All I can say for my first blog in Ecuador is wow. I have been here for a week already and have already fallen in love with this majestic place.

I arrived at the Quito airport at about 11pm on Monday night along with the other Penn state students. We were tired, but excited, and a little annoyed from the lack of movies and TV shows to watch on United airlines. We flew through customs and collected our luggage, fortunately with no issues. Then we proceeded to walk through the doors to meet our host families at last. Our hearts were pounding. That is when it hit us. We were about to be temporarily adopted into a brand new family that doesn’t speak our language, who were complete strangers. We walked through the doors, only to be greeted by large, beautifully decorated signs and balloons with our names on them. It was crowded with people! I saw a young, short, smiling Ecuadorian women holding my sign. I go over and we greet each other with a hug and kiss on the cheek, but there wasn’t much time for introductions because our taxi was waiting outside the airport. I followed this stranger outside and climbed in the back of the taxi while the driver kindly loaded all of my luggage into the trunk. It was dark, and my host mom, Guadalupe was worried I would be freezing, but it was only 55 degrees! Ha-ha, it was already 30 warmer than it had been when I left the states that afternoon. The drive was about 25 mins, and I couldn’t see much because it was dark. I had some small conversations with my mom about my flight and about my new family, and how my family coped with me leaving. I was excited and wanted to talk, but more tired from a long day of travel. We had a layover in Panama City, I told her where it was 90 when we landed. I had a feeling I was going to enjoy living in South America.

We arrived to Lumbisi, the indigenous community I live in, only to my surprise, I saw more dogs than humans. So many dogs running across the streets, playing, sleeping, and chasing our taxi. The dogs in Lumbisi are insane. As a dog lover, this upset me a little at first, but my host mom reassured me that most of these dogs have homes, they are just outdoor dogs, which I’m sure the dogs appreciated much more than being stuffed in a cage all day, since the weather is so nice. The taxi driver stopped out front of a quaint little house with a bunch of flowers outside. This little red house will be my new home for the next 4 months. Not only was the outside adorable, but the inside was even more quaint. It was filled with oranges, reds, huge colorful paintings of Volcan Cotopaxi, and a bunch of fruits and plants. There were so many colors bouncing off the walls. The house was quiet and only my host Dad, Rodrigo was still awake. I was immediately greeted by two tiny little dogs jumping up at me, Brunito and Miluca. (Milo and Bruno). They have dogs, I thought to myself. I could live here. We did our introductions but I told them soon after I needed to get some sleep so tomorrow would come faster! We said goodnight, and I unpacked a little, only to find I forgot one of my most important bags. I texted my mom from home and asked her to send it out the next morning (sorry Mom). I fell asleep within minutes, despite the 100s of barking dogs outside.
In the morning, I woke up to the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen from laying in my bed. I was greeted by humming birds, misty mountains, and the relentless squawking of my host moms roosters and chickens. Most of the day Tuesday was spent relaxing, talking with my mom unpacking, and learning how to work the buses. I slept a lot, the altitude in Quito is about 9500 ft. in the air, and the oxygen is thin and it can be sometimes hard to breath and it can make you fatigued and tired. Around 3pm, my host brother and sister came home (14 year old twins) after a long day at school. Cristina is a little shy, but Felipe immediately asked me to play him in chess. (I was very impressed with myself when I beat a 14 year old at chess). We had a nice dinner together and I went to be early, still tired from the day of travel.

Wednesday and Thursday I woke up early. We had orientations starting at 8 pm. The orientations consisted of a walking tour around Cumbaya (where my university is located) and learning how to take buses, get around, and the layout of the city. We had a little campus tour and met with an extremely helpful Ecuadorian women named Margoth. Thursday was an orientation for all of the international students studying here this semester. (There are a lot of us from the United States and I met lots of people, one evidently from my hometown!) We talked a lot about health, safety, security, trips, how to cope, what to do, where to go, and how to do it! It was an extremely long day, complete with another campus tour, lunch, and questions and answers. The campus is extremely beautiful, and all of the buildings are named after famous scientists, not wealthy donors like most universities.

Friday was another early morning. We took the bus into Quito with Margoth for the first time to register our visas at the embassy. We were there for about 2 hours waiting in a packed, noisy room, but thankfully, I brought my Harry Potter along with me. For Christmas my Dad got me the first three books in Spanish. Since I know the stories so well (I read all 7 books about 3 times) I thought it would be an easy transition to start reading for pleasure in Spanish. The rest of the day was pretty mellow, and we began making plans to go out for our first time, even though many people were exhausted from a busy week of information, tours, and early mornings. I did not want to waste a minute, so after dinner, I went into Cumbaya with some of my friends from my program and we went to a few bars close to our university.

Saturday was another extremely busy day. A tour of Quito. We spent the morning taking buses, and we visited 3 different churches, museums, the government building where President Correa lives, and just walking around the old historic centers. There is amazing history on these streets, beautiful views, and quaint restaurants. The historic center was bumbling with tourists and locals alike, snapping photos, enjoying some freshly squeezed juice. Never in my life have I seen such amazing beautiful sights, (too bad my camera died before the best part). I will be making more trips back to the historical center, so I’m not too worried. We ended the day with a sketchy climb up to the top of La Basilica, (one of the largest churches in America, and one of the highest), which offered an incredible view of the entire city, along with little downs tucked into the peaks and valleys of the breathtaking mountains. This day in Quito, was by far my favorite day here. Saturday night, we stayed in, too tired to move after a long day of sightseeing and walking.

Sunday was my first day to relax, and boy did I. I slept in late, read a lot of Harry Potter, gave my two little dogs a bath with my host mom, walked around my community, snapping pictures left and right, and mentally prepared myself so the first week of classes. Checking, and double checking my classes and buildings, so I would not be late or get lost. I got to bed early, after a delicious meal, and Harry Potter helped me fall asleep, although I was giddy with excitement to begin my first day of classes, (and no I never thought I would ever say that in my life).

More to come about my first week of classes, and my frist night out in Quito!

12/28/15

My name is Taylor Warmkessel, and I am a junior at Penn State, with a dual major in Spanish and Global and International Studies. I am gearing up now to begin the adventure of a lifetime in Quito, Ecuador South America. I chose this program because South America has always seemed like an exotic place, where adventurers like me will be in heaven. There are endless peaks and valleys to explore because the continent is so diverse with intimidatingly beautiful snowy mountains, dense tropical rain forests screaming with life, crystal clear Pacific coasts, and quiet plains. Ecuador itself is one of the smallest countries in South America, although it definitely has the best of all of the diverse geography and incredible historical culture. Ecuador, hence it’s name, is peacefully situated right on the equator, so 365 days a year, they get 12 hours of sunlight and extremely moderate, comfortable temperatures, depending on where you are in the country. I also chose Ecuador because it is extremely convenient. It is the same time zone as us here at Penn State, and also, to my surprise, uses the U.S. dollar! Travel is extremely inexpensive and the country is relatively safe, besides the common petty theft. My biggest goal will be to stay far away from the typical “gringa tourist” persona, and try my best to blend in with the locals. Ecuador is an incredible country, and in just a few weeks, I will be able to breath it’s mystic air and walk on it’s archival land.

As I sit here in my bedroom, scrambling through last minute appointments, paperwork, and packing, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed with extreme excitement and anxiousness as I inch nearer and nearer to my departure date. My flight is scheduled for January 11th @ 2:45 pm, a brilliant way to begin the new year. Now that the holidays are winding down, I am beyond ready to start this adventure in South America and explore places I never would’ve thought I could in my wildest dreams. My expectations for this experience go way beyond most students I’m sure, but I guarantee I am going to use this journey to fulfill my immeasurable thirst for adventure. I hope to travel all over the city and do my best to explore all major cities in the country. If I’m lucky I’ll make it up to Colombia, or down to Peru, or maybe even over to Brazil for Carnaval. I’m sure many of you are wondering if I’m at all nervous, and I would say yes and no. I’m nervous for the transition stage, but after the couple weeks of getting immersed into the country, culture, and language, I plan on soaring through the rest, as if it was something I was born to do. I do not fear the unknown, I embrace it, although I am aware of it’s potential. This is the first time in my life where I have no one to depend on besides myself. This experience will be the ultimate test of independence, patience, and cultural awareness. I will be forced to use my second language as a first, and have no other option than to speak it 24/7. Now that can be a scary thought, but my fluency will be at it’s maximum upon return, and being bilingual is one of my biggest goals, and will be one of my greatest achievements.

I will be living with a host family; a young couple with 14 year old twins, a boy named Felipe, and a girl named Cristina. I plan on speaking with them a lot, listening to their stories, learning their humble way of life, and doing everything I can to become a new member of their family. I will be living in an indigenous community outside of the city called La Comuna de Lumbisi, along with 3 other Penn State students. Living near my Penn State friends will be a great sense of comfort and security, and provide a little taste of home, if heaven forbid I get homesick. However, this community we will be living in, will give us a better sense of true Ecuadorian life and culture because it is more rural and traditional. Cities like Quito are more modernized and swarmed with tourists and internationals, however this community has been home to Andean Indigenous Incan descents who have been living there for centuries. The history and culture of Ecuador is immense, and I can not wait to begin my classes and continue to learn about Ecuadorian/Andean and Amazonian society.

In this one semester abroad, I hope to learn, grown, and explore more than I have in my entire three years at Penn State. International travel, communication, and cultural appreciation, I believe is the recipe for a greater and more peaceful world. There is so much more to see in the world than what I have seen growing up in a small town, and I am counting down the days for that adventure to begin.

Location: 207 Schoolhouse Road, Sellersville PA 18960 U.S.A