Hola Chicos,
I am here. I am finally in Loja, Ecuador. I arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador last Friday. Saturday I flew to Loja, where I will be living this year. I cannot wait to explore.
Loja is a small city in Ecuador. It is located in the mountains near the Amazon. It is warm during the day and cold at night. I love that because I hate to sleep when I am hot. This city is one of the oldest in Ecuador. It is known for it's music, as well as churches. I got the chance to explore some of the city this past week, with my host family's friend Emiliano. There are churches every few blocks. They are so beautiful and unique. Loja is in the mountains and the city reminds me of San Francisco because of all the curvy roads. The buildings here are very different from Plymouth. They are close to one another and made of a concrete substance. There are many street vendors and stores through out the city. It is wonderful to look through all the shops, and see new things that I have never heard of before. Loja is a very clean an beautiful city.
My family in Loja is absolutely wonderful. My host parents are Lily and Diego. They have three sons: Diego (in Switzerland) 17, Andres 16, and Daniel 13. I have gotten the oppurtunity to talk to and get to know each one of these wonderful people. I absolutely love how generous and caring they all are. My host parents are so funny and helpful. We live in a house near the soccer stadium. It is a beautiful 4 story home. I have never seen anything with such beauty. There is a lot of art in the house that makes it feel very homey. I have my own bedroom and bathroom, which is nice since I am a girl! My family has a dog, her name is Conija, which is Mexican. She is a small little black dog. We also have a maid in the house. Her name is Margarita. She is so kind and sweet. My family also has another house in the country (Vilcabamba). It overlooks the mountains, and is right next to Lily's and Diego's family's other homes. On the weekend we go to Vilcabamba to spend time with their family and swim in our pool or play basketball. It is amazing how the simple things are so beautiful.
The food here is surprisingly very similar to home. I eat delivery pizza, ham sandwhiches, tacos, apple jacks, toast, oreos, and many other from home. However, I have also gotten the chance to eat different, but very tastey foods. We eat rice every other day, along with some type of soup. The corn here is HUGE, the size of a gumball. I eat pig from the grill, and drink fresh squeezed juice daily. I never knew there were almost 10 types of lemons. There are sour lemons, sweet lemons, lemonade lemons, and so many more. I have tried many other fruits from Brazil and other countries. Here they have the most delicious desserts. I have tried caramel cakes, chocolate cakes, cookies, chocolate, crepes, and so many other that make my mouth water. Ecuador is famous for it's bananas and coffee. The food here is also very cheap. I can buy a cheeseburger for $3.00, or a soda for $0.50. I love the food here and how different, but delicous it all is.
I have met many wonderful people here in Loja. I am not in school yet so I still do not know many people. However, I have met some wonderful people already. The people here are very sweet, and funny. They try very hard to help me with my Spanish and feel right at home. In Ecuador most people are short, so I am tall here. They are tan, with brown hair, and most have brown eyes. They are very beautiful people. I can go to clubs here and dance. The people here can dance and know the salsa and reggaton dances. It is so exciting to watch them all. The people are all so willing to help teach me to dance, since I am awful at it. I love talking to the people here because they can make me laugh so hard. I cannot wait to meet more people once school starts.
Today, I went to my school. It is called Liceo de Loja, a private school. I enrolled in my classes and also got my uniform. My school colors are yellow and navy blue. My uniform on monday is a skirt with a polo shirt. All the other days it is sweat pants, with a polo, and a hoodie. Very comfortable I must say. My classes for school are very difficult. I am taking Math, Biology, Physics, Phsycology, Philosophy, Art, Investigation, Spanish, Gym, Social Science, and Ecuadorian History. I will also be helping the English teacher after school teach some students. I am excited because the school also has a basketball team, so I get to play this year! The school starts at 7am and gets out at 1:30pm. It is very close to the house which is nice. I will be a senior here because the classes are more difficult. This is exciting because I get to go on class trips and attend prom here! The people I have met so far in my class are so great.
I have also seen some very interesting things. People here that are poor go the the houses asking for money. There is a baby lamb at the Rotary Club place. I saw pig heads hanging from store doorways as part of a religous holiday. They take 2 hours of English here. Everything is very conservative here. I am going horse back riding through the mountains tomorrow. Then Sunday another barbeque with the family. School starts September 7, but on the 8th I have to go to Guayaquil for an Orientation. I will be there for 5 days. I am excited to have this amazing oppurtunity and be given such a special gift.
I am not homesick yet, but I do miss my family, because although they are loud and nuts they are wonderful. They now have the exchange student from Turkey who is smart and beautiful. She has a great sense of humor and will fit right in with my family. I am so happy she is enjoying herself and gets to play volleyball. I will be so surprised to go home because my brothers will be so big and grown up. I cannot wait to explore more and have a wonderful year here. The simplicity of this place is just beautiful. I will write soon. Any other questions feel free to ask or email me: jessicalhowes@gmail.com
I am here. I am finally in Loja, Ecuador. I arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador last Friday. Saturday I flew to Loja, where I will be living this year. I cannot wait to explore.
Loja is a small city in Ecuador. It is located in the mountains near the Amazon. It is warm during the day and cold at night. I love that because I hate to sleep when I am hot. This city is one of the oldest in Ecuador. It is known for it's music, as well as churches. I got the chance to explore some of the city this past week, with my host family's friend Emiliano. There are churches every few blocks. They are so beautiful and unique. Loja is in the mountains and the city reminds me of San Francisco because of all the curvy roads. The buildings here are very different from Plymouth. They are close to one another and made of a concrete substance. There are many street vendors and stores through out the city. It is wonderful to look through all the shops, and see new things that I have never heard of before. Loja is a very clean an beautiful city.
My family in Loja is absolutely wonderful. My host parents are Lily and Diego. They have three sons: Diego (in Switzerland) 17, Andres 16, and Daniel 13. I have gotten the oppurtunity to talk to and get to know each one of these wonderful people. I absolutely love how generous and caring they all are. My host parents are so funny and helpful. We live in a house near the soccer stadium. It is a beautiful 4 story home. I have never seen anything with such beauty. There is a lot of art in the house that makes it feel very homey. I have my own bedroom and bathroom, which is nice since I am a girl! My family has a dog, her name is Conija, which is Mexican. She is a small little black dog. We also have a maid in the house. Her name is Margarita. She is so kind and sweet. My family also has another house in the country (Vilcabamba). It overlooks the mountains, and is right next to Lily's and Diego's family's other homes. On the weekend we go to Vilcabamba to spend time with their family and swim in our pool or play basketball. It is amazing how the simple things are so beautiful.
The food here is surprisingly very similar to home. I eat delivery pizza, ham sandwhiches, tacos, apple jacks, toast, oreos, and many other from home. However, I have also gotten the chance to eat different, but very tastey foods. We eat rice every other day, along with some type of soup. The corn here is HUGE, the size of a gumball. I eat pig from the grill, and drink fresh squeezed juice daily. I never knew there were almost 10 types of lemons. There are sour lemons, sweet lemons, lemonade lemons, and so many more. I have tried many other fruits from Brazil and other countries. Here they have the most delicious desserts. I have tried caramel cakes, chocolate cakes, cookies, chocolate, crepes, and so many other that make my mouth water. Ecuador is famous for it's bananas and coffee. The food here is also very cheap. I can buy a cheeseburger for $3.00, or a soda for $0.50. I love the food here and how different, but delicous it all is.
I have met many wonderful people here in Loja. I am not in school yet so I still do not know many people. However, I have met some wonderful people already. The people here are very sweet, and funny. They try very hard to help me with my Spanish and feel right at home. In Ecuador most people are short, so I am tall here. They are tan, with brown hair, and most have brown eyes. They are very beautiful people. I can go to clubs here and dance. The people here can dance and know the salsa and reggaton dances. It is so exciting to watch them all. The people are all so willing to help teach me to dance, since I am awful at it. I love talking to the people here because they can make me laugh so hard. I cannot wait to meet more people once school starts.
Today, I went to my school. It is called Liceo de Loja, a private school. I enrolled in my classes and also got my uniform. My school colors are yellow and navy blue. My uniform on monday is a skirt with a polo shirt. All the other days it is sweat pants, with a polo, and a hoodie. Very comfortable I must say. My classes for school are very difficult. I am taking Math, Biology, Physics, Phsycology, Philosophy, Art, Investigation, Spanish, Gym, Social Science, and Ecuadorian History. I will also be helping the English teacher after school teach some students. I am excited because the school also has a basketball team, so I get to play this year! The school starts at 7am and gets out at 1:30pm. It is very close to the house which is nice. I will be a senior here because the classes are more difficult. This is exciting because I get to go on class trips and attend prom here! The people I have met so far in my class are so great.
I have also seen some very interesting things. People here that are poor go the the houses asking for money. There is a baby lamb at the Rotary Club place. I saw pig heads hanging from store doorways as part of a religous holiday. They take 2 hours of English here. Everything is very conservative here. I am going horse back riding through the mountains tomorrow. Then Sunday another barbeque with the family. School starts September 7, but on the 8th I have to go to Guayaquil for an Orientation. I will be there for 5 days. I am excited to have this amazing oppurtunity and be given such a special gift.
I am not homesick yet, but I do miss my family, because although they are loud and nuts they are wonderful. They now have the exchange student from Turkey who is smart and beautiful. She has a great sense of humor and will fit right in with my family. I am so happy she is enjoying herself and gets to play volleyball. I will be so surprised to go home because my brothers will be so big and grown up. I cannot wait to explore more and have a wonderful year here. The simplicity of this place is just beautiful. I will write soon. Any other questions feel free to ask or email me: jessicalhowes@gmail.com
haha i know you don't know me but i'm santi, and i'm originally from colombia, which is really near ecuador. Obviously life in ecuador and colombia is different but i hope you enjoy your trip and learn alot. South america is probably the best place with the nicest people in the world. i hope you enjoy, haha i hope you dont think im a creep for suddenly commenting your ecuador trip journal.
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