I Made It!

Things couldn´t have gone smoother. I was ready for my parental and sister pick-up at 5:00am yesterday. Ever since Hawaii 2006 (glad we can all laugh about that now), I am a bit paranoid of over-sleeping. My solution - I never did end up going to bed that night, but that´s ok, I had 10 hours to do that on the plane.

The good luck continued - my two bags were under the weight limit (I am shocked!), my flight was on time, security was a breeze, I had an aisle seat next to a nice little girl and mother, they were out of oarnge juice, however, but I will let that one slide as things were effortless getting out of Seattle. I arrived in Houston with plenty of time to catch my connecting flight, I was able to get my seat changed to an exit row, sat next to another nice man with no one sandwiched between us in the middle seat, again, landing on time in Quito (10pm). I flew through customs (always makes me nervous since viewing Brokedown Palace, but was pretty sure no one had identified me to be their drug mule coming into Ecuador).

Now here is the true test...baggage claim. I can´t believe it, both bags lying nicely side by side. They didn´t look rummaged through and were in good shape. I throw them both onto a little cart and out the door I go to look for my ride. There are people everywhere waiting for their loved ones, many have signs with various passengers names on them. I make a quick run through the tunnel of people and find myself outside on the curb. Hmm...no sign showed ¨Alison Anderson¨ scribbled on the front. Well, I could have easily missed it moving through the hurd of people. I turn my cart around and head back in. I make the loop one more time. Nope, pretty sure I would notice a sign with my name on it. At that moment, I wished I was Susan Rich, as her driver was desparately trying to find her.

Trying hard to remember my ¨go with the flow attitude¨, I walked up to a little window where a man was organizing hotel shuttles. I told him my situation and he kindly reassured me they were probably just stuck in the traffic getting into the airport. I was to hang tight and wait a bit. In my 15-30 minutes of waiting, I witnessed the arrival of the Ecuadorian soccer team, which was unreal. These guys are like celebraties. Cheering, flash photography, the works. They took half the airport with them, allowing me to wiggle through a lot easier, still looking for my driver.

Ok, at this point it is close to midnight and that mini melt-down is starting to surface. The tears are almost starting to whel, when my little friend from behind the window arrives. He takes out his cell phone and calls the emergency cell phone numbers I was told to call if no one were to meet me at the airport. Both are turned off. I am picturing these two soundly sleeping in their beds while I am trying not to panic in this foreign place where eveyone is speaking nonsense to me (aka Spanish). Again, Luis tells me not to worry, calls a hotel in a good part of town and makes me a reservation. He also informs me he and his friend would be taking me personally to my hotel as the taximetro cabs (the safe cabs) are no longer running. Luis is now my new best friend (which I told him several times). I learn all about his life, here in Ecuador and when he lived in WA DC until his friend is ready to go. Paovlo picks us up (who also is sporting a set of adult braces) and we all jump into this tiny white two door. Little did I know, I was in for the ride of my life. Apparently it isn´t quite legal, but not illegal, to go barreling through red lights. I am not kidding, no one stops at red lights late at night. They may pause, as they get close, to make sure no other headlights are around, but then they punch the gas pedal and off they go. Paovlo is honking his horn, weaving in and out of traffic, Luis is translating between the two of us, and my toosh starts to feel a little wet. I feel the seat that I am sitting on and yup, definitely wet. At that point, I didn´t care and told myself it was the rain.

We arrive, in one piece, to the hotel. Luis and Paovlo check me in and Luis tells me he is going to call the cell phone numbers of my in-country coordinators in the morning and they WOULD be picking me up at my hotel. We exchanged quick hugs and Dad, I told them you would be sending a big check to say 'thanks'...just kidding. Sure enough, I get a call, first from Luis early this morning, telling me someone would be coming to get me, and then from Patricio profusely apologizing and saying he would be there to pick me up and take me to my host family in a few hours.

That brings me to the present, at an internet cafe, trying to figure out these keyboards. I have my rain jacket on as the weather reports call for rain everyday, but haven´t needed it thus far. Other than a fuzzy head and a little headache, which I think is from the altitude change, it is mild outside, the sun is out, and I hear the birds chirping as I write. Today is going to be a good day.

Before I go, please meet my new best friends Luis and Paovlo (who said they would take me out and introduce me to the Moonshine of Quito. Uh...)