HUGE update: 8.18-8.23

Getting to Quito was a long and grueling journey in many ways. I had to say goodbye to my parents at the airport in Chicago, and that made me prone to sobbing for most of that first day. But the group of K students waiting for me just outside of security made the transition easier. The sixteen of us going to Quito from K spent the day together, nervous and excited. We’d been waiting for this day, after all, for over eight months. And here it was! August 18, 2007. Two flights, a little turbulence, and a lot more nervous chatter later, and our eight months of planning finally became something real: we landed in Quito. Our new city.

It was night when we arrived, and as soon as we got off the plane we scattered like frightened chickens. We were all tired, and frightened, and I swear, I didn’t see a single one of my fellow K students after we passed through customs. What I did see, however, was a wonderful sign with “Christine Widmayer” written across it, and a smiling welcoming face. Mi madre, Marcia, hugged and kissed me when I found her, which is a customary greeting in Ecuador, and helped me with my bags. Out on the curb waiting for a cab, it hit me. I was in QUITO. I think I probably thought something like “Holy Cow.” and then tried to convert it into Spanish, which turned into “Vaca Santa.” I don’t think I’ll ever actually say that out loud, but it was a good thought at the time. Holy Cow. I’m here.

If it hadn’t hit me that I was in Quito before I got in the cab, it certainly would have once I got in it. The drivers in Quito are absolutely loco. My friend Melissa and I have decided that whoever honks first at any crossroads or possibly disputed intersection has the right of way. It’s honestly the way it works. And the buses are the same, but bigger. The cab ride home was a little topsy-turvy, but I was able to talk a bit to Marcia over my fear. I found out that she lives in a neighborhood called “Los Laureles.” Los laureles are an Ecuadorian flower of some sort, she said. All the streets in the neighborhood are named after flowers. We live on the third floor of an apartment building off of Avenida de los Tulipanes. It’s a guarded, gated building, which originally made me wonder how safe it was, but I’ve since realized that everyone locks their doors as much as we do (I have to use six keys to make it through my front door). The apartment itself is modest, but still very nice and comfortable. Marcia walked me in and introduced me immediately to her daughter Anita, who’s sixteen, and Anita’s boyfriend, Marco. Then she showed me to my room.

Okay, imagine this. You’ve lived in the boonies of Michigan your whole life, and the terrain is very unvaried. You’re used to trees and lakes, but mountains—you’ve not really seen any since your last vacation out west to Colorado. Imagine having spent all day on a plane, flying to a strange city, and feeling extremely overwhelmed. Now, imagine walking into your new home for six months and seeing out the window in your room the fantastic cityscape of Quito, the biggest city you’ve ever lived in, shadowed nicely by Pinchincha, a giant mountain/volcano. If you could picture all that, you can imagine my reaction. I almost died, I was so happy. It was like, “Welcome to Quito! And oh yeah, you are in the Andes. Enjoy the overwhelmingly beautiful vista.” I tried to take pictures that very night, but it was too dark for my camera.

Marcia, Marco, Anita and I talked a little, but Marcia soon decided that I should rest. So, I went to my room and unpacked to help me settle down a little. I was, of course, quite overwhelmed by everything. But above all else that night, I was happy to be in Quito. I went to bed that night happy, nervous, and excited. I ended up waking up more than once during the night for very specific reasons, and things I will always associate with life in Quito:

1. The planes. You can hear them very very loud and clear no matter where you are in the city. And it’s easy for them to wake you up. They also have flashing lights at dark that will draw your attention right to the window. They actually add a little to the whole cityscape.
2. The dogs. There are dogs all over the place, including in the parking lot below my window. They love to fight with each other, so I can hear them barking allllll night. But they are very cute. I haven’t tried to pet any because I’m afraid I’ll get rabies, but they’re fun to look at. You get used to them pretty quick. I’ve already learned to tune them out.
3. The early sunrise. The sun rises here at around 6:00AM. The sun certainly doesn’t care that I sometimes want to sleep in. But that early morning wake-up call from Mr. Sun brought with it my first glimpse of Quito during the day. Let me tell you, it’s incredible.
4. The chicken, or rooster, or whatever it is next door. There is a chicken, that is clucking all day, and a rooster, or maybe that same chicken, that crows in the morning. I seriously laughed out loud to myself when I first processed in my sleepy brain what that strange noise was because it made/still makes me think of my dad (since he’d really like some chickens). I kept saying that I’d bring some chicken decorated stuff home for him. But I honestly didn’t expect to encounter any chickens so soon. I was, of course, pleasantly surprised.

Although I went to bed that first night excited, by morning I was more nervous than anything else. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to communicate, and I was still in that place where everything is just too different to get used to. I spent most of Sunday in a polite, but reserved silence. Whenever Marcia tried to talk to me, I could barely elaborate on my “Si” or “No” responses. I felt very very lonely. Top that off with not being able to call home, and I was a wreck by the end of the day.

I was relieved when Monday dawned. All the Kalamazoo students met at the bus station to take our first trip to la Universidad San Francisco de Quito. It’s just northeast of Quito in a town called Cumbaya. Everyone has to take at least one bust to get there. I, being as lucky as a four leaf clover, live closest to Rio Coca, the bus station from which we have to depart for Cumbaya. I walk the five or fewer minutes each day, and just climb onto a bus, and within twenty or so minutes I’m getting off in Cumbaya. Some of the K students have an hour or more commute. And I am so glad I don’t. It was one of my biggest fears. And it allowed me to be pretty independent right of the bat. My familia doesn’t have to come pick me up from Rio Coca each day to make sure I get home okay. That gives me some flexibility this first week. I’m not expected home at any real time, necessarily, except for meals. Right now there’s a bus strike going on, too. So a lot of the K students have to take a cab to the bus station, which is much more expensive than a bus (the bus costs $0.25 per ride). I’m very fortunate.

Anyway, the school is very beautiful. We haven’t really had the opportunity to formally tour it, but what I have seen of la USFQ is very nice. There’s a gorgeous little pond with fish in it, and a water fall. It looks just like everyone has described it to me: like a country club. I really like it. Plus, it has free wireless internet for students. Needless to say, I’m going to spend a lot of my time there. When we arrived on Monday, I was relieved to be with my fellow K students, and I also was very happy to be down at a lower altitude. Cumbaya is a valley, and is more than 1000 feet lower than Quito. Sunday, I had terrible altitude sickness, which included nausea and headache. But being in Cumbaya has definitely helped me get over my altitude sickness faster. So overall, la Universidad has been wonderful to me.

Also on Monday, we took our Spanish placement exam. This first week, we take an intensive Spanish course, but we have to be placed in a level first. Somehow, and I honestly don’t know how, I placed in the advanced level. Some of it is a little over my head because I might have a good grasp of grammar on paper, but speaking is a fumbling mess for me. But I’m glad I’m in the advanced group. We’re reviewing things I really need to review, and the class has only six of us in it. I feel like I’m learning a lot very quickly. I’ve already, after only three Spanish classes and less than a week in Quito, noticed that I can understand and distinguish a lot more Spanish than I used to be able to. That makes me feel better about it all, though my speaking is still a bumbling, mumbling mess.

After classes on Monday, we all took the bus back to Rio Coca together, and were met by our host families. My hermanita, Anita, met me, and we walked back together and talked a little. I felt a little better after being with my friends, but I was still feeling very lonely. Once we arrived back in the apartment, I started feeling very lonely again. Neither Anita nor I knew what to say to each other. By the evening I had worked myself up into such a tizzy that I almost had a breakdown. But I finally asked my madre if I could call my parents and she took me to the phone booth place around the corner to call. I called my mom sobbing, and it honestly really helped. I just felt so isolated and I had been so worried about not getting to talk to my parents that I was going to explode!

The next day I felt a lot better. I worked out my Ecuadorian cell phone, which has done wonders for my feelings of isolation. Firstly, I asked Anita to help me set it up, which initiated a long conversation about lots of stuff. Secondly, it allowed me to have more freedom because I can call my casa and let them know I’m not going to be around for lunch or dinner, and instead I can go off with my friends. That hasn’t happened yet, but I still feel much more connected to everyone, having a cell phone and everything. That was Tuesday.

Wednesday, we had an extra long day at USFQ. We had Spanish again all morning and then we had a meeting in the afternoon with Nelson and Tania, our Resident Directors here in Quito. We went out for pizza for lunch (which we all thought was funny because that’s exactly what K would have done if we were home…feed us pizza. It’s just a college kid staple, I guess), and afterwards talked about everything including classes, and our Integrative Cultural Research Projects. Afterwards, we all decided to go out to a store near USFQ and buy school supplies. Then, some of us went home, but I went with a group to Supermaxi, the main super market in Quito. I had been once before with my madre, but it was more fun with the K students. We looked at all the Ecuadorian fruits, which are incredible, by the way. But if I were to tell you about all the food, it’d be a whole different long story. Suffice to say, it’s really good. After that, we all went home because it was getting dark.

Thursday was mostly a boring day. My madre told me last night that she was going to be gone for all of today until tomorrow morning, so I was hoping to go out to lunch with some people from K. Lunch, or almuerzo, is the biggest meal of the day in Ecuador. Since my madre wasn’t going to be home, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be home for it. I ended up staying at USFQ to use the internet and call home before returning in the late afternoon. I ended up exploring Cumbaya a little more, but decided to just eat almuerzo at a McDonalds. I know, I know. Not very adventurous. But I didn’t want to be sitting alone in some restaurant eating my four courses (lunch is often times multiple courses) alone. It was at least a little amusing to be there. I got to order in Spanish and stuff. Luckily they have numbered selections.

So anyway, that’s the long version of what I’ve been up to thus far. It hasn’t been much because my familia does a lot of stuff outside of the house. My madre works all day, and Anita has been sick. This weekend, though, all of us K students will be able to organize ourselves (because hopefully we’ll all have cell phones) and we’ll go exploring Quito. That’s something one definitely doesn’t do alone. Especially not for us women. And especially not at night. At least, that’s what we’ve been warned. And considering it gets dark here around six or seven, that’s saying something.

I hope all of you are well, and if you made it through the end of this novel length email, thank you for your persistence. Obviously, I have too much spare time. Feel free to ask questions! I know this is very detailed, but I left out a lot, believe it or not.