Good things happen

Friday night was so much fun, but it was also really sad because a lot of people were leaving. It's weird how attached I've gotten to them, and I really hope I get to see them again in Georgetown because I've done things like this before and then I forget all of the people I've met. This was a pretty intense bonding experience, though: We normally didn't speak Spanish with natives because we were scared of them and they generally thought that we can't speak Spanish, and we couldn't speak with other Americans because they only speak English, so we spent a lot of time talking together, and a lot of time in confined, isolated spaces like the jungle or a boat. Anyway, last night was the latest I got back because I tried to stretch out my time with them. I couple of kids just stayed up all night because they had an early morning flight. I will not be doing that. Anyway, yesterday morning Z made my panqueques. Pancakes. They tasted different, like she had added a lot of egg, but they were good. I called Andrew at 11 and we arranged to meet at the university so we could walk around in the suburb there and I could get money out of the ATM that I KNEW worked. Z told me how to get there. I took a 25cent bus (and saw a kid poop in the street on the way there) and then waited to catch the next bus at the station for like 30 minutes. Once on the bus we drove toward the university, and stopped close to it but not super close. I decided to wait, but then we just drove farther away from the university so I got out and walked. I was a little ticked off; I hate buses. After the security guard gave me a hard time I walked into the university and took out some money from the ATM. It worked! I was so happy, and I took out extra, because I heard there was a departure fee. It turns out that there isn't, so I'll probably end up spending it on extra souvenirs. Andrew met me and we found Abby, Margo, and Dan. We saw some puppies for sale in the street, an outdoor market, and we sat down for lunch at this really fancy looking place. I ate what probably was hot dogs in a curry sauce; I don't think they sat well with me later. Abby, Margo and I took a cab back to hotel Quito, where Abby is staying. We were going to swim, but it was cold, so Abby and I got coffee at the mall and searched desperately for the movie theatre that Andrew had found. We met Andrew, Dan, and Kevin there, and we watched Harry Potter. It was so cool. It was hard to judge from a true fan's perspective because I couldn't remember what had happened in the book, but I enjoyed it. The audience was a little annoying; I've come to despise Ecuadorian crowds. I think I may have found my calling: I think it would be pretty darn cool to write subtitles. Afterwards I wanted to go back and eat my dinner (and drop off my money!) but I didn't have time or money to take a cab to my house and back; we all went back to the hotel. I borrowed one of Abbey's bathing suits and we went in the hot tub and the pool, which was really fun. I ate a hamburger for $2.50, which was pretty good considering I'd have to pay equal or more for a cab home and back. We sat for a while and talked about going to the Mariscal, but I didn't feel good so I sat in the hotel room for a while, then went home. This morning I had my traditional PB&J, and I'm going to go get cuy (guinea pig) with Andrew later. Especially after yesterday (the weather was gorgeous), for the first time since Galapagos (or before) I'm kind of sad to leave. It's gotten to the point where I feel comfortable here.