Other Stuff

Ok, this sucks. I wrote this huge long thing the other day, but the computer didn´t like me or something so now I have to start over. Anyway, I don´t have the energy to make it as good as last time so, pardon anything that isn´t very indepth.

Last in my ¨lost blog¨ I went pretty deep into my whole trip and arrival to my city Riobamba. I am not going to do that this time. But this is basically what happened: I left my house at 3:00 in the morning to catch an early plane in Minneapolis. I then flew to Miami and went through a half-day orientation. The following evening I flew into Quito Ecuador and went through a two day orientation there. I got to room with a couple guys from the Netherlands, and a few from Austria. Now, in this bunk house there was a toilet, and in this toilet, there was a dead rat. It was discovered by one of the guys from the Netherlands, and it was more or less dicided that it would be the mascott for our bunk house, which is more than anyone else could say about thier bunkhouse, except perhaps that they didn´t have a dead rat in theirs.

The two day orientation was more or less a good time. I got along pretty well with an american girl, and the last night we were there, we tried quite unsuccessfully to dance to salsa.

From there it was on to Riobamba where I met my host family. The bus ride was about two hours long from Quito to Riobamba, and I´m going to tell you one thing about what I have seen of this country. It is absolutely beautiful. I´ve been here for close to a month, and I can´t stop looking at the mountians (by the way there are four big ones surrounding my city).

Ok, on to school. It starts at 7:00 in the morning, something that I actually didn´t realize untill a few days ago. It goes untill 2:00 which is when lunch, the principle meal of the day, is eaten. I get a recess half way through the day, and can buy food and stuff, but my recesses are usually spent playing fútbol (soccar for all you ignorant fools out there). I´m not the best by any means, but I really enjoy it and am getting better.

Now, onto my classes. My schedule is different everyday and my classes include Math, Biology, History, Civics, Phisics, Religion (it´s a Catholic school by the way, and yes I wear a uniform, which I actually don´t mind at all), Literature and Chemistry, which I don´t understand a damn thing in. I also go to Mass every monday after everybody but me sings the Ecuadorian Nation Anthem.

As far as the whole language barrier thing is going, I can understand quite a bit, and speaking is my biggest problem here. Not to say that I understand nearly everything because it is a fairly rare occasion that someone can ask me something and I can answer without having them repeat the question.

Ok, now for some things that are pretty different here. The people take little or no reguard for road signs, and I am wondering if anyone has ever gotten a traffic ticket. As for the vehicles themselves, they are mostly Asian companies. One thing that suprised me was that Deawu (spelled wrong), a company that makes crappy stereo speakers, also makes cars. Something else that is different here than in the US is that I am easily taller than 99.9% of the population here. Another thing is that the plumbing isn´t the greatest, so in all the bathrooms there is a little trash can where you put your toilet paper and such. That took a little getting used to, and the first couple weeks I was here, I had to fish out a few wads of paper from the toilet that I (using a natural reflex) droped in the toilet. Gross I know, but I kept my hand dry doing it, and yes, I did wash them afterwards.

Ok that´s a bunch of the major stuff, but now, here are a few things that I am thinking of. I have recently read The Hobbit, and you know what? I want a cloak dang-it. And not just a normal cloak, I want a wicked awesome cloak with a wicked cool hood that when is on, casts a sweet shadow on my face. I also want a guitar that isn´t crappy and a bowl of Cinnemon Life Cereal.

Alright, I think that I am done, so I would like to wish all who read this a good day, and I´d like to say that I am more than likely missing you. I am not proofreading this (I told you already I´m not taking as much care with this blog) so don´t think too badly of me if there are a ton of mistakes. Also feel free to e-mail me, I might not get back to you, but I will be thankful for most anything written to me.

Yours truely,

Noah Eggebraaten, abroad and digging it.