Week 1

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!

*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!

Almost there!

A 5 hour layover in Bogota, Colombia seemed scary at first. I am fortunate to have Sarah Priddy with me, a fellow Volunteer and new friend. Now that we are here, in Colombia, waiting for a connecting flight, fear subsides and my excitement swells. In approximately 4 hours, I will meet my host parents and the 6 exchange students living with them- my new Ecuadorian family. The trip, so far, has been rather smooth and uneventful. A 4:20 am wakeup call at the Comfort Inn was nothing short of a delight (note the sarcasm) after my mere 3 hour slumber. The good news is that throughout the process of checking in, finding our gate, and eating breakfast, Sarah and I had tons to talk about. Bad news- deep conversation often leads to being distracted, which often leads to nearly MISSING FLIGHTS. Luckily, I heard the "last call" announcement from the gate we thought was ours, but turned out to be NOT ours. We made it though! We even got to sit together on the plane and met a Colombian Surgeon who overheard us reviewing -ir, -er,-ar verb conjugations. He kindly offered to help and was patient with me as I stumbled through my rusty Spanish. It was fun, though!

At the gate in Colombia, we were a little timid, but ventured out into the food area where I saw (and quickly purchased) the most beautiful SA item: drinkable yogurt... and muesli. It was perfect, and tasted just like I remember it from Peru. This drinkable yogurt will be my vice and work against me every month as I aim to fit into Amy's bridesmaid dress in January.

While we wait for our flight, Sarah and I are enjoying the luxury of wireless internet in the terminals and reviewing our Spanish. We both have 'mucho' to learn, but are really excited to learn it!

We are almost there and I really am looking forward to it. I knew that saying goodbye would be hard and sad, which it was- really really sad (I will admit that there were definitely some tears and long goodbye hugs as Chris escorted me as far as he possibly could through check-in and to the entrance of security. He even waited until I was out of eye sight to leave... There is not much to say about all of that other than I MISS HIM!). However, I was also right that saying goodbye would be the hard part and the rest would be an adventure! Ahora, me voy! Adios!

Thoughts of preparation...

I just stepped off the plane from a ten day cruise through the Bahamas on a beautiful yacht http://www.mywatercolours.net/ . I know what you're thinking- no, I did not buy a yacht with the extra cash I made this summer. In fact, I was being paid to lather on the sunscreen, order drinks, play in the warm shallow waters of aquamarine beaches.... as a nanny for two little ones. Haha. I did walk away with a tan, but my first priority was to Gavin and Sailor- 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 years old. They are adorable, but required some bit of attention. Despite a sickly 2 days of strept throat, I had a blast and am so thankful to have been a part of such a beautiful vacation. However, I am really happy to be back!

Somehow, returning home from this trek reminded me of my approaching departure to Guayaquil on August 13th. There are so many events between now and then that it seems overwhelming to imagine getting it all done! I recently found out that my great uncle was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and has a poor prognosis. Mom, Dorothy, and I will travel soon to visit him for the last time. Though this will be an awful loss in my family, I am grateful for the timing of it because I am still here to say goodbye.

God is teaching me a lot these days. Actually, this whole summer has been full of big and small lessons: trust in Him, read His word, remember His miracles always, pray a lot... oh yeah, and listen a lot. My Bahama babysitting job was a lot of fun, but there were definitely times that I ached for home, for my family, and for Chris. When I heard about my Uncle James, I realized how much could happen in even a 10-day span. How much will I miss in 4 1/2 months? The older I grow, the more important family seems to become. For the first time, I am realizing that I will not just be missing Chris, but my entire family, all my friends, and all that happens- the good and the bad.

As I begin to say goodbye and finish up all the millions of things to do before leaving, the Lord is preparing my heart for the distance by preparing my mind. He is showing me that, like anything worthwhile, the luxury of studying abroad (fulfilling a long time dream of mine) means sacrifice. I guess what I am trying to say is that, ever so vainly, I knew there would be people who missed me, but I forgot to think about all that I would miss...

These upcoming days to visit my Uncle James, who always felt more like a grandfather, at the end of his life are truly a gift for which I give thanks to God. Your thoughts and prayers for my Uncle and our family are appreciated in this difficult time.