Never have I ever been to Catholic School... Aw, man!

Kinda funny to think of myself going to a Catholic University... But it's not THAT Catholic, if you know what I mean. Or maybe it is, but not for international students. Anyway, they don't make me go to their church, and I don't have to wear a uniform, so what do I care, right? :)  I have two classes right now, but a third one starts in the middle of next month. I'm taking Advanced Grammar (2 hours, 4 days a week), and Conversation II (3 hours, 2 days a week). It makes for some long days, but I think it's going to be a lot of fun. My teachers are helpful and very supportive, encouraging us to TALK TALK TALK TALK TALK as much as possible. There is one other student, a boy from Quebec, in my grammar class, and a boy from Indiana in my conversation class. That's it. It was a little odd having classes of 2 students, but it's also nice because we get to converse a lot and ask individual questions.

My teachers were explaining today that words in Spanish have dozens of synonyms, and they also have several meanings, depending on context. I'm certain this is part of what makes Spanish such a beautiful language - speaking or writing it (well!) is an art form in itself! Among the things that made me smile: el hospital para cámaras digitales (digital camera hospital), el jardín de infantes (literally, the garden of infants), and oso perezoso (literally, lazy bear; we know them as sloths). Speaking of things that make me smile, here is Take 2 of Jack, the beloved son of my host parents, and quickly becoming my best friend. Or I his, more likely. (He appreciates me for my clumsy, food-dropping self!)

Yesterday, my host sister and her family took me along to El Parque Histórico Guayaquil, a combination botanical garden/preserve, zoo, and historical recreation.

The majority of the grounds are preserved mangrove forests, complete with teeny crabs growling and swearing at passers-by. There are several semi-enclosures with various animals, mostly from Central and South America, though some species I recognized, like white-tailed deer and snapping turtles! These macaws were close enough to touch (though also close enough to bite, so I didn't dare!), and my host sister explained that macaws mate for life. That made the love shots of this pair even cuter.

Of course, everyone loves monkeys. Including the monkeys! They started playing tag to show off when we arrived.

Otherwise, things are slowly settling into a rhythm. It was much cooler today, but otherwise it's been absolutely beautiful out, albeit a bit overcast. Thinking of everyone back home, of course, but delighted to be here and looking forward to the adventures to come!