Hola, mi amigos de los estados unidos!

Yes, I am still alive after a full day of orientation, two days of class, and almost 4 total days in Ecuador. I feel like I´ve been here for longer than just a few days.

Tuesday was orientation for the international students. I successfully navigated the 3 bus transfers to and from the university (my host mother was very proud- she bragged about me to her sister). I was NOT successful, however, in remaining awake during the day. We sat for almost 3 hours at one point with no break, listening to various speakers lecture about safety and Ecuadorian culture differences. It was a long day, to say the least. Afterwards I finally bought my Ecuadorian cell phone for $43 (I forgot how expensive phones can be when you´re not buying an attached plan!)

Later that night there was a welcome party at a bar in La Mariscal (the section of Quito in New Town very popular with tourists). The BU group met up at a different bar before. I took a shot with two others called a "flaming a-hole." Sounds lovely, I know. And yes, it was on fire. And yes, it was awesome. (Sorry, Mom! But it was a great welcome to Ecuador! I was smart and made good choices, don´t worry.) The welcome party was okay, I met a few people from BC, nothing too exciting. We headed back on the early side to get ready for our first day of classes.

Wednesday was supposed to be my first day, but as of now I´m only registered for three classes due to various reasons. My professor didn´t show up to my one class, Spanish, so it wasn´t too exciting. The campus is gorgeous, though; I will have to get pictures up soon. Today I had history, which seems like it will be good, and jewelry making. I might have to drop jewelry making because we have to buy a lot of supplies and write a 7-page paper. It will be a lot of work, instead of the fun art class I thought it would be. BU won´t even give me credit for it. We´ll see. There aren´t really a lot of other classes here I would want to take to replace it...

In all, I´m having a good time. I really like some of the people in our group, so that´s good (and better than when I wrote my last entry...) My homestay is very quiet because it is only me and Ines. Most other people have at least relatives/friends nearby. It is kind of nice, because I can rest when I want to, but I also feel like everyone else is doing exciting things with their families. I know I´m only four days in though, so I´ll withhold judgement for now. Additionally, while I haven´t been eating a lot here (I´ve had to force down most meals,) my diet is probably more balanced than it has ever been. I feel bad not eating everything my homestay mother makes me, which unfortunately includes vegetables.

Our group has a tour of Quito on Saturday, and I have no classes tomorrow, so hopefully I will get to see a bit more of the city.

Otra vez, hasta luego!