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.