So it has almost been two weeks in Ecuador. Surprisingly though, I am not homesick at all. I thought I'd miss little things and really just want to be home. However, that is not the case at all. I thought the first two weeks would be really hard because I am alone and don't know anyone, but I find myself enjoying my life here none the less. And how could I not, the people are wonderful that I do know, my family has really begun to open up to me here, and I've gotten the chance to do some really cool things.
Since the last time I wrote, I have done so much. A few days ago I read another exchange students blog. It was very honest and he talked about how homesick he was, and how he has already asked his parents to go home. That was only the first week of being here. After reading that blog it made me re-examine a lot of things. First realized that I appreciate everything my host family does, and how accommodating they are. They try very hard to make me feel right at home, and also respect things that I dislike. They do not make me eat banana or plantains, which is very kind of them because it is such a major crop here. They have made me truly part of the family, and I am so blessed to live with people who are so generous and loving. Secondly, I also realized my parents have raised me to be strong and push for things I want, to stay committed and NEVER quit what I start no matter how tough it is, independent and rely on myself to do things not others, and to know that no matter how far away I am from them they will always love me. Lastly, I learned that by dwelling on the negative things, only makes me miss out on all the beauty here that surrounds me. If I write about the bad things, and the things that make me sad, it only makes them worse. The other day a friend of mine here said, "Don't compare things to home, take everything at face value, because when you do that, you can see all the wonderful and beautiful things surrounding you." That made me really open my eyes and give everything a closer look. I am only here for a year and I want to get the most out of it.
This weekend we went back to our country house in Vilcabamba. I also learned that Vilcabamba has a lot of tourists because it is very hot and in the mountains. When we arrived at the house I got to set up my room. It was painted pink for me which I love! I even got my own bathroom. My family is always thinking of me and it means a lot to me that they are so considerate. On Sunday, I got to ride the horses in Vilcabamba. Diego and I rode around the city and through the river. I saw all these beautiful places and mountains. It was an adventure like I had never been on. However, my horse was lazy and didn't like to do what I told it to do, but they were still beautiful and full of kisses. Later in the day we had a lunch of chicken, corn, salad, and mashed potatoes. Delicious. We went for a swim, played some basketball, and I even get to draw a lot up there. I love to draw and Vilcabamba is just so calm and relax, that it is really nice to just sit there with a pen and paper and draw about all the beauty. We left Sunday night back to Loja. The city at night, from afar, is one of the most majestic sights I have ever seen. A whole mountain filled with lights, the stars sparkling brightly. I love just gazing up at them the whole ride home. When we got home it was time for dinner. Of course at 8:30 no one wanted to cook, so we went to the mall and got KFC, which happens to be my favorite fast food restraint. I pigged out at KFC and then headed home for some much needed rest.
This week has been a very good and interesting week. I wake up around 10 everyday, make myself some toast with Nutella, and grab a glass of juice. The juice here is freshly squeezed and as sweet as can be. I then shower and get ready for the day. Since I don’t know that many people here still, I tend to watch movies or play Wii until lunch. When Lily and Diego arrive home we sit down as a family and enjoy a wonderful meal. After all lunch is the biggest meal of the day here. These past few days, Lily has been taking me out after lunch to buy things that I need for school. I needed to buy a skirt and sweater still. However, absolutely no stores had my size. I am way to tall and broad for the younger girls here. Lily had to ask her mother to make a skirt for me. Not to mention this makes me feel like Shrek, but hey that happens. I am me and sometimes you have to do things out of the ordinary. The important thing is that I will have a skirt in time for school Monday. I then had to find shoes. I have very wide feet, so I wear a 9 ½. However, all the stores here mainly had 8’s. I finally at the last minute found a store that had 9’s and decided I’d squeeze my feet in them. Even clothes are cheaper down here. It was only $20 for leather shoes. Even though I don’t fit right into all the clothes, and my feet are rather large, it doesn’t matter. What amazed me yet again, is how willing people are to help you find, get, or make what you need. The next day, we shopped for school supplies. In the United States all the supplies cost $100 or more, here on $37 dollars. Not to mention I got so many more things. At least now I am finally ready for school to begin. My host brothers have also really opened up to me. At first I was, a bit saddened that they didn’t want to talk to me and get to know me more, but I looked past that because it is worse to dwell on the negatives. Now they have really opened up to me. We joke, play games, talk, and it really feels like home to me.
Today, I finally met my counselor. His name is Steve Brown, very American right? Well, his father was in the Army and got stationed here in Loja. He fell in love with a Lojanan women and they had him and his brother a few years later in Ecuador. Steve’s wife is technically American, because she was born in the United States, however, her parents were originally from Ecuador. It made me giggle, how they had the exact opposite lives. Steve and Patricia have three children who are all dual citizens, one lives in Michigan, the other in Spain, and one in Quito. I will get the chance to meet them later this year. Anyways, today I went to Steve’s home to have lunch with him and his wife. There house is like something I have only seen on T.V. They have 3 living rooms, 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, 4 bathrooms, a dining room, Patricia’s office, Steve’s home office, and here it goes, a pool, a hot tub, a sauna, and an exercise room. Yup, can you believe it, those are all INSIDE the house. Not to mention the view is to die for. What makes me really happy though, is that despite all these people have, they are so down to earth and so caring, that it makes you happy to see people like that be so fortunate. I am lucky because he lives 5 minutes walking from my house. Every day after school, and basketball I am going to his house to run and take a swim. I get luckier every day I live here, and not because of everything that I am given, but because of the generosity and compassion that all these people give to me. Even the people here who have very little, do as much as they possibly can for you. It’s wonderful to see how huge all these people’s hearts are.
My cousins were here tonight, at my house in Loja. They came over for a family dinner. I let the littlest one Sarita, who is 6, do my make-up and my nails. My host mother thought I broke out in a rash, but no it was just blush all over my face. I didn’t mind though because that is what little girls. They make you look pretty. Then I straightened all of their hair because they wanted it to look like mine. They are all so cute, and so sweet. I just love being around them. When I finished Sarita’s hair she wanted me to take pictures of her because she said she looked and I quote “sexy”. I couldn’t help but laugh. When they left they all squeezed me so tight. It’s nice to know that they already care about it. It is a very warm feeling.
I got the chance to talk to my mother this week for an hour or so online. It was nice to hear from her. I don’t get to talk to her often, but that is not bad thing. I know they love and miss me, but they have their own lives and are busy people too. Plus, if I relied on talking to them too much, it would only make me miss home, and also miss out on really great experiences. My brothers are doing well in school, and football. Although neither of them is thrilled to be in school. The exchange student seems to be the perfect match for my family. She made varsity volleyball, which is extremely good, and such a difficult task being from another country. She likes her classes and seems to be enjoying herself. I am so happy that everything is right where it should me. My family means a lot to me, and I am glad they are doing well.
Well I am off for now. I should get some sleep. Still working on a way to show pictures, but it is a work and progress. When you see the photos, I am telling you that you will fall in love; with not only the city, but the all the people here in it. Buenas Noches (Goodnight).
Since the last time I wrote, I have done so much. A few days ago I read another exchange students blog. It was very honest and he talked about how homesick he was, and how he has already asked his parents to go home. That was only the first week of being here. After reading that blog it made me re-examine a lot of things. First realized that I appreciate everything my host family does, and how accommodating they are. They try very hard to make me feel right at home, and also respect things that I dislike. They do not make me eat banana or plantains, which is very kind of them because it is such a major crop here. They have made me truly part of the family, and I am so blessed to live with people who are so generous and loving. Secondly, I also realized my parents have raised me to be strong and push for things I want, to stay committed and NEVER quit what I start no matter how tough it is, independent and rely on myself to do things not others, and to know that no matter how far away I am from them they will always love me. Lastly, I learned that by dwelling on the negative things, only makes me miss out on all the beauty here that surrounds me. If I write about the bad things, and the things that make me sad, it only makes them worse. The other day a friend of mine here said, "Don't compare things to home, take everything at face value, because when you do that, you can see all the wonderful and beautiful things surrounding you." That made me really open my eyes and give everything a closer look. I am only here for a year and I want to get the most out of it.
This weekend we went back to our country house in Vilcabamba. I also learned that Vilcabamba has a lot of tourists because it is very hot and in the mountains. When we arrived at the house I got to set up my room. It was painted pink for me which I love! I even got my own bathroom. My family is always thinking of me and it means a lot to me that they are so considerate. On Sunday, I got to ride the horses in Vilcabamba. Diego and I rode around the city and through the river. I saw all these beautiful places and mountains. It was an adventure like I had never been on. However, my horse was lazy and didn't like to do what I told it to do, but they were still beautiful and full of kisses. Later in the day we had a lunch of chicken, corn, salad, and mashed potatoes. Delicious. We went for a swim, played some basketball, and I even get to draw a lot up there. I love to draw and Vilcabamba is just so calm and relax, that it is really nice to just sit there with a pen and paper and draw about all the beauty. We left Sunday night back to Loja. The city at night, from afar, is one of the most majestic sights I have ever seen. A whole mountain filled with lights, the stars sparkling brightly. I love just gazing up at them the whole ride home. When we got home it was time for dinner. Of course at 8:30 no one wanted to cook, so we went to the mall and got KFC, which happens to be my favorite fast food restraint. I pigged out at KFC and then headed home for some much needed rest.
This week has been a very good and interesting week. I wake up around 10 everyday, make myself some toast with Nutella, and grab a glass of juice. The juice here is freshly squeezed and as sweet as can be. I then shower and get ready for the day. Since I don’t know that many people here still, I tend to watch movies or play Wii until lunch. When Lily and Diego arrive home we sit down as a family and enjoy a wonderful meal. After all lunch is the biggest meal of the day here. These past few days, Lily has been taking me out after lunch to buy things that I need for school. I needed to buy a skirt and sweater still. However, absolutely no stores had my size. I am way to tall and broad for the younger girls here. Lily had to ask her mother to make a skirt for me. Not to mention this makes me feel like Shrek, but hey that happens. I am me and sometimes you have to do things out of the ordinary. The important thing is that I will have a skirt in time for school Monday. I then had to find shoes. I have very wide feet, so I wear a 9 ½. However, all the stores here mainly had 8’s. I finally at the last minute found a store that had 9’s and decided I’d squeeze my feet in them. Even clothes are cheaper down here. It was only $20 for leather shoes. Even though I don’t fit right into all the clothes, and my feet are rather large, it doesn’t matter. What amazed me yet again, is how willing people are to help you find, get, or make what you need. The next day, we shopped for school supplies. In the United States all the supplies cost $100 or more, here on $37 dollars. Not to mention I got so many more things. At least now I am finally ready for school to begin. My host brothers have also really opened up to me. At first I was, a bit saddened that they didn’t want to talk to me and get to know me more, but I looked past that because it is worse to dwell on the negatives. Now they have really opened up to me. We joke, play games, talk, and it really feels like home to me.
Today, I finally met my counselor. His name is Steve Brown, very American right? Well, his father was in the Army and got stationed here in Loja. He fell in love with a Lojanan women and they had him and his brother a few years later in Ecuador. Steve’s wife is technically American, because she was born in the United States, however, her parents were originally from Ecuador. It made me giggle, how they had the exact opposite lives. Steve and Patricia have three children who are all dual citizens, one lives in Michigan, the other in Spain, and one in Quito. I will get the chance to meet them later this year. Anyways, today I went to Steve’s home to have lunch with him and his wife. There house is like something I have only seen on T.V. They have 3 living rooms, 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, 4 bathrooms, a dining room, Patricia’s office, Steve’s home office, and here it goes, a pool, a hot tub, a sauna, and an exercise room. Yup, can you believe it, those are all INSIDE the house. Not to mention the view is to die for. What makes me really happy though, is that despite all these people have, they are so down to earth and so caring, that it makes you happy to see people like that be so fortunate. I am lucky because he lives 5 minutes walking from my house. Every day after school, and basketball I am going to his house to run and take a swim. I get luckier every day I live here, and not because of everything that I am given, but because of the generosity and compassion that all these people give to me. Even the people here who have very little, do as much as they possibly can for you. It’s wonderful to see how huge all these people’s hearts are.
My cousins were here tonight, at my house in Loja. They came over for a family dinner. I let the littlest one Sarita, who is 6, do my make-up and my nails. My host mother thought I broke out in a rash, but no it was just blush all over my face. I didn’t mind though because that is what little girls. They make you look pretty. Then I straightened all of their hair because they wanted it to look like mine. They are all so cute, and so sweet. I just love being around them. When I finished Sarita’s hair she wanted me to take pictures of her because she said she looked and I quote “sexy”. I couldn’t help but laugh. When they left they all squeezed me so tight. It’s nice to know that they already care about it. It is a very warm feeling.
I got the chance to talk to my mother this week for an hour or so online. It was nice to hear from her. I don’t get to talk to her often, but that is not bad thing. I know they love and miss me, but they have their own lives and are busy people too. Plus, if I relied on talking to them too much, it would only make me miss home, and also miss out on really great experiences. My brothers are doing well in school, and football. Although neither of them is thrilled to be in school. The exchange student seems to be the perfect match for my family. She made varsity volleyball, which is extremely good, and such a difficult task being from another country. She likes her classes and seems to be enjoying herself. I am so happy that everything is right where it should me. My family means a lot to me, and I am glad they are doing well.
Well I am off for now. I should get some sleep. Still working on a way to show pictures, but it is a work and progress. When you see the photos, I am telling you that you will fall in love; with not only the city, but the all the people here in it. Buenas Noches (Goodnight).
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