Today I began my classes at USFQ! Overall I would say that it was a pretty good day! Here was my morning schedule:
5:45: Woke up (Classes didn't start until 10. Ordinarily my route should only take me about an hour but I was terrified of getting lost and missing all my classes) 6:35: Left the apartment 6:35-6:50: Lost 7:00: Found my first bus stop and got on. Told the man collecting money that I needed to find a bus that would take me to Cumbayá, and he told me where to get off. First bus ride lasted approximately 5 minutes. 7:00-7:15: Lost again. I had to ask for directions twice because the first man I asked pointed me in the wrong direction. 7:20: Got on bus to Cumbayá 7:45-The bus stopped, and I thought maybe we had arrived. I asked where we were, the man standing next to me didn't know. I asked someone else, he said that we were in Cumbayá next to la universidad. 7:45-7:55: Walked from bus stop to campus entrance. All the students have to show their ID at the gate but since the extranjeros don't have their ID cards yet I was allowed in. 8:00-9:45: Journaled/explored/got lost several times until my first class began at 10:00. I felt like I was in a movie about a really preppy high school. Cliques of students were lingering everywhere. They had taken over all the staircases and pretty much all other available space as well, making it a bit difficult to walk around them. My first class was Gramática Avanzada (Advanced Grammar). It was a little overwhelming but nothing really scary that I've never been exposed to before. And the other students all seem friendly. After that I had Lengua y Civilización (Language and Civilization). As its name implies, this class is focused on history and conversation. I was relieved to see Macie walk in, I am glad that I have a friend in that class! For lunch Macie and I met up with Clementine and Tyler. We ran into some Ecuadorian students who invited us to have lunch with them in the mall! They said they'd like to have lunch with us again on Wednesday, too. After lunch, Tyler and I explored and figured out the wifi and went to the Xerox shop while we waited for Clementine and Macie to finish up with their class. Afterwards on the way to the bus stop, we saw a group of students balancing on a tightrope. Clementine and I asked if we could try too! Neither of us lasted very long haha. We all rode the green bus back to Río Coca together and from there we had to part ways. I got on the right bus, but I accidentally got off too soon. I was very lost, and I asked multiple people for directions. The first couple of people I asked weren't too helpful. One lady was helpful, but she said I was very far away. I followed her directions, but when I saw a cab I took the opportunity and flagged it down. Hopefully getting home will be easier tomorrow!
4 Comments
8/24/2016 03:38:30 pm
Robin gave me your blog. Love the pictures and your adventures are really interesting. I plan on following along. Continue to have a great semester.
Reply
Olivia Heffron
8/24/2016 06:59:29 pm
Thanks, Gail! My host mom loved the bag, by the way :)
Reply
Mrs. Rassi
8/25/2016 06:34:14 pm
I loved reading your blog! I got lost so many times! It's overwhelming, but you will figure it out quickly. I wish I could explore with you for a day!
Reply
Olivia Heffron
8/25/2016 07:22:03 pm
Thank you, Mrs. Rassi :) On the bright side, always being lost means that I get a lot of practice asking for directions in Spanish! I've been on a three day streak of not getting lost so let's hope it lasts. Quito is so beautiful and charming, I wish you were here to explore with me, too!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Hola, soy olivia.After living in the Midwest my whole life, I packed my bags and moved south to Guadalajara, Mexico where I'm working as an English teacher and studying Spanish. Keep posted to hear about all my adventures!
Archives
August 2018
Categories |