closing in on one full week...

It's been a hectic couple of days! The last time I wrote was friday, so I guess I'll start from there. Friday night was Diego's friend Mauricio's going away party. Mauricio is also doing "intercambio", exchange, and he's moving to Pennsylvania. Diego told his sister he thinks Mauricio might turn into a vampire, to which she replied, "No, that's Trannsylvania."

All of their friends are very nice. I'm still timid to start conversations, which is so unlike how I've been most of my life, because now I'm afraid I'll open up a can of worms and not understand a single word spoken to me. But everyone speaks slowly, asks basic questions, and tosses in what they know of English. I come home around 1:30 and crash, because even though most people stay out much later here, I'm wiped by then.

Saturday, we go to Salinas, which they call "Little Miami", and it is, more or less. The skies are cloudy and the water is cold but nevertheless, Estefania and I go for a walk down the shore, and on our way home, we take a different route and check out some of the local vendors.

Sunday morning, we get up and have breakfast and do some sightseeing. Marco, my host father, tells me we're going to La Chocolatera, which I'm thrilled about, because who doesn't love chocolate? But when we get there, it's not Willy Wonka's; It's the westernmost point of South America. The ground is rocky and the water crashes against the walls in big gusts and splashes. It's absolutely beautiful. We drive up on a hill and get out and you can see for what feels like miles.

From there, we go to a naval antique shop and I get some history lessons. There's also a chest that says "Liberty New York" on the side! I point it out and everyone nods. I guess it takes a true New Yorker to appreciate it.

We head home after that, and Sunday Night we go to church. I catch bits and pieces but it's nice to go through familiar motions.

Monday is spent at home, and that evening Marco, Diego, and I run some errands. We take his blazer to the seamstress and he gets a haircut, and then we visit the Malecon, the Guayaquil government attempt to beautify a bad neighborhood. And it does! The Malecon is mroe or less a boardwalk along the river, but it's about 2 or 3 kilometers long, all laid with bricks. There's a fountain, a performing center, discotecas, shops, and at night the whole thing is lit up. It's really beautiful.

Tuesday we visit Julio, my Ecuador Bob Mohr, and bring him my emergency fund, passport, and visa. Later on, Diego and I go to the Rotary meeting, where a boy from Germany gives his presentation. Everyone is friendly, of course, and very patient. We hve patacones with dinner, which have quickly become one of my favorite foods. They're made with verde, meaning green, which are in the same family as bananas, but they're much harder and their peel is hard and green, like the difference between a peach and an apple. You cut the peel off the verde, cut the inside into horizontal slices, fry it, flatten it, and top it with salt. They're a lot like french fries, or tater tots.

That brings us up to today, Wednesday. Tomorrow is thursday, and it will offically be one weeks ince my arrival. Ciao!