City Tour

The city tour made me even more excited to see the other parts of Ecuador. One of my favorite parts of the tour was the Iglesia de la Compañia. This was the most beautiful church I have ever seen. I loved the detail; it was mesmerizing to see something like that. I loved the paintings within the church and thought that it was funny that they just painted one of the staircases. I also loved the passion behind Diego’s voice when he talked about his grandmother and the eruption of Pichincha. I felt like I learned so much from him and he was very easy to listen to because he was so passionate about what he was talking about. I also really enjoyed being at the place where Ecuador’s Declaration of Independence was signed. I thought that this was particularly interesting because our group had researched about the history of Ecuador and being in the place where they signed for independence really brought it to perspective for me.

Even though my group had researched the history of Ecuador, I still felt like I learned a lot about the way that people first came to Ecuador. It was interesting to hear about all of the different theories that people have: God or traveling across the land bridge. I also learned a lot about Miguel de Santiago. I thought it was interesting that he actually crucified someone so that he could create an accurate painting of the pain that Jesus suffered. When I talked to Diego, I asked him if Miguel was buried in the catacombs below the signing of the independence, and he said that no one knows where he went. I thought that this was fascinating because he was inside of that monastery for 13 years and then ran off. Diego mentioned that some people say he went to Peru, but no one really knows. Not only did I learn about the history of Ecuador, but I learned how quickly the weather changes. This morning it was so sunny on the walk to the school, but then on the city tour it began to rain. I thought it would just sprinkle—let’s just say that I was wrong. I learned to always carry my umbrella and jacket with me.

I was surprised by some of the pictures Diego showed us of the eruption of Pichincha. I couldn’t imagine seeing that in person. It really did look like an atomic bomb had went off. I know that if I were in that situation, I would’ve been running away. I was also surprised by the size of Quito. When we were flying in, I thought that it was big, but I didn’t realize that it was 24 miles long. Another thing that surprised me was the driving. Driving around in the city seems very confusing. Everyone is cutting each other off and the streets are packed. I think that this would be very frustrating to drive in. I think I was most surprised by this because when we can in last night there was hardly anyone on the road, but that was not the case today. The roads were very busy. Overall, my first day in Quito was a success! I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start off this adventure. Everyone I have met seems very friendly and welcoming. I’m also glad that I have been able to travel with this group of people! I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures.