Day 2!

Ok so my 2nd day began at 7:30 with desayuno (breakfast). I had papaya which was amazing, so fresh! And a toasted cheese sandwich..with butter...I think. Whatever it was it was really good! I also drank hot tea. We have tea with every meal here and its delicious. The portions are much smaller than in the U.S. but I get full! I also have noticed that Ecuadorians do not waste anything. So there was a little confusion on how to get to the school. Alisa thought we needed to be there at 8:30 but Francia told us we needed to be there by 8. This was of course at 7:55. My house is really close to the school, about a ten minute walk and right across the street from my house is a park. Alisa is like a foot taller than me, no joke, so I am like running when she is walking fast. We arrived at the school and were given a placement test and a cell phone. This phone is honestly the one Kinsey had in 8th grade. It`s a Nokia and super ghetto. I have yet to see if Snake is on it. Then we sat for four hours and listened to this guy, who is not affiliated with our program, orient us to the city, the school and the expectations for the program. His name was Matt, he`s from Canada and has lived in Ecuador for 5 years. He has helped Rosita, the director of the school, out for the past 3 years orienting students because she used to do it in Spanish but it was hard for everyone to understand. He was really cool although he scared the shit out of me when he told me about the stuff he has witnessed, experienced and heard while living in Quito/Ecuador. He said we just needed to be aware and keep all of our valuables in front of us at all times. We learned so much it was hard to comprehend it all in 4 hours. After the lecture, Evan took us on a tour of the city. We were told that it would be a BUS TOUR but it definitely was not. We took the Trole, which is like a bus that runs via cable to the north and south end of the city, and got off around the Mariscal which is where all the bares and resturaunts are. It`s always super crowed and why you have to watch your bag at all times. After that, we walked for like FIVE MILES. However, Quito is already 9,000 feet above sea level and I was DYING after like a half mile. All of us were. And here`s Evan just laughing at us as we walked up a hill as steep as the one on the pentacrest but like 3 times as long. Another pre-med, Andy, made a joke about how when CFHI (our program) tells us to prepare for our trip they should include running 5 miles uphill while breathing through a straw because that is what we all felt like. We also saw the military hospital which is nice according to Evan and it serves not only the military but their families as well. Family is very important to all Latin Americans and many things in Quito are family centered. For example, today was Sunday and no stories were open and almost no one was out of their home. The residents go to church, 95% are Catholic and then return home to rest during the day. WHAT A GREAT IDEA AMERICA. We passed like 5 KFC`s during our way to the hospital de Maternidad (Maternity Hospital). After this we walked back down the hill, paid 25 cents and rode the Trole back to `La Y`(pronounced LA YAY) which is where the Amazing Andes Schools is located. We ate at a great Ecuadorian resturaunt for lunch. I had chicken with rice and a COKE. I was so excited and my headache finally subsided after I had caffeine in my system. Side note: I`ve had a headache since I got here but its finally starting to subside. Thank you caffeine. Ok well I have been at the internet cafe for over an hour so I need to go home and eat dinner! I will try to get this fully updated tomorrow. Love you all and can`t wait to write more! :)
LOVE HILARY