Wednesday, July 17, 2013

El TelefériQo



Today my host brother took me to part of Quito called the telefériQo. The telefériQo is a lift that takes you up the side of the Pichincha volcano and over looks the whole city. We left in the morning got there by taxi and waiting in line for awhile. While we were in line I think that I could hear at least 4 different languages being spoken. The telefériQo is a big tourist spot in Quito. We finally got in one of the cars and headed up the mountain. We started at about 10,000 feet and when the ride was done we were close to 13,000. The Pichincha volcano is a little over 15,000 feet high just to give you an idea of how far up the mountain we were. 

     
   


I had no idea what to expect before I went on the telefériQo but once we got to the top it was a lot colder and really windy. At the top there was some small cafe places and some other buildings and then the trails started. We walked by a small church and started to head up the mountain. At first I was doing really well, but then I really could feel how hard it was to breathe and how even harder it was to catch your breath after. But we keep on hiking up. It was amazing how big the city was from up there and at the same time how small it looked. My host brother pointed out where my university and a large park I went to earlier this week. I could also see the Basilica and the part of Quito the is the historic center. I tried to look for my apartment but all the buildings were soo small I couldn't find it. 


This was a great thing to do for one of my last days here in Ecuador. If anyone ever comes to Quito the telefériQo is a most! Ever if you don't like hiking the view is worth the ascend. It was a great experience and was my first time climbing on a mountain and it won't be my last time. 


Monday, July 15, 2013

Back to the Beach

Sorry I haven'e blogged in a while, I just got done with my classes here. Exam week went pretty well, it was busy but what else can you expect from the last week of classes. I finished up with my classes on Thursday and that night I took off with my host family to the beach in Emeraldas.

                                                   

It took us all night to arrive but we made it. My host Mom and Dad came and so did my little host niece who is 7. We stayed with a sister of my host Mom with her family. Her house was amazing. It was a lot different than houses that I have been to in Quito. Tile floors in every room and high ceiling with the wooden beams exposed. They also had air conditioning which made our stay there even better. She also lived in walking distance of the beach.



The first day we rested in the morning and then headed to the beach after lunch. The weather this day not very sunny and really windy but the water was soo warm we still swarm in it. It was really fun to have my host niece there to play with and we played in the waves for hours. The next day the weather was really sunny and we made a sand castle and played in the water for a long time.

 

The family we stayed with had employees that cooked a lot of the food that we ate. The whole weekend all I ate seafood. It was probably the best seafood I have had in my life. We had fresh fried fish, fresh shrimp in a sauce made of unripened bananas and crab. The crab was the best. It was super fresh and I learned how to eat it like the natives do. Instead of using silverware to crack into the shell you use your teeth. It got really messy but it was definitely worth the work to get to the delicious meat inside. I am definitely going to miss all the fresh seafood in Ecuador.

                                          

The last day we stayed my host Mom wanted to take me to the house of her father. He lived out in the countryside of Esmeraldas which was a little bit of a drive. The country out there is not like anything I have seen before. Green everywhere and not very many houses. I lot of the houses were up on the mountainsides and there were a lot of ranches. It was really neat to see where my host Mom grew up. I can now have pictures to put with the stories that she has been telling me about her life.

                                         

This weekend was a great way to spend my last weekend in Ecuador. I had to use my Spanish all weekend, which I think has gotten a lot better since I first arrived. Also getting to see where my host family first got started was a great way to end my trip here. I can't believe that I only have one more week left in this beautiful country.


Friday, July 5, 2013

Things I love about Ecuador


                                                    
I only have a little more than two weeks left here in Ecuador. I am started to get a little excited about going home but I do not want to completely have my mind check out because I am still here and I need to keep enjoying every last day that I am here. So I decided to list out all of the things that I love about Ecuador as a reminder to cherish these things while I can.

First I have come to really enjoy the convince of public transportation. I can go to soo many places just here in the city of Quito for super cheap. Back home if I want to go anywhere I am the one paying for the gas so sometimes that can make traveling limited but not here. That is something that I am going to miss. Also people watching in the bus stations can be pretty entertaining.

The next thing that I am going to miss is lunch with my friends. I have really started to get close with some girls that are also studying abroad. Everyday after class we have lunch together. I love how lunch works here, we pick a place, pay a maximum of $6 for tons of food, and sit and relax together for sometimes 2 hours. I am going to really miss my new groups of friends here (I might have to do some traveling back in the U.S. to visit them).

I am really going to miss nature here. There are so many different kinds of plants here and also being surrounded by mountains and volcanoes everyday is pretty amazing. I will miss just looking out the window during class and seeing the mountains and the sky go on forever. You just don't get those kind of views in Michigan.

                                             

I will defiantly miss speaking Spanish as much as I do here. I love going to church in Spanish and I will miss the friends that I have made at church. I have always heard that South Americans are very friendly and welcoming and I think that it is true. No matter where I go weather it be at church or with another students home here the people here are so kind and welcoming. They will do anything to make sure you are comfortable and they always make sure that you are well fed.

The thing that I think I will miss the most about Ecuador is my wonderful host family. Over the weeks we have had some wonderful conversations about everything around the dinner table, that I will never forget. They have really welcomed me into their family and I will always have a family here in Ecuador that will always be in my heart. I am really going to miss all the work that my Mom here does for me and especially here cooking. I am going to miss the stories that my host Dad tells, he is always very animated when he tells stories. I will also miss the jokes and teasing from my host brother. I am going to miss my little host nieces a lot and their little cute voices in Spanish.

Living in Ecuador has been a blast. I have enjoyed my time here so much and hope to make the most of the next two weeks that I have here. There are so many things that I love about this country and I am sure that I am going to talk everyone's ears off about it when I get home.