After two flights, one to Miami and another the Quito, Ecuador, we made it! We met our host families, who are wonderful, and had dinner. We definitely started chatting right away about what to expect and got to know each other a little bit. I also learned I can’t process Spanish after 10 pm, so I’m greatful that Andrew is a great Spanish speaker and could take the reigns on doing most of the talking!
After a night in Quito, my host mom and I ran some errands and then I met my host dad and we all ate lunch before making the drive to Riobamba (one of my favorite things so far is all of the amazing fruit juices)! To be honest, I didn’t take in many of the sights on the way -I have a bad habit of falling asleep in any type of moving vehicle- but what I did see was amazing! We were surrounded by mountains and when we weren’t surrounded, we were driving up them. It was absolutely breathtaking.
After the drive I was also amazed by how absolutely beautiful their house is. They have an indoor pool, a large living room area and a beautiful staircase leading up to the bedrooms. I am definitely excited and nervous being here alone, but I love the challenge of being in an unfamiliar country and speaking a foreign language. I do understand a lot of Spanish, but my vocabulary is definitely not very extensive. I know it will take me some time to process everything as quickly as I should and I hope I am able to adjust quickly -my default is usually smiling and saying “Sí!” which has probably led me to looking stupid a few times already!
It’s definitely exhausting trying to think in a different language, but it’s a great challenge and I hope I am up for it! Stay tuned for a post about the school we will be teaching in later this week!
Buenos noches!
Watch Haley Wander 
This is where I stayed . . . . and so they are used to the response of si ! 🙂
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