First Days

Hello everyone. So I’m finally in Ecuador! A plane full of nervous international students and I arrived on the night of Janurary 2nd with no problems. I got picked up by my host-dad, Frances Castillo, from the Quito airport around midnight. Going 80 on the curved and steep roads beside the mountains was quite the welcome. (view from my rooms window)

The house and the family are both great. I’m living in a large apartment in Cumbaya, a suburb of Quito, with Frances, Daniella, Juan and the grandma Castillo. The whole family is obviously used to having a stupid foreigner around because they put up with me only understanding about 5% of what they are saying. Possibly the best thing about the house is the roof. On the roof you’re surrounded by beautiful mountains on every side as well as a view of Quito. (the roof looking towards Quito)

Cumbaya itself may be a suburb, but is about as close to an American suburb as I am to speaking Spanish correctly. It’s about a 20 minute walk to USFQ that includes an incredibly steep hill that, as a lazy Midwesterner, causes me great discomfort every morning.

The transition so far hasn’t been to much of a shock, the delicious food certainly has helped. And while the language barrier is frustrating, it seems every day I learn more Spanish than I did in a year and a half of college Spanish classes. I hope everyone in the US is doing well! Photos and info on USFQ to come.