Surprises

Mestizo (white & indigenous mixed; middle class) women wear painted on clothing, even when they are older and have children. I’m still trying to figure out how they breathe…
Everything is about presenting a good face. Even poorer people wear nice clothes (knock-offs, but they look nice). Buildings remain unfinished on the sides, while the front is plastered and painted to look pretty.

The number of whites/foreigners here is much higher than I anticipated (although we definitely still stick out…). As Saturday (the day of the major market in el Plazo de Ponchos) nears, more and more people (especially foreigners/tourists) arrive.

The influence of the US is insane here. When we arrived in Quito, we saw many signs in English, heard songs popular in the US, and even saw a few places showing the Lakers vs. Orlando basketball game! They drive Chevys, Fords, Audis, Volkswagens, etc., although they have many models (esp. smaller vehicles) we don’t have in the US. They wear Hollister, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, Puma, Adidas, etc. (knock-offs). They have video stores everywhere selling pirated movies, many from the US. Many people even speak – or understand – a little English. I never realized how much of an impact our country has on the rest of the world.
They also have Mexican, Korean, Chinese, and Italian restaurants. Andres, a professor at one of the universities in Ecuador, took us to a pizza place. I must say, it was delicious.

I always thought we lived in mountains in Pa, but now I’m learning they are definitely just hills! The mountains here are so massive and imposing.