USFQ Campus in Cumbaya

First day on campus complete! This morning I got up at 6:00 AM EST to get ready for my first day at the USFQ campus. I ate breakfast, cornflakes con leche a las siete menos quarto. Entonces a las siete y quarto fui a escuela. Veronica drove me to campus today. I thought that when she had told me she would go with me to school, that she would ride the bus, but again I was lost in translation. Come Wednesday though, I am on my own, bring it on autobus!

My first day at USFQ was quite reminiscent of my first day of kintergarden. Veronica led me through the main entrance, up the stairs, down the stairs, around the corner and finally to the office where I met one of several international student affairs staff members. Then another maternal figure took me to where the other international students were waiting for orientation to begin. There are 13 students in my program, run by Ceiba, but probably 200 total international students at USFQ this semester. We spent most of the morning in an auditorium learning about health and safety in Quito and Ecuador. There were a few things mentioned that made me uneasy, but none quite as terrifying as riding in the car in Ecuador.

I´ve been in the car with Veronica everyday since I arrived, but Monday morning traffic is a nightmare. Picture this if you can, you are in a teeny, tiny two door Chevy, flying down the slopes of the Andes surrounded by dozens of buses, other zooming cars, and dump trucks. To top it off, lane lines are hard to see and while deciding whether or not to pass the slower moving car in from of you, you just straddle the line and lay on the horn. On top of that, at the bottom of the steep hill there´s a round about which requires you to stop before entering. From every direction you hear honk, honk, honk and the buses engulf your car in black exhaust. Just another morning commute from Quito to Cumbaya. Don´´t get me wrong though, riding in the car turns my knuckles white but yet still is exhilarating. Nevertheless, a part of me is looking forward to taking the slower moving bus to class because I now know several classmates that are living nearby and chances are we will be on the same bus every now and then.

Thought the day was filled primarily with logistics, I am really excited that the semester is underway. Besides that, after Maria Clara picked me up from school I came home to a delicious dinner prepared by Carmen. My favorite part was the soup that Veronica told me was spinach. It had a cilantro-like taste to me, but whatever it was, it was muy delicioso!

Tomorrow I will have my first Quito exploration. We have to register our visas at an office downtown. So I get to walk by myself! Don´t worry, I promise to remain aware, use common sense and stride with confidence, our mantra from today. Ciao!