up, down, and around town

"You haven't lived until you've sat on the pot with a bucket in front of you, spewing from both ends"
Thus went our orientation day at USFQ, covering all subjects from guaranteed cases of food sickness to near-guaranteed incidents of petty crime during our stay here, from a history of Ecuadorian culture to the history of the civilian revolts against the party-boy Presidents during the country's more recent years.
Yesterday, we learned to be terrified.  We learned that Ecuador (similar to Los Angeles) has increased its crime ceiling from $200 to $650, so when your blackberry/camera/wallet/jewelry gets stolen, the police don't need to report the incident as a crime provided the lost goods do not exceed $650. So, yay for reduced crime rates! 
We learned about express kidnapping, smash'n'grabs, a magical rufie-type drug that can bring men to aid thieves in robbing them, and other fun methods of robbery that prey on inattentive rich folk.
Not to worry, mama, these are indeed horror stories, and the chances of any of the above actually happening are very rare.  I shall elaborate on their meanings once I return unharmed to the US.  The common pickpocketer is the main threat, and only if your things are out for the snatching!

On a happier note, I am looking forward to visiting the flightless ducks that can dive 80 m down in the Galapagos, or the healer that uses a guinea pig to diagnose and/or cure your diseases, as mentioned during orientation.  The campus itself is beautiful, more on that when real school starts (if ever).

It's been raining daily.  It always starts out sunny, with innocent puffs of fluffy cumulus, then the asshole dark clouds sneak in and tear the sky open. The power went out again last night, and Meche gave me an impromptu flamenco lesson in the candlelight, sin musica.  How romantic.  The host parents joke that the exchange students have brought this crazy weather with them.  We even had the strongest hail storm I've seen coat the city in white the other day.

This morning a few of us went up el telefériQo to Cruz Loma, a literally breathtaking viewpoint up Volcán Pichincha.  The cable cars dropped us off at 4100m (yes, METERS (a skydiving drop starts even lower than this)) and from there we continued to walk up the trails overlooking sprawling Quito, with what looked like ant-planes dropping toward the airport below, and clouds lingering at eye-level.  Needless to say, we were huffing and puffing along the way. 

 After this we ventured down to the famous historic center of Quito, where the Spanish influences are just as prominent as street vendors relying on the sale of film protectors and dog slippers (-.-)

Euro meets the jungle.  Instead of gargoyles, la Basílica is protected by anteaters, sea turtles, lizards, and crocodiles.

A view of the virgin Mary, who spreads her holy wings at what's said to be one of the best viewpoints in the city.

Taken moments before the downpour that brought vendors and grandparents and millions of niños to a frantic search of cover.  For all the rain this city gets, it's incredible how many ecuatorianos are still caught off-guard and unprepared.  In my escape, I caught my first bus--a ride stretching miles upon miles, for $.25.  Every bus ride costs a quarter (yes, they use US dollars here), and they can literally take you from one end of Quito to another.  Strange, then, how the majority of passengers on the bus still gave change to the one poor man on crutches shaking a can in people's faces, and how clothes are so much pricier here than they are in the States, and how my host mother still yearns for a $25k Honda or Nissan in lieu of her $20k Pathfinder.  Maybe money will start to make more sense as time goes on.