Hello Everyone

 I thought I´d set up a journal through STA that way instead of emailing everyone all the time you can just click on this website and read what I am up to on my journal..though I understand these travel journals can sometimes be a bit boring when you are stuck in the rainy UK.  Anyway I arrived in Quito, Ecuador on Tuesday (9th) one day behind schedule as had to stay a night in Houston as didn´t get the connecting flight from Houston to Quito.  After being picked up by i to i (the agency I am doing my volunteer work through) I arrived at the apartment which is to be my home for the next 2 months.  I was greeted by Maritoni the lady who I am staying with. She is from the from the Philippines and is very welcoming and talkative (must have strong Gemini)! Anyway the next day I didn´t start my project so instead went on a trip organised by i to to the Middle of the World! This is where you get to stand on the equator and are smack in the middle of the world, amazing really!  So you could stand on one side and be in the North Hemisphere and stand on the other and be in the South Hemisphere.  The sun is very strong here so have to be careful not to get burned. Also forgot to say that when I arrived when it was dark and i looked up to the moon and it was massive the biggest I have ever seen it this is because we are so high up and are nearer to it!

Yesterday was my first day of my project at CENIT a charity for working girls on the market and they now take on working boys too.  I got put in a group with all Germans and if they weren´t speaking Spanish they were speaking German though they did sometimes speak English for my benefit.  We walked to the market which is where we collect the children, there was only 5 children which apparently is very unusual (normally there are 10 - 15).  We then had to sing "If your happy and you know it clap your hands" in Spanish..I have to learn it as I still don´t know the Spanish version.  We then played games and brushed their teeth and washed their hands as this is the only time of day they get to do this. All the children were very sweet, but it was a real struggle not knowing Spanish and I was the only one in my group who couldn´t speak Spanish.  I am going to take Spanish lessons next week.  In the afternoon I had a free Salsa lesson which was really good. So hopefully I¨ll coming back speaking Spanish and dancing Salsa..or maybe that is wishful thinking!

Anyway I have to go now as going on a cable car this afternoon to see the whole of Quito.  I had a bit of a nightmare day today trying to get to CENIT by bus but I will tell you about it in my next entry.

Hope everyone is well.

Julia x