Buhbuhdabahdada‏

Quito, Ecuador

So the title of my email is supposed to sound like a trumpet, or a loud brass instrument of your choice in your head.

Well kids, this is it. I'm sitting in an internet place for the last time in Quito, writing my last group email, drinking my last pilsener beer (well, there might be one or two of more in my future) and tomorrow, early, I board the airplane to come home.

So, what have I learned in ten months? Well, let me tell ya'.

I learned -

About beer - That pouring a beer at altitude takes more skill and patience than I have.

That when you have a serious cough, like I do know, beer relaxes the diaphragm and lets you breath easier (This is more of a working theory).

That it was possible for me to enjoy good beer even more than I did (If your wondering how, just drink shitty beer for ten months. When my mom visited in March she brought me down a six pack of pale ale. One beer broke and soaked all of the other stuff that she brought me in strong beer and it was totally worth it).

About shopping - I still hate it.

Bargaining is possible for everything. I'm going to buy some toothpaste in the states and say $2.50? Is there a discount?

Bargaining is not always worth it. You find yourself walking away for a piece of art that you really like because your not willing to pay the extra 25 cents the vender wants.
Shopping with a bunch of classmates is infinitely worse when their female (actually I already knew that) especially if one of them's named Sunshine.
About Ecuador - A lot of stuff that I'll never use, ie. the history.
Altitude does make a difference.

That when I play basketball here, I feel like a superstar.
If you go out with a girl here, your are expected to pay everything. I know now why they call it going dutch, rather going Ecuadorian.

About language – The best way to learn language is to get a girlfriend who doesn’t speak your language (and prefribly can fluently speak the language that you’re trying to learn).

I don’t think I know how to spell the word prefribly.
It’s possible to live in a country for ten months and not become completely fluent in the native language.

Alrighty, that’s enough. I know that I’ll go to bed tonight and think of nine million more, probably much funnier. But I’m tired now and I got some things to do.

All right everyone. Thank you very much for your attention over the past ten months. I appreciate all the comments and the fact that some of you actually bother to read what I write. To answer a question that some of you have asked, I am working on a book, but not about travelling. It’s sort of a science fiction, spiritual thing. Ok. Happy adventures. Moe