the weekend and misc etiquette

hey all,

i had another wonderful weekend, this time with the Aguilars in downtown Quito. well, i actually only got to see one thing because Gaby had a soccer game at 1pm, but im sure i'll see more later. we visited the Basilica del Voto Nacional in Centro de Quito. it's a replica of the Basilica in Rome...except 1/4 of the size. despite it being only one quarter, it was MASSSIVE. have you ever climbed a cathedral? well, i have now. you know Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame? well, i was in his clock :P well, not HIS, but i climbed with the rest of the family to the top of the church...it's one of the biggest, stone cathedrals i have ever seen, complete with a life size statue of Pope John Paul when he visited Quito in '82. across, miles across from the church, is the "Virgin of Quito" - aka Mary. she sits atop of hill called "panacilla" which i think means "little bread." Faby informed me that all the churches in the Centro de Quito are aligned with the sun, since stays in the same spot...and if you stand in just the right position, they form a star - i don't know how that works, but that's what he said :P also, you know how most cathedrals have gargoyles perching on the ledge...well the Basilica has...animals from the Galapagos Islands as their "gargoyles."

Gaby plays on a womens soccer team and it was fun to watch. the other team didn't actually show up so they won be default, but i got to see them play against each other. ahh, my first taste of soccer in this country. next will be watching national teams play.

oh yah, and on sunday we had the biggest BBQ of my life. i thot the Greeks, like meat...the Aguilars like it more...we had 3-4 different types of sausages, a huge slab of pork, and beef....yeah, it was quite tasty.

oh yes, so here are a few different but neat things about the culture, and nuances. i don't think i've shared much of that. i've been kissed by at least 20 guys since i've been here - and that's nothing. haha, when you greet people, and when you say goodbye, you always kiss them hello, and goodbye, and it's become second nature me. it was funny to observe how this works, because there will be a room of 20 people, and before a person leaves, they will kiss each person goodbye on the cheek. i kissed the man who greeted me at church on sunday, and i don't even know him, but it's such a loving way of meeting people. when friends are introduced to new friends, they do it as well, and it's jsut such an "ice breaker" in my opinion. ah yes...did i mention that it costs 25 cents to take transit here? that's handy. lunches cost around $1.50-$2.50, so it's quite affordable on my student budget :) i haven't bought anything yet because i've been taking it easy from hitting the big touristy sites, and hanging out with my new Ecuadorian friends, and enjoying the locals sites. ah yes...the biggest meal of the day is lunch...so dinner doesn't happen till around 7-8pm. the younger people, i guess my bros and sis and their friends go out and eat at around 11:30pm on the weekends! we had some Venezuelan food called "arepa" the other nite...yeah, it was late. they also drink coffee with almost every meal here.... i was offered a cup at 11:30pm one nite, and i didn't want to turn it down cos that would be rude, so i asked Faby, "do you normally eat/drink this late?" and he said, "yes, why?" and i told him about caffeine and not being able to sleep and he said, "oh, i saw that on TV a lot, but i always thot it was a joke!" haha, i guess caffeine is built into the ecuadorians system, cos they sleep just fine! (fyi, i slept fine too cos i was tired!) oh yes, and ecuadorians are also extremely patient with poor spanish, and eager to learn english tooo, so for those of you who have wondered how i've been commuicating with the Aguilars, they speak little english, and i speak little spanish. Gaby took english classes, but isn't as good as her bro Faby...who learned english by watching TV! he's quite good too. finally, juice...OHHHHH juice....fresh juice everywhere i go. the juice here is absolutely delicious compared to the most expensive Tropicana i get back home. mom, dad, can i have a juicer for christmas? i've been taking notes on how to make the tasty orange, grapefruit, pineapple, and local fruit juices here. mmmm, soo good. i had this drink yesterday called "chica" and it's a fermented fruit drink, that you make days in advance, boil, then it gets thick, and kinda gross looking but so healthy and good.

oh....enough about food...i always find myself talking about ecuadorian cuisine.... oh yea....before i forget, i had mexican food too, and it pales in comparison to ecuadorian foood. hands down...


love you all!

dL