This is an email letter I wrote to a friend but I figured why write the same thing twice!

You wouldn´t believe all the stuff I have crammed in the last two weeks. Just this past weekend I went white water rafting, and rode an ATV up a mountain that was so high there were literally clouds brushing over me. I don´t know if you have every done anything like that but I recommend everyone kiss the clouds before they leave this earth. The views here are beautiful, they have flowers, fruits and plants so different than the states. Since I am a juice crackhead I´m loving all the juices. They don´t do like processed juice, its always blended right on the spot for every meal. Everything is so cheap. I got a 2 hour massage for 35 bucks and yes I said 2 hour. Buses are 18 cents an expensive cab is 5 bucks. We are living with families half the time which is good because it really helps to reinforce the spanish. I always end up in a house with kids which is even better because they talk your head off in spanish and one boy prided himself in correcting us. He honestly has been the best professor of spanish I´ve had. The trip has been more of a vacation than anything else.

On a more serious not the clinic have been interesting. They have been kids and some of the kids were 8 years old seeing a doctor for the first time, which is sad but its also interesting how for the most part the kids were healthy except horrible dental care and stomach parasites which I know sounds bad but can be easily cured with a few days of mebenidzole. They don´t really trust western medicine they have a lot of traditional shit that you wouldn´t believe. Like they use guinea pigs as diagnostic tools. How you might ask? I watched this in disgust and dismay with my own eyes. They take a live guinea pig and rub it all over the person, you can hear the critter squealing, until its dead then once its dead the healer skins it, then cuts it open and looks at all the organs, and whatever is wrong with organs is how the healer determines the ailment of the person and decides how to treat it. All of this happens in the room in from of the person and well us that were also in there.

The country is also very poor, I´'ve seen more children beggars than I care to ever see. In some areas the kids work as early as 8 years old. There is a lot of petty crime. One of my classmates almost got robbed on the bus, and one of my british roomates got his wallet stolen at a bar. Enough about my adventures.

Ecuador 2

Okay so its my fourth day here in Ecuador and I figure I'll give an update to the 2 readers I have. I live with the Rosales family. There is a mother, father, daughter and son in the house. They also have two other sons. One lives in Quito and come to the house almost every morning. The other is currently in New York. According to Ecuador standards my family is ballin, they have a car, and an apartment that over looks the park with at least 4 bedrooms, and hot water. Which one I found out the trick of the shower realized is a great thing I took the coldest shower ever the first night. I went to visit the Panecillo and the Virgin de Quito. The virgin was is a statue that can over see all of Quito, I'll upload pictures as soon as I get to an internet cafe that allows access to the usb ports. The view was amazing we only had one problem. Cabs drop people off but don't pick them back up. So once we were done taking pictures we were then left with the task of getting back home or at least out of the area before the sun set. So since there was seven of us we did something stupid. We walked down the hill in probably one of the poorest areas of Quito until we found a major road and then hit up the bus. It was dumb but we made it in one piece. Last night we went to a club in Gringolandia which is Gringo land and gringo is white man I think. We went to this club that was cool but for it to be the land of Gringos my group of about 13 seemed to be the only non locals. It was cool everyone had a great time med students always loosen up with a few drinks. Then we came home. Today I was with Abby and we went to a market and talked to herbalist and then to the old town near the presidents house. What interesting is that the president's house is bordered by a courtyard full of beggars but its right there. No expansive mile lawn separating him from the people. While on the bus a lady atempted to rob Abby. She literally cut through her skirt to try to get to her under the close money pouch. How could this happen? These buses are so crowded you are literally pinned next to the people you are around. Other people can get to your things easier than you can because you cannot move your arms. Luckily she didn't get anything because Abby realized she was trying to do something but it wasn't until we got off the bus and saw the cut in her skirt that we realized what she was trying to do. Crazy right!! The art here is great. With exception of the thieves the people are super nice. Okay thats enough for now, until next time Adios!!!

In Ecuador!!!

So I arrived in Ecuador yesterday. I will be here a month and plan to keep the site updated about my exploits. The family that I am staying with are great!! We have dinner with them every night (cada noche). So the family I´m staying with is a mother father and two kids one is ten years old. His name is Juan Sebastian and then Gabriella and she is 16. They have two more kids but they are out of the house, one is studying in manhattan. There are also other students in the house. Two super cute youngsters from London. They have the best accents, I love the way they say Barack!!! And another female from NY that is just studying abroad. The weather is nice. I have on a skirt and flip flops!!!!!! We had our first day at the school and got a minor run down of the next two weeks. This weekend we go to the market hopefully I will get some good Trinkets. Well thats it for now. Until the next time ADIOS!!!