Mi vida Quiteña

[1] I'm currently sitting in the FLACSO (a library) cafeteria trying to drown out the almuerzito (lunch) crowd...dozens of conversations are bouncing off the high ceiling, poorly insulated walls and windows, trying desperately to distract me from work. Two months ago, these conversations probably wouldn't have clouded my thoughts one bit. In fact, I usually love working with white noise, I seem to stay focused longer. So what changed? I can now understand everything. The noise around me is no longer white and I can't help but lose myself in the chaos of all the colors...