a very fun week :)

Goodness, it’s been a while since I last posted… I’m running out of steam here! Haha but I will try to keep you all updated as best as I can. Let’s see! This week…

Last time I posted I didn’t mention that on Sunday I was walking home from church and came up behind a lady who was signing the last song we had sang in church. So I said something and we walked to her house together. She was a very sweet lady. Divorced, lives with her son who’s not a Christian. She told me she’s praying for him and talked about how good God is. ☺ Jenny came over on Sunday night and we watched the Canada vs. USA hockey game ☺

On Monday, I did pilates after school. I really like all the ladies that go to yoga and pilates! On Wednesday, I decided I should go exploring so I went to the Jardîn Botanico. It was very pretty and it was nice to smell some delicious flowers and garden smells instead of car fumes. ;) I took a cab there, walked to the mall across the street, and then walked part of the way home. It was getting sort of dark so I hopped in a cab but regretted it immediately after because the traffic was so bad. Haha I definitely could have walked home faster – or close to it.

On Thursday I hung out with Kristen (a girl I had met at church on the first Sunday). We went to El Cafecito in the Mariscol (gringo landia). She’s from Virginia and has been here since September. It was fun getting to know her and just being out of the house.

Friday was a very nice day. After school I decided to get a manicure and a pedicure. So I walked to Jenny’s house but soon realized the lady who does them across the street was not open. So Jenny drew me a little map of another place that she’s gone to and I walked there. The ladies working there were all super friendly and it was very fun! It was around 7:00 when I left so it was kinda dark and I thought I should take a cab but I wasn’t sure if I was heading back to Jenny’s or going home. So I decided to start walking until I got a hold of her. I ended up walking all the way back to her house… haha and she called me just as I was walking up to her gate. We had dinner together and watched Blind Side. It was so fun ☺ And she was super cute. When we were getting dinner ready she goes, “It’s going to be sad when you leave.” It caught me a little off guard so I sort of chuckled and asked why and she said, “Cause I like having you here!” Here I was being worried that I was intruding on her life… haha just showing back up at her house without actually having talked to her about whether or not that was the plan. So that was nice to hear ☺ She is a very sweet girl. Oh, and Blind Side…. SUCH a good movie!

Today I went to La Mitad Del Mundo (the middle of the world) with Cathy (my teacher) and her son, Daniel. I was officially in two different hemispheres at one time! The “museum” was very cool. We were able to see lots of old houses and learn about indigenous cultures and then do some experiments with being on the equator. Very cool. We got to see water spin different directions (and straight down), we experienced less forces (or something like that) because the opposite forces partially neutralize each other. You actually weigh almost 5 pounds less on the equator! We balanced an egg on a nail (easier to do on the equator) and tried walking in a straight line, one foot after another, with your eyes closed. Most people had an extremely difficult time with it. After that we went to Puluhua. This is a ginormous volcano, which apparently erupted millions of years ago, and it was such a huge eruption it blew the side of the mountain out. So there is a large, flat, crater area where people live at the bottom. You can see the mouth of the volcano and it was pretty cool. It is currently inactive (has been since the last eruption) but some geologists say it is reactivating. Apparently, you can see smoke come out of the ground sometimes and they say if it erupts again, it will wipe out almost half of Ecuador… crazy. After that, we went to a little restaurant on the way back home and believe it or not… I tried “cuy” (pronounced coo-wee)… guinea pig. It didn’t taste much different than chicken… a little salty. But just knowing what I was eating, I didn’t eat very much. To make matters worse, they just deliver the thing whole. Everything is inside of it. Ewwy… and you’re supposed to eat everything – intestines and all. Blech. So that was the extent of my day!

Tomorrow I’m going to church and then to a Liga soccer game. Then watching the closing ceremony! How sad… I’ve really enjoyed watching the Olympics every night before bed. Next weekend I’m going to Otavalo (a big, big market place)! So if you have any requests of something you’d like from Ecuador… let me know! ☺

Chao one and all! I’ll be home before you know it! Only 23 days left… crazy!
con amor,
annmarie