camarones del río

Writing to you from campus today -- waiting on some friends to go buy bus tickets for our big Carnaval trip to Montañita this weekend! (yet another beach)

I had another great trip to the beach this weekend! This time, I went with Ashley, her boyfriend Carlos, and our friend Ramiro. Ramiro works for a bank here that has a complex in a beach called Castelnuovo (just up the coast from where I was a couple of weekends ago). We had a nice little apartment-ito to ourselves, complete with 2 rooms, a bathroom, a living room area, and a kitchen. The complex had a pool, hot tub, a volleyball court, and a tennis court. We left early on Friday to get to the beach around noon (the trip is MUCH faster in a car, thanks to Carlos for driving). Castelnuovo is pretty dead when it isn't "beach season," so we headed to Atacames for lunch (Atacames is a huge beach right up the coast, about a 3 minute drive away). The title of this post comes from a joke at lunch. We were first served coconut juice by a woman who we thought worked at the restaurant. She answered our questions about the menu (including what was the difference between camarones and camarones del río) and even took our orders. Five minutes later, another guy comes up and asks to take our orders. Apparently, the first woman didn't actually work there, but she used the restaurant as a venue to sell the juice. Ashley ordered camarones del río (shrimp of the river), which turned out not to be shrimp at all. They were actually more lobster-like.

We came back and hung out at the complex for a while before going back to Atacames for dinner and drinks. For dinner, we ate at a big buffet-looking area (which Ramiro informed me was not actually a buffet), where I got a sausage/chicken/beef kabob and a huge cup of watermelon juice for $3. We went back to the complex and played the Game of Life (Pirates of the Caribbean version). In the morning, we drove down to another beach about 45 minutes away, but the long distance was totally worth it. The beach, which is actually an island, is called Muisne. We rode (with the car) across to the island on a ferry-type thing. The beach, because it's an island, doesn't have too many tourists, so we stood out, but it was also more tranquila than Atacames. After a few hours of laying out and drinking milkshakes, we drove back towards Atacames, stopping at a beach called Sua for lunch. I had my favorite -- shrimp ceviche.

We went back to the complex and rested. Carlos and Ashley went to Atacames, while Ramiro and I prepared a special surprise for Ashley (from Carlos). When they got back, we all headed to Atacames for another dinner of kabobs (pinchos) and juice. When we got back to the complex, they all taught me how to play the famous card game here called Cuarenta. After a game of Scrabble (en español), we headed to bed.

We spent Sunday morning tidying up the room before heading out. We stopped for lunch in Tonsupa (where I was a couple of weekends ago) and then drove back to Quito! It was a great weekend, and even though I got sunburned, it was definitely worth it. And now I'm even more excited for the beach....again!

Our little apartment-ito in Castelnuovo

 

Ferry ride to the island of Muisne

Enjoying an avocado milkshake in Muisne

 

Ashley & I in Sua

Sunset at the complex in Castelnuovo

Carlos's surprise for Ashley

por qué estoy aquí

I just finished watching a video that was shown yesterday at Grace, my church at home. Its purpose was to encourage the congregation in missions and remind everyone that the core and heart of Grace is missions. There was something in the video -- maybe it was seeing God speak through my mom and my best friend's mom, or hearing people talk about Mexico -- that reminded me of why I am even here in Ecuador.

I think it's amazing when you can reflect on where you are in a certain moment and see the path that has led you to that specific place. It's happened to me several times, many of those have been in Mexico, but I realized again tonight the exact path that God planned out for me that brought me here, sitting at a desk in a room in a little house in the middle of the big city of Quito in Ecuador. And I strongly believe that that path started at Grace.

I was blessed to be raised in a church like Grace, a church with a heart of missions and an amazing youth ministry. It's there that I not only made some of my best friends, but also where I developed a heart for Latin America. That first mission trip to Mexico in 2006 started me on a path that took me back to Mexico time and time again, that ignited my passion for Spanish and for Latin America, that opened my heart to the Latino community in North Carolina, and that eventually led me here to Quito. The people that I had as my role models during that time -- my parents, my friends' parents, my youth pastors Sass and Casey (who is now serving in South Africa with his amazing wife Sarah, check out their blog!), and my leader and friend Kerry -- all influenced how I would come to view missions and the world. I praise the Lord for the path that He has taken me on, and I'm excited to see where it goes. I have come to the realization that I am here not only to study, to experience the culture, to explore the beautiful surroundings, and to meet great people -- all of those things are great. But most importantly, I'm here to bring glory to His name. I don't know what that looks like yet, but I certainly can't wait to find out.

"For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city."

if your friends jumped off a bridge...you would too.

Back from another crazy, fun, exciting weekend trip, this time to a place called Baños. The name comes from the natural hot spring baths the town has because of the huge volcano nearby, but there's a ton more to do in the town than just relax in the pool. We got there Friday evening and immediately loved the town as soon as we stepped off the bus. We ate dinner at a cute place owned by a gringo, and I had a delicious cheese, avocado, and tomato sandwich. Baños has incredible nightlife, so we had a blast hanging out on the streets, dancing in the clubs, and meeting people from all over the world (we met a ton of people from Argentina because they're all on their summer vacation right now).

SATURDAY
We started the day early and explored around town a little. Baños is a cute little town with a couple beautiful cathedrals and, of course, the Andes mountains as a backdrop.

We had breakfast at a little café, and I got some delicious chocolate pancakes (of course) that came with bananas and cream.

 

After breakfast, we started our adventure of canyoning. Canyoning is basically repelling down some of Baños's best waterfalls. We rode in a truck out to the waterfalls, and the company provided us with our very own wetsuits and Keds (apparently they work as great water shoes). We also got jackets (which smelled awful), helmets, and harnesses.

 

We repelled down one smaller waterfall to start. For the second waterfall, we layed on our backs while our guide repelled us down quickly, kind of like a waterslide.

 

For the last and tallest waterfall (about 150 feet), we repelled down the first part and then jumped, and the guide repelled us down.

To get back up to the top, we had to hike through what I can only describe as the jungle. The "path" the company created was very narrow and was almost vertically uphill. Our hike even included climbing under barbed wire. Only in Ecuador. We got to do the biggest waterfall twice, and then we finally got to peel off our pretty smelly wetsuits. We got to do all that for the whopping price of $16.

We got some lunch in town when we got back and walked around a little bit more. I went with my friend Cole to get his long hair chopped off, and then we went back and relaxed in the hostel. That night, we enjoyed more of Baños's awesome nightlife.

SUNDAY
We started off the day early again and got breakfast at the hostel where another group of USFQ students was staying. After breakfast, a few of us rented go karts and rode them around town, then to the next town over to see a zoo.

 

 We drove back, met up with the rest of our group, and headed out to do puenting. Puenting is the "extreme sport" of Baños, essentially bridge jumping (puente = bridge). The bridge we were going to jump off is about 450 feet high and runs over a huge gorge and raging river. 

We got harnessed up and, connected to a rope, dove off of this little platform. The fall literally lasts less than 2 seconds, but it's amazing and exhilarating.

After the jump, you swing for a while on the rope and then hang while the man at the top lowers you down to the cliff below. 

It's definitely the craziest thing I've ever done. And it only cost $10! After we finished puenting, we headed back to the hostel to get our stuff, grabbed some lunch, and then hopped on the bus to head back to Quito. Needless to say, Baños is my favorite place we've been so far, and I wouldn't surprised if we end up back there for a weekend before the semester's over.

rain rain go away

At first, the occasional afternoon/evening rain in Quito was nice. Then, last week, it started happening every. single. day. As I write this, it is pouring outside, and we even heard thunder in Cumbayá earlier today. Don't get me wrong, I love rain. But when you have to go to class in it, or go out to Mariscal in it, hail a cab in it, or wait for the bus in it, it's not so fun anymore. Although I hoped that the rainy weather was just passing over and we'd go back to the sunny, warm days soon, it seems like the rainy season might be here to stay.

feliz día del amor y amistad!

Happy Valentine's Day from Ecuador! Yes, they do celebrate it here. And very well, I might add. I can't even count the number of girls I saw around campus today with either flowers or chocolates from their novios. We celebrated by going out to get Mexican food with a couple of Alice Ann's friends that are in town for a bit. I got home and had a second dinner with my family -- Domino's pizza and salad by candlelight. Love it. They also enjoyed the box of chocolates I got them. :)

Overall, the weekend spent in Quito was great! (save for the robbery) Last night, some of us went to go see "Black Swan," or "Cisne Negro," at the movie theater. Yeah, that was pretty intense.

Also, exciting news -- I finally decided on my summer plans. After a lot of prayer, I decided that God was leading me to spend the summer in Chapel Hill. I was up for a final interview for an internship in Colorado Springs, but time after time, I just felt the Lord leading me to Chapel Hill. Which is funny, because if you asked me in November, it's the LAST place I wanted to be this summer. But I plan on taking a couple of summer school classes, working, possibly doing an internship in the area, volunteering/using my Spanish, and just enjoying the summer! Of course, no summer of mine is complete without a trip to Mexico, so Jake and I are going to spend two and a half weeks there right after I get back from Quito. Couldn't be more excited!

"You were faithful before, You'll be faithful again . . . God, Your love is enough. I will follow You."

there your heart will be

Well, you never think it's gonna happen to you. You think you'll be prepared if it does. And then it happens, catches you off guard, and you're suddenly not as prepared as you thought you'd be.

Having spent plenty of time of less-than-safe parts of Mexico and having spent a good 5 or 6 weeks here, I KNOW the drill. Gringos are targets for theft. I know to keep an vigilant eye on my belongings. I know all of that. And I thought I could handle anything.

And then today, I took a little trip down south in the city to Centro Histórico, this great part of the city with plazas and cathedrals that remind me of a lot of my favorite parts of Mexico. I was having a wonderful time -- I actually like spending a bit of time by myself, exploring and taking photos. I went to this great World Press Photos 2010 exhibit, where I saw all the best work in photojournalism from the year. I left that and decided to walk up a little side street where I heard some music. I saw a little old man playing the accordion that I wanted to photograph and decided to sit down on a ledge under a tree, a little ways away from him so as not to look too awkward.

Then, something sprayed on my back from behind. It almost felt like bird poop, but when I took off my sweater, I saw it was orange-ish and, honestly, looked like barf. All of a sudden, these 2 men came up to me. One was pointing up into the tree, trying to tell me what it was that had "fallen" on me. The other was handing me Kleenex to clean up my sweater. The second guy took my camera, my nice Canon D-SLR camera that I'd been holding in my lap, and set it on the ledge. That, I knew, was not right. And when I turned back around to grab it, it was gone.

I think the most frustrating thing, apart from losing one of my favorite things in the world, was that it was a set-up. The group of men, probably 3 or 4 total working together, knew exactly what they were doing. They were, in fact, experts in stealing.

Lesson learned. You literally cannot let anything you care about leave your hands. But at the same time, the camera was a material thing. I wasn't physically hurt, expect for the weird junk that was, I'm sure now, sprayed purposely on my back. The camera was just that, a camera. Yes, something that I loved a lot, but something that can be replaced. Something much worse could have happened, and all I can do is be thankful that it didn't.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

- Matthew 6:19-21

la música

Last night, my friends and I realized, oh wait...we're not going to know any of the popular songs in the U.S. when we get back! As sad as that might make us, there are some pretty awesome songs that we hear EVERYWHERE here. I thought I'd share a few with you -- just a glimpse into the pop culture/music/club scene in Ecuador!

First, "Danza Kuduro," which you can't go into a club or walk down the street in Mariscal without hearing...

 

Also, "We Speak No Americano"...

"Si No Le Contesto"...

Some Daddy Yankee ("La Despedida")...

"Stereo Love"

And of course, you gotta have some Shakira ("Loca")...

Enjoy!

a la playa

Life continues to be going great in Quito! I've come down with a little cold last night and today, but I think it's just a virus that's going around our family, so I should be better in no time! And it's a great excuse to miss some of my classes today :)

I got back Sunday night from another fabulous weekend trip. We headed out at midnight on Thursday night to go to Tonsupa, a beach in Esmeraldas (northwest of Quito). The trip started off as typically-gringo as it could -- we were running back and forth between 2 different buses, not sure which one we were supposed to be on. Turns out we bought the wrong tickets, had to get on a bus going to the city of Esmeraldas, then switch there (at 5:45am) to a bus that was going to Tonsupa. We got into Tonsupa around 6:30am, settled into the apartment where we were staying, and once it was actually a reasonable hour, we headed out to the beach. Unfortunately, it was rainy for the most of the day, but we were still able to enjoy the beach from the comfort of some chairs and a tent set up on the shore.

 

 

For dinner, we went out to a restaurant by the shore for some good seafood. I had camarones encocados (coconut shrimp) -- not the fried coconut shrimp you might imagine, but shrimp in a coconut sauce with rice and plantains. After we chilled at the apartment for a while, some of us headed back out to some of the tiki bars on the beach.

 

We also enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL sunset

Saturday, we woke up to a beautiful day! The sun was out, and the beach was a lot more crowded than the day before. We relaxed out on the beach and even buried our friend Juan in the sand!

We grabbed some lunch on the beach. I had my first Ecuadorian ceviche, and I must say, nothing compares. Ceviche is what the coast of Ecuador is known for -- it's basically raw seafood marinated in lime juice and cilantro. They also add popcorn and banana chips to it for some crunch. Absolutely delicious.

 

We relaxed/slept some more on the beach before heading back to our apartment. We went out to dinner again, this time to celebrate the 21st and 22nd birthdays of our friends Adam and Cole. This time, I had camarones apanados (fried shrimp). I just love shrimp.

 

We spent the night celebrating birthdays at the apartment, and then back at the tiki bars on the beach. Sunday, we woke up, and it was rainy again. After getting some breakfast, cleaning up the apartment, and eating lunch, some of us headed back on a 3:45 bus to Quito. It was another fun-filled, entertaining weekend!

This week is already turning out to be a much-needed week of relaxation for me. I need to recover from my cold. This weekend, I don't have any big plans, and I'm excited about a weekend spent in Quito!

feliz febrero!

Wow, it's crazy to think that almost a month ago, I got on a plane and arrived here. In some ways, that time has flown by, and in others, it feels like I've lived here for months.

This past weekend, I had the chance to take another amazing trip to a place called Mindo. We got there early on Saturday, checked into a hostel called El Rocio, and made friends with a crazy lady named Claudia. She helped us get to canopying (basically ziplining through the jungle) and got us a deal of $10 for 13 cables. It was sprinkling when we started, and by the time we were zipping across the fourth cable, it was pouring. We were literally soaked to the core.

 

After some hot showers and drying off, we chilled at the hostel for most of the night. Claudia got us some dinner -- delicious chicken/beef kabobs, rice, beans, and corn -- for only $3! A few of us went out to check out Mindo nightlife with a couple new Swedish friends. Sunday, we woke up and had an amazing breakfast at the hostel. We took a chiva (bus with no windows or doors) up to Mindo's famous tarabita (cable car). 

 

 

Then, it was off to horseback riding! We rode for 2 hours, and needless to say, I was a bit saddle sore. 

 

After that, we rushed to El Quetzal, a little house where they make their own delicious chocolate. We grabbed some lunch and a couple of their famous brownies and headed to the bus stop. Overall, an awesome place to see, definitely recommended to anyone traveling to Ecuador. I'll definitely be going back!

Last night, we went to see the local soccer team, Deportivo Quito, take on a team from Argentina. We had heard that the Quito games weren't as fun as the Liga games that tend to attract more fans, but because it was an international game, it was CRAZY! Fireworks, banners, flags, makeshift flame throwers (hairspray bottles with lighters), shouting, cheers, drums, trumpets, the works. And we won, 1-0! It was definitely an experience!