Mateo

I hope this works--- never uploaded a video before. But here is one of Mateo dancing. He's such a cutie. I'll have to try to get more videos- this one doesn't show his full range of moves ;) Enjoy.

Oh geez. I just realized today for the first time that "Ecuador" in my blog website is spelled wrong- how embarrassing! It is http://aventurasenencuador.blogspot.com/ . How did that "n" get between the "e" and the "c". I apologize for this oversight. I am not the most accurate typist and evidently made a mistake when choosing my blog website; at least it's spelled correctly in the title of the blog. Spelling errors (when I make them) irk me so. I'll get over it in due time, no doubt.

Saturday, I went with my host family to Yunguilla, the same place we went for Carnaval. It was a good time- relaxing, warm weather, lots of family. I read, took pictures (mostly of flowers; you wouldn't believe how pretty the flowers were around the house), played cards ("Speed" champion! Oh, how I love that game...), watched soccer and movies, got some more bug bites (of course). I got some videos of Mateo (my host-nephew) dancing. He has got some moves, that little guy does. Almost every night at home after supper, he goes and turns on some Reggaeton and dances. I've gotten a few lessons from him, but I don't think they've done much good (I'm a hopeless cause). 

Funny story: I have a 13-year-old "cousin" named Martin that was there this weekend. Saturday afternoon, he decided he was going to pick on me. He was standing behind my chair while we were watching a soccer game on TV, and he goes, in English, to whoever passed by, "Do you know she is my girlfriend?" pointing at me. I was like, "what??" For the duration of the night and on into Sunday, he would call me "sweetie" and "honey" and say things like "Did you know I am really fun?" At one point, in Spanish, I asked him how old he was. He answered "16". My host sister Carolina goes, "menos 3" (minus 3). He even was singing to me. Of course all the other cousins, especially the boys, encouraged him because they thought it was so funny (and it was). He commandeered my camera at one point and took 8 pictures of himself and at least 3 videos of himself saying hello and kissing the air. Oh dear, it was quite humorous.



Picture 1: I found a spider on my photo expedition. It was a pretty big guy- I'd say probably 2/3 my pinky-length, maybe bigger.

Picture 2: Abuelito! This is my host mom's dad, Julio. He's so cute.

Picture 3: One of the many flowers around the house.

merely musing

So I don't really have anything new to report on the Ecuador-front... I don't really know what I'm doing this weekend. My host family has gone back and forth quite a few times on whether we're going to Yunguilla (the place we went for Carnaval), so I figure hopefully tonight I'll find out if we're going anywhere tomorrow; I'm flexible ;) Other than that, there is the fact that I GOT A PACKAGE TODAY FROM MY PARENTS!!! I'm not sure if you can quite comprehend how excited I was/ still am for that. I get super excited in the States when I receive a letter or package, but something about being in Ecuador multiplies that by like a million--- maybe it's the altitude ;) I figure that since we blame a lot of things on the altitude here, I might as well add that to the list.

Anyway, I've been thinking a good amount lately. I have found that my walks to and from school are excellent times to do just that. The past couple days it has really sunk in how amazingly fortunate I am. There are, of course, a myriad of people and things I have to be thankful for, but it was one specific thing lately. How incredible is it to be able to say that Someone gave His life for you?! Like, seriously- would you live your life differently if you knew that the only reason you were alive was because someone (say- your friend or brother or sister or dad or mom) gave their life for you? Just take a second and really think about that. What LOVE that would require- someone valuing YOUR life more than their own. And it's not hypothetical. It really did happen. Jesus Christ took on MY sins (everyone's sins) and gave His life for ME so that I can have eternal life with Him. THAT is the definition of being TRULY ALIVE- having eternal life. Just the magnitude of His love blows me away. I'm so ashamed to say that I don't think about this as often as I should (daily)- it was brought to mind by the holiday that is fast approaching- the celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection. It first entered my head one day when I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, missing my family and home (yes that really has happened- it's not easy being on a different continent). All the sudden the fact that Christ DIED for ME came to mind, and it just made my pity party seem so silly. Yes, those feelings were real, but it's hard to stay sad when you think on the marvelous gift we've been given- all we have to do is accept it. 

...just a look into my thoughts as of late- perhaps a bit disjointed and maybe not the most eloquent, but so real. I hope you all realize just how utterly blessed we are to have Someone love us that much; and if you don't, take some time to think about it.

Thought this picture was perfect. It was taken in Quito, I believe... or one of the places we went in our first week.

Manicures and Markets

[A few market pictures added.]

We had last Saturday free, so I decided I was going to treat myself since there wasn't much else to do (good excuse, right?! Completely legit though, I promise ;)    ). My host sister had told me one day that she got a manicure for only $3. I've never gotten a manicure so I decided now was a good time, especially for so cheap. I asked my host mom if there were any places near the house where I could go, expecting her to just give me directions. But no, she drove me there and was so excited for me. She told me if she were a billionaire (her words, promise; except in Spanish), she would get a manicure all the time; she loves doing that sort of stuff, she said. So we get there and the ladies that work there gave me a little guide to look at. Well, those nail designs were QUITE elaborate. I'm a pretty simple girl, nothing too fancy. My host mom sat there, looking with me, pointing at all the ones with the flowers and butterflies, saying how pretty they were and how I should get those; I told her I liked the more simple designs. We had to wait a while because there was another lady before me. My host mom asked if it was okay if she went home because my host dad needed the car and if I knew how to get home (she asked this of the girl who didn't know how to get from school to her house until she was probably a sophomore in high school...). I was like "uhhhhh..." She told me what street we were on and that I just needed to turn up it to find the street we lived on. Easy enough, right? I figured I knew how to get home because I knew of the street she mentioned. Anyway, back to my manicure. I decided on this lovely plum hue with a single silver sparkly stripe across the top. Oh, it was so nice to have someone else paint my fingernails; I usually make a big mess of it. Then I asked the nice lady how much it cost, and she said TWO DOLLARS! Woohoo! What a steal! I went to reach into my pocket for the money, and she was like, "No! You'll ruin your fingernails!" (in Spanish, of course). So she got her 2 dollars out of my pocket, and I was on my merry way. I was so disoriented when I walked out the door. I went the wrong way for probably 4 blocks total (2 blocks each in different WRONG directions), then headed in a way I thought MIGHT be right. I was very unsure for the first 4 or 5 blocks, but then I finally got to a street I recognized. Hallelujah! I was going the right way! I'm pretty sure I took the long way home, but at least I made it, right?

Sunday, we had a group trip to Gualeceo and Chordeleg, two cities that are within 10 minutes of each other and 1 hour of Cuenca. Gualeceo has a really big food market- chancho galore, cuy, and about a million other types of Ecuadorian food. Mmmmm they had morocho (which meant that I had morocho too ;)   ), which is definitely up there on my "favorite Ecuadorian food and drink list" (if I had one). Okay, so it's a warm drink that has milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, and (don't judge) chopped up pieces of corn. So yes, you do have to chew your drink, and it sounds nasty, but WOW it's incredible. My family made some last week, and it was better than the stuff from the market. Super tasty. I told my mom we were going to have to try making some when I get home. After the Gualaceo market, we went to Chordeleg, which is known for having lots of silver jewelry. We wandered that the market/ stores for about an hour. I found presents for my niecey-poos and nephew, so that was super exciting. I got them all the same thing to avoid fights. I won't tell what they are though, so their respective moms can be surprised too :) (Madison and Leah know though because I told them on Skype today- oops). 

I haven’t yet loaded my pictures of the markets onto my computer (thus, I don’t even know if they’re worth posting); if they are decent, I’ll try to put some up tomorrow or Thursday. Until then, you can enjoy a picture of my manicure ;) I wanted to capture the beauty before I went and chipped them up (because we know that’s bound to happen). On the manicurist’s defense, though, they’ve held up quite well the past 3 days.

 

Branching out

I decided to branch out today and try something new. Are you ready for this: I went to a new ice cream place- no way, right? Tutto Freddo is so in the past now. I was talking ice cream with another girl one day, and she said there was an ice cream shop like 3 stores up that was WAY better and cheaper too! So today as I was walking to school, I decided it was time for my weekly ice cream. I walked in, and they didn't have Oreo... Uh-oh. But I was not to be deterred. I branched out FURTHER and asked for un cono simple (comparable more or less to a single-scoop cone) of  Tres Leches Cake ice cream. WELL, let me tell you what happened next. The lady got a bowl made of the same stuff cones are made of (I hope that makes sense), proceeded to scoop THREE (count them, THREE) scoops of Tres Leches Cake ice cream into it, AND stuck a small ice cream cone on top. All for a mere 70 cents! (Which is 10 cents cheaper than Tutto Freddo, and you get 3 times as much ice cream). Wow, right?! Wonder of wonders; it was fantastic. 

Alright, well I have class in 5 minutes. Need to prepare myself mentally for 2 hours of class. Just thought I'd share that nice little tale with you. Happy Wednesday.

Explanation of pictures at the end...

So apparently all is well again between Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Chavez, Correa, and Uribe (the presidents of Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia, respectively) signed an accord, ending the very serious situation that was at hand. My teacher this morning said that everything was calm again. One of the girls I know saw a newspaper article with a picture of the presidents of the three countries HUGGING (picture Hugo Chavez hugging two other men- ha). Good gracious- I'm just glad it's all worked out, and hopefully that little lovefest continues until well after I'm out of the country (or at least until after we've gone to the jungle ;)   ). Thanks to all who expressed their concern; no need to worry :)

Anyway- we had a four-day weekend since we didn't end up going to the jungle. Thursday, 3 other girls and myself went to Apullacta (the travel agency our school partners with) and booked a day-trip to go horseback riding on Friday. It included a bilingual guide, a snack, lunch, rubber boots, transportation to and from the hacienda where the horses were, and of course the horses. Oh, it was so much fun! We were rode the horses for about 3 hours through the mountains. The view was phenomenal the entire time. AND we were blessed with nearly perfect weather the entire time; the last 10 minutes, it started to sprinkle a little, but luckily we were not caught in any deluges like those in Cuenca that oh-so-conveniently start when I'm starting my 16-block walk home. Oh man, my horse had some serious personality. His name was Eragon- beautiful white horse (not gonna lie- I picked it because it was pretty;)   ). We started out, and right from the get-go, I could tell it was going to be interesting: I had the pokey horse. We were quite far behind the group for the majority of the afternoon (see picture above). But alas! There were instances when all the sudden Eragon would decide it was a grand time for trotting or even galloping (maybe he figured it was time to catch up with the group). Those times didn't last long, but they were always fun (a little hard on the bum, but fun nonetheless). We even made it to the front of the group a good two times, but then one of the other horses would get impatient with Eragon's slow gait and would pass us (I felt like the slow car on the highway- everyone passing me). Eragon had difficulties going down the steep hills (sometimes I wanted to close my eyes and just hope for the best), and we would get REALLY far behind. Then, the guide would tell me to give my horse a kick to get him moving, which I'd do, and we'd end up TROTTING DOWN THE HILL (which was really like a mountain- we are in the Andes, after all)- which was way scarier than just walking down it. Whew- a little nerve-racking., but I enjoyed every minute of it. I have resolved to own a horse (or more than one) when I "grow up." :) 

The rest of the weekend was just hanging out with my host family- taking naps, drinking hot chocolate, eating bread, you know... Less than 2 months to go! Crazy how fast time's gone. We started a new cycle of classes today. I've only had one thus far, and I think I'll like it. It's a Latin American Culture and Civilization class, and my teacher looks promising- like she really enjoys this topic and is eager for us to enjoy it too; I like those kinds of teachers.

I have tried 3 times now to upload pictures of the horseback riding extravaganza, but it's not cooperating. Hopefully later it'll work, so be on the lookout. 

So the pictures wouldn't go to the END of my post like I wanted...

Picture 1: The horses- the white one is Eragon

Picture 2: That's me giving Eragon the pre-ride brush.

Picture 3: On my pokey horse. Note the rockin' helmet

Picture 4: This is an idea of AT LEAST how far back we were the majority of the time.

Picture 5: Group photo.

Current Events

Sooooooo, I don't know if you have been following world news (or South American news) lately, but there are currently some relatively high tensions between Ecuador and Colombia due to the fact that some Colombians crossed the Ecuadorian border to kill 17 members of the FARC (Colombian extremist/ terrorist group) including the second-in-command. So it's a rather big deal, and it's a pretty interesting situation because the United States is backing Colombia (because we're in the middle of a new trade agreement with them). President Correa (the Ecuadorian president) is very anti- U.S., and even more so now. Anyway, Ecuadorian troops have been moved to the border as a precaution, but Colombia has not done anything as of yet (besides their initial breach of sovereignty). How does this affect me? In Cuenca, it really doesn't. Cuenca is quite far to the south of the Ecuador-Colombia border, so we're safe here. BUT, the place we were planning to go to in the jungle was in northern Ecuador. As of yesterday, we had moved our trip to a location about 50 miles south of the original location. Well, today was when we got the sad news: our jungle trip is being postponed until the beginning of April because the U.S. embassy advised Americans to keep a low profile and not travel in the north. Man, I was SOOOOOOOOO excited and so ready to go tomorrow! I'm glad it hasn't been cancelled completely, but I hope that it actually works out in April, or I will be ticked. 

Anyway, that's what's going on. I'm not going to the jungle tomorrow and don't know what I'm going to do with my long weekend now. It'll be fine ;)