Ecuador 101: Orientation weekend!

It's Monday night. Orientation is finished. We got back from ziplining, made dinner and showered; now us girls are sitting in the living room in sweats blogging, emailing, and doing the first bit of Spanish homework -- "relaxing" for more than an hour for the first time since we've been here.  I have a cup of blackberry tea, and my body feels like a cross between having just gone on a 10-mile run and having just taken a Development Bio test.  Needless to say, it's been a busy, exhausting, invigorating, live-giving 6 days.

A few of the things we've done in the last 6 days:
-Spent the entire day traveling to Quito
-Sat in many sessions about culture, culture shock, safety (I'm very safe, no worries) and the vision of this program.  These sessions were fantastic; they included tons of helpful information as well as encouraged my heart for the things God has in store for this semester.
-Eaten meals at beautiful and traditional Ecuadorian restaurants
-Navigated the entire city of Quito with a paper map, 2 Spanish speaking friends, a taxi, a trolley, and a LOT of walking.  This was an Amazing Race style scavenger hunt...which we happened to win :)
-Worked out on the roof with other women of God...and nearly passed out from the lack of oxygen at 10,000 feet.  We have some work to do before we climb mountains.
-Took a Spanish assessment.  I have some work to do there too.
-Went to Spanish church. Beautiful.
-Visited Old Quito.  A beautiful part of town, with incredible history and architecture.
-Began friendships with 17 other study abroad students and an incredible leadership team.
-Taught some girls what it means to be a "hot woman of God"
-Spent several mornings eating breakfast and journaling on the roof.  This is going to be a habit for sure.
-Went ZIP LINING in the JUNGLE!  Soooooo cool. 
-And a lot of other random things :)

It's hard to believe we've only been here for 5 days.  We already call our apartment "home" and refer to Villalengua as "our street."  We have formed an identity as our group, and I'm looking forward to getting to know these men and women of God more and more, learning and growing with them.  I'm looking forward to starting classes tomorrow, to finding out my internship placement, to sharing life in this apartment, to becoming more confident navigating this city, to discovering the things God has to teach me, and to falling more in love with God. 

Here's some pictures from the start of my adventures!

Finally in Quito!  We were welcomed so nicely.

The girls' living room.  Getting ready to start a morning session.

Old Quito.  This road is called La Ronda -- it's kind of like a tunnel below the rest of the roads. 
It's been restored and is now filled with cute authentic restaurants and shops. 

All the girls in Old Quito!  Looking forward to sharing life with these beautiful women.
Lauren and Hannah
Abby, Melissa, Ally, Bethany, Me, Mahala

Giant empanada!  Empanadas are a really traditional food.  They're essentially fried dough with something stuffed inside.  This one is a dessert with cheese inside; the ones we had for dinner were smaller and filled with rice, meat, and veggies.

Me, Abby, and Lauren at a restaurant with a BEAUTIFUL view of the city.  We could see the Basilica from our seats! 

Just chilling at the Equator.  No big deal.

Ziplining through the jungle!  Get ready for great adventure.  We went on 10 different lines; the views were incredible.
Melissa, Bethany, Me, Abby, Ally, Hannah, and Mahala