Curiosities de Ecuador

I am starting to feel the purpose of my life in Quito. I have admitted some defeat and moved down to the lower Spanish class. After much stressing, a few tears, and a good night´s rest I figured taking Spanish slowly would be better now and in the long run. My new class has just three estudiantes in it and so there is plenty of one on one time, a whole bucketfull of time to ask questions and overall I am musth less frazzled.

Anyway, this week has thus far been typical of a student´s life. I get up, I eat breakfast, I walk and bus to school, I go to class, I bus and walk home, I eat dinner, I watch a little tv and talk with my family a little, I do a little homework and I go to bed. Not all that exciting. So to spice it up, I thought I would share some of my favorite observations made in Ecuador thus far.

1. Ecuador loves the $1.00 Sacajawea coins. Remember those and how they never took in the United States? Well here I get more change in the form of diry gold-colored coins then in bills. So if you´re wondering where all those coins ended up after Statesiders chucked them, they´re in Ecuador. (Ecuador switched to the US dollar in 2001 after massive inflaction.)

2. Jipijapa, the final Ecovía bus stop before you get to Rio Coca where I have to transfer buses is really fun to say and hear when pronounced correctly.

3. Riding the bus home from school, between Cumbaya and Quito is beautiful. Off in the distance, on a clear sunny day the Andes look like fluffy green crazy quilts. There´s texture and pattern in the land uses and shadows create a beautiful blanket like effect.

4. 99% of customers at Supermaxi (the grocery store) apparently only go grocery shopping when there is nothing left in the house. I have yet to be in a line behind someone spending less then $150. No joke, all the carts are heaped and overflowing and it´s no uncommon for one woman to have a cart in each hand. Twice I even had someone tell me to go in front of them because I had so few items.

5. Taxis really want to give you a ride. More then once I have been startled by taxis barreling down the road half beeing there horn at me which means, hey this cab is empy, need a ride? No I

6. Listening to the bus driver´s right hand, i.e. the guy who collects passengers fares is also one of my favorite bus moments. Just say "A Quito, A Quito, A Quito" as fast as you can with an Ecuadorian accent and you´ll see what I mean.