Busy Saturday

Weather: Sunny and around 65

I got back from Santa Lucia yesterday night and I did a ton of laundry. It was so nice having a closet filled with all my clean clothes again this morning. Ines took me to the local fruit and vegetable market again this morning. This time I was actually able to get some pictures. There was a woman named Marta there who is friends with Ines. She asked how my Spanish was and when I said "hablo pocco espanol" she picked up an orange and said "naranja." After that Ines stepped in and told her I can speak pretty okay so then she started asking me questions about where I was from. Sure enough, I was having a conversation with her entirely in Spanish about what I am doing here, how long I am here for, where I'm from, and how much I love the fresh food here.

After having some fresh fruit Ines purchased at the little market, I did

some homework and then headed off to Quito with my friends Morgan and Emily.We ended up meeting up with JinTong too who happened to be there by himself exploring. He is a lot more comfortable with the city as he was here taking classes during the Summer. We went to the artisanal market in Quito, and then walked around a public park that was across the street. Morgan and Emily got some lunch, I wasn't too hungry so I ventured into a bread store and got a croissant. Morgan and Emily were going to barbecue after Quito so I was worried I would have to Uber back alone. Luckily, I went with them and the Uber driver dropped me off at USFQ and I bussed back to Ines's. I know I would be okay by myself however, the risk of something bad happening here is slightly higher here then say Boston. I just stick with the buddy system and I haven't lost sight of common sense which is more common than you'd think with people my age going abroad.

After having dinner with Ines, I headed out for my first night out in Cumbaya. I ended up going to this place called Mongo's which has private Karaoke rooms you can rent out for the night. My friend Micah lives somewhat near me so we found a meeting spot and split the Uber there and back. When we got there we met up with our other friends JinTong, and Luca. Emily and Morgan came a bit afterwards with one of Morgan's host brothers friend named Sebastian. We all had a really good time and sang some good Karaoke. Sebastian actually taught me how to dance properly Ecuadorian style, it was similar to a ballroom dance but with salsa and spins mixed in.

Overall, it was a great day. As tempting as it was to just stay in for the night, I am very happy I went out and spent time with good friends. I love it here in Cumbaya, and I've done so much in such little time. However, I am excited for the islands because as I type this a lot of my close friends are on the coast on a field trip for one of their classes, and a few other friends are exploring Mindo. I could've gone to Mindo, but Santa Lucia is in the same area it's just located in the highlands so I wanted to save the money. Plus, tomorrow I leave for the Amazon at 6am! I guess I am just excited for us to be in close proximity in the islands because being on separate course tracks in Quito makes it extremely difficult to see people. As soon as I get back from the Amazon, another track heads off to the Amazon. I don't want to sound like I am complaining though. This entire trip/program/classes/people have been absolutely perfect, and I am definitely having the time of my life. It's still surreal that I am here.