Discovering Quito.

Well folks, yesterday was another long day. We headed down to the Youth World/Juvenil Mundial office for some map orientation first thing in the morning. To clarify, Youth World is the mission organization that our study abroad program falls under. Study abroad is one of their many ministries, which are mainly focused on training Ecuadorian and American youth for ministry. 

Anyway, we were there for awhile trying to make sense of our maps and marking important places on them. After we were sufficiently nervous about getting around this city on our own, we took off as a group to learn how to get to the language school (everyone but me and one other person is taking Spanish here). The first step to get to the language school? Take the trolebus.

I have a confession to make: I do not like the trole (trolley). These vehicles just defy the laws of physics here, in a not too pleasant way. They only cost 25 cents to ride, which is great, but the city makes up for that by cramming as many bodies as possible into the vehicle. Seriously. An already packed looking trolley will roll into the station (parada) and you just have to think to yourself, "I'm getting on the trolley. I'm getting on the trolley. I WILL get on the trolley." And you force yourself in, praying the doors don't close on you. If you're traveling in a group, you'll definitely get split up. You are packed in so tight that you are being squashed by Ecuadorians on all sides, and you may or may not be able to grab something to hold on to. Meanwhile, you're trying to watch your purse like a hawk because pickpocketing is the worst on the trole. Gringos like us are prime targets, of course. The trole is hot, crowded, and chaotic. If you know me, you're probably not surprised that I'm not a fan of this. I miss our North American understanding of personal bubbles.

Anyway, we walked to the language school, and then the guys' RA sent us off on a scavenger hunt. Just prayed for us and said, "Seeya!" This scavenger hunt took us all over the city, and we had to accomplish various tasks. They split up the people who spoke Spanish, so I was my group's translator. I really enjoyed being forced to speak, and I realized that I know more than I think. Some Ecuadorians love hearing a gringa speak Spanish and try to talk to you for a long time. It was a lot of fun. Glad I got to contribute a skill, because I'm not always trustworthy with a map ;)

One of the biggest stops on our hunt was La Basilica, a giant cathedral in Old Quito. The thing had so many stairs, including sketchy ladders outside to the top. But it was worth it! 



After a long day of riding trolleys and taxis (and walking a ton!), we shopped for a few groceries and then stopped at a chicken place for dinner. I tried jugo de mora, which is blackberry juice. It's delicious! At the end of the night we hopped in taxis (no walking around at night here, no matter what) and collapsed into our beds. I'd say we all felt super accomplished finding our way around a foreign city!