The Lima Bean and Macho Pikachu

Peru was so awesome! In terms of sights, I love Peru so much better than Ecuador. Peru has prettier mountains-some of them even snow capped, and they have much more colors in general. In everything they sell, there are brighter colors and very few dull colors like black, brown, or gray. Since I can't really remember the days because everything was so pushed together, I'll just sum up what I do remember. Last Saturday we drove Guayaquil and spent the night. Sunday we flew to Lima and stayed the night there. Monday we flew to Cuzco. Tuesday we took a train to Aguas Calientes. Wednesday we went back to Cuzco. Thursday was a free day in Cuzco. Friday we flew to Lima. Saturday everyone went back to the U.S. and I returned to Ecuador. Ugh...so much traveling in one week! That's just traveling to different cities, it does not include any of the touring we did. Just about everyday we had a tour or walked through ruins plus waking up anywhere between 4 and 6 every morning and going to bed at 12 every night was not very fun.

I wish we could have had more time to sit around and relax but at the same time, I am happy we were able to go to all those different places in one week. I saw quite a few churches in Cuzco as well as some ruins near the city. On the way to Aguas Calientes, there were two more sets of ruins we saw along the way and we also stopped at a small alpaca and llama farm where you could actually pet all of them! We also had the chance to buy things made out of their fur but it was kind of expensive, in soles and dollars.

We also spent about a half day in Machu Picchu. It was amazing and pretty but also kind of boring. Not going to lie. It was cool to see things that other members of my group did not see because they were elsewhere but just in general, it just wasn't all that it seemed to be in my mind. While everyone else in my group climbed a mountain right next to it, called Huayanapicchu, I went and walked to places that very few people see-like Intipunku and the Inca draw bridge. I saw a whole different side to Machu Picchu than most people see and I loved it, although I do wish I could have seen it from the mountain like the rest of my group. They said it was very pretty but I'd say my view was really good too.

On our free day in Cuzco, we mostly just went around shopping as a group, some of us splitting off to find certain things and others staying together. One of the girls got a tatoo of a Chakana which ended up looking really cool. I also got my first ever massage-full body massage for an hour for about 7 U.S. dollars! It was amazing! And then I had Starbucks soon after so it was a great afternoon. We also had half a free day in Lima, but I didn't want to do much anything besides rest. Anyways, there was not much else I did. On Saturday I came back later than expected because there were plane technical difficulties but there was still a kind of after-party going on at home. So I hung out with my mom and my brother for a bit there, and then my brother and I left with our friend to hang out elsewhere for a few hours.

When we came back we watched a movie and then went to bed. Sunday I sat in the house all day with my family and watched movies. Yesterday I packed and hung out all afternoon until we went to CEDEI for a meeting-my family was getting another student! So I talked to her a bit and got to know her now. Today I am going with my mom to the spa all morning and then later on I might go get a manicure and pedicure with the new student. Tonight I am making the dinner-meatloaf, mashed potatoes, cucumbers, and oreo balls for dessert :) Tomorrow I will go visit CEDEI tomorrow and give my last goodbyes there as well as at home. Not quite sure what I'm doing specifically but I will probably just be hanging out with my family. Well, I guess that's it. That was my last blog. I had a great semester here in Ecuador. I met so many cool people and found another family in the southern hemisphere. I had tons of adventures I will never forget and so many memories were made. I am so happy I was able to come to Ecuador this semester and I want to thank everyone who helped me get to where I am now, especially my parents. Without them, I would not have gotten the chance to come here. Thank you so much! I will see you guys soon. Love you!

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!

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!

THURSDAY! I woke up crazy early (5AM) and got ready, woke up my brother and his friend, and then we hopped in a cab and went across town. We paid to get on our busetta and then left to go on a 3 hr ride to Guayaquil, going through Cajas-which ended up making someone in our group throw up...but after that it was fine the rest of the way to Guayaquil. In Guayaquil we got out at the busetta store and walked a few blocks to the airport, which also has a giant bus stop. We got on a public bus to go to Playas- a town on the coast. It was about an hour and a half drive there and when we got off, we found our hotel right away and went to the beach. It was a bit cloudy the first day and occasionally the sun would come out so it wasn't very sunny, but it was still warm. We were there all afternoon until it started getting dark so we went back to the hotel and got ready to go get food. We had empenadas for lunch that day and I had something called camaron apanadas-or shrimp. We hung out for the rest of the night and went to bed whenever we wanted, but most people were exhausted. One of the girl's sisters were coming down to visit for a week and they were meeting up with us at Playas but they never arrived until 2am :(

Friday we woke up about 9 or so and went to have breakfast at a small cafe a few blocks away. I thought it was really good but some people didn't enjoy it too much. We went to the beach for the rest of the day and only stopped to eat some more empenadas for lunch and when it got late and dark enough that we had to go back to our hotel. The waves on Friday were really good, not to hard but not too soft either-just enough to want to stay in the water most of the day. When we left the beach and went to a few stores along the shore, I ended up buying a dress for $10! I was hesitant to buy it at first but I kinda liked it and it was one of the only ones that fit me. That night we went out to eat at another place and had some empenadas again haha. It was so delicious though! Then we went back to the room and hung around for a while before we went out to a discoteca. It was a lot different than discotecas in Cuenca even, but it was still pretty fun.

We woke up about 8:30 or so on Saturday and went to have breakfast in the hotel's cafe. It was decent but not as great as the other food I had at other places, and it was kind of pricey for Ecuador. We were at the beach all day again except for lunch (more empenadas). The waves were really harsh that day but I still had some fun laying on the beach watching other people getting knocked over haha. JJ and I went to a Jamaican restaurant for lunch and had one of the best burgers and THE best lemonade we had ever had...for $3! Since it was just us, we went back to the hotel and another one of the girls who got sick that morning was in the bathroom so we went to the pool. When everyone came back, we went out to dinner-guess what? More empenadas!-and then went back to the hotel. We were having problems with the girl because she was so sick she was lying on the floor of the bathroom for a loooong time and said she was fine but, obviously, was not. We had all taken turns visiting her throughout the day to make sure she was alive but most of the time she was sleeping. She was worse so we kicked the guys outta the room and made a few arrangements. While everyone was working on a new set of plans I went and entertained the guys with videos I had on my computer and such because I felt bad for them. When the guys were allowed in again, we all finished getting ready to go out to eat at the same place we had Thursday night and I had the same meal. After a few hours, we went back to the hotel and went to bed.

Sunday morning the girl was still sick so we all left to eat breakfast/lunch in shifts. I had a hot dog with ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and pina (pineapple) sauce on it and a strawberry smoothie at like 10 in the morning! It didn't matter though because it was really good! When we got back to the hotel, everyone finished packing and we left for Cuenca the same way we got there. It took a few hours-and eating a late lunch in the Guayaquil bus station/airport-but we got home eventually. I got home and did what little homework I thought I would try to get ahead in and then went to bed. I was exhausted from the weekend!

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.

Wednesday I had my two education classes again and my Spanish class-which I had a test in. Well, I found out just recently that no one did very well on that test but it's okay because that was one of the hardest ones I felt she has given thus far in the semester. Anyways, we had a group lunch that day so we went to a place nearby and they had some empenadas (I was and am still so sick of so many empenadas since the Playas weekend) and I had a hot ham and cheese sandwich with some ice cream, but that didn't fill us up so we went to a hot dog place afterward too! After my afternoon class I just came home and starting writing a paper that was due on Friday. I spent the rest of Wednesday in my room for the most part working on homework and talking to people on the internet.

Thursday I had nothing to do at all that day because we didn't have to go to our partner school, so I spent all day at home! I barely even left my room except to eat because it was kind of dreary and rainy outside so I didn't want to walk around or anything. That night I did go to a club with my brother and a few of my friends because it was free entrance and they were playing electronic music so I figured it'd be kinda fun. Well, it wasn't all that great but I did get to meet some people from Australia in the club! I loved their accents! haha

Friday I woke up early to go to the police migration office in Cuenca right when it opened, so I was there for a total of a half hour. After that, because it was so early and nice outside, I walked all around Cuenca by myself and took pictures and bought souvenirs for people. I felt like I did so much that day but I really didn't, maybe walked like 3 miles and spent money haha. Anyways, I came home for lunch and hung out with my family all afternoon before going to my first professional soccer game ever! :) I was definitely a happy camper that night! The cost to get into the game was $15 for general seating and then we went and ate at this really good hamburger place that one of the girls had been to before. That was really cool too! Afterward, I just came home because I needed to get ready for our day trip the next day.
Saturday we left at about 8am from CEDEI and we went to a reserve about 2 hours or so from Cuenca...which meant going through Cajas again. Luckily, no one got sick or threw up. Anyways, it was a trip no one was really looking forward to at all but it turned out pretty good. We met our guide and took a 2hr boat ride through some mangroves before meeting back up near our van. Then, we drove a little farther and got out to hike and find monkeys. It didn't take very long at all and we found some howler monkeys in the trees. One of the coordinators and I began monkey searching by ourselves-she 'talked' or howled at the monkey and I would listen and try to figure out where he was from where the sound was. It was really cool because we saw about 5 males, 2 females, and 2 babies-they were really cute! Anyways, we came back to Cuenca afterward and went to a friend's house and had a BBQ that consisted of hot dogs, baked mac n' cheese, and brownies. After that, I came home and went to bed because I was tired.

Sunday my mom came in and told me soon after I woke up that we were going to a restaurant to eat lunch, so I said ok. No more details than that, but I thought it was kind of odd because we never go out to eat as a family. Anyways, we get to this place in the middle of no where and I see the car of my aunt and uncle and I realized, 'oh, my whole family is eating here with us.' Well, when I walked in, one of the waitresses asked if I wanted to look in the kitchen, so I said sure, why not? I didn't realize what was going on until I looked what was cooking over some open fires-cuy! My mom then asked if I had cuy before, and I had once in Saraguro, but I didn't like it there at all. She reported that to my aunt and my aunt told me that we would get chicken too just in case I didn't like it, so I was okay with that. Well, the whole family sits down and we get our food 10 minutes later-cuy, yuca, arroz, maize, ensalada, y lentejas (guinea pig, yuka is kind of like a potato, rice, corn, salad, and lentils). Well, turns out this guinea pig was so much better than the first one and I really liked it! I ate so much and we literally ate food straight for about an hour. Anyways, when everyone was leaving, my brother and I wanted to go shopping for some food I would make later that night so we went to the store and grabbed anything I would need. When we got back, everyone was as my grandparent's house so we went there and hung out for about an hour before I needed to come back and start making food. One of my friends came over and was going to help me make the dinner so she and I started right away. We slaved away for a few hours in the kitchen making meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and Oreo balls and Ritz sandwiches dipped in chocolate for dessert. My family really enjoyed the Oreo balls and they said the potatoes and meat loaf was really different, but everyone was still really full from cuy that they couldn't really enjoy the full meal. After eating, I stayed up with my friend for a while as she did her homework and then I went to bed after she left.

Monday I had my education classes again and my Spanish class. After all my classes, I came home and then my mom and I left to go get my haircut! I got my hair cut, thinned, dyed, layered, and the lady even gave me coffee and a roll while I was waiting for the dye to finish all for $10! Whoa! I really like that store. We got home and my mom and I decided to go to a dance therapy that was in a park near us but when we got there, no one was there so we just picked up my sister from the grandparent's house and went home. My mom was starting to make dinner right away so I asked if I could make some cucumber salad for them and she was okay with it, so I made it and she LOVED it! She just kept eating more and more of it and my brother hates all veggies so he thought they were ok, but better than a lot he's had to eat before. I did some homework after dinner and went to bed.

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. 

I only have a week and a half here in Cuenca before we head to Peru for 10 days. After that, everyone is flying back to the U.S. but I decided to come back to Cuenca for a few more days and celebrate the First Communion of my host sister. AH! Time went by soooo fast and I'm just starting to realize it! I am excited to go back and see everyone in the States, but at the same time I want to stay here all summer and hang out with my family before going back to school. Oh well, my host brother will probably come visit me in August. Plus, I am planning on coming back in the future to teach English during the summer at CEDEI and maybe I could live with my family again. Chao!

Horseback Riding!

Monday I only had one class at 8 am because my Spanish teacher had a funeral to go to and then my 3 pm class was canceled because Jillian wasn't going to come to class. (by the way, on Monday her eye was still really swollen.) So since we had walked to class for 3 o'clock, another girl and I went to get ice cream instead and then walked home slowly. I did most of my homework that night so I wouldn't have to do much the rest of the week.

Tuesday I just had one class again and it was at my teacher's apartment which is closer to me than school. So I got to sleep in longer and then go to watch a movie called Evita, which is pretty good considering it's a musical and it's nonfiction. Then I came home and ate lunch before going out with my brother for a while. We just kind of looked around different stores for a while because we weren't looking for anything specific. Then he had to go to class so I wandered around for a few hours by myself before coming home. I did a little bit more homework and then watched movies for the rest of the night.

Wednesday I had two education classes and one Spanish class. I also had lunch with my group and we went exploring to this restaurant in the middle of nowhere. It was alright, but I just wasn't very hungry so I didn't enjoy it as much. When we were done with regular classes, we had a conference about Andean music and musical instruments. It was in Spanish so I didn't understand everything that was said, but I think I got the gist of it. There wasn't much we learned that I didn't already know because most of the Andean instruments are different variations of instruments in the States. After the meeting was over, the lady let us try to play a lot of the instruments she brought and so I tried multiple ones; the speaker told me that I should be in a band here because I could play a lot of the different kinds of flutes. After that, one of my friends walked home with me and we hung around the house for a bit before watching a movie. After she left, I did a tiny bit of homework due Friday and then went to bed.

Thursday morning I woke up to get ready for observing at CEDEI but I didn't feel good at all. My stomach was churning and I felt like I might throw up but I never did. I was really weak and shaky but I thought that if I stood up for a while to get ready I would feel better, but it only got worse. When Jillian called me asking if I was on the bus, I just told her that I didn't feel well and might come later. I took some vitamin and minerals and an ibuprofen and went back to bed, not waking up until a few hours later at 11. Well, I felt so much better but it was obviously too late to go to CEDEI so I just never went. I spent the rest of the day in my room doing homework and working ahead and I watched a movie before I fell asleep.

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.

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!

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.

Thursday I went to the sister CEDEI school and observed for a few hours. I caught a public bus in the morning with two other girls also observing from the group and we ended up taking the bus the wrong way! So instead of taking 30 minutes to get to school, it took 1.5 hours! However, when we got there, there wasn't much to do because I had a substitute teacher who didn't know much of what to do. She had taught at the school a few years ago so she knew most of the kids but the regular teacher didn't give her much instruction on what to do so we ended up just talking and playing with the kids for most of the class. Also, the school had off Friday and the kids were all hyped up so it was really hard to keep their attention. The other two Ambrose girls and I decided to leave earlier than we originally planned because our classes where we were observing weren't doing anything really. I came home and had lunch with my family before going over to Jillian's house later to help with her cheerleading tryout video. I was there for most of the afternoon before coming home and looking for an internet cafe around my house so I could skype mom and dad but everywhere was wither closed or didn't have wifi/skype. I didn't much appreciate that because I haven't talked to them for a month I think. Anyways, I came back home and ate with my family before getting ready to go out. My brother and I met up at a hostal with one of the girls in my group and her family, along with a group of nursing students from Ambrose here for two weeks. After talking and playing cards for a little bit, we went to a club called Black. It's really cool because it has an airplane as part of the discoteca and you have to walk through that to get to the main part of the building. After we were there for a few hours, we went to a place called Lush where it was part bar and part dance floor. I had a lot of fun that night because I taught 4 or 5 people how to salsa, including the girl's brother! And also I got to know a few of the Ambrose girls who I did not otherwise know because they are all seniors.

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.

Sunday, I ended up waking up for at least 15 min at 4:30 in the morning with everyone in my tent because I didn't feel tired anymore, but also because we had a problem. One of the girls' eyes had swollen shut! After a while of her freaking out about it and taking some Benedryl and talking a bit, we all fell back asleep. We got a wake-up call about 6:30 so we could get ready to eat breakfast. The girl's eye was still swollen shut, possibly worse but we couldn't tell because we didn't see it much earlier. It could have possibly been from a bug bite along her hairline but we weren't sure. We also found out that a girl from the other tent had been sick during the night and threw up every few hours. The guides made us breakfast and so we had bacon, eggs, fruit, yogurt, tea, and frosted flakes. It was delicious! We then hurried up and packed everything back into out bags and took down tents. By the time some of us started bringing things back to the road where our van would pick us up, it was already 8:30. We reached the road and threw everything into the trunk and left as soon as we could. Everyone was cold and wet and we just wanted to come back to Cuenca. When we got back, we all went back to our houses. I came home and said hi to my mom before jumping in the shower. When I got out, my mom, brother, and I went to the market to buy meat, fruit, and other groceries. We came back home and had lunch then I started doing homework. As soon as I started reading again, though, I fell asleep for a few hours. I knew I had gotten plenty of sleep, but I didn't know that it was not good quality sleep at all from the weekend. Anyways, I woke up from my nap and did a little bit more homework before dinner and then going to bed.

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!

Just a Day, Just an Ordinary Day

This week on one hand seemed to go by so slow but when I look at it now, it went by at a pretty decent pace. On Monday we started our new classes for the semester and also had our weekly meeting. We talked about how next week (well, now this week) we are going to do more visa application things so it will get pretty hectic around here is my guess...and lots of dinero to pay :( Anyways, on Monday morning our education class was pushed back a half hour because we arrived late on Sunday night. We were going to go over our syllabus and everything online in our class but the wifi was not working anywhere in the school so we went to a cafe called Coffeetree about two blocks away and had coffee and breakfast (or at least I did). Mmmm...they have awesome moccachinos and omelet sandwiches. Anyways, we went over our syllabus using the wifi there and then talked about our class in the afternoon as well, so we pretty much got done with two classes in a two hour period which I was totally okay with. Then when we came back we had Spanish and after that, another education class. I had only a half hour of class before we were done because we had started going over it in the morning.

Tuesdays I only have a 10:30am class and then we also had our first cooking class! I'm not sure what the teacher's name is because she hardly talks at all except to tell us what she is adding and telling us what to cut. If all the classes will be the same as this last one was, I'm not sure if I will really learn anything because she made everything herself and we just cut things into pieces and watched her add ingredients according to sight. Either way, it was really good when we got to eat it later.  I stayed at school for a few hours with people because that night the other two Ambrose girls and I were having dinner with our President Sr. Joan at an Italian place nearby called La Vina...it's really good! Sr. Joan paid for our meal and, because she had so many extra 5's with her, gave us each $25 dollars for us to do whatever we wanted!

Wednesday I just had classes like normal and I also met a few girls from the SAU nursing program who are here for two weeks. For lunch, a few of my friends and I went out for lunch at a Columbian cafe that we have never tried before. Wednesday might become our new lunch day with everyone but it's not for sure yet. Anyways, after my last class at 3, we all went to a girl's house to watch a movie. It was called Los Ojos de Julia (The Eyes of Julia), which is a horror movie. It was really funny because all of the girls who went except for me were actually scared during the movie and some even screamed a few times, but me and my brother just laughed at the 'scariest' parts...and at the screamers haha. I had warned them that I would laugh during the movie but they didn't believe me but they felt better that they could squeeze my hand when they thought it was getting scary and I wouldn't mind. Oh, that is also when I had this really awesome empenada for dinner. It had carne (meat), queso (cheese), and salsa and it was so good I could have had more than one just because it tasted good, not because I was hungry. Thursday morning we went to the smaller CEDEI school to figure out schedules for placement and who we would be placed with and such. We were only in the classroom for an hour but I could tell there was a huge difference between an American classroom and an Ecuadorian classroom. The teacher I am paired with and is really nice, last year she was a roommate of one of our coordinators at my CEDEI. Anyways, she's really awesome and she teaches English while I am there on Thursdays so it won't be a communication problem with the students because she has a rule that they can only speak English in the class. I am also deciding if I will go in on Tuesdays to participate in a theatre class in the early morning. Since Thursdays I don't have any class, I figured out how and when to get off the public bus so I can walk home for lunch. Then a friend came over that night and we watched Moulin Rouge on my computer and it was really fun because I haven't seen it for so long. Friday I don't have education classes so I just went in for Spanish class and later on for dance class, after which we went to a restaurant to eat and then to my house to hang out. Most people in the group still hadn't seen my new house so I gave them a tour and we spent most of the night listening to music, talking, and dancing-yes dancing-on the roof.

Saturday we had a ceramics class at 9 am and I was really excited to go because I haven't done pottery since high school and I loved it. So I ran to CEDEI before meeting up with everyone and taking a taxi to the pottery place. We all got to make one pot-or two if the first one was bad-and by that time our hour was up. Then I ran back home and hung out for most of the day. We went to my grandparent's house for lunch because my mom wasn't home. I think that it was the one-year anniversary of someone's death in the family and I think someone else just recently died as well so she was at the cemetery and funeral home or something. Anyways, I did a bunch of homework and took a nap before going to another friend's house to hang out before they went out. I didn't feel like going out so I was just at the house talking with everyone for a few hours before they left and then I took a taxi home. When I came home, everyone was in their rooms so I just said hi to my mom and told her I was home, then came to my room and did a little reading for homework before going to bed.

Yesterday I woke up mid-morning and started working on homework. I got most of it done before we had lunch outside like a picnic in our yard. Then we went to my grandparent's house in the afternoon like we always do on Sundays and stayed there for a few hours with the extended family. Then I came home and did some homework before eating some dinner and going to bed.

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.

There´s Sand in Places There Shouldn´t Be!

So sorry to not write for a long time...it's been so crazy here! Anyways, Ill write about the last few weeks. The last two weeks in February flew by really fast. I had so much homework along with a few trips and meetings we had to go to. One weekend we went to a town called Portoviejo because there was a friend of a girl in the group who lived there and he said we could stay with him and go to the beach one day. So we met them on a Friday night and talked for a while, spent all day Saturday at a beach about an hour away, and left Sunday afternoon. However, it was all worth it! We spent the first night just getting to know each other and then Saturday morning, the friend (William) and his girlfriend (Erin) made us breakfast before getting us all prepared for the beach. We went to a bus station about 10 blocks from their house and bought tickets to go to the beach. When we arrived it was so nice and warm...it had been raining in 

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.

That same week my family and I were moving to another house, but it is only a few blocks from the old one. That entire week there was a lot of moving around and packing/unpacking and lots of confusion. For the longest time, I could not find my computer charger and a few of my shoes, otherwise I had everything. So I had one pair of shoes I had to wear everywhere-thankfully I didn't need another one in that time. The only other problem I had was not getting a lot of laundry dirty because we did't have a washing machine hooked up...we still don't actually. The moving is also why I was not able to keep this updated. In the new house, there is still no internet but my mom says we are supposed to get it soon. I don't mind much except for when I actually need to use it but there is an internet cafe a block from here that I used when I really needed it. The new house is a lot bigger and I love it! It's made of almost all wood so it's very creaky but I don't mind because it is kind of like my house at home then. I also have a balcony that is connected to a bunch of other apartments behind our house and it also goes on top of our house so I can go up and see most of the city during the day and a bunch of stars at night if it's clear. I love it! I liked the old house too but this one I like a lot but in a different way...but I can't say which one I like more.

We had a meeting to talk about our upcoming trip to the Galapagos for spring break and we visited Museo de las Conceptas, which is basically a convent with part of it turned into a museum. It was very different seeing something like that on the inside, but then again they said it was renovated to become a museum. They had many ancient, spiritual oil paintings of various saints and other things found in old churches like an entire altar. We were also shown antique objects found in convents a long time ago and small replicas of the Nativity...one of them being about the length of possibly two couches and about half as wide! This entire time we are visiting the museum, the nuns are in a closed off part of the building, which can only be opened from their side. Once you become a nun in that place, you no longer see anyone outside of the convent. The only time they come through the door connecting the closed-off part and the public area is at night when everyone is gone to take care of the gardens that are in the middle of the open spot. In the olden days, sending your daughter to this convent was a sign wealthiness and honor. Sometimes, these girls were sent as young as seven or eight. Today, however, the convent accepts only women willing to enter and I believe the youngest one there is nineteen or so.

We also went to a zoo (which are very rare in Ecuador) for our biology class. We saw a bunch of the animals that we talked about in class which was really cool. Our teacher used to house these animals before the zoo was established so she knew all the animals' names and some even recognized her voice when she called them. We also went to an orchid garden for this class where we saw a bunch of orchids  in different stages. However, they didn't just grow orchids, it was pretty much a huge garden and there were so many varieties of flowers.

The first weekend in March, we went to a town called Giron. Here, we visited a waterfall (or chorrera in Spanish) that was so huge! Last year at this same waterfall, there was a young boy who died here because he fell while going off the trail a little bit. This boy was actually the nephew of a girl's host father in my group and so I feel like our group was very careful here. The part of the waterfall we went to falls about half or three-fourths of the length of a mountain. A few girls and I were gutsy enough to step onto the bridge about a hundred feet from the base of the waterfall and stand there. Only one of the guides and myself went to the other side of the bridge but no further. The day we went, the water was especially rough because of the amount of rainfall they had just had in the area. When you stepped onto the bridge, you were pelted with water and tons of wind and if you weren't careful, you could have been blown away. After the waterfall, we went to a hostal about ten minutes from a nearby town and just enjoyed the outdoor pool they had there (there are hardly any pools in Ecuador). Everyone stayed for about two hours, but a few other girls and myself decided to spend the night and have a day to relax. So we stayed around the pool for a few more hours and then we were going to go exploring and take pictures. However, when we were ready to start walking around, the workers closed the front gates-preventing us from going anywhere but inside the walls. So instead we found a soccer ball and field and started playing. Half of the field was so muddy and holey and the other half was dry and rocky but I was the only one who had problems with it because I kept falling over everything! After about two hours of playing and a worker joining us for a while, dinner was going to be served. I was so full of mud that I had to have someone come with me back to our room and unlock/open everything so I could take a quick shower and change before I ate. That night we went back to our rooms and talked for a while and then went outside to look at the stars because some people had never really seen them before. The next morning we woke up a little early and ate breakfast before sitting out at the pool a little bit more. We packed up and found our own way to Cuenca by using public transportation for the first time ever (for me)! When I got home I unpacked and studied for my Spanish final the next morning and started a final paper due that Tuesday.

Last Tuesday we left for Guayaquil for the first part of our trip to the GALAPAGOS ISLANDS!!! When we got to Guayaquil we got to our hotel and settled for a few minutes before going on a tour that lasted about an hour and a half. On the tour, the president of St. Ambrose joined us for the first time in her few weeks' stay in Ecuador with our group. The tour only went a few blocks because the city is so huge and it was getting dark so we quit. We were able to go wherever we wanted for dinner that night so two girls and I went to an Asian place nearby and everyone else stayed in the hotel restaurant. The next day we met up with an education teacher from St. Ambrose and got on a plane and flew to the island of Balta, took a bus to a dock, took a ferry across a strait, and then we were on Santa Cruz. We took another bus to a place where 

tortoises roam free for an acre would be my guess. We then jumped back on the bus and went to a town nearby and settled into what would be our hotel for the night. By then it was almost lunch so we had to drop everything off and then go to a restaurant about a block away. After eating, we went to a Charles Darwin exhibit where we saw lots of finches and turtles. We saw how the tortoises are raised by humans artificially (so as to help make the population bigger). Here is where we also saw Lonesome George, the last remaining tortoise of his kind from Pinta Island. He didn't do anything for the most part, he just kind of sat off in the corner sleeping for most of the time we were there and right when we were about to leave he woke up and started eating. Not very exciting but I can say I've seen him. On our walk back to the hotel, there were shops along the way, which would be the only time this entire trip we could but souvenirs but there wasn't much in them that I would want. I swam in the pool with another girl in my group for about an hour and then we went to dinner at the same restaurant as earlier. When we got back, I went swimming for a bit by myself before hanging out in someone else's room for a few hours and then going to bed.

We woke up early the next morning and went to another dock to get on a boat for a few hour boat ride to reach Floriana Island where we would spend about half the day. On this boat ride is when I found out that I can get sea sick if I don't watch out (don't worry I didn't actually throw up, just got nauseous). On Floriana, we went on a hike to see the island, which happens to be where the first people settled on the Galapagos. We saw where pirates had hidden their treasure, where there was a fresh spring that we actually drank from, and other sorts of ancient life on the island. When we returned to the dock, we got back in the boat and went off the coast a little bit where we snorkeled for the first time. This was my first time snorkeling and I thought it was awesome! I saw lots of different kinds of colorful fish, a ray, a blow fish, and lots of sea turtles! I wasn't supposed to touch them but I did accidentally touch two but they didn't seem to mind. We snorkeled for at least an hour before getting back in the boat and going to Isabella Island, which is the biggest island in the Galapagos. Along the way, we drove by Tortuga Island where there were lots of different birds flying around. When we docked at Isabella, we unloaded and went to our hotel for the rest of the stay. We quickly dropped everything off and did a quick hour-long visit to the beach which was only a few blocks away. We returned only to eat and watch a little bit of a movie before going to bed for another early start.

There was a 7 am wake up call with breakfast soon after. We also had to pack a lunch supplied by the hotel, which was two tuna sandwiches, apple, juice box, and a candy bar. We drove about 45 minutes to a trail, at the time I didn't know what we were doing. However, after a 2 hour hike up a hill I figured it out. We were on a volcano...and an active one at that! The last explosion was in 2005 or 2006 but it is still very dangerous there. It was the biggest volcano on the Galapagos, a shield volcano if you know what that is. It was about 19 kilometers around the rim of it, but thankfully we didn't travel all around the rim...only about 5 km haha. I didn't realize until halfway through this hike that it would be a 16 km hike round-trip with only a lunch break. Surprisingly, the hike was almost like any other hike through nature except it was extra hot because we were by the equator and the rocks on the ground were different because they were volcanic rock. There was a lot of green everywhere with birds and bugs, but no any animals that I could see. Anyways, we traveled almost the whole way one way before we stopped for a short break and a few people thought it was lunch...it was only 10am and we don't eat lunch in Ecuador until 1:30 or so! We continued on past our lunch spot but left our bags and lunches and then we came to this place where it was what you would think a volcano looks like. Hardly any plant life in sight, lots of rock, and even more hot. Our guide was showing us holes in the ground and explained that they were lava tunnels and we even got to crawl through one! It's hard on your hands though, I wouldn't suggest doing it unless you have protection on your hands and knees if you want to use them and also some band-aids. We walked a little further and the guide showed us some holes where there was hot air from the lava escaping from the earth. I felt it and it was very hot and I didn't even stick my hand in all the way! At this point, my knees were really hurting from the hike so I asked how much we were going to be walking before lunch and the guide said at least another hour and a half. I decided to turn back 

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 

had the decision to rest for a little bit and either got see flamingos and then go to the beach or just go to the beach. My roommate and I decided to just go to the beach because the flamingos were not in mating in season-in which case they dance for one another-so they would have just been like any other flamingos. We were at the beach for about an hour before the group and guide joined us again. The guide showed us the area where there was a bunch of marine iguanas and then we returned back to the beach for a few hours before dinner. After dinner, the guide had told my roommate, Rachel, that there were soccer games that were always played at night on a field right next to the beach so we decided to go and see if we could play. There was a game being played when we got there, but it was two men's teams playing. We watched the whole game before we played for a little bit by ourselves afterward with some random person's ball. After Rachel juggled the ball a few times, a guy came up and told us to come again the next night at 7:30 and play so we said we would. A little bit later, Rachel began shooting on me and a girl came up and asked if we wanted to play so we said yes. We played for about an hour and a half with a family that didn't know any English and we didn't know much Spanish so it was interesting in the communication sense, but it was still really fun. It was guys vs. girls and there was a little boy who kept attacking me and Rachel but he was so small that I thought I was going to run him over and hurt him if I didn't let him take the ball and he kept slide tackling Rachel so she let him take it too. However, the older boys were fun to play against because they were really good but Rachel showed them up with all of her moves and I just had fun because I got to slide tackle once and they were amazed that I did haha. It was a game just for fun but it was also a little competitive so it made it even more fun.

The next morning it was another early wake-up call. We ate breakfast before getting on a boat to a little place off the coast. We were shown a bunch of different kinds of iguanas and we even had the chance to see baby sea lions! Then we went snorkeling elsewhere and I saw a bunch of more fish, a lot that were similar to the ones in Finding Nemo, and I saw a ray that was as big as my arms stretched out. I swam with sharks and with a few sea lions too! We were snorkeling for two hours and then went back to the dock where we walked a little ways to a mangrove on the coast and the group snorkeled again there. However, I was feeling a little sea sick so I just swam a little bit when I felt better and took pictures. We went back to the hotel for lunch. We had a short break before we went on another trip to a place called the Wall of Tears. Basically, it was the remains of the wall that kept people prisoners who built the wall themselves. On the way back, we stopped at a big lava tunnel and a small part of the beach before going back to the hotel. We ate dinner quickly and then

 Rachel and I went to the soccer field to find out of we could play or not. We watched some little kids finish their game, watch the two men's teams play each other again, and then while we were practicing after that game, we were asked to play in the next game-which was a women's game. Now if you don't know, it is very rare for women to play soccer in Ecuador so we were impressed that they had two teams on this island. We played for different teams so it was competitive for us. The first half I was placed as a forward but then the coach realized that I had no idea what I was doing after a while so in the second half he put me as goalie. Rachel and I had a lot of fun and were told that the next game was on Tuesday...they didn't realize that we were tourists. So we said that we would be in Cuenca and would not be able to come back. Now I can say that I was asked to be on an Ecuadorian team...technically a Galapagian team and that I could have stayed on it my whole life because there were women played that looked like they were in their 30s or 40s. We left the field sad because we couldn't stay and be on a team and also disappointed that no one from our group came to watch us play even though we told them about it multiple times. (Therefore, no pictures)

Sunday, we woke up extra, extra early...meaning at 4:50am because someone knocked on our window to wake us up before our alarms at 5. Anyways, we hurried up and did last minute packing before getting in our truck/taxi to the dock where they checked our luggage and then we climbed into a boat. We went a little bit over 2 hours in a boat from Isabella to Santa Cruz, then on a bus across Santa Cruz, the ferry back across the strait from Santa Cruz to Balta, then a bus from the dock to the airport, flew to Guayaquil, and took a van from Guayaquil to Cuenca. All of this between 5:30am and 10pm...not fun at all. We only stopped in Santa Cruz for breakfast, Guayaquil for a late lunch, and a bathroom break in-between Guayaquil and Cuenca. I got home at 10:45 on Sunday night and unpacked everything before going to bed.

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!