Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Other blogs of note
When I look at other blogs, I glance here. The author is a widely read futurist.
Relevant History: When you know you're old
Relevant History: What could be funnier than cats and computers?
Relevant History: When you know you're old
Relevant History: What could be funnier than cats and computers?
Friday, November 2, 2007
Catching up...
It’s been quite a while since I’ve written anything, which is quite misleading because I have been out and about trying to experience as much of Ecuador as I can. Among some of the more interesting things that have happened include…
Coastal visit number 1: a large group of us went to the coast for our first “big break from school.” We left a on a Thursday for an 8 hour bus ride to the coast. The first day we spent as should at least one beach day be spent… Lazy. We drank “agua de coco” (which is a wonderful drink of coconut milk) and drinking in the sun; everyone in the group but me got burnt because the sun is so strong—thank you Mom genes!
The second day at the beach, we were able to enjoy other elements and began our day early and took a guided tour of various aspects of the coastal culture… We took a tour through endangered Mangrove forests, learned how the shrimp business is slowly eradicating much of what is so important to the coastal towns, learned how to cast fishing nets, and walked along more than 2 miles of beach. At the end of the day, we ended up in a small coastal town Mompiche, which I will write more about later.
Camping in Laguna Quilotoa and Zumbahua. For another weekend in which we wanted to get out of Quito, we herded ourselves (Jessica, Travis, Matt with Mustache, and I) a couple of hours south to Zumbahua, a small town nestled in the mountains of Ecuador. We arrived in the cover of night and took refuge from the freezing cold in a small little hostal right across the street from the local morning Saturday market. On Saturday the noise of pigs and chickens awoke us early and from our window, we could see stands of different things all catering to las indigenas that came from neighboring towns and the mountains for this market. Although the market didn’t have anything I (personally) wanted, it was still amazing to see a market function such as this one did. Las Indigenas came from all over for this market on Saturday and Sunday buying all their materials for the week here. Fruit, vegetables, meat, and clothes were all for sale. I had two boiled eggs and corn for breakfast, totaling $.75. An amazing thing about this pueblito to me was that among a population of 12,000+ inhabitants the nearest ATM was 1 ½ hours away! I arrived with $20 in my pocket and was “stuck” counting pennies because I had been sure there would be an ATM! (How American I am, I forget!)
We took a short truck ride to Laguna Quilatoa and it was incredibly beautiful there! It took about 45 minutes to hike down into the blown out volcanic crater that now houses an extremely acidic lake. It was gorgeous although extremely cold due to its elevation of 12,000 ft!
Coastal Visit Number 2: for the second large break from school, I received the opportunity to visit the beach. I went to Mompiche, the small coastal town in which we had spent our last day during the last coastal visit. It’s a small fishing village beginning to cater towards more and more tourists. The town has a population of about 500 with the majority of them being fishermen. It’s amazingly tranquil there, without a worry in the world. We drove (so nice and such a different experience to travel by car than bus! *on a side note, we saw one of the buses traveling to the coast and it had a poor lamb on top of the bus for the 8 hour ride!) We spent 3 nights in total at the coast this time and it was definitely relaxing, my only complaint arising from the number of bug bites I received. The first night there, I went skinny dipping around 11pm and after a few minutes in the extremely warm water (!) I noticed glowing whenever I moved. The phenomenon of glowing plankton graced me with its presence that night… it was one of the most amazing and beautiful things I have ever experienced! Every movement I made was accompanied by a bright green glow—made it a little hard to be “naked in secret though!” Rest of the beach time was spent sleeping on the sand, swimming in water, and eating delicious seafood.
Baños: went on a weekend trip with some friends from the other exchange student programs at Pontífica Universidad del Ecuador. A small trip away from Quito, Baños is a small town nestled in the Andes about 3 hours southeast. Although we only spent 2 full days there, we managed to get in biking through the Andes mountains (on a route known as La Ruta de Las Cascadas—the route of the waterfalls) and we also “fit in” canyoning (repelling down waterfalls!). It was an amazing trip, relaxing and adventurous at the same time with beautiful scenery in all parts.
Now that I’ve taken the initiative to document some of my adventures, I hope to keep this up, if for nothing less than to keep up with Austin (my 13 year old nephew) who is putting me to shame with all his blog entries!
Coastal visit number 1: a large group of us went to the coast for our first “big break from school.” We left a on a Thursday for an 8 hour bus ride to the coast. The first day we spent as should at least one beach day be spent… Lazy. We drank “agua de coco” (which is a wonderful drink of coconut milk) and drinking in the sun; everyone in the group but me got burnt because the sun is so strong—thank you Mom genes!
The second day at the beach, we were able to enjoy other elements and began our day early and took a guided tour of various aspects of the coastal culture… We took a tour through endangered Mangrove forests, learned how the shrimp business is slowly eradicating much of what is so important to the coastal towns, learned how to cast fishing nets, and walked along more than 2 miles of beach. At the end of the day, we ended up in a small coastal town Mompiche, which I will write more about later.
Camping in Laguna Quilotoa and Zumbahua. For another weekend in which we wanted to get out of Quito, we herded ourselves (Jessica, Travis, Matt with Mustache, and I) a couple of hours south to Zumbahua, a small town nestled in the mountains of Ecuador. We arrived in the cover of night and took refuge from the freezing cold in a small little hostal right across the street from the local morning Saturday market. On Saturday the noise of pigs and chickens awoke us early and from our window, we could see stands of different things all catering to las indigenas that came from neighboring towns and the mountains for this market. Although the market didn’t have anything I (personally) wanted, it was still amazing to see a market function such as this one did. Las Indigenas came from all over for this market on Saturday and Sunday buying all their materials for the week here. Fruit, vegetables, meat, and clothes were all for sale. I had two boiled eggs and corn for breakfast, totaling $.75. An amazing thing about this pueblito to me was that among a population of 12,000+ inhabitants the nearest ATM was 1 ½ hours away! I arrived with $20 in my pocket and was “stuck” counting pennies because I had been sure there would be an ATM! (How American I am, I forget!)
We took a short truck ride to Laguna Quilatoa and it was incredibly beautiful there! It took about 45 minutes to hike down into the blown out volcanic crater that now houses an extremely acidic lake. It was gorgeous although extremely cold due to its elevation of 12,000 ft!
Coastal Visit Number 2: for the second large break from school, I received the opportunity to visit the beach. I went to Mompiche, the small coastal town in which we had spent our last day during the last coastal visit. It’s a small fishing village beginning to cater towards more and more tourists. The town has a population of about 500 with the majority of them being fishermen. It’s amazingly tranquil there, without a worry in the world. We drove (so nice and such a different experience to travel by car than bus! *on a side note, we saw one of the buses traveling to the coast and it had a poor lamb on top of the bus for the 8 hour ride!) We spent 3 nights in total at the coast this time and it was definitely relaxing, my only complaint arising from the number of bug bites I received. The first night there, I went skinny dipping around 11pm and after a few minutes in the extremely warm water (!) I noticed glowing whenever I moved. The phenomenon of glowing plankton graced me with its presence that night… it was one of the most amazing and beautiful things I have ever experienced! Every movement I made was accompanied by a bright green glow—made it a little hard to be “naked in secret though!” Rest of the beach time was spent sleeping on the sand, swimming in water, and eating delicious seafood.
Baños: went on a weekend trip with some friends from the other exchange student programs at Pontífica Universidad del Ecuador. A small trip away from Quito, Baños is a small town nestled in the Andes about 3 hours southeast. Although we only spent 2 full days there, we managed to get in biking through the Andes mountains (on a route known as La Ruta de Las Cascadas—the route of the waterfalls) and we also “fit in” canyoning (repelling down waterfalls!). It was an amazing trip, relaxing and adventurous at the same time with beautiful scenery in all parts.
Now that I’ve taken the initiative to document some of my adventures, I hope to keep this up, if for nothing less than to keep up with Austin (my 13 year old nephew) who is putting me to shame with all his blog entries!
Monday, October 1, 2007
21st Birthday
Felsha's overseas birthday, reminded me of an overseas call I made.
Aunt Mary got married around March of 1978 . I did not attend: I had an ongoing contract to teach at Tonga High School. In '78 we corresponded by aerogram-- a sheet of lightweight, pale blue paper, which was both letter body and envelope. A sleek aeroplane was printed next to the postage area, Had I posted weeks in advance, it would have arrived in time for Mary's Connecticut wedding!
To be at the once-in-a-lifetime wedding, I scheduled an overseas call. To make one in the Kingdom of Tonga, I needed to visit the Central Telecommunications Office. It was at the far end of a new limestone road, at the edge of developing Nuku'alofa. Telecom Central had a dish antenna as larger than an elephant, aimed at the blue sky above the South Pacific.
After the hot bicycle ride, it was a relief to step off the glaring limestone roadway into the shade of Telecom Central. To gain phone access, you needed to prove that you had cash. A stout clerk, aware of her importance as the Kingdom's gatekeeper, took my five pa'anga, and indicated my position in the phone queue. The phone cubicles had sound absorbent tiles, like the ones in a language laboratory, but the cubicles were open to passersby. I could overhear different conversations with destinations like Auckland and Melbourne. Most of the sessions sounded precious. When my turn came, the mighty o/s operator assigned me a numbered cubicle--in Tongan. I felt proud and grateful I could understand her words.
After a few clicks and whistles, I could hear a Aunt Sandy over celebration hubbub in Connecticut. All the family was there, and certainly-- Aunt Mary was getting married!
Leaving telecom, feeling cooler, I stepped back into the limestone sunlight. I glanced to the motionless satellite dish. The behemoth had assisted me, and I was thankful.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sunday Night
9:15pm, an earthquake! It shook our 6th floor apartment softly, rocking the bed and alerting me that there was an earthquake. My host-mom became terribly frightened and began moving around in a slight panic. My host sister (Gaby) and I didn’t pay too much attention to it.
“Guapolo: A Mixed Celebration”
This past Saturday night, I joined a few friends and went to a local indigenous festival mixed with Catholic tradition. Held in the bottom of a valley a few minutes from my house, Guapolo is one of the ferias I have heard so much about—a feria is a local indigenous celebrations mixed with Catholic celebrations. Guapolo was a festival honoring the Virgin Mary.
We took a taxi as far as we could before being let out a ways before the festival. Walking down the hill into the valley, we could hear music playing from a live band and could see hundreds of people dancing and milling.
Arriving to the bottom of the valley, there were hundreds of people congregated right outside a beautifully lit white church and a stage up front. A live band was playing Ecuadorian music and people were watching, dancing, and drinking. There were people dressed in costumes, varying from clown suits (complete with papier-mâché masks), people dressed in animal type costumes (a full fur suit—like big foot), and other type of costumes.
To the left of our entrance, right next to the church, was a bonfire that was being attended to by little kids about 7-12 years of age. A pile of eucalyptus tree branches had been made and kids were throwing the branches onto the nearby fire. As we made our way to the bonfire through the throng of people, fireworks began to go off near the stage. The types of fireworks that produce golden sparks and spin around were being thrown around the crowd!
After making it safely away from the fireworks and to the bonfire, we watched as a large structure made out of wood (it looked a bit like 4 ladders put into square form) came out into the middle of the audience. A picture of the Virgin Mary was on each side and from the structure began to spew fireworks again, showering all nearby audience members with sparks!! People were cheering and dancing around the fireworks and they continued to go off for a couple minutes.
After awhile of watching the festivities, we made our way back up the mountain, stopping shortly in a bar that had live music. Although we left around 12am from the festival, I understand most people stayed, partying early into the hours of the morning (7am)!
“Bodybuilding—South American Style”
On Saturday afternoon, I accompanied my trainer from the gym and his friend to the South American Bodybuilding competition. It was held in a public gymnasium in downtown Quito and was quite full. The competition started at 4pm and had weight classes from 65-100 kilos in 5 kilos increments. The male part of the competition included a short “dance routine”—a short 45 sec. piece of music accompanied by dancing/flexing action to show off their body. Hilariously, many of the men used slow, love music (Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Pussycat Dolls)! At the end of the 45 sec. performance of the last participant in that weight class, they would all come out together and stand in a line flexing specific muscles.
Although women did compete, there were only 2 groups of them and they were classed according to height not weight. They came out various times, in different “wear” each time—something along the lines of a bathing suit with sparkles. Some of the women were too muscular (so I thought, as an audience member and non-bodybuilder). Some however, looked fantastic and I hope they preserve themselves at that stage and don’t go any further!
Although not something I take very seriously, it was quite interesting to see the bodybuilders compete. What they can make a human body achieve was quite astonishing and left me in awe of my own.
“Bienvenidos to Pontifica Universidad Catolica Ecuador (PUCE)”
Yesterday evening, we had the official welcome function from PUCE and it was a hoot! Arriving around 7—the invitations said 7, but this is a polychronic culture after all—we settled into the “cocktail dress” event. After a short introduction from the President of the college, we were called by our affiliated organizations through which we came to PUCE and received an embroidered hat and backpack with PUCE’s name. And then the wine began. The waiters who were serving us gave us each a glass of wine (red or white) to begin the night and then the wine kept coming! A few appetizers were passed around (ceviche, empanadas, and shish kabobs). However, the amount of food couldn’t rival the amount of alcohol being given away and glass after glass, the waiters kept filling up our glasses.
After everyone started dancing and loosening up, Cuba Libres came out as well! This function was hilarious in the fact that it was just an excuse to drink an outrageous amount of alcohol and the entire faculty to see the students as such. I can definitely say that I was drunk at the end of the function, out on the dance floor not caring about much. When the function ended around 11:30pm, most of the students headed down to the Mariscal and continued to dance the night away until 2 or 3am.
After everyone started dancing and loosening up, Cuba Libres came out as well! This function was hilarious in the fact that it was just an excuse to drink an outrageous amount of alcohol and the entire faculty to see the students as such. I can definitely say that I was drunk at the end of the function, out on the dance floor not caring about much. When the function ended around 11:30pm, most of the students headed down to the Mariscal and continued to dance the night away until 2 or 3am.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Beautiful Experiences
As I am sure we all would agree, human beings love beautiful experiences. Whether the experience arises from a walk in the woods, in the serenity and peace of nature, a satisfying sleep complete with wonderful dreams, or a great dinner with family and friends, that completes a different part of ones soul, beautiful experiences are something we are open for.
When I go to the local gym, I take the same route from my house. It pulls me about 3 blocks away from the apartment and then onto a main street. As with all main streets, there are usually people selling gum, candies, and other sweets alongside the road and walking between the cars to sell such things when the cars are stopped. On most of the days I walk along this main street, there is a little girl selling gum along the sidewalk. She sits with her legs in a box, the gum on top, and is propped up against a wall along the sidewalk. She looks to be about 3 years old (although I would guess she is about 5--malnourished). On the way to and from the gym, we exchange smiles and waves and I continue on my way.
However, on this day, about half to the gym, I realized I had forgotten my ID card and decided to turn around. Approaching the little girl, she caught my eye and gave a shy smile. As I walked closer to her, gym clothes on, and water bottle in hand, I decided to stop and sit with her.
As I kneeled to sit with her, I saw how dirty her face was and how it appeared she probably hadn´t had a shower in days. She smiled at me shyly and I noticed she was losing her baby teeth in the top row. I offered her water and smiling at me, she took a sip. As we sat there together and I spoke to her in Spanish, I noticed a woman across the street on an ¨island¨ dividing two streets. She was selling goodies as well and had 2 younger girls with her, who appeared to be about 2 and 4. The little girl told me that the woman was her mother and the 2 little girls her sisters. While the mother sold goodies, her 2 sisters were playing amongst each other.
The little girl was amazingly sweet and very shy. At one point, I took off her hat to show her a caterpillar that had made its way onto it. She smiled shyly as I shook it off. After sitting with her for about 20 minutes (enough time to fall in love) I crossed the street to where her sisters and her mom were. Approaching the mother, I smiled and told her how wonderful her children were. She smiled thanking me, revealing no upper teeth. I asked the age of her children and she said 1, 3, and that she had forgotten the age of the one against the wall. Before leaving, I offered a sip of my water to her and her daughters which they gladly took.
After leaving the little girl and her family, I was touched by how beautiful the experience was that I had just had. Although this family had barely nothing, they still smiled freely and happily. The little girl left quite a mark on me that day.
Today on my way to the gym was the first time I have seen her since that day. She was sitting under the shade of the trees with 4 other small children and 3 women. I didn´t recognize her as I approached the group, but as I got closer and passed, a little hand rose from the group, with a bright smile.
Another beautiful experience occurred today.
When I go to the local gym, I take the same route from my house. It pulls me about 3 blocks away from the apartment and then onto a main street. As with all main streets, there are usually people selling gum, candies, and other sweets alongside the road and walking between the cars to sell such things when the cars are stopped. On most of the days I walk along this main street, there is a little girl selling gum along the sidewalk. She sits with her legs in a box, the gum on top, and is propped up against a wall along the sidewalk. She looks to be about 3 years old (although I would guess she is about 5--malnourished). On the way to and from the gym, we exchange smiles and waves and I continue on my way.
However, on this day, about half to the gym, I realized I had forgotten my ID card and decided to turn around. Approaching the little girl, she caught my eye and gave a shy smile. As I walked closer to her, gym clothes on, and water bottle in hand, I decided to stop and sit with her.
As I kneeled to sit with her, I saw how dirty her face was and how it appeared she probably hadn´t had a shower in days. She smiled at me shyly and I noticed she was losing her baby teeth in the top row. I offered her water and smiling at me, she took a sip. As we sat there together and I spoke to her in Spanish, I noticed a woman across the street on an ¨island¨ dividing two streets. She was selling goodies as well and had 2 younger girls with her, who appeared to be about 2 and 4. The little girl told me that the woman was her mother and the 2 little girls her sisters. While the mother sold goodies, her 2 sisters were playing amongst each other.
The little girl was amazingly sweet and very shy. At one point, I took off her hat to show her a caterpillar that had made its way onto it. She smiled shyly as I shook it off. After sitting with her for about 20 minutes (enough time to fall in love) I crossed the street to where her sisters and her mom were. Approaching the mother, I smiled and told her how wonderful her children were. She smiled thanking me, revealing no upper teeth. I asked the age of her children and she said 1, 3, and that she had forgotten the age of the one against the wall. Before leaving, I offered a sip of my water to her and her daughters which they gladly took.
After leaving the little girl and her family, I was touched by how beautiful the experience was that I had just had. Although this family had barely nothing, they still smiled freely and happily. The little girl left quite a mark on me that day.
Today on my way to the gym was the first time I have seen her since that day. She was sitting under the shade of the trees with 4 other small children and 3 women. I didn´t recognize her as I approached the group, but as I got closer and passed, a little hand rose from the group, with a bright smile.
Another beautiful experience occurred today.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
A Few Days In...
It has been about 3 days since I arrived in Ecuador and yet it seems like longer. The flight was comfortable enough and I had a window seat which gives me many reasons to be thankful. Over the Gulf of Mexico we met up with the outskirts of hurrciane Dean which more than once gave us a bumpy ride. However, it also allowed us beautiful sights of the clouds coming alive in the darkness from the lightening storms. It was an amazing and indescribable sight, lightening coming out of the clouds!!
After arriving in Quito and collecting my baggage through customs, I headed out to find my host family. There was a woman and her daughter holding a sign with my name and there I was! My new family! My host mother is Corina Chiriboga and my host sister is named Gabriela Chiriboga--Cory and Gaby. They have proven to be a wonderful family and very kind. We also have a dog (a mini, mini, mini Doberman) his name is Doby (after the elf in Harry Potter because he looks a bit similiar). I live in the 6th floor of an apartment building about 4 blocks from the central ¨Mariscal¨ also know as Gringolandia which is translated into the touristy part of town. The most popular bars and clubs are in this area. Although it makes for some noisy sleeping, it´s also nice when I go out because returning home is easy and cheap.
Speaking of going out, we have already been warned many times about the safety of the city. Besides general rules of safety, there are also other things to be careful of. Quito seems to be full of robbers and taking buses, walking alone and/or with anything that appears to be valuable can be incredibly dangerous. The precautions we were told to take (wear your backpack in the front, always have an arm over your purse, don´t keep your wallet on you, etc) I thought were simply overractions from ¨Gringos¨(aka, white foreigners). However, most of the Ecuadorians here take the same precautions and wear their backpacks in the front and always have a hand over their bag. In all of the restaurants, internet cafes, grocery stores, cabinas (places to make calls), there are signs stating ¨Por Favor Cuide Sus Pertenencias¨ (please watch your belongings).
Besides robbers, there are also local drugs and to be careful of. The Ecuadorian government is extremely vigilant about drugs and trafficers. We heard many horror stories of travelers going to jail for many months for things as seemingly innocent as having a small amount of marijuana in posession. They persecute all drugs the same, no matter the amount or type of drug in posession. We have also been vigilantly warned about a drug called scopolamine. This drug ingested two different ways: commonly, drinks are often tainted with this drug. Making sure to be careful about who made your drink, accepting no drinks from strangers, and never leaving your drink alone are the precautions we were told to take. We were also informed that this drug can be taken like acid and permeate the skin through paper. Therefore, we have been told to accept nothing from strangers, business cards, advertisements, etc. This drug erases memory and renders a person virtually helpless, robbery and rape are the most common occurances when under the influence of scopolamine.
However, as much as there is to be warned about, Quito is still an incredibly beautiful city. It is in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains and volcanoes. The people are very friendly, the food is plentiful and fresh and life ¨runs¨at a comfortable pace. My university is a 20 min walk from the house, a $1 taxi ride, or a .$25 bus ride.
As it seems, life is good and will continue to be good. I´m excited!
After arriving in Quito and collecting my baggage through customs, I headed out to find my host family. There was a woman and her daughter holding a sign with my name and there I was! My new family! My host mother is Corina Chiriboga and my host sister is named Gabriela Chiriboga--Cory and Gaby. They have proven to be a wonderful family and very kind. We also have a dog (a mini, mini, mini Doberman) his name is Doby (after the elf in Harry Potter because he looks a bit similiar). I live in the 6th floor of an apartment building about 4 blocks from the central ¨Mariscal¨ also know as Gringolandia which is translated into the touristy part of town. The most popular bars and clubs are in this area. Although it makes for some noisy sleeping, it´s also nice when I go out because returning home is easy and cheap.
Speaking of going out, we have already been warned many times about the safety of the city. Besides general rules of safety, there are also other things to be careful of. Quito seems to be full of robbers and taking buses, walking alone and/or with anything that appears to be valuable can be incredibly dangerous. The precautions we were told to take (wear your backpack in the front, always have an arm over your purse, don´t keep your wallet on you, etc) I thought were simply overractions from ¨Gringos¨(aka, white foreigners). However, most of the Ecuadorians here take the same precautions and wear their backpacks in the front and always have a hand over their bag. In all of the restaurants, internet cafes, grocery stores, cabinas (places to make calls), there are signs stating ¨Por Favor Cuide Sus Pertenencias¨ (please watch your belongings).
Besides robbers, there are also local drugs and to be careful of. The Ecuadorian government is extremely vigilant about drugs and trafficers. We heard many horror stories of travelers going to jail for many months for things as seemingly innocent as having a small amount of marijuana in posession. They persecute all drugs the same, no matter the amount or type of drug in posession. We have also been vigilantly warned about a drug called scopolamine. This drug ingested two different ways: commonly, drinks are often tainted with this drug. Making sure to be careful about who made your drink, accepting no drinks from strangers, and never leaving your drink alone are the precautions we were told to take. We were also informed that this drug can be taken like acid and permeate the skin through paper. Therefore, we have been told to accept nothing from strangers, business cards, advertisements, etc. This drug erases memory and renders a person virtually helpless, robbery and rape are the most common occurances when under the influence of scopolamine.
However, as much as there is to be warned about, Quito is still an incredibly beautiful city. It is in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains and volcanoes. The people are very friendly, the food is plentiful and fresh and life ¨runs¨at a comfortable pace. My university is a 20 min walk from the house, a $1 taxi ride, or a .$25 bus ride.
As it seems, life is good and will continue to be good. I´m excited!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Got to Quito, Aug 23
I just finished the first day of orientation at the university and am on the way home. The day went alright, except for a Spanish placement test which I took and that went so terribly that I am taking it again tomorrow!! Agh!!! What happened, I don´t know! However, I am going to study a bit tonight and I hope tomorrow goes much better!!
I had to take a taxi to school today, although I will be walking home now. I ended up getting a little lost on the way to school, plus I left a little late, so I figured better safe than sorry and flagged one down. It was only $1! Quite cheap. They also have buses here, but I am too scared to use them. They ramble down the street at fast speeds with a man hanging out the front door. If he see´s you looking at the bus, he shouts out where it´s going and then if you want to get on, the bus doesnt quite slow down/stop and you have to jump on while it´s still moving! Luckily, as a woman, it slows down much more than it does for the men--they literally have to jump onto the moving vehicle while the man who is standing at the doorway helps to pull him on. So if I call with an injury about a bus running me over, thats why!!
My host family seems great so far and I feel very lucky. The mom is named Corina (Cory) and the daughter (17) is Gabriela (Gaby). The mom is a small petite woman with short hair and wears black most of the time--her mother passed away in the spring and she is still in mourning. She works at a bank closer to the middle of the city and seems to be very busy at her work--I went in to work with her yesterday and it was a zoo! Gaby is like most 17 year olds and likes to go out and talk on the phone. I think we may go dancing tonight! She loves to dance and we live right in the clubs/bar area of town and so it´s just a walk away. We live in an apartment on the 6th floor and I have my own room. Although it´s not ¨home¨ it´s nice and we even have a really, really small dog (like 10lbs!!)
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