Filed under: Uncategorized
Hurr. Hurr. Hurr.
So I actually DID start writing yesterday. I just got, I dunno, distracted. I thought Friday was Saturday because I was so confused and happy and whatever, but I got myself straightened out. Alrighty then. So, what do we have here?
Let’s do something fun and work our way backwards.
Today; Sunday: I woke up. And cleaned the house. Yup, I must be desperate. The house was nice looking afterwards. We went out to eat, then I came back and at four in the afternoon I COOKED BBY. Jan came over and made some pudding stuff (which I am eating right now), and cut onions/carrots/green peppers for the stew I made. Oh my God, he eats red peppers raw. Germans. The stew turned out nummy, thank God; I was worried that it tasted too much like pepper but I guess it was alright.
Yesterday; Saturday: I DID NOTHING. Well, I cleaned more house, and I went to go get ingredients for aforementioned stew, and then it was my host dad’s birthday so we had a nutso time providing food for 18 people in a dinner party. Yay for supervised drinking! (I’m kidding. It was a chocolate smoothie laced with something not strong; no big deal.)
Friday: We had no school due to it being… Some independence day or something for Manabi. Anyways, that was happy. I slept in and was confused when I woke up, hence trying to write my blog. I did go to a party with Daniela, my Ecuadorian best friend (aside from Ketty of course who I now love dearly). Yay for unsupervised drinking! (KIDDING I DON’T LIKE BEER) It was a good party; but we were only there for roughly two hours, and it was impossible to hear anything due to the noise.
Thursday: Had school. Of course. We took course photos for Jan, who leaves Tuesday. Cynthia had a party in her house that night, and I was reluctant to go, since, well, it was in my old host family’s house. So understandably I was a little nervous about it. Jan and I went to Lukas’s house in the afternoon, since he was leaving Friday, and he invited us over for pizza, so we figured we would go eat pizza at his house, and then go to Cynthia’s party. Hee. I didn’t make it there, and neither did Jan – We hung out with Florian and Lukas until almost one in the morning. Lukas’s parents are so chill. Yay for supervised drinking with adults who are drinking as well! (…mostly kidding). I can also discreetly mention here that THURSDAY WAS ONE OF THE BEST NIGHTS OF MY LIFE AND I DIDN’T SLEEP (hence being exhausted the next day). May I note, this isn’t because Lukas left; I love the kid ;D It was just a good night. Believe it.
Wednesday: ROTARY MEETING. I had my ‘going away’ speech then, despite the fact that I still had two and a half weeks to go. I had two weeks to write aforementioned speech. I wrote it ten minutes before the meeting. Eh. If it had been in English, I would’ve just winged it, like I usually do. It turned out alright. I can say I had the CHEESIEST speech, but the best part about Spanish speeches? They’re all cheesy. Something about the language just allows it. Yay for not drinking!
Tuesday: Ummm. School?
Monday: YAY FOR… wearing flip flops to school. Originally I wore flippy floppies because of my damaged toe. Now I wear them because 1. they’re more comfortable 2. my school flats are dead and no longer reglueable 3. nobody cares. I love my classmates. They still tease me like heck (sometimes worse now that Jan is here) and I miss Monika, since she doesn’t bother to come to school, but they’re so amazing. They want to throw a party for me before I leave. Awww.
Sunday: I wrote my blog last Sunday. And it was Father’s Day.
Now that was fun, wasn’t it? I guess I should finish my laundry, then skippity off to bed (iron my clothes somewhere in there). I want to watch Toy Story 3. Prince of Persia was an awesome movie. There’s a bit of stress going on for me at the moment due to the fact everyone’s LEAVING ME THE JERKS and a couple family issues, but aside from that, all I really have to worry about is the fact that
OH MY GOD I HAVE TO GO BACK TO MY REAL LIFE IN TWO WEEKS
Te quiero mucho =)
Ciaoooo hasta la proxima semana~
Filed under: Uncategorized
I don’t particularly feel like posting. But I still have a dogged loyalty to my poor blog, so here I go. I guess the first reason I don’t feel like posting is because I was lazy with my diary this week, so I actually have to think about what happened. Oh well. Let’s see what happens.
Sooo I didn’t have the web for a bit last week, due to the fact my uncle hadn’t thought to pay the web bill while my host parents were gone. But I did go out to the disco with Ketty!!1!!!1111!! We went to a place called Copa Cabana, mostly known for the giant humongo bowls that they serve the alcohol in that are shared by a table. I didn’t drink a drop, and good thing – I ended up in the bathroom with Ketty, who found she couldn’t speak/understand Spanish and I had to translate for her. She passed out on the way back home, but I somehow got her in. It was, well, interesting.
Host parents got back the next day, with enough suitcases to kill somebody. They had SO MUCH STUFF it was just incredible. I don’t know how they got onto the plane. But anyways, the house was a mess for a couple days. It’s so great to have Ketty here – I hate to play favorites, but Ketty is my favorite. She’s closest to my age, and we get along fine and dandy.
School was school. Nothing really happened, I swear to God. After school Tuesday I went with Monika and Ketty to Centro just to hang out. It was Ketty’s first time in Centro after having been gone, and she was SO nervous. Monika and I on the other hand were cool as cucumbers. Of course, it was because Ketita was nervous that something had to happen… We were walking back to the shop of Monika’s family, and Monika suddenly pulls us along, saying nervously, “That guy behind us is…. excited.” Shocked, Ketty and I both looked and confirmed this, and we quickly headed to the shop with nervous giggles.
We exited 10 minutes later, and began walking down the street again. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the same guy pushes past me (I was walking behind Ketty) and grabs Ketty’s hips from behind and I’m not kidding, held her there. TALK ABOUT DISGUSTING. She hit him and he ran off, and the ladies in the shop nearby were just sitting there with their mouths wide open as poor Ketty tried not to cry. It was horrid!
Wednesday we had Rotary meeting aka the Dia del Padre celebracion (Father’s Day Celebration), so that was uncomfortably long. I had to leave early, unfortunately, as I was in a good deal of pain from those gosh darn cysts. I didn’t go to school the next day, either; just a chill day.
Anyways, the next thing that happened was on Friday when, oops! Someone locked me out of my room! Ugh. It was so hot that day and highly annoying, so I just fell asleep on the couch still in my uniform. NOBODY has a key for my room, either, so we had to have one of the boys who works in the water purification factory climb through a tiny window that connects my bathroom to the living room. Ergh… But I was out of my room the entire afternoon, so Jan came over and talked with me for a bit before we went to Shopping to print off a photo for Juliette. It was her birthday yesterday, so she had a party, but had to cancel it since her grandpa is in the hospital.
That night I tried to go to the Traffic Light Party, but, um, we couldn’t find it. That’s right, you heard me. So instead we went to a bar! Isn’t life dandy!
Saturday, I woke up to the police in my house. No, I didn’t do what you think I did, to begin with. It was because the maid who was here has been ritualistically stealing things from my family and she got caught, so the police were here and then we went downtown to file a report. I bet I’m the only exchange student in Portoviejo who has had a chance to go down there!
That’s the short story of my week. Now I’m here. Just chillin’.
21 days?
Ciao, until next week.
(Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I love you!)
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hey guys, long time no write, I know. But I do believe I’ve already told my excuse, so let’s get right down to work.
Dad and Judy showed up here at my house on Wednesday afternoon, much to my relief. Turns out they’d been lost in Portoviejo for about an hour. I was thankful they got THAT far. Both of them were tired, but glad to be here, and we got them all settled down in my grandfather’s house (free is a better price than any hotel!) and then Dad and I ran down to Rotary, which was, oddly enough, celebrating Mother’s Day. Hm. There’s been odder things.
The next day, we went to school real quick so I could play some basketball. We had the Olympics that week, so it was all sports, all morning, not that I mind much. After that we went to Manta to spend a little time at the beach. It was a little unrealistic to me – After all, I’ve been ‘away’ from my family here for so long that it feels like this is my place, and then my family shows up! It was great, don’t get me wrong, but slightly disorienting. We left Manta around 6:00 after I’d been doing some hardcore translating. My host mom was quiet, perhaps because she’s not familiar with Dad and Judy and she doesn’t speak English. After that it was straight off to Guayaquil since we had a reservation for the night in the Oro Verde Hotel. The road was a little harrowing, since all along Jipijapa had been torn up and this being Ecuador, there was no signs warning this and Judy kept saying we were on the wrong road, but again, we made it in one piece.
Friday was a chill out day for me, and I mostly, ahem, watched Fox News. River came over briefly in the afternoon to talk with me and eat cheesecake, and we went out to eat lunch at a nice restaurant, although the ceviche wasn’t lemony enough. Hey, I’m a coast girl. When I want my ceviche, I want enough lime to knock out a cow. On Saturday kids started showing up, and I went with the Riobamba girls to Burger King for lunch and then it was over to the place we were staying with Rotary at two. We got to hang out for awhile, so a couple of us went down to the Malecon to walk around and eat McDonalds. The Flag Parade at the District Conference was at 5:00, although it started at 6:00, and then we all got to be antsy in our chairs for an hour. Then it was back to the Malecon for an official tour, and then we all stayed up much, much too late.
Okay, I have a confession to make. I’m not planning on going through every day of the Sierra Trip for you right here. One, I don’t remember the exact chain of events, two, some of the stuff we did frankly wasn’t very interesting, but I’ll see if I can at least get the chain of days in correct order. I love the Sierra with a passion. Not only is the weather exactly my type (COLD BABY) but it’s just so lovely up in the mountains. It’s a lovely rich green, everywhere. We walked along the streets of Cuenca alone at night, where the recent rain made the sidewalks shine, and chased llamas (not kidding) at a Inga temple site. We held live shrimp in our hands and snuck back into our correct gender rooms at four in the morning while surreptitiously hiding bottles (erm not me really), although Rotary didn’t care much anyways. I wandered around Otovalo for three hours with my best friend, the largest market in Ecuador at 10 by 10 blocks, and then I sat in a small café by myself for an hour eating a brownie, drinking hot chocolate, and reading a Neil Gaiman book (when they advertise delicious American food you go get it) while wrapped in a scarf and a sweater. We heard about the Llama Mama, no joke, and ate llama and ostrich meat, and saw incredible monuments to God in Quito. The best part of all of this? I was with people who like me very much, and I like them very much back. When we completed the Paseo Manabi, we all told each other not to worry, that we’d be seeing everyone again at the end of the year and that wasn’t such a long time. Now, we don’t have that certainty, and we’re sure that we will never be all in one place at the same time again like we are now. The world is simply too big.
Despite the looming event of our years winding down to an end, it was impossible NOT to have an amazing trip. I’m so glad I didn’t stay in the US when I went back in May, no matter how attractive it seemed, because I wouldn’t have missed this trip for the life of me. I only wish that we’d had more time to spend together. I swear I cried for a good hour, what with us saying goodbye for half an hour and then on the bus. I know there are lots of people that I will definitely see again because they’re simply too stubborn to just lurk back to their houses for eternity, but gosh darn it, why couldn’t I have been European!?! THE US IS TOO BIG AND I LIVE TOO FAR AWAY.
It’s been an odd week. When I got home on Sunday, it was to the discovery that Karen had jacked my room after she’d broken the AC and the bed in her room. “Well, Allison.” You say. “Where did you sleep?” Don’t laugh too hard, please – She made me sleep in the crib. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. It’s one of those big bed sized ones so the mom can sleep with her kid, but it was still kind of weird. Not to mention hot. You should’ve seen the look of incredulity on Monika’s face when I told her. Eh. Anyways, I finally got my room back, thank Jesus, after I was about ready to murder Karen since she’d been liberally making use of the room and the items contained in it. I still can’t find a couple things. Ketita, my host sister, arrived into Guayaquil at 11:00 at night on Wednesday, so they got here around 6:00 in the afternoon on Friday after spending time in Guayaquil. It was AMAZING. I love Ketty! She’s a closer fit to me than Karen is, and I get the feeling we’re going to get along just peachy. We went to the University last night (Friday that is) so Ketty could catch up with everyone, and I tagged along because we went out afterwards. We, um, got back to the house at 2:30… With Teresa (Karen’s best friend) and a guy named Antonino in tow, but they left at 4. It was a little odd. I was just so tired that I really wasn’t processing much, and it was a relief to fall into bed, although I had to sleep in Karen’s room again, thankfully NOT in the crib.
As for school, it’s been school like. All of the exchange kids have either left or just aren’t going to school anymore, so it’s just Jan, Oliver, and I, with Monika showing up infrequently and Florian even less frequently. Oliver’s not in my course, so Jan and I usually just end up talking for most of the day and after about half an hour, he starts giving me a bad time since his attention span seems to have decreased exponentially. Poor kid. He’s been having a tough time with his host mom, still – I’m a little worried for him, since I’m not sure what he’s going to do, but he’s not like me, despite the similarities in the situations (him with his host mom, me with my ex-host mom). He’s already talked to Fernando, his councilor, who declined to help, and I know he just won’t sit still. Jan’s got 17 days left, but it probably seems like the longest time in the world. Anyways.
We had Rotary last Wednesday as well, which served as the “SAY GOODBYE!” time for Cynthia, Lukas, Luke, Min Chia, and a letter from Leslie, since she already left. Jan, Juliette, and I get to do ours not this week, but next week, since this week is a Father’s Day celebration. Lukas was trying his best to leave the meeting early, since he was trying to surreptitiously catch the last bus to Quito with Florian, Marvin, and Oskar. Too bad he was so pushy, since it made Fernando suspicious, but luckily the kid apologized before he left. He should’ve played it cool. The next day the kids in my club went and ate ice cream at Pepe’s house with Fernando, who was still suspicious since Lukas didn’t show again, and then it was over to Luke’s house for another impromptu going away party. It’s really weird. I’ve already cried for people leaving, now there’s really nothing weird except a weird empty feeling or whatever. Another weird thing: Drinking with Rotarians. Ugh.
That’s all I got, folks. I’m hoping Ketty and Karen don’t want to go out again tonight – I was sleeping for most of today and it got me all disoriented. I don’t know where they are right now anyways. Next Friday my course from school is having a Traffic Light Party (haha, the name is actually in English on the invitations) so if you’re single you wear green, yellow is undecided, red is taken. Does this seem like a setup to anyone else? Do I have to go? There’s no internet for some reason right now, and my host parents get back tomorrow. I’m faulting only a couple weeks until I leave, as well. July 11th guys… Back in the US on the 12th.
Love you all lots. If you want more detail on the trip, just gimme a ring, although I doubt…
Chao!
(MUNDIAL GUYS!!!
By the way, apologies for the late post. Internet’s been spazzy…)
