Mi primer fin de semana en Ecuador: My first weekend in Ecuador.

Hola amigos y familia! I have just enjoyed my first of 13 weekends in Ecuador. When I think of it that way, I am not here long, but boy does it feel like I have already been here for weeks. Yesterday was a long day. I am learning a lot about the culture, families, food, and language already and it is only my second day. My host family is very kind, but they very little English. However, they are very loving to one another and have accepted me and my lack of Spanish with open arms.

Yesterday we went to a farm (la hacienda o ranchera) where the family keeps their horse (el cabello), Chocolate. It was in Cumbaya which a town smaller than Quito - about 20 minutes (veinte minutos) away from the city. The weather was nice so we stayed here for quite some time. My host mom (Lucia) made the comment that she loved the ranch because it is "muy tranquila". Mountains surround the farm and there were trees with little oranges (mandarinas? o clemintinos). I wish I had brought my camera to the farm, but since we cannot understand each other I was quite confused about what we were doing. You see, at breakfast (el desayuno), the family said the news was predicting an earthquake in Quito  between 1 & 2 o' clock so we would not be going outside. I then came in my room to Skype my parents. However, not more than 30 minutes later (around 12:30), Lucia came in to say that we were leaving so I grabbed my bag and left with them. Despues de nuestra vistia a la ranchero, we went to eat at an Italian restaurante with very good pizzeria. I know what you're thinking- "Italian en Ecuador!?"- but honestly, pizzeria es muy bueno. We then went to Lucia's sister's home and had tea and cookies and chatted...I of course sat in awe while they all spoke quickly and at once; still, so much love in this family makes me feel better about just being present. We then went to mass (my first one). Mass in general is confusing to me with the reciting and standing and sitting and kneeling, but en Espanol it was even more confusing, but it was another experience full of love and peace, so it was good to be there and have that. I believe I will attend church with them often for a few reasons: Uno) The community there was very close and made me feel still on the inside. Dos) I respect my host familia mucho and their customs & beliefs. Tres) El padre spoke slow Spanish I could almost understand, so perhaps I will pick up more and understand the service as my time here progresses.

After church we went somewhere very special a little over an hour outside Quito. I went with Lucia's son & nephew who are 20 & 21. One, Sebastian, is in school to be a doctor and the other, Julian (o Suco is ellos nickname, like "blondie" in America) works in the supermarket. Both speak little English but try to communicate with me which is nice. On the way to Papallacta (check out the place we went to aqui), they told me about their views of their country and racism that takes place within it which is to say that racism exists everywhere, but I am glad to be living with a family that has been kind to a gringa :] Anyways, the place we went to last night was really nice and owned by a friend of the family so we got to go in after they closed. The thermal pools were heated by the volcanoes that surround the area and the water was from the river (el rio) that runs right through the spa. However, because I didn't know we were going here, I didn't have a swimsuit and I had to get in the hot pools with capris and a tank top on which was quite silly because people kept asking me in spanish if I was OK and I would just smile and nod.

I fell asleep afterwards on the way back to Quito and we got home around 1:00 am. Like I said, it was a looooooooong day. Today was more relaxing. We all slept late because a girl from Virginia moved into the room beside mine and we will be sharing a bathroom. She is nice, but she has turned down food and complained which always rubs me the wrong way because our host family is letting us be a part of their family for a long time and I feel we should be extra-respectful and appreciative. She, however, know a lot of Spanish so she is helping me communicate. Today was also good because I got to talk to my parents, sister, Jesse, Jen Jen, Zady, Mamaw, and Skyler all on Skype. Jesse kept telling me to stop crying and go and have fun/learn spanish, but I miss home and my family already so it was hard to keep from crying. After talking to him though, I felt better about being alone here and knowing that I really won't be here long and I should enjoy it as much as I can without knowing the language or having a face I know like I have most everywhere else I have traveled to. It's a different world here, but that's why I came. For this post I have included a picture of my dormitorio (room).

I have learned much already, I hope to keep learning and living well. I miss you familia, amigos, y Jefe Jesse :]

Buenas noches! Hasta la proxima vez!