Day 2!

When I decided to start a blog I was expecting to post new entries once a week or so, but there is so much going on in these first few weeks that I have to get these things down a little more quickly. I also have internet access in my family´s apartment which I hadn´t expected so that makes everything a little easier. This morning I woke up to the usual charming sounds of the city: the car alarm that seems to blast right outside my window 24/7, the kids walking to the school next to our building, a little dog barking somewhere, and the general hum of 2 million people living in the valley. This morning I had to register my visa and on the bus ride there I was feeling pretty confident in my abilities to navigate the city. I had afterall taken my bus route twice the day before (once alone) and I was trying my hardest to not look like it was my second day. This attempt was shattered when a little kid on the bus who had been staring at me for the entire ride looked up at his dad and said "Papi, ¡un gigante! (Dad, a giant!)" It was then I realized any attempt at "blending in" would probably require expensive surgery.

The visa registration was a completely nondescript experience except for the fact that I saw that bureaucracy is that same wherever you go. After that I did some cell phone research with another student and headed home for a quick nap before lunch. Lunch is the meal of the day in Ecuador and my experience so far is that´s its place among the meals of the day is much more significant than any in the US. Today my host mother had vegetable soup, arroz con pollo, ensaladita, pan dulce, delicious fried bananas, and this kind of cereal drink we have with every meal. Whenever she places something on the table Charo (my host mother) says, "this is good for your stomach." She has also quickly assumed her role of surragate mother in that she doesn´t offer me food but rather uses the mandato verb form and commands me to eat more. Also, when I told her this morning that I´d forgotten how to get hot water in the shower, she reminded me how but first told me that a cold shower is good for my health.

In the afternoon we went to the Museo del Banco Central where we got kind of a crash course in precolonial and colonial history. The museum was really interesting not only in the artifacts and interesting cultures presented but also in the comparison between the precolonial exhibit and the colonial exhibit. We always hear about the human sacrifices and shrunken heads of South American tribes (and they were certainly well represented in the museum) but the colonial exhibit was much more gruesome and violent. It was interesting that the exhibit with Christian imagery was making people queasy and uncomfortable with the blood and guts, not the shrunken heads like you might expect.

Tonight was the first dinner the family has eaten together since I arrived and we had a really good time. It was the first time I met Charo´s younger daughter, Lucilla, and watching Lucilla and Juan Car interact was hilarious. My Spanish is good enough that I can get in on the jokes sometimes but if I don´t understand they make me laugh anyway. After our delicious dinner we went and visited some of the neighbors, Nuri and her son Eric. Nuri is a city architect but is also helping organize a city-wide week without cars called Las Calles para La Gente. It sounds really interesting and we all bought t-shirts to support the cause. I´m excited to see what it will be like next week. I could definitely appreciate a couple fewer cars in the city, I´ve come so close to being hit by the cars and buses so many times that I´ve lost already count. The cars give you a courtesy honk but they show no sign of slowing regardless of the impending crash; it´s definitely been an adventure.

The definite highlight of the evening though was meeting Nuri`s 4-year-old son Eric. He was already up past his bedtime but he was so wound up and demanded that I read him one of his books in English before he went to bed. He introduced me to his stuffed dog and cat and showed me all of his toys declaring, "That´s mine! And this is mine! And this room is mine!" I promised to visit often and offered to babysit for Nuri.

After writing all of this I realized I didn´t include what I´d promised last time, I guess that will have to wait...

Still coming soon: my internship, Quito, the people on my program, and salsa dancing