My second weekend in Ecuador

Sorry it’s been a long time since I last blogged. So much has happened since last weekend!

For starters, class definitely got harder. I am keeping up for sure, but I have certainly noticed that it is getting harder and harder to remember everything.

It may seem backwards, but the more and more I learn the harder it is to communicate. Before every sentence I say, I think about what I am going to say, what words to use, and what tense to use with the words. I’m overwhelmed with information I only feel slightly confident in. Oh well… God is good. He has gotten me this far; He will see me through the rest of the way.

Speaking of God being good… God has blessed me with a special friend here in Ecuador. Her name is Amanda. She just graduated from Taylor (like me) and is in basic class (also like me). I don’t know what I would do without her friendship.

On Friday after class, Amanda and I went downtown to shop, eat and look around. We first had ice cream (which is AMAZING here… and really cheap) in the main plaza/park. Then, we walked through the old cathedral (which is gorgeous) and around town. There are craftsmen, performers, cute little boutiques and flower markets everywhere!  Not too far from the main plaza there is a huge flower market. The roses are exquisite and so cheap! We bought movies next (which are also extremely cheap here) and then went to the tourist center for a map of downtown. Finally, we went to an Italian restaurant and headed home. When we got back to her house, we watched a movie, baked a cake, chatted with her family, and went to bed.

Two interesting things happened downtown. First, a man asked for our phone numbers. We ran into the market to get away from him. Second, a boy craftsman made us some metal art while we were sitting in the plaza eating our ice cream.

One Saturday our class went to Cajas National Park in the Andes Mountains. We hiked at 14,000 feet for three hours. It was gorgeous! We finished our trip with a meal of freshly caught trout, rice, beans, fried plantains, and  potato, cheese and avocado soup. In the afternoon I went back to Amanda’s house and we watched another movie. Around 6:30 my cousin Jesus picked me up and we went back to his house and played cards until my parents came to pick me up. Jesus is so nice. He is my age and is one of the only family members (besides my immediate family and his parents) who will take the time to talk to me at family gatherings.

Sunday was father’s day. We slept in, went to church, stopped by the cemetery to pay respects to my mom and dad’s fathers and then went to this fancy club in one of the valleys. We had a fancy meal, rode horses, swam in a pool, and just relaxed poolside. It was so relaxing and fun. We finished out the evening at my aunt’s house to celebrate her birthday.

Going to the cemetery was really interesting. There were so many people there. I think every deceased father had flowers on his grave. It was touching to see the emphasis these people put on their families. My father even cried as he looked at his father’s grave. It was moving. What was not moving was the venders selling ice cream, chips, and sandwiches outside the cemetery. I hate that venders are trying to make a profit off of such a special occasion.

Overall, it was a good week and a great weekend. I can’t believe my time here is almost up. Only 12 more days.

Thanks for reading! Hope you all are doing well! Please keep praying!

Love,

Meagan