During the summer after my sophmore year of highschool, I participated in an exchange program out of Buffalo, NY called FIC (Foundation for International Cooperation). I would spend two months in either Lima, Peru or Quito, Ecuador living with a host family. I actually had little choice in the matter. My mother's parents had been the president couple of the program for many years and they had traveled all throughout Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru. In tern most of my mother's eleven siblings had also gone to Quito int he program. I am the only one of my generation to have gone. It was a wonderful experience. Quito holds some of the nicest people I have ever met and the most breathtaking scenery as well. To give some idea of when I had been there, a certain president had just been elected and was named "El Loco". About a week after we returned to the US, a coup was staged to overthrow the new leader and he was replced. Things have been much calmer since.
Here is a collection of some of my favorite pictures from my trip. I hope you enjoy...~BeeniePage 1: The Quito, Ecuador exchange students and various group shots
Page 2: The Inca ruins in the desert surrounding the city of Quito.
Page 3: A farm belonging to the family
Page 4: The Mitad Del Mundo, the Equator monument and surrounding town (there is actually a red line that goes down the town streets marking the exact equator line), an active volcano crator I visited, and the llamas on top of Mt. Cotopaxi.
Page 5: Another Family farm located in the area of Cotacachi, and pictures of Lake Cuicocha and Mt. Cotacachi.
Page 6: The zoo and some native animals
Page 7: Downtown Quito - the old city district. Here are pictures of the old churches of Quito and the inside of the presidential palace
Page 8: The beaches of Casa Nuevo...or was it Costa Nuevo...?
Page 9: The view from my room of the city.