¡Venga acá!

Welcome to my Ecuador blog. Little change in website plans since computers can be less than reliable here but no matter. The last few days have been hectic, harrowing, packed and amazing. The family I´m living with has a beautiful apartment and all the sisters (4) and their husbands seem very cool. We arrived Saturday night. I spent Sunday at the family´s "casa de campo" (a shore house minus the shore) with the WHOLE family. They grow their own amazing fruit there so no need to worry about those pesky parasites. (What everyone wanted to know, I´m sure.) Spent the evening with Anita and her husband at their apartment. Monday was a day at the University - a compact but beautiful place in a valley about 20 or 30 minutes away - getting some basics down with our coordinator, Amanda, who, for those of you familiar with my advisor at BC, rivals him for connections and hook-ups. Yesterday was a day of marathon touring: all of the major churches in Colonial Quito plus the Museum of the City. The history of Quito is really interesting becuase of the mix of indigenistas (Indians) and Spanish conquistadores. It´s similar to the States but the remnants of the conflicts and such are still really present. The history of Catholics here is strange too...Fransiscan and Jesuit churches completely encrusted in gold. Not quite the story I´m familiar with. Today was the opposite: a tour of the museum of indigenous history. We´ve been wandering around on our own all afternoon getting hideously lost but having a good time. Intense Spanish class awaits in the next few days, then a few days roughing it in the jungle, then orientation, then (shock, horror!) school! So that´s that. Hopefully, you all will be able to find the photos I´ll be posting. Anywho, miss you and love you all!