It is day 5 of my stay in Quito and I am learning a lot about families in South America. There are a lot of things that are similar to my family but there are also things that are different. My host family consists of my mom, Annabelle, my father, Guillermo, my host brother, Carlos, and our dog, Cody. I also have some more host siblings that live on their own. Also everyday after school Annabelle's granddaughter stays with us until her mom gets done with work. My family is actually from the coast of Ecuador so they do things a little differently than families in Quito.
A normal day for the family would be like this. Everyone wakes up at the time that they need to get to what they need to do. My host mom makes breakfast for each person, after which we wash our own plates. Mostly so far for breakfast I eat some fruit and juice (I am not much of a breakfast person). Then we all do what we need to do. I take the buses to campus and eat lunch there. Then we all come back when we are done and have dinner at 7. We all eat dinner together and talk for awhile. My host mom also sometimes makes different food for each member of the family (she is a great cook).
My host family is really close to each other. They use a lot of words and nicknames to show affection. Something that is different from my family back home, is when you come home you try and make sure that you greet everyone that is home. Also when you leave you have to say goodbye to each member of the family. We greet each other with a beso (kiss) on the cheek. Also before dinner each member usually stays in their own room. There is no television in the living room (which is different from my family). The main television is in my host parents room and that is where we will all watch a movie or a soccer game together.
Also children in Ecuador usually live with their parents until they are married. They will live at home through their schooling and also once the graduate and have a job. Families are really close here which is like my family but some families in the United States are not as close as families here. I am really glad that I got put with the host family that I have. They are really caring and make sure that I am comfortable. They also have been very helpful in getting me around the town and helping me learn important things about the city.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Arrival
I was really nervous to be flying to Quito alone. I have only flown one other time so I was unfamiliar with all the processes of flying. I made it through and the people that worked in both the Detroit airport and the one in Miami were very helpful. I had a long layover in Miami where I met other students not only from CMU but also from other states like Colorado and North Carolina that are in the same program as us. We also met a local man from Quito that told us a lot about the city. After the layover it was time to fly to Quito!
After talking to all of the other students I was really excited to get to Quito. This flight I wanted to try and stay awake so I could see all of the things that we were going to be flying over. First we flew over Miami which was really cool to see all of the tall building look like tiny sticks. As we kept flying we flew over Cuba and then over the ocean to Colombia. The ocean from so far in the sky looked like an old oil painting, cracked and wrinkly. After that it all become clouds.
When the flight attendance announced that we would be descending soon everyone on the plane instantly looked towards the windows. All you could see where large cotton candy looking clouds. There was no land or city in sight. The plane started to dive into the clouds and you could see nothing out of the windows then all of a sudden there was the land. It was green with small lights everywhere. Then off in the distance there was a snow covered mountain and you could see the hills with houses starting to appear. It was one of the most amazing views of my life and my fear of flying left me because that view was breathe taking and worth all the stress of flying.
After costumes at the airport my host family was waiting for me. They were so excited to see me. We had an hour long bus ride into the city since this was the new airport that was built just outside the city. My host family got me home and showed me around and all of the things that were normal in there house. They feed me dinner which consisted of rice, chicken, yucca and a sauce and some juice that was better than any juice I have ever tasted. I think I am going to be eating really well here. Well more on my host family later.
After talking to all of the other students I was really excited to get to Quito. This flight I wanted to try and stay awake so I could see all of the things that we were going to be flying over. First we flew over Miami which was really cool to see all of the tall building look like tiny sticks. As we kept flying we flew over Cuba and then over the ocean to Colombia. The ocean from so far in the sky looked like an old oil painting, cracked and wrinkly. After that it all become clouds.
When the flight attendance announced that we would be descending soon everyone on the plane instantly looked towards the windows. All you could see where large cotton candy looking clouds. There was no land or city in sight. The plane started to dive into the clouds and you could see nothing out of the windows then all of a sudden there was the land. It was green with small lights everywhere. Then off in the distance there was a snow covered mountain and you could see the hills with houses starting to appear. It was one of the most amazing views of my life and my fear of flying left me because that view was breathe taking and worth all the stress of flying.
After costumes at the airport my host family was waiting for me. They were so excited to see me. We had an hour long bus ride into the city since this was the new airport that was built just outside the city. My host family got me home and showed me around and all of the things that were normal in there house. They feed me dinner which consisted of rice, chicken, yucca and a sauce and some juice that was better than any juice I have ever tasted. I think I am going to be eating really well here. Well more on my host family later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)