The past few weeks in Ecuador have been full of learning experiences not just in terms of getting adjusted to a new culture, but to overall city life. After living in a small town my whole life, there are a lot of changes that come with living in a city of over 2 million people.
Some of the biggest differences are due to Quito’s geographic location. Each day the sun rises and sets at the same time and there is never any question about that. On the other hand, the weather is extremely unpredictable and there are no marked seasons like there are in Oregon. Arguably, the hardest thing to adapt to is the altitude as Quito is 9,350 feet in elevation. Due to this, it’s easy to get sleepy easily, exhausted while only walking a short distance, and it even affects the way your body processes food or alcohol.
Besides these changes, a big difference is the awareness you must have when being in the city. Like most major cities (especially in Latin America), you have to be aware of your surroundings, not take your phone out, and not walk the streets at night. As a woman, one must take more precautions, and it is instrumental that you don’t let your guard down.
One of my favorite parts of living in the city is taking public transport. There is something very liberating about being able to go wherever you want without relying on another person or having to drive. Nonetheless, the bus can be hard to get used to and also comes with its challenges.
My first time taking the bus was the morning after I arrived in Ecuador. I was still very sleepy, affected by the altitude change, and overall anxious to go to my new university right after a long day of travel. Thankfully, my host mom went with me, but I wasn’t in the best mindset to remember my bus route. Unfortunately, this would prove disastrous for my first day of school two days later. The morning of, I walked to the station and couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t see the green bus I was supposed to take. I waited and waited with no luck until I gave up and called an Uber. I later found out that I was at the wrong bus station and I had to keep walking for two more minutes to find the right station. On my way back home from the university, I was nervous to take the bus back, but I was determined to succeed despite my failure in the morning. I walked out the gates of the university and I asked a boy on the street if the bus on the side of the street went to Quito. He told me it did, and I got on feeling content that at least I would make it home on the bus. It took me 20 minutes before I realized I was moving in the opposite direction and going to Tumbaco instead of Quito. After I realized this, I got off at the next stop where I flagged a taxi to go home. I was so mad at myself and annoyed that the buses were so hard to navigate. However, I learned from this experience and it makes for a funny story about me being clueless in a big city.
Something crazy that happened from this experience is that I found my group of friends. The day after this fiasco, I found the boy who sent me on the wrong bus and it turns out he’s in my Portuguese class! I told him what happened and he felt really bad but we also laughed about it and became friends. Through this, he introduced me to his friend group and we all went out later that week.
Sometimes annoying things happen, but they can lead to good things. Knowing this has made me more excited for all the things that are to come even if they may seem bad at first.
Un abrazo,
Salma Galvan
