I made it! After leaving the house at 3:30 am, two flights, and a long lay over, I arrived at the Quito airport around 6:30 pm. I would like to thank mis padres, God, the kind airport staff, and my driver Eric, who patiently listened to my awful Spanish, for allowing me to get where I am. Since I had a good deal of time by myself today, I realized a few things:
1. Your first trip by yourself is probably the scariest, most lonely experience you'll ever have. After getting over the initial shock of figuring out the normal procedures at airports, the desire to share the experience with someone else creeps up; but, as you're traveling solo, there isn't much you can do about it. When you arrive at your destination and reflect on your experiences (yes, fellow Honors students, I'm WILLINGLY reflecting!) you realize how much you've been able to accomplish. That feeling somehow makes the lonely feelings seem not so bad in the end.
2. People watching is a blast. Seriously. It's so much fun to guess where people are from or where they are going just based on what they are wearing. I lost count of the floral shirts many men wore down in Miami and chuckled to myself as I saw them board flights to Caribbean islands. Earlier today when I boarded my first flight, I saw a gentleman wearing a Panama hat and wondered if he was also going to Ecuador. I never did find out, but I did see several other gentleman wearing these beautiful hats near my gate at Miami. Seeing them there helped me feel confident I was in the right place.
3. Driving here is insane. The quote from Pirates of the Caribbean regarding rules being more like guidelines definitely applies down here. Rarely do people use turn signals and straddling the two lanes going in the same direction is perfectly acceptable. I've never seen more people cutting others off, butting into traffic, or speeding by pedestrians in my entire life. Nonetheless, riding with a skilled driver is really entertaining, especially in a manual.
4. The earth here is so beautifully green. As I flew into the new Quito airport (which is very nice, by the way), the first thing I noticed was how green everything was. The rich greens welcome onlookers and reminded me of what I did not have back home: luscious green grass.
5. The altitude doesn't bother me (yet). At 9350 feet, I thought I would for sure notice a change in the air. Actually, it took me about a half hour during the car ride to the hotel to even think about the air here. I literally had to consciously think about the air before physically noticing it. But, I haven't pushed myself too vigorously yet, so that could change. :)
Well, that's about it for now. I think I'll go watch some t.v. while I wait for my friend, Caitlin, to arrive. She is also from my school and will be in Ecuador studying for the same time that I will be. ¡Adiós!
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