Zoo you like baking?

So, just a quick update about what I've been up to this past week. It hasn't been super exciting, but time continues to fly by and it's hard to keep up with everything! I just want to start this post by sharing how much my exchange changed from the first half of the year to the second. The first half of my exchange was great, but I wasn't putting in the effort to make friends, get involved and have the best exchange possible. Around December, my attitude changed, I immersed myself deeper into the culture, found things I enjoyed about Ecuador, and started inviting friends to go out, even for something as simple as lunch. Little did I know that in a couple of months, the rewards of my actions would really begin to show. I have built life-changing relationships, gained new opportunities and learned more about myself than I could have imagined. You are the main factor of your exchange; the relationships into which you put your time, the attitude you have about trying new things, and the courage to say yes when opportunities arrive!

Me, Nati, & My host Mom at the zoo!

Now, some of the things I've actually been doing recently. On Saturday, my host family took me to a town near Quito to the zoo. It was such a unique experience, as the animals in this particular zoo are native to Ecuador. We found animals like the oso de anteojos (spectacled bear), tortuga Galapagos (galapagos tortoise) and many more that you just wouldn't encounter in a zoo in the United States. I got to spend time with my host family, see animals that I had learned about in biology class here, and the only not so positive part, get eaten by mosquitoes. The day was wonderful, but because Guayllabamba is a bit lower elevation, it is much warmer and more humid, and nobody remembered bug spray. So I got exactly 79 bug bites by which I can remember the day a bit more. Even so, it was a great day that will always be a fun memory.

Me and the oso de anteojos

After the zoo, even though it was late, I decided to make something that I've wanted to bake since I arrived... My famous cinnamon rolls! Me and Nati (my host brother's wife) started the process at about 7, and finished up at 10. It was tiring, just like the rest of the day had been, but also extremely fun and delicious! Everyone enjoyed them. and I'm sure I'll be making them again one day soon.

As for the rest of the week, I got a cold, and have simply been resting every day after school (we don't have spring break) and today is a holiday for Semana Santa, which is the week of celebrating good friday and easter. There are some specific foods I am hoping to try this weekend and also hoping to dye some easter eggs! I hope you enjoyed this post and I will do my best to keep you all updated with my adventures in these last few months!

On the left are the cinnamon rolls, fresh out of the oven, and on the right is the same pan, but with the delicious cream cheese frosting.

How many days left!?

So, as you very well know, time passes faster and faster as you get older. This year, I feel like I must be getting up there in years, because time is flying by! It feels like a few weeks ago I was stepping off the plane and misunderstanding every other word in Spanish. Now, I can converse better than I ever expected, and sadly, only have 100 days left in this beautiful country. I don't have a specific theme to this post, as it is more of a general update as to what I've been up to and what is to come.

As I've written about before, I have been spending a good portion of my time building relationships with Ecuadorian friends. This past weekend, I spent the weekend with two friends from church who have been on my blog a few times before; Anita and Mabe. As usual, we had a sleepover, and as we have done before, we decided to cook! We made hamburgers and talked into the night. The next day was relaxing, including KFC for lunch, and a movie. In the evening we decided to do something a bit more active and go swimming. It was a fun weekend, all wrapped up by church and lunch with my host family on Sunday.

Other than spending time with friends and in school, I've continued volunteering at an orphanage near my house, as well as spending time with my host family. Some of the smallest things can be the most encouraging and uplifting on exchange, even when you don't necessarily need encouraging or uplifting. For example, one night, my host brother that lives with us had his sons over, who are 3 and 9 years old. They decided to join me while I watched a movie, and both fell asleep on me, and it was such a simple happy moment. I have also babysat the 3 year old, and he has told me to come and live with him, so even though I don't have young host siblings, it sure does feel like I do.

This was a bit of every aspect of my life, but i hope you enjoyed and will continue reading my updates as they come!

Friends at last!

So this is a post about one of the major parts of every exchange student's experience; Friends! Now, I just want to say that making friends is also difficult for almost all exchange students. Although I've felt like I had friends all year, I haven't made the effort to have close Ecuadorian friends until around Christmas time. Since friendships generally take months or even years to form, it's a bit of a sped up process for someone who is only living in a country for 10 months total. In saying all of that, this past week I started to see the results of relentlessly inviting friends to do things, inviting myself to group outings, and putting myself in conversations when I had no idea what people were talking about. So,  I guess it's time to let you know exactly what I've been up to!

Martin, Michelle, and I

On Wednesday, I went to the movies and to eat with two classmates, Michelle and Martin. Although I have gone out with classmates before, I've never felt as comfortable or included as I did that day. We saw Game night (Noche de juegos in Spanish), had shawarma, and I ended up staying the night at Michelle's house. Even though it may have just been hanging out with the exchange student to them, it meant so much more to me. 

Roberto, Anita, Mabe and of course me!

Two of the closest friends I've made here are sisters from my church; Anita and Mabe. They've made a few appearances in my previous blog posts, and I've felt comfortable with them since day 1. That being said, we've grown closer and closer, and I truly feel like we could be sisters now. On Saturday, they invited me to a party (not to worry, it was more like a dance) and I spent the night at their house afterwords. On Sunday, us and one of my classmates (Roberto) went to eat hornado, a typical Ecuadorian dish. I got to see an Ecuadorian market and spend time with amazing friends. 

At the dance with Anita <3

Getting ready for the dance with Mabe

 Although I've heard that the first 4 or 5 months of exchange are harder and the second half is the payoff, I've never truly understood it until now. Time continues to pass faster and faster, and I am cherishing every moment of my last 3 and 1/2 months in Quito. I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the friendships I've made here. Until my next post!

Picture post all about... Food!

As stated in the title of this blog post, I decided that for my 6 month post, I would share some of my beautiful food pictures with all of you! And yes, I actually have been in Quito for over 6 months! Although that on its own is pretty crazy, what's even crazier is the fact that I only have less than 4 months left! After ending every sentence with an exclamation point, let's get to seeing some pictures of food!

This is sugar cane! I was able to try some in the Amazon.

This is a huge lemon that we found in the amazon... Bigger than a normal orange!

A typical restaurant in Quito serves rice, meat, soup and juice

A typical amazonian plate; smashed, fried bananas, fish, rice (separately), and guayusa; a tea indigenous to the amazon with many health benefits.

These taste a bit sour with sweetness like candy!

An entire crab in a soup made with yuca, a common root vegetable here, eaten with chifles (savory banana chips) and something similar to salsa or pico de gallo. 

Caldo de pollo; chicken soup with a boiled egg, potato, and rice

This, surprisingly enough, is what cocoa looks like before they turn it into chocolate. The white part can be sucked off and is delicious! then the seeds are toasted inside the shells, the shells are removes, and the seeds are ground into cocoa powder or paste depending on how hot they are when ground. 

Now, I am missing some key typical Ecuadorian foods like ceviche, Fritada, and locro. I will for sure do another food post once I have taken pictures of/tried the foods I'm missing. But for now, I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the foods I've been able to taste in the last 6 months!