Ding dong!

I have nothing to report except that I finally grew a pair and started a conversation--a real conversation--with José.

I marched right into Rita's room where he was watching TV and said, "Can I bother you for a minute? I don't know you well, and I don't really know anyone, and I want to talk to you." And then we discussed tennis, Dr. House, and music, and I tried to explain what bluegrass was (music from the Appalachian Mountains with banjo, violin, and complex harmony, and kind of like country but older..?) And some of what he said I didn't understand, but I don't care. Gold star for me.

From this moment henceforth, no more dickin' around; I'm going to force my friendship on everyone and they damn well better accept it. So there!

Just some things.

Today I was a big slug (or as Papa would say, a salami), and didn't do anything till like 330PM. I did, however, watch Paris Hilton is My New BFF and the end of LOTR ROTK in Spanish.

Annie and I went to Parque la Carolina studied some sociology (kind of), then we came back to my house, and Rita took us to a cafe called El Mosaico which has a beautiful view of Quito...

That hill is where La Virgen appeared.

La Virgen

Que bonito, no?

Oh, also, "Detroit" is slang for anal sex.

Chao chao,

Gina.

Martin y Martin

Today, a lot of things happened.

I went to the mercado with Rita.

I walked through Parque la Carolina and watched some chanting/martial arts/dancing.

I made ravioli from scratch.

I saw some fireworks.

I went to La Mariscal with Bess, Scott, Martin, Wolfgang, and Matt.

Martin (number one), Scott, and Bess drinking expensive wine

In La Mariscal, we went to an Andy Warhol-themed bar and the Germans got girly drinks. Scott, Bess, and I had several toasts to Welcome Week.

Spartans, doing what Spartans do best....

Then we went to some other bar and danced for a while. And ohmygod! They played a remix of one of my favorite songs of all time: "Magalehna" by Sergio Mendes. I felt really cool that I knew the song and kind of knew the words.

We left around 245, but got sidetracked by another Martin, from Switzerland, who talked to us for forever about music, glasses, being human, etc. He had red pants on. We left as he was retrieving his jacket from the bar, and didn't even get to say goodbye.

I took the taxi home with Bess and Scott. And okay, our front door is IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE to open, and it usually takes me about ten to fifteen minutes to unlock it. So I was struggling with the lock and Rita came down to open the door. I feel bad that I woke her up, but what the hell! The door is impossible to open! What was I supposed to do, ring the buzzer? Call? That would be even more disruptive, right? I don't know.

Tomorrow, I think we're gonna to to El Medio del Mundo: the middle of the earth. Que chevere, no?

Chao chao,

Gina.

SUPERCHEVERE

Hmm. I don't have much to say, except for I suck at Guitar Hero in two languages. Good to know.

I took all four buses by myself for the first time today; usually I meet someone at the terminal or I leave school with someone I know, but today I was all by myself.

I got a cell phone! It used to belong to Jose and it still has a bunch of his old texts in it? Haha. But now I can communicate with everyone much easier. Cell phone numbers in Ecuador have nine numbers. The first two are either 08 or 09, to denote that it's a cell phone, and then it has a normal seven-digit phone number. House phones only have the seven.

I think I figured out the problem with my computer. It's the battery. It makes everything crazy, and it turns off randomly and won't turn back on, and it's a pain in the ass. So I took the battery out and right now it's just plugged into my wall, and it's been on for a few hours without crashing. Yay!

I have to finish the second episode of Mad Men still. I was interrupted by Rita who wondered if I wanted some tea, and I ended up having tea and toast, talking with a bunch of people, playing Guitar Hero, and talking about music with Lala, who is Rita's niece.

Things I'm still getting used to:

- Wearing shoes in the house. I hate it.

- Seeing children on the street selling cigarettes.

- Crossing the streets. Because everyone is a crazy driver.

Things I'm def getting better at:

- Understanding Spanish.

- Taking the bus.

- Buying things.

Tomorrow I'm going to a discotheque with Bess, Scott, and apparently half of USFQ. That's gonna be fun. I want to explore more, but it's always too hot when I want to go and walk around. Oh well. Maybe instead of hermitting around and struggling with homework in the evenings I should go do something with my life. Annie is gonna call me in a bit and we're gonna so something, I think, or at least sit around together. Haha. But first I need to finish Mad Men....

Chao chao,

Gina.

Quick Update

Last night, I:

Went out with Annie, Bess, and Annie's friend Marianna to a concert that didn't end up happening

Drank some kind of typical Ecuadorian beverage with orange, cinnamon, and rum, and it was served hot like tea

Went to La Mariscal, the bar district thing, and just walked around

Ate grilled cheese with maple syrup (seriously, yum).

And today, I:

Met a woman who talked like Don Corleone

And today I'm going to:

Go to class

Get my cell phone set up

Explore

Worlds Colliding: Quito Meets the Banana Stand

I am posting twice in the same day (maybe in the same hour?) but it's very important that you know these two things:

1. Sometimes it is easier to speak in English with a Spanish accent than it is to just speak in Spanish. Example number one, real life: I told Jose that I was from, "Di-troyt, Mee-chee-guen" and that I was going to be here, "faur nain monz." Example number two, Arrested Development: When Buster is under the trampoline at Lupe's house (that shares a paperboy!) because all the car fumes made him think he was in Mexico, he tells Lupe, "I'm trying to find a place to live" in a ridiculous Mexican accent ("Ai'm traing tu faind e ples tu lib."). I can't find a damn video clip anywhere, but it's hilarious. I think about it all the time.

2. Llapingachos look like something a Cornballer would make. Gabi pointed this out, so all credit goes to her. "Soy loco por los cornballs!"

"Her?",

Gina.

Ecuador: Party Pooper Edition

Today I am having a sad day. I had class and missed my bus stop.

I can't understand anyone and no one understands me.

Today my list of words were: reclusive (apartado), overwhelming (the verb "to overwhelm" is abrumar), accustomed to (acostumbrado), convey (transmitir), to miss (faltar a), and awkward (torpe is clumsy and incomodo is uncomfortable, but neither word really worked for what I was trying to say).

I know so many things! I know about Haruki Murakami and the Constitutional Convention and how to make bread and the Decembrists and how to spell really hard words and all about the Fourteenth Amendment! But I can't say anything. I KNOW ALL THE LINES IN RUSHMORE AND SHREK BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER BECAUSE I CAN'T FUCKING TALK!!

-----OKAY, I wrote that a long time ago.-----

I mean, it was only a few hours, but I was really sad. But then I talked to my dad and then I chilled out and then some children came over and now I feel better.

I forgot to mention that last night there was a fiesta at an American-themed bar, Mulligan's, for the international students. It was like 150 drunk gringos trying to hear one another talk. And I put this on my Facebook, but for you luddites and elitists, I'll explain it again. When going out to meet people, I find it's best to have one hugely obnoxious distinguishing characteristic. Last night, mine was giant fake glasses. My theory is that people recognize the accessory and think, "Oh, I met those glasses last night! I bet I met that girl who is wearing them! I'm gonna go talk to her." Like when you can't remember someone from a club and you're like, "Snaggletooth is hitting on you" or "Red Shirt is ugly" or "I totally went home with One-Leg last night." You get it. So now I just have to wear these glasses every day until people actually know me for real and then I can take them off. Good system, right?

Also, tequila in the States is horrendous because it's Cuervo but here it's beautiful. I know this because after the allotted two beers per person at the party, people just kept drinking, despite having class the next day (today). Some dude named "Blind" Brian bought shots for Bess and I. His "blindness" (and not his checkerboard shirt) was his characteristic because when he introduced himself, Bess thought he said, "Hi, I'm blind" instead of Brian. Funny. I also met German Martin who was from Munich. He was super cute and wanted nothing more than to dance.

The music they chose for the party was interesting. I haven't heard much music here, and I can't find a decent record shop to hang out in. But at the beginning they were playing MGMT and MIA and DMX and other acronym recording artists, and then they switched to Latin-y salsa tango whatever music. And then towards the end, they started kickin' it old skool with Prince and Bob Marley and of course, the King of Pop himself. But it was good to drunkenly sing along to. The bar itself was very clean (it had a mouthwash dispenser in the bathroom!) and very well-decorated and laid out nicely. Basically, it was everything Mac's Bar is not. And I love Mac's. I miss it more than I miss any of you. Hahaha.

Anyway, that's it. I'm getting used to eating in the middle of the day, and I'm not as tired as I was yesterday (thanks, red blood cells!) and things are better. I have two classes tomorrow, starting at 10AM. I hope I don't miss my bus tomorrowww. I'm going to take the normal one instead of whatever Rosita told me to do....

Chao chao,

Gina.