Crossing the Line (0˚ Latitude that is!)

The alarm went off at 8:00 this morning… I hit snooze a couple of times. I had slept well, except for being a little cold, I can’t really complain. Although, the cold here is slightly different than the cold at home- it is a humid cold. This wouldn’t be too bad except for the fact that no one has heaters, so often it seems like it is colder inside than outside!

Breakfast was good, they served rolls that tasted like my Grandma’s. I even ate the scrambled eggs because I thought that I would have a hard time finding stuff I liked to eat (which makes no sense at all now that I think about it because I hate eggs… maybe the altitude was messing with my common sense a little.) This turned out not to be the case! While they do eat a lot of meat here they also eat a lot of rice and fruit- which I totally do rice and fruit. And, when I say fruit I’m not just talking apples and oranges… they have all kinds of fruit we don’t have in the U.S. (and all of it is bigger here too- we saw grapes yesterday that were the size of ping pong balls!) Phil had us try this fruit- I can’t remember the real name, but it’s often referred to as snot fruit or frog eggs… you get the picture. If you don’t look at it while you’re eating it, it was actually quite good. For dinner we went to a “fruteria” which is something I think they should have in the U.S… it’s basically like a little restaurant and they primarily serve are these amazing fresh fruit dishes! Other than good fruit though, you can still get many of the same things here that you can at home. We went to McDonalds this morning to get coffee and there was a mall food court where you could get pretty much anything where we ate lunch.

So far, the people here have seemed to be cordial but not overly friendly. And, while we do stick out slightly with our pale skin and light eyes, it’s not as obvious as I would have expected. At the mall where we got coffee this morning there is a Cinemark (yep, the same kind we have in the states) and there was a whole line of little kids and their parents waiting to see Horton Hears a Who. The kids were all wearing cute little paper elephant ears and just looking at the line, you would never think you weren’t in the U.S. Although, this population sample might be slightly deceiving because Phil told us that you have to be upper-middle class (at least) to even get in the mall… the boys would never be allowed in without Phil. There was a guard at the door to make sure that ‘the wrong people’ didn’t try to get in.

I haven’t had the chance to meet all of the boys, we will do that tomorrow, but today we got to hang out with Mike. Mike has been at the Casa since its inception and is now preparing to go to college in the states next year. (Bethel for all you alums at Poiema!) I have only heard bits and pieces of his story, but he is living proof that the Lord can help us overcome. As a street kid he did various odd jobs to make ends meet, which included blowing fire on the street! (and FYI, you use diesel not gas because diesel doesn’t hurt your throat as much.) I am excited to get to know him more and hear his story- he seems like an amazing kid!

Later in the day we took a tour of Colonial Quito and the Basilica… which proved to be absolutely breathtaking. They let you climb all the way to the top of the Basilica. And I really mean top… up to the top of the bell tower. This consists of crossing a shaky plank scaffolding and ascending several rickety old ladders- but the view from the top is more than worth it! (I’ll attach pictures… there is no way I can describe the beauty of the city with merely words, and I suppose even the pictures fall short- you just have to feel it!)

Oh, and it is a holiday: The International Day of the Woman. A holiday many Ecuadorians take very seriously! (One of the Phil’s friends, and Ecuadorian named Edison, accompanied us on much of our tour of Colonial Quito. And, before we ate dinner he arrived with flowers for me, Phil’s daughter, and her friend. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten flowers for Valentines… so I think I like this el Dia Internacional de la Mujer!)

We ended the day debriefing at the Douce’s house… I am so excited as to see where the documentary is going. Things have been coming together as only the Lord could orchestrate! Tomorrow we get to go to church and hang out with all of the boys, and from what I hear, they are as excited to meet us as we are them!