VICTORY! ...In the small things

This is going to be another random post like the last one, but in a different way. I'm just going to talk about some of the small victories I've had on exchange, and surprisingly, a lot of which have come about recently!

Mabe & Me <3

One of the big things I want to mention is that for the last 3 weeks, I have been the only exchange student with my organization since the other girl was a semester student. Although I miss Jordan and all the fun things we did together, I love that I am completely submerged in speaking Spanish.
It has also helped me grow closer to my classmates, because when I want to go out and do something, I ask them, instead of my fellow American. Don't get me wrong, I think other exchange students are awesome and make great friends, but it's also nice to have an experience where there is nobody there to lean on but Ecuadorians, since I came to make relationships with Ecuadorians.

Some of the traditional food from the Amazon. Delicious!

Something else I want to share is that I think I've finally adjusted to the food! I think what made adjusting to the food so hard is that I didn't expect to have any problems with it, since I'm the exact opposite of a picky eater. But with exchange comes surprises of all kinds, and not being a huge fan of the food was one of my not-so-nice surprises. But, as time has passed, I've learned not to focus on the heavy salt, or lack of variety, but on the mouth watering soups, thirst-quenching juices with every meal, and the wonderful conversation. I've also learned where to find some foods from home and have loved cooking. So, I am more than happy to say that I've learned to love some their food, tolerate others, and when it's best to cook for myself.

So, although I'm sure I have more to share, I will do so in a later post. I hope you enjoyed and feel free to ask questions or let me know what aspect of my exchange you would like to hear about!

This, That & the Other

Well, I have been able to relax lately, as we are on vacation between the two semesters. That being said, I will share just a few little things that have been going on, or that I missed in other posts.

Me and my friend at the concert

First of all, I went to a concert a few weeks ago with a friend from church, and we saw San Miel Marcos. None of you probably know who that is, but I knew a few of the songs and we had a wonderful night that ended with McDonald's at midnight, because what good day doesn't?

A bit of a bigger deal here in Ecuador is that it's Carnival! Most people only know about Brazil's amazing parades and parties, but just about all of South and central America celebrates in some way. Here in Ecuador it's a bit like a water fight, only you are free to use whatever you like! This may include eggs, flour, or in my case, dirt. I "played carnival" after school one day with my classmates and had so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures!

Helado de Paila

Me, my host brother's wife, and her mom

Because of carnival, there is no work until tomorrow, and no school all week! (also for semester break) Anyways, my host family took me to a town about an hour from Quito on Sunday, and another one about 40 minutes away on Monday. On Sunday we walked around, watched other people "play carnival," and enjoyed helado de paila which is a type of ice cream similar to sorbet, but more artisan and delicious. On Monday, we were in Tumbaco at my host brother's mother in law's house, with the whole family. It was an amazing day of enjoying crab, more artisan ice cream, and spending time with family.

So, there's a little update, and I hope to have more to share in the next post. Until then, thanks for reading!

We're half way there!

Well, today's the day! I have been here for a couple days shy of 5 months, and have yet to be in Quito for the exact same amount of time. I'm already half way through my ten month exchange! Instead of making this a post with updates and stories, I'm going to share something a little different with you. When I was feeling homesick back in November/December, someone (my amazing mom) suggested that I make a list of all the positive things about being here. I didn't get around to making until a bit later, but I decided I'd share with all of you some of the little things that I love about being here!

1. Speaking Spanish
          I knew I wanted to become more fluent in Spanish when I decided to come to Ecuador, but I had no idea how much I would enjoy practicing my Spanish!

2. The constant view
          Quito is a city high in the mountains, but it is surrounded by even higher mountains and volcanoes that make it a beautiful place to stay.

3. Fruterias

A fruteria

          Fruterias are little fruit shops that can be found just about anywhere, and because Ecuador has different regions with such a variety of growing conditions, they have every fruit and vegetable I've ever heard of, and so cheap! This is probably one of the things I'll miss the most when the time comes to return home.
4. Quito
          While I don't know if I would like to live in a city permanently, I sure do enjoy the fact that I can always find something to do when I'm feeling bored or homesick. There are parks, malls, public transportation, and everything else that a normal city has, only I've never lived in one before.

5. My Host Family
          Of course the best for last! If i didn't have such a great and caring host family, I know I would have struggled so much more with being here for so long. My host mom is the person with whom I talk about everything, I tell jokes with my host brother, and my host dad is the one I sit in silence with awkwardly, but I know he enjoys my presence.

Me and my host parents out for ice cream one night

Although my entire list consisted of more like 30 items, I think these 5 are some of my favorites and I will have plenty of time to share more. I hope you enjoyed and will continue reading my posts, thank you!

Baños and the Amazon

Yep, you read that title right. I took a trip to Baños, which is actually a cute little town surrounded by mountains on either side and full of tourists. Because of it's touristy nature, it is also filled with restaurants and activities to satisfy any kind of tourist. They have everything from white water rafting, to hot springs, and hikes of every level. Of course, we did a little bit of everything and made sure to squeeze in as much as possible in our 4 day trip. When I say we, I am talking about me and Jordan's (the other exchange student) parents from the US who came to visit for the end of her exchange, since she is a semester student. As you might realize, it was a very eventful trip, therefore this post is quite a long one, but I promise you they are fun and interesting stories and I hope you'll take the time to enjoy them!

Our camp in the amazing Amazon

Now that you know what Baños is, and who I went there with, I'll get on with details about our amazing time there! The first day, we settled into our hostel, which was very nice, and walked around the town, eating dinner and simply exploring. The next day, however, we were all up and ready bright and early, as we were to begin our 2 day trip into the Amazon that day. After breakfast and a quick trip to buy flashlights, we were off! We started the day off by stopping at a local swimming hole, followed by a delicious traditional amazonian lunch of fish (eyes and all), fried bananas, rice, and fresh pineapple for dessert. After lunch, we took a quick rest in some hammocks, and headed for a traditional amazonian village to learn how to use a blow dart, have our faces painted using natural paint, and buy some souvenirs made by the locals. After we had all learned to dance with their palm skirts, we headed out in a canoe to meet up with our guides, who had taken a truck to meet us. We hiked to a beautiful viewpoint, explored some caves, and headed to my favorite thing yet... A chocolate farm! Although it is advertised as a chocolate farm, this farm grows all they eat and has all the animals needed to provide themselves with food throughout the year. We tried all of their fresh fruits and even some herbs, and then were able to harvest the cocoa seeds, toast them, remove them from their shell, and grind them into a bar of 100% chocolate. Then we finally headed to our camp to eat dinner, but day one continued. After dinner, we changed out of shorts and into sweatshirts, as it was time for our night hike! We weren't lucky enough to see snakes or monkeys, but spotted giant spiders, beetles, and even a cricket shedding it's skin! After the disappointment of not having spotted a tarantula on the hike, I actually found one on my way to the bathroom that night, and that concluded day one. 

The view from one of our hikes on day one... Such a beautiful country!

Our waterfall hike in the Amazon

Day two! We woke up from under our mosquito nets, had breakfast, and headed off for a waterfall hike. Of course, our guides took us the long way, and we were able to spot some of nature's other wonders; spiders, "monkey tails," and edible flowers. It was a fairly easy hike, and the waterfall was amazing, and although a bit chilly, wonderful for swimming. As we headed back to the camp to eat lunch and pack our bags, we found a lemon the size of a grapefruit, and of course took it as a snack on our way to camp. The afternoon was simply a time of rest and wandering around the camp, to swim in the river if one wished. It was relaxing and beautiful, but eventually the time came to return to Baños. We were all pretty tired when we got back, but took some time to relax in the hotel pool, and went out for dinner at 10:00pm, which is not uncommon here. At about midnight after dinner, which was delicious at an Irish pub, we decided to head back to our hotel and get some rest before another early morning. 

"El Pailon del Diablo"

Day Three was also very exciting! We were up and at it early again to go white water rafting! none of us had any idea just how white the water would be, but it was one of the most fun, crazy and awesome things I've done here in Ecuador. After riding the waves, quite literally, we headed back and for the hot springs! After rafting we all felt like doing something a bit more relaxing, and the hot springs were the perfect choice. After some relaxing and a little snack, we knew we had to hike the "Pailon del diablo," which is one of the most famous waterfalls around. It was well worth it, but afterwords we were all but falling asleep walking to the car. We got back to the hotel at about 7:30, and thanks to Jordan's dad, had pizza for dinner and were able to just chill. 

Day 4 was more of a half day, but then again so was the day we arrived. Although it was short, it was nothing near uneventful... We had decided the first day that if we had time, we would go bungee jumping, and the last day provided the perfect amount of time to do just that! The fear, adrenaline, and excitement was almost too much, but as soon as I stepped onto the platform, I knew I had to jump. 3... 2... 1... And it was go time, I dove with all my might, knowing if I tried the falling strategy, my fear would overtake me. And it was awesome! It was the kind where you hang from your harness and swing after you jump, instead of hanging upside down, which made it even better, swinging over a river, knowing you had just checked off a huge bucket list item. There are no words to describe it. 

So, this is definitely was a longer post than usual, but I hope you enjoyed it as much I enjoyed sharing about it! Until next time!

It's already 2018!?

Time has passed so fast over these last four months, but especially over the last month. It's hard to believe that 2018 is already upon us... So for this post, I'm going to focus on how they celebrate New Year's Eve here!

First of all, I've always thought of New Year's Eve as a holiday to spend with friends, playing games and eating snacks, but not in Ecuador. Here, it's almost a bigger deal than Christmas! All the family comes over and there is a big dinner, like our Christmas dinner, followed by fireworks and dancing. (We danced until 2am!) It's a bit different, but I may have enjoyed it even more than in the US! Of course, there are beautiful decorations, and everyone does their part in making the meal... And I made the best garlic mashed potatoes ever! 

Some of the biudas in Quito

Now, for some more  specifics of New Year's Eve... While the evening is spent with brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles, the afternoon is spent driving around looking for "biudas." Basically, biudas are men who dress of like women, just for one day, and joke around with the people in the cars. This includes dancing, talking through the window, or just making faces. It may sound inappropriate or wrong, but it really is just innocent fun here. This tradition is not meant to degrade either gender or be sexual, it is simply something that has been a part of their culture for years and makes the people laugh. 

This post was a bit shorter than usual, but there will be another one coming up soon about my trip to Baños and the Amazon jungle, so stay tuned!

Feliz Navidad!

Christmas is one of the most confusing times as an exchange student. You are expected to miss home a little extra, but also to be excited, as you are going to experience new holiday traditions with new people. Overall, it was a bit of a weird feeling, although I missed the Christmas traditions from home, I also felt incredibly blessed and joyful to be here in Quito for Christmas. Now, to share a bit about how my Christmas went!

First of all, most families here celebrate on what we know as Christmas Eve, and my family is no different. So, on December 24th we headed to Tumbaco (a town near Quito) to spend Christmas with my host brother and his wife's family. We had Turkey, as is tradition in many parts of the world, but the big "turkey dinner" with green beans, sweet potatoes and rolls is a thing of the US. We arrived at about 1:30, and were there until 10:30, and what we did I can't really say. It was a relaxed day of eating, talking, and there was of course a trip to the grocery store. Overall, I enjoyed the food, but most of all the company.

My host parents enjoying their stockings

Most families also open presents on the 24th, but we didn't take them with us to Tumbaco, so we were able to wake up and see the decorative bags filled with candy scattered between the presents under the glowing lights of the Christmas tree. "Candy bags?" you might be thinking, but here they give bags filled with candy, cookies, chocolate, and just about any other kind of sweet you could imagine around Christmas time. I say around Christmas time because it isn't only your family that gives you these, but friends, relatives, and even the school. So, Christmas morning consisted of our normal breakfast, opening presents, going out for coffee (not a normal thing with my host family) and a leftover turkey lunch. It might not sound like much, but it was a good Christmas, and one I'll remember forever!


Even though I had gotten my host family presents, I was missing some of the traditions from the US, so I decided to share one with my host family... Stockings! I bought snacks and candies and a few little gifts to stuff inside, and found cute handmade stockings for cheap. So, I was able to be the parent stuffing the stocking for once, and my host family loved them! In fact, they want to do stockings every year from now on, and it makes me so happy that I was able to be the one to share the tradition with them.

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas, and enjoyed reading about mine! Until next time, where I will share about New years and my upcoming trip!

Day 100!!!

Over the last 100 days, so much has happened and time has passed a million times faster than I expected. The Christmas season started about a month ago here and my host family (and just about every other family) has their Christmas tree and lights up to begin the celebration! This post will be about 3 of the top things I found completely different or even strange at the beginning of exchange, and now have become completely normal to me.

This is my class at our Christmas dinner <3

1. Public transportation: I've never lived in a city anywhere near the size of Quito; 1.6 million people! That's 400 times the size of Coquille! Not only is this city huge, but there is always a cheap way to get around, so while the majority of people own a car, it's generally one car per household unless they are upper class, but many people choose to ride the bus to and from work, as it is cheaper than buying gas. When riding the bus at 3 in the afternoon, you can find a seat withing minutes of hopping on, but at 5 or 6 in the evening, you'd better be ready to be sandwiched! riding the bus in rush hour is one of my least favorite things, but it is also something that has become an every other day normality. A little tip, buses her cost a mere 25 cents, or 12 for students and seniors, so you see why they are tempting and fill up so quickly.

2. Speaking Spanish: When I first arrived, I thought there would be this huge learning curve and that I wouldn't understand anything for the first month or two... That is just about the opposite of what happened. The night I arrived, I had a bit of difficulty speaking and my brain was definitely still working in English. But, as soon as I started, I couldn't stop, and now I can speak at a normal speed. which here is pretty fast, and about almost any topic. Although my Spanish wasn't perfect when I arrived, it was much better than expected and has improved rapidly... I would say with all this practice and a bit of work, I will be fluent by the time I get back to the US!

I also had the chance to see the running of the bulls! 

3. The fact that everyone here says thank you, or gracias, but rarely receives you're welcome, or de nada, in return: This, once again is nothing rude or bad about the culture, it's just different than in the US. for example, when you ask someone to pass the potatoes at dinner, you would say thank you after, and they would say you're welcome. Here, you would still say thank you, for everything, but don't expect an answer. This got my for about the first month, I was always saying de nada, until I realized I was the only one. It's just a normal part of life now, and I will probably forget to say you're welcome when I return, but for now, I'm just fitting into the culture.

This was a bit different than a normal post, but I hope you enjoyed! I will keep the blog updated much more frequently through the Christmas season with updated, pictures and stories. Thank you for reading!