Did I mention Ecuas are loud?

This week is starting to look up a bunch. Yesterday was a huge soccer match between Ecuador and Argentina. A bunch of vols and I (and some locals) went to an Indian restaurant to watch the game. It was so much fun! The locals were going crazy and everyone was screaming at the TV. We were also in the middle of the Mariscal and the whole square was insane. No matter where you went you couldn’t hear yourself think! At half time a bunch of us went to a club called Bungalow. Wednesday is ladies night in Quito and this place had no cover and free drinks from 8-10. It’s actually a hilarious idea. They only let girls in from 8-10, give them free drinks (liquor only, no beer), and then charge guys a ton of money to file in at 10. I met some guy who said he went to Columbia University and now half owns a company in London that works with oil refineries. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t telling the whole truth about his job… but hey, I got a free drink out of it. Then we went to another club where they only serve shots. I’ve never been good with those but I was convinced to take an “Ecuador shot.” It’s basically blue Curacao, grenadine, vodka, and banana liquor layered on top of each other to look like the Ecuadorian flag. Then came more salsa dancing and then bed.

Today we went to an awesome Gauyasamin (sp?) museum. It was up on this hill that looked out over the whole city. Amazing! Inside we had a tour in Spanish that talked about his paintings. This artist is really incredible and if you haven’t heard of him you should definitely look him up. The museum was completely dedicated to him and everything he stood for. His big influences were Picasso and Dali, but he focused more on social issues in South America. If you ever come to Quito, I highly recommend seeing this museum. You can also go to his house, which is right above the museum, and see where he is buried.

After that I had my Spanish class and then I learned some basic grammar rules and how to teach them. Teaching English is going to be tough! I am also going to find out more about Ibarra and my placement there tomorrow. I’m so excited to hear more about it!

Then I came home and the whole fam was there and we had a nice dinner together. I actually understood most of the conversation but I still couldn’t contribute much to it. My brain just doesn’t form sentences that fast yet.

Oh! And this weekend I’m headed to Mindo (the cloud forest)!

More Ecua-isms:

• · They put popcorn in their soup. Sounds sketchy but it is so good!
• · Don’t drink strawberry juice or eat strawberries here. They can’t be washed well enough and so there is a fungus you can get that has a reaction a bit like tripping on shrooms. Some poor guys in our group had a very interesting afternoon the other day…
• · It never rains in Quito. I have been here a week and a half and it rained for about 30 seconds one day. I had no idea it was so dry!
• · The supermarkets here are called Supermaxi and Megamaxi. Basically walmart but with a much cooler name. I’m headed to Megamaxi tomorrow because it has a Payless attached to it. Yes, a Payless J
• · Songs that didn’t make it big in America are huge here. I can’t think of any examples right now, but it’s hilarious listening to music in a club or on the bus.