Comida, comida, comida

So I know everyone wants to hear about the food here! Typically every morning I wake up and eat some fresh fruit, mainly papaya! I also have my tinto (small cup of coffee)! Sometimes I have an egg or bread or even yogurt and granola! I also have fresh fruit juice that is blended every day! Pretty typical breakfast...except for the juice maybe!

For lunch I have to fend for myself! I usually go just outside the school to some fresh fruit/vegetable stands and panderia so that I can make a vegetable sandwich! The fruit and vegetables here are so fresh and soooo delicious! AVACADOS ARE TO DIE FOR HERE! My favorite! I usually spend a $1 for lunch everyday. There are also a few small restaurants around that I personally haven't explored yet since my stomach has been having a hard time adjusting to Ecuadorian food. However many of the students have been and they tell me is it pretty good food and a verrrryyyy large amount for only $1.50. Lunch here is considered the largest and most important meal of the day. You eat the most during lunch time.

For dinner I eat with my family at home everyday. It is really strange to me because a lot of the times when the food is served you are supposed to start eating right away even if nobody else is at the table. Many of the times I eat with only two members of the family at a time and each day the two people are different! So my meal everyday for dinner consists of soup first, then rice with either beans or pasta. I rarely get meat with my meal and if I do it is a very small portion of pork, tuna, or chicken. Since potatoes originated in Ecuador, there are almost always potatoes in the meal somehow but mainly in the soup. I sometimes get tired of the meals because they stay pretty consistent. However, I look most forward to the amazing fresh fruit juices you get with every meal! So good!

However, I did go to a ceviche restaurant yesterday and it was amazing! I absolutely loved it! So delicious! Before I came to Ecuador I thought I would be eating ceviche and cuy (guinea pig) all the time but honestly it seems the more I compare what other students eat in their houses the typical meal is soup, then rice and beans/pasta. I plan to go out to eat to try more of the food I heard about before I came even though it really isn't typical Ecuadorian food but more specialty food.

Below are some pictures mainly from fancy restaurants I have been to but others are from my lunches everyday!

Eating an avocado sandwich!
Fresh bread, avacado, and tomato
Fruit that isn't found in the United States that tastes like a mix between pomegranate, orange, and papaya maybe...It is called a Granadilla!
One of the fresh juices that is typical of what I would drink everyday! This one is pineapple!
Instead of chips and salse you get dried plantain chips and popcorn to start!
This is called ahi! It is sooo delicious! I want to make it in the US for friends/family but I need a fruit called tomate de arbol (tree tomato) that is not found in the US apparently.
This was the first meal I had in Ecuador at CIMAS (my school)! Potato soup! Delicious!
Ceviche de palma
Empandas of beans and rice and the other with chicken!

One of the fancier meals with chicken in the middle with corn underneath it, potatoes, toasted corn, and a carmelized banana!

Another fancy meal! Bistec (steak), potatoes, vegetable salad, and rice!

So this sums up my food adventures so far! Still need to try cuy and some other more adventurous foods here! Might go to coast this weekend which I heard has some delicious and very different food! More seafood too! Can't wait!

As everyone says here CIAO! Until next time...

Que chevere! (How cool!)

TOUCAN!!!!!!!

So I went to the Equator! It was incredible! I learned so much about Inca culture and knowledge on this trip! The leader showed how to test the electromagnetic fields around the equator and of people with these copper rods. So cool! Here are some pictures:

So this trip was in San Miguel de los Bancos which was almost 3 hours from Quito! The scenery on the trip was gorgeous! We ended up in an environmentally friendly resort. It was soo relaxing and it was great to see more of Ecuador. However the reality is that I bet very few Ecuadorians are able to go there.

Right when we got to the resort we went on a hike! It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done! I loved it! Great exercise too! Here are some pictures:

I love being here! I am starting to become more comfortable with my family and my spanish! I also have been able to see more of the city since I am now able to leave the house alone! It is great! Here are some pictures of my family:

I went out on the town for the first time on Saturday and I was amazed at how cheap everything was! A 40oz of beer here costs $1!!! Amazing! While I was out I got a glimpse of the old part of Quito! Beautiful! The architecture is incredible and it is very cute! Can't wait to see more of Quito!

Okay I'll post more later...

Until then...

Ciao!

Family, School, and Wow!

So I met my family yesterday! They are Colombian immigrants! I am living with two grandparents, two parents, and two siblings! The grandparents are really great. The grandmother is kind of quiet and I don't think she really knows what to about with me. My grandfather is awesome! He has already promised me salsa dancing lessons and listens to salsa 24-7! My mom didn't come until later in the day but when I met her it was almost as if we were the best of friends! My dad didn't socialize much with me but he seems to be a character and really funny! My little sister (10 years old) has memorized every detail of the letter I sent to the family before I came. She wants to know about every aspect of my life and likes to tell me about everything about hers! She insisted we play Loteria last night and she wants to watch Avatar with me someday. My little brother who is still a baby is adorable! He is one of the calmest babies I have ever met.

This morning my grandmother took me to school on the bus so that I could learn how to use the bus and what route to take. It was so cute! It was like I was a little kid again :)

My school is gorgeous! I want my house to look like it someday! The view is incredible! Here are some pictures:

I live in my own room and have my only half bathroom to myself which is great! Here is a picture of my room:

School is good so far. They are flooding us with a lot of information about the program and the city. We took a test today to check our spanish skills and I know I completely bombed it! haha! But I know that they will just put me in a class to learn more!

I just went to the grocery store with my grandfather and it was really nice to see more of the city! I talked a lot with him and I might play with a soccer team here.

It is a little hard but nice sometimes to adjust to "tiempo ecuatoriano" (Ecuadorian time)! Everything is never on time! But it is nice when that applies to our classes! :)

This weekend we are going on a trip to the equator so I will fill you all on more details then....

Ciao!

First few hours...

Hello everyone!

I MADE IT! I have met a lot of the people in my program and they all seem so nice. I was happy to find out that I wasn´t the only nervous one coming into this trip.

I haven´t seen much of Ecuador yet but it seems wonderful already! The flight in was gorgeous with all the city lights and mountains to look at. I loved it!

Today we have orientation for half of the day and then we meet our host families. I am very excited and can´t wait for this experience to take off.

I will add some pictures later and let everyone know how to contact me!