I'm here!

After over a year of waiting, I'm finally here in Quito. All of the nervousness and uncertainty that I never felt in anticipation of this trip finally hit me as I deboarded my flight and went through customs and immigration. Thus far, my foreign travels have not extended beyond the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. The realization that I was alone in a foreign country, that speaks a language other than my own, was a bit disconcerting. Fortunately, over the past two days, many of my qualms have been dissolving. Right now, the major problem that I face is, not surpisingly, the language barrier. Being fully aware that my Spanish had much improvement to undergo, I had prepared myself to experience difficulty when trying to communicate. I often feel as if I were watching a silent film: their lips are moving, but I have no idea what they are saying! Worse yet is the fact that I can understand much more than I can speak, so it's quite frustrating to have many things to say, but no words to formulate them. I must say, however, that I have perfected the "smile and nod"!