Day 100!!!

Over the last 100 days, so much has happened and time has passed a million times faster than I expected. The Christmas season started about a month ago here and my host family (and just about every other family) has their Christmas tree and lights up to begin the celebration! This post will be about 3 of the top things I found completely different or even strange at the beginning of exchange, and now have become completely normal to me.

This is my class at our Christmas dinner <3

1. Public transportation: I've never lived in a city anywhere near the size of Quito; 1.6 million people! That's 400 times the size of Coquille! Not only is this city huge, but there is always a cheap way to get around, so while the majority of people own a car, it's generally one car per household unless they are upper class, but many people choose to ride the bus to and from work, as it is cheaper than buying gas. When riding the bus at 3 in the afternoon, you can find a seat withing minutes of hopping on, but at 5 or 6 in the evening, you'd better be ready to be sandwiched! riding the bus in rush hour is one of my least favorite things, but it is also something that has become an every other day normality. A little tip, buses her cost a mere 25 cents, or 12 for students and seniors, so you see why they are tempting and fill up so quickly.

2. Speaking Spanish: When I first arrived, I thought there would be this huge learning curve and that I wouldn't understand anything for the first month or two... That is just about the opposite of what happened. The night I arrived, I had a bit of difficulty speaking and my brain was definitely still working in English. But, as soon as I started, I couldn't stop, and now I can speak at a normal speed. which here is pretty fast, and about almost any topic. Although my Spanish wasn't perfect when I arrived, it was much better than expected and has improved rapidly... I would say with all this practice and a bit of work, I will be fluent by the time I get back to the US!

I also had the chance to see the running of the bulls! 

3. The fact that everyone here says thank you, or gracias, but rarely receives you're welcome, or de nada, in return: This, once again is nothing rude or bad about the culture, it's just different than in the US. for example, when you ask someone to pass the potatoes at dinner, you would say thank you after, and they would say you're welcome. Here, you would still say thank you, for everything, but don't expect an answer. This got my for about the first month, I was always saying de nada, until I realized I was the only one. It's just a normal part of life now, and I will probably forget to say you're welcome when I return, but for now, I'm just fitting into the culture.

This was a bit different than a normal post, but I hope you enjoyed! I will keep the blog updated much more frequently through the Christmas season with updated, pictures and stories. Thank you for reading!