love and hate

1-13-09
I am started to get really settled in Quito. My days have become pretty routine: wake up around 7:30 (depending on if I go for a run or not,) leave the house at 8:30 to catch the bus, science class from 9:30 to 12:30, lunch from 12:30 to 2:30 when I go out with my friends to a nearby restaurant, Spanish from 2:30 to 5:30, get home around 6:30, dinner at 7, and then I read or go to the internet café with David. Along with this routine I have started to reflect on my experiences instead of just being completely caught up in the moment.
Some things that I have come to miss and that I take advantage of in the states:
-Being able to get change for a 20 dollar bill. There is a shortage of currency so it very hard to get change for anything above a 1 dollar bill, unless the total is within 1 or 2 dollars of the bill you are trying to use.
-Being able to put toilet paper in the toilet. The sewage system is not the best here so putting toilet paper down the toilet can clog the pipes very easily. Along with this is the assumption that there is toilet paper in all public bathrooms. Either there is no TP at all or it is outside the stall and you have to remember to look for it before you sit down on the toilet. This takes some getting used to, bt the learning curve is pretty fast after a few times of realizing you have no toilet paper after the point of no return.
-Drinking from the tap without getting having to sprint to the bathroom almost exactly 24 hours later with a horrible stomach ache. I am not a big fan of bottled water, but am forced to drink it for my own well being.
Things I have come to love and will miss when I return to the states:
-Fresh squeezed orange juice. My host family hand squeezes oranges every morning. I do not think I will ever be able to drink OJ from concentrate again, fresh squeezed is exponentially better.
-The beautiful scenery. Every day I get to see the Andes Mountains! Seriously, it is amazing, and the cloud formations around the mountains are always changing in cool new ways.
-Cheap beer. I can get a half liter bottle for a dollar. Could life get any better?
-Cheap everything! To ride the bus it is 25 cents, a HUGE slice of pizza is a dollar, a 3 course meal is under 3 dollars, 3 DVDs for 5 dollars. I don’t know how I am going to get used to USA prices again…