Some Ice in the Summertime

This morning, after breakfast with the family, I went with Alex, Cynthia, and Califas (the family's poodle) for a long walk in the parque metroplitano, a huge park that seemingly forms part of the border to the city.  After hiking up a large hill and through some wooded trails we arrived at a large opening, where we could see clearly into the valley below.  From the top of the hill we could see Cumbaya, where I will be travelling tomorrow for my orientation at Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ).  The hike wasn't particularly difficult, but it was pretty warm, so by the end we were all sweaty  We took a quick break at a playground that would have NEVER passed safety inspections in the US (which made it all the more awesome) and headed back down to the house for lunch, where I tried another exotic fruit juice from a fruit called naranjilla (Wikipedia article) that was, like the guanábana, delicious.

Walking up the trail in the Parque Metropolitano

Me and Cumbaya

Alex, Cynthia, and Califas at the playground

Alex with a view of Quito as we came down the hill from the park

After lunch I went to the bus stop with Alex and Lula (my host mother).  Lula was going to work, and Alex and I were leaving for the center of northern Quito, which resembles the downtown area of an American city much more than the Centro Historico.  I needed to buy a cell phone, so we went to a couple large malls, where I was surprised to see such shops as Armani Exchange, Abercrombie and Fitch, Payless Shoes, KFC, and Baskin Robbins (that's globalization at work, people).  We compared prices at a number of different places, and the cheapest phone we could find was a $61.00 LG phone ($55.00 because I paid cash).  I still need to "recharge" my phone with minutes and text messages (I'm using Movistar), but apparently this is very cheap and easy, and you can do it at any corner store around Quito.

While we were buying my cellphone, it had begun to rain lightly, but we saw a flash of lightening and all of the lights went out.  For the next 15 minutes or so we were trapped in the electronics store, as it was raining VERY hard.  When we finally left the store we took refuge under a pedestrian bridge and tried to hail a taxi.  The rain finally let up and we walked back towards the Estadio Olimpico de Pichincha.  As we walked, I noticed little white granules on the ground, which I assumed to be salt to make sure the ground didn't freeze.  The white granules turned out to be hail.  Apparently Quito only gets hail once or twice a year, and never in the summer (it's summer right now in Quito), so it was really weird for both Alex and I to see it.  Tomorrow I have to be at the university at 7:30 in the morning, which I am not looking forward to, but it should be interesting to finally see USFQ and meet many of the international students that will be studying with me this semester.  Hasta luego, y aquí están algunos fotos:

Our refuge under a pedestrian bridge

A massive traffic jam outside of the Estadio Olimpico de Pichincha

Ice in the summertime

My new cell phone

Day 1 in Quito

I slept a lot better than I expected last night, given the radical change in climate and the ice-cold shower I took right before going to bed.  I got up at about 9:30 and had a large breakfast of yogurt with bananas, a fried egg, bread with cheese, and cafe con leche with mi familia.  I got to know Danny (23), who plays precussion with a number of bands around Quito and had just returned from Bolivia where he was preforming with his band, "Tambores y otros demonios."  Luckily for me, Danny had brought back some coca from Bolivia, so I was able to try chewing coca leaves.  Before anybody freaks out, let me emphasize that although cocaine is produced from the coca leaf, the leaf itself is by no means a narcotic.  Coca was used as a traditional medicine in the Andes long before the European conquest of the continent, and luckily for me one, of the ailments it is meant to cure is altitude sickness! The leaf was bitter at first, but not at all unpleasant to chew.  The inside of my mouth tingled as the natural stimulant was released from the leaves.  One keeps a chewed wad of leaves in their cheek until their flavor is gone and then disposes of the chewed coca.  The effects of chewing coca have been likened to drinking a cup of coffee, which seems to be an accurate characterization based on my experience.

After chewing our coca Alex and I took a bus into town. Alex showed me the historic district of Quito, which is famed for being the largest such district in South America.  After seeing the Ecuadorian equivalent to the White House (El Palacio de Carondelet) and a large cathedral rumored to have been built by the devil in a wager for an indigenous man's soul, Alex and I moved on to the Mariscal Sucre district, otherwise known to Ecuadorians as "Gringolandia" or the "Zona".  The Mariscal is famed for its clubs and bars and attracts large crowds of foreigners who want to enjoy the night life.

We returned home at 14:30, because Alex had an appointment to teach songs to the new bassist in his heavy metal band.  We had a lunch of chicken and potato soup, pasta with ham, and guanábana juice (which is absolutely delicious), and I have now retired to my room to unpack and fill my closets.  I'm not entirely sure what I will be doing for the rest of the day, but given the multitude of new things I've tried already today (coca, guanábana, speaking spanish nonstop), I'm sure it won't disappoint.  Here are some pictures of my experience so far:

La hoja de coca

Quito from right outside my house

La Virgen de Quito, sporting wings and treading on a serpent

Some funny graffiti on my street

Jugo de Guanábana

Mi cuartel desorganizado

Finally made it.

Tonight at about 23:00 (yeah, that's right, I'm on Ecuadorian time now) I touched down in Quito, Ecuador. As we made our final descent we began to see streetlights snaking here and there, but nothing you could properly call a city.  And then we went over the ridge.  Stretched before us, bordered by mountains on all sides lay Quito, looking 100% like a city of 2.7 million.

After the flight I jumped into the immigration line with a bunch of kids coming to Quito for the exact same reason I am.  Alex from Michigan State, Jason from Washington & Jefferson, and two very nice people from Oregon and Elon whose names I have regrettably forgotten.  I had my first conversation in Spanish with the immigration officer and it went relatively well.  Immigration and customs went quickly enough, and I soon walked into the airport's lobby, only to be confronted with a large number of Ecuadorians holding signs.  I found my host mother (Lula) quickly, and she welcomed me with a hug and kiss on the cheek.  We drove out from the airport with Lula's son and law and his friend (both from Cuba).

As soon as we got home I met my host family, Alex (25) and Cynthia (16); Danny (23) was asleep, as he had just gotten back from Bolivia where he was performing with his band (he plays the conga).  My family has been very warm and hospitable to me so far, and I can already feel myself becoming more comfortable in conversation.  I showed them pictures of my family and friends from Georgetown and Austin.  More pictures of my room and house will follow (maybe tonight, I'm in the middle of a huge adrenaline rush right now and it might be hard to sleep).