First Day

My first day is coming to a close and it has been crazy. We had breakfast at about 9, coffee, orange juice and these bread/pastry things with cheese inside. They were good. Then I was told that we were going to swim at the pool which I was really happy about. So we (my mama, brother and sister) piled into the car and proceeded to negotiate the craziest driving conditions known to man. I'm serious, turn signals, lane lines, speed limits, and passenger restrictions all mean nothing here. It was scary at first but I got used to it. 

I was expecting a 5 or 10 minute drive to the pool but instead we took detours all over the city visiting all the extended family. It is Sunday and Sunday is family day. After making all sorts of U-turns and stop we headed out of the city, the roads got rougher and the country slightly more rugged. I didn't really know what was going on but we made it to the pool about 45 minutes later. 

It was more than a pool however, it was a huge athletic club with tennis courts, outdoor gymnastic equipment, paddle boats, ping pong tables, soccer fields and more. We met up with much of the family there, uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents and played two games of soccer. 

Doing anything active here is so tiring, the air at this altitude is so thin that people who aren't accustomed to it (me) have to take breathers every 10 minutes. It will be fine once I get used to it. 

After soccer, some of us went for a swim. Again, very tiring, but it was good to be in a pool again. 

Then we left the club, and went out for a late lunch at a diner-ish place on the side of the road. Mama ordered for me, which was probably a wise thing. I didn't recognize much on my plate but it was all good except for the fried plantain.  I alot of things seem to be made of corn, I had some crunchy things which were cooked corn kernels and then something which they described as corn that had been cooked for a really long time. All I can say is that they looked like soggy bits of popcorn, but they tasted good so it didn't matter. 

I slept most of the ride home, translating spanish in your head all day combined with the altitude is so tiring. 

One of the uncles called a little while ago and invited us to a concert, an Argentine musician i think. I wanted to go really badly but I am so tired I knew it would be a bad idea. 

So my first day has gone really well, the spanish is testing at times but I knew it would be. I understand most of what my family says to me, but often I cannot say what I am thinking which is really frustrating. It will get better I know. 

The picture is the view from my house at night, I took it when I first arrived yesterday. I will take and upload more when I can.

 

Wait! Where are you going?

So if you don't already know what I am doing this year I will take the time now to explain it so hopefully it makes some sense. I am going to Ecuador for a year to stay with a host family and attend high school there. Getting better at Spanish is my main goal while I am away, but also I am hoping to do some volunteering / mission work while I am there. I will not graduate in 2009 but instead I will come back to Norwell as a senior and graduate with the class of 2010. 

I will be living in the capital city, Quito, with a really nice family who I have talked with via email and heard about from their previous exchange student Will. The school I will attend is a private high school in the city but thats all I really know about it. Oh, I have to wear a uniform there, that will be new to me. 

I am not sure how regular my internet access will be. The family does have a computer and internet, but I am told it is less than reliable. I will try and post here as often as I can because it is such a great way to communicate with many people at once. Please tell anyone who you think might be interested by this blog about it. The more readers the better. I will also be posting some pictures here but most will go on facebook or other image hosting websites. If I create an online album I will be sure to post the link. 

The name of the blog reflects how I tend to look at life in general, I like to do things differently and to be unique. I mean, how many kids take an extra year in high school to travel to Ecuador, right?

 I think this just about sums everything up but if you have any questions I believe you can write comments under each one of my posts, so ask them there.

Wish me luck.