To Quito!

What a communication debacle this whole week has been... My stomach was feeling bad on Tuesday. I somehow communicated this in broken Franglish and the family took care of me. So sweet. Later this week I finally learned future and past tenses for verbs, which I thought I used properly before I left this morning (telling them I planned to eat with the other students for lunch) and when I got ¨home¨ today (telling them that I´d already eaten when they asked if I wanted food), but they fixed me lunch anyway. They didn´t mind when I declined with a confused look on my face, and I think we worked it out that it was just a breakdown in the language, so whatever. And last night I got home from my first (and really only) night out with the other students and they were very worried, even though I´d explained at breakfast (or so I thought!) that I wouldn´t be home until 10pm.

It´s all good. Just frustrating. Tonight I patiently tried to ensure they understood I was going to use the Internet and then go to dinner with the other students, and they said ¨(got it, no dinner see you at 8:30).¨ I was so excited that I may have gotten the tenses right, and in my excitement I gave them two thumbs up and one of the elderly women did the same thing back to me with a big grin. CUTEST THING EVER.

(Hopefully they won´t have dinner waiting for me when I get back. SIGH.)

I really do like these ladies though. They are spunky, generous, completely giving and just great people. This has been my experience in Manta. Every person I´ve encountered, whether it be at the supermercado, at a cafe, walking by on the street, or mi familia, has been patient and helpful (especially the postal worker who probably wanted to quit as soon as I walked in the door the second time).

And I can´t speak much for the beer but the food has been quite amazing. Ceviche will not be the same when I get back to the States.

All of which is not to say I plan to return to Manta in the near future, but... I did learn quite a bit of Spanish in these two weeks. I understand a whole hell of a lot more than I can speak, but I think that´s OK and will shift as I practice. And as of yesterday I have photographic evidence that I surfed!... well, I do not have said evidence but it exists. I will post a photo whenever I receive it. I actually stood on the board for a 15 second ride last night. It was a great feeling.

Now off to temperate climates and mountains. Onward and upward... literally!