Thursday, December 30, 2010

El gran viejo al Ecuador

Predeparture!

Hey everyone! It´s Thursday... Five days and counting until the big adventure begins!
I fly out bright and early Tuesday morning (7 oclock  in the morning to be exact) from an airport in Greensboro and after one short stop in Atlanta, I should arrive in Quito Ecuador by 7 p.m! One big leap across continents in just 12 hours!
I cant believe how close everything is. I have a LOT of packing to do... but I must admit Im procrastinating a little.
My first week in Ecuador Ill spend bouncing around Quito and a few rural towns before eventually ending up at my final destination in Guayaquil where I will meet my host mom for the first time! Its customary to bring a small gift from your region so Im planning on packing some Virginia peanuts and a framed picture of the Roanoke Valley taken from the star! I cant wait to meet her. She is a single women with no kids in her thirties. Im not sure how much English she speaks, I think we will primarily be communicating in English.
Im throwing in my itinerary for the first week in case anyone is interested and a few photos of Guayaquil! Ill try to update when I can!
The tour consists of:
January 4: Arrival in Quito (all students will be met at the airport and taken to hotel); Orientation Pt 1
January 5: Orientation Pt 2; Quito City Tour, Fundacion Guayasamin
January 6: Travel to Otavalo, visit Otavalo Crafts Market, Mitad del Mundo; Orientation Pt 3
January 7: Visit villages of Peguche (folk music) and Iluman (demonstration of shamanism), Cuicocha Crater Lake; Orientation Pts 4 & 5
January 8: Travel to Salasaca (visit indigenous weavers), and on to Riobamba
January 9: Hike in Chimborazo National Park, travel from Riobamba to Guayaquil, meet families
January 10: Guayaquil City Tour, start classes