Getting Lost and Starting Classes

This was the first week of Spanish and Medical Physiology classes, and both are going really well so far! We have Spanish from 8am-11am Monday-Thursday and Physiology from 2pm-4pm Monday/Wednesday/Friday. It's so great to have Spanish class while I'm learning Spanish in my house and everywhere I go throughout the day. I'm learning tons of vocab and phrases, and reviewing all of the grammar I've learned in the past. I think my listening skills are getting a little better, but I guess I'll find out for sure at the next family get-together. Medical Physiology has been a review over basic biology this week, and we'll start new material next week. It's so interesting and I'm really excited to get into the new stuff. We'll be starting our Latin Dancing class soon too, which is every Friday morning from 8-10. Everyone is excited for that class to start. I've also started using the public buses more this week, and I only got lost once. I have to walk for about 10 minutes to our house after I get off the bus, but I couldn't remember which road to walk on. After calling my host mom about 3 times, I finally found the road. There's also an intersection where I have to turn right to get to the house, but instead of turning right, I ended up going straight because I wasn't sure which road to turn on. It took me about 20 minutes to get home rather than 10 minutes, and I think my host mom said that I walked about 2 miles out of my way. Needless to say, I remember where to go now! :)

Mi Familia y Mucho Espanol (My Family and Lots of Spanish)

My first weekend in Cuenca has been great! On Saturday I learned how to use the buses, which will be the main way that I travel this semester. After figuring out which buses to take with Maria, we all went to my host grandma's house, where I met Maria's family. They were very nice and I had a great time with them. I realized that I have a long way to go with my Spanish after trying to listen to their conversations. I could pick up on some words and the topic of the conversation, but comprehending everything that was being said was really tough. We had a small supper with Morris' family later, which was fun too. They were all very welcoming and super nice. I still had trouble with listening and understanding what they were saying. It was kind of frustrating because I want to understand and be able to talk with everyone, but I know it will get better with time. Like my Dad says, I have to be patient and remember that I've only been here for 6 days. On Sunday, we went to a school program for Carolina and then to church at Verbo. I LOVED the church service. The worship was awesome, and we even sang "Revelation Song" and "Heart of Worship" in Spanish, which we sing at home too. It was really cool to sing in Spanish, and I was actually able to understand! The sermon was harder to understand, but I did get the main points. After church we came home and spent the afternoon watching a movie and relaxing. My family is so patient with me and they answer all my questions about how to say things. I'm so excited to start my Spanish class and work on listening and speaking more. My Spanish and Physiology classes start tomorrow, so hopefully they both go really well! :)

Hola from Ecuador!

We have finally arrived in Cuenca! We had a 45-minute flight this morning from Quito, where we spent our first two days in Ecuador. As part of our cultural class, we toured several places in the region and within Quito. We visited the equator, toured downtown, and even witnessed a protest at the presidential palace (don't worry, it was very small and very peaceful). I enjoyed Quito, but I was very happy to get to Cuenca today. I like the smaller size (it's about one-fourth of the size of Quito) and the prettier buildings. It's more spread out and less hectic too. There are mountains surrounding the city, which creates some awesome views. My family lives a little bit outside the city, which I love. The view from my bedroom is a beautiful mountain, and the open space feels more like home. There are even some cows in the field across the street. :) My host family is wonderful as well. My host mom is Maria, the director of the Taylor programs in Ecuador. My host dad's name is Morris and I have a younger sister, Carolina, who is 15. My brother is Sebas Abad, who is at Taylor University right now. He lives in Gerig Hall with me and is also a sophomore Biology/Pre-medicine major. It's so cool that I get to live with his family! This weekend we'll be going through orientation, figuring out the city, and learning how to use the buses, then classes start on Monday. I'm looking forward to it!