Nearing the end...

First let me apologize for not blogging this past month. So much has happened, and then I get overwhelmed writing in my journal AND on here, so.. fail. Forgive me. Trips to Inca ruins, to waterfalls, to Baños, to the rainforest, conversations with my sisters, drivers ed classes with Lili, laughs with my papi, first time ever in a discotec, walking in the pouring rain with a huge Amazon leaf as an umbrella- all of that I will have to tell you in person when I get home.

It's raining outside... and guess what. Last night there was a huge beetle-like bug in my room. And I called in my brother to kill it... oh Ecuador. :)

I have 17 days left in Cuenca, and many thoughts are beginning to come with the pending departure. For one, I'm getting tired of not having any kind of fixed job or schedule- I'm truly on vacation here. No more English classes. No homework. No gym membership. No car to get places. Back to a place of dependence. Those things are tough. But I try to make the most of my free moments in the house, and looking forward to being in the Word more these last few days. Talking to my Dad and Jared the other day made me miss them a lot, and long for the familiar things that I've been lacking. However, I think of leaving my family here, and the Ortiz family (cousins and all) and my heart hurts. So so much. And I think about returning to my full full life back home, with all of its responsibilities, and that too makes me cringe. But I have to continue to grow up, move on, and advance in my studies and career and faith... just as I have grown in different ways being here this summer. More on that later.

I think I'll post one more time before I go... or at least I will try. Keep me in your prayers- I'm feeling spiritually dry and weak and lacking motivation to seek the Lord. But yet He is near. Pray also that I would not think about leaving, but concentrate on the present and on blessing everyone around me.

And so begins the second half...

Today is a clean-the-house-stay-in-pijamas-till-the-afternoon kind of day. Guido Adrian is outside sweeping the patios, Lili's playing with 1yr old Emily, the 3rd grandchild, Andrea is resting (suffering a brutal migrane), and Guido and Nancy mis papas are out shopping. I just finished washing all the dishes from desayuno by hand (there is a lavadora but it does not work...). Breakfast was fried eggs, coffee, and balls of squished plantains and butter.

This is the 2nd half of my stay in Cuenca, and things are going to look very different from here on out for several reasons. Last week I finished up with my students- one of them had his visa interview in Guayaquil last week and he passed it! It made me happy to know that he did well. Anyway, this means that I no longer have a set job to do here. So that means I've got to fill my time with something else. There are a few more museums left to see, and some more trips I want to plan to see more of Ecuador. I'm praying for more opps to serve ppl while I'm here- many are eager to master English. Yesterday I stayed in the house all day until about 5pm and could not bear it- I had nothing to do!

The house is more lively with Lili here, and I'm so glad she's here as well. She's still adjusting to the strangeness of coming home after being gone for 11 months, but, you'd be amazed at the difference it makes to have a girl close to my age in the house now. I'm excited to meet her friends as well.

Last night I hung out with a sweet sweet girl exactly my age that I met the first or second week here. She literally walked up to me in the park as I was reading and wanted to ask me questions in English for an English project in the U. By the time she left, we had exchanged numbers and last night we FINALLY got to hang out. We walked arm in arm around Cuenca, and stopped in Frutelados to have coffee and dessert. She comes from a conservative, Christian (not Catholic) family as well, and we have several things in common. What a blessing- a female friend! And I can't get over how welcoming people are here. She probably invited me to 3 different events while we were together. I hope to spend more time with her these last few weeks.

Now off to do... something! Sending my love. Chao.

Water Crisis Averted.

The title refers to the fact that we were without water for almost a week in the house. Basically it was even less luxurious than camping- we heated up big pots of water on the stove and bathed in such a fashion. It isn't all that bad though, really!

This past weekend I went to the beach with a lovely family that is hosting the other American boy who is here. It takes about 6-7 hours to get there. The single road to Guayaquil wound its way through fields of banana trees and rice fields. We stopped at a Chinese restaurant in Guayaquil. I see why they call it the Miami of South America. I've never been to Miami, but I definitely thought that it was the most American-city-like city I've seen yet, palm trees and all. The beach we arrived at, called Salinas, was not warm by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the beach. We stayed on a naval base which made it even better- very few people were around us. It was nice to get away. Pero que pena (what a shame) that I had to be in Ecuador for the coldest months... I'm kissing my summer tan goodbye as of this instant.

What else has happened... well, Luke and I took 2 mornings this week to do some museum-visiting in Cuenca. We went to the Modern Art Museum, which I definitely enjoyed. I miss making art... oh I wish I had my paint and markers here with me! I'll have to buy some... We also went to a mini-zoo and saw some turtles (shout out to the TERPS!), tiny little poison arrow frogs, and way-too-big snakes. *shiver* ...I really don't like snakes.

We visited this incredibly wild house that's a self-proclaimed museum of "extreme art." It basically consisted of many strange paintings and skulls and statues and gargoyles for decoration. There were arms and bodies of manikins hanging from the ceiling. Not quite my taste, but definitely piqued my interest, and was the last thing I would expect to find in Cuenca. The Cuencanos don't like it, because it's so counter-conservative. But my travel guide is written by Americans, thus... we checked it out.

The Hat Museum was my favorite of the week. Inside a man named Efriam took us around the factory and showed us how the Panama hat was born. AND I'll have you know that they are only called PANAMA hats because the workers on the canal used them as they were building the canal, since the hats were shipped to Panama from Cuenca and exported the rest of the world from there. They come from CUENCA. It could take 4 months for a chola cuencana to make one of these hats, woven from grass. There I am above hugging a lovely manikin wearing a dress made of Panama hat brims. Dad, I'm going to get you a hat, but I don't know your head size!??

Also, yesterday I had the privilege of meeting another gringita! She's from Colorado, and was studying in Peru for a year and now traveling throughout South America. She's traveling alone- HOW BRAVE. So she came to Cuenca yesterday and Julio and I picked her up and brought her out to lunch. Then she and I walked around the Centro as I tried my best to point out the colonial beauty that is Cuenca. How awesome it felt to walk around without a map in my hand! I know the streets now, without getting lost. Practically a native... aside from the hair and eyes. I got along very well with the girl (Brooke)- it was as if we had known each other for years- and very much wished I could travel with her, but she was leaving that very night. Sigh. But what a blessing to meet a friend from the US, and break some yuca bread and slurp some naranjilla-flavored yogurt with her. She has pictures of us on her camera, or else I would post one...

And today arrived the last Bustos daughter, Liliana. She lived in Wisconsin this past year to learn English, and she returned to Ecuador this afternoon. She is wonderful, sweet, and joyful and I'm so glad she's here! It's been fun to hear about what she thinks of our American customs and how she adjusted, especially concerning the bad food we eat over there... oh boy. :) This weekend is going to be a weekend of celebration of her arrival- on Sunday family and friends will flock to the house to welcome her home.

I'm still very much in love with Ecuador. The Lord is blessing my trip immensely. I feel like crying when I think of leaving it.

Catch-up: Exactly 4 Weeks in Cuenca.

Today marks the 4th week that I've been in Cuenca. I feel like much has happened but at the same time that not a lot has happened… I still have much of the city to see.

My Spanish has much improved since i got here, and it's more natural now to speak it! It's so wonderful. I've also gotten comfortable with going places by myself- a cup of coffee there or some pan dulce there. I've been looking for good places to just sit and write and read where no one will bother me. So far the University of Cuenca and coffee shops serve this purpose.

More cultural observations. Girls walk down the street arm in arm all the time. I love that. Muy cariñosas (loving). Also, friends always pick each other up when they go out- they go together, they don't all drive separately and meet up. Maybe this is because Cuenca is so small that it isn't a bother. Also, driving around the city on a Saturday night is a normal way to hang out with friends. Most people that I've met here have thought that I'm way younger than I am- 16 or 17. I think this is because I don't wear much make up, and Cuencanas wear tons of make-up. For that reason I think they look way older than they are! They also wear heels (called tacos) for every day wear. I asked Dad to mail me my heels.

Animals roam free all over the place. So far I've seen and chicken and a dog get hit by cars. The dogs here are like the deer in Maryland, except the dogs actually have owners.

What have I been doing?? Well, Friday, I went to a colegio (high school) graduation party. The other American boy's family invited me. They have 4 daughters and the mom is absolutely lovely. She is so sweet and kind. It was a fancy deal- in the Cuenca Tennis Club. Each family was seated at their own reserved table. We had to wait almost 2 hours to eat dinner, but it was worth it for some shrimp atop mashed potatoes, and then a nice round piece of steak with olive & tomato salad, another cheesy potato type dish with ham, and a roll of chicken which happened to roll off of my plate as I tried to cut my steak. We toasted to the graduates with champagne and then danced the night away… Wisin Y Yandel, Juan Magan, Chino y Nacho…todo.

Saturday afternoon we went fishing in Cajas. I was expecting a big lagoon with fishing poles, then found myself in a little pond area surrounded by stones with a fishing line connected to a stick in my hand. All you had to do was throw the string into the water and pull it back in with your hands. It started raining, but that didn't stop me from catching a nice trucha (trout)! Thank goodness I didn't have to take out the hook. I was the only one that caught a fish. Afterwards we went to a hueca (a hole in the wall restaurant) that couldn't have been more of a hueca. It felt like we were literally in a hole in the ground- the walls of the place were made of earth and it smelled like earth inside. We drank some canelazo, which is a drink that comes from sugar cane, and ate delicious mote pill.

Sunday I went to church for the first time since getting here! It was a Christian church, though it was no Covenant Life. Though the people loved the Lord just the same. It was so nice to be there. At the end of the service, I found myself being pushed to the front of the church to receive a prophetic word from a woman. She prayed over me as if it was the Lord speaking- and it was the Lord, I am sure. He met me. Helped me refocus my gaze on Him, amidst the distractions of being in this different culture.

After church I went to Yunguilla, a nearby town, with the Ortizes. It was so very typical Latino that 4 of us were completely squished in the back seat of their little red SUV for the hour ride that it was to get there and back. But we were laughing and laughing the whole way. While there, Michelle and I explored the area and climbed through barbed wire fences looking for this pond with crabs. We never found the pond, but saw lime trees and orange trees and raspberry bushes growing wild. It started to pour when we got back to the house- after the rain passed we all packed up and went back to Cuenca.

This weekend I experienced a wake-up call. I was gone Thursday-Sunday, doing things. And it was too much. And it caused a burden on my family here as well. So I need to cut back. Dad reminded me of my principal goals- to learn Spanish and to glorify God while I'm here. How do I glorify God? By being a blessing to my family and others around me. I bring my sin with me everywhere I go, and even here in Ecuador I'm learning how to lay down my selfish desires to bless others.

So tonight I went with the family to their church meeting. Then we came back dying with hunger and ate the trucha (along with eggs and rice of course) that I caught on Saturday. I couldn't clean it myself- the slimy fish is too much for me. But Nancy, mi Mami, pulled the guts right out as if it were nothing and cooked it deliciously.

So tomorrow I'm going to try and hit some museums. There's at least 10 of them in Cuenca, and my mornings are free, so I'll be getting out and exploring in the coming weeks. Must milk every hour for all it's worth!

Besitos a todos y buenas noches.

Honeymoon's Over.

Ok, so now real life in Cuenca is setting in. I now realize that I REALLY miss summer. Because here it does not feel like summer. It is roughly 60 all the time, and when it rains it gets cold and when the sun goes down it gets cold. The house has no central heating so a space heater is my only salvation. And earlier this week I awoke with a sore throat and have also had a little bit of a cold. Not to mention my nose ring seems to be disagreeing with Ecuador. But really, this is all I have to complain about- the weather. :) I just miss the sun! It's always cloudy. And the umbrella is just as necessary as the wallet or the cell phone.

What have I been up to? Well. A lot. If you've been following my pics on facebook, you would have seen pics from Corpus Cristi, the 7 day sweets festival that's held around the central park, El Parque Calderón. Also, on Saturday I was out all day on a paseo (road trip) to Chordeleg (known for it's gazillions of jewelry shops) and Sigsig (great name). These towns are tiny and mountainous, yet more developed than the others, such as Quingeo. I went with a bunch of old people. Haha. Well, people in their late 20's. :) But it was SO nice to be with some girls- the Luna sisters were so sweet and welcomed me into the group warmly. At the end of the day we went to El Cafecito- a very hipster-friendly cafe/hostal where lots of backpackers stay as they pass through. The papas picantes were delicious.

FRIDAY I went to Quingeo with Valeria, oldest Bustos daughter. She turned out to be way more adventurous than I expected. We found ourselves attempting to drive up steep mountain paths of dirt in a tiny V4 (or whatever the smallest engine size is) silver Chevolet. Manual. It was insane- I was seriously scared that we would get stuck there in the middle of no where. But we survived. And we ate some cascaritas on the way back. These are hard pig skins that are fired with a torch and cut off the pig right in front of your eyes. You prob saw the pic on FB- Yes, the huge pig body with the knife sticking out? That's what I ate from. But it was pretty good, actually! And the lady who made it only had like 2 teeth and was so super friendly. She asked me if I liked Ecuador, and I said, "Yes! Me encanta!" Then she asked, if I met a boy here that I liked would I stay in Ecuador? I didn't understand at first, then said, "Yes!" Then she proceded to point to a man with a beard behind her, saying that I should meet her son! No gracias. She was verry friendly though. I love how open and friendly EVERYONE is here! After Quingeo, back in Cuenca we went to Turi again- that town that's up high and has a view of the entire city. It's really awesome.

Sunday... Sunday was very laid back. I Skyped with about 5 people, and later that night helped Andrea with some muy feo deberes (homework) for her English class. It was about human rights and security and law... But I was glad to help.

Monday I had Andres for my English partner in the afternoon, then Santiago the next 2 days. It's been fun having these English conversations, but at the same time difficult. It's not like a class- it's VERY informal- just talking- so I always have to have some kind of topic that we can discuss. And it also messes with me, because when I leave the little room where we talk, I have to switch back to Spanish. It's not preferable but it gives me something to DO! Thus I am grateful. That day since Julio was bringing me home I went with him to the store and we bought the most random things- sprinklers, light bulbs, spongy material for his mami to make cushions, a beach umbrella. Must have looked odd. On the way, saw the discoteca on wheels- it's literally a bus. With smirnoff ice pictures all over it. Interesting. haha.

Tuesday night I took my first taxi into town from the house. Cost me 4 stinkin dollars. I didn't expect that. But I was glad that I was able to communicate with the driver and call the taxi radio and get where I needed to go! Anyway... Latinos are always late. We were all meeting up at the restaurant (Monday Blue, Mexican food and more, tiny place covered in pictures and blue and red paint) at 8:30. Well... I supposed that meant 8:45. But it really means 9pm. So I was waiting in there for the rest of the group to get there. Juan Andres, Julio, Michelle, Claudia (Michelle's friend), and fellow gringo Luke. Poor guy can't speak Spanish too well, but speaks it better than he did a week ago upon arriving. He was a champ for trying. But we had fun- chilling and eating and playing games. I taught them the statue game, and Julio was the only one that got it. For once I understood what was going on and the Ecuadorians didn't. :) just kidding.

There's more I could say, but my time is limited! More to come. Besos y abrazos a ti.

I've got some news for you. I'll prob be blogging only one or two times a week tops. I've noticed that when I get online, I get sucked into the big wide world of the world wide web. Then I look up, and realize I'm in an incredible beautiful and breathtaking city and country, and I ask myself, "What the heck am I doing online when I could be talking with people, eating Ecuadorian bread, or driving through the Andes mountains?" I'm also reminded of the challenges I have here- it takes more effort to communicate with people and to make friends here than it does in the US- hence, I start to feel sorry for myself and dread the next step... so the internet is my enemy. :)

I do have a lot of things to mention on here- PATIENCE! :D Look at my pics on Facebook!

There you have it.

I ATE CUY.

I´ve been pretty busy these past few days and not had time to get online! There´s so much to talk about and I only have a few mins left. I´ll write about everything else later- my students and such. For now, let me tell you about last night. Last night I ate cuy. Julio took me down this street that is lined with tons of cuy on sticks and entire pigs on some kind of wooden stand in front of the ´restaurant´. He asked me if I wanted to try it... I really wasn´t prepared at all... but I did. The woman cut the thing in half and gave us the back legs on top of mote and delicious tiny potatoes. ughhh cuy. The meat itself was fine- didn´t taste very different. But the texture of the skin was a bit much. SO TOUGH. They actually call the skin cuero, which literally means leather! ahhh I can´t believe I ate that thing. I crunched on its little bones. I even took a bite of the liver. Julio ate it´s feet. aahhh. Good thing I´ve never had a cuy for a pet. Don´t worry, I HAVE PROOF. He took pics on his phone cause I didn´t have my camera- I´ll get those up soon! But as we were leaving and paying the lady, her mama (a grandmother) asked her, ´the gringa did eat the cuy?´haha. Yeah, we were the only ones in the place so the entire family was watching us eat it from the other side of the room. So there you have it. I ate cuy.

Ñaño y ñaña

On the way to the mall, un ratito after we witnessed the chicken carnage. Adrian y Andrea, the best Ecuadorian siblings I could ever have!

I saw cuy.

You know what I love about Cuenca? That I can call up people that I don't even know or have met only once and travel to incredible mountainous lands with them and have a wonderful time. [Alyss I hope you're reading this] Yesterday my cousin's friend María Jose took me with her to Gualaceo, a small town maybe 30 mins from Cuenca. We went with her fiance Gustavo and his brother Leo. Gualaceo is know for its hornado (roasted meat) and chancho (pork) specifically. Though they had just about every kind of meat. And I don't just mean cut up meat, I mean carcasses hanging from the ceilings. Yes, there were the infamous cuy too. Poor little guys. But I learned they don't just give you the animal on the stick and then tell you to take a bite- they cut it up first. Also Gualaceo has un montón de shoe stores! And they're cheap. But alas, I bought none. It rained the whole time we were there. I also got to try cangil, basically a popcorn ball glued together with sugar. Leo and I are in the pic with it above. He said he looks feo in photos but he probably won't see this anyway. Later María Jose got me some rosero, which is a thick drink made from mote with chunks of fruit in it. At first it tasted like some kind of thick medicine, but you get used to it. :) This really was the first time I've used my camera since being here. I've been trying to avoid looking like a tourist at all cost. But with this complexion it's inevitable. The colors of the town did look pretty awesome after it rained though.

Ok, more observations. The movie theaters here are tiny and are cheap. $4.25 for an 8:30pm movie. We saw El Principe de Persia last night, and I fell asleep in the middle of it. But understood it all in Spanish! Also they couldn't let us in until the previous movie ended because there was only one theater per movie that's playing. Can't get in an hour before like we can at home. AND all the movies are American movies. Just like the mall plays American songs too.

Also the malls in Cuenca are pretty much spotless. We were at Millenium two days ago, and went back again today for lunch. The floors are so clean and sparkling and shiny. You could see your face in them. Everything looks brand new. In the public bathrooms you have to grab the TP before you go in the stall- there is only one dispenser. What happens if I go in the stall, then realize I don't have enough??? I don't know what I would do.

We witnessed a death today. A poor gallina (hen) attempted to cross the road, trying to fulfill her lifelong dream of a carefree life outside the city walls. She began to cross the street. We dodged her, then looked behind us only to see a cloud of plumas all over the street. Today her bright hopes for the future were crushed to pieces. Literally. We talked about this in the car for like the next half hour after it happened. Let us pause for a moment of silence to remember her bravery.

In the hipermercados o supermercados, there are specific gates through which you enter and exit. And they don't let you bring bags with you- if you have a large purse or bag from a different store, you have to check it. There are guards everywhere- all over the store.

Yesterday before Gualaceo, the entire family was over for lunch. The two married daughters, Valeria and Cristina, came over with their husbands and kids. One of the grandkids/nieces, Flabia (7) brought over her Barbies- Bella (Belle) and La Bella Dormiciente (Sleeping Beauty) among others. It was fun to have a full house.

Bueno. Tomorrow I start meeting with the students, lending my knowledge of American culture and my perfect use of English. What little knowledge I have, haha. I may not be completely street smart, but at least I'm a true gringa [sadly]. We'll see how this goes.

It's almost been a week...

This is a long one but WELL WORTH THE READ, if I do say so myself.

NEXT is happening this weekend! I wish I could be there with you all! Definitely going to listen to those messages as soon as I can! Hope you're all having a great time, discovering the Lord in new ways and experiencing some awesome fellowship with each other. I'm with you in spirit!

The other night, Thursday, I went with Andrea to a mall inauguration. The mall is called Monay Shopping. It was the first night to open to the public so we had to fight the guards to get in early so she could prepare for her dance performance. Little did we know that this event was incredibly formal. Suits, ties, and dresses. And I there I was, already drawing attention with my hair, but also dressed in jeans, sandals, and my black Terps fleece. Fracaso (fail). I was sitting in the midst of all the suits and black hair. This inauguration was a huge deal for them- I think it's their 2nd mall in Cuenca. The first mall was built only 2 years ago. This place was squeaky clean, and bright lights everywhere. Some important VIP's made speeches, and the Ecuadorian national anthem was sung at the beginning and end. Talk about a cultural experience. Andrea's performance was at the end and it was very similar to Circ de Soleil (sp?). It was awesome. Then they had fancy little foods on toothpicks- coconut-encrusted chicken, shrimp, steak. And champagne and wine. Classy. Afterwards Andrea, her sister Cris (married with a nena (baby)), Jesica (other dancer), Andrea's novio, and the novio's cousin went out to a very Americanized sports bar/restaurant. I was quiet most of the time, trying to keep up with the convo.

That leads me to this: The main language challenge is social settings with groups. I want to be involved in conversations and jokes, etc, but at this point I just don't know a lot of vocab. So when I'm either at the kitchen table with the family, or out with a group, I'm quite, cause, well, I'm just trying to keep up with comprehension before actually speaking! I get a word or question in here and there. It's really ok by me, I just hope the rest of the group doesn't feel bad or...something. Also it's hard because I want to ask people questions as well, instead of them only asking me, but it takes me a while to formulate the right question in my head. In one-on-one convos, however, I do much better. :)

But you know what I've realized? Having this language challenge has made me see how selfish I can be back home. I often will not initiate hang-outs, or close my door to my room in Ellicott so I'm not bothered, or pass by someone with a "Hey, what's up?" instead of entering into conversation. It is SO EASY to have a conversation with someone in English! There is no excuse for avoiding those opportunities! Here, I have more of an "excuse" per se, because there is a language barrier. But back home, no way. I have every reason to be invested and interested in the people around me. So that is what I'm learning so far... though please pray that little by little I'd be able to enter into social groups, and participate more and more. Cause it IS hard. But it's another opportunity for me to trust God and be humbled in my somewhat helpless state. jaja.

I wanted to add a few more notes, things that I've already observed even after 4 days of being in Cuenca:

1) don't get pizza in Ecuador. We went to the mall yesterday for lunch and I got it... mostly dough, barely any sauce. And "ensalada de cesar" is not ceasar salad either, jaja. But I ate it. Better that than the pot of chicken parts (I saw a foot in there, no doubt about it) that was boiling on the stove yesterday morning. And they call junk food and fast food (comida rápida) "chatarra."

2) The jugo (juice) is like their soda. And it is almost always freshly squeezed/mixed in a blender. Jugo de mora (berry), de melón (cantaloupe), de tomate de arbol (not our tomatoes- these are sweet and more oval and light orange in color) and this morning it was something like a green orange.

3) Life here is relaxed in general. The Bustos are not preoccupied with having a spotless kitchen or rushing around from one thing to the next (except to work/school, of course). Their days get going around 7:30 or 8. And in Cuenca, people don't have to commute to work, either.

4) Driving is a whole different animal. So supposedly the law is to wear a seatbelt, but people don't. The driver usually, but no one else. I've been squeezed into the back of Julio's tiny hatchback with 3 other girls, and 2 in the front seat. 7 of us total. jaja. There aren't many minivans here- mostly small SUV's, cars, and trucks. Drivers are crazy, my family included. There really aren't lines on the streets, you just pass people as you please. Cars zoom by to pass you as well, and you don't know when they're coming. The neighborhoods in the city are so confusing, too. Like a maze. Road names are NOT clearly marked at all- sings are few and far between, not on every corner. Only in the center are they marked well. I could never drive around here alone, even if I knew the road names I had to turn on, because I wouldn't be able to SEE the road names.

5) The time to go running is 6am, pretty much. Un montón de gente run at that time, because it's before work. I should probably try that, to avoid honks and cars speeding past me in the afternoon. But 6am? Really, how dedicated am I? We'll see about that one.

6) Families are SUPER CLOSE. Siblings and cousins do things together ALL the time. Family is part of the core hangout group most of the time. I love it and wish our culture was like that, and not so "Oh I need to go to college to be far away from my family" and "Oh no way could I ever hang out with my little brother in public" and "Oh I only see my cousins at family reunions because they live halfway across the country." I realize these are blanket statements, but for the majority in America I think they're true.

7) Cuencanos have a sing-song accent. I think I've already mentioned this. And also in words that have double r's "rr" they pronounce it like the "s" in "closure." So sometimes I get lost... some have stronger accents than others.

8) Latinos think that gringas, white girls, are easy. One reason why Latino guys like them so much. But I am here to counter-balance that stereotype! They won't get nothin from me. jaja.

9) Cuencanos also think it's freezing cold when it's like 55 degrees. However, I'm so used to the fierce winters in Maryland. People always ask me if I'm cold if I have short sleeves on with no jacket, and I reply, "No, really, I'm used to it." :)

10) Sarah, you have no idea how comforting it is to have peanut butter. I don't know what I'll do once I run out.

11) If you got this far down the blog, here's my address. It's actually the dad's office address, because there aren't mail trucks and mailboxes out here in San Joaquín:

Av. Paucarbamba y Miguel Cordero esq. Edificio WORK-CENTER, ofc #311, 3er piso, Cuenca, Ecuador.

Thanks for reading all that, if you actually got through it all! Love you and miss you!

BESITOS & ABRAZOS!!! E-mail me about YOUR LIVES! I want to hear. linds0929@gmail.com.

First day in the city.

My day began at 7am as I was awoken from my slumber by a rooster crowing right outside my window. As a matter of fact he crowed about 5 minutes ago, too- guess Ecuadorian roosters aren't limited to the mornings!

After eating eggs and bread and coffee (which is 90% milk with a spoonful of instant coffee, by the way) with Nancy, I went into the city with mi papá Guido. Did I mention he's a lawyer? So he dropped me off in the center near the Ordex office and I proceeded to walk around the block since the office wasn't open yet and I had stupidly brought no map or books with me to read. As I was sitting in the park, I was approached by a young man who tried to sell me a cell phone. And as soon as I spoke Spanish to him I regretted it- could not get rid of him. Finally I just said, "I'm leaving you now, ciao" and walked away. Lesson learned: tell unwelcome chicos that I don't speak Spanish! That keeps them at bay. So as soon as I saw Julio, a minute after leaving that guy, I couldn't have been more grateful.

Julio helped me buy a cheap cell phone, $25 total. Then I pretty much sat in the Ordex office, feeling more or less useless. I have to admit, I'm not really sure what I'll be doing here, STILL. It seems a little less organized than I expected... I didn't know what to do but sit there, because I don't have any kind of set plan yet. So I feel like a dependent tag-a-long. I really want to know the city and be able to take the bus, but I do realize this is only my 2nd day here! I have to be patient... but I'm anxious to have a schedule and be able to survive on my own

One thing that is going to take getting used to is that every day people go home from about 12-2 or 1-3 to eat lunch and take a break. They don't call it a siesta, but that's basically what it is. They literally close up their stores, and then re-open again for the afternoon shift. So the day is divided up in lots of small chunks- it's not day and night like it is in the U.S.

So far it has been a little difficult, with no kind of job to keep myself occupied and make myself useful. But I talked with Andrea, my sister, and she reassured me that I'll get the hang of things soon. She is very kind.

Now I'm going to venture outside and go running for the first time. We will see how this goes... for one I haven't ran in almost 2 weeks. Apparently there is a path that goes up that mountain!!!! Off to explore it. Pray that I will get used to the life here, be able to make my way around the area by myself, communicate clearly in Spanish, and be doing useful things!

Ciao.

Llegada a Cuenca

Hola todos!

Wanted to add some pics of Quito- I downloaded them today.

To the left is the interior of Hostal Quito Antiguo, apparently one of the most famous hostels in the Mariscal area.

Ok, I'm having trouble with blogger... it only let me upload this one photo. So I am going to upload the rest to facebook! Anyway, I wanted to clarify that last night I hung out with the gringos out of pure desperation. There was not enough time for me to meet Ecuadorians to travel with for only one day. But I will not travel with gringos again if I can avoid it... especially ones that don't speak Spanish! I was their principal translator.

So I got up at 5am this morning and Fabián, the kind older man who picked me up on Sunday night, was downstairs at 6am. We went to the Quito airport and I was left alone once again, this time in an Ecuadorian airport. I garnered many stares. I don't know how I made it through sitting in the waiting area and boarding the plane without God's grace. Because I was a spectacle for them. A veterinarian guy sitting next to me was chatting it up with me, but he wasn't too creepy, just curious. And another interesting thing- we walked outside on a painted path to get to the plane. It was a good 2 minute walk, too. Another thing is that although it was 60 something degrees, everyone was wearing jackets as if it were in the 50's. To them, spring weather is "un poco frio." But for us, it's warm. I think it's because they don't have winters here whatsoever.

Through the plane window I saw two major volcanos that look like white-capped mountains. One of them was Cotopaxi, the 2nd highest summit in Ecuador. It was incredible to see. The Andes are very brown, and then all of a sudden you see these white-capped peaks and it's just wild to behold.

The flight was very short. I got off the plane, and waited for my luggage with the rest of the Ecuadorians. I already noticed a difference in the way these Cuencanos looked in comparison to the people of Quito. Most of them are lighter skinned and dress nicer. I would learn later from my papá that Cuenca has the most money out of all the cities in Ecuador... So I got my luggage, and walk out, and immediately I recognized Julio. I knew that I should expect a young guy, according to Karla. Julio is 22 and works with Ordex, the exchange program that I'll be working with. He took me into the center of the city and showed me all around. This city already enchants me. I'm hooked. I can't even tell you how lovely it is. The streets are clean and made of bricks/cobblestones. The buildings are colonial and lovely. It took us forever to find a place to park- first we had to go to Julio's house and pick up keys for something. Then we parked outside his parent's boutique called "El Chateau." I met his mom and 2 of his cousins- all are extremely welcoming and sweet!! Then he took me to a cafe and we had breakfast. Then back to the Ordex office, which happens to be directly above the parent's boutique! He gave me some maps and I tried to connect to the internet to no avail. I explored the area a little by myself, feeling very safe but still getting stared at. Then Julio brought me to San Joaquín, the neighborhood where my host family is!

San Joaquín is totally rural, in the countryside, at the base of a mountain, pretty much! It is so beautiful and calm. I prefer it to the city any day. And by the way, I LOVE my family!!! Guido (papá), Nancy (mamá), Andrea (24), and Adrian (15). Their photo was completely deceiving, friends!!! They are not at all serious- it's definitely how they take pictures because the photos in their house are the same. I also met Olga, the abuela!! They are wonderful. They took me to an authentic Ecuadorian restaurant and we had mote pillo, mote sucio, pork, these bean-like things (can't remember the name), cheese, and Coke. Now I am stuffed. Back in the house. Andrea and Adrian both are awesome and friendly and I get along with them fine! Liliana is the middle sister, and she's in the US right now for a cultural exchange, to return July 1st.

I am so excited about what the next few months hold. And so comforted in the fact that I will be able to go out with the girls- travel to the beach and such- especially once they finish school in July! The Lord has provided for me once again. And I've already learned tons of new words... if only I could remember them all. Gara= cool, chendo = I'm joking, it's a joke... and more. :)

Hasta luego! Go to facebook for pictures of Quito!

May 24, 2010.

I´m a real adult now. Hands down. I arrived in Quito, Ecuador last night- a very sweet older man named Fabian picked me up and drove me to Hostal Quito Antiguo, in the nicest area of Quito. The innkeepers are so sweet. When I got inside to my room, I laid down on the bed and just smiled and laughed to myself. I can´t believe I´m here! Over and over I say that to myself. Immediately upon arrival, each person I´ve met instantly speaks Spanish. I. love. it. I´m tempted to write in Spanish now because it´s already on my mind!

So Quito is way more beautiful than I expected. Of course, it´s a city, and it has ugly parts, but the buildings are colorful and there is so much life!!! And it´s situated smack in the middle of the Andes. HUGE MOUNTAINS right outside, looming in the distance, hidden by the fog. It´s only clear in the mornings, usually. I can´t stop looking around when I´m outside- everything about this city fascinates me- people, places, food, music.

This morning I had breakfast (eggs, cheese, toast, and warm leche in which I forgot to put the instant coffee- Ecuadorians don´t drink strong coffee) with a couple from Guayaquil and a solo Colombian traveler man who is touring South America by himself! I was telling the couple I was here by myself and that I didn´t know too many details about what I´d be doing and they were thinking I was crazy. I started to think so too.

I got a brief overview of Quito and bought my plane ticket for tomorrow with Karla Torres, one of the program coordinators. Es muy linda gente and showed me the main area around my hostal. That´s why I feel safe enough to be in this internet cafe writing to youuu.

After Karla left me, I immediately found 2 American girls from Omaha who I saw in a cafe that I passed by. Groups are never a bad thing, so I went with them to meet up with another boy who´s staying in their host family´s house and we bussed it up to La Mitad del Mundo! The bus drivers are crazy. Once the driver stopped in the middle of the street so that the money-collector guy could get some food across the street!

The middle of the world was ok... really touristy. Ecuadorian tourists included, especially cause today was a holiday commemorating La Batalla de Pichincha. I didn´t want to be there long, but couldn´t rush the others so... was stuck. Got back an hour ago. The bus ride was more of an adventure than the Mitad. But I had to do it- when am I gonna come back?

I really am enjoying this Ecuadorian keyboard. Almost getting used to the weird placement of punctuation marks, and the addition of new ones! Tomorrow I go to Cuenca to meet my family!! And why is "Workin at the Car Wash" currently playing in this internet cafe???

Ok, I´ve got more Quito to see. Les dejo ya!