Adjusting

I didn't take any pictures today, nor did anything really exciting or out of the ordinary happen, so I'm not even sure if I should blog, but here I am, forging ahead.

It's been interesting as the "honeymoon stage" of this trip is wearing thin. Now don't get me wrong, I still love it here, but like anywhere you go where you have to settle into a semi-permanent routine, that transition is a little tricky. My attitude has changed a little from finding everything exciting and interesting to getting a little claustrophobic and antsy with even only one week of classes under my belt. The thing about this program is that while I live with an Ecuadorian family who speak only Spanish and am learning to navigate a new, foreign city, I still have Spanish class 4 days a week from 9-3 with the same 6 other students, all from Western Washington. Spending so much time with so few people who are so similar to me is already starting to make me a little crazy. And, I mean, our group gets along pretty well and we have fun together and work as a team really well, but still... I sometimes feel like I never left home during those hours spent in a classroom with fellow Americans/ Washingtonians. So, I'm trying to figure out a way to not go crazy and make sure that I'm really taking advantage of my experience abroad. Spending time with my family here is definitely one of the best things that I've discovered so far, and I really want to make some other friends here, who speak Spanish and who have a little more of a varied set of life experiences than I do. I'm also trying to figure out if I can stand spending the next 5 months in a classroom and what an alternative to that might be... but anyways, enough about that.

Yesterday, we had the first of 7 hour-long salsa classes that are incorporated into our program this quarter. Pretty cool, huh? Not only was it a really good time, but it was also a good workout, as well as a group bonding activity as we all made complete fools out of ourselves together. But it was also impressive how much we improved after only one hour of introductory class.

Today, after school, I came home, sat on my roof in the sun and read. It was really beautiful and peaceful and a good way to recenter myself after going a little stir-crazy during the school day. Then I decided to go off and explore by myself a little, because that's something that I have yet to do here. So I wrote a note for my family and hopped on a bus. It was kind of a mixed experience. In one sense, it was nice to be out and about by myself for the first time since being here, because that's something that I like to do back home. On the other hand, it was a lot more stressful than I had anticipated. It's a completely different experience altogether to be the only white girl who speaks hardly any Spanish on a bus of rowdy Ecuadorians. On top of that, it was starting to get dark and I could just hear the voices of my family and all the people at school telling me how bad of an idea it was to go off by myself, especially after dark. So I basically just rode a bus downtown and then back home. It's frustrating to not be able to feel as independent and confident as I usually do when I'm off by myself, and it's really frustrating not to feel safe exploring the city where I live. I definitely realized how much I take fore granted that feeling of confidence and security that I have at home. I know that I will start to become more comfortable in this city as I do more exploring and get better at Spanish, but right now it's hard to ignore all the intense warnings and horror stories that are ingrained into our consciousness by those who are responsible for our well being. Not that I want to completely ignore them, but I also know that I need to have my own experiences and figure stuff out for myself, because that's how I learn. Basically, I feel like I'm in elementary school again.

But! A few of us are going to the beach this weekend! We're heading out to a place about 10 hrs away by bus called Puerto Lopez and we'll get to go to the Isla del Plata, which is what our guide books call "the poor man's Galapagos". A weekend away from the smoggy city will be so nice and is much needed. Hopefully I'll be able to bring my camera and get some good shots.

In the meantime, I finally updated my flickr with more photos, so check that out if you so desire. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtsenecal/

Love you all, and thanks for reading another probably-too-long blog entry.

BESOZZZZZ!!

PS I hope this didn't come off as too negative, that wasn't my intention at all. I know it's definitely a stark contrast to my other colorful and bubbly posts, but it's all a part of this experience that is unfolding more and more everyday. Very exciting.