Getting into the routine.

As of yesterday, orientation is officially over and we are getting into our routine for the rest of the semester. Sunday was the relaxing day we needed, filled with not much besides church, a trip to Supermaxi (the grocery store), and a house meeting. I chose to attend church in Spanish, along with two other students. It was great! I understood all the songs, the prayers, and the sermon, which was really good. The pastor preached from the life of Solomon, focusing on the contradictions in his life. For instance, Solomon was considered a very wise man, yet he made foolish decisions, such as one to take 1,000 wives. The entire theme of the sermon was godly wisdom. After two hours, my brain was definitely tired but I felt great about being immersed in another language.

After church we just got some groceries and iced coffees for a treat. An iced latte is $2.45 here, which is expensive by Ecuadorian standards but cheaper than Starbucks! We all needed to take taxis back up the hill we live on with our arms full of so many groceries. I'm definitely getting comfortable using the taxi now. My friends like to get in my cab because I speak Spanish. :)

Today I decided to be brave and start my morning with a run at 6:30am with my RA. Whew! We ran down the hill to Parque Carolina, which is a huge park not too far from our apartment. Once there, we ran the entire loop around the park and then part of the way back up the hill. All told, that's about five miles, not to mention the altitude! Kim said I did great, especially because she runs fast and is accustomed to the altitude here. By the end I wasn't that out of breath, really; my muscles just couldn't take another step. It felt great, but I'm super tired now. Still, it was worth a great workout and seeing a posse of Ecuadorian speed walkers going around the park. ;) I'm told altitude is the great equalizer--some of us aren't too affected by it, while others have a tougher time, no matter what shape they're in. 

Later this morning we took a field trip to the local papeleria to buy notebooks for class. The notebooks here all have funky pictures and designs on them--at least the ones that are reasonably priced. After that we explored the fruteria, where we can buy produce for less than Supermaxi. This is one thing I love about Ecuador--there are tiny specialty shops scattered around the neighborhoods. I'm super excited to visit the panaderia down the street--the fresh bread there smells amazing, especially after a run!

This afternoon we had our first day of Spanish school, which will be pretty intense. I'm not taking Spanish for credit here, but I'm just going to attend until my internship takes up my time. I placed into the advanced class, along with two other guys. Class is three hours a day, so it'll be a challenge for all of us. Nevertheless, I'm really looking forward to learning more. That's why I'm here!

Since we came back we've all just been hanging around, waiting until dinner. We're doing community dinners twice a week, where two people cook for everyone. Excited to see what the girls are serving tonight! Hasta luego!