Ecuador means equator

Ecuador

So I've been in Ecuador a little over a week. For those who were curious, Ecuador means equator in Spanish, which is where this small South American country is located! I'm living in the dorms of an international school here in Quito. Quito is the capital, located in the northern central part of the country, and is huge! I am definitely a gringa here - there is no chance that I will ever be mistaken as ecuadorian. When I flew from San Jose, I had a connecting flight in Panama City. As I boarded that plane I noticed that I was one of two blonde North Americans on board. Quito has a population of about 2 million, the majority of which are mestizo - a mixture of Spanish and Indigenous people. They have dark hair and skin - both of which I'm lacking. Guess San Jose prepared me for being honked at.

Quito is in a valley, but is at an altitude of over 9,000ft above sea level (for comparison, my home town East Aurora, is less than 1,000ft above sea level). There is something like 30% less oxygen up here. I'm adjusting, but the first few days were tough - standing and singing in church, or walking, talking and eating at the same time would make me short of breath.

A view of a small part of the city.

Because Quito is in a valley, you can always see mountains in every direction. The mountains also limit the city's growth - it is very long and narrow. I was told that to get from North to South Quito it can take 2 hours, but to get from East to West only 20-30 minutes (I'm assuming these times might be figuring in traffic). Traffic here is crazy! Cars don't stop for pedestrians, as they did not in San Jose, and there aren't really speed limits - there weren't for a long time, and now they're trying to implement them, but people just drive as fast as they want. Also, because there's so much traffic, there are restrictions on driving known as Pico y Placa. During rush hours on weekdays, if your license plate ends with a certain number you aren't allowed to drive your car. There are also hearts painted on the street here marking where someone has been hit by a car and killed. I've taken a bus once - which is super cheap here, only 25 cents! However, when I got on the bus I tried to pay the driver - which is who you pay on ever other bus I've ever taken. I didn't notice there was a worker specifically taking bus fare sitting in a special seat, so I'd placed my money in a bowl that sat beside the driver, which must have been for tips or change? So I had to take my quarter out and give it to the woman - oops!

The far building is the dorm that I'm living in.

The weather has been nice so far! I haven't used my umbrella since I've gotten here - I carried it with me at all times in Costa Rica. There aren't really seasons here since Quito is on the equator, so its pretty consistent all year round. Its been nice a warm during the day and I'm working hard to avoid getting sun burned.