Finishing my one week of Spanish classes felt like finishing high school, relieved and accomplished. After completing 20 hours of intensive Spanish courses from Monday through Friday, I felt ready for my volunteer project the upcoming Monday. I enjoyed my daily 5-hour course and liked my Spanish teacher so much because of her kindness, intriguing thoughts, and drive for success. As a way to end class, some of us went to go eat Cuyes, which are guinea pigs and a traditional dish here in Ecuador, and it was delicious! I recommend anyone who visits Ecuador to try some Cuy because it is a signature dish in this interesting country. To help me decide on how well it tastes, I ate it with chicken and compared the taste.
My day did not finish there. I also went to a tour led by one of the faculty members, and I learned so much about Quito. He did not only lead us to the tourist sights, but also explained important cultural parts that make Quito a very distinct city in Latin America. He showed us La Ronda, which may tourists go to for a fun weekend, but we also ate at a restaurant and ate traditional empanadas to always remember Quito’s distinct food culture. After, we visited the Pancillo from the distance and saw how important it was to Quito’s people due to its illuminated night light that casts a night light for all of Quito’s people to see.
