Other adventures of the first week

I've had some interesting experiences this week besides starting classes and taking the Teleférico. First, I had some issues with transportation. I'm supposed to take a bus from my neighborhood to near the bus station, walk to about four blocks the bus station, and take another bus from the bus station to the university, and the reverse on the way back. The first day of classes, Meche drove me to the bus station, and the maid left me with vague instructions as to where to catch the bus that would take me back to my neighborhood. So, I got sufficiently lost on the way home and wound up taking a taxi. Thursday went off without a hitch. Friday, I got lost again. I caught the right bus, but it took a slightly different route, probably because it was closer to rush hour. It went under the intersection where I usually get off the bus, and I wasn't familiar enough with the other cross streets to recognize it until we got to the end of the line. So, I had to take another bus back to my neighborhood. Despite the many warnings I have gotten about how dangerous Quito can be, everyone I've asked for help when I was lost has been very friendly and accommodating. Luckily, I have only had problems with getting home from the university, so I haven't been late to classes or anything like that because of my troubles.

While on the note of transportation, driving here makes me a bit nervous. Regulations like lane markings and stop signs are merely suggestions. Also, pedestrians definitely do not have the right of way, even in crosswalks. It is quite the contrast to MSU, where pedestrians rule the road.

I've also been able to experience the nightlife in Quito. On Thursday, I went to a welcome party for international students in the Mariscal, an area with a lot of bars and clubs. It is sometimes called Gringolandia because there are a lot of foreigners. That day, the name seemed to fit but, when a bunch of MSU students and I went back on Friday, gringos only comprised maybe 15% of the people there. Meche says that it used to be a lot more touristy, but it has gotten better in the past few years.

It's also been a little hard for me to adjust to having a maid. Because she wasn't here the first weekend I was, I assumed she got weekends off, but apparently she was on vacation that week and actually comes every day. She cooks every meal, tidies my room and makes my bed every day, and does my laundry. She has also helped me get around Quito a bit.

This week I also met most of Meche and Gonzalo's family. I've met each of their three kids and five out of eight grandkids. One of their daughters Lorena lives very close to them, so she and her kids come over a lot. She has twin boys Nico and Sebas and a daughter Gabby. I think the boys are around four years old and Gabby is about nine. The boys come over a lot when Lore is at work. They're super cute and very energetic, and they seem to have gotten used to me. I've only met Gabby once, but she was really sweet and quite interested in my saxophone and pictures of back home.