Monday, February 26, 2007
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!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
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!!
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!!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
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
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
Thursday, February 8, 2007
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!!!
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!!!
Friday, February 2, 2007
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!!!!!!!!
Thursday, February 1, 2007
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
