Sickness and Soul Searching

I got back from the jungle trip on Monday morning, and immediately after I arrived home, the moment I had dreaded and feared was finally upon me: I got food poisoning. Well, either food or river water. I won't go into too many details, but I was pretty sick. I got a house call from the doctor and wasn't back at school until Thursday.

But the entire time I was laying in a bed feeling as though my intestines were trying to claw out from my body, I never really felt sad. The last time I was sick, the lonely bedrest made me seriously homesick. I wanted to be back in my bed in America. But this time I just wanted to get better and get back to school and my friends and being with everyone.

I'm not sure if it happened on the trip or before, but by the time I was back in Ambato I had realized that something was different. My life and who I am has radically changed. I think it must have been happening the entire time I've been here, slowly sneaking up on me.

I've had unexpected difficulty letting go of everything that was me and my life in Kirkwood. For years I talked of how I wanted to leave that place, and then not too long before I left, I realized how much I love it. Which isn't bad; it's good to love home. But to come here I had to forget it. I had to abandon the standards and thinking of that culture, at least to some extent. I really hung on to it for a long time. Mentally, I was still there.

But now, in what feels so sudden to me, I am totally and completely here. My entire life has shifted. It's strange and I can't describe it, but it feels like all my memories just changed colors. High school was years ago; everything feels so distant that it's like I dreamt it. It's freeing, and just what I've needed to happen. But I also know that I can never go back. When I return in June I will be a different person and I'll build a new life all over again. I have seven months more here. It doesn't sound like such a long time anymore, but at the same time I know I can't even imagine all that will happen and change in that time.

The last night of the trip, we slept in Quito. A group of my friends and I pushed a bunch some beds together and were laying piled on top of them. While I was dozing in and out of sleep, one of them turned to me and said, "I feel like we're supposed to be here." It's a great feeling.

El Oriente

Wednesday after school, the other three students from Ambato and I took a bus to Quito, where we reunited with everyone we had met at orientation. I was super excited to see everyone again. We got dinner at McDonalds. I think the other American girl, Sarah, and I were feeling a weird ownership of McDonalds, like we had some sort of birthright to those mcnuggets. Well, at least I sort of felt that way.

The next day we had a five hour drive. As a lover of long drives, I have to say, this was a great long drive. It was drizzling slightly most of the way and the mountains gradually changed into jungle. This really is a beautiful country. We arrived at the river and went to our hotel in canoes.

The hotel.

That day we had to hang out and swim in the pool. I went with a group for a walk through the little town nearby. It was humid.

Friday we went on a guided walk through rainforest. We learned about some different types of trees and their uses. We got to paint our faces with rocks and water from the stream. Sarah did my face, and I could feel that she was doing an intricate design and I was really excited to see how it was going to look. She wrote "loser" across my face. Thanks a lot, Sarah. The guide gave me a crown made out a palm leaf, one of the prouder moments of my life. To go back to hotel we floated down the river on rafts made from balsa logs. 

Saturday morning we went to a sanctuary for rainforest animals which had been illegally kept as pets. It was called AmaZOOnico (sic on the capitalization), a name which I greatly enjoyed. There were parrots, monkeys, an anaconda, some ocelots, and a whole other assortment. Then we got to go tubing down the river, which was really fun. At one point we stopped and did a rope swing into the water. After lunch we went to a butterfly house. There were all the kinds of butterflies that you only see on posters in elementary classrooms.

Sunday we made the drive back to Quito and spent the night in a hotel there. Other things that happened on this trip: I got a massage, I bought drug rug pants and I am thrilled with them, and we went to a karaoke bar and attempted and failed to sing "Hips Don't Lie" in Spanish. We had the nights free to hang out and we had some great times that I'm not about to write about here. I love so many of the other kids in my group and I had a great time being with them. The jungle is beautiful, but, as always, it's the friends I'll be remembering.

Sarah and me.

Napping on our hotel room porch.

This is how we got over the river on our jungle walk.

Before the Jungle Trip

November has been a busy month so far. I'm going back to the 6th for this post. That was a Wednesday and the first day in the student council campaigns.

The way they do student council elections here is different than in my high school back home, another example of the whole individualism vs. collectivism thing. Here, instead of running against each other for the specific positions they want, they assemble two complete lists of people. My friend asked me if I would be the treasurer for list A. Am I qualified for this position? Who cares. I have the gringa card, and we played it hard.

Wednesday and Thursday we went to every class in the school and presented our propositions. Both lists had the same propositions. We submitted lists of possible ideas to our principal/priest, and he only accepted the exact same ones. What I really love about this is it really removes most all possibility of voting based on merit. This is a pure, unabashed popularity contest.

Our strategy was called "Grace can speak English." Each class we went to I made a speech in rapid English. The students were absolutely amazed. It was as though English is not a language but rather some rare skill that only I have mastered.

During the elementary school recess we gave out foam smiley faces that we pinned on the kids' sweaters. Again, you would think this wouldn't be that exciting. But everyone REALLY wanted a foam smiley face. I was literally knocked over by them. When they lined up to go back to class there was a deafening chant in favor of "Lista A." We won by a landslide.

My student council armband.

That friday I went with our family friend to a big party that her school hosted. This is notable mainly because it really emphasized that there are dancing genes in Latin blood and I do not have them. I have no idea how the people here do the things that they do with their bodies. I just flail around and get sweaty.

Flailing with a man in a pirate costume.

My friend Pao and me.

Tuesday was the big parade. I got to carry the school sign and wear the extra-special fancy-day uniform. It was pretty cool walking down the street with the crowds and seeing people that I know. To be completely honest, the entire time during the parade I was just wanting to buy cotton candy from the people who were selling it all along the way.

My host mom and me, pre-parade.

After the parade my host family and I went and got some sort of milkshake-like drink made from eggs. The whole town was in a sort of relaxed festival mode. The exception was the Red Cross, who was taking the opportunity to offer free vaccinations. Based on the reactions I was witnessing, they were offering free amputations without anesthesia.

I had a great nap to reward my sign-carrying efforts and then used to afternoon to get things together to travel the following day.

Finados

First off let me say that my host family is back (yay!), and they went to Orlando without going to Disney World. The kids didn't want to go. They're possibly the only kids I know who would opt out of Disney World. But they're actually planning on a return trip in the future and my host dad and I are already making half-joking plans for them to visit me in St. Louis.

November 2nd is Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead), but here it's called Finados. It mostly involves a big fair, colada morada, and guaguas de pan. Colada morada roughly translates to "purple drink," but there's no codeine involved. Actually I think the "colada" part comes from the fact that it has to be put through a strainer. It's like a stew of corn flour and fruit juice, and it's pretty good. Guaguas de pan is a bread shaped like a baby. Nobody seemed to know why this is the tradition. 

My celebrations began Thursday evening. At the university where I'm in art classes (for free!) there's some sort of indigenous advocacy group that was having a little party and gave us the traditional snack along with this traditional dish I can't remember the name of:

Potato cake, fried egg, avocado, onions, tomatoes.

Also that night my host grandmother was starting on the colada by juicing some blackberries:

Note the strainer.

Friday was a short day of school and was free-dress. I'm pretty sure that in most uniformed Catholic schools in the U.S., when there's a free-dress day, most people opt for comfort. From my observances, the American Catholic schoolgirl's out-of-school uniform is essentially nike shorts and a t-shirt. But I'm totally serious when I say that about a fourth of the girls here showed up in heels. My personal favorite outfit was this guy's:

"Canvas IMPACT LOOKING AWAY where are the guys? 68 LONELY GUY" ...should we be worried?

School let out around 10:30 and we all got colada morada and guaguas de pan:

They like to take pictures sideways.

The school made their colada in a giant vat. Also I should mention that it's served hot enough to burn you. 

BIG VAT.

They're basically stirring it with an oar.

Here are some photos of friends and me to illustrate how I really haven't mastered the Ecuadorian style of posing. Also I'm attributing my food baby to the fact that I ate about 3 people's bread. I haven't gained that much weight. Yet.

Friday night my family got home I had some fun talking with them about 'Murica. They were amazed that people were so courteous in the lines for the rides. Walmart is huge. Outlet malls are awesome (American clothes are outrageously expensive here). They said the food is bad; I promised to prove them wrong if they visited me.

Some people go to cemeteries SAturday but we didn't. That night my family and I went to the fair. This is essentially a carnival+festival+massive flea market. It was absolutely packed. They all acted like it was lame, but I was really legitimately excited. Some observations:

• Things being sold: toys, candy, clothes, shoes, food, cooking utensils, universal remotes, posters, knickknacks, antiques including the coolest collection of vintage glasses you ever did see, jewelry, makeup, electronics, music, everything that has ever existed.
• I really wouldn't trust someone in a fair booth to pierce my tongue but apparently a lot of my classmates do.
• Who needs a line for bumper cars? How about we just don't put up a fence, and when someone wants to ride, they have to stand in the surrounding crowd and run as fast as they can to the car they want? Seems safe.
• If you want a dvd with 50 different Chinese movies on it, this is the place for you.
• I saw a sign with the Joker's face on it that said "Who is serious?" I do not have an answer for him.
• One of my classmates bought a pot-leaf necklace and phone charm. I thought this was odd, because I had previously heard her make a negative comment about someone's marijuana use. I asked her if she smoked and she laughed, "No, no, never. It's just pretty." I mean, alright...

Ricky and I rode one of the suspicious-looking carnival rides. It was not smooth, quite painful actually. But I had a great time hysterically laughing at his shouting. To close I will leave you with a photo of one of his new shirts from the trip. He's different.

100% unaware that they're song lyrics.

Angsty Weekend and a Rainbow

Happy Halloween Everyone! Today is actually a civic holiday here honoring the national seal or something like that. There was a special segment on the news about it which featured the song from LOTR. I really have to question if the rights to that music were properly secured.

I'm going be angsty here and talk about my angsty weekend. I'm backtracking and talking about a week ago because I had wanted to write about it before but I've had a lot of things to do. I promise to write really soon about cool and fun stuff that's happening. There's actually a holiday this weekend and lots of festivities related to that.

My host family (parents and siblings) has been gone over a week. They actually went to Disney World. They're coming back tomorrow and I AM EXCITED TO SEE THEM. While they've been gone I've mostly been hanging out around the house and chatting with my host grandma.

Friday I decided I wanted to watch a movie in English and I went with Lost in Translation. I had always wanted to see it and thought it would be appropriate. It was more than appropriate. I recommend it though I'll say it's not a movie everyone would like. It's more about a mood than a plot. That mood just happened to really hit me right now and so I spent some time listening to the soundtrack and watching people in the street.

The thing is that it can be lonely being an exchange student, especially with my family being gone this week. Their absence and also hearing about other students having problems and changing families has made me remember how fortunate I am to have been placed with such great people. Let me reiterate: I am so excited for them to come home.

But this weekend I just wanted to stay in bed and not be here. I was having that lost feeling where you're changing but you're not changed yet. I know my year is going to change me and that's something I absolutely want. But there's that point where you aren't who you were but not yet who you're going to be, and so you're just kind of hanging.

Our neighbors are close family friends and they have a 20-year-old daughter who I hang out with a lot. She invited me to go to some town and eat some food on Sunday and I was pretty much trying to ditch and make excuses. She managed to get me to agree to go for a little while. They have a pick-up truck with a covered back and a mattress in the back. Traveling in the truck bed here is really common and that's what we did (sorry, Mom).

I honestly don't love a whole lot of things more than being in the car and looking out the window, and this blew that away. We ended up driving to about 3 different towns and eating lots of food and just exploring.

I can't describe the countryside here. I wouldn't want to take pictures; they couldn't do any justice. It's so rich. The colors, the smells, the farms and houses. There were clotheslines and horses and children playing soccer. I saw a woman milking a cow into cups and handing them to her children. It's all alive.

The weather here is insane, so naturally there were ten-minute intervals of rain and sun. When the sun was starting to set and shining between the mountains, the clouds moved and the volcano came into clear view. And then a rainbow appeared in front of the volcano. I would not make that up.

As we drove through the rural towns and past markets, I was reminded of what Reid (exchange student in Chile) wrote in this post, about how he was momentarily jealous of the tourist's grand adventure. Sometimes I have moments of doubt where I think I would have been better off to come visit Ecuador for a short time, to ride buses around and look at everything and then go back to being comfortable. But I'm doing the right thing. This land has a richness that I couldn't understand in a lifetime, but at least I get a moment to try.

The Theory

If you aren't familiar with Pitbull, you should probably just keep it that way and stop reading.

I can't say I'm a big fan of this man's art. His popularity has confused me since I first heard him rap. And I don't think there are a lot of people in the U.S. (at least the ones I hang out with) who really listen to Pitbull when they want to hear music. But he's popular here. He's Latino, and his music is great for dancing. He clearly is a better Spanish speaker than an English speaker...so why is he rapping in English? You might think its to appeal to the U.S. audience who generally won't accept any foreign-language media. But I have another theory: Pitbull is not a good rapper. Let's take his most popular song into account:

He's the creepy bald guy.

This song is big here. The only Spanish line is "que no pare la fiesta," which, as you may have guessed, means "don't stop the party." The parts where he raps in English are not good to listen to. I think that Pitbull knows he's bad. So he makes catchy songs to appeal to Latinos and then masks his lack of talent by making his horrible verses impossible for them to understand. I'm not saying I'm right, but if I am, you've got to give him some credit. Props to you, Mr. Worldwide.

I'm an Ecuadorian Cheerleader

That title isn't a metaphor. At my school back home we had the classic big football games with the band and the cheerleaders and the pommies (dance team). But here they don't have school sports and the culture that comes with them. What they do have is the November 12th parade with all of the high schools in Ambato.

My school has been hard at work getting together the marching band. And then there is a group of girls called the bastoneras who are like a combination of cheerleaders and pommies. They do this dance/march thing and do little tricks with a baston, which is like a metal baton with a pompom attached to one end. Aaaaaand I am one of them.

Now, if you know anything about me, you are probably thinking that this doesn't sound like something I'd sign up for. Allow me to explain: I had no idea what I was signing up for. Last week at our first practice (an hour after school each day), the girl in charge said, "The most important thing is that you be elegant in your movements." That's usually my cue to leave. The last time I had a practice for anything was in second grade, so for me those first days felt a little bit like:

(Minus the part at the end where they're good.)

But I decided to stick it out and I'm really glad I did. I have come a long way, and let me tell you, I had a long way to go (still do). There are about 25 and I think two are from my class, so I'm getting to know girls from all grades. They are all super nice to me and love to ask me to say things and English and get really excited when I do it. It's also cool because I definitely never would have done something like this at home, so it really is an opportunity. We get to wear a special uniform and get all done-up with our hair and makeup. I'm excited and I assure you there will be photos from the event.

This week was mid-trimester exams at school. My grades don't really count towards anything, so while I do try in school enough to not be disrespectful, I can't say I did a lot of studying. Grades are out of ten, and mine have varied from 8.5 to 2.9. That 8.5 was chemistry, and the 2.9 was math, which I am bad at in all languages. What's really hard for me is fill in the blank questions. Unless theres a word bank I just play Mad Libs.

I've been sick again, but not too bad. I haven't missed school or anything but I've been coughing for about a week. They are big on natural medicine here. I get a lot of vitamin C and take a cough syrup in which the only ingredients are honey and eucalyptus. The old woman who lives downstairs has been giving me warnings not to bathe. 106-year-old Virginita really wants me to drink some milk and brandy, but no one else seems to support that idea. Today when I came home, there were a bunch of branches outside my door.

Confusion ensued.

It's eucalyptus. I'm supposed to put it around my bed and just kind of hang out with it to help me breathe better. I'm almost better so I don't really feel like I need it, but I have to say, I'm kind of looking forward to having a little nature around.

I got my first package from home this week! My grandmother sent me makeup and candy and my colored pencils which I have been using every free second since their arrival. I was so excited that it had successfully arrived that I opened it at my art class because I couldn't wait to eat a Reeses. 

Ecuador qualified for the world cup on Tuesday. They actually lost a game against Chile, but because they still qualified everyone was excited. The streets were packed with people celebrating. After a big soccer success like that, all you can hear is car horns. People pile into pickup trucks and wave flags and beat drums. It's a party.

This month has been flying by. I've been so busy between bastoneras, art classes, school, friends and family activities. I'm almost done with my college application, but I still have to finish a few things. I'll probably cry from joy when that's submitted. Can't believe I've been here two months.

2 Cool 4 Colegio

I thought I'd give you a little more detail on my school and daily school routine, so Tuesday I took my camera to school to do a little bit of documenting. To give some more information: my school goes from 7-1 except some days it's a bit different for random reasons. I am in twelve classes: P.E., English, Chemistry, Physics, Religion, Math, Biology, Writing, Business, Civics, Literature and Research. If that sounds like a lot, I can confirm that it feels like a lot. Our class of 32 people stays in the same room and the teachers come to us.

My alarm goes off at 5:55. I stay in bed until 6:10. I need to mentally psych myself up for the moment I exit the covers. I put on my uniform and pull my socks all the way up, fix my hair and put on a little makeup. I grab my bag, which I packed last night for the classes I'll have today (Math, English, Bio, and Writing). Breakfast is tea, bread, and a boiled egg. At 6:50 my host dad drops me and my host mom off.

I go to the school yard and mingle with some other students until the 7am formation. Formation is when every class lines up according to gender and height. Theres a prayer and a short speech. Usually the inspector, who is in charge of discipline, tells us about 40 times the proper way to line up and that we need to stop talking and get our hands out of our pockets. Then we are dismissed, class by class, to go upstairs to our respective rooms.

Our first class is math. This teacher is one hell of a mumbler and he doesn't write anything on the board, so I never know what's going on. But today there's a weird vibe in the air. Apparently my classmates have an issue with his teaching style and that message made its way to him. He's giving us a lecture. It's awkward. Yesterday one of my friends had asked me what awkward means so I think I'll take this opportunity to explain. Our note-passing conversation is as follows:

Me: Remember yesterday how you asked me what "awkward" means? This conversation and the way the room feels is "awkward."

Her: What the teacher is saying or because we're passing notes?

Me: Neither...just the general feeling.

Her: Oh, because we're passing notes?

I don't respond. Supposedly there isn't a perfect Spanish translation for awkward and she doesn't really need to know anyway.

Also in math we are handed back this quiz:

Como se dice valedictorian.

Next class is English. I am so good at English. I actually don't have to do any work. I sit there and draw and listen to music and try to work my way through National Geographic in Spanish. Today the other students have an assignment where they're give summaries of 4 books: To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, Frankenstein and The Hobbit. They then have to write a short statement on how they think the story ends. Apparently my class likes to get creative because everyone keeps coming to me on how to translate their story about how Tom Robinson marries a movie star and makes the best chocolates in all of Paris.

After English is Biology. The teacher announces that we'll be watching a video and I get pretty excited until said video starts. You know in movies when they watch a video in class how it's just some footage of amoebas and someone talking really slowly? This is that video. I want to film it but can' figure out how to do so discreetly.

In the middle of Bio comes recess. During this time we can go to the school bar and buy food. There are two sides: one sells packaged snacks, and the other sells cooked food. The cooked food is actually really, really good. I'm sure since hundreds of kids now want food at the same moment, there's an orderly system of purchasing, like maybe a line...

Or not.

Recess is 30 minutes. We usually mill around and talk. Everyone shares all food, including ice cream cones and lollipops. Today, because I have my camera, we take some pictures. Naturally my friends start going up to guys I don't know and telling them that I want a picture.

 

Some of my friends and I.

At the end of recess we get to do the whole formation business all over again. After we finish the video during our second half of Bio, we get to have the rest of the class free. Ecuadorians seem to love pictures, so they get my camera out again. Everyone seems to have a preplanned pose/face that they do. On the other hand there's me, who often tries to look bad in pictures because that's sure better than looking bad when you're trying to look good.

Our writing class is called Messages. Today a group of students is presenting about the meaning of the word message. The teacher is mad because she's pretty sure everything in their powerpoint was copied and pasted. They show us a short video that I honestly can't remember much about besides the fact that it didn't connect that well to the definition of message.

School lets out at one and we hang around outside for a bit, talking and buying more food. Then a couple of friends and I set out for home. When I arrive at the house, lunch will be waiting. There are two things for certain: there will be soup, and there will be rice.

Lots of Things

The last couple weeks have been pretty busy, so this will probably be a long post.

When I stopped being sick I was really excited about not being sick. Like the kind of excited where you're just really psyched about being alive and breathing and being able to see colors and what not. I had been stuck in bed for over two days and that is not something you want to be.

Last Saturday we went with some family friends out to lunch and . Someone at the table started this word game/riddle; the best English example I could give was that it was kind of like the green glass doors. I understood the rule before anyone else. They were all amazed, so I can put that on my Spanish resume.

The biggest happening was that on Tuesday we went to Quito. My host parents had to go deal with some documents and decided we would all go. I got out of school and spent the morning taking a nap at the American embassy (they were getting visas for a vacation to Disney World). After that we went to the Equator. There's this big tourist park thing there, with museums and a planetarium. There were a lot of stores selling sweaters with alpacas on them. I'm on the hunt for the perfect alpaca sweater. Good thing I've got time to be picky.

After the Equator we went to this place where you can take a cable car up a mountain and get a good view of Quito. The city is long and skinny because can only grow through valleys. The mountains themselves are beautiful. I heard that there was a student one year who trained and got a guide and climbed Cotopaxi. Sometimes for like 30 seconds I think I want to climb some mountain. But then I see pictures and it looks like Hoth up there and thats a whole lot of physical exertion.

The View

Quito is a really interesting place. I hope to get back there and explore some other things. Naturally, I'm into the historic aspect. We drove through the colonial center and it's beautiful. Apparently it is also crawling with thieves because of the tourists. I saw quite a few Americans. Good lord do we stick out. I always want to talk to them and make the American connection, but I never know how to start the conversation. It would be a little awkward to just walk up and say, "Hello, I assume from your North-Face-Rayban-iphone combination that you are also from the United States." Maybe I'll just stand near them and quietly sing the Star Spangled Banner.

Friday was Ricky's (my host brother) 11th birthday. I gave him some money and a St. Louis keychain. His big gift was a new skateboard. We celebrated with some kids from the neighborhood, a fried chicken dinner, and a chocolate cake. There was a lot of laughing.

Yes to that cake.

Last night I went out with my host parents. That might sound lame, but it was really fun. We went to a restaurant/bar and it was packed. There was a Michael Jackson impersonator who was actually pretty legit. I can't dance very well but everyone else can. My host mom can bring the party.

I've been in Ecuador 6 weeks and school 4 weeks. My Spanish is improving. I get excited when I think about how much I'll be able to say come June, but I take it day by day, and I think that's the best approach to this whole thing.

Sick But Not Like That / Death by Bathing

Thus far I have been blessed and not experienced any food-related illness. I still have 9 months to go, so plenty of opportunities left. I am sick in a way I usually associate more with North America than South.

Thursday I woke up with a sore throat. I didn't think too much of it, but my mild cold continued for 4 days. Yesterday during lunch I had no appetite. Let me tell you, this is not a common occurrence. After lunch I went to my room and started to cry for no reason. Again, not something I do on a regular basis. I accidentally fell asleep and woke up two hours later with my entire body sore and feeling like I definitely had a solid fever going. My host family called our doctor neighbor and he made a house call. He told me I have the flu and prescribed some medicine, but somehow also gave me the ok to go to school and participate in gym class.

Thankfully my host mom vetoed that idea and today I am home from school resting. What's not so fun is that I tend to miss home a whole lot more when I'm sick. Also in Ecuador apparently it's a thing to drink hot lemonade if you aren't feeling well. It tastes better than it sounds.

I always crave Bread Co. when I'm sick, but this will have to do.

For the second part of this post I'm just going to start with a haiku that illustrates how I feel about the shower situation here:

Electricity.

Hey, let's mix it with water!

While we're naked.

Back in the old US of A, we have hot water tanks. Not the case here. Sinks actually don't seem to have hot water at all. So the way you get a hot shower is through an electric shower head. These things freak me out. I am deathly afraid of electricity entering my body. Also, they just don't quite live up to the the water pressure of an American shower. And after doing some research on these things online, it turns out there is a lot that can go wrong with them. They are sometimes referred to as "widow makers." Cool.

Please note the wires.

Saturday Night I was just minding my business, taking a shower before bed. And then as I'm finishing up my shower, there is a sudden flash of blue light. Naturally I got out of the shower. And what did I see when I looked at those wires? Just a casual little fire.

The scene of the crime.

The first thing I did was blow on it. That made the fire bigger. Nice going, Grace. I put some water on it and sizzled out. Apparently some guy from Quito is coming at some point to fix the shower. Good news is I was totally unharmed. Bad news is I will probably fear showering for a long time.

Other exciting news is that now I have taken an over-a-month break from my college application, I get to back to work on that! Wow, so excited! College apps don't really seem to be a big deal here.

People like to say that I'm having the time of my life, and I'm not going to disagree with that. But part of the point of an exchange year is it's not like a trip where it's fun and busy all the time. You experience real life. There are good days, bad days, sick days, and days where your shower catches on fire.

After all that is said, I want to clarify that my chief concern remains: will my cat remember me when I return home?

The Fine Art of the Forro (and other happenings)

Back in the U.S., on the first day of school the teacher would say, "you need a binder," or perhaps, "you need a notebook." That would be it. But here, things get really specific. Example: for physics, I need a light blue folder with 50 sheets of graph paper and a 100 sheet graph paper notebook with a light blue paper cover (forro) and a plastic covering over that. School supplies are serious business and there are special stores (papelerías) that cater to your super specific needs.

My host mom's a master at paper covers.

Also, people here don't seem to just write their name on notebooks. I guess that would be too disorderly. They sell special labels for all your supplies and you write your name, grade, subject, and school. There is to be no confusion about who that notebook belongs to. Perhaps this is so important because everyone has to have the same color stuff. Everything gets a label. I've seen students with clear-barreled ballpoint pens and inside the pen is a little slip of paper with their name. Wouldn't want to lose your ballpoint pen!

Color coding is no joke.

Other things that have been going on:

• I think I'm in the process of making some friends. I went to a classmate's birthday celebration on Thursday and there was delicious cake, which I was of course happy about.
• Friday, Ecuador and Colombia had a soccer game. Ecuador lost, a big disappointment to my host father and brother. My sister had friends over and they seemed to not mind the loss because the game gave them an opportunity to paint faces and popcorn. I was more in the latter group.
• Today was the second anniversary of my host dad's father's death. It sounds like it might be a grim occasion, but it wasn't. The whole family went to church, then visited the cemetery. Afterwards we went out to lunch at a family style restaurant and got ice cream. There's a flavor of ice cream (which is often sold in a popsicle form) here called taxo (a fruit) and I am all about it. So about it that I burned my entire tongue from prolonged contact with the cold.
• I taught my host sister to make friendship bracelets. I was worried it would be difficult to explain, but she got it right away and was really excited.
• I think at some point I should make a plan to limit my exposure to English. I'll give myself another week, but then I need to set specific times to avoid non-essential internet and books.
• After two days of gloriously sleeping in, not really looking forward to tomorrow morning.

Possible Moment of Progress

Whoa guys, something crazy just happened to me. I just effortlessly thought and said a Spanish sentence that I would have never said three weeks ago. I was trying to decide whether I wanted to eat lunch or wait from my host brother and sister to get home from school and I asked, "¿A qué hora regresan los niños?" Before I was in Ecuador I didn't know the verb regresar and, more importantly, I would not have put the words in that order. I think this means that I may actually be starting to learn new Spanish and unconsciously learning the grammatical patterns of the Spanish I am hearing. Hopefully this learning Spanish business will continue, because I would really like to know what the hell is going on during school.

It Was Good

My first day of school went well, but I feel roughly like I just had to take the SAT while simultaneously caring for newborn triplets. Here are some things that happened:

• Praying! A lot of praying. I think I got mentioned in a class prayer. I'm not sure when we were praying and when we were just talking.
• Yes, I know I have blue eyes.
• "Are you in 7th grade?"
• At one point I looked up and a boy was taking a picture of me from across the room.
• Someone asked me what kind of music I like (which I have trouble answering in English) and literally 20 people gathered around for the answer.

But overall everything was good and people were very nice to me.

Super Senior

12 hours from now (school is from 7-1), I will have started my first day of school! I'm super excited because while I anticipate not having any idea what I'm learning, this is my first opportunity to meet my classmates and hopefully some of my future friends.

I switched schools about a week ago. I was supposed to go to a public school, the name of which I don't know how to spell. My host mom is an English teacher at an elementary school (though this ultimately isn't super helpful because her English is as good as my Spanish). The elementary school she teaches at has a high school attached, kind of like Oak Hill/Villa Duschesne if you're familiar. This new school is better, safer and more convenient because I can drive with my host mom. I got in without tuition because they want an exchange student.

I had to have a skirt made in my size because I'm coming so late and had to buy shoes, so I didn't get my uniform completely together until yesterday.

My uniform: skirt, polo, sweater, knee socks, mary-janes. 

My uniform on gym class days: sweatpants, shorts, t-shirt, jacket, socks, sneakers.

González Suárez, my new school, is coed and Catholic, affiliated with the Los Padres Josefinos de Murialdo parish. At least I think that's all correct. There are supposedly about 35 people in my grade. I'll try and get a first day picture tomorrow in uniform, but this is going to be quite an early start so no promises!

Baños

Yesterday afternoon my family took me to Baños! Baños is a town about an hour from Ambato at the foot of the Tungarhua volcano. It's big attraction was originally the hot geothermal springs, which is a trade off seeing as it's under constant threat from the volcano and everyone has to be evacuated during eruptions. It's a tourist town, a hangout for foreign backpackers (wow do Americans stick out) and a vacation spot for Ecuadorians.

Disclaimer: I didn't take this.

On Saturday night the place was super busy in a good way. There were street performers and people selling all kinds of souvenirs and kids playing everywhere. At 9 we took a chiva, which is a kind of open-air party bus, up to a stop that overlooked the city. Up there there was more carnivalesque fun, made even better by the fact that I had no idea what was going on or what we were doing. We spent the night in a hotel.

This morning, we got breakfast and went to a gorgeous waterfall. You could zipline across the canyon, which sadly I'm almost sure I'm not allowed to do, and I'm not going to push the rules one week in. We took a cable car across.

They don't call me Steven Spielberg for nothing.

After the waterfall we drove up a mountain to some spots where you can get a good view of the volcano. Unfortunately it was cloudy, but I didn't really care because we got to go to this treehouse.

Hundred Acre Wood architecture.

Naturally there was plenty of good food and sweets, and I got to try sugar cane for the first time. The town is built around fun and some day I'd like to return with friends to take full advantage of the party.

One Week

When you go and apply for an exchange program, they talk a lot about how you'll find yourself. But after one week, what's palpable is what I now realize has to happen before the finding: I've lost myself. Back home I had a whole established identity; here I am essentially dependent on my host family. The independence I so prided myself on is gone. The language I used to express myself is gone. All the people I have ever known are on another continent. I feel a little bit like I was born last Wednesday.

It's frightening, in a sneaky way. I don't feel scared or nervous anymore. But already I have moments of awareness where I realize that already the pattern of my thoughts is different, that I don't sound like myself in my head. When you lose all context, you have an incredibly strange moment where you're forced to confront what's left. And now I see that so much of who I was was only just context. That's freeing, but also daunting.

Things have happened outside of my soul searching and I'll write about them soon!

The Villacreses Constantes

Today was my first full day with my host family in Ambato. I don't want to jinx myself, but so far things are going really, really well.

Ambato from above.

I took this picture today when we went to a park up on a mountain. I'm going to have to disagree with the Lonely Planet quote posted earlier and say so far I have warmed up to the city pretty quickly. It's very modern but very Ecuadorian. Also, it is very much in the mountains. 

As for my host family, I cannot overstate how incredibly kind and welcoming they have been. On the bus ride to Ambato I was so nervous I thought I was going to throw up. But the instant I met them we all hugged (and my little brother gave me flowers!) and I felt so much more relaxed. The entire family is adorable and caring, from my 8-year-old sister to my 106-year-old great grandmother. 

Host mom, brother, sister and me.

The house is very comfortable. My host mom had told me that it was not luxurious, but I think it is a good size and I have my own room and even a bathroom to myself. As my host dad told me, "Small house, big heart." And they really do have a big heart. For example, today I got a little homesick and was worried that I would offend the family or they would think I was unhappy with the arrangements. Instead, they were totally understanding and supportive. I feel lucky that I have them.

I start school in two weeks! I'm glad I have some time to adjust before, though I am really excited to go. My grandma told me that I should relax and enjoy the rest of summer vacation and that's what I plan to do.

On the Precipice of Adventure

24 hours from now I plan on being at the one-and-only Lambert Airport. Today has been a really fun mix of goodbyes and errands. I even got the chance to go to my favorite place: the bank! Sarcasm aside, I don't think I can not cry for too much longer and I feel like a small man is continuously kicking me in the stomach. But that's okay, because then I remember that this is what I have wanted for literally years and oh my god, it is actually happening.

Maybe I should pack.

The Day After the Day After Tomorrow

I was on vacation in Florida last week and I finally found out my host family placement. I'm going to Ambato, which is pretty much in the center of the country. To quote trip advisor, "Ambato takes a little warming up to. Compared with nearby Baños, it offers little for the traveler, except the chance to experience a totally nontouristy Ecuadorian city. And it’s actually an interesting place. The Monday market, which fills the streets downtown, is one of the biggest in Ecuador. Above town, there are fabulous views of the puffing Volcán Tungurahua (5016m), and Ambato’s parks and quintas (historic country homes converted into parks) are lovely. The ambateños (people from Ambato) themselves must be some of the best-dressed folks in Ecuador."

Tungurahua, which is apparently erupting right now.

Good news: my host mom has been emailing me and I'm getting the impression that she's a really nice, warm person. She says they have a very close family and I really am so excited to meet them. When I was in Florida I had my aunt, who speaks Spanish, help me write my emails. Today I received one and sat down to write a quick response. Fingers poised above the keyboard, I had a moment of hesitation, suddenly remembering that my Spanish doesn't even touch "proficient." The brief email took 30 minutes of dictionaries, conjugators, and google translate. I'm a little nervous by that whole language barrier thing, but here's to hoping I'll learn some Spanish in the next ten months.

Also, I'm almost sure that the picture below is of students at my new school.

Plaid skirts, here I come.

The next few days are to be devoted to frantic preparation and quality time with my friends and family. That and quietly freaking out.

Well, hola.

I'm Grace, and I'm taking a gap year in Ecuador through Youth for Understanding.
Some things:

• I'll be living with a host family and will essentially be a senior in high school
• As of this moment, I don't know who my host family will be or where in the country I'll be living
• I failed the AP Spanish test
• I leave a week from tomorrow

I don't know if I'll have internet access once I'm there, so we'll see how far this blog goes.