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!