Not much to report this week -- I feel like I've settled in quite nicely here. Ashley and I spent the week at the apartment of our pastor and his wife, taking care of their kitten while they were in Guayaquil. It's been cool living on our own for a week (I started to forget what it felt like), but the kitten is like a baby that likes to cry in the middle of the night and climb all over the bed. Tonight, we're cooking dinner for Carlos, Ramiro, Danny, and a couple others -- Ashley is making a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake as I write this. Yummm.
This weekend, I'm heading out of town again, this time to Mindo. Mindo is a really town where you can do all sorts of stuff -- rafting, horseback riding, ziplining, hiking up waterfalls, etc. There's even a chocolate factory where you can get a tour with free samples! Yes, I will be participating in that.
Everything is going really great! The workload is a breeze compared to last semester at UNC, and even though some of my classes are a little boring, the week flies by.
Chau!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
el vigésimo primero
I'm finally 21! And I celebrated it the best way possible . . . in South America. It was a pretty busy weekend, so I'll break it down:
FRIDAY
Some friends and I went out to dinner at Pizza SA, an excellent pizza restaurant in el Centro Histórico. It was fun hanging out with new friends, and the pizza was delicious. I went out with a couple of people to Mariscal afterward, where I officially rung in my birthday at midnight!
SATURDAY
We left for Papallacta pretty early, so we got into the town by around 10:30am. We checked into our cabanas and headed down to the balnearios (natural hot springs baths), basically all of these different-sized pools, filled with water naturally drawn from the hot springs, so the water ranged from scalding to lukewarm. I think the most commonly heard phrase for the first 2 hours was, "Is this real life? Is this really happening?"
After lunch, we headed back to our cabanas and chilled in "the cave" -- an enclosed area with a steaming hot sauna. We hung out in the baths there and just relaxed and celebrated for the rest of the night!
SUNDAY
We woke up to rain, but that didn't stop us from hanging out in the baths some more. We had a free breakfast, relaxed in the baths, and after an unsuccessful search for cheap massages, we had lunch.
We walked around, taking the beauty of Papallacta...
And then headed back to Quito on the bus. I got back home and left again to go out bowling with Ashley, Carlos, Ramiro, and Danny, where I actually got second by a few points!
Overall, an amazing weekend. I really missed being with my friends and family on my birthday, but this was so great that it made up for that!
FRIDAY
Some friends and I went out to dinner at Pizza SA, an excellent pizza restaurant in el Centro Histórico. It was fun hanging out with new friends, and the pizza was delicious. I went out with a couple of people to Mariscal afterward, where I officially rung in my birthday at midnight!
SATURDAY
We left for Papallacta pretty early, so we got into the town by around 10:30am. We checked into our cabanas and headed down to the balnearios (natural hot springs baths), basically all of these different-sized pools, filled with water naturally drawn from the hot springs, so the water ranged from scalding to lukewarm. I think the most commonly heard phrase for the first 2 hours was, "Is this real life? Is this really happening?"
After lunch, we headed back to our cabanas and chilled in "the cave" -- an enclosed area with a steaming hot sauna. We hung out in the baths there and just relaxed and celebrated for the rest of the night!
We woke up to rain, but that didn't stop us from hanging out in the baths some more. We had a free breakfast, relaxed in the baths, and after an unsuccessful search for cheap massages, we had lunch.
We walked around, taking the beauty of Papallacta...
And then headed back to Quito on the bus. I got back home and left again to go out bowling with Ashley, Carlos, Ramiro, and Danny, where I actually got second by a few points!
Overall, an amazing weekend. I really missed being with my friends and family on my birthday, but this was so great that it made up for that!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
loving life
After many hours Googling and hooking up cables and wires, I finally figured out how to get wireless Internet in my room! It was my big accomplishment of last night.
Almost done with another week of class! It's crazy how time flies by. I had my first Advanced Conversation class today with a professor named Claudia who seems really cool. I still have yet to do more homework than writing a short paragraph for my lit class, so it's definitely turning out to be a much easier semester than my last one at Carolina. Hopefully it'll stay that way!
Speaking of school, here are some pics of where I get to spend my Mondays through Thursdays...
Almost done with another week of class! It's crazy how time flies by. I had my first Advanced Conversation class today with a professor named Claudia who seems really cool. I still have yet to do more homework than writing a short paragraph for my lit class, so it's definitely turning out to be a much easier semester than my last one at Carolina. Hopefully it'll stay that way!
Speaking of school, here are some pics of where I get to spend my Mondays through Thursdays...
It's pretty easy to get distracted in class when you look out the window and see mountains and palm trees.
In other news, last night I went to Finn McCool's, an Irish pub in Mariscal. You probably don't think an Irish pub being in Ecuador, but it's actually a cool place that has a trivia night every Tuesday for (mainly) Americans. We didn't win, but it was still really fun! Tonight is another salsa dancing adventure, and this weekend....(drumroll, please).... my 21st birthday! And it just so happens that this weekend, some of us are going to Papallacta, a place a little southeast of Quito that's known for their hotsprings and spas. Apparently, it's a cool place to hang out and relax and have a good time. Oh, and it's gorgeous.
 |
| (not my picture, but I'm sure I'll have plenty to share next week) |
Yup. Not a shabby place to spend your birthday, right?
Friday, January 14, 2011
one school week done
"You make all things work together for my good."
One great thing about being here is that I've actually had a lot of down time to relax, read, and spend time with the Lord, something I was desperately lacking last semester. It's been great to be able to intentionally journal and pray, and I'm excited to see what God will do here this semester. I've also been reading "The Reason for God," by Tim Keller, which I highly recommend!
It's kind of crazy to think that I've been here over a week now, but at the same time, it feels like I've been here a while. I made it through my first week of class, which was actually only 2 days of class... Looks like art is going to be the hardest one to get through -- an hour and 25 minutes of straight lecturing in Spanish is not so fun, but we'll survive.
It's been a fun week, getting adjusted to campus life and family life at home. The campus is beautiful (I'll post pictures soon), and it's really fun and relaxing to just hang out on the steps and enjoy the amazing weather -- 73 and sunny has been the typical day for the past week. The food on campus is also excellent (nothing like Lenoir). The crepes station is my new favorite, and I'm determined to try every crepe on the menu -- there's even a Nutella one with kiwi and strawberries! We had another night of salsa this week, which was a bit too crowded, but still an experience. I've gotten the chance to meet lots of new people, and it'll be fun celebrating my 21st birthday next weekend with completely new friends!
And what would an experience be without injuring my ankle in some way? I've always had problems with my right ankle since I sprained it in high school and then again last spring, and anyone who was with me in Mexico this summer can attest to this. I'm pretty sure I re-rolled it every other day. But today was a bit different. We were enjoying a nice lunch at Cookie Box (new favorite lunch place, near Ashley's house), and when I got up to get a cookie, I must have gotten up too fast because I tripped and then fell down the couple of stairs that led into the restaurant. I was a little out of it for a minute, not really realizing what happened, and when I stood up, I was dizzy (which I learned is mareada in Spanish) and couldn't see well. Now, I'm feeling much better, though my ankle is a little sore, but I'm sure after spelling out the ABCs a few times (like I was supposed to do for physical therapy), it'll be back to normal!
"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
- Psalm 139:16
One great thing about being here is that I've actually had a lot of down time to relax, read, and spend time with the Lord, something I was desperately lacking last semester. It's been great to be able to intentionally journal and pray, and I'm excited to see what God will do here this semester. I've also been reading "The Reason for God," by Tim Keller, which I highly recommend!
It's kind of crazy to think that I've been here over a week now, but at the same time, it feels like I've been here a while. I made it through my first week of class, which was actually only 2 days of class... Looks like art is going to be the hardest one to get through -- an hour and 25 minutes of straight lecturing in Spanish is not so fun, but we'll survive.
It's been a fun week, getting adjusted to campus life and family life at home. The campus is beautiful (I'll post pictures soon), and it's really fun and relaxing to just hang out on the steps and enjoy the amazing weather -- 73 and sunny has been the typical day for the past week. The food on campus is also excellent (nothing like Lenoir). The crepes station is my new favorite, and I'm determined to try every crepe on the menu -- there's even a Nutella one with kiwi and strawberries! We had another night of salsa this week, which was a bit too crowded, but still an experience. I've gotten the chance to meet lots of new people, and it'll be fun celebrating my 21st birthday next weekend with completely new friends!
And what would an experience be without injuring my ankle in some way? I've always had problems with my right ankle since I sprained it in high school and then again last spring, and anyone who was with me in Mexico this summer can attest to this. I'm pretty sure I re-rolled it every other day. But today was a bit different. We were enjoying a nice lunch at Cookie Box (new favorite lunch place, near Ashley's house), and when I got up to get a cookie, I must have gotten up too fast because I tripped and then fell down the couple of stairs that led into the restaurant. I was a little out of it for a minute, not really realizing what happened, and when I stood up, I was dizzy (which I learned is mareada in Spanish) and couldn't see well. Now, I'm feeling much better, though my ankle is a little sore, but I'm sure after spelling out the ABCs a few times (like I was supposed to do for physical therapy), it'll be back to normal!
"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
- Psalm 139:16
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
oh right, i actually AM in school here
I had this realization today as I spent from 10am to 4pm in class. Yuck.
Today was actually a little better than it probably will be because it was the typical first-day-of-class, syllabus-handing-out day, and we got to leave some of our classes early. I may make it sound likes it's bad, but honestly, I'm sure that the work here will be a tad easier than in Chapel Hill.
My first class: Tejido (Weaving):
I'm not actually enrolled in this yet, but I hopefully will be by Thursday. Ashley and I are the only foreigners in the class, which is nice and it will hopefully give us a chance to meet some locals. What we'll do in the class kind of reminds me of something we did in like sixth grade as an enrichment, but here, it's on a bigger scale.
Next, Introducción a la Cultura Ecuatoriana (Intro to Ecuadorian Culture):
This one is meant for Americans to take, so it's full of fellow study abroad students. We'll basically be learning different things about the culture here and then practicing them with our host families. Our teacher seems pretty cool, and even though it might be a little boring, it seems like it will be pretty easy.
Then, Lengua y Literatura (Language & Literature):
Another class designed for foreigners, so it's about 8 of us Americans and a girl from Germany. The professor seems really cool -- he's from Cuba, like my host dad, so I have a little practice already understanding his accent. It's going to be a lot of reading and responding, but should be kind of cool.
Finally, Arte Colonial Latinoamericano (Colonial Latin American Art):
This class is a mix of Americans and Ecuadorians, but mainly Americans. It's about the art during the colonial time period in Mexico and the Andes region, mainly in Peru. The teacher seems really nice, and it doesn't seem like too much work. I didn't absolutely love my last art history class at UNC, but we'll see how this one goes...
Today, I was exhausted by the time I got home, so I took a little nap before dinner. Dinner tonight was breaded pork, mashed potatoes, rice (always), and "salad," which here is considered anything with green in it -- tonight it was lettuce, avocado, onion, and tomato. My mom, Lorena, worked a bunch of restaurants in the United States, so she loves American food. So, while I do get my share of Ecuadorian food, I also get a good bit of American-ish food and Cuban food. Lots of rice, but also lots of plantains (yum).
Tonight I also got to play with Leandro for actually the first time. I think it took a little time for him to adjust to having me here, but tonight we played with the little UNC soccer ball I brought him and made a game out of passing it while counting to 100.
Tomorrow is a day of no class for me, and it's salsa night... ¡Que chévere!
Today was actually a little better than it probably will be because it was the typical first-day-of-class, syllabus-handing-out day, and we got to leave some of our classes early. I may make it sound likes it's bad, but honestly, I'm sure that the work here will be a tad easier than in Chapel Hill.
My first class: Tejido (Weaving):
I'm not actually enrolled in this yet, but I hopefully will be by Thursday. Ashley and I are the only foreigners in the class, which is nice and it will hopefully give us a chance to meet some locals. What we'll do in the class kind of reminds me of something we did in like sixth grade as an enrichment, but here, it's on a bigger scale.
Next, Introducción a la Cultura Ecuatoriana (Intro to Ecuadorian Culture):
This one is meant for Americans to take, so it's full of fellow study abroad students. We'll basically be learning different things about the culture here and then practicing them with our host families. Our teacher seems pretty cool, and even though it might be a little boring, it seems like it will be pretty easy.
Then, Lengua y Literatura (Language & Literature):
Another class designed for foreigners, so it's about 8 of us Americans and a girl from Germany. The professor seems really cool -- he's from Cuba, like my host dad, so I have a little practice already understanding his accent. It's going to be a lot of reading and responding, but should be kind of cool.
Finally, Arte Colonial Latinoamericano (Colonial Latin American Art):
This class is a mix of Americans and Ecuadorians, but mainly Americans. It's about the art during the colonial time period in Mexico and the Andes region, mainly in Peru. The teacher seems really nice, and it doesn't seem like too much work. I didn't absolutely love my last art history class at UNC, but we'll see how this one goes...
Today, I was exhausted by the time I got home, so I took a little nap before dinner. Dinner tonight was breaded pork, mashed potatoes, rice (always), and "salad," which here is considered anything with green in it -- tonight it was lettuce, avocado, onion, and tomato. My mom, Lorena, worked a bunch of restaurants in the United States, so she loves American food. So, while I do get my share of Ecuadorian food, I also get a good bit of American-ish food and Cuban food. Lots of rice, but also lots of plantains (yum).
Tonight I also got to play with Leandro for actually the first time. I think it took a little time for him to adjust to having me here, but tonight we played with the little UNC soccer ball I brought him and made a game out of passing it while counting to 100.
Tomorrow is a day of no class for me, and it's salsa night... ¡Que chévere!
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