I can´t write for too long because, well, I have homework. Today we woke up early in order to get to our school. Ramsey was signed up for some one-on-one time with a teacher. For those who don´t know, Ramsey majored in Spanish in college and is now about to be a Spanish teacher. The one-on-one time was a good chance for her to practice conversing with someone for a few hours. I was told that I would be in a group class, but I ended up working one-on-one, also. It actually ended up being a great experience because I could ask a lot of questions and move at may own pace. It was mainly just a lot of review for me, but it helped a lot since I haven´t studied Spanish since my sophomore year of college. I have homework for class tomorrow, but I´m still not sure how this is going to work out. My class was four hours long, while Ramsey´s was only three. I want my class to only be three hours, too, but if that´s not possible (and the director of the school made it seem like it´s not...for some reason that doesn´t make sense to me) then I guess I just won´t go. Ramsey and I just don´t have enough time for her to wait for me for an hour before we continue exploring, especially since it gets dark so early!
After my class, Ramsey, our ecuamama Pily, and I all walked to El Centro again. This time we walked farther than last time, and we ended up eating at a great restaurant that Pily knew. It was much more expensive than yesterday´s lunch (and by that, I mean it was five or six dollars rather than $1.50...everything is relative). My meal included fried pork, corn of different varieties, potatoes, avocado, and banana...so much good food! The best part, though, was a drink called Colado Mora. Pily said it´s blended corn and fruit, and it had chunks of fruit (strawberries and pineapple) floating in it. It was served hot, and it was so delicious!
We walked around El Centro some more, and we ended up visiting the monastery that´s attached to San Francisco Cathedral. The cathedral itself was closed for renovations, but we could still see the upper area (which was beautiful) from the monastery. The monastery was incredible. When you first walk in, there´s a gorgeous courtyard with beautiful flowers and trees and a fountain in the middle. Beyond the courtyard, you can see the mountains in the distance. It was so peaceful. The monastery includes a museum of not-so-happy paintings and sculptures depicting various saints. Next, we made our way to the Compañia Cathedral, which is apparently considered the pride and joy for many people in Quito. It´s definitely impressive...ornate sculptures and gold paint, the works...but it bothers me that it cost three dollars to visit a church while forty percent of this country lives below poverty. Maybe there are things I don´t know. Perhaps this church donates a lot of money to the poor. Maybe.
Once we were done wandering around El Centro (and it started to become cold and dark), we headed back to Mariscal Sucre. By the time we made it back to the apartment, we were all very sore and tired. Tomorrow will by no means be a rest day for us, though. We´re planning on visiting TeleferiQo, which is a lift that takes us to the top of a nearby mountain. I´m also toying with the idea of heading to the equator line itself later this week since we´re so close. Ramsey´s not really interested, but I kind of am even though I know it´s probably a tourist trap. When will I ever have another chance to stand on both hemispheres?
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