Rancho Alegre

So, orientation has been intense... But in a good way I think. The past few days have seemed incredibly long but also full of learning and adventures. The mornings and early afternoons are generally rules and common sense things (health, safety, how to live with a host family, etc.), interspersed with enormous meals and snacks every few hours. We're then free to explore the town for the afternoon, which mostly consists of finding internet cafes, visiting the equator, playing with local children, and ogling delicious looking pastries in the panaderías. After another enormous meal for dinner, we have another activity (ridiculous Ecuadorian movie, traditional music group, salsa lessons) before drinking rum mixed with strange sodas and juices and going to bed. Basically, it's been exhausting but great.

Today we also had our Spanish placement test, which was interesting. I think I'm probably around mid-range in skill for our group, which is just fine with me. The oral test was really interesting, actually... It was kind of frightening, and they start simply but really try to push you to more complex topics. Him asking who I lived with and what my mom did somehow turned into a deep discussion about the causes of crime in the US, the many failures of the prison system, and the potential for rehabilitation. Not exactly what I anticipated talking about, but hopefully it was ok. I'll find out Monday when we start our super intense Spanish classes (and some of the other classes... this program actually has a lot more academic requirements than I thought, but they're based in a different kind of learning and research than we're all used to...). We spend 5 hours Monday-Friday in Spanish class, and then every-other afternoon is a cultural lecture. It's intimidating, but it's exactly what I need to improve...

Tomorrow is going to be a crazy adventure with our "drop-off". We're broken into groups of three and sent to find our way from San Antonio to another small town for lunch (and observation and an object as proof of our being there) and back to our hotel in Quito with only a map of the main area of Quito and $5. It's somewhat intimidating, but it should be fun once we finally figure out what we're doing.

Friday we go to our host families, and I'm both excited and kind of scared. We got the letters and photos of our families today, and mine seems incredibly nice. It's an older husband and wife and their three children (ages 22-31) and a cousin who may or may not live with them... It's so very different from my tiny little family at home, but it'll be a nice change to see what a big family is like.

I seriously don't think I could have chosen a better program or place to spend this semester. Wow. I don't think I've ever gotten along so well with so many people (well, 23 people) so instantaneously. Both the directors and the students on this program are some of the most intelligent, funny, and genuinely interesting people I've encountered in a while. I know this is kind of the honeymoon period, but if the rest of the semester continues this way, it's going to be amazing.