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Title: [LWAN]: South America
Source:
LWAN
URL Source: http://www.cjmciver.org/cgi-bin/lwanread.cgi?2005-09-28
Published: Sep 25, 2005
Author: Neil McIver
Post Date: 2005-09-28 18:56:03 by Neil McIver
Keywords: [LWAN]:, America, South
Views: 324
Comments: 10
September 25, 2005 The captain announced we'd remain in a holding pattern until the fog lifted and warned cautiously we may need to divert to another airport. But that didn't matter to me, especially if we went to Cuenca. That's probably the closest city. I'm on an adventure anyway, and the diversion would just be extra spice. But unfortunately, the fog lifts and we begin our nighttime approach. The city lights below betray the mountainous terrain otherwise hidden in the night. I smile. I'm in South America, in Quito, Ecuador. A country named for its lattitude. Quito's extraordinary 9000 foot altitude is supposed to make you feel weak but it doesn't feel any different at all. Yet. I seem to have no problems as I carry my luggage around, though I remember to take it easy. My primary mission is simple. Learn Spanish. And I've got almost 3 months of complete immersion to do it. Three months is the limit in Ecuador without a visa, and I figured I might as well make the most of the plane ticket. I signed up for a Spanish school and am staying with an Ecuadoran family. A program I found gets me private room and board with 20 hours of one-on-one Spanish instruction for just under $300 a week, and I won't have to cook, clean or do laundry. I see it as learning Spanish for free. While earning some degree of fluency in Spanish is my primary goal, I'm also quite interested in the the people. What is life like here? What are their politics and what rights to they enjoy? How's the medical care? Their economy? Their standard of living? What do they think of us Americans? And of course I have to stop using that word.... they're Americans too. Coming from a country without a singular name, I'll have to get used to another term to describe the people of the USA. Yes, the familiar slogan "Proud to be American" might confuse a lot of people in South America. I get to my host family around midnight and converse with them. The husband knows the most English, and they are very pleasant and the home is quite different from what I'm used to. It's got character. I'm shown to my guest room and it's quite adequate. No it's not a 5-star Ritz hotel but it's not supposed to be. It's instead probably something quite typical of Quito living which is what I want. I marvel at the electrical element on the showerhead which heats water as it's used, with the temperature controlled by the flow rate. Adequate, and because it's adequate, it's also good. As I turn in for the night, I hear through the cool night silence a solitary dog down the street letting loose an occasional angry bark. A bit closer a cat gives a sudden cry. The bed is warm and comfortable and I feel delighted because I have everything I need. Tomorrow is my first day of school and I'm looking forward to it. Neil McIver 
A view from Quito, Ecuador 
A view from Parque El Ejido Quito, Ecuador
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#3. To: Neil McIver, Flintlock (#0)
Sounds like fun, wish I had the stones to pick up and do something like that. Is the LWAN thing a problem? People have made fun of me for not carrying a passport even though I've never left or made plans to leave the contiguous 48.
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