+of+IMG_0363.jpg)
+of+IMG_0341.jpg)
+of+IMG_0347.jpg)
+of+IMG_0343.jpg)
After a solid week in Guayaquil, I am just beginning to get a feel for the city and where the heck I am in this silly country. When Sarah and I landed at the airport, I was delighted to see that my bags had made it safe and sound. Sarah, however, had to endure her first few days without one of her suitcases. Even worse, Rachel Pippin, a fellow UTer, was without ALL of her luggage for almost 4 days! Not to worry-neither of them ever got too flustered and all the bags were reclaimed without any harm.
After an hour at the lost luggage counter, Sarah and I searched for friendly faces holding signs with our names in the crowd of people. This is the way it works at the arrival gates in South America: you get off the plane, you go through customs, you pray your bags will show up around the next bend of the conveyor belt, and then you walk out (usually behind a clear plexiglass wall) where there are dozens of people pressed up against the glass trying to get your attention. Sarah and I both laughed as we shared a temporary sensation of being a celebrity. Finally, we saw Fatima (my mom) and Jasmina (her mom) with shining faces and big signs with our names on them. Before I knew it, I was saying goodbye to Sarah and feeling excited/lonely/nervous about being alone with my new Ecuadorian mother. I had little to fear because Fatima is Wonderful! In my house lives 8 other girls. They are all students at various Universities in the city and about my age. Natalie, Fatima’s daughter, is 20 and speaks English a little better than I speak Spanish. On my first day, she was such an angel to me as she guided me through the complicated process of buying a cell phone and answering questions about the language.
It took me almost two days to recover from the trip. I was so tired! I also spent a lot of time unpacking and organizing and making my assigned room “my own”. Never before have I understood the value of “nesting” until now. Even now, I am finding so much comfort in the quiet of my room reading, editing photos, cleaning, and organizing. Fatima and some of the other girls took me on some trips around the city and to the “Super Maxi” for groceries and an ATM machine, but because classes hadn’t started, there wasn’t much to do. Sarah, Rachel, and I did go to El Parque Historico in downtown Guayaquil. It was nice to see some green trees and experience a bit of nature- as this city is the opposite of that. The endangered species that the park displayed held a strong resemblance to the animals seen frequently in the US: deer, raccoons, pigs, ant eaters (okay, so we don’t see those very much), a variety of birds, turtles, and an alligator (also not seen often in the US). I wasn’t impressed that much by the park, but the time with Sarah and Rachel was really great. They are both really kind and really excited about embracing the culture and learning about this new world. They inspire me and challenge me to have an open mind as I am a little disappointed in the fact that I will be living in what could be considered one of the dirtiest, most polluted cities in the world.
La Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayquil is my new school. It is definitely the nicest school in Guayaquil and I find myself feeling a little insecure at my lack of fashion sense when I walk down the halls. The girls and guys here are pretty “hip”. I think, though, that I will just assume the “weird exchange student” status as I continue to stay true to the South with Sperry Topsiders and true to myself with simple solid colors and my hidden money belt (thanks mom!). The best part about the school is that I feel rather safe there. The teachers are nice. The students don’t stare too much and, best of all, they sell tres leches (my favorited kind of cake)!
I know that my first week has been simple and uneventful, but I am really thankful for it. I needed it. Everything here is harder- to speak, to go to class, to go to the store, to get water, to have lunch, even to call home. It is taking a lot out of me. I know I will adapt. Already, I feel more at home. I am getting interested in the politics here. In September, the whole country is voting on whether or not they will ratify a new constitution. The debate is very heated and even caused my university to cancel classes for a day. The students at Católica are very passionate and divided. It is a little unnerving to know that it could get violent. Everyone assures me that there is nothing to fear and that Católica is a “good” school. However, there are many issues with the new constitution (they recently got a new Constitution in 1998!) among the 444 new amendments. Some of them include the legalization of homosexual marriage and abortion. If Ecuador ratifies the new constitution, it will be the 2nd country, after Uruguay, to legalize abortion. The strong Catholic presence in this country is putting up their best fight. I pray they win. I pray these issues don’t cause more division. It is sad to have to deal with these issues in the first place, but it is even sadder to see the people of Ecuador begin to hate each other over them (as is happening right on my campus). That is one reminder of home that I was not excited about.
I am going out of town this weekend to Las Playas! It is supposed to be a quaint little beach about an hour south of Guayaquil. This is our first trip out of town and we are all very excited! Say some prayers for us as the 5 of us try to stay safe and get to know each other! I love you all and miss you all very much!
After an hour at the lost luggage counter, Sarah and I searched for friendly faces holding signs with our names in the crowd of people. This is the way it works at the arrival gates in South America: you get off the plane, you go through customs, you pray your bags will show up around the next bend of the conveyor belt, and then you walk out (usually behind a clear plexiglass wall) where there are dozens of people pressed up against the glass trying to get your attention. Sarah and I both laughed as we shared a temporary sensation of being a celebrity. Finally, we saw Fatima (my mom) and Jasmina (her mom) with shining faces and big signs with our names on them. Before I knew it, I was saying goodbye to Sarah and feeling excited/lonely/nervous about being alone with my new Ecuadorian mother. I had little to fear because Fatima is Wonderful! In my house lives 8 other girls. They are all students at various Universities in the city and about my age. Natalie, Fatima’s daughter, is 20 and speaks English a little better than I speak Spanish. On my first day, she was such an angel to me as she guided me through the complicated process of buying a cell phone and answering questions about the language.
It took me almost two days to recover from the trip. I was so tired! I also spent a lot of time unpacking and organizing and making my assigned room “my own”. Never before have I understood the value of “nesting” until now. Even now, I am finding so much comfort in the quiet of my room reading, editing photos, cleaning, and organizing. Fatima and some of the other girls took me on some trips around the city and to the “Super Maxi” for groceries and an ATM machine, but because classes hadn’t started, there wasn’t much to do. Sarah, Rachel, and I did go to El Parque Historico in downtown Guayaquil. It was nice to see some green trees and experience a bit of nature- as this city is the opposite of that. The endangered species that the park displayed held a strong resemblance to the animals seen frequently in the US: deer, raccoons, pigs, ant eaters (okay, so we don’t see those very much), a variety of birds, turtles, and an alligator (also not seen often in the US). I wasn’t impressed that much by the park, but the time with Sarah and Rachel was really great. They are both really kind and really excited about embracing the culture and learning about this new world. They inspire me and challenge me to have an open mind as I am a little disappointed in the fact that I will be living in what could be considered one of the dirtiest, most polluted cities in the world.
La Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayquil is my new school. It is definitely the nicest school in Guayaquil and I find myself feeling a little insecure at my lack of fashion sense when I walk down the halls. The girls and guys here are pretty “hip”. I think, though, that I will just assume the “weird exchange student” status as I continue to stay true to the South with Sperry Topsiders and true to myself with simple solid colors and my hidden money belt (thanks mom!). The best part about the school is that I feel rather safe there. The teachers are nice. The students don’t stare too much and, best of all, they sell tres leches (my favorited kind of cake)!
I know that my first week has been simple and uneventful, but I am really thankful for it. I needed it. Everything here is harder- to speak, to go to class, to go to the store, to get water, to have lunch, even to call home. It is taking a lot out of me. I know I will adapt. Already, I feel more at home. I am getting interested in the politics here. In September, the whole country is voting on whether or not they will ratify a new constitution. The debate is very heated and even caused my university to cancel classes for a day. The students at Católica are very passionate and divided. It is a little unnerving to know that it could get violent. Everyone assures me that there is nothing to fear and that Católica is a “good” school. However, there are many issues with the new constitution (they recently got a new Constitution in 1998!) among the 444 new amendments. Some of them include the legalization of homosexual marriage and abortion. If Ecuador ratifies the new constitution, it will be the 2nd country, after Uruguay, to legalize abortion. The strong Catholic presence in this country is putting up their best fight. I pray they win. I pray these issues don’t cause more division. It is sad to have to deal with these issues in the first place, but it is even sadder to see the people of Ecuador begin to hate each other over them (as is happening right on my campus). That is one reminder of home that I was not excited about.
I am going out of town this weekend to Las Playas! It is supposed to be a quaint little beach about an hour south of Guayaquil. This is our first trip out of town and we are all very excited! Say some prayers for us as the 5 of us try to stay safe and get to know each other! I love you all and miss you all very much!
*I am reading the oh so popular novel (and best seller), The Shack, right now. It is very interesting and for the most part, I like it. If anyone has read it or is reading it, I would love to hear some commentary... One thing is for sure, the way that Mack is so near to the 3 in 1 in the book has brought me great comfort as it is a reminder that our God is One who is always with us. I try to remember this as I walk down the streets of Guayaquil and trust in His protection.
** I have included some pics of my new room, my new amigos, and some sights!
