As of Saturday afternoon, I am in Cuenca with my host family. They are wonderful. I have host parents and two host sisters, who are about my age. People from Cuenca think that Cuenca is small. The people in my group who have lived in large cities think that Cuenca is small. I, however, am not from Cuenca nor have I lived in a large city. I think Cuenca is huge.
One of the biggest challenges is the language. I don't understand 50% of what is said to me. I know how to say all of the things that I have to say, but not anywhere close to all of the things that I want to say. Everyone is very understanding, though. Plus, I'm learning, which is the point of being here.
Today I had my first class (only syllabus day, so it wasn't actually class). Then Meghan (an intern at CEDEI, the name of the organization I am studying with in Ecuador) took us on a tour of the city. She pointed out which restaurants are good, which ATMs to use and not use, and city landmarks. As a side note, Meghan was a Religion major who graduated from Dickinson in 2011.
After the tour, I went back to my host home and had lunch. My family is very considerate of my vegetarianism. Lunch consisted of a vegetable medley, potatoes, rice, and mote pillo.
After helping with dishes, I started in on my copious amounts of homework. My host mother and sister made a delicious chocolate cake, while I worked. I learned a lot of new words watching and helping them. It was fun. It helped me that the recipe was in English.
Actual class starts tomorrow, so I need sleep. Buenos noches.
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