Well, I made it! I have so many stories to tell already! It began iwth a tearful goodbye (on my part) to my amazing boyfriend Mike in Minneapolis. I then proceeded, quite nervy, to stand in line with my maybe too heavy luggage and maybe too large carry-on. I just finished packing the night before (typical Lauren), which was the main problem. Meh, turned out to be just fine, and my carry-on I could stuff (kicking was involved) under the seat in front of me. Phew! Ah, but this is boring. Moving on...

So, Minneapolis to Languardia NY was the first stop. As we were landing in NY, I had the best seat in the plane for a view of the city. I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time evah, as well as the Empire State Building and Central Park! I really was beside myself. If you only could've seen my goofy smile as I spied the NY skyline...

So, that was pretty spectacular! My next stop was Miami. As I was sitting waiting to load the plane, I had a conversation with a girl who was also from Minnesota, and who was also headed for Ecuador! I got her name and e-mail for latah. Apparently, she's backpacking through the country with her boyfriend and friends that are already here.

We got into Miami and the weather was gorgeous. I sat around the terminal and made some last phone calls to mom, dad, Auntie Wendy, and mi amor Mike. Right when I was good and choked up (did I mention I was super nervous?), I began to board the plane to Quito. Thank the Lord Almighty for Martha! She sat next to me on the plane. We didnt really say much to one another until she saw that I had marked that I had food with me on my immigration form. She leans over to me and goes, "That eez nod a good idea." Apparently, and I probably should have known this, that is just asking to have your bag searched. Then, she proceeded to tell me about Quito and her family both in Nueva York and Ecuador. After we landed, she helped me through immigration and customs...and THEN helped me find my luggage, which was tucked away in a faraway corner of the aeropuerto.

Martha gave me her number, and her sister's number. She even invited me to her sister's grandchildren's baptism, which is only for family. Well, I think it was a baptism, but my Spanish is not all that amazing yet, so...

Well, as Martha and I exited the airport, there was the sweetest gentleman waiting with a paper that said "Lauren Appely." He introduced me to a very tall gentleman from Germany, and told us that we must wait for three more people who were looking for their luggage (probably in the faraway corner where mine was). I said my goodbyes and thank-yous to Martha, then turned to the German gentleman. He knew English, and so he told me of his plans in Ecuador. He, his wife, and two friends were staying the night in Quito, then flying to the Galapagos for an eight-day stay. ?Que bueno, no?

Well, everyone eventually showed up, and our driver loaded up our things in a big van. We headed through the streets of Quito, which was quite the experience. I don't know if it was the fact that it's very hard to breathe here because we're 9895 ft. above sea level, or that the streets are tiny and heeding traffic signs/lights is the driver's option...but I found myself breathing quite heavily after our trek in the van. :-D So, we dropped off the Germans at their hotel, and then the driver made his way to my home stay. We had a quite nice conversation, and did I mention that a woman named Maria-francesca (all one name) joined us? She asked me if I would like to practice my espanol, and I said YES.

After some maneuvering, the driver (whose name fails me, but who was super wonderful), we arrived at the apartment high-rise. He brought me in, carried my heavy suitcase, rode the tiny elevator with me, and rang the bell to the apartment. It was about 1:30a. I was greeted by my house parents, Olga and Marcelo: "Hola, mi hija. Bienvenidos a su casa..." Olga then told me that I had had a very long trip, and that it was now time to rest. She showed me to my bathroom and my room, and said, "Buenas Noches, mi amor." Aww.

I put on my pj's, pulled out my penguin stuffed animal that Mike won for me at the Minnesota State Fair, took my altitude sickness pill, and was out. !Que un dia! So, that was all Friday.

Saturday, I woke up around 10a. I went into the dining room, and was greeted by Olga's happy self. She sat me down at the table, asked if I preferred coffee or tea (coffee, of course!), and brought me eggs and bread. She also brought out this banana juice of some sort, and it was marvelous. As I was eating, Mr. Marcelo came out of his room in a biking outfit. He loves to bike, and I told him how much my mom enjoys biking as well. He then proceeded to show me a picture of himself in front of Cotopaxi volcano with his bike. Cool, right?

Soon after Marcelo left for his bike trip, a girl named Kim, came out to join me for breakfast. Kim is from South Korea, and is here studying Spanish for two months before heading to south Ecuador to volunteer for two years! She told me about herself, as well as the fact that Olga and Marcelo house many students throughout the year. In our apartment, there's me, Kim, two Americans (whom I have yet to meet), and two Belgians (whom I met last night at dinner). After breakfast, Kim invited me to take a walk with her to a nearby park becuase the weather was so beautiful (It has been in the 60's the past couple days).

So, we took a walk. So far, I love Quito, The park was full of parents with their children (it WAS Saturday, after all). There was also a cheerleading team practicing their routine, which was fun to watch. Kim and I then proceeded to walk through the market. I was surprised at the many hats knitted into shapes such as Spongebob Squarepants. After the market, Kim wanted to show me the part of town where the cool, young crowd hangs out. I was pleased to find a Juan Valdez coffee shop, which I shall frequent. :-D

The rest of the day was a haze. Once we returned, I took a two hour nap. I woke up to Olga knocking on my door asking if I was hungry. I had missed lunch, so I was ravenous! I hopped out of bed, and was met by the two Belgians. We had the cutest dinner together trying to converse with our host parents in Spanish. After dinner, the Belgian couple asked if I would like to grab a drink with them in the part of town where the cool, young crowd hangs out. How could I not?

I have no clue what I drank (it was at the Belgian woman's advice), but it was SO tasty! That, plus strawberry-chocolate cake, plus great conversation with the Belgians, was a great way to end the day. I found out that the woman is a pediatrician and the man is a dentist, and that they're both in their late twenties.

Well, we grabbed a taxi home, went up the tiny elevator together, and said "Hasta manana." I slept like a baby.

And now it's Sunday. I decided to take it easy today, as I'm still struggling to breathe adequately. :-D Olga and I are going to church tonight, and I'm going to make sure everything is prepared for work tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

I love each and every one of you!

-Laurena

P.S. I'll try to write shorter posts in the future.

P.P.S. The picture is of the view from our dining room! !Que lindo!