Monday, March 28, 2016

Help me buy new instruments for music therapy!


In keeping in the Easter spirit, please consider helping me buy new instruments for music therapy! $5 can go a long way!

Here is my GoFundMe link: https://www.gofundme.com/jxvcwvwc


Laguna Quilotoa

I had a great weekend traveling to Laguna Quilotoa, which is in Ecuador's Sierra region, about 3 hours south of Quito. Some of my favorite times traveling in Ecuador have been to the Sierra because the culture is so vibrant. It is common to see traditional dress and hear Quichua, the principal indigenous language. Laguna Quilotoa is actually a lake inside a volcano. It was stunning! We hiked down to the lake and I rode a donkey back up. Afterwards, I did some shopping in the local markets. It was a nice weekend!





I stayed in the town of Latacunga before taking a day trip to Quilotoa. It was interesting to see some of the Holy Week festivities. 




I got around Ecuadorean taxi style or in other words in the back of a truck!










The 6 hour bus ride home turned into 8 hours because a bridge collapsed. The bus crossed the river anyway! It is always an adventure in Ecuador!

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Fundraiser

Before I return home, I would like to leave el Centro de Equinoterapia with a gift to thank them for all the good work they do. Since I have been working in the music therapy room, I hope to be able to buy them new instruments. If you would like to donate, please visit my GoFundMe page. Thank you!!

https://www.gofundme.com/jxvcwvwc

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Family Visit!

It was so special to have my family come visit me this week! They definitely experienced the Ecuadorean adventure! I was sad saying goodbye to them, but feeling a little home sick now was definitely worth an amazing week with them.


The best part of their visit was having my family meet my host family! It was so kind of my host family to invite my parents and brother over for a brunch after mass. Then, later in the week we celebrated my little brother's 6th birthday all together!


My mom has inspired me to travel, learn Spanish, and volunteer, so it was so special to bring my mom to my service placement with me!








We had a great beach trip to Ayampe. It was so nice to relax and spend time together!






We waited almost 2 hours for this meal, but it was worth the wait! The food was delicious and so fresh! We literally watched the chef go outside with his machete and cut us ripe vegetables for our meal!





On our last day together, we visited the town of Bucay and hiked to a waterfall. It reminded us of all our visits to Ithaca to see Terrence!

Thank you Mom, Dad, and Terrence for coming to see me. It was so nice to share with you my life in Ecuador. See you in 6 weeks!!

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Galápagos!

I had a great time visiting the Galápagos Islands this week! I left last Saturday and got back yesterday. For the majority of the week I stayed on the island of Santa Cruz, the most developed island. Here, I saw some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The water was so clear and blue. It was obvious that all the visitors of the islands respected the wild life and environment. My favorite part of my visit to the island of Santa Cruz was the snorkeling tour I went on. I swam with giant sea tortoises and sea lions! It was incredible! I wish I had an underwater camera. On Wednesday, we took a two hour boat ride over to another island, Isla Isabela.  I spent one night here. Unfortunately, our first day was rainy, but I enjoyed exploring this island because it was very private, not many tourists were here as compared to Santa Cruz. I wish I had more time to explore this island, but it was probably good I had already purchased my boat ticket back because there weren't any ATMs! I made it back to the other island with 4 cents to spare! I definitely learned my lesson to do a little more research before I decide to take a boat over to a secluded island!

It was a really great experience traveling to the Galápagos as a student. Everything was really expensive and I had to figure out how to travel on a budget. We searched for reasonably priced hostels and tried to eat one big meal a day to save money on food. Someday, I would love to go back when I have the financial means to do more tours and see more islands. But, as a student, I think I was able to see a lot and I had a really great time! I couldn't have left Ecuador without visiting the Galápagos Islands!















I climbed through lava tunnels! 


I got a fresh fruit smoothie here every day. They were delicious!!