Monday I started my 18 hr day at 5 am in Grand Junction. After 4 airports and 2 layovers I finally arrived in Quito Ecuador. The airport in Quito is right in the middle of the city. Flying in I thought we were going to hit all the the buildings. It was a crazy sight to see! I was nervous and confused--I had suddenly stepped in to a completely Spanish speaking culture. Customs took me an hour and a half to get through. It was crazy and tiring. I think had to go search through a large line of bags- which they stack all together in a big open area. This proved to not be too difficult; good thing my bag is hot pink! ha ha. There was a kind older gentleman holding a sign up, waiting for me at the door. He loaded my bag up for me and we were off to my first home stay. Like other countries I´ve been in, the driving style frightened me a bit. I found myself clutching the handle as we took corners at abnormally high speeds. But, he got me to my house safely at nearly 1 am. The next morning I was fed a HUGE breakfast and picked up to go to my orientation. There were 4 of us volunteers and our coordinator, Gaby. As a group, we traveled to the equator line museum--the center of the world. They showed us various experiments proving that we were actually on the equator. It was amazing! And for all those that ever questioned, water truely does flow in opposite direstions on either side of the equator!! From there we had a brief meeting, ate another huge meal, and I found myself in bed by 8.
The next day was even more exciting. Today I flew ti the Galapagos Islands. It was hard to navigate the airport, when everything was in Spanish, and find the right flight. But, alas, I made it on the right plane with no problems. On our decent in to the islands the view was amazing! Unfortunately, a screaming child took my window seat, so I was unable to take pictures, but the land forms in the middle of the ocean were beautiful. The crew startled me when they started walking (quite fast) down the aisle opening all of the over-head compartments. They then proceeded to spray in the compartments something that smelled rank. It is apparently supposed to kill bacteria coming to the islands--but I just thought it was disgusting! The airport was a small wooden building that was open on both sides. No windows or doors, just the structure. It was quite the sight. Finally, I was here!!! As soon as I hit the threshold of the plane, my hair curled up and my jeans stuck right to me--maybe jeans were the wrong thing to wear! We all had to walk across this mat ofsoap and water to clean our shoes before entering the islands. They then proceeded to check our island id´s, passports, and hand bags. I think had to find my bag in another pile of bags. Quite the process. Again, there was a man waiting for me with a sign. He loaded my bag on a bus and I got on with all the other plane passengers. The bus took us through a deserted area that was dry and all rock to a small ferry station. The landscape here is not what I expected. Before I could blink, the man had transfered my bag to the boat and was ushering me down the loading area. I took the short ferry ride over to the island of Santa Cruz, where I will be staying. The water was beautiful and a seal playfully swam next to our boat. Next was an hour taxi ride to the southern part of the island to my town and homestay. We drove through the desert area, and then suddenly, without notice, I was in a lush green forrest. The trees, flowers, and birds were all amazing. As we decended back down it became dry again. Finally, We arrived to a town-first place I had seen civilization and I was dropped off at a beautifull and large house.
I was met at the gated entrance by a woman who took me into the house for volunteers and showed em to my room on the third floor. It was beautiful. I was preparing myself for the worst, but I got the best. I share a room with a girl frome England, Laurau, who has been here for 2 months and shows me all the ropes. The house has two buildings. One for the family (this is where we eat) and an extra one for volunteers and visitors. Our house has 3 florrs, 4 rooms, 3 bathrooms, and a rooftop patio up on the top floor off my room. There is also a large courtyard with a hammock. It´´s perfect for relaxing in. It is a beautiful home. After setting my bags down, I was off to the beach with Laura and her friends. We walked through town and went to the Charled Darwin center where I saw a bunch of lizards and some Iguanas that I swear were the size of my leg!!They just lay in the road and sun bathe. That night I was worn out and in my bed at 8. The next mornig I would be up early for my first day of work!
