So Much Fruit!

Hola!

This week was a hectic one! At Bellarmine, when I sign up for a class, I usually stay in it. Here, not so much. I went to quite a few classes this week that I didn't like, and some that I did. I've got my schedule finalized and it looks like I'll be taking: Taller de Joyeria, Literatura Americana, Andinismo, Espanol, Geologia, y my BU online class!

Taller de Joyeria means Jewelry making. In the class we will be making our own earrings, rings, necklaces, and bracelets from silver! Although I think it is going to be difficult, I'm up for the challenge! Who knew that I'd have to opportunity to learn such a neat skill.

Literatura Americana is my American Lit class at USFQ. I am the only student from the United States and I think that is going to make the class very interesting. I've already been asked questions such as, "Why did the Civil War really start in America?" and "What did Martin Luther King Jr. really mean when he said that? How did it affect the leaders in your government?" Although I have opinions on many things, I can't speak for all of America when I say something in class! I think I'm going to need to make that point clear next week. Other than that, this is probably going to be my favorite class! It's a little different than English classes I've had before - the profe talks a lot more and then allows us to say what we thought of the works, instead of the other way around? I never realized how much I appreciated the opportunity to say exactly what I thought!

Andinismo translates as "climbing" and we will be doing exactly that! We have a class during the week to teach us the theories of mountain climbing and then we put the theories to practice! There are 12 trips planned for the semester and each student must go on at least 3 of the 12. For each trip you leave Saturday morning, climb a bit and set up camp on the mountain/volcano on Saturday afternoon, climb up and back down Sunday morning, and then come home! It will be a great way to spend a few weekends in Ecuador!

My Espanol class is very, very helpful. I have class Monday-Thursday and it's a lot of conversation practice, along with review of correct conjugation and learning new words! I'm excited to have this class all semester!

Geologia is the last class I am taking at USFQ! I've already taken a geology class at BU but this class focuses more on the geology of the Galapagos Islands, the Andes, and the volcanoes in the area surrounding Quito. I think it will be great to know more about the geology of the area I'm living in until December. This class starts on September 1, and I have high hopes for it.

Those are my classes for the semester! I've made a list of a few other interesting things I have noticed this week while in Ecuador:

1.) They don't have lined paper here. All of the notebooks are graph paper. That will be interesting.

2.) Cooking is a big deal here. Betty and Gina spend a lot of time preparing our all of our meals and drinks. No boxed or frozen dinners, ever. And lots of smoothies because they have to boil all of the water used.

3.) This is a society of patience. For those of you who know me, I don't have much of that. It doesn't matter if you have to be somewhere in 20 minutes - you're going to sit down for lunch and enjoy the meal with your family. I think this will be a good experience for me to learn from.

4.) You can buy 25 roses for $1.00! That will amaze me the entire time I am here.

5.) They rarely say "adios" and instead, always say "chau."

6.) Bellarmine needs more trees in the Quad. USFQ has their own version of the Quad but it's filled with trees, flowers, and even a pond (with a cute little turtle)! Great place to relax outside between classes!

7.) Personal space does not exist and that makes bus rides not so fun sometimes.

8.) Security is a major deal in the city. There are police officers and personal security guards on almost every block, very large guns included. At first I was kind of afraid of seeing all those weapons on the street, but I'm learning to find comfort in that. And I like our building guard. I think I'm his own little gringo (:

I've also started writing down something I'm thankful for every night, just to put everything back in perspective. This week my favorite was, "There were no clouds on the way to school and I could see the snow-covered peak of a volcano."

Life is going pretty well for me - hope yours is too!

love always,

Kelley

PS -
I've signed up to go to Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Amazon basin September 30 through October 3! Awesome!