Sunday, January 31, 2016

The Weekends

Traveling on the weekends has been the best part of my trip so far. I have gotten to see so much! Unfortunately, there isn't a ton to do where I'm living because I'm in a suburb of Guayaquil. On a positive note, it's definitely more safe and I'm loving living with a family, but sometimes I feel a little secluded. But, I make up for it on the weekends!! This weekend was great! Friday night I went to a soccer game and it is an understatement to say Ecuadoreans love soccer. The game started at 8:30pm, but I had to arrive at 4:30pm. It was a whole event! Sometimes the games can actually get dangerous because the fans are so passionate and competitive. But, my host-dad explained to me exactly where to sit, so I had no problems. It was so much fun! It was a cultural experience for sure.





Saturday turned into an adventure! I wanted to go to the beach, so I took a bus, but missed my stop. I ended up in a small fishing village! Somehow I found a little boat that took me out to a private island.  The people who lived on the island were so friendly and they made me a fish lunch! The day did not go the way I planned, but it turned out to be one of my favorite days here so far.  It was such a good feeling to know that I can figure my way around in a foreign place speaking another language. It was an awesome day!





Dolphin spotting! 










Churute!

Last weekend, I visited the Reserva ecológica manglares churute.  We were able to take a boat ride through the mangroves and then hike up to a water fall. The forest was so dense and I could hear monkeys; it really felt like being in the jungle. The only problem was all the mosquitos! Luckily, I brought a lot of bug spray. Afterwards, we ate a crab lunch. The town we were in has a ton of crabs because the crabs live in the mangrove. I learned that the community is trying to build their economy through tourism. When anyone wants to visit the mangrove, they offer a special deal to include lunch. The men in the community hunt for the crabs and then the women in the community take turns preparing lunch for the visitors. I thought this was a really smart way to utilize their resources, work together, and build the community. Lastly, we visited a cacao plantation. This was my favorite part! We were able to see how the cacao is grown and then we were able to make chocolate! We drank the chocolate--it was delicious!!















Friday, January 22, 2016

Photos!

Here are some extra photos!



These two pictures were taken in a park right in my neighborhood! There are a lot of animals, even monkeys!




I don't know how I am ever going to thank my host family for their generosity and hospitality!



These pictures were taken today in the Iguana Park in Guayaquil!

Service

On Wednesday I had my first day of community service.  I was anxious and ready to start because the service piece was the main reason I chose this program.  It wasn't what I had in mind before coming to Ecuador, but I decided to volunteer at El Centro Integral de Equinoterapia.  This organization provides therapy through horseback riding, dance, music, swimming, gardening, etc. for kids with mental and/or physical disabilities. I do not have much experience working with children with disabilities, but as a future educator I will be teaching students of all ability levels.  So, I thought this would be a great place to begin gaining some experience! I enjoyed working in the music room.  I was able to really participate and interact with the children.  I'm looking forward to building relationships and getting to know all the kids.  Once I become familiar with them, I can better understand their needs and hopefully help them in anyway I can.  The service component is giving my experience here more meaning. 







Saturday, January 16, 2016

My Host Family

Living with an Ecuadorean family has been one of my favorite parts of studying abroad so far.  I have learned so much about the language and culture from spending time with them.  They are so nice and generous. I feel right at home.  The best part has been my new three little brothers, Adrien (13), Jose Maria (8), and Mathaias (5).  With the kids, there is always something going on, making it really feel like home.  As a gift, I bought them Candy Land because that was the game I played the most as a child and they absolutely love it! I have played it at least twice a day since I got here! Here are some pictures of the kids and my new home!














My first week of classes went well.  I am studying at Universidad Especialidades Espíritu Santo.  I like the campus because it is small just like SMC! I start my service this coming week. I am very excited to get started because the service piece is why I chose to come through this program.  I had a plan of where I wanted to volunteer, but I changed my mind when I visited el Centro De Equinoterapia Integral.  This organization provides therapy for children with mental and physical disabilities through horseback riding, gardening, dancing, music, swimming, and more.  To read more about the organization here is the link: http://www.guayas.gob.ec/equinoterapia/index.html