It’s hard to believe that this will be my last post.  My flight leaves tomorrow early, and I’ll get into Denver late tomorrow night.  I’ve been to several new places since my last post so prepare for a long, hopefully not too boring account of the past 3 or so weeks!

Two weekends ago I went to Baños.  It’s a fun, but very touristy little town.  We got in late on Friday night and had some trouble finding a hostel, but eventually we found a good one with hot water.  On Saturday we got up early, rented bikes and started the 65km trek in search of some waterfalls.  Unfortunately the weather was against us, and it started raining.  The combination of the rain and the fact that we were biking on the side of a highway didn’t mix too well so after 4 or 5 waterfalls, we decided to stop.  We spent a good part of the rest of the day walking around looking at the artensania.  We also got a 65 min full body massage, facial and pedicure for $30!  I don’t usually choose to spend my money on facials and pedicures, but this was hard to pass up; it was quite the treat.  Another highlight of the weekend was finding out baby news from my sister.  I’m thrilled to announce that I’m going to be Auntie Katie to a little boy in December!!  So excited for Christie and Ryan!

This past weekend I went to Puerto Lopez which is a beach town on the Ecuadorian coast; it is also known as the “Poor Man’s Galapagos.”  It was a great experience aside from a nasty sunburn that I got.  We had a lot of issues with the airline company Aerogal, but finally made it to Manta and took a taxi to Puerto Lopez.  Puerto Lopez is a fishing town; the fisherman get up early, fish and clean their fish on the beach before the town wakes up.  This time of year, the humpback whales are right off the coast.  They come here every year to mate.  So, on Saturday, we went on a boat ride to Isla de Plata, went on a hike and saw blue footed boobies.  We got back in the boat, went snorkeling and saw some enormous turtles in the water.  Finally, we saw the humpback whales.  It was a little frightened at a few points because they were swimming under our boat; I’m pretty sure I could have stuck out my hand and touched them if I had wanted to.  If you haven’t seen them before, they are absolutely massive!  We spent some time just relaxing on Sunday, and then at 8pm we caught a bus back to Quito.  We got back at 4am, slept a little and went to class that Monday morning.  It was a great trip!

I’ve been lucky enough to take an indigenous culture class the past two weeks.  We visited several museums, a church and an indigenous market.  Ecuador’s indigenous cultures are so unique; it’s been so great learning about them!  It’s a great reminder that life can be very different depending on where you are in the world. 

That about sums up the past two/three weeks.  It’s hard to believe that I won’t be in Ecuador at this time tomorrow.  I have mixed feelings about heading back to the U.S.  I am so excited to see my family, eat what I want and when I want to, spend time with my niece and nephew, CJ and Miles, see Aaron, Britt and Wilder, and to go to my sister’s baby shower.  I am also really looking forward to spending time with one of my best friends, Miss Valerie, who is coming to visit in a few weeks!!

But there are many things I will miss too.  I will miss speaking Spanish, las frutas, and learning about the diverse culture and clima here.  I will miss the professors at the school and other friends I have made during my time here.

I am nervous about going back to a “new home.”  I’m also a little bit nervous about my MVS position that will start in September, but I’m looking forward to living in AZ and attending Shalom. 

I want to thank everyone for your kind notes, e-mails packages, and prayers.  They usually came just at the right time! 

Perhaps what I am looking forward to most of all, is being able to call and have uninterrupted conversations with all of you when I want!  I am looking forward to catching up with the people I care about.  Talk to you soon!

Peace & Love,

~k            

I’ve been pretty busy the last two weeks trying to finish up some of my course requirements.  I finally finished my paper last week, and this week I have my final presentation on Thursday.  I’ll be so relieved to finish!  My final literature/writing exam is on Friday.  Then, I’ll just have 2 weeks of indigenous culture.  It’s hard to believe that the experience is so close to ending.  I was just realizing a few days ago that the streets feel normal, and I feel much safer than when I first arrived here.  I’m still hoping that I don’t get mugged (knock on wood).  So many students have had something stolen during their time here.  I’m hoping that my luck continues until the end!

Since I’ve been so busy with school work, I haven’t been able to go out and explore too many things in the city.  Nevertheless, I’ve had a few really neat experiences.  This past week, I went to an art museum called El Capillo del Hombre.  The artwork is all by an artist named Guayasamín.  It was breathtaking!  I can’t say that I’ve ever enjoyed an art museum before, but this artist has changed that!  His work reflects the challenges of racial identity, discrimination, political controversies, love and death.  Most of his work was probably influenced by his own life since his mother was una indigena and his father a Spaniard.  Check out his work online if you get a chance!!

This past weekend, I went to the TelefériQo.  It’s sort of a tourist attraction, but definitely a lot of fun.  It’s a gondola that takes people up the Volcán Pinchincha.  We got really lucky and went on a beautiful, clear day.  There is an amazing view of the city from the top. 

I had a particularly unique experience last Sunday.  Lunch is the biggest meal here, and it usually consists of fresh juice, soup, a main dish (always with rice, usually meat, beans and salad), and fruit for dessert.  It’s a lot of food and usually only costs around $3.  Anyway, I’ve become particularly attached to the variety of soups that they have here.  They generally have potatoes, rice, sometimes lentils and a chunk of meat/beef.  Well the other day I was going to grab something quick for lunch; so, I walked into a cheap restaurant where I knew I could get soup and juice for a dollar.  For some reason I didn’t ask what the soup of the day was, I just said I wanted a bowl of it.  I sat down and low and behold the waiter brought out a bowl of something…I wasn’t sure what it actually was because all I could see were the chicken feet sticking out!  So we spent some time there, me and the chicken feet stew, just getting acquainted with one another.  I tried not to act too surprised for fear that the other dining Ecuadorians would take me as a whimp!  Then I thought, “well here goes nothing.”  It wasn’t quite as painful as you might think.  It tasted very chicken-y, but it was a little unsettling to see three pronged toes sticking up at me.  I’m proud to say that I finished it!  Now I know what your next question is…did she actually consume of the foot?  I can’t say that I was able to get that far nor am I sure how that is possible…it looked like a lot of bone to me.  BUT, I think I did a good enough job with the entire experience.  Now my next eating adventure is the cuy (guinea pig!).  After Sunday though, I think I can handle it!       

Big news for this blog! I finished up my grammar course on Friday and I’m ready for a change!  I decided to take some extra one on one tutoring to continue with some of the grammatical concepts (I guess that means I’m not officially done with grammar...).  The extra lessons started last week for 2 hours a day in the afternoons.  This next week I’ll start my literature/writing class.

As for other life news, I am officially going to Tucson, AZ with MVS!  I got the position with Borderlinks, the organization that interviewed me.  I couldn’t be more excited about the position, but I’m even more aware now of how important it is for me to learn all the Spanish I can here.  The position requires a lot of consecutive translating for groups. 

Another life event is that my parents have officially moved out of our house in Grandview Heights, Ohio.  They purchased a home in Ft. Collins, CO and will move in sometime in early July.  It feels strange to not be there as they say goodbye.

Now for Quito…I continue to experience all sorts of interesting things here.  I visited the Botanical Gardens which were gorgeous.  Ecuador has a lot of different climates so there is a lot of plant variety.  Last Saturday I went to Quilotoa (elevation 3914m), a volcanic-crater lake 14m north of Zumbahua.  We were really lucky and had a clear day.  We hiked down to the lake, ate a picnic and climbed back up just before a thunderstorm rolled in. 

On Sunday, I went to La Mitad del Mundo.  The French built a big museum at the equator except they were off by about 200m.  So there are actually 2 sites that you can visit.  Both were very different from each other but definitely worth it.

On Tuesday, I went with my tutor to the Basilica.  It is a really large church with gothic style architecture in Quito.  It’s still under construction and probably will be forever because the priests believe that the day the construction ends, Ecuador will no longer exist.  I got some really awesome views of Quito from the towers of the church.

Today (Sunday), I went to Cotopaxi a volcano surrounded by a national park.  We were really hoping for a clear day where we could hike a little.  Unfortunately, we got to the base to start out climb and it was sleeting/raining/freezing and really cloudy.  As we drove to the base, we looked out our windows, and saw people all decked out in super outdoor gear with ice picks and goggles.  We felt pretty outmatched and unprepared in our mismatched sweatshirts and thin socks.  So, we quickly took some pictures and jumped back into the van soaked.  We drove back down and walked around a lagoon.  Overall, the experience was a little disappointing, but at least I can say that I’ve been pretty close to the top! 

I’ve had some great adventures since my last blog!  A week ago Saturday, I went to a market in Otavalo.  There are many indigenous people who live there and who make/sell goods.  It’s really quite amazing how large this market is.  We left at about 8:30am and got there at around 10:30 in the morning.  The bus tickets cost about $2!  We browsed the whole area for about 5 hours, and we still didn’t see everything.  I think I made wise purchases although, I probably couldn’t be worse at bargaining, and I find it quite exhausting!

This past week, I also visited the Panecillo.  It lies to the South of the Old Town on a big hill.  It has a huge statue of La Virgen de Quito and a wonderful view of the whole city.  I didn’t realize how much of the city I didn’t know until I saw the view.  The Panecillo pretty much divides the North from the South.  I’ve never even been in the South and probably won’t ever go there because it’s mostly just houses.  It was quite amazing to stand there looking out at the massive city.  It spreads out farther than what I can see.  We watched the clouds roll in with sheets of rain.  Before we knew it, the wind was cool, the sun disappeared and the rain came! 

The next day we went to a part of town called Mariscal.  It’s in the newer part of town and it’s more dangerous.  It’s also called Gringolandia J because that’s where most of the foreigners stay.  We went there to look at the craft market.  It was a good place to start looking for gifts for everyone back home! 

Sunday was also a big day here in Ecuador.  Ecuador’s soccer team played Colombia here in Quito in a playoff game for the World Cup.  A week ago, we got smashed by Argentina 4-0, but people were hoping for a better result this week.  We went to Mariscal to watch the game.  I’m a little upset that I didn’t get tickets to the game since the stadium is so close, but it was still fun to watch the game, and we came away a 1-0 victory!  Mariscal was packed and we had a hard time finding a spot to watch the game, but we finally snatched a few seats in the main plaza foch at a café.  People were sitting and standing all around the plaza at all of the bars and restaurants.  The TVs were all a little off though so whenever there was an exciting play, one restaurant erupted in cheers and 10 seconds later, another section did the same and so on until all four corners of the plaza had added their part to the harmony.  From a fan standpoint, this was an interesting game because Ecuador has a large Colombian population; many are refugees.

While I thoroughly enjoyed watching the game, I once again became aware of my continued grief related to my inability to play soccer.  To some degree, I have completely shut soccer out of my life.  I am reminded every time that I watch people playing how much I miss it and how much of my life was defined by my ability to play.  It feels wrong to leave out such a big part of my life, but it also hurts to let it back in.  It was a big loss for me.

I’m looking forward to some of the activities I’m thinking about doing this next week.  Another exciting event coming up is an interview I have on Wednesday with an organization in AZ for my MVS placement this next fall.  I’m hoping things will work out, and I’m looking forward to starting my MVS term when I get back in late August.

I continue to think about all of you and look forward to your notes.  Until next time!!

Many things have happened since my last entry.  Due to some complications, I moved to a different host family on Monday of this week.  My new host family is very nice.  My host mother’s name is Yoli or “Mami Yoli”; my host father’s name is Eugenio.  I think they have at least one daughter living in the house, but I have not met her yet.  We live in a house at the end of a quiet street.  My room is much larger than my previous room, and it is completely decked out in shades of pink and peach.  There is one other student living here as well; his room is very blue.  The house is a little farther away than my previous home so I need to take two buses to get to school.  It takes about 40 minutes.  There is a lot of traffic in Quito!

School continues to be challenging.  We are still working on grammar, and we will continue until the end of next week.  So many verbs, so easy to make a mistake!!  Nevertheless, I think it’s been important for me to review some of the grammatical structures.  I will have to do a final project before my times ends here.  It includes a 30 minute presentation and a paper.  I have decided to investigate the Conquest and Colonization of Ecuador. 

I’ve gotten used to the beautiful landscape here.  Tall mountains surround the city and houses creep up the steep mountainside.  The mornings are generally bright and warm, but as the afternoon continues, sheets of clouds come over and slide down the mountains slowly covering the city.  I’ve also really enjoyed some of the great foods here.  There is a lot of bread!  I’m not used to eating so much bread, but it’s fresh and filling.  Ecuador also has a huge variety of fruits, fruits that I have never heard of or seen before.  Take bananas for example.  There are green bananas (verde), red bananas (rosado I think), small bananas (orlito), banano/a/platano, Maqueno, and maduros.  There are probably more, and I may have messed a few of these names up, but you get the point!  Anyway, I’ve enjoyed trying some of the fruits.  I generally have fresh juice (blackberry is probably one of my favorites so far) for breakfast each morning.  In addition to fruits, another new food has been quail eggs!!  They were delicious!

That’s about it for now.  More adventures are in the works for the future!  Chao  

It´s been a little over a week since I´ve been here, and I´ve already had many interesting experiences.  I arrived on Saturday evening the 12th to a very kind and welcoming host mother in the Quito airport.  Thankfully my luggage arrived as well.  After a quick night of sleep, I was up early to begin a full day of Mother´s Day celebrations.  Pilar, my host mother, has 2 children who are married and have their own families.  Her son Esteban lives in Guayaquil, and her daughter lives here in Quito.  We left on Sunday morning with Esteban, and his wife´s family to eat lunch at a nice restaurant in Cumbaya which is several hours away by car.  Although it was a lovely drive, I had a raging headache and severe dehydration from the change in altitude.  Quito sits at over 9,000 feet.  This means that the temperature is generally in the 50s and 60s.  People do not have air conditioning or heat here.  There are two seasons, rain and no rain.  We are just entering the no rain season.

So we arrived at the restaurant, and I ordered locro (a potato soup) and mote sucio.  I learned a lesson with the mote sucio (hominy with really fried pieces of pork).  Never order something that has the word ´dirty´  in its title.  Later in the day, we spent some time with Pilar´s husband´s family.  Her husband had 8 brothers and sisters so it´s quite a large rumbuncious group.  Needless to say, I slept well after my first full day in Ecuador.

My classes began on Monday.  There were five of us new students.  We had a placement test, orientation and a tour of some of the old city.  Overall, it was a good first day.  Pilar showed me how to get to and from the school.  We live on a really big hill.  So everyday now I walk down this huge hill until I get to the main street which is called 6 de Diciembre.  I pay .25 cents  to get on the bus.  I know what you´re thinking, .25 cents?  That´s a steal...and it is, except the experience is less than inviting.  If I thought I had been crammed into a bus/metro/trolly before, it was nothing like this experience!  After 4 stops, I get off and walk a few blocks to the school.  We have class from 8:30-1pm.  After that, we are free to do what we like.  Right now, I´m taking Spanish grammar with 2 other students.  I´ve also been getting to know the other students at the school.  Most are from either Europe or the U.S.

One student from Germany invited me to go with her and some of her host family on Friday evening to walk around some of the older parts of the city.  We went to the Centro Historico.  There, we watched some improv street theater, and we ate fried empanadas with cheese and morocho which is basically rice pudding in a glass.  After that, we walked down to a street called La Ronda.  It´s long narrow cobblestone street with live music, restaurants and handcrafts.  We spent some time dancing, karaokeing and we tried canelazo, a traditional alcoholic drink made from sugarcane alcohol with hot fruit cider.

Saturday we left for Mindo, a cloud forest about 2 1/2 hours away from Quito. Eight of us from the school went.  We spent the majority of our time hiking down to some waterfalls and ziplining.  Some people also went to a butterfly farm.  It was a lovely drive.  We returned by 6 in the evening.

That about covers the week!  I´m still getting used to some of the safety precations that we need to take here in the city, but I´m hoping that things will get easier as my time here increases.

I´ve enjoyed hearing from some of you already.  I continue to think about you all as the summer months are approaching and many of you are going through periods of transition.

Until next time!  Chao

After an amazing graduation celebration with friends and family, I am preparing to leave for Ecuador on Saturday!  I finished up my Social Work degree at the end of this semester in April, and I will continue working on my Spanish degree in Ecuador.  I will return to the U.S. at the end of August.

I have had mixed feelings about everything since graduation.  While I am excited to be finished at EMU, I will miss all of the good friendships with my fellow classmates, professors and mentors.  I will miss the Redmond Dead Poets Society, swimming holes, dancing after dinner, planned and unplanned mischievous adventures and the pleasure of eating globs of ice cream in the cafeteria.  The lovely Shenandoah Valley in all of its natural beauty, and simple charm has found a way into my heart; I will miss it too.  Since my parents are in the process of moving away from Columbus, I am realizing how much I will miss the people at Columbus Mennonite Church as well as friends in the Grandview community.  So, as I prepare for my next adventure in the South, I am in a way processing certain losses and anticipating significant changes when I return to the U.S.

Despite the many transitions of the past year, I am excited for the new journey ahead of me!  I don't know quite what to expect in this new small country (did you know Ecuador is the same size as Nevada?), but I'm looking forward to new friendships and experiences.  I will take four classes in Spanish at the Academia Latinoamericana de Espanol en Quito over my twelve weeks of study, and I will live with a host family, but that's about all I know!  I will update this blog when the timing feels right.  I will have plenty of internet access while I am away so please take liberties to comment or write an e-mail; after all, I want to know what is going on with all of you too!  If there is one thing I have learned this past semester, it is the importance of relationships and friendships, even if they are at a distance.  I will continue to keep all of you in my thoughts from far away.

Until next time....!