I'm here!!!

As the title says....I'm here!! Arrived in the Quito airport last night at 9:20pm, got through customs etc., and am currently staying at the house of the in-country coordinator of the organization who set me up with my internship (ELI - Experiential Learning International --> they are actually really cool! If you want to do something abroad, I'd recommend checking them out). I took two tours of Quito today, one of old Quito (which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so they can't actually destroy any of the buildings there), and one of modern Quito (which includes a place called Mariscal, or Gringolandia loll. Aka "white-people land"--lots of tourists end up there since there are bars/restaurants/shops/etc.). Pictures to come soon...

I've reacquainted myself with the foods I've missed so much since I left Costa Rica, namely fresh bread and fruit at breakfast, and lime, avocado, and plantains at lunch. Oh, and the fresh fruit juices. Mmhmmm.

Sorry this post is kind of all over the place, but I'm just going to continue and say that it is quite lovely here. What with the mountains, and the romantic buildings in older Quito, and the fresh breezes (even though we're on the equator, we're in the Andes, so it's actually rather cool--MUCH better than Houston). In comparison to Costa Rica, Ecuador seems to be better off. Still, there are obvious signs of poverty here and there, and my heart hurts when I see those people who live on the streets or who try to sell small trinkets or snacks for money. Last night, as we drove out of the airport, there was a young boy dancing hip-hop in front of the cars stopped at a red light so he could maybe get some money. That was new to me...I've seen people do acts of skill in front of cars to get money, but never hip-hop, and never someone that young. Sigh.

Some side notes: currency here is the same as in the U.S. Time zone here is the same as in Houston. My conversational Spanish is gradually returning.

Tomorrow morning, I leave for Ibarra by bus. It's about three hours north of Quito, and I'll get settled in there with my host family, and go get interviewed by my supervisor in the Urban Planning office. I'm a little nervous, but the feeling overall is excitement =].

The altitude change hasn't bothered me much, which is good. I haven't had digestive problems yet either...and I guess I'm currently enjoying myself (yeah, first day, I know). I don't think I understand yet that I'm in SOUTH AMERICA WHOOOOOO in a different country, but maybe...? Okay anyway, I'm going to go drink water now.