Cooking... Not what I expected?

So, one of the only parts of exchange that you can expect is that it never goes as expected. That said, my exchange has been no different. Even though I've wanted to play a sport or take dancing lessons, I've had a couple of problems with my knees, so I've been struggling to find ways to spend the hours after school. After a particularly difficult day, a wise woman told me that although having knee problems isn't a normal part of exchange, not knowing how to get involved is very normal. That piece of advice made me think, and made me realize that there is no "normal exchange," but that it's up to me to make this the best experience possible. (Thanks mom)

This is a bit random, but the rain here is huge! those marks are from individual raindrops!

Since I realized that, I decided there are still so many things that I can do to immerse myself in the culture and stay busy. The first thing I decided to do was cook! I knew I wanted to make my family's famous homemade pizza from the US here, so that's what I did. Trying to find all the ingredients in Spanish was hard enough, let alone the same as in the US. Then came trying to make the dough and get it to rise and bake until it was a perfect balance of fluffy and crispy. After all the worrying and hoping that it would turn out alright, I peeked my head over the oven door as I prepared to pull it out of the oven and... It was perfect! The crust was golden brown and the cheese had melted perfectly, with just a bit burned around the edges. It was as perfect as could be, ad surprisingly delicious!

The entire family enjoying their homemade "American" pizza 

The entire family enjoyed it, and I'm sure they will be more than happy if I make it again. I'm excited to cook Ecuadorian food, and also to find new things to help me immerse myself in the culture! Thank you for reading, and I hope this is encouraging! If you want to stay updated, press the button in the top right to follow. Until next time!