hello from ecuador.

I made it. After a long day of delays, missed flights, and rescheduling (which landed me in first class!), I made it to Miami to meet up with the NILI crew.

Ecuador has been nothing but amazing thus far. Quito is absolutely gorgeous. This is what I saw when I sat up in my bed this morning and looked out the window.Amazing. Who gets to have a mountain in their backyard? I do.

We've been on a busy itinerary since we arrived. Last night there was a welcoming party - they even set up a game room for us with ping-pong, foosball and a flat screen (We're not exactly roughin' it.). We had language placement testing this morning along with class scheduling followed by a trip to a humongous mall that had everything from grocery stores to clothing shops to a live band on a moving stage that traveled up and down from floor to floor. And the people are amazing. They're so sweet and so patient with the language barrier. And the weather is perfect - sunny and cool.

My assessment - so far, so good. I already feel like I belong.