Familiarity

The past few days have been full of adventures, new discoveries, and the familiarity of old routines.

Monday, we had our teacher's meeting and received class schedules and materials. I am teaching Advanced 2, which means that my students have some fluency and are focusing on learning more vocabulary and grammar. These students put my feeble attempts at learning Spanish to shame.

Tuesday was our first day of classes. I start teaching bright and early at 7am, so nothing new there. One difference is actually getting to work. Since I live pretty far away- by Quiteño standards- I have been catching a taxi to the school. These rides are not cheap but, until I figure out the bus schedule, they are necessary. Traffic in Quito is terrible, so meter prices can tick by pretty quickly. A taxi ride to school can cost anywhere from $2.75-$4.00 while a bus ride is just $.25. Each afternoon,  I have been experimenting with different bus routes. So far, I haven't figured out how to get directly to my neighborhood, but I've made friends!

On Tuesday I didn't pick the right bus (I mean, it got me sort of close..ish), but I still felt okay about the experience. I got to see different parts of Quito and was entertained by an adorable 4 year old named Mateo. As soon as he got on the bus, Mateo began vying for my attention. He sat directly behind me and began singing. Every time I glanced in his direction he squealed with delight and paused until I looked away. Eventually, he began questioning me... "Como te llamas?" What's your name? "Cuantos años tienes?" How old am I? What are my parents names? Where do I live? Before long, we were drawing pictures on the foggy windows and giggling together.

Wednesday, I took a bus closer to my apartment and then hopped in a taxi. Unfortunately, it was monsooning that day, so my clothes were pretty wet and every car that passed by through the three inches of water on the road made a big splash. To cut back on the cost of the taxi, I had the driver let me out across the street, rather than trying to fight through traffic and go down and back again to get me to the correct side. While I was waiting to cross, more cars splashed by, but a very nice Ecua started holding his umbrella out in front of us so we wouldn't get soaked. It's the little things like this that happen that make me smile at the kindness of some people.

Thursday and Friday passed without my much incident... I made it through my first week of school and came to Riobamba with Joha to visit my host family from this summer (and hopefully catch up with some friends!). I haven't had any exciting adventures yet, but I'm enjoying being back in Ecuador where I can soak in the language and culture. Life is beautiful.



Live and love ❤️
Katey

Ecua-ficial

As I began my 20 minute walk to the grocery store today, the skies were quickly darkening. From the time I stepped out of my apartment to the time I got out to the main avenue, the sky had gotten at least three shades darker- but only in one direction! It was sunny and beautiful the other direction (can you imagine my excitement? I love looking at the sky, especially when there’s such cool contrast going on up there!). Luckily, I made it all the way to Supermaxi before the bottom fell out. While I was finished up my shopping I heard the thunder start rumbling and the rain start pouring. Needless to say, I caught a taxi back to my apartment. 

While en route, the inevitable question of “De donde eres? De que pais?” Came up. Then, how long will I be in Ecuador? For some reason, the taxi driver’s next question is always “Tiene un novio ecuatoriano?” Followed by some type of love advice. This always amuses me. Today, my taxi driver shared his feelings that love can overcome everything- socioeconomic status, age, and lifestyle, among other things. He also informed me that should I fall in love and get serious with someone in Ecuador, this boy should come to the U.S. with me when I leave. Or we could get married… you never know what could happen. This provided some entertainment for me on the ride home, which I appreciated. What I didn’t appreciate was the $2.50 price tag.. where’s my discuento for being so friendly? Haha.

Friday we had new teacher orientation at the university where I’ll be working. I took a taxi into town, but wanted to try to figure out the bus system on the way back. The advice I received from my Ecua friends was to find a bus that had a familiar place listed and hop on. So, that’s what I did! Turns out, this wasn’t the most sound advice, but it got me in the general vicinity. Luckily, a very helpful Ecuadorian helped me figure out with bus I needed to take (after the one I chose) to get where I needed to go. I might have gone the long way around, but I ended up at the right place! :)

I also received my Ecuadorian ATM card on Friday (whoop!) and got to see my host dad and brother from this summer. 

Yesterday, I met up with some people who are here with a study abroad program. We walked around el Centro Historico and had lunch. It was also my first experience with the ecua via. This bus system is extremely crowded and ecuas don’t necessarily believe in personal space. Luckily I had some very nice new friends with me to act as my guias :)

Classes start next week and I’m sure I’ll have more interesting stories to share then… In the meantime, 

Live and love

Katey <3

John 17:18

Settling In

It’s my second day in the windy city of Quito, Ecuador. I haven't done much in the way of exploring or venturing out of my apartment- I guess you could attribute that to the fact that the city is a little more daunting when you’re alone and don’t speak much of the language. That being said, I am very thankful to be able to live with one of my host sisters from this summer! 

My two flights from the US went well, with no issues to report. I landed at the airport around 11:30 local time (we’re one hour behind the states at the moment). At the suggestion of my local friends, I took an airport shuttle bus from the new airport to the old airport, which they have converted into a sort of bus terminal. It was much cheaper to travel this way (and safer!). Once I arrived at the old airport, I caught a taxi to my new apartment! Places can be hard to find in Ecuador since most don’t have exact addresses, but it was relatively easy to get to and close by. As for my taxi driver… he "might could use" some prayers for patience :p 

I am looking forward to learning how to use the city bus system (now those crowds… I could probably do without), finding the best restaurants, and learning to cook some local cuisine! I am also excited for/nervous about meeting the staff at the university I’m working at and getting started with classes. This will be something totally new and unique for me.. working with adults. Yikes! I never thought I’d be teaching anyone that tall (well, unless you count some of my gigantic middle schoolers).

I already miss my family and friends and still occasionally daydream about my future house and buying decorations, but this is my life for the next year! I expect you all to learn Spanish so I’ll have people to practice with when I come home and I’d love for you all to stay in touch via any form of social media that uses wifi! 

Thanks for reading! 

Live and love <3

Katey

Isaiah 41:10