Hola Amigos y Familia,

I have arrived in Quito, Ecuador and it hasnt been without its challenges! Although it all adds to the experience and somewhat to my confidence!

I left Los Angeles very early on Monday morning to fly first to Miami, although I had trouble getting through secruity as they thought I was a minor and should be travelling with someone else, it is only when I showed them my passport did they believe that I was 28 that they let me through! Think it was my huddie and jeans rolled up that got them (yes pete I hear you cringe as you read this!). I nearly missed my flight as I was at the gate my boarding pass told me to be at but it was at another one and I only got there 5 mins before they shut the door! Disaster averted! The flight took 5 hours and then had to change to fly to Quito, luckily everything went smoothily and my bags arrived at Quito along with myself.

I was picked up by a driver and deposited at an appartment with an old lady called Ana Maria - first concern was that I had information from the company that I was staying with a young family who had three children! However she was expecting me and I was shown to my room and then we had dinner together which consisted of a bean puree soup (a bit like just the juice of baked beans and if people know me they know I cant stand baked beans!) with fried chips in it, then boiled rice, tomatoes, and a fish (not sure what type!) omlette!! mmmm I hear you say, believe me it gets better!! mmm Not! and I have 4 weeks of this!

Bless her, Ana Maria was really nice and continued to talk to me in spanish even though I had no idea what she was talking about, I just managed to get that someone was going to pick me up in the morning and take me to the spanish school. Then it was off to bed at 8pm! Although I was quite relieved as had been up since 2 in the morning and had no energy to try and decifer what she was saying.

I woke this morning to find another girl is staying at the apartment also her name is Spencer from California and is only 17, she is working in an orphange! And is here for two weeks andhas alot better spanish than me which is good. I was taken to the school and met my tutor Yolande, it is one on one so it is very intense, we start at 8.30 till 12.30 with one break, but she takes me around town to get out of the class room which is good. I had to make my own way back to the house for lunch however no one had given me the address so I had a stressful 30 mins in which I found my way back to the school and then asked pete to phone the organisers to tell them I was lost and could they come and pick me up, which they gladly did!

At lunch we had cabbage soup, followed by rice with fried egg and beans, then fruit salad. I think dinner is at 5 not sure what its going to be although Spencer said we get alot of soup! or sopa!

Have a few hours free so going to meet the guys from the other classes this afternoon.

This computer is not very good so will find another one to put photographs on.

This is a culture shock, there are alot of street children which is really sad to see and I keep getting beeped at by cars and starred at as I have blonde hair, plus we are not allowed to carry anything which has the potential to get robbed so everything goes in the pockets. This place is a challenge for the first week!

Love you lots

Hel x