I've been here for one week and there has been a surge of emotions and feelings that I've encountered.

1. Realizing how real "Machismo" is.

In Ecuador and many other parts of the world, there's this thing called "Machismo". Machismo is when the culture shows that men believe they are better than women. In America, it's more institutionalized. Here, though there are many women in political roles in Ecuador, the "normal women" cooks, cleans, and stays at home. Catcalling and groping are real, though I luckily haven't experienced the later.

2. Tasting the food.

Normally, I'm an extremely picky eater. Here, I have tried everything that has been given to me and have loved most of it. It's amazing how tasty the food is here and even more amazing that me, the pickiest eater in the world, likes it.

3. Dying from altitude sickness.

Luckily, I haven't had it as bad as others, but the fatigue and the headaches have been rough. Luckily, I'm pretty much acclimated and the headaches have stopped though I am still pretty tired. It was a rough obstacle to overcome.

4. Getting used to the heat.

Though Quito's temperature isn't extremely hot, it is on the equator and while the elevation takes away some of the heat, the beating sun adds to it immensely. I'm just grateful that everyone has pit stains here.

5. Realizing the adventure has just begun.

Saying "see you in May" to all of my friends was tough, but now that I'm here, the semester has just begun and I'm excited to see what new challenges and adventures the next 5 months will bring me!