Kim's Ecuador Experience
My semester studying abroad!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The Lima Bean and Macho Pikachu
Friday, April 27, 2012
The Beginning of the Lasts
So this might be the second to last entry I ever write. At the end of
last week, I did nothing exciting and just did homework and hung out
with my family. The past weekend I did a lot of homework in terms of
writing. I wrote 5 papers in one weekend for education classes, and I
ended up doing them all on time, even early. I had them all done by
Sunday night so the rest of the week was left for Spanish and
preparing for that final (which was my only test this semester).
Monday was pretty much a free day. I only had class that morning and
then that afternoon, I went with three other girls to go canopying.
It was really fun and I'm glad I decided to go. I did a superman
thing while going and also an upside-down one. Anyways, that was my
excitement for that day. Tuesday I had my Ecuador Experience class in
the afternoon and we went to the nursing home where my teacher's
husband is at. It was a really nice place and we got a tour and
everything. It kind of made me think of grandpa though because her
husband couldn't remember who she was at the time and he was just so
frail. I tried talking to him a bit but he was so sick and old that
he couldn't hear or answer. I know the other two girls from Ambrose
who went with me were a little disappointed in how she talked about
him and not to him, but in all reality I thought that it was normal.
He was half asleep and couldn't hear anything so she was talking to
us not him. Anyways, afterward I stopped at the store and bought
ingredients for oreo balls. I did my Spanish homework when I got home
and then went to bed. Wednesday I had my spanish class again so I
went to school in the morning and then had a meeting about Peru right
after, so I just decided to stay around the area for lunch. After, I
went home and worked on the slide show because it was decided that I
would make a slide show for the farewell dinner we were having this
Friday. My brother and I made oreo balls that night...about 70 of
them. It took until about 1am to finish because there were so many
but that was ok because they were really good. Thursday I had nothing
so I stayed home all day and worked on that slide show until I
finished and also studied for my Spanish exam the next morning. My
friend came over really late and all she did was homework but that
was okay because it forced me to study a bit more than I normally
would have. She left really late and I went to sleep right after she
left. I woke up and went to take my test and then came home and hung
around with my brother for a few hours before getting ready for the
farewell dinner. After the dinner, some of us decided to go out for a
while. However, I did not stay long at all because I was very tired
and I was so overwhelmed with emotions of all sorts, but none of them
really about being sad I was leaving surprisingly. It was stress,
tiredness, exhaustion, worry, excitement, etc, etc. And now here I am
writing this blog. Tomorrow we leave for Peru for a week and then I
will be the only one returning to Cuenca. We leave at 2:30 in the
afternoon so I bet there will be lots of tears from everyone else.
Chau!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Easter is a Time for the Beach!
Sorry! This is going to be a really long message! I've got too much to write about from the past few weeks!
Monday I had my two education classes as well as my Spanish class. After my second education class in the afternoon, we had a handicraft class where we painted a box and used recycled and glued magazine pages to decorate it. We finished the boxes in our second and last class that Tuesday. Anyways, after all of the classes were done Monday, JJ and I went to a chocolate store so she could get a chocolate Easter bunny and I could buy chocolates for my mom since it was her birthday the day before. I spent the rest of the night hanging out with my mom and doing homework.
Tuesday I didn't have anything until 4 that afternoon-and it was the handicraft class. So I hung around the house all day and skyped my friend Katie in the Netherlands for a few hours and talked to people on facebook as well. Then I went to the handicraft class and after that, my Ecuador Experience class which has now been moved to the hostel where my professor lives-it's really nice! Anyways, after that I just came home and did a little homework and studying I had left for the next day and just hung out all night.
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I had an interview for a work study at school on Tuesday morning via skype, so I got up a little early for that and then did some Spanish homework with my mom helping me and then went to my class at the hostel. We talked about a book we were reading and watched a movie for class and then I came home for lunch. I worked on some homework during the break and then had an optional meeting at 3 with my educational class. I went and we went to a famous ceramic artists' house/workshop for about an hour and then came home. I almost bought a vase but I figured I'd want it for myself, but I had nothing I could do with it for a few more years. I came home and did a bit more homework before skyping my real mom and dad and my friend. Afterward, I just went to bed.
Today (Wednesday), I had my last education class for this semester in the morning and my Spanish class. All I have to do for Education for the next week and a half is turn in 3 papers on Mon/Tues. After Spanish today, I went with another girl to get a hot dog for lunch and then I came home. The rest of the day I am just hanging out at home and doing my papers for education. Tomorrow I will have to go to out partner CEDEI school and be there almost the whole day-something I'm not really looking forward to. After that, I'll come home for lunch and then I have a meeting at 3 tomorrow for reverse culture shock and after that, my group is going out to eat at a really fancy restaurant here that only 2 or 3 of us have been to. It's out own little farewell dinner to each other. So I guess after that, I'll just go home and do some more homework. Friday I just have my Spanish class and after that I think nothing, so hopefully I'll just be finishing up my papers and hanging out with my family and friends.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Horseback Riding!
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Friday I woke up at 3am with the same feeling I had the morning before...I felt like I was going to throw up and my stomach was churning a lot and I was very weak. I went to wake up my mom to tell her I wasn't feeling good again because she told me to let her know if I needed anything. I think she felt bad for not knowing that I was home the day before, let alone not feeling well so she wanted me to get her for anything. Well, I don't know what I was expecting her to do for me at 3am but I went and woke her up anyways. She sent me back to my room while she went to go make me some drink. I was on my bed for about a minute or two before I stumbled to the bathroom and threw up. After cleaning up, my mom came in with a glass in her hand and sent me back to lie down in bed again. She told me to drink whatever in the glass, which I think was a homemade version of LemonFlu...it was disgusting. I took a few drinks and
took an ibuprofen before I couldn't drink any more and my mom left, leaving me to fall back asleep. My mom came back at 8 asking what time I had class and made me some tea. I drank it and fell back a sleep for a little bit longer and then went to school for Spanish class at 10:30. Mom told me that I should go to the doctor some time that day but I don't feel like paying a lot of money for tons of tests that will take a while to get results back for. Plus, I might have been okay after that since I threw up and got “the bad stuff out of me” as my mom had said. I spent the early afternoon in my room hanging out and watching a movie. Then I went to dance class and went out with a few girls afterwards before meeting up with another group at CEDEI and hanging out with them too. When they all went to the discoteca, I came home and finished watching my movie from the afternoon and went to bed.
Saturday I woke up just fine and went to our ceramics class. We went back to decorate our pots and I learned how to wax my pot using a rock! It was really long and boring but it was still interesting to learn. I was there for about two ours before I came home and hung out until about 7 or 8pm when I went to meet up with some of my friends for dinner and dessert. When I got home, my brother and I watched Avatar so I didn't fall asleep until about 2:30 or 3...bad choice.
I woke up early Sunday yet again for horseback riding! We met up at CEDEI at 9 and traveled for an hour by bus-van thing and, after getting lost a few times and asking directions, found the ranch. We all learned how to clean and prepare a horse for riding and then were matched up with our horses! At first, I wasn't too thrilled because I got paired up with a really sensitive horse because I have ridden horses before. Most everyone got horses for beginners and they all had really cool names like Gustav. My horse's name? 44. Clever. Anyways, after about 30 minutes into our 4 hour trail, however, the horse and I finally understood each other and we became best friends after that haha. Anytime I moved or shifted, it was like she was reading my mind because she knew what to do right away with me making hardly any movement and just talking to her. When we got back to the ranch, we ate lunch and were waiting around for a while so my friend and I asked to ride
horses again. This time, I got a different horse that another girl had. The horse was really nice and all but we didn't really connect well at all, she basically did anything I did not want her to do. After we got back to the ranch the second time, we got off and went over to milk cows. Yes, I milked a cow in
Ecuador...who can say that? After we all got to try, we went back to the van and drove back to Cuenca. When we got back, I came straight back to the house and hung out for a few hours before going to bed.
horses again. This time, I got a different horse that another girl had. The horse was really nice and all but we didn't really connect well at all, she basically did anything I did not want her to do. After we got back to the ranch the second time, we got off and went over to milk cows. Yes, I milked a cow in
Ecuador...who can say that? After we all got to try, we went back to the van and drove back to Cuenca. When we got back, I came straight back to the house and hung out for a few hours before going to bed.
Monday, we had to get up early to go to the other CEDEI school. We were going to help out with the disabled kids who went horseback riding in the morning! It was really fun because I got to know them a lot better and got to spend one on one time with a few of them. When that was finished, we went back to the school and talked with the director for a bit before we were able to come back home. I took a quick nap before eating and heading to afternoon class. It wasn't a very interesting day at all because I just went home after talking with Wallis and my mom on the phone.
Tuesday my morning Spanish class was canceled because the teacher was sick and then I just had an afternoon class and a meeting afterward. I spent some of the morning doing homework early and changing my return flight details. The afternoon class consisted of chatting for a bit about a book we are reading and talking about classes for next semester. After the meeting, which was about architecture in Ecuador, I went home and did homework for the rest of the night,
Wednesday I had classes from 8:30am until 4pm, starting late and getting out early so I guess I was okay with it. I also had lunch with my friends and so we went to a random restaurant and then went elsewhere to get ice cream afterward. Tonight we are meeting up with a girls' family and then going home after...and then packing! We are going to the beach this weekend! Some of us don't have any family stuff for Easter and don't have class tomorrow and classes for Friday were canceled so we're going to the beach! We're leaving at 6 in the morning tomorrow but I am okay with that since I get to spend a few days on the beach! Anyways, gotta go find this girl's lost parents! Adios!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Camping in Cajas!
On Monday it was just a work day for me-3 classes and doing homework all night. Tuesday I got to sleep in because I didn't have class until the afternoon, but I did have to get up to do some more work for my visa. All I had to do was go to a building and talk to a guy, get my picture taken, and pay over $200 so I can stay here legally...it almost doesn't seem worth it, I'd rather just stay illegally for one more month haha. Anyways, Wednesday I had three classes again and worked all night again. My group of friends and I also went out for lunch that day to a Mexican restaurant with a girl's family who was here last week. I sat next to the parents and chatted with them most of lunch.
Friday I got to sleep in a little bit as well, which was good because I got home late the night before. I walked one of the nursing students to the hostal again in the morning, then my first and only class of the day I had a test...in Spanish. I don't think I did too bad because I had studied before I went out and I remembered most of everything. I will see Wednesday how I did! After class, I went home and ate. I took a short nap and did a little homework before going to Supermaxi with a few girls from the group. We bought things for the weekend and snacks for at home as well. When we got back to our houses we had to hurry up and get ready for dance class so I packed as fast as I could for the rest of the night. When I got to dance class, guess who I saw? The girl's brother I had taught to salsa and we did salsa during class! So I got to see how much he remembered and he did really good for being taught by me! Haha anyways, afterwards we went to Pizza Hut to eat (figures) and went to another girl's house for a few hours to hangout. Then we went to a discoteca called Gabbie where we were for the next few hours dancing. But my brother was a little sick and so when he wanted to leave, I left with him. But it was a good thing anyways because we left at about midnight and stayed up talking until about 2.
Saturday I had to get up a little early because we went to Cajas to camp! On the way to the mountains, we passed by a car wreck where someone hit and killed a cow on the road. It's very possible they even totaled their car, so they had to have been speeding to do that. Anyways, when we got to the trail, we had to walk about a half mile before we could set up camp. We carried a bunch of stuff before arriving next to a lake. There were a bunch of people in the group who have never camped before so it was really interesting to be with them on their first trip, and we all had to set up the tents. As soon as that was done, we threw our unneeded stuff into it and started hiking. We didn't very far up the hill before my knees started to get really sore and start shaking so I walked back to camp by myself but I sent one of my friends with my camera so she could take pictures for me. I got back and ate lunch with the coordinator who went with us, then when she and a guide who stayed behind went to go nap, I went into the tent and started doing some homework I had brought with me. I eventually fell asleep reading a book for class and then would wake up, read a little more and then fall asleep again. This happened multiple times before I gave up trying to read it at all. It was starting to get really cold (it can get to freezing level in Cajas) and so I just added extra layers to my outfit and then heard the guide ask if I wanted some hot tea. I got some and talked to him and the coordinator and realized that the 3 hr. hike my group had gone on was extending to about 6 hrs! They still weren't back but just as I started wondering of they had gotten lost, they came over a hill towards camp. Everyone was tired and I just thought that I was lucky I hadn't gone because I would not have lasted that long at all. We ate homemade cream of asparagus soup, pasta with beef stew, and tea for dinner. Then the girls and I who had gone to Supermaxi the day before brought out our supplies for s'mores and shared with everyone. Most of the guides had never had s'mores before so it was really cool to teach them how to make them and everything. After talking for a bit, everyone climbed into tents and went to bed. My tent stayed up for a bit talking but then fell asleep, but it was only 9 so I wasn't too tired so I listened to music until I fell asleep.
Today, I only have two classes because my Spanish class is moved to Thursday. There is also a meeting going to start now so I have to go!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Just a Day, Just an Ordinary Day
Today, I had classes and a meeting but I don't think anything else is going on so I guess it's just working on homework tonight! There is still no internet at home so I either wait until I am at school to check email or I can always go up the street and pay less than a dollar for an hour on a computer with internet.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
There´s Sand in Places There Shouldn´t Be!
Portoviejo so we were worried it would be a bad day. Right when we got there it was cloudy and we figured the water might be a little cold so William, three girls in the group, and myself joined some locals playing soccer on the beach. It was so fun! Then when we finished because we were all tired, it was a little warmer so we went into the water for a while before lunch. We went to a nearby place for lunch because Will and Erin knew the owner. By the time we ate, it was sunny and warm on the beach so we went back for a few more hours to play in the water. When we had to leave, everyone was sad because we had so much fun and it was the first time we were on a beach in Ecuador. Also, we all got sunburned so we knew we would have a tan soon. We got on the bus and went to Portoviejo where Will and Erin made us dinner. That night, all the girls in the group except me went out with Will, but Erin and I watched a movie instead. The next morning, Will and Erin brought us to a restaurant down the street from their house for a brunch and when we got back to their apartment, it was time to pack up and prepare to leave. We waited outside for the private van we rented and said goodbye. Traveling in the van was not bad, but we were all excited to get home because we all smelled of sweat and salt (there was no running water in the apartment because it is rainy season there so the town shuts off the water). We were a little over an hour away from Cuenca when there was a landslide in the mountains! We waited three or four hours before it was cleared enough so our group could walk over the mess and get into another van on the other side of it. We got back to Cuenca late and all I did was unpack and go to bed.
because the volcanic rock we were walking on is so bad for grip and slippery and it hurt my knees more than anything else. The teacher from St. Ambrose and I walked back to where everyone left their bags and rested for a little bit before heading back down the volcano-which is soooo much easier. By the time we reached the base where we were left off, it was time to eat lunch so that is what we did. Then I crawled into the back seat of the bus/van that took us there and took a quick nap before the group got back, which was only 45 minutes or so later. From what I heard, I didn't miss much on the last leg of the trip and some people were even jealous that I left because they only saw rock. Once everyone got back, we went back to the hotel and we
Yesterday, we started classes for the new semester and so far it seems like my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays will be very crazy. I'll have class from 8am to 5pm those days with only a 2.5 hr break to go home and back for lunch. Tuesdays I have only one class and Thursdays I have no classes. However, because we are starting education classes this semester, we will be volunteering at the CEDEI school across town (grades Pre-K to 7th). I'm pretty sure my whole Thursday will be spent there and possibly part of my Tuesday as well just for fun. I am excited to get in the classroom and start helping out but I am also nervous because most of these kids are native Spanish speakers and despite their knowledge of both English and French as well, I am afraid that they may not know what I am saying half the time...guess this is where my Spanglish comes into play! Anyways, I think that is about all I have for news now. I will try my hardest to actually update this in a week ;) Chao!
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