It's made of Alpaca!

I woke up at 5:30am Friday morning to a completely silent and dark house. It was amazing being awake before everyone. Usually I wake at 7, but hear my little brothers yelling about how they can't find their socks or shoes as they get ready for school at 6:30. I was up so early so that I could go to the immigration office to get my censo. I'm still not exactly sure what it is. I know it's something to allow me to be in the country for a long period of time, but why I need it in addition to my visa, I'm not sure.
When I left our house at 6am, still no one was awake. It was just starting to get light outside, and it was amazing how many birds were singing. I normally don't hear many when I leave at 7:45, like a normal morning. As I walked to Marijanna's house, it was so peaceful, and amazingly cold. The sky was gradually getting lighter, I was starting to wish I was wearing a warmer sweater, and there were so few cars. They only vehicles I saw at that hour were taxis, school buses, and the regular local buses. I thought about taking the bus, but when I reached the stop, I was finally warm enough that I felt like continuing to walk. Halfway to her house, a bus drove past me, and I suddenly became glad that I was walking. The bus was absolutely packed! I was surprised to see so many people on the bus, because it is usually packed when I take it at 8am most mornings. There are so many random rush hours for the buses, I'm still figuring them out.
From Marijanna's house, we took a taxi to the immigration office to wait in line. We got there at 6:45 and were numbers 10 and 11. (They office starts giving out numbers to people waiting at 7am, and then opens for business at 8am, so you need to arrive incredibly early). Once we got our numbers, we went to a nearby cafe to eat breakfast and wait. They cafe didn't open until 7:30 and we were outside a little after 7. The guy who was opening had just arrived and said we couldn't come in, so we just stood outside and talked and waited. We didn't have anywhere else to go, and joked about how we were being obnoxious Americans, waiting outside the door. Eventually the guy opened the door and told us we could wait upstairs because it was cold out. We really appreciated it, and were glad to sit down and warm up. The cafe was playing Enya, and had a really cool vibe. When 7:30 rolled around, he came to take our orders, and we each got an amazing breakfast (for only $3 each!) We had eggs, bacon (I ate Marijanna's because she's vegetarian), fruit, bread, REAL butter (everyone here has margarine), and tea. We then went back to the office and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally our numbers popped up on the screen and we got all the paperwork done. We were both finished by 9:30, then took the bus to school, getting to class an hour and forty-five minutes late.
The rest of the day with class went smoothly. My class ended up going to Crepes&Waffles, an awesome restuarant, as a goodbye party for Leo. It was his last day (so sad). I got to practice talking in Spanish with the teachers, and had a yummy peach crepe with chocolate sauce. (Unfortunately they were canned peaches, and made me miss real summertime South Carolina peaches). After class, I baked brownies for my little brother Jaime's birthday. He had his 4 best friends over for a little party, and Marijanna and Caitlin came over too. It was a lot of fun and really cute (and they all loved the brownies!)
Shortly after, Marijanna and I went to catch a bus to go to Otavalo, a nearby town with an amazing Saturday market. We realized when the taxi dropped us off, that where we were catching the bus was the same place we randomly got off the bus when we came back from Mitad del Mundo! So it wasn't so random sketchy neighborhood, but a "real" bustop! As soon as we got out of the taxi, we saw a bus to Otavalo making a stop and hopped on. A short while into the trip, I realized that Don Quixote was on my window, charging at a windmill. (Many of the buses have random designs and places decorating their windows, a picture soon to come). Soon the bus was full and packed with people standing in the aisle. We were all made to close our window curtains because apparently it's illegal to have people standing on this type of bus! (which is not designed for standing like the regular local buses).
After about two hours, we started to get nervous about where to get off, and asked people sitting nearby if they were going to Otavalo (the bus usually continues on through Otavalo to other towns further north). One woman said we should get off with her, and she ended up owning a hostal where we stayed. It was beautiful. We got a nice clean room, a private bath (with hot water), and breakfast was included, all for $10 each. (By the way, the breakfast was even better than the one we got at the cafe!) We walked around town to get our bearings and find dinner, and both started to fall in love with the town. When we returned, I slept like a log. Unfortunately, Marijanna didn't fare so well. Apparently after I had fallen asleep, a couple came home to the door next to ours. According to Marijanna, they were VERY loud, for a very long time. So glad I slept through that one!
We got up at 6:30 the next morning (meant to get up at 5:30, but overslept the alarm). We got to the market, only 3 blocks away, around 6:45, and luckily, people were still setting up. It was amazing seeing the Plaza with people and merchandise after seeing it completely empty the night before. Our first stop, what Marijanna calls "cozy pants". These are the type of pants Ethan has, and we both bought some. (When I got home, my host mom told me that all the gringos buy them!) We wandered about, buying things for ourselves and as presents, bargaining, and taking photos. It was so colorful! And, especially as the day went on, wherever you went between vendors, someone was bound to be telling you that their product was made from Alpaca! There were amazing sweaters, scarves, shawls, bags, pants, jewelry, and even a table full of fake shrunked heads! (Yes, I got a picture!) I spent so much money, but it was so amazing. I really enjoyed it, and want to go back to the town and surrounding area.
Around noon, Marijanna and I caught a bus on the Panamerican highway going back to Quito. They busride was quick and uneventful, and we managed to get off at the right stop in Quito and catch a cab fairly quickly. We went to our homes to rest and met up with some of the group for dinner at Crepes&Waffles. It was quite yummy. We've noticed as we walk around more together, the variety of responses we get from groups of guys. When leaving my neighborhood on Friday, we walked past a group of guys that seemed to take a moment to try to formulate something in English to say, which was really funny. And Saturday on our way to Quicentro, the mall where we ate dinner, a group of guys called out "C'mere baby!" and did this weird hiss/tsst sound along with kissing sounds. Marijanna and I just laughed after we passed them and talked about how ridiculous it sounded. After dinner, we went to Brian's house (another guy in the group) to chill for awhile before going out dancing. Marijanna didn't go because she was so tired. I only went for a short while, pretty much long enough for the rest of them to finish their beers and meet up with more people before going into No Bar. I caught a cab home around 11 because I was exhausted and not feeling so great.
I spent today lounging around the house, watching tv, and haven't gotten out of my pajamas once. I've actually been a little sick, with a sore throat all week and stuffy/runny rose starting yesterday. I'm starting to feel better, but it was so nice to take a day to rest and just relax in the house. It was hard though, because this is the first time I've been sick since I got here, and it made me a lot more homesick. All I wanted was to be in my house, curled up on the couch, knowing that my dad is in his room, and my mom is in her office or the kitchen. Hearing the familiar sounds of my house and family. It was hard, but I called home, and it helped (even though it made me want to cry at the same time). I'm feeling better now than earlier today, but still might go to bed super early. I have class in the morning, and will have entirely new classmates! Leo left the school, and Jan is taking the week off because he's going to the Galapagos on Wednesday. (Wish I could go, I told him I wanted to stow away in his bag!) I'll probably have a new teacher too. It's a little nervewracking, but hopefully it will be good for me.