School Days Begin

(Quito, Ecuador)- The main focus of the first two weeks of the trip is the immersion into the Spanish language. Ame & I are students at La Academia Latinoamericana de Espanol, in Quito's New Town.

For our first day, we actually did not have instruction. Instead, there was a guided tour of Quito's Old Town, which was a bit repetitious given our activity Sunday. But it was also an opportunity to get to know our fellow newbies.

Newbies: Mike, Ella (?), (?), Ame, Richard (South Africa), Hanna (Portland, OR), Lindsey (Portland), Joelle (Switzerland), Maura (Brooklyn NY), and Rod (England). Unfortunately, June (China) and Bas (Holland) did not make the photo.

Bas, after clowning at the side of a Presidential Guard, at Ecuador's Presidential Palace.