the more i see (or hear), the less i know

Well, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve arrived in Ecuador and am here to stay (at least for the next 4 weeks). This past week has been a whirlwind, and I’ve learned one major lesson: if my life depended on my ability to speak Spanish, I would have died about 2.77 seconds after landing in Quito. I thought that somehow my survivor instincts would kick-in down here, and I would magically remember words that I subconsciously stored in my memory this past year, but that has not been the case!

Being surrounded by Spanish for a week has made my mind j-e-l-l-o. At times, I’m starting to think in Spanish, other times purely English. I now not only have very broken Spanish, but also broken English. I’m trying to think so simply that when asked to speak in English, my normal, descriptive sentences cannot come out. So for this entry, bullet points is probs the best case scenario!

PLACES: In Quito, we toured a lot… to the extent where I just stopped listening to where we were or what was going on. The hi-light, however, was visiting the oh so famous equatorial line. I balanced an egg on a nail, witnessed water draining straight down (not swirling to the left or the right), and fulfilled Mandy Moore’s (A Walk to Remember) life goal of being in two places at once.

PEOPLE: Our group of Taylor students could not be better. Fortunately, everyone is normal and hilarious, minus the usual one or two. But those who are a little off their rocker make the whole trip more interesting, memorable, and entertaining. No complaints here. A couple of times our group has met up with some TU grads (Foundation being their humble abode at Taylor) that are living and teaching down here. They’re all extremely adventurous, energetic, and great at translating.

PTL my family can speak English! Except my cuenca madre… she speaks just as much English as I speak Spanish. But, it’s okay, because we’ve already established this “I-don’t-know-what-you’re-saying-right-now" look.

Siblings- Juan is 26, Maurice (Mao) is 23, and Andrea (yes, roll that ‘r’) is 17. They are all super great, welcoming, and pretty “Americanized”. I couldn’t ask for a better family! Yesterday, Mao and Andrea took me to play racquetball at a country club type place. (FYI: My family is pretty well off. We have carpet in the entire house, which is a big sign of luxury. I also have my own room and bathroom.) Then, that night, Juan’s friend, Hendrix ‘escorted’ me to a wedding. We skipped the ceremony and went straight to the reception. The reception was just like an American one- the exact same rituals, food, and drinks. After the food, all of Juan’s friends wanted to teach me how to dance like they do down here, so we danced the night away until 3 am. On the way home, Juan said I was the “sensation of the night”… whatever that is supposed to mean.

THINGS: To get to school, a private bus/van picks us up individually at our houses, and we all carpool together. This is one of my favorite times of the day because it’s the one time where we can all relax, speak English, and share funny/awkward stories from the night before. We end up in tears because we laugh so hard. For example, (straight from the quote book): Landon told his family, "My grandchildren are missionaries in Thailand" …instead of grandparents, and Jason, when calling his family, said, "Soy de Frutilados" …something like, “I am fruity ice cream," instead of, "I am at Frutilados (an ice cream place)."

At lunch one day, I told my family I really liked Lord of the Rings because I kinda froze and couldn’t think of another really famous movie. Immediately, their faces brightened and said, “You are now our new favorite!” (They’ve hosted over 22.) Apparently, Andrea has seen the movie over twenty times. However, they don’t know that I have actually never had the patience or energy to sit down, watch the movie, and not fall asleep.

FOOD: It’s been amazinggg (minus the cuy… google that trash) and is super cheap! Everything is so fresh, and the juice and ice cream are especially delicious. Every morning I have a roll and coffee for breakfast. However, compared to American standards, the coffee is weak and fake… that’s probably why I enjoy it so much. On the contrary, unlike America, the only processed food I’ve had is a cookie on the 10-hour bus ride through the Andes Mountains from Quito to Cuenca.

RATING THUS FAR: Two thumbs UP!

CONFESSIONAL: The 2^nd night in Quito, Laura and I were sharing a hotel room and got really hungry and had a craving for the American chocolate we brought as a gift for our host families. So… we kinda broke into our stash and had a few pieces.

CULTURE SHOCK: Kayla’s cuenca sister and my cuenca brother are really good friends. So the other night, Kayla and I went out to eat with all their friends. We ordered an ordinary ham and cheese sandwich, like the rest of them. Kayla and I are just chowing down our sandwich when all of the sudden we look at each other, down at our hands, and then at everyone else. Everyone is eating their sandwich with a fork and knife. Kayla and I, the all-Americans, are stuffing our faces with sandwiches in hand. We then notice ladies at another table staring at us. We politely put our sandwiches down, laugh to ourselves, and struggle to use our forks and knives the rest of the time.

MOST OVER-USED PHRASE: un poco espanol

GOD BLESS AMERICA (things I miss): cereal, American milk, and sweatpants

RFOTD (Random Fact of the Day): there are 16 churches in Cuenca

Well, until next time... stay classy, America!