Ecuador is amazing..

Hey Guys!
Sorry for the long time since my last update, my family doesn't keep their internet on all the time and it's usually off and everyone's asleep when I am home and want it. ( they keep the wireless thing in one of the sister's rooms, so when she goes to sleep, the internet is off.)

So in the three days of school we've had so far, they told us customs and safety tips on the first day, showed us the equator and the historic part of Quito on the second day, and finally had class on the third. I'm not complaining, we don't have class till 1:30 in the afternoon and we get fridays off! One thing I've noticed though is they aren't fully telling the truth all the time. Like the fact that I see people wearing tanktops, flip flops, and shorts every day, (Something they said only "gringos" wear). And they way down played the danger from robbery till we were all over here. Before we left, they said the worst we'd have to deal with are pick pockets. Now once we're here they tell us it's not really pick pockets we have to be worried about, it's armed robbery! One of the guys who works for ACLAS (our school) has been robbed with either a gun, a knife, or by a large group of people SIX TIMES in the last year! WHAT? yeah. I wasn't too thrilled to learn I pretty much wouldn't be able to take my camera outside..

Anyway, I'm trying to pretty much not spend a weekend here in quito ( I figure I'll explore on the four days a week that I'm here) so a bunch of people and I are going to a city called Mindo this weekend, where hopefully we'll all water raft! and possibly bungee jump if it doesn't look to sketchy..

anyway, here's a list of things I've learned so far.
1. Don't touch any paper people give you on the streets because it might have a date rape drug on it.
2. Taxis only cost about 2 to 3 dollars to go anywhere in the entire city.
3. "Gringolandia" (the gringo district of the city) is probably one of the safest places to be at night, simply because I think that's where all the police are.
4. Ecuadorians are never in a hurry, except when they get in a car. When walking or taking the bus, they mosey around like they have all the time in the world. In cars? They are maniacs.
5. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. EVER. evereverever. you step in front of a car, and it will hit you.
6. You can't throw toilet paper in the toilet. awkward.
7. Get off the bus fast, because it will leave approximately 5 seconds after it stops.
8. The sun is so intense here that I got burned from the 15 minute trip to school yesterday morning.
9. Ecuadorians don't know the meaning of the word "no" when it comes to food. A typical conversation toward the end of a meal goes like this. "do you want more food?" -No, I'm fine thank you very much, it was delicious. "are you sure? you should eat more" -No, really, I'm full. "Eat? food? do you understand what I'm saying?" -yes, i under- "Great you want more food! Eat!" -fine.....

Well, I gotta get ready to go to school, so I'll talk to you all later!