feb 1 to 4

I have been slacking on this writing daily, thing. But here I am, Sunday afternoon, already did my homework and nothing really to do so I am going to attempt to catch up….


Thursday night we went out. We were supposed to go to some club that Katie’s host sister told us about but no one wanted to pay a cover so we didn’t do that. As a matter of fact, Katie didn’t even come out with us. But that’s okay. We all met at Brett’s and hung out there for a bit. Then we walked to the Mariscol from his house. We went to a place and had a bite to eat and then we all headed to the Karaoke bar. We were the only people in the place, just 7 college kids singing in Spanish. It was so much fun. We have videos of Kraig and Brett free style rapping, which is funnier than anything I have ever seen or heard before. We all picked songs and we all sang to every song, even the Spanish ones that no one had heard. It was only $6 for the whole night, though, which I am sure is much less than it should have cost if we had paid by the song. In case you were wondering, the program included: “I will always love you”, “killing me softly”, “underneath your clothes”, “all by myself” (which made me miss britt really bad), “crazy in love”, and many more…. I got home around 2:30, we closed the Karaoke bar, since it was just us there J

Friday, I got up early to meet Andrea and go to get our CENSO cards. We got there, got a number, and sat in a very DMV-like waiting room, watching the numbers pass by. Our number started with a “C”, all the numbers we saw passing were with a “P” or “S”. We had a lovely conversation with an American woman who happened to be seated behind us who is from Conneticut. She works in the casino there, a black jack dealer. Her grandkids are in Ecuador for 6 months visiting their father, who lives here. They know very good Spanish, and they speak sometimes both English and Spanish to her, which isn’t good because she doesn’t speak Spanish. She hates it here in Ecuador. They are leaving Monday for the states. Then a nice man came up to Andrea and I to inform us that we were in the wrong waiting area. So we had to go up these stairs to a different waiting area, CENSO only. We realized we had missed our numbers in that waiting area. So we found an open window and informed the man of our predicament. He informed us that he could not help us, we had to get a new number. So we did. And waited again. Finally our numbers came up. Andrea went first and got her CENSO. I went to the window and the man informed me that I did not have all the correct papers. I need a copy of Veronica’s ID card. I didn’t have it. So I have to go back this weekend and do it all over again. L we also have to wait in another line after we do that to get our “Salida” – which is what we have to have to be allowed to leave the country….weird.
Anyways, I said bye to Andrea and came home. I actually had lunch with Veronica, MaricaClara, and her friend. We all sat at the kitchen table and our empleada served us a very good lunch. Some kind of meat with coconut batter on it, potatoes, rice, salad. It was all very good. And we had some kind of garlic salsa thing which was scrumptious. But we didn’t really talk. They talked, I talked some, but mostly just them. I hate that its so awkward.
That night was Kraig’s host brothers birthday so we all went to his house and met up with his friends and then we all got in a cab and went to his favorite club. The cover was $8 but it was probably worth it. He had a good time. We just danced the whole night. I learned a few latin dance moves, haha, kind of. I tried. Most of the music was Ecuadorian music, but I enjoyed every bit of it. J


Saturday I woke up around 11am and Veronica came in to ask if I wanted to go to the pool with her. I didn’t have anything else to do so I put on my bathing suit, packed a little bag, and we left. We got there and I lathered up with SPF 50. we ate lunch at the pool. The place was the “Quito Tennis and Golf Club”. It was probably the nicest thing I have ever been a part of, like there were waiters that came and asked us what we wanted to eat and drink, while we were laying in our lawn chairs poolside. Crazy. I had some kind of soup thing with shrimp in it. Veronica picked it out for me, but it was VERY good. She had empanadas. Then after a while, she wanted to go to the lap pool and do some laps. I laid outside while she did this, listening to my iPod and enjoying the beautiful weather. When she was done we showered and paid her tab and came home. I am burnt. Mostly just on my left side of my body, the way the sun was shining on me. But it should be good by tomorrow, its already better today. Definitely not the worst I have been burnt. But my ear is burnt, and the tops of my hands, which is something that doesn’t usually happen.
I came home, napped (you know how you do during the summer when its beautiful outside and you go to the beach/pool and come back and don’t want to do anything at all), and made myself a pb&j sandwich later (which is what I make myself to eat when I get hungry here alone and have no clue what to do….and if we have sandwich bread).
Later last night we went to Jackie’s to watch a movie. I cant remember the name of it at the moment but it was about the “Monster of the Andes”. This is actually something that really happened a few years ago. There was the Colombian man who was going around Ecuador kidnapping, raping, and killing small children. He was put in jail. But here, there is no such thing as a life sentence, the longest is 16 years. I think he already is out of jail. No one knows where he is. Freaky. But the movie was really good – Hotel Rwanda-esque – and kind of scary, too. But I did enjoy it. The rest of the people there had to watch it for some class they have, I didn’t, but I still enjoyed it.
I ordered pizza while there. It definitely hit the spot. Sometimes I am here at the house and just really want to order a pizza or some Japanese and it sucks because I cant. I guess that’s the lazy American in me. Oh well. The pizza was good.


This morning, Veronica came in and woke me up around 10:30. she said she was going to run some errands and then to her mom’s for lunch. I was going to go with her to lunch at her mom’s house, but there was no way I was going to be able to get ready and showered and stuff in a decent amount of time, because she was already ready to go out the door. So instead I stayed in bed for a minute. I got up, she was walking out the door, and went to the kitchen. I had some juice she had made for me and a some bread with jam. I wish I could have a real breakfast every once in a while. Oh well…..I might ask her if we can get some cereal sometime….
I watched some Sex & the City, did my homework, and here I am. I haven’t showered. Not sure what I am going to do for the next couple of hours. I don’t know when anyone will be back here. I am almost positive I am here alone. The door to Maria Clara’s room is shut and hasn’t been opened that I am aware of so I don’t think she is here, either. Tonight I believe we are planning to find a bar or somewhere to go and watch the SuperBowl. Yet again, I am the only person involved who doesn’t really care, but that’s okay, I am used to it. I still watch it. I’m sure that tonight I am going to miss the boys, though, really bad. I think I will send them a postcard sometime.
I guess that’s about it for now. I might write again later if anything exciting happens.