Daily Life

Wow... It's been way to long since I posted! It's mostly been daily life around here, so I'll share a bit of what that's like with you. Now, I've been going out with friends, going for walks, and even trip with Xplorer (my organization), but that's all part of my life here!

So, a normal day for me her is this: I wake up at 6:30 when my alarm goes off, and get up about 10 minutes later after checking my Instagram and Snapchat. Then I get dressed, make my bed, blah blah blah.. then I eat as much as possible (my host mom thinks I'm skinny and is trying to fatten me up) and leave my group of condominiums to buy water and wait for the school bus, which normally passes at about 7:40. I always enjoy the ride to school, in the warm bus, watching the world pass by. Then I sit through 8 classes a day, with 2 recesses, one is 10 minutes and the other is 30, and it's a fun time to talk with friends and eat snacks. Then I head home in the school bus at about 2:30 and eat lunch, once again as much as I can handle, and usually talk with my host mom a bit. Then it's the time of day that I can relax, go for a walk, do homework, work on college scholarships, or just sleep. in the evening, we drink coffee, chocolate or tea, with bread, and then it's off to watch TV and go to bed!

This is a cheap little cafe I found with great coffee and atmosphere!

The fact that I have a routine like this makes me so happy, but I am also ready to get involved in new things! I am planning on starting salsa lessons in a week or two, volunteering, and joining a youth group this weekend! Don't be fooled by this strict routine, I often cook, go to a cafe to read and journal, or spend time with friends as well. I already saw Thor and Justice league with friends and I'm enjoying my time here as I should. I have also been dealing with a bit of homesickness, especially around Thanksgiving, but my host family prepared a healthy hamburger for me with homemade french fries that gave me a taste of home. My friends also invited me to their house for a "thanksgiving dinner" of chicken, rice, potatoes, and pasta. The thought behind it was what made me happy, and most of all, thankful.

The market in Otavalo ( the picture doesn't do it justice)

We also went on a trip to Otavalo and Cuicocha this past weekend with Xplorer! Otavalo is an indigenous town with a huge market full of hand made Ecuadorian souvenirs including alpaca scarfs, blankets and hoodies, key chains, bracelets, hand carved knives and wallets, Jewelry, and countless other beautiful things to negotiate for. We also went to Cuicocha, which is a lake that was formed by an erupted volcano! There are no fish because of the volcanic chemicals in the water, and because the edges are like craters or walls, there are no beaches on which to reproduce. But it was an awesome experience, we went on a boat around the lake, ate some amazing food, and bought some great souvenirs for friends, family, and of course, a few for ourselves.

Of course, Cuicocha!

 Thanks again for reading, and sorry for the lag! Hope you enjoy staying updated and I will keep posting!

Longer than before

As many of you know, this exchange is my second chance after the Philippines last year... And now I've been here longer than I was in the Philippines! This is a pretty big deal, and I'm excited to say that although the first two months have had their difficult moments, I'm still loving it here! More importantly, this is really starting to feel like home. So, what have I been up to this past week? Well, more than usual, that's for sure! Last Thursday and Friday, we had vacation from classes, and while I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't go to the beach like all of my friends were, it turned out to be just perfect. So, I'll give you a run through of the days, starting Wednesday after school. Here we go!

Just some bananas I found on a trip I took this week.

Wednesday after school I headed over to a friend's house and we got dressed up and ready for a costume party. I was a reindeer, she was a princess, her sister was a cat, and her cousin was a tiger. It was a going away party for her cousins, who are moving to Colombia, and who I had become good friends with as well. But the night was full of dancing, eating, and talking. Afterwords, we headed to my friend's house again, and I spent the night there.

Thursday wasn't quite as exciting, but it was relaxing and I had time to take a nap, drink hot chocolate, and watch a bit of Netflix. In the evening, my host brother's family came over and we all ate together and talked for a while. In the middle of the conversation, his wife mentioned that she was going to Mindo, a little town in the rain forest part of the mountains, to visit her dad, and invited me, and of course I accepted!

So, Friday we took off bright and early to catch the bus to Mindo; a 2 hour ride for $3. We had snacks, they played a movie on the bus, and the view was breathtaking, so the ride went by quick. We got there and I couldn't help but soak it in; the heat, the trees with bananas growing everywhere, and the all the little shops with everything you could imagine. We went Nati's (my host brother's wife) dad's house, the river, and ate a delicious meal of smoked chicken, pork, some salad, tostados (an Ecuadorian snack) and yucca. It was almost perfect, that is until we tried to catch the bus home... The last bus of the day was at 6, and at 3:30, we went to double check the time and buy tickets, but they were all sold out. They did however have seats on the 4:00 bus. We got the tickets, ran home, grabbed Nati's son, and hurried back to the bus station as fast as we could. We ended up even having enough time to get snacks! And so continued, and ended, the almost perfect day.

I didn't get too many good pictures of Mindo, but I like this one.

Saturday was another unexpected journey! At 9:00am my host mom came in my room and said after breakfast, the two of us were going to a swimming pool. I figured it would just be for an hour or two, but after about 40 minuted in the metro, and another hour on a bus, I realized we were not in Quito anymore. We had gone to another town! we swam, talked, ate traditional Ecuadorian food, and of course after swimming on a hot day, ice cream. When we got home, it was only about 4:30, so I decided to by the stuff I needed and make Dutch babies. (it's a food, like pancakes) As my host mom showered and my host dad rested, I made dinner, and it turned out even better than I imagined! I made syrup too, and since they don't have maple here, I used cinnamon, and it was delicious!

The awesome pool my host mom took me to!

My dutch baby dinner

Since then, I went to church, school, and have been doing homework on a regular basis. If you are wondering how you can pray for me, there are a few things I could use help with. Scholarships; I've already been accepted to Cedarville University and earned a $10,500 scholarship from SAT scores (YAY!) but will need much more to attend, and I know God will provide if that's in his plan. Your prayers are appreciated!

Thank you for all your support, interest, and prayers. Until next week!