Making Plans

So since our time is almost up my friends and I are trying to think of the last trips we want to take. I really want to go to the oriente, I mean you have to go to the jungle while in Ecuador right! So this weekend we are planning to go to TENA. I´m super excited because we will get to go to Monkey Island, and you can all guess what that entails! I hope all the plans go through, it is looking good so far. I also think we are going to try and make one more trip to the beach before going back home:)
Tuesday was a great day of volunteering! We were able to take the kids outside since it was such a nice day and play games. And one of the sixth graders Janet made my friend Rachel and I these cute necklaces! They are all really great kids.
Nothing much happened yesterday. The usual school, and then I went to the plaza in order to work on a group project with some friends.
Today I am going to volunteer at the school, tutor Gabriel and then hopefully get lots of homework done so I won´t have so much to do during out trip this weekend!!

Take care!

Keeping busy

So Mom and Warren are gone now, but I´m trying to keep busy and think how soon I will get to see them again. School has been pretty chill this week so that is nice. I´m hanging out at my house right now getting ready to volunteer at the elementary school. There is a new English teacher I am working with now, his name is Mike. He actually lived in New York for most of his life but his parents are Ecuadorian. He is really nice and the kids seem to be adjusting to the change just fine! In other news, I am very excited because I was able to sign up for my TEFL course this summer. It is an online course which certifies me to teach English abraod! I am planning to go somewhere in South America so my Spanish can be of use! If all things go according to plan I will be heading back to South America next summer! I am so excited to have this available to me and I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity! So this summer I will be working hard on this course and also be volunteering in a bilingual class in order to complete my hours. But right now I am concentrating on enjoying every last day of this experience, it has been amazing! Well I´m off to volunteer, hope all is well with everyone!! Talk to you soon!

Mom and Warren in Quito!

(Written on Saturday in the hotel!)

This has been quite the exciting few days! Their plane arrived on time Wednesday at 8:30pm. I picked them up from the airport and we headed to the hotel. We are all staying together in the Hilton Colon which is a great hotel! I feel like I´m on vacation in Quito:) We dropped Warren off at the room becasue his shoulder was hurting him, he has a pinched nerve the poor guy! then Mom an dI went to a restaurant called Pobre Diable where we ate and were fortunate enough to hear Doc´Holiday and his jazz band who were down from the states. It was a great concert and the food was delicious!

The next Morning we had a great breakfast at the hotel and went off to tour the old city of Quito. We walked around the plaza de Independencia and visited the church Compania de Jesus. there was a mass going on so we were able to sit and liten and take in the atmosphere. From there we went to a church that was underconstruction so that was fun to see. We also were able to climb to the choir loft which was beautiful. There is also 2 corners of the functioning convent which was located across a courtyard where you can wisper to one corner and can be heard from the adjacent corner. It is said that it was used for confessions at one time. :)

From there we wne to La Basilica which is one of the highest standing churches in the area. We climbed many stairs:) and with the altitude it wasn´t easy! We climbed up the clock tower where half way up is a cute little restaurant which overlookds the ciyt. We ate humitas which is an Ecuadorian corn dish and scrumptious sandwiches. After we rested our wearly legs we started our descent.
Next on our agenda was to visit a vonvent where you can buy products made by the nuns there. the cool thing is that youa ren´t able to see the nuns so they have a revolving door where you put your money in and spin it. Then your product is sent out to you using the door. We didn´t buy anything but we saw it in action through other buyers:)
Then we grabbed a cab and went back to the hotel to pick up Warren before we went to dinner at a fun Ecuadorian restaurant where we sampled the cuisine. There was nice live music by an Ecuadorian guitarist. Then I introduced them to an Ecuadorian drink called Cnelazo in a part of town called La Mariscal. Then we had a nice walk back to the hotel and spent time there before bed.

The next day I had school so Mom and Warren took a cab out to the University to meet me after class. They were both impressed by the ride there with the mountainous backdrop, winding roads and Eucalyptus trees lining the roads. They were very impressed with the campus also, they though it was beautiful and they enjoyed seeing the elementary school down the road where I volunteer. the bus ride was quite the experience for them:) They got to see the kids swarm around and say hi, so they thought that was fun. Then back to Quito and to the market where we bought lots of goodies! It was very close to teh hotel and there were great deals! Mom was a great help with bargaining! She would always wnat to take them lower so I got good practice with my Spanish. For dinner we went to a resaurant called Colombus which was great and then home for the night!

Today, Saturday we ventured out to a new market which was conveniently located across the street! We saw it from our window in te morning and had to check it out! Right next to the market many local artists had set up their paintings along the side walk so we had a look. I fell in love with a piece by a man called Orellana, it is of the Oriente and the Andies. Mom an dWarren got it for me for my birthday present! What a great memory of Ecuador!! A cool thing about the hotel we stayed at was that there was a band called REBELDE staying there. They are a band from Mexico. So there were lots of groupies outside the hotel waiting for them to come out. We felt like rockstars anytime we left the hotel because we went through a big line of fans! I think they were disappointed to see it was only us however:) Mom and I went up the teleferiqo before dinner so she could overlook teh whole city. You ride up the side of the mountain in a cable car. I´m not sure Mom knew exactly what she was getting into however! A couple of times the car stopped and we both just about had heart attacks!:) It was tons of fun though and she says the view was worth it! For dinner we went to the top of another hotel which had a great view of the lights of the city. The food was delicious!!

That about raps things up, righ tnow we are just enjoying eachothers company in teh hotel and getting ready for bed. Their plane leaves at 830 tomorrow morning so we will be gettingup bright and early! I have loved having them here and will be sad to see them leave. I just have to keep telling myself that there is only one month left and then I will get to see everybody!!

If this doesn´t work I´m moving on:)

Hello Hello! Happy Monday! I just got back from a weekend excursion to Otavalo. Like all our adventures, it was an adventure! We drove there in a school bus, not the ones like in the US, it looks different, more like a van painted yellow. They call them Escolar. So basically I felt like I was in middle school again:) And it was a tight squeeze, I swear those seats were made for smaller rear ends then mine:) We arrived and right off the bat went on a small hike through a forest to a waterfall, beautiful, no jumping off this time though! We climbed to the top where there was this small tunnel cave type thing. It was a great time, and then we hiked up even higher and enjoyed the scenery. Saturday we spent much of our time at the famous Otavalo Market. It was crazy! People everywhere and so many things I wanted to buy! I tried to control myself:) I did however buy a poncho so now I can really look Ecuadorian! Our guide this weekend was a teacher from my University here in Ecuador. He is a total blast, always kidding around. We went to a restaurant for lunch and then headed to his house for the night. We spent the night talking and playing cards. We played Mafia about a zillion times! To all of you who know the name, it gets pretty intense! But lots of fun. We also played a game of volleyball outside but there were all these wires hanging so it made it semi difficult, only for those taller than the rest:) This country was not made for people of my height!! The game was absolutely hilarious, I was definitely not the MVP however:) The next morning we set out around the village to different families homes. They all hand make these wonderful leather, wood and silver crafts. I got some earrings made of Coconut. We then set out to a beautiful lake where we were able to take a boat tour around. They also had a market there so I bought a hat, one of the ones with the funny ear flaps! Now I really fit in!! We had to head home to quito after that but I was pretty tired. I got home and studied for my test that I have today and went to sleep before 10! So I am feeling very refreshed! This is good because I have another 6 hour bus ride tonight that starts at 11pm. We are leaving for the beach tonight and I couldn´t be anymore excited!! I come back Friday night. This time we are going to Canoa, I have heard amazing things about it so I really can´t wait! When I get back there are only 6 days till Heather comes!! Man this month is flying by! I´ve got to catch the bus to school but I hope you enjoy your week and can´t wait to hear from you!!

Lets try this again, Otavalo!

Otavalo!

Salsa!

Well my test is done with and its Friday! What could be better! This week was a great one:) I was able to teach English to the fourth graders by myself yesterday because the teacher had an appointment. That was kind of scary, but I loved it at the same time. It’s fun because they correct me in my Spanish and I correct them in their English. Its win win! I also had my first salsa lesson this week on Wednesday! I am so excited about it! I´m having my third lesson today. Last night I learned step 5! Get excited!!! And then it was my friend’s birthday so I got to practice that same night in a live situation. Its pretty embarrassing but still so much fun! I go with my friend Adam because he really wants to learn too. We have individual lessons and then get the last 15 minutes to try the stuff together. I´m going to try and get Heather to take lessons while she is down here, its just such a good time!
Last night my friend Lindsay’s family came into town, her mom aunt and brother. I was really excited to meet them. I am also secretly jealous that her family is here, I can´t wait for everyone to visit me! They all want to go out dancing tonight so that should be a good timeJ:) I leave for a town called Otavalo tomorrow, I can´t wait because there is supposed to be great markets to shop in! I´ll tell you all about it when I get back. I also leave for the beach on Monday night! I feel so fortunate to be able to do that. We have a vacation day on Wednesday and I never have class Tuesday or Thursday because I volunteer so we are going to stay until Friday night! My back is two different colors right now because of my bad pealing so hopefully I´ll even out a little and not look so ridiculous! Well I´m off to dance lessons so I must go but I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon!!!

Good Times

So I´m pretty excited because I got to meet my Aunt, Uncle and 2 cousins last night! They actually live in the same building as us I just haven´t gotten the chance to meet them yet! Last night we went to their apartment and did Karaoke! So embarrassing but so fun!!¨:) I sang a lot of Cindy Lauper (is that how you spell it) and Britney spears cuz everyone seemed to know her music, haha. Then we had some sandwiches and ice cream and just chatted for a while! I tried my best to keep up with the conversation:) A very random night but I loved it! Today was a pretty normal day at school. Have a test this Wednesday so that is no fun, but the good news is that I just finished an essay I have due Wednesday. Gotta think positive right! Lindsay is over right now, we are going to study for our test together, this literature class is giving me a run for my money! Oh I ate something new today, it was called a Shawarma I think. It was like a chicken wrap type thing but with all these delicious sauces! Gotta love that. Alright well back to the books, talk to you soon!

Hey there, just felt like writing about my day! Today has been a great Saturday. Oh but first, I went to a casino last night, pretty exciting, I´m not a huge gambler but I must admit I played my luck on the slots. I broke even! That was pretty exciting, but then I lost it all again:) Good thing it was only five dollars. Today has been pretty chill. I met up with some people in the park in the afternoon to catch some rays and do some homework. Unfortunately not much homework got done:) The park is so lively it is easy to get distracted! We watched a soccer game for awhile and got some hotdogs. We´ll see if I regret the decision about the hot dog:) It just smelled so good I couldn´t resist! I really wanted some choclo, corn on the cob, but no one was selling it today so I settled for a dog. We also discovered BonIce which is like a freezypop or icyfreeze in the US. They were only 10 cents so I put quite a few of those away! I stayed out too long though and got burnt:( Oh well I´m used to it by now. Tonight we are going to a new pizza place we discovered, now thats just exciting! I´m thinking alot about Heather coming down here the 15th of March!! Can´t wait!!!! Well got to go but talk to you soon!!

Carnival!

Last weekend was carnival down here! It is our vacation time, we had 2 days of school off which was really nice! Since we had all this free time my friends and I decided to hit the beach, which is actually the ´thing to do´ during carnival. We left for our adventure on Thursday. At about 1130 at night we got on the bus for our 7 hour bus ride! It didn´t take long for the first obstacle to arise, our bus broke down at about 230 in the morning! We were stopped in the middle of nowhere for about an hour until we could flag another bus down. It was still fun though because we met a lot of interesting people on the bus while we waited. The only problem was that the other bus was already full so we ended up sitting in the aisle for the rest of the trip! I didn´t get as much sleep as planned but hey I was just glad to have a ride there! We arrived at Atacames at around 8 in the morning.
We were all tired but also really excited to be there! So we jumped in this motorcycle type trolley thing and went to our hostel. It was really nice with hammocks and all. Surprisingly nice for what we paid! And it was a block from the beach! Perfect location! We all hurried to get our swimming suits on grabbed some breakfast and headed for the sand. It was absolutely gorgeous! The water was pretty warm actually and I got to boogie board which is always fun! We spent three days soaking in the sun and checking out the nightlife. I have never done so much dancing in such a short amount of time! Since everyone was on vacation it seemed like the party never ended! I was pretty tired by the end of it all.
But actually we were able to visit 2 more beaches before leaving. We went to Ton Supa where a friend´s family has a house. Then on Monday morning we went to a beach in a town called Sua. This beach was a lot calmer so that was a nice way to end the trip. We went banana boating there which if you have done it you know it is pretty fun. You kind of get the wind knocked out of you but at the same time you don´t want to stop! Kind of a love hate thing:) The hotel we stayed at there was even nicer than the first, it was like a giant maze so I enjoyed that! Thankfully our ride home was smooth and without any interruptionsJ It´s back to reality and school now, but I´m really grateful for that nice break! I´m about to head to the park to do some homework but I miss you and hope to hear from you soon!!

Man I am a total slacker on these posts! But here is what happened not this past weekend but the one before:) I was actually really fun because we explored two new cities! Mindo and Puerto Quito. In Mindo we explored parts of the rain forest which was gorgeous! We went to this butterfly farm, which actually wasn´t my favorite because I am not the biggest fan of butterflies, I know I´m crazy! But they were beautiful and I have to admit awfully cute! Right after that we went rafting down this river. So fun, from far away it looked pretty calm, I thought it would be a sort of lazy river ride from a water theme park, but man was I wrong! I should have known when they gave us helmets to wear that it wasn´t quite like I expected:) We got bumped around quite a bit but it was so much fun and well worth it! After this we went to our hotel for the night. I can´t even describe how beautiful this place was! It is hidden in the rain forest and full of exotic flowers, hammocks, tropical fruit and juices, and it also had a pool! I felt like I was in a dream! Absolutely gorgeous. I shared a room with Lindsay and a cabin with 4 girls total. There was a mosquito net around our bed which always makes me nervous, be the bugs really weren’t that bad. When we arrived we got briefed on where we were and how our stay helped maintain that area of rain forest, how cool! Later we went down to the river to try and swim but it was really high and rough since they had been getting a lot of rain so we opted to go swimming in the pool! Lots of marco polo was played:) All the meals were delicious and at night we were taught salsa dancing. We all danced the night away!
The following day we went to Puerto Quito where we hiked through a bit of forest and came to this breathtaking waterfall. The best part about the hick was being able to jump off the top of the waterfall before we headed back! It was so scary but I´m so glad I decided to do it! I mean when else was I going to have an amazing opportunity like that, I had to take advantage! After playing by the falls we walked back and explored a small farm of a local family. It seemed like they had everything they could possible need there from rubber trees to healing plants. The only bad part about that was getting eaten by lots of bugs! We survived though no worries!
That is my weekend in a nutshell! I can´t get over how blessed I am to be here and experiencing all these new things! I love you all and hope all is well!!
Jess

It´s update time:) So I went camping this weekend on Atacaso, a beautiful mountain, and it was a total blast! This wasn’t like anything I had done before though. So on Friday we went to the mountain climbing store to stock up on gear since I didn´t bring any here. I rented a backpack which I didn´t even know you could do, I was really grateful for it though because I ended up bringing a lot of stuff! We also rented a tent for 3 and some pads for under our sleeping bags, I borrowed my brothers’ sleeping bag. This trip was through my mountaineering class, it was nice to have a guide and to not really have to worry about the details.

Saturday a couple of my friends met up at my apartment and we headed out at about 7:30. We met everyone at a bus station and headed out from there. We took 3 buses and then we arrived at the final step, a pick up truck. This was quite the experience! Everyone jumped in the back of the trucks with all their gear and away we went! There was a big group of us so we took 3 trucks. We started to head up the mountain but after a while, once we got off the asphalt roads we started having problems. The poor little cars just could seem to make it all the way up without taking breaks. So we would all jump out, push the cars, they would get going, and then run like crazy and jump into the back! Some made it, and some didn´t. Unfortunately I wasn´t fast enough some of the times so I got a nice little walk up the mountiain:) It was so funny seeing everyone scramble to get in. Once we got to the top we ate lunch and got ready to hike. My group basically ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the whole trip! Lindsay was nice enough to make them for us the night before, all 22 of them!

So we hiked for a while, which was a lot harder than I anticipated because of the altitude. I couldn´t believe how much trouble I was having breathing, I took lots of breaksJ Onec we reached camp we all collapsed and ate some more sandwiches! Then we set up camp. I was originally with 2 other girls in our 3 person tent but another girl didn´t seem to have a place to sleep so she came in with us, 4 people made it a very interesting night! But for the rest of the day we hung around camp, played cards and got to know the people. A lot of Spanish practice so that was good! Its fun all the interesting people you meet on random excursions like this one. There was no bathroom which is always interesting, and man does it get windy at night! We got settled in our tent and just kind of hung out while a group of people took a midnight hike up the mountain. I must admit I was too scaredJ I opted to go in the morning.

Unfortunately I didn´t get much sleep, it was cold! We were also pretty crammed in like little sardines and so I couldn´t move much. And the hill I was sleeping on didn´t do much for me either:) But enough of this complaining, it was still fun because we all stayed up and talked for a while, kinda like a girls night. In the morning I was amazed at the view, I couldn’t wait for my turn to hike up the mountain. It was a hard hike but we made it and the view was breathtaking! You cold also see other tops of mountains which was pretty cool. I just love being above the clouds, it seems almost unreal. After we climbed down, we packed up camp and headed out. It was exciting because I got to sit in the front of the pickup truck going down the hill, not quite as much eating dust involved:)

I was pretty beat after the trip but I had to get pumped for the bears game! We headed to a sports bar where we had reserved a table right in front of the TV. There were so many gringos there! We took over the place. Despite the depressing finish of the game, it was still a lot of fun. After that I headed back to study for a test I had the next morning.

This week has been a fairly normal school week. When I went to volunteer at the elementary school they were having a play to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the school. They were in the middle of Snow white and the 7 dwarfs, sooo cute! Last night we went to a Mexican food show. Our empleada Dana is in a cooking class and she invited us to come and try the food she has been learning to make, it was delicious!
Well that’s about all for me! I hope everyone is keeping warm and having a great day! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

So I totally got lost today! Its ok, I got back safe and sound, but it was quite the adventure! God was watching over me for this one, it worked out really well. What happened is I took a green bus after school like I always do, but apparently there is more than one green bus going in the same direction at the same timeJ I got on and immediately felt like something was not right but knowing my paranoid self I ignored the feeling and kept reading my newspaper. But I started to look around and not really recognize anything, not a good sign. Then all the sudden everyone got off the bus and I was like, um hmm this can’t be right. So I went to the driver and asked him if I they were still heading to Rio Coca and he said a lot of stuff really fast but the gist of it was no. Thankfully there was a woman beside me who said she was in the same position as I was. So she talked with the guy and said she could help me find my way because she was going in the same direction, it turns out she was just one stop before me! We took a couple buses before we got on one that looked familiar to meJ then we rode that across town and home I was! It was an adventure, I liked it, and it’s bound to happen right! At least I made it home in one piece! Just took a lot longer that’s all.

We picked up our tent and sleeping bags for our trip up the mountain tomorrow! We also went to the store and got stuff to make PB&J sandwiches. (and some animal crackers to snack onJ) I’m doing some homework right now, gunna head home pretty soon because we have to meet at 8am tomorrow. That’s all for now!! Sorry for the long story, I just thought it was crazy!

Miss you all!

Jessica

GO BEARS!!!!!!!!

Hey there,

This morning I was fortunate enough to travel back to Old Quito. It is so beautiful; the buildings have so much character. I was there checking out a volunteer opportunity. It is a program to keep children off the streets. The kids come there at various times during the day when they are not working or going to school. I am really excited about it! I think I will be able to go on Thursdays and than the school by my University on Tuesdays. Everything is working out and I’m so excited to get going with it on a regular basis. Today I am meeting up with some people to go look for camping equipment for our hiking expedition this weekend. I have to get a sleeping bag and we have to rent a tent. I’m really looking forward to it, I hope the altitude doesn’t kill me! Tonight we are going to a restaurant called the Pobre Diablo. There is supposed to be live music and dancing so that should be lots of fun! I just finished up watching ¨Happy Feet¨ the kids movie. It was so cute! I am such a little kidJ Alright, off to do some homework, talk to you soon!

Much love
Jessie

Volunteering

Hey party people! Guess what! I´m writing this blog from the comfort of my very own home! We got internet in the house yesterday, isn´t that great! Let me tell ya, I´m pretty darn excited about it. I’m trying to download skype onto it as I type this. I feel so blessed to have internet available to me. Lets see, what can I say about my life right now.

Well this weekend was a total blast. Had the sleepover, watched lots of movies and ate lots of pizza! It was really nice out so I was able to spend time in the park this weekend which is always nice. I also went ice skating with my friends, pretty random right! Who woulda thought there was ice skating in EcuadorJ It was a blast, I didn’t even fall once which has to be some sort of record for me. I also saw a movie this weekend called ´Que Tan Lejos. Of the parts that I understood I thought it was pretty darn good. I must admit there were times where the whole audience would erupt in laughter and my friends and I would just look at each other really confused because we didn’t know what was just said, but it was still a lot of fun. ´

Monday was a normal day at school nothing to exciting to report, but today was a little different. At my 8:30 class we started planning for our mountain climb this weekend, I believe the mountain is called Atacaso. I heard it is one of the easier ones so this should be a good learning experience. Good news, no ropes or helmets required for this one, so it should be nice and easy. I´ll tell you all about it. However I do have to rent a tent and buy a sleeping bag for this trip. I am determined to get back on Sunday for the SUPERBOWL!!! I really hope we get back in time, we are supposed to get back at 3pm so that gives us more than enough time to get to a TV. After my mountaineering class I went to volunteer for the first time at a local school by the University. It was a blast, seriously! I had so much fun, the kids are great. I basically helped the teacher teach English to the kids. He made me read everything aloud since I am a native speaker and it is good for the kids to be exposed to that. I think I´m going to do that Tuesdays for sure, maybe Thursdays. Tomorrow at 8am I am meeting up our director to look at another volunteering opportunity so we´ll see how that goes.

Tomorrow I have a presentation in one of my Spanish classes but it should be pretty fun. There is a lot of participation from the class so that always makes presenting easier. I think that is all for now but I miss you and can´t wait to hear from you!!

Hey everybody. Well it’s been a long couple of days for me unfortunately. I got sick for the first time on Tuesday night :( I think that I lasted pretty long without feeling bad actually! With all the new food and weather, etc. its pretty much bound to happen sooner or later. I feel like I’ve past some sort of test everyone goes through when traveling to a new place. The good news is that I am feeling much better now! My family has taken great care of me these past couple of days. I’m sticking to toast and water for awhile, just to be safe. I missed a day of school which is always a bummer but my teachers are very understanding so that is great! Today I tried to go get my Ecuadorian Identification card but I forgot one of the papers I needed so I must go back tomorrow. It is quite the process!! It seems like there are a lot of hoops to jump through in order to live and go to school here, but definitely worth it in the end! I’ve written my first couple of assignments for my classes which makes me feel better. One of my teachers said the exchange students can write their assignments in English because it is easier for him to read their English than trying to understand their SpanishJ I thought that was kind of funny. I tried to write mine in Spanish so we will see if he was able to understand! I think I’m going to lay low this weekend just to make sure I’m feeling 100% better. One of my friend’s mom has to leave this weekend so I think all us girls are going to have a sleepover. That should be really fun, haven’t had one of those for to long! Hope all is well and everyone is excited about the bears!!! I can’t believe I’m missing all the excitement! We’re trying to find a good place to watch it down here though so no worriesJ I’ll be cheering from here!

Lots of love
Jess

Traveling

I am so excited everybody!! Lindsay and I just discovered a plaza with wireless pretty close to my house!! This means more of everything, skype, e-mail, picture downloading!!!! I am so excited about this discovery!! I just got back from Ban‘‘‘‘os, it is a city about 4 hours from here, but actually first we went to a small town called Hausalata. I think I’m getting ahead of myselfJ

Saturday morning a group of us met up with Maria, our program director, for our first excursion! We got in a van and traveled 4 hours to an Indigenous village called Hausalata. It was an amazing experience; I’ve posted some pictures so you can see what I mean! We stayed in a hostel in the middle of town. It was a beautiful cottage made by the people we stayed with. Jose and Francesca were our hosts, they were so welcoming and gracious! Everyone in the town speaks both Spanish and Quichua, their native language. We arrived and put our stuff in the house, after that we started exploring! We were given a tour of the town. First was the house of Maria Teresa, she is very important to the community, she leads a group for the women who live in the town. There were many children who came to great us while we were exploring! We played soccer with them and they showed us their school. There are about 30 kids in the school at this time, there is about 230 people in the town. The kids kept us busy chasing them! I was quite tired by the time we were done! For lunch we ate cui, I think that is how it is spelled, it is guinea pig!!! I was so nervous about eating it but I’m really glad I did it, it tastes like chickenJ I recommend it to all!! After lunch we went for a hike to the river. They go every day to collect grass for the animals. They don’t buy anything, that includes food for the animals. They make only enough to survive. The trek down to the river was beautiful! But that was only the half of it, after we got to the river they took us up a mountain bear foot! I have pansy feet but I did it! It was kind of a hard trek up but the end result was well worth it. There is a spring with sacred water flowing through it. If anyone is sick they bring them up there to be healed with the water. After soaking up the view for a while we headed back down the mountain, slipping and sliding the whole way but having a blast! After that we went back to the village and went to the workshop where they make all the tapestries. Really amazing how they do it, we were able to watch as one was made. It was so fun to play with the kids and learn all the games they play. They loved our digital cameras and loved taking the pictures themselvesJ They also enjoyed piggyback rides, man was I tired! That night was so great, there was a group of musicians who played for us and we learned how to do traditional dances. We danced the night awayJ We also played with the kids and taught them dance moves, they loved it and so did we! It was such a good time I really hope I get to see them again. I was pretty tired after all that so I crashed pretty quick. That next morning we woke up at 7 so we could help milk the cows! That was a funny experience. Check out the pictures for proofJ Then we ate breakfast and hung out with the kids until we had to leave. We drove for awhile and stopped at some markets along the way. We arrived in Banos, it was about a half an hour away from where we were. There we walked around the city, stopped in a beautiful church and ate lunch together. We also say some waterfalls and tried sugar cane. It was a great time, we are definitely going to go back sometime when we have more days to spend there. We had to head back at that point but we were all pretty tired. That about sums it up!! I hope you enjoyed reading about my weekend, don’t forget to let me know how you all are doing! Tomorrow is school so I should head home soon but I’ll keep you updated!!

Lots of love

busy busy:)

Hey Hey!

Sorry it’s been so long since my last blog! The weekends are pretty much internet-less, so I have to wait till the weekdays. Let me try and update you on whats been going on!

Well classes wise I think I’ve pretty much gotten things figured out. I am in a conversation class, a Spanish literature class, Latin American Themes class, and Spanish grammar class, and the mountaineering class. Tomorrow I am going to try and join the Salsa dancing class which sounds like so much fun!! Also, since I don’t have much class on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have been trying to work out some volunteering opportunities. I am going to try and work at a local high school with teaching English, I’ll let you know what ends up working out!

This past weekend was quite the adventure! We went to La Mitad del mundo, the Equator! There was a real line and everything, granted it didn’t go that far, only about 10 feet! It was really fun, there was a museum which talked about the indigenous tribes that used to live there. They also showed us some cool things that happen when you are at the Equator, like water falling straight down a drain, it actually worked!! I always thought that was a myth! I’m glad we went, it just wouldn’t make sense to go to Ecuador without visiting the Equator! It took us about and hour to get there, but well worth the trek! We also took a trip to the top of a crater; we all jumped in the back of a pickup truck and rode to the top. The ride up was half the fun! Unfortunately it was totally foggy when we reached the top so we couldn’t see anything, but it was still a good time had by all! After seeing the Equator, we bought groceries and made dinner at my friend Adams house. So funny because we ended up making hot dogs, pretty American! It was nice to just sit and talk about our experiences so far.

This past weekend I was also able to check out some of the night life. There is so much to do here I can’t wait until this weekend to discover more things!! Actually, this weekend we are going to an indigenous village called la provincia de Tungurahua, en el sur de Quito. One of the professors that teaches at my school grew up there. He is going to show us around. I can’t even imagine what that will be like, I can’t wait! That’s all for now! I’m going to go home to eat with my family but I should be able to give another update in a few days! Thanks for always letting me know whats going on back home! I heard there is snow and the bears are winning!! All good news!!

lots of love!!

Hey Party People!!

I'm sitting here in the University waiting for my next class and I thought I'd write a little note:) Before I forget, Katie figured out how to call my cell phone for those who ever need to get ahold of me or want to talk:) Calling from a phone in the US, the number is 01159384781026. But aside from that today is my second day of school and a great day at that. My classes yesterday were a little intense but I'm sure they will turn out alright! Lets see, my temas class sounds like it will be very interesting, a lot of history and politics. Not always easy but really good to know especially when living in that country!! My second class is called El Boom, it sounds like it is going to be a lot of reading but interesting. Our first novel is called cien anos de soledad, a bunch of you have probably read this on in English already, one hundred years of solitude. My last class is art history, the teacher seems really nice but she talks a mile a minute. And since my Spanish isn't quite where I would like it I can tell I am going to have to concentrate really hard for that one:) Today I started classes with Andinismo, it sounds like so much fun! Next week we are supposed to bring rope, I'm guessing to learn how to use it when mountaineering. We go on four excursions throughout the semester that are pretty easy, and then a couple that are a bit more difficult! I can't wait to explore the country more and see the beautiful scenery! I will definitely keep you posted on that class! I also have grammar and modern dance class today, I'm looking forward to dance although I have no idea what to expect!! I have pretty much mastered the bus system to get to school which is exciting! I also tried this apple cake yesterday which was really good! So many new things to try, I'm trying to try them all!! Talk to you soon! Take care!!!

First Day of School Tomorrow!

Hey all,
Sunday night I went on the telegrafo to look at the city from on top of a mountain, it was everything everyone said it would be!! The ride going up was a little scary but I´m so glad I did it! On monday I went to school, took 2 buses which took my about 35 minutes total, not too bad. The day was beautiful, it was nice because we got a tour of some of the university. The day was also filled with speakers. The founder of the university talked which was nice, he is a really funny guy. We also heard about safety and and such. Basically never walk alone and watch out for the food from street vendors!! This is hard since it always smells soooo good!! I got to meet a lot of people today which was one of the best parts of the day! I even made some Ecuadorian friends! Always a plus! I also got a small salsa lesson, I can´t wait to learn more!! There are about 250 exchange students at the university this year so it was fun to see us all together. For lunch we ate on campus at this really good Italian resteraunt! I can´t wait to go back throughout the year. After that I had to rush to take a Spanish placement exam, it wasn´t too bad. Yesterday was a little harder than the others in that I was a little homesick, I suppose that will happen from time to time, but thankfully I got to talk to Heather that night and felt much better:) Today was a busy one! I registered for classes and got a more thourough tour of the campus which was really nice. The campus is a little complicated but I´m sure I´ll get the hang of it:) So far for classes I am taking: (translated roughly into English) themes of latin america, The boom, Modern art of latin america, Intermediate Grammer, Modern Dance, and Andinismo(a mountain climbing class). I am really excited!! My classes sound really good, I also might take an international relations class, I´m still working out the kinks in my schedule. The modern dance class sounded so fun, I will probably make a fool out of myself but hey it´ll still be fun!! Tomorrow is my first day of classes, I´ll let you know how it goes:) After school we got helado(ice cream) I think I´m addicted to ice cream, it´s literally on every street corner!! In a few minutes I am going to go bowling! And Katie just got back from Maine! I just talked to her and she said she had a great time! I´m so glad she got back safe! Hope all is well and I´ll talk to you soon!!!

Pics

So I posted a few pictures, I'll post more today or tomorrow, but it's a start:) Gotta go, time for school:)

Still goin´strong!

Hey guys!! Thank you so much for your posts, I always look forward to reading them! I read them all and love knowing what is going on in your busy lives. I´m going to make it my mission for the next few days to get my pictures up and skype working, sorry it´s taking so long! I´m going to internet cafe´s to use the internet right now, but I start school on Wednesday so then I can use my laptop!! Today is another beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky! Yesterday I went on a tour of Quito Antiguo, the older part of Quito. Jose was our tour guide, he is a professor at the university. We saw cathedrals and museums, I had a really good time although at the end I was pretty tired and ready to chow down! We went to a place called the Basilica, it is a beautiful church with 4 towers. We climbed up them yesterday afternoon, that was quite the experience! The stairs to get up are steep and outside! I tried not to look down:) I´m glad I did it though because the view was well worth the climb. After the tours were over we took the bus back and I did a little exploring. I managed to get to the supermarket and back by myself, I was excited! I had to get some lotion for my sunburn, it´s not to bad, I´m ready for the sun now, it just caught my off guard the first day! I forget how much closer to the sun Quito is. Last night I met up with some of my friends from U of I and we ate mcdonalds(comfort food:) Then we saw a movie, noche en el museo(night at the museum) I thought it was really cute! It was actually in English with Spanish subtitles, I was glad for that, it´s much easier to understand the jokes! Today my host sister comes back from Spain, I can´t wait to meet her, here name is Diana. I went to church this morning, didn´t understand half of what was said but I was just glad to be there. Everyone was so nice to me, I had to introduce myself to the congregation, I was pretty nervous! Today at 3 I am going to take the telegrafico up the mountain to see the view of the city. It´s pretty much like a ski lift so that should be fun!! Well I have to go meet up with my family, but I miss you all and am so glad to hear from you!!!

Universidad San Francisco!

Hey everybody!! I hope you are all doing well! Great news, I got my luggage back yesterday afternoon!! So no worries there. Let me tell you I was so happy when I saw it! It's amazing how much having all your stuff with you makes you feel more at ease. Things are still going great! I'm at the University today for orientation, it is absolutely gorgeous! I can't believe I am going to be able to study here for the next couple of months, once again I'll post pictures as soon as I can! Today we walked around the city of Cumbaya, so nice, a few more hills than I'm used to but good exercise I'm told:) Cumbaya is where the University is located, I live in Quito which is about a 30 minute bus ride to the University. Not bad at all! I take two buses to get here, it'll take some getting used but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. I'm very excited because many of the students who also came here from Illinois live pretty close to me! We are going to go and explore the city later and hopefully get cell phones also. The mall is also very close to my house, always a plus:) There is a beautiful park close to us called Parque de Carolina that I can't wait to explore! This trip to the University has pushed many of my worries aside, each day I learn more and more and feel more comfortable in my surroundings! I must say I have taken advantage of the fact that my family speaks English, but I'm letting myself off the hook for these first few days, then strictly Spanish! We talk mostly in Spanish but sometimes when I need clarification, which is actually a lot of the time:), we switch to English then. My family continues to be so gracious and loving, I am very fortunate. So far I've seen two KFC's and one burger king, it's so crazy how many american fast food resteraunts they have here! I've heard there is a taco bell also, I'm certainly going to find out where that is!! The food has been amazing and the views breathtaking, so far my stay has been most enjoyable! I am liking the fact that school hasn't started yet, it starts on Wednesday I believe, that will be a whole new adventure! Sorry this is so long! I'm so excited and always have much to say! Thanks for your comments, write me all the time I love to hear from you! Take care!

Universidad San Francisco!

Hey everybody!! I hope you are all doing well! Great news, I got my luggage back yesterday afternoon!! So no worries there. Let me tell you I was so happy when I saw it! It's amazing how much having all your stuff with you makes you feel more at ease. Things are still going great! I'm at the University today for orientation, it is absolutely gorgeous! I can't believe I am going to be able to study here for the next couple of months, once again I'll post pictures as soon as I can! Today we walked around the city of Cumbaya, so nice, a few more hills than I'm used to but good exercise I'm told:) Cumbaya is where the University is located, I live in Quito which is about a 30 minute bus ride to the University. Not bad at all! I take two buses to get here, it'll take some getting used but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. I'm very excited because many of the students who also came here from Illinois live pretty close to me! We are going to go and explore the city later and hopefully get cell phones also. The mall is also very close to my house, always a plus:) There is a beautiful park close to us called Parque de Carolina that I can't wait to explore! This trip to the University has pushed many of my worries aside, each day I learn more and more and feel more comfortable in my surroundings! I must say I have taken advantage of the fact that my family speaks English, but I'm letting myself off the hook for these first few days, then strictly Spanish! We talk mostly in Spanish but sometimes when I need clarification, which is actually a lot of the time:), we switch to English then. My family continues to be so gracious and loving, I am very fortunate. So far I've seen two KFC's and one burger king, it's so crazy how many american fast food resteraunts they have here! I've heard there is a taco bell also, I'm certainly going to find out where that is!! The food has been amazing and the views breathtaking, so far my stay has been most enjoyable! I am liking the fact that school hasn't started yet, it starts on Wednesday I believe, that will be a whole new adventure! Sorry this is so long! I'm so excited and always have much to say! Thanks for your comments, write me all the time I love to hear from you! Take care!

Universidad San Francisco!

Hey everybody!! I hope you are all doing well! Great news, I got my luggage back yesterday afternoon!! So no worries there. Let me tell you I was so happy when I saw it! It's amazing how much having all your stuff with you makes you feel more at ease. Things are still going great! I'm at the University today for orientation, it is absolutely gorgeous! I can't believe I am going to be able to study here for the next couple of months, once again I'll post pictures as soon as I can! Today we walked around the city of Cumbaya, so nice, a few more hills than I'm used to but good exercise I'm told:) Cumbaya is where the University is located, I live in Quito which is about a 30 minute bus ride to the University. Not bad at all! I take two buses to get here, it'll take some getting used but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. I'm very excited because many of the students who also came here from Illinois live pretty close to me! We are going to go and explore the city later and hopefully get cell phones also. The mall is also very close to my house, always a plus:) There is a beautiful park close to us called Parque de Carolina that I can't wait to explore! This trip to the University has pushed many of my worries aside, each day I learn more and more and feel more comfortable in my surroundings! I must say I have taken advantage of the fact that my family speaks English, but I'm letting myself off the hook for these first few days, then strictly Spanish! We talk mostly in Spanish but sometimes when I need clarification, which is actually a lot of the time:), we switch to English then. My family continues to be so gracious and loving, I am very fortunate. So far I've seen two KFC's and one burger king, it's so crazy how many american fast food resteraunts they have here! I've heard there is a taco bell also, I'm certainly going to find out where that is!! The food has been amazing and the views breathtaking, so far my stay has been most enjoyable! I am liking the fact that school hasn't started yet, it starts on Wednesday I believe, that will be a whole new adventure! Sorry this is so long! I'm so excited and always have much to say! Thanks for your comments, write me all the time I love to hear from you! Take care!

I made it!!

Hey Everyone!

I´m sitting in an internet cafe right now in the middle of the city with Pablo! Pablo is the son of Cecilia, my host mother, and is showing me the city today! The weather is amazing, no rain and very hot! I wasn´t quite expecting this but I´ll certainly take it! The flight went smoothly, unfortunately my luggage was lost, we are going to the airport today to see if it has made it here or not. I´m sure it´ll work out soon! My family is so nice and their apartment is beautiful with amazing views of the city. I´ll post pictures as soon as I can. I have to go for now, but I miss you all and can´t wait to hear from you!! I am also including my mailing address in case you are interested!

Talk to you soon!
Jess

Telegrafo 354 y Alcantara
Quito, Ecuador

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a fun New Year's Eve! We watched movies, ate popcorn and had a great time. We talked about new years resolutions, I think mine will be to become more fluent in Spanish, kind of a cope out since I have to:) But it'll do! Do you guys have one? My friend Katie came back from California yesterday, it was so good to see her! She kicked my butt in gear, at least I'm partially pack now! I still have today to pull it all together so no worries. Heather was in the city last night so she'll come back today, I'm sure she had a blast! Nothing quite like new year's in the windy city! We both leave on the second, I'm heading to Quito and she's heading back to Denver. The next couple days will be filled with emotion, sadness from leaving my friends and family but also excitment for my new adventure! Thanks for your comments, it is so great to hear from you all! Talk to you soon!!!