversation if you paid me....!! She asked me to come back and practice English with her, and she´ll practice Spanish with me...! Love it.



I also love my hostal... I feel like I´ve sort of been adopted.... the 2 brothers tease me about boys and REFUSE to speak to me in Spanish.... Their parents speak zero English, and I am finally able to have a full conversation.... today especially. I returned home from work and school and went to the kitchen to say hi.... So it´s me and these 2 women, BSing about the differences between Latin American and American guys... all in Spanish. It was great to be able to carry on a conversation without my dictionary surgically attached to my hand! The mom is going to teach me how to make CEVICHE!!!!!!!! this coming week. Ecuador is famous for its ceviche and I can´t WAIT to learn!!



another note on food... I had the pleasure of eating mote with chicharron this week... Yadrina - my coworker at school-- bought it for me..... we gringos are not supposed to eat at this local food market, but if the food is hot you have a better chance of survival....so you walk into this packed place with fruit and heads of animals and soup and juice and everyone yelling in Spanish and steam and etc. And me. The glowing white girl...! ha. And we walk up to this packed stand with different little buckets of corn and meat and stuff.... it all goes into this plastic bag along with some cilantro, etc. Then you put a sauce on top (I abstained since it was cold AND appeared to have been sitting out all morning... and was cream-based!! I have a pretty tolerant stomach but I´ve already regretted some consumption decisions and I wasn´t about to do so again...!!) and eat. O.M.G. amazing. I can´t wait to get more!!!



On that note.... I am going to head to bed. Another morning of Spanish kickboxing....!! I do love that class.... I do LOVE that gym!! This weekend I am headed to a town about an hour from here where my friend has a house... Ibarra... where they supposedly have the best ice cream on the planet. I pretty much can´t wait for that!! And then hiking in the moutains somewhere on Sunday.... (just bought some new hiking boots!! yay!). Can´t wait..... hopefully I will be able to breathe!! (an update on the breathing front....last Sunday my friend and I went for a run... I made it one whole lap around Parque Carolina here in Quito... a mere 2.2K?? and I felt like I deserved a metal. WHICH, since we got the world´s most amazing gelato afterward, I guess I did!!...ha. A different friend wants to train for a marathon with me here.... we´ll see how that goes, considering I can only make it (barely!!!!!!!!!) 2.2K!).

K- that´s all from Quito tonight. :)