Quick update.  I'm here in Quito, the flight was all well and good, arrived on time and Alex met me at the airport.  I'm realllyyyyy glad he did, too, because I was extremely tired and he made it really easy for me.  I am currently crashing on his couch until I find a place to live, and am really hoping I can find an apartment here in the next few days.  I would much rather move straight into one than have to move all my things (which are obnoxiously heavy and not going to be fun dragging around the streets of Quito).  But for now, Alex is very generous and I have it pretty nice here until I find what I'm looking for.

We went around the city today, ran a few errands for myself and Alex.  It's too early for me to give any real observations about my new home, so I'm going to wait until I am actually "living" here before I regale those things to you.  For now, lets just say its great....its very busy, cars zooming around with no worries about the crowds of people walking, lots of random smells wafting out of the various little shops crammed along the streets.  I saw my school and the supermercado and the nearby mall; basically got a feel for the immediate area of La Mariscal where I will be working and hopefully living.

The best part of today was the fruit market that Alex took me too.  Essentially, the place was my kind of heaven......mounds and mounds and mounds of various and beautiful, exotic fruits and veggies.  This is after you walk through the front which is packed with small stalls and counters where you can get almuerzos, such as sopas and entire fried pigs (quite the range of options I'd say).  After meandering through and trying Alex's favorite fruit (which he describes as natural fruit jello, and is quite delicioso), we came upon a spice and herb room off to the side.  MOST AMAZING SMELLS.  Piles and piles of fresh herbs and plants and flowers, and I barely had time to try and distinguish the wave of luscious scents exuding from them except for a few strong wiffs of sage and garlic and perhaps lilac??  Anyways, I didn't want to drag Alex along while I ohhhed and ahhhed in there, but in short, I cannot WAIT to return.

So tonight is the last night of the cycle for the teachers at CEC, so they are very much wanting to celebrate.  I'm going to head out with them and get my first taste of Quito nightlife and its vibrant Mariscal, meet the other teachers and help them let loose after the term.  I've also heard an invite or two to head out to the beach with them next week, and if all goes well, I'm going to take them up on that and get out and see this country!  Why not take a vacation before the work even starts, right?

Well, its raining in the city right now and I'm feeling pretty chilly, so I think I'll up on the couch and watch some pirated movies...starting with Invictus and Inglorious Bastards.  I'm locked in while Alex is still at work with his keys, but I'm happy to lay down and get some rest!  Altitude sickness hasn't seemed to hit me yet, although everyone has been checking in on me about it, but I am insanely dehydrated and tired.

Adiós mis amores y farewell!  Hablamos pronto!  Oh and add me on skype so I can see some of your fabulous faces (skype ID: xxxxx)

the GALLON of water we picked up today to keep me from feeling the elevation

Peace pals!

Departure

Hey all!  Welp tomorrow is the big day, heading out..............finally.  The original date I was set to fly out of Phoenix was October 1st, but due to political unrest and police strikes in Quito and throughout the rest of the country, I had to postpone my arrival.  The strikes immediately headed to the main airport, Mariscal Sucre, which was where I was set to arrive the next day (here's more info on the situation and issues that happened during this attempted coup attempt as President Correa called it http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11447519 ).  Anyways, I rescheduled my flight and leave tomorrow, October 5th, at 8am, make a three hour layover in Miami, then fly straight down to Quito to arrive by 9pm their time (they are only two hours ahead of Arizona).

My original plan, when I was still arriving on the 1st, was to stay with a family I had found on craigslist (of all places) for one week at the very least.  I had been corresponding with them a lot over the past month and the 17 year old son was going to pick me up at the airport.  Unfortunately I didnt hear back from them for a couple of days after I changed my arrival, so I had to scramble for other plans.  Luckily, as it turns out I have a friend who went to both my high school and UofA, and who is down there finishing up his first cycle of teaching at the same University that I will be teaching at.  We've talked a bit after I found his teacher bio on our school's website, and he is going to meet me at the airport tomorrow night and help me get my first night in the city figured out.

Overall, I'm feeling very blessed and lucky, from the little things about my situation such as the friend I have down there and the fact that I missed the strikes by just one day, to the overall chance to live in this amazing new place and culture that is Ecuador.  I'll have to figure out many, many things when I arrive such as a phone plan and a place to live, but I am so ready to be busy and learning again.  I will let everyone know how things are when I get there, and be sure to post pictures as soon as I can.

here's some links for info on my future city as well as where I'll be teaching.

http://www.cec-epn.edu.ec/idiomas/linguistica/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ecuador/quito

Love everyone I am leaving behind here in Arizona and the States, and I shall see you all in a year or more!  Adios mis amigos y familia, te quiero mucho!!!

bye AZ ill miss you!