Classes

So it is day 11 here in Ecuador and I am feeling like I am starting to get into a routine. On the weekdays I wake up pretty early. I get ready and have breakfast that my caring host mom makes for me. Then I head down the street to a small trolley station. I pay 25 cents and take that trolley to the first bus station. Then I get on another bus at the station and head to the next bus station. At the last bus station I take my final bus, for another 25 cents, that takes me right across the street from the campus. I live pretty far from the campus but it is really easy to take the buses to get me there. When there is not a lot of traffic it takes about 30 minutes (with all the bus changes), but when there is a lot of traffic it takes about 45 minutes.

The first few days of school my host mom went with me to teach me how to use the buses and what buses to take. Those first days were very scary. I was still new in the country and had never ridden buses in a huge city like here. Most of the buses are soo crowded that you have to stand. I leave for class around the same time that most of the city is leaving for work and lots of people use the buses because they are cheap and get you to places quickly.

The first day that I rode the buses myself everything went fine. I made sure that I listened to my host mom and got to classes with no problems. I also noted what kinds of buildings and shops we were passing so I knew that if something did not look right I was on the wrong bus. Also the people in the station are usually friendly and will help you figure out which bus goes where. I felt very accomplished to have navigated through all the bus stations by myself in such a huge city.

I am taking two classes here. One is a literature class and the other is a culture class. My literature class is made up of mostly native students and a few American ones and my culture class is all Americans. The university has a really relaxed environment. It is university policy that teachers are addressed by their first name not professor or Mr./Mrs. Both of my teachers and the international programs staff have been really friendly and helpful. The campus is really different from CMU. The whole campus in gated off and is a lot different from the city. It is not a public campus so only people from the university or people who have business there can enter it.

The campus is amazing. The buildings are half indoors and half outdoors and there are lots of place to sit outside and relax or study with friends. Most days I get to class a little early and meet with friends and then after classes I get lunch with friends at surrounding restaurants. The food around campus is soo delicious and really cheap. Also there is a mall across from campus you can go to with a nice food court that has food that is the most similar to food in America, if you are missing that food.

 So far I am really enjoying my classes and my time here in Ecuador. I am looking forward to the trips that I will take with friends and with the university in the upcoming weekends. But for now I am super happy in Quito and enjoying all the new sites and experiences that I am having.