Teleferico and pics

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa more pictures! thanks everyone for being patient. The first picture is me in my uniform that I wear on mondays. The second is in the Teleferico. I think I forgot to write about it but I went up there with my dad and my sister on my last day of summer. It is a gondola which takes you up to the top of Cruz Loma which is 4100 meters above sea level. it is really cool. From there it is a three hour hike to the top of Ruco Pichincha, I hope to do this in the coming months. The view of the city from the top is spectacular. Quito is in a Valley sorrounded by mountains. The valley is huge. There are mountains in the valley and other valleys. For example when people ask me where I live I respond: The Valley. I live in the south of quito and the elevation is less so I guess that it signifies the valley. I would guess that the valley is probably about double the size of the Rogue valley. But then again I'm not really sure of what parts are considered to be in the valley here, because it stretches out in the South.

Feliz Cumpleaños Nani

Happy Birthday Nani!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

I've lucked out again! I don't have school tomorrow or Saturday. So my family and I are going to Baños and Riobamba. I'm going to get to see the tallest mountain in Ecuador! It should be really awesome.
I have been deathly busy. One thing that has really changed is my ability to sleep. For the first time in years I can take naps! It used to be impossible, but now it is a breeze. Roday I slept for two and a half hours ¡Que Rico! Essentially the point is is that I am tired all of the time... so that is just whats up on this end!
If you go to AHS and you read this, be thankful to be in a small town where it is like 10 or 20 minutes to school and you get up at 7:00. When I come back every day is going to be like a weekend!

Seasons

Ok... first off I'm not in spring. I am only about 30 km south of the Equator... thus the seasons aren't opposite. Actually I am in winter, it has just begun for me. Winter continues until about march or April. The only real difference is that it now rains every day... not every other day. Just wanted to throw this out there. Also if you were wondering about the temperature it is like in the sixties every day. I am about 9,000 ft in the mountains.

First Pic

Ya! I managed to get a picture up! finally! So this is a picture of when my family visited the farm of my dads parents. My mom is second from the left and my dad is far right and at the top, wearing a blue shirt. My sister is right in the middle sitting down. I'll get to writing about it but I really need to get there first... more writing weee!

Cultural Awareness

Ok So I really don't have time to be doing this but I really want to be writing in my blog, the thing is is that life in the city is just not the same as little Ashland. I'm always on the move... and right now I have about 60 problems to do in math... I have a test on Wendesday and if all goes well I'll fail... not too horribly.
I have fond that one of the things I have learned is cultural conciousness. Everything is different, and thus when I walk down the street or talk to people, I'm always on the alert and watching other people. Culturally Ecuador is very different there are many things that I learned through trial and error from the start. One thing is the realationship between women and men. Men always give way to the women, one example of this is the busses. The bus drivers will stop for the women but only slow for the men. Also, at a bus stop all the women will board and the men will get on second. But with the last woman on board the bus will start moving. It is all really fun, jumping on a bus while it is moving... So anyways the thing is is that there is a type of sensitivity needed to pass smoothly and quietly through another society. I can't say that it is perfect, but for sure I am picking it up. With this new knowledge based on the expirience, I really will feel more comfortable when I travel in the future. This is the first step towards a global consciousness, a sensitivity of the the people, culture and environment that we are in. Because an American doing amirican things really wouldn't fit in at all.

Capoiera

So as you may know I used to practice Aikido all the time in Ashland. Right now I have found a new art. It has become my new practice or obsesion. It is my way to express myself in movement and also what I have been thinking of when I'm horribly bored in my classes. Essentially I've really taken this new martial art, capioera, to a whole new level for me. I guess that when I get into something I really get into it. For example, today was one month of classes, tommorrow I have a seminar with some big head honchos from Brazil, tommorrow and the next day I'll be practicing Capoiera after school. Then on saturday all the capioera people in Quito have a show, and I'm in it. I'll be doing some cartweels, high kicks and an arial type thingy. I really hope I don't mess up. There will be tons of people watching I believe... about half the time I land on my head... so... we will see. I spent $80 bucks for this thing in Capoiera. I will be recieving my uniform from my teacher here, my rope( which is the same as a belt in other martial arts), a shirt from the event and two days of lessons. $80 bucks is more than I've spent in Ecuador in a month but whatever, if I'm going to do something, I'm really gonna do it. I also have two blisters on my feet from practicing on hard wood floors. But my dad and I prepared a first aid kit before I left, and I have moleskin! I'll let everyone know how this thing goes for me, it should be really fun!

¿¿Crazy Days??

So these last two days have been a little out of the norm, first off, yesterday I had a math quiz which absolutely sucked. But I started swimming with Adam, who is a really good swimmer, I swam a Kilometer and it almost killed me. Hopefully with the altitude and swimming, when I return I'll be able to hold my breath for a couple of hours. It is absolutely exhausting but well worth it, since I need to stay in shape.
Today was what was really crazy, first I got my math test back which was a wopping 50%! ya way to go me! I am kinda bummed but the next one I'll do better. Then I had a biology test which was a complete let down... one word really does change the meaning of a question... I'll know how I did tommorrow. During class I realized that I was wearing my sisters pants... Oh, thats why they were small... duh. Today we wear a sweatsuit so it wasn't completely fatal. Getting up at 5:30 really takes its toll on the brains abilities to function... During the exam I fell off my stool, it is a lab so there are metal stools, I was skooting forward... the stool went forward, and I went backwards... My poor teacher. Anyways biology literally almost killed me. I really don't want to end up like the stuffed monkeys all over the lab... Alex Landt, a good student... but better specimen.. Than during break when I was playing soccer I lost my cellphone. I looked all over for it and never found it. I asked a friend to call my number and it was turned off. Then we went to the office and there was my cell! Essentially that was everything that was crazy, I also swam another kilometer and am off to Capioera right now! Chao