Hola! I've now been in Quito for a little over 2 weeks. Still having lots of fun. My second week here was a bit more low-key than the first, and it has been great in a very different way. I've still been going out lots but I'm already a bit tired of the whole Mariscal scene. It's pretty much just like Lan Kwai or Khao San or any other area in the world with lots of bars and the same trite, bad music. It can be lots of fun sometimes, like one night when I ended up breaking with two local guys in some Mariscal club (though I think I lost the battle when one of the guys busted out with a flare)... but at other times, you just start to wonder, "Haven't I heard this song a million other times before? What am I doing here again?"

In general though, I stay away from the Mariscal as much as I can. During the day when I'm not in Spanish school, I spend all my time in San Blas (where I live) and El Centro Historico (the old town). Last week I moved into an apartment and am sort of doing a homestay. It's really the perfect situation: I live in an apartment where I have my own room and all the privacy I want, but I walk across the street to have breakfast and dinner with my "homestay" Ecuadorian family. Sometimes, I really can't believe how lucky I have been so far in meeting people. Somehow, it seems like I always have the good fortune to meet really cool people, wherever I go. I couldn't ask for a better homestay family. They are SO great, and so much fun! There are two daughers in the family who are around my age (Vilma and Elisabeth) and then there are the mother (Pia) and the father (Luis). All of them are such warm, wonderful people. Luis and Pia barely speak any English at all, while Eli and Vilma both know quite a bit of English but pretend that they don't so that I am forced to speak Spanish all the time! Everyone in the family is SO great about encouraging me to speak as much Spanish as possible, and they are very very patient with my attempts! On top of that, they are all just SO cool and SOOO much fun! Mealtimes are always very lively; everyone is always laughing and joking around. After dinner, sometimes we sit around and talk or play cards, or go out dancing :) I feel like my Spanish has really improved much more quickly because of my Quiteno family. It has also just been such a wonderful experience to hang out with such a close, nice family, feast on their delicious food, and get a taste of what local family life in Quito is like. The location is also ideal. San Blas is really nice, and it is right next to the Old Town so it's very easy to walk over to explore El Centro Historico. San Blas is quite a bit like the old town but a little quieter and more residential; lots of beautiful colonial-style buildings and little streets. And when my brain can't handle any more Spanish, I can walk a block over to Secret Garden Hostal, which is a bit of a traveller's oasis. I am glad that I am not living there, as it is a somewhat isolated, self-contained gringo environment, but it has a BEAUTIUL rooftop terrace, lots of interesting people pass through, and all the people who work there are really cool and lots of fun to go out with.

As far as Spanish goes, I definitely have a LONG way to go. But I am quite encouraged by the progress I have made in such a short time. The other day, I was quite excited because I had a 30 min conversation almost entirely in Spanish! It was just with another teacher at the school I go to, and it was a VERY simple conversation, but I was quite surprised that I could actually say most of the things I wanted to say! It helps that Spanish has so much in common with both French and English. Not that I really remember any French; already, I feel much more confident speaking in Spanish than French, but I think studying French in high school has helped me a bit because a lot of the grammar and words are similar. I have also just been enjoying the process of learning a new language and have been nerdily doing extra homework and making flashcards and things like that. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE my Spanish teacher. The first week, I was not that happy with my Spanish school. My first teacher (I am taking private lessons) was okay but I didn't connect that well with her and she barely knew any English... which I think is great once you're at a certain level but very difficult when you're trying to get a very clear understanding of grammar rules and basic vocabulary. I was about to change schools when the director (who speaks English quite well and who I loved from the start) offered to teach me himself! So, since then I have been taking lessons with Luis, and it has been GREAT. Luis is SO enthusiastic and supportive. He has an infectious energy, and is always gesturing excitedly and laughing. He is also just a terrific teacher; we actually speak English very little in class and he explains almost everything in Spanish. But somehow, his explanations are always SO clear and so easy to understand! I feel very lucky to be his student, and he makes learning Spanish so much more fun! I also just really love how he runs his school. His school is really nice and homey, and he is always taking time out of his own schedule to do fun things with his students like hiking, organize fun activities for us like salsa dancing and cooking, or invite us along with his family to football games... all for no extra charge!

This past weekend, I also spent a day hanging out with a really cool Quiteno. We went to a movie, walked around Guapalo (another part of Quito), had coffee on a beautiful terrace overlooking the old town, and ended up eating tamales and sanduches de pernil in the Old Town. It was really interesting to hear a local's perspective on things like machismo, prejudice, relations with Peru, and homophobia. According to Daniel, there is actually much more animosity between mountain people (Quitenos) and coastal people than between different racial groups in Quito. At the same time though, there seems to be a lot of prejudice against Colombians and anyone of African descent. When we were riding the bus back to the old town, an old woman was going around asking people for money, and Daniel said he guessed people would not give her much because they could tell from her accent that she was Colombian.... and many Quitenos think that all Colombians are either drug dealers or thieves. Unfortunately, it appears there is prejudice wherever you go.

On the whole though, I've found most people here very nice. I think after China, people everywhere else just seem so much more friendly, polite, and relaxed about things... especially in nicer areas like San Blas or the Old Town. I have really enjoyed exploring the Old Town and discovering more and more every day. It is so interesting and has a really great atmosphere: lots of people just sitting and chilling in the plazas, salsa blaring from the shops, and vendors walking around and calling out their wares - some selling bags of oranges, some carrying around huge flats of pastries and cakes, and this one guy I see sometimes with thousands of differently colored shoelaces slung around his neck. There are lots of funny random things about Quito too; everyone is crazy about ice cream here, so even when it is at night and freezing (at least I think it's freezing), you can see everyone walking around eating ice cream. There are also so many nice bakeries with delicious pastries and breads and really great hole-in-the-wall restaurants that have been there for more than 60 years. I have been having lots of fun sampling different Ecuadorian foods: empanadas de verde (made with plantains), quimbolitos (a sort of sponge cake wrapped in a big leaf), tamales, morocho (a thick, warm milky drink with oats), seco de chivo (goat stew), sanduches de pernil (not your ordinary ham sandwhich), humitas (a corn thing also wrapped in a leaf), and candied nuts that are cooked right in front of you in huge copper pans.

This week so far has also been quite good for music. There is a jazz fest going on, so there are free Ecuadorian jazz/blues shows every night this week! I will be off for some ice cream and jazz in a bit, maybe salsa later.... and this weekend I plan on going off to Otavalo (a small town about 2-3 hrs away) for a few days to catch the end of the Feista del Yamor there.

Hope everyone is doing well at home, in Guangzhou, in HK... and wherever else you are!