Kate's Ecuador Adventure: Fiestas Ecuatorianas!

On Friday we had our final exam for our current class. Strangely enough, we'd only had like four days of actual class before this, so there wasn't much that could be on it. All of us were pretty exhausted after spending two days hiking in Maquipucuna and then coming back and having to study and take a final. After class ended we went to get a drink at one of the local places. It was fun, but very loud. Then, we headed for Quito to look at Kao (sports store that has wetsuits and snorkeling gear).
Eventually, we walked across Parque Carolina to the Olympic Stadium in Quito to watch a futbol game (Ecuador vs. Jamaica). It wasn't as interesting as the Quito game. The fans were much less involved. Ecuador did win, though. :)
After the game, we met a bunch of the other GAIAS kids and all of us piled into Mateo's van. There were about 22 of us in his van (that is approx. half of GAIAS). It was quite cramped, but we made it back and saved that 25 cents we would have spent on the bus.
That night we returned to Quito to go to Mariscal, the area commonly referred to as GringoLandia and a place we were warned about during orientation. There were almost 20 students with the group, though, so no one bothered us. We went to a couple of discotechas and I drank more than I usually would. The only bad moment was when I went to buy a drink and returned to find that all the GAIAS kids had left. I had a moment of panic before walking outside the club and finding a Scottish boy we'd talked to earlier. Unfortunately, he did not know where "the Americans" had gone, but I enjoyed talking with him until they reappeared (which they did after about ten minutes).
The altitude definitely has an impact on you when you drink here. I found that out the hard way last night when we tried to get home and everything just seemed like a dream. I don't remember specific details about our return trip from Quito, but we did make it home safely. As an added bonus, the husky that hangs out at the university came and laid down beside us as we waited for a taxi, so I got to make friends with him.
Anyway, today was a rather relaxed day. We woke up later than usual (considering we didn't get home and to bed until like 3 AM) and then went to the university. A bus came and took us to a resort-like place near Cumbaya for the International Student Fiesta! It was a lot of fun. There was beer and Ecuadorian food. We also played games, including pinatas and balancing eggs and attempting to climb some tree-like pole (this one I didn't do). Then, they put on music and people danced or sat on the grass in the sun. It was a beautiful place too, and the weather was perfect.