debate watching, hiking Pasachoa & absentee ballot q

Well then. An update, shall we? Where did I leave off?

Friday night I watched the first Presidential Debate at Susie's (Beloit) house with a few Americans, it was really fun. We made rum and cokes in protests of seca (the illegality of drinking and therefore closing of bars and clubs last weekend, because of the election) and made fun of John McCain (and, yes, occasionally Obama). We tried to play drinking games based on certain words ("notion," "terrorist") but whichever word we chose seemed to go out of fashion quite quickly. McCain impressed me, although I clearly still hate him, think he has no credibility and that he needs to release his medical records. I can't wait for SP to make a fool of herself Thurs. night... more rum and cokes to come. Mom and Dad, I promise I do more than drink here. As nothing was going on that night due to seca, we all went home after, and I got up quite early Saturday to go hiking at Pasochoa.

Pasachoa is a reserve about an hour from Quito, but entails taking a 45-minute public bus ride to the outer-area bus terminal, a ($.45) hour bus ride to a town named Amaguana, and then hiring a truck to bring us 6km through backwoods and dirt roads to the entrance of this park, which was $2 instead of $10 due to our Ecuadorian ID cards (maybe it is good I finally got mine!)

The truck ride was beautiful, bumpy and so much fun- the roads were muddy from the rain and terrain was already harsh, so we were bumping up and down through hills and trees... it was quite pretty. We got to this area and started hiking, which was fine for the first 20 minutes because it was more or less even with small hills.... and then it was an hour and a half straight uphill! Aaah! And I don't mean, "slight uphill slope." I mean this would have made some serious sledding had it been covered in snow. I had told my friend I was not in shape for serious hiking, but he said it was easy and, well, I was NOT ready! I had to stop a few times to catch my breath. My body was fine, but I haven't done enough exercise here to be able to successfully hike at 5,000+ meters for hours... heh. I didn't have any chest pains though, thankfully.

When we'd been hiking for, oh, close to 2 hours, there is some thunder... and we say, oh, it will go away, right? Right. WRONG! Lightning started and then rain... and we are at least 30 minutes away from the bottom (much quicker to descend than ascend). We decided to wait it out, huddling single file under a rain jacket, but when the thunder got closer freaked out and headed back, in the rain, on these muddy slippery trails where it was impossible to keep your balance- it was so much fun!! Not too dangerous, although we had to go pretty slow in order to not fall (or fall less). Then we ate and headed back to Quito the same way we came- bumpy truck (where I sat in the front with the driver because my tshirt and jacket were soaked and I was freezing, and our driver said he thought that American women could be very cold but Latino men were hot, and did I think so, and how many boyfriends did I have? This is when feigning incomprehension of Spanish can be beneficial) and bus rides back to Quito. I like earning my showers at the end of the day. I was covered in mud. And it all cost well under $10!

That night I got in a fight with my host mom which I don't want to write about here because I have already dwelled on it too much but it involved me crying at the dinner table, her doing nothing, more crying, and my friends coming to my house to pick me up because they knew I was upset. We went to my friend Ali's house, who lives on my street, made kraft mac 'n cheese, and hung out for awhile. I eventually went home and passed out and tried to sleep as late as possible on Sunday as to not see my host mom. I didn't do much- watched two movies (Thirteen alone and Analyze That with Ali) and did homework.

This morning I found out that someone had jacked all the money from my debit card (in euros, no less- did one of you bitches hack into my account? ;) - but the actual card has never left my sight and I rarely use it; just at the ATM at school and maybe once in a store here, it had not been out of the house in weeks. I was hysterical because I was exhausted, not ready for my lit test, and still stressing about the homestay situation (I think I am moving early next week, can't this weekend because I have an all-weekend- literally- presentation at the uni) and started crying but my host mom let me call home on her phone and my mom called me back and worked out everything with the bank (THANKS, MOM!!!! <3) and they will be sending me a new card. I don't know what I did, though. I don't know if someone maybe swiped the number a long time ago at the airport, or if the ATM I have used the last month- at my university- isn't safe... ? I don't know what kind of precautions I can take to avoid it happening again; I already rarely use it. Oy.

Well, that is about it. I love my Model UN class and I have to start reading my research on Costa Rica to prepare my position paper for tomorrow and be ready for Friday, Saturday and Sunday... it should be really fun. Or at least, rewarding! I am not sure I have exactly the professional attire he is looking for but he will have to deal; I am not buying clothes here just for a fake conference!!!

I miss you all! My birthday is coming up! Although I don't know if I should have things sent here in case I am changing houses... Oy. ALSO, BIG QUESTION- I was about to send in my absentee ballot request, but now that I am changing residences I don't think I can... but I know the deadline is awful soon... anyone have any insight on this?? I will go to the US embassy soon but I feel like I might not be able to vote... although WI will be blue anyway (right) but I really wanted to vote in my first legal presidential election!!! :(

Busy bee.

I know I need to do a real update soon but this week is going to be really busy- I have a big literature test tomorrow morning for which I need to learn an impossible amount of stuff; I am possibly changing families (aka, don't mail me anything right now...) this week which will be bad because I have a Model UN conference all weekend and don't want to try to move this week because it will be very stressful but I want to get out of here... oy. Other bad things happened this weekend and it is just not worth staying here. I will update you know I know what is going on.

"One of the most important things we teach you in Model UN is how to be mean."

Things are good.

*On Sunday there is a huge election in Ecuador over whether the new constitution will be passed. In Ecuador, you have to be sober during elections, therefore, bars and clubs are closed this entire weekend and no alcohol may be purchased. It will be interesting... or quite uneventful. (For everyone else, Mom and Dad. You know I hate alcohol ;)

*I think host family things will be fine. I came home today and talked to my host mom for awhile (not about what I was upset about, just a conversation and it was really nice).

*In said conversation we were talking about the proposed constitution and she told me that it would have health care for everyone, "like in America," which I balked at, and told her that America has about 50 million people sin seguro de salud which she was incredibly surprised at- she thought Americans had free health insurance! I guess people expect that. Because it is ridiculous how many people are uninsured.

Also ridiculous? McCain wanting to postpone Friday's debate. How do you think you are going to save the world from the Senate after dinner time, ya numbnut? Srsly. And if it is just a respect issue- that the candidates should momentarily cease campaigning out of the seriousness of the financial situation- it just doesn't make sense. There are six weeks left and voters are still deciding. You are supposed to be going into this election with the premise that you are a leader, that you can handle tough situations and crises. A two-hour debate on a Friday night doesn't damage your obligation to your country. McCain trying to show himself as the good guy by prioritizing the state's welfare over his campaign (supposedly) is a load of crap.

*I love my Model UN class. Next weekend I have to stay here because we are doing a UN simulation all weekend. I (alone) am Costa Rica... funny that I receive the only other country I've ever been to! I should have been researching for the past week... yet I don't know who the president is... heh. CR will be a UN Security Council member in 2009, apparently, and I have no idea what their UN importance is as they are a peaceful, tourism-revenue-supported state, but I'm sure I will find out why my prof included it. You know. When I research. I am nervous because I am not a good public speaker but at least I have the advantage that I'm a native speaker (MUN is my one class taught in English). They always have to tell me to speak more slowly, and when we talked about the presentation and the benefits native speakers would have, I said I was just going to talk as fast as I can so no one could understand me. Nervous laughter followed.

*I just read a NYTimes article which informed me that there are over 100,000 Ecuadorians living in New York City- wow! That number is only four out of all of Latin America following, of course, Puerto Rico (700,000+), DR (500,000+), Mexico (200,000+). I had no idea. I wonder where they are all hiding.

So apparently coffee AND cereal is inappropriate

I am not really in a good mood so this will be a short update. I had a pretty awesome weekend- went salsa and cumbia dancing on Thursday with my friend Holly, which was so incredibly fun, Ecuadorian guys are awesome. I did more or less nothing Friday after waking up quite late, recovering from said night out and going to sleep early because on Saturday I had a stupid class trip. We are required to take a class for Beloit, and I hate it. I had a rule that I wasn't going to write anything specifically negative on this blog, but I don't care if someone from the OIE/the prof reads it- it sucks, it's not related to what I am interested in; it is worthless, the trip was annoying. Plus she expected us to walk around Quito and hike a little bit without eating for 6 hours. Nice.

Anyway, I can deal with one class I hate... have done it before. Saturday night I went out to a club which was so, so, so much fun. It was a girl's birthday party and I didn't know her but I knew other people there and we danced and drank and it was great. Yesterday I hung out with my friend Ali here and we had a delicious dinner at Crepes & Waffles, a restaurant that specializes in said items.

I am kind of down because I have been feeling really uncomfortable in my homestay and I am thinking about switching families. It's weird stuff- this morning my host mom kind of yelled at me for having coffee AND cereal for breakfast (um, what?) and I explained to her that I usually eat AND drink in the morning and she seemed fine with it, but I feel so uncomfortable in the kitchen. I usually eat around 7:30, and today some neighbors were over and she didn't say anything but I just didn't have dinner- at 7:50 I went down to get water and say hi, at 8:10 the neighbors were leaving so I asked her if I could have dinner and she told me to wait, calling me down at 8:40... I'm sorry, but I don't eat at 8:40. I am really hungry at 7:30 and already I never know when I am going to eat; she calls me and I have to stop whatever I'm doing and go. So this evening I was skyping with my friend and they called me and I said I couldn't come and I would heat up my dinner, and I did, and I ate it alone, which was fine, because I really didn't want to talk to them.

This sounds petty, and maybe it is. But I think it's rude for my host parents to make me wait an hour for dinner without telling me; I don't understand why it is a problem to have coffee and cereal- this morning she told me to wake up earlier if I was going to have both because they have a certain routine to the day- WHAT?- and other little things have made me feel uncomfortable here, like I'm always doing something wrong, even though I try so hard to be polite, and I do my dishes and always tell them where I'm going and everything. Honestly sometimes I get stressed just leaving my room because I feel like my host mom is going to point out something else I've done wrong. She yelled at me for having a glass in my room. A glass. FOR WATER.

I don't know. So I was upset tonight and therefore have not done any lit reading for tomorrow... wonderful. I will probably delete this post relatively soon. I am happy and these are minor occurrences but I don't really feel comfortable here and don't know if I should spend the rest of the semester here. Tomorrow I am going to a bar to watch the soccer game, which should be fun. Plus I won't eat here.

Ciao :-/

Somehow, things always work themselves out.

Visa crisis fixed. No money to be paid! Apparently.

I spent three hours this morning gnawing my way through Ecuadorian red tape- went to one government building to pick up my passport (where I was not even asked to pay for a document I'd requested, which I later found! Yes!) and another to register my Visa, where I waited for an hour and a half with nothing to do. I met a Chilean guy who was studying in Cuenca (a colonial city in southern Ecuador) whom I talked to a bit but I didn't ask for his number, although I wanted to, because he didn't seem particularly interested in talking to me. He left before me and waved. I should have asked. Oh well. It's a small city, maybe I will see him! At the first office the clerk complimented me on my Spanish and I met another American who is teaching English in the Galapagos. She was there because she had her passport stolen. It is not a nice story. I will write it at the bottom but I am warning you that you might not want to read it before traveling.

So everything is fine with that, thank God. Yesterday I went my Model UN class' post-class bar discussion for the first time, which was really fun. We didn't actually talk about United Nations, but I spoke in Spanish the whole time, which was great.

I haven't been eating well here... something is wrong. Yesterday I had a roll in the morning and coffee, a vegetarian crepe at lunch, 2 beers (the bar... it was 2x1) and a very small dinner of rice, spinach (or some yummy green mushy vegetable) and a plantain. (I drink water, etc. throughout the day.) I was hungry after so I had a small bag of plantain chips and cookies before going to bed.

I woke up at 4AM because I was so hungry- I'd never felt like that in my life; I was tired because it was the middle of the night but I thought I was going to pass out, it was really strange... I can't describe it. I found a nutrigrain bar in my bag and ate it and felt better. I definitely have been eating less here, and I've been losing weight, but not to merit that kind of hunger! It was really weird. I am not sure what is wrong with my diet... but I have been very very tired. Also I am no longer a vegetarian, mostly for this reason. I tried for a week but it was not healthy; I would eat mainly rice and vegetables... there are just not as many options here, at least in my house. So I eat chicken every other day or so (no red meat at all, just chicken). Anyway I need to figure out what is. Doesn't lack of iron make you tired? Hmm.

This is the story of how the girl lost her passport. It scared me and will probably scare you, so read at your choice.

She came to Quito with plans to fly to the Galapagos from Guayaquil, the huge southern port city, after staying over 2 nights. She was in a hostel with someone else that the program director has used for three years- the hostel has a locked door, there is a locked door to the street, very secure- or so you would think. If you don't know, in some hostels people who don't know each other will share a room. The room has a key, which every individual has, so they can lock it or get back in. I stayed in this exact set-up in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, one of the guys they didn't know didn't lock the door.

Her passport was stolen because at 2:30 in the morning, two men with guns and knives broke into the room; bound, gagged and beat them, and stole their bags, as well as a lot of other things. I have not heard a story like that yet since being here. Guayaquil is known as a dangerous city to some people, which I thought was just the past. And granted, it is not fair to judge it based on that, but it is hard to ignore when that is the first first-hand account I've heard of the city. The good news is apparently they were not (sexually) assaulted, or she did not share that with me if it did happen.

It is so terrifying because while that is an easily preventable situation- they entered because the door was unlocked- it also is not. Many hostels have these arrangements and you can't guarantee the door will always be locked. It is scary how easily that could happen- and makes me want to always, always, always have a private room. I know awful things happen every day in every country in every city... but I have been quite lucky as of yet and it was very disturbing to hear.

Bonito Baños

I just got back from my trip to Baños!

Note: This is an incredibly long entry. If you are as ADD as I am, skip to the recap at the bottom. If you love me, read my ramblings.

Baños is a town in the 'central sierra' of Ecuador, at an altitude significantly lower than Quito (so I could actually do physical activity without fainting) but not so low that mosquito-associated diseases are a risk (MALARIA, etc.)

We (me, Susie and Jessica [from Beloit], Johnny, Theresa and Miriam) met around 12:30 at a bus terminal near my house and got in cabs to go to the central bus terminal for buses to other parts of the country (or international-bound). There was a lot of traffic and we had to wait for a bus so we didn't end up leaving until 2:30.

Buses here are... interesting. I've already told you about the insane driving of Quito's city buses, but regional are entirely different. You can get a seat if you get there early enough, but as the bus is on its route, it will continue to pick up passengers who want to get on until it would be impossible to squeeze another body onto the veichle. Even if you're sitting it can get a bit uncomfortable as people end up leaning on you, holding your arm rest, etc. Also, apparently gringas are a site that some Ecuadorians have never seen before, as Susie and I got incredibly unnecessary attention on the bus. First there was a guy who was sitting right in front of us (not on a seat; in the front of the buses there is this raised bump you can sit on... it's weird) and would NOT stop staring at us, and looking at her when she was talking. It was annoying. I kept staring at him, hoping he would get the message to stop being a creep, but he didn't. Susie said to me "I hate when people stare. I hope he understands" but he either didn't speak English or had a good poker face. He left, and an indigena woman got on and took his place, staring, staring, staring; smiling, smiling, smiling. I like when people smile at me, but not for ten minutes straight.

Anyway, we got there, went to the hostel where we'd made reservations- Susie and I had a room and the other four were sharing- and went out to dinner at this great place where I had an appetizer of toasted bread with cheese and tomato (DELICIOSO) and a glass of wine for super cheap, as well as pad thai, which wasn't really pad thai but still yummy noodles. Then we went on this "volcano ride-" a $3 bus trip into the mountains where they drop you off, you walk ten minutes into the woods to see a "volcano?" There was no volcano! But there were firethrowers and a beautiful overlook into the city, so I wasn't disappointed.

But the ride was amazing. It was all through the mountains, and halfway through the driver let us climb on the top of the bus (where there were seats and a guard rail-barely). The corners were kind of tight, and the wind was whipping through our hair, and it was so beautiful to see the landscape at night.

We came back and went to bed because we had early plans for the next morning. A group of about a dozen of us from the university (who were all staying in the same hostel, coincidentally) were doing a bike tour 20 or 30 km through the mountains to Rio Verde, which is- surprise- a green river and huge waterfall. This bike ride was probably the best thing I've done here yet. We started out whizzing through the city and took off into the mountains quite quickly. We went through one tunnel where, I kid you not, you could see nothing. Absolutely pitch black. I was maybe fourth in line (not really a line, though) and I had no idea where the people were in front of me. I couldn't see the sides of the tunnel either, so I was just hoping that I was staying straight enough to not whirl into a wall. We were all fine.

It was mostly a downhill descent although there were a couple of medium hills which were hard on me because I can't remember the last time I was on a bike, and whenever I moved it down a gear, it got harder! So I suffered through them but it wasn't that bad, a good workout. Wherever we were there was an amazing view of waterfalls or rivers or valleys and of course the green hills that surrounded us. We stopped more than once to take pictures.

Then we got there and hiked down really far to see a huge waterfall. After all the bike riding my legs were really weak and it was actually incredibly hard to hike down after I hadn't stood much for hours. My legs were like jelly and I think the guide was worried so I said "estoy bien, es dificil bajar despues de las bicis!" The waterfall was beautiful however the hike back up was not; it was rough.

The whole group ate lunch together then we PILED into the back of a truck (twelve people and twelve bikes...) for the ride back to Quito (it is really too hilly to ride back, at least for normal tourists!) Then five or six of us rented quadrones, or four-wheelers... oh my god, so much fun. I don't think I had been on one since camp in 6th grade. We had to start out in the city which was CRAZY and it feels like it's really hard to turn so I'm on this huge quad in city traffic laughing my ass off trying not to get hit by cars. We went out into the countryside and saw some beautiful canyons... it was so much fun.

After that we relaxed, had dinner at a cozy cafe with lots of international food (and a generous happy hour) then Susie and I went to the baños- of course a city named Baños has natural baths! These are the only hot ones, conveniently 2 minutes from our hostel, which was so nice after a day of biking. They weren't too hot but felt really good. The water is a murky green, not because it's dirty but because of the high mineral content which some believe even helps stomach and liver ailments! It was a little awkward because the baños were very crowded and we were two of maybe (literally) five gringos there, but it's all good.

We got dressed to go out, which was a bust, because an Ecuadorian guy I met through a friend had told us to meet him at this place in half an hour, then he called and said he was driving to another town and couldn't come? I don't know, it was strange. But the place ended up being a discotec, and Susie and I had no energy so the other two girls went and we went home and slept (she was getting up early for another adventure, and I was tired and wanted to save money).

In the morning I had breakfast with everyone at the hostel restaurant- $3 for coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice, an amazing piece of super moist bread, butter and two kinds of jelly, eggs and two other little breads. I read this morning and then got the first massage of my life! It was great. I am very ticklish so some of the time I was just lying there trying not to laugh, so I don't think I "lost myself" as much as massages are designed to do, but it was very good. A bit painful, but good!

We had lunch at a new place before getting on the bus back to Quito and I split a cab with Susie and Jess because we live more or less in the same area. I just had dinner with my host mom (it is her birthday!) and now need to prepare for a Model UN presentation I am a bit stressed about. I do not like giving presentations. At least it is in English, so I am superior in that aspect to everyone else... heh. Also, I haven't showered since Friday morning.

SO, RECAP: In the last 60 hours I took two 3.5 hour bus rides, went on a nighttime busride zipping through the mountains on the top of a bus, went biking for hours, hiked down to and up from a waterfall, drove on four-wheelers (quadrones), sat in the famous hot baths-aguas termales- had my first massage and explored a cute little town.

All without showering.

Maybe I should get on that.

Love to you all!

So this one time I thought there was a robber in the house

I've started to feel more adjusted here in the last week- at school, in the house, walking in Quito. It's nice. This morning I was drinking my coffee on the patio looking down at the city and up at the mountain and thinking how I know it will be over before I can appreciate it all...

Last night I ate dinner with one of my host sisters, which was really nice, because I haven't gotten to know them that well yet. But before that, my overactive imagination--

So we usually eat between 7 and 7:30, virtually always before 8. I was starting to get really hungry and after 8 I went to ask my host mom when we were eating but she was nowhere to be found. I saw some food on the stove and heated up some potatoes to eat. The kitchen is over the street and I started to hear, let's say, a "ruckus-" kids playing really loudly, car alarms going off, not really normal. I thought, oh crazy kids. Then I thought- where is my (host) mother? Why would she leave without telling me we weren't having dinner (she was there just a bit earlier)? Why is the food just chillin' on the stove?

Did something happen to her? IS THERE A ROBBER IN THE HOUSE?

I can't really remember how I got onto that line of thinking. I live on the second floor, kitchen's on the first, and the house is aaallways dark- I think the activities outside and darkness and absence of my host mom got the best of me and I got really freaked out. I went back upstairs, checked my bathroom and under the bed- not kidding- and locked the door. I thought I heard noises and practiced yelling "sesenta y cuatro treinta y nueva" in my head in case I'd have to scream out the window if someone tried to get into my room.

(I might have overreacted a little).

I turned on my cell phone and, surprise of the century, there was a message from my mom saying she was held up and could I wait for dinner? Of course. My host sister came up a few minutes later (a much better visit than from a robber) and we ate together. I am a little crazy.

Today I had class, hung around talking to people and then went to happy hour at RIDICULOUSLY overpriced TGI Friday's with Kalysta and Ali (a girl from USFQ who lives on my street! This was a very exciting discovery). They add 22% tax and "service" and then expect a tip. Well, the place was empty and it was bad service. As you can guess we didn't leave a second tip.

Later we went to the house of this guy named Santiago and watched two movies, Green Street Hooligans which I HIGHLY recommend and Once, amazing soundtrack, although by that point I was falling asleep. GSH is about football (soccer) 'firms' in England which are kind of like gangs and get into street fights... but it tied family stories into it and was very emotional.

Tomorrow I am off to Baños for the weekend. It is a 'spa town' three hours away with tons of outdoor activities and hot springs and swimming pools and massages... and of course restaurants, bars and clubs... I can't wait! I probably won't be reachable there except by my cell which usually doesn't have service or just doesn't get calls... pretty sweet.

Love,
Kim

What a charade this is.

Sorry if every other post here is a political rant for the next two months, but the GOP ticket is a joke- and every day I get more and more scared that McCain made the best decision of his life. Republicans and some women LOVE Palin. She is very charismatic. She is selling herself as one of us, well, one of some people, a moose-huntin', lipstick-wearin' child jugglin' soccer hockey ex bsketball star beauty queen mom of a child with a disability. How do you not like her? People are drawn to her and think she is nice and wants to vote for McCain. She is not a serious candidate. People I argue with say she is the only one who has any executive experience. Yeah, in the beginning of tha experience she left her tiny town with a $20 million debt. From $0. We have enough debt to worry about. She has no foreign policy experience and is a huge fucking joke, but she is getting the attention and support that the GOP needs to steal this election from the Democrats. God. If the Democrats don't win in November after eight years of GWB and failed policy after failed policy of the Republicans, I don't know what I will even be able to think about the country.

However, I would like to have dinner with some of the key strategists of McCain's campaign. It seems like they have more up their sleeve than Obama, who- and I love him- is started to sound old, tired, and like a broken record.

Keep your fingers crossed, people. And I need to get my hands on an absentee ballot.

I hope this doesn't get me in trouble with the embassy, but...

Dear Ecuadorian Government,

I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. I cannot stand you. You make me angry. You make me furious and frustrated.

I got fingerprinted. I got a "certificate of good conduct." I had my check-up. I proved to you I don't have HIV. I proved I have financial standing to be here, the support of my parents and school, that I am enrolled in an official university. I got my Visa.

Then I come here and have to "register" my Visa. WHY? Then I need a "Certificado de Visacion," which I apparently got with my Visa, that I don't remember ever having seen in my life. Now I have to go to a lawyer, pay $20 to get this damn thing, lave my passport there for days, bring the certicado, billions of copies of every page of my passport and more money to some other office god knows where to have my Visa "registered," then bring more money and more stupid pages of information to get a goddamn Ecuadorian ID that I have to have. And hope all of this can get done in the next week and a half so I'm not, you know, kicked out of the country.

For four months.

I am sooo angry. I'm sorry, this is not PC, but what kind of threat am I? I am pumping money into this economy and am a good student at the university I'm attending. I'm not doing any drugs. I even speak a little Spanish. Why is this process such a goddamn big deal and such a pain in the ass?

I'm just pissed all my money is going down the goddamn drain when I already got my stupid Visa. Ugh. Motherfuckers.

Sorry about the cursing.

No I'm not.

Otavalo, Latin American fútbol & hated banks

I am sitting on my bed tired, happy, dirty, and surrounded by trinkets. Let me explain.

Yesterday afternoon I got in a cab to go to Quito’s main bus terminal (for I had no idea where it was- far- and a cab cost $2.50) and immediately got on a bus to Otavalo, a town two hours north of Quito where there is a huge market every Saturday morning which sells everything from live animals to earrings. Possibly earrings made out of live animals. Probably not.

I got in around 5 and went to a hostel where I shared a room with another American named Emily- they didn’t have any singles but it was awesome because I got to meet all her friends and go out to dinner with them. We passed by a huge parade Otavalo was having- the annual love parade? I’m not really sure. I have pictures.

They were afraid to eat some of the things on the menu because of concerns about which fruits and vegetables will make you very uncomfortably sick! In the end we all took our chances and ordered various burritos (I even ate the cold, uncooked tomatoes- no problem!) I never worry about food in Quito but it can get a little fishy in smaller areas. It was pretty good.

The group was all going out but I decided against it because a, I brought nothing appropriate to go out in- only shorts and T-Shirts- and b I rolled my ankle badly Thursday and almost didn’t go in the first place because I was still limping. So I stayed in and went to sleep.

We went to the market at 7AM! There is SO MUCH stuff there. Hand-made clothes (hats, scarves, sweaters, everything), jewelry, shoes, bags, pottery, musical instruments, everything. I bought some presents for family and friends so I am not going to say exactly what I bought!! But cool stuff! ;)

I was on a bus to come back before 10AM because I was going to the ECUADOR V. BOLIVIA soccer game at 4- but the doors open at 2- so you need to get there super early to get a seat! I rushed home, fought with a cab driver over how much the ride should be (“No soy estupida porque soy americana!”) and went down to the stadium, a ten minute walk from my house. I found a bunch of people I knew and we watched the game, which was amazing. Ecuador won 3-1 (which they should have as one of the Bolivian players got red-carded in the first 10 or 15 minutes so they were forced to play one man down). It was incredible. Ecuador had a goal from a penalty kick which I recorded with my camera!! I love soccer. Fútbol.

I am staying in tonight because I have spent an ungodly amount of money in the last two and a half weeks... I can’t even bring myself to write it out. Some things were one-time expenses, like books, but I think because everything is so cheap here I haven’t been watching what I spend at all. Which has seriously backfired. Also, I just found out my bank is charging for $3 for using a non-CHASE ATM, on top of the $1.50 ATM fee... anyone have any idea of a cheaper way to get money? I only go to the ATM in large amounts, but I can’t afford to pay $4.50 each time for the rest of the semester. Do you guys have any suggestions??? I know you're reading, even if you won't give me any comment love!

Also, I have a paper due Monday. I’m supposed to be splitting it with another guy. He said you do the first, I’ll do the second. It turns out mine is fifty-eight pages long. How long is his? Thirteen. I’m not sure he knew when he said it. He probably did. Ugh. And I can’t contact him because, well, I don’t know how to. Oh well. I like the class but it looks like a boring reading.

Ciao.

Never have only one towel.

After approximately ten days of towel-usage and non-washage, I put my (singular, which I bought here) towel in my laundry because... you know, that's gross. That was Monday morning and now it is Wednesday morning, and I have no towel to speak of. This translates into two showers where I get out and wait to dry like a wet chicken. I need to ask the maid where it is (there is a live-out maid who cleans in the house). I assume it's just still drying, but I walked outside to that area and it wasn't on the line... I'm so confused. I think there is a dryer used for some things, because I've gotten shirts back in a number of hours... the solution is really that I need to buy a second towel.

So I have now officially had each class twice! Que emocionante. I like them all except I would rather endure, well, almost anything than Economia Internacional. I am completely lost. It is the highest level of ECON at the school, and I've only had intro to econ, in which I did not do smashingly. But it's not even the concepts I don't understand- it's the words coming out of the professor's mouth. I think I need to talk to him. I love Model UN, although regime theory is a tad dull. I have those two classes Mondays, which means I have them today.

Yesterday I had El Cuento Hispanoamericano, where we had to read a 2-page story that I struggled with. I've never had that much trouble with Spanish so I figured I would be fine after a half-hour or hour, but I wasn't. I need to give myself a lot more time for reading. I also had the Beloit-required Historias Locales, Tendencias Globales where we drew maps of Ecuador and the US and talked about social, cultural and economic norms. Then I went to Evolucion Humana, a class I just added, where I also didn't pick up much of what the professor had to say- although I think this was because I hadn't eaten in 18 hours and was so hungry I couldn't concentrate! Another "don't."

I had lunch with some international students, although we did our best to speak Spanish. The creperia was giving out free wine with lunch to celebrate the USFQ's 20th birthday! Amazing. Then I went to the god-awful bookstore to try to pick up some of my texts for class.

Beloit... we don't know how good we have it. First of all, the bookstore doesn't take credit cards. NO CARDS. I know I am in a 'developing country,' but seriously, this campus looks like Beverly Hills. The girls dress up nicer for class than I do when I go out at night. It's insane. Yet the bookstore doesn't take credit cards. Which means I have to be charged to take cash out of the ATM again, sweet.

So I find my 'books-' they don't really use books here but there are readers which are bound copes for $9 to $15 each- and go to wait in the very long and very, very, very slow line. Apparently the bookstore also doesn't believe in cash registers. I don't know if the system was down or they always do receipts by hand, but I cannot describe how slow the process was.

I was waiting in line with another girl, and when it got to be her turn, the guy at the cash register told us he was closed. I could not believe it; we'd been waiting for half an hour and the other lines were equally long- he wanted us to just go to the back of a new line! We couldn't do anything so we moved. Then, get this- he takes an ecuatoriana who was behind me. I was infuriated. I went up to him and was like, "por que ella puede pagar?" and he wouldn't even look at me. What an asshole. He took her and then someone who looked like he might have been a professor. And Ali and I got to wait in an even longer line.

I have to go back to the bookstore today... Can't wait.

But really, things are great. Last night I saw Emma, my friend from New York- she has been here all summer but is going home today- and her friend Angel from Banos. We had dinner at a place called the Magic Bean and shared a few beers and argued about American politics before I said goodbye to her until December.

I am still determined to go somewhere this weekend, but a lot of people want to stay here for a party Friday night and the soccer game Saturday. I think I will go somewhere even if it means going alone! Although I hope I can find people to travel with.

Hasta Luego,
Kim