No donkeys allowed

Just in case you were wondering, you're not allowed to bring Donkeys on the buses in Ecuador. Hopefully I will be able to post a picture of this sign soon. Today i woke up and got myself to school. 2 buses, 45 minutes, a million people. Thank goodness I met a nice girl studying at USFQ from Missouri who rides the bus at the same time as me so we squeeze in together and stick out like a sore thumb. I'm thinking about taking a taxi for the first part of the commute starting soon because it is so crowded and you can be easily pick pocketed on the first bus. Its only like a dollar or so for the taxi ride which may be worth it. We had class which I really enjoyed. Our teacher barely speaks english but she is very nice and very engaging, especially since there are only 5 people in our class! Me, Sarah, Walt, Davis and Addison, all Ole Miss kids! I feel like I already learned a lot today so I think that will just improve with time. After school we walked around a big mall for a while, then through a park near that. The city is huge, its hard to gage where everything is, but after we explore a little more it will get better. Got a little homesick today- I read that it would happen with the culture shock and being tired and all but then my host mom gave me some magical tea... no mushrooms from what i can tell :) but it made me feel a lot better! Some of us are about to meet up at the mall to get a few groceries and eat some dinner together! adios!