Mi Vida Ecuatoriana

Hola de Quito, ECUADOR!

I can’t believe I’m actually here and slowly starting to settle into "normal daily life" – it all still feels rather surreal! The last few days have been a complete whirlwind of orientation, meeting my host family, figuring out how to get around Quito, and frantically trying to adjust to speaking Spanish all the time. It’s been overwhelming, and at times frustrating (mainly with the language…really wish now that I’d actually practiced more during Spanish 105!), but I also feel such an excitement and giddy-ness about this whole semester. There are so many things about Quito and life here that I simply LOVE – the kindness of my host mother Mechita and sister Josefa (14 yrs old), the beautiful huge park (10K parameter) right across from our building, the gorgeous mountains surrounding the city, the cute little cafetería directly underneath our apartment (buenísimo café!), the friendliness and hospitality of the people here, and just the exhilaration of being in a new city and learning to live independently in a totally different culture.

We’ve now had five full days of orientation with the Duke in the Andes staff, and we’ve covered everything from safety and security to gender and intercultural relations to Ecuadorian government systems to registration for classes to our community service assignments/projects. Being that everything is in Spanish, obviously, I’m mentally exhausted! It’s a completely new experience for me to be thrown into a place where you are forced to speak a different language if you want to communicate or be at all understood, and it’s definitely been the most challenging part thus far. BUT it’s been less than a week, and I am already shocked at how much easier it’s gotten for me to understand what’s going on and have full conversations with my host family. And I know that it’ll only continue to get easier, so I have hope!

It’s been indescribably wonderful having Phoebe (mi mejor amiga de Duke!) here with me – it’s a huge transition for all of us, so it’s been helpful and encouraging to have someone I’m already such good friends with who is doing it all with me and supporting me in everything (and vice versa, claro). Yesterday Phoebe and I went and got sushi for lunch and coffee afterwards and caught up on everything – our summers, our feelings about Ecuador so far, and just our lives in general…and it was such a comfort in the midst of such a chaotic week. My host mom is also so wonderful and supportive – always checking in on me and how I’m doing and asking me if there’s anything I need. She is already becoming like a second mother to me, and she got so excited when I told her I wanted to go to church with her on Sundays! My host sister Josefa is adorable and sweet – AND her favorite TV show is Friends, so I know it must be fate that now we’re family :)

Two days ago our whole group went to go see the volcano Pululahua and visit “La Mitad del Mundo” (“the center of the earth”) which is basically a monument/tourist attraction built around the equator line. Seeing some of the countryside outside the city was awesome and the volcano and surrounding mountains were stunning, not to mention it was also pretty neat getting to stand in both hemispheres at the same time! And it was fun to hang out altogether as a group and take a break from orientation craziness. Tomorrow and Saturday we’re actually going on a short field trip (una “viajita”) to Nanegalito, which I believe is a small town surrounded by ecological parks, rivers, and jungle areas. I’m excited to see some of the natural diversity and beautiful scenery that Ecuador is so famous for! Next week we start our Duke program classes and the following week we start classes at la Universidad Salesiana. It all still feels a little unreal, like I said, but I’m gradually becoming more comfortable here and falling more in love each day with this vibrant city.

¡Muchos besos y hasta la prómixa vez!

Betania (my new name!...because they can’t pronounce “Bethany”)