Week Update

Wow,It has been a long time since I've updated, so I will break my update down into a few parts.
First, I'll explain school.
7:00 Wake up
7:45 Breakfast with Nancy
8:10 Meet Grace at the Bus stop near my house, then trasfer at Rio Coca station to Cumbaya
9:10 Arrive in Cumbaya and walk to the University of San Fransisco in Quito
9:30 Biology Class with everyone on the program
12:30 Lunch
2:00 Spanish Class- Intermediate
5:00 Time to Play
5:30 Take Bus home so I get there before Dark
6:30 Get home
Night time= go out, do work, relax,
11:00 Bedtime

And that is my schedule from Monday through Thursday

The first day of class was really interesting in biology, but my Spanish class is really boring because it is hard to sit in a class for 3 hours and another for 3 hours in another language. Our teacher's name is Tomas and he is fun. Our class is goofy, and it gets better everyday. I'm being told that my Spanish is greatly improving everyday.

University of San Fransisco in Quito

The campus itself is absolutely breathtaking, here are some photos:

the middle of what would be the quad

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entrance walkway

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Beautiful View

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The beautiful lake

Some students on my program playing Volleyball

The first day of class, Grace and I decided to stay late and use the internet. It was getting dark very fast, and it is not safe to take the bus at night and walk home alone in the dark, so we decided to call a taxi, but the taxi didn't understand us, and it is very unsafe to flag one down. We went across the street to a mall, and I went into a bra store and asked the lady to call us a taxi. She did, but we couldn't understand what she was saying. We thought she called one, but time was passing, and we didn't know where we were or what was going on, but at least Grace and I were together. We called our host mom's who told us to come home on the bus, but they didn't understand that we didn't want to walk from the to our house alone in the dark. Another lady came into the store and was looking around, when she heard us talking. In perfect English, she said "are you girls looking for the bus?". We were so relieved to find someone who spoke English. It turned out that she was a translator, and her husband was a lawyer for the taxi company. She called us a safe taxi home, and it only took 10 minutes to get home because apparently there is a tunnel just for cars and taxis, and our University is only a 10 minutes away by car. We were so relieved after that day!
The next few days were a lot easier. Grace and I went out to dinner with some Ecuadorians we met that go to USFQ. We went to a Hookah and Schwarma bar, which reminded me a lot of Israel! We had a lot of fun.
On Thursday, I came straight home from class, but Nancy works until 7, so she was not home. I decided to wait with the guard of our building, and we watched TV in Spanish and listened to Salsa. I met some of the building's other residents when they would come in, and a few of them spoke English. I met a couple who was older, and we talked for a bit. A few minutes later, a guy that looked in his late 20s walked in, and the guard and him said hey and did the peace signs at each other. When the guy saw me, he came into the guard station and talked to me. It turned out, he is 29, and used to work in California. His name is Juan and he speaks English pretty well so we talked for a while. He works for Porta, a big phone company here I mentioned before (just like Verizon or Sprint), and his sister is my age and goes to USFQ as well. His other sister is an exchange student in Atlanta, and studies Genetics! His aunt lives on the first floor and she walked in with her ShiTzu and talked to me a bit as well. We talked for a while, and he asked me to run across the street to the store with him. He was so polite, and asked if I wanted anything, but since I just met him, I declined. When we got back, he took me to the roof of the building, which was the most beautiful view! He explained where everything was in Quito, and offered to take me anywhere I wanted to go since he spoke both languages. He said that I should tell Nancy where I was, and then he wanted to introduce me to his sister. We went downstairs to see if Nancy came home, and when she opened the door, she threw her arms around him and kissed him. I guess she knows his family. Later she told me that his dad is the president of our building, and owns a lot here. She said Juan and his family are very respected, educated, nice, and funniest part, muy rico. (rich). He invited me a few times out since, and has helped me with cabs. He is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and his family is really nice. They speak English well, and his stepdad graduated from USC, so he likes the US.
I also decided to get a new phone because the one I have been using is Fernanda's old one, and it is hard to use. I found the model I wanted, and it was 60$ at Porta or 70$ at Movistar. All I need to do is put my chip in it. I literally went into every Porta and Movistar around, and everyone was out of it. On Friday, I came home, and Nancy was not home yet, so I decided to walk around my area and see if there was a phone place. I found a cute little nail and hair place, and I got a manicure for 4 dollars. The lady was really nice, and it was just me and her. Her husband came in later and they sat and talked to me for a bit because her husband is learning English. They are from the Dominican Republic, and told me to come back soon. The both gave me the traditional Ecuadorian kiss goodbye and I told them I'd be back with friends. People here are very friendly, and I LOVE it. While walking around, I saw a guard of a big political building next to my apartment. I asked him where to buy a new phone, and he directed me to a little storefront half a block away. I walked in and asked for a new phone, and the guy showed me a few phones. They were all used, but really good phones compared to the one I have. I decided on the Motorola Pebble, and bought it. I sat in my building, and transferred my chip to my new phone. There was already a chip in the new phone, but I didn't think much of it and just took it out and replaced it with mine. When Nancy and Lorena returned, I showed her my new phone. She told me is was a "robero phone", meaning it was a stolen phone. I asked how she knew, and apparently, any phone not bought at a Porta or Movistar is robbed. I assumed it was just used, but then she asked if I got a reciept, but I hadn't. Also, I told her it came with a chip inside, and she laughed. It was definitely a phone of someone who had been robbed! That was a funny experience, but at least I have a cheap and nice phone.