Electric field direction and hovering charged object

[illidari]

Homework Statement

A small object of mass 3.64 g and charge -18.1 µC is suspended motionless above the ground when immersed in a uniform electric field perpendicular to the ground. What are the magnitude and direction of the electric field?

Homework Equations

E=F/q

The Attempt at a Solution

I solved for the magnitude and was fine with that but was wondering why the electric field direction would be downwards?

Why couldn't it be upwards?

E = m*g / -q = -#

My logic was that a - electric field upwards would make the charged object hover since - and - repel.

I guess if it was going downwards the same effect would still occur, but I don't understand (if this is even right...) how to determine if up or down.
Am i completely off track on how to think about this?

 

[JaWiB]

The direction of the force depends on the electric field and the sign of the charge. Positive charges experience a force in the direction of the electric field, and negative charges experience a force in the opposite direction.