que chevere

the above photo is of the Virgen de Quito cerca de Quito antigua (old town)....

In Quito, it seems that the most popular phrase is “que chévere” which translates as “how cool,” basically expressing awesomeness……

Nora & Me

Amiga

Nora (my best friend from Grinnell) moved to the apartment above mine! Our families are practically related and now we can walk to school and our families spend time together on the weekends! We had to promise to speak in Spanish and we are really making an effort. Also, there is a park where her father takes the dog for a walk, so we can run! I knew I would miss running, but the thirty minute walk to school and back helps. Pedro woke me up this morning, and for a moment I forgot where I was...but he was asking for my keys and it only took a minute to remember that I needed to respond in Spanish. This week we are choosing internships for the second part of the program....it is hard to decide because there are several great options in the health / social work fields.

Below is my family...Maria Gracia (13), Pedro (7) and Maria Paz

First Weekend

My first weekend in Quito was incredible. Saturday morning I awoke to salsa music and mi madre had just returned from the panderia, or bread shop. Abuelita (grandmother), Pedro, Maria Gracia, Maria Paz (mother) and I crowed around the kitchen table for our first meal together as a family. On paper, it says the father lives here, but I think the parents are separated. They invited me on an adventure and we all piled into the car, including the poodle-like dog, Chola. We went to a neighborhood just outside of the city to a piece of land they are thinking of buying with their current neighbors in order to build a house. We passed one of the most affluent neighborhoods followed by one of the most impoverished. The contrast struck me especially because most of the neighborhoods in L.A. seem to be separated by more space. The land was beautiful and I played my first game of futbol with the kids. On our way back to Quito we stopped in a small town famous for its flowers and ate a traditional Ecuadorian lunch (the dog sat under the table because it was too hot to leave her in the car). My family has been great about not eating red meat, which is somewhat difficult when the national food includes a lot of pork. They ordered for me and I ended up with a special potato dish (sort of like latkes) with tomato and avocado on the side. I spent the afternoon with Nora and her 19-year-old host brother. She wanted to buy a cell phone and I needed a chip for the phone that I have. It was my first time on the troley (tram) and these guys randomly asked if I was from Los Angeles…I was so stunned that I stupidly said yes, which led to them basically trying to get information out of me and Nora. Her host brother ended up telling us to get off and we took a different troley to avoid them…So we finally made it to the store and called our parents, which was a huge relief.

Sunday again started with salsa music, and during breakfast Abuelita told me about some of the folklore of the Churches in the city and places that I should visit outside of Quito. Then Maria Paz and the neighbor father rode in the front of a pick-up truck and the neighbors’ kids (Isabel, 10 and Alesandro, 9), my host siblings and I climbed into the bed and we drove pretty fast to el centro to see the famous churches in Quito. On Sundays the streets in this area are closed, which is perfect for riding bikes or walking and people watching. We walked into churches and observed a few minutes of services and went to an amazing museum about the history of the city dating back before the Incas. The kids all wanted to go to McDonald’s and I did not really know how to get across that it was pretty much the last place I wanted to go. Luckily, my host mom told me that she did not want to eat there either and that the two of us could do something different. We went to a family-owed restaurant with traditional food from the coast region – mostly seafood. I had a great conversation with her about education and her work as a real estate agent and I felt that for the most part I could understand and contribute to the conversation. After coming home, I took a taxi to Nora’s house ($1.50) because she was upset / not feeling well and we talked and alternated between the Australian Open Tennis Finals and Grey’s Anatomy. Upon returning home, Pedro and Maria Gracia were super excited b/c their mom bought the land for the house. We played cards and it kills me every time Pedro told me to “go fish.” I am finally feeling comfortable in the house and with my host family…they are incredibly welcoming and patient with my attempts at Spanish.

First Days

Arrived in Houston… almost died of excitement and ran the wrong way on the moving walkway when I saw Nora and Allie. On the plane, Nora and I met Maria, a young women from Quito. She basically told us her life story and through tears explained that her fiancé lives in San Diego and she is trying to go through the immigration process to move to the U.S. She described leaving the city she loves, her family and friends for the unknown and her fiancé.

The descent into Quito was spectacular with shimmering lights and the Andes Mountains surrounding the city. We spent our first night in the tourist district in a hostel before the orientation. Around midnight most of the group went for a walk and we entered a karaoke bar. Hearing “Hotel California” was definitely a strange experience. Back at the hostel, I ended up staying up until 3 am talking with another girl on the program, Angelica, who had just spent a month in Colombia.

People from CIMAS (our school) were supposed to pick us up at 9:00, but showed up at 10:30 or so…The orientation was long and we had to stand up in front of everyone (students and staff) and introduce ourselves in Spanish. I went last because I was honestly so nervous and I was not feeling too well. When it was time to meet our host families, my host mom was the only one who was late. Mi madre, Maria Paz finally came and she is really nice and works as a real estate agent. On the way home we stopped at a small produce market and there were all sorts of intriguing fruits I had never seen. She bought so much produce and it came to around six dollars. I met her two kids, Maria Gracia (13) and Pedro (7) as well as her mother who lives in a connecting apartment. I have Pedro’s room and he is adorable, although I cannot understand most of what he says because he talks so fast! I gave the kids small California license plates with their names on it, and they loved it! Then we played Uno and cards before I went to sleep completely exhausted at 9:00.

We were running late in the morning and drove to school, but it is close and in the future I will be able to walk. At school we had to take a Spanish assessment test followed by a very tedious biology lecture. Nora and I walked to a panderia for lunch and all of the rolls and fresh bread were 10 cents. The afternoon classes were more interesting and we discussed an upcoming trip and places to visit within the country.

Nora’s host brother, Victor, is 19 and super nice. My host mother had an obligation and he and Nora walked me home and got to see where I live! After they left, I had a great conversation with my abuela and she told me that Maria Gracia is stubborn “como un burro.” MG surprised me by sitting with me while we had dinner and tried to explain the novella, or TV show that she was watching. The soup had quinoa and was incredible…

Arrival!

I am here in Quito and everything is going well. I will write more when I have more than a moment to use the computer. Off with the group for a two day trip.

con mucho amor

Con Amor

I am still packing with about five hours until we leave for the airport...

Thank you for all of the goodbyes.....
Noelle - it was wonderful to see you and the girls today. Thank you for the great workout ideas.
Rebecca - for the travel advice / warnings.
Jamie - the first meeting / pictures / lunch
JH - incredible Thai dinner and our talk
coco - the scarf and you
Shannon - the patience for sitting with me while i tried to pack.
Dad - for closing the suitcase and everything
Mom - for alba, lunas and everything....

One Day Left

One more day in Los Angeles before leaving! I found small gifts for the families and now.....time to pack.

Passport!

My visa came today! I can now officially leave for Ecuador now! Also, two more days of typhoid medication...

Mi Familia

I recieved information about my host family today! I am living with 35 year old parents named Guerrero Diego and María Paz Negrete. They have two children: María Gracia (13) and Pedro (7).

phone #:(593-2)2262681

Contact Information

Phoebe M. Souza
c/o Fundación Cimas del Ecuador
Ave. América N34-274 y Abelardo Moncayo
P.O.Box 17-21-942
Quito, Ecuador

Motorcycle Diaries

“What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.”

- The Motorcycle Diaries (as read from Che's diary)

Los Angeles

The countdown begins: 12 days until Ecuador! I am trying to get everything together...medicines, clothes, camera etc....