Bienvenido

This story really begins months ago, when I found out that I would be joining six others on a year and a half long adventure in South America. But, truthfully, everything in between then and now is kind of a blur. I finished up my school year in Nebraska, and I found that leaving my school and my students was one of the hardest endeavors I've ever had to make. Then, I spent two months romping around Nebraska and basically everywhere in between the Gulf Coast and Wisconsin. Finally, about three and a half weeks ago, I showed up at the University of Notre Dame to start a program to earn my English as a new language endorsement. During this program, six of my classmates and I will be gallivanting around South America, primarily Chile, and pretty much having the time of our lives.

Which brings me to this moment of the story, the moment from which all the other moments will stem. I'm sitting in my room at my host family's house in Quito, Ecuador. After a missed flight yesterday in Miami and a comped hotel, we made it to South America. Getting through customs was a breeze, and before I really knew what was happening, I was whisked out of the airport and into the heart of Quito. Let me assure you, driving into the heart of Quito is like driving into the heart of a smile. At least, I can only assume that's true. It was dark when we arrived.

Now I must sleep. Tomorrow we start our language classes at 8:15 a.m., and I plan on learning a lot of new words. I want to have a better conversation with my host, Rebeca, than a failed attempt at explaining my mom's new cat. How do you say "my mom replaced me with a cat" in Spanish, anyway?