we got high (on a mountain, that is)

So let's think. I made it through Christmas, and honestly it was so hard. It was a lot different than what I was used to, my family wasn't with me, and I felt like, I don't know, just it was really hard. Everyone says how difficult the holiday season is, but you never really understand until you experience it. On Christmas Eve, we went to a mass at 10pm, then went back and ALL the family was eating pizza and salad. After that I was so tired and we weren't really doing much, but what is there really to do at 1am? Christmas Day I woke up at 12:30pm, not my usual 6:00am, opened the few presents in my room with my friend from Germany, and then we talked and went to eat. After, this felt so weird honestly, I went with my friend and her cousins and brother or something like that to play soccer. We ended up going for a jog and taking pictures while listening to music. After, the whole family prayed and was crying and that was hard because of how this season is and the fact that there's someone sick in the famly.
We had a sleepover and then on Sunday we went to the snow. That was cool, we climbed Chimborazo (like 1km, I have no idea in miles) and that was so difficult with the freezing wind and steep incline. We finally got back down, ate, and then left for one of the three Salinas towns in Ecuador. I LOVED it, the atmosphere, the people everything. They had "factories" of cheese, soccer balls, chocolate, and clothing. The factories were not from the typical picture of factory with the smoke billowing out, just little buildings. The soccer ball one was a room in a house about the size of a master bedroom, a little bigger. The chocolate one had the best smell in the room and a view that would work in the Harry Potter movies. The cheese one was awesome, and the clothing one we didn't get to. Everywhere there was recycling stuff and in the centro the boys were just hanging out without a worry, playing Ecuavolley (like volleyball kind of).
I bought a bunny, and it's the coolest thing in the world I completely love it. The family thinks it's completely hilarious that I wanted one and actually bought it, but I adore it and want to keep it forever. We left for a day and I already missed it, so that shows how attached I am to my baby. Today, Wednesday, I went to the Amazon; it was so cool. We went to this really cool lookout that was a tree house gone insane, a bird zoo, saw more animals, and then I went up in an airplane. That was amazing, it was 15min flying over the Amazonia, and it was crazy pretty. On the way back we went to Banos again, and seriously I adore that city. I honestly think I will retire there or something, I love it. The atmosphere, the fact that we're not looked at like we're from a different planet, how much stuff there is to do, seriously. VISIT BANOS.
As for everything else, my family is doing really good right now, my brother and I are at a comfortable state of never going to be friends, and my sister and I are actually friends it's awesome. I'm going to miss them when I have to change families, which is either the 8th of January or the last week of that month, we're not really sure. There's a really huge party coming up on I think the 6th of January, and groups leave to dance dressed up all cool. I want to do that so bad with the other exchange students, but nobody else really has ganas to do that (having ganas: like having a drive, having a reason to want to do something). Unfortunate, I know.
I feel like I owe everyone more information, but I've gotten so busy. I feel like I'm neglecting blogging, writing in my journal, and reading the Bible, which are all things I should not be forgetting to do. Well, time to go cuddle my conejito (bunny) and watch How I Met Your Mother. Damn, I love life here.
Oh, and about university....
I'm thinking I have to skip a year to work or do something because I have no idea where I want to go, or if I'm ready to do university in Spanish. Taking off a year for that wouldn't help, but I would apply in August and start in March of the next, next year so that would help. If anything, I think I'll take a semester off and hopefully go live on the East Coast. If anyone has any help, any ideas for me, please let me know because I feel like I am SO LOST! And, of course as always, ASK QUESTIONS!
Photos:
We went to Chimborazo and the car ride was pretty long.
My BFF Franzi is awesome and made this.
I was with my classmates for our Christmas dinner.
We went to do Rotary volunteer work and there were really cooly decorated horses.
We did a free hugs thing.

Monthly Report 3

Honestly, my life has changed so much and so little since I’ve been here. I’ve become more and more busy, so when I finally make it to bed after talking to my host family, I now rarely blog or write in my dictionary. I’ve also learned through this experience that I really value my family from back home a lot more, and this is making me realize what is really important.
Of course I have had problems, I honestly don’t think that one person can go through a whole exchange year without problems. They’re not important enough to write about actually, but they have made me really value the people from here too. For example, there was one day where in school we talked about family a lot and that was really hard. I was talk to Xavier, probably my best friend here (from Belgium) and I told him I was feeling a little bit down, so he SCOOTERED twenty minutes from his house to mine to talk. Those kind of friends are really difficult to find, and I’m so glad that I have him. There was another time when I talked with an aunt that I had rarely ever talked to for over an hour, and that was amazing. My cousin told me he’s willing to talk salsa dance classes with me (and all the other exchange students) and my parents from here are paying for at least the first month.
Christmas is coming up soon, which I’m so excited for but this is definitely the hardest time of year to go through as an exchange student. All of us here in Ambato picked names for “Amigo Secreto” (Secret Santa) and a few of us made calendars for each other with little gifts for each day. My classmates are doing “Amiga Secreta” (that ends in “a” since I go to an all girls school) and we’re having dinners and days of, well, happiness. New Years is coming, and I’m SO excited for that because they burn straw replicas of people or something and there’s a bunch of fireworks and parties and time with family. It seems like how New Years here is done better, than in the USA where we watch the ball drop on TV.
How is Rotary? Rotary is awesome, and I’m so thankful to everyone. My counselor I completely adore, and she helps me out in everything possible. Honestly, she’s a lot like my mom here and I have so much respect for her. She has helped me meet people, told me that maybe she can take me to Peru, and whenever she wants to leave the city she checks if I want to go. I honestly believe that I have the best possible counselor in the world, and for that I am so grateful. Also, I love the bond that happens when you meet another exchange student. I’ve met people that went on exchange ten, twenty, thirty years ago and it’s just amazing.
My Spanish, not to toot my own horn or anything, but it is almost literally perfect. There are a few things that are still difficult to conjugate, for example the words like “would” and “will”, but other than that it’s awesome. I literally understand everything, and everyone tells me my Spanish is amazing, especially for it not being my first language.
What else? Someone stole my cell phone after I walked in this parade for the Independence Day of Ambato, and then my classmates helped me get it back. Then, a week later, someone from my OWN CLASS stole it, but oh well because I’ve learned that for every one person that wants to steal from you there are a hundred people that want to help you.
I’m pretty nervous about universities because I still have yet to figure out exactly what I want to do, or if I want to go to Europe or the U.S. or maybe a Spanish university in Argentina. I’m thinking about taking a year off to think about it, to earn money, maybe to travel, maybe to live with my aunt on the East Coast. This year has really made me realize what I like, what my passion is, and what I want to do. The only problem is that sometimes that’s pretty hard to figure out where it’s possible. Honestly, I’m just waiting for the Travel Channel to discover me and give me my own show in touring around the world.
So let me think if there is anything else going on… I really love my cousins, and I love almost all of us live on the same street. We went to the city Banos again, and wow, I had forgotten how much I loved it. It’s so pretty, everyone is happy to live there, there are a lot of tourists so not everyone is looking at you when you walk down the street, and there is so much to do. There is every kind of food, every kind of person, and every activity possible. I’m honestly considering living there maybe for retirement, because it is such a relaxed and carefree city.
Well, to sum this up, this exchange year is forever opening my eyes to the world of possibilities, however cheesy that sounds. If you want any more specific information or any questions, just let me know!

SO LONG AGO, around nov 19

There was a parade, and I have quite a bit to say about that. Later I might end up putting more about it, but the short version is: we walked down the streets for about two hours, someone tried to rob my cell phone, I stepped in gum, and water splashed on my face. That night, I went with all the Rotary exchange students (except Franzi, she was in Quito) around Ambato and we had a sleepover. We stepped in to one party for about five minutes, I saw my cousin Pato (16 years old) and now we’re like half friends, we walked around a street while it was raining (now I’m sick) and then we went back to watch Harry Pottter (guess who fell asleep early?)

Next day: went to a baptism, well we actually arrived just in time to take the pictures and leave for the party. All of the family there was family that I don’t know, but I made friends really quickly. We did a few different dances, we talked, and went home at midnight. The next day we went to have lunch at this really pretty restaurant and then went to a fair of artesanias in Pinllo (handmade stuff in a neighborhood). I bought a jacket, Liga (soccer team) scarf, and we walked around in the cold (sick again!) The next day I had a horrible headache, a cold, and school, so I missed school on Tuesday. This past week I’ve hung out with my friends and actually been leaving the house, which is a lot better.

Wednesday…

One boy thinks he loves me, but I’d never met him before Wednesday. He’s really persistent, so I decided I would give him a chance and meet him in the center. We went to eat, but I wasn’t hungry so only water. I called my friends from AFS (other youth exchange program) to come and meet us because I figured it would be awkward only with him, but it kind of turned out weirder at first because he doesn’t speak any English and one of my friends doesn’t really speak Spanish. Then I talked with his “girlfriend” on the phone, not really sure why I was supposed to, and we kind of left him. I wasn’t ever planning on being his girlfriend at all, but he kept asking me to be his girlfriend. Anyways, I felt kind of bad that we left him, but he still thinks he loves me so I don’t feel that bad anymore.

Two other Rotary exchange students, the two AFS students, and I went to a salsa dance class on Wednesday to learn how to dance South American-style, and it was hard. We were all laughing because it’s pretty difficult to dance and I definitely had no idea what I was doing. I received a package from the U.S. on Thursday; piece of advice: never have a package be more than 4kilos because you WILL have to pay. Still though, I was so happy to receive that package but it kind of made me miss my family more. Family, I know you’re reading this, so just so you know I love you guys. <3>

TOMORROW (SATURDAY): We’re going to see Harry Potter! Yes, I’m a little upset I didn’t go to see the midnight premiere, but I’m so excited. SO EXCITED. At least two people from Latacunga are coming to see it as well, which means this is going to be awesome. This Sunday we have the census, so apparently everyone has to stay in their house all Sunday, or at least until they get… censused?, but since almost nobody is going to be working it won’t be that fun.

What happened after that…

Friday I wrote this during class, and apparently I was so enraptured in writing that someone decided to STEAL MY CELL PHONE. FROM MY CLASS. This made me so mad, that someone from the class would do this! I can’t do anything about it other than have faith in God that He is going to help me and provide for all, but also that karma does exist.

Saturday was amazing, I missed Caitlin and Lea a lot and Caitlin came to my house. Harry Potter was in Spanish but I understood almost ALL of it! That could be because I’ve read the book like four times so I could more or less guess what was going on, but I feel like I have improved so much in the language, and I love it. While we were waiting though, there was a bomb threat, so we left the mall and I was super nervous. Then we found out it was just a simulation, but it was weird because some people stayed in the mall and some left scared. Later, we went to a party at a club and almost no one was dancing, but “Here in Your Arms” by Hellogoodbye, my happiness song, came on and I danced crazy. We had permission until one, but when we got home the third door was locked, so Mateo came to open it. Well then I couldn’t shut the second door so I tried to get his help but his door is confusing with the lock on the outside, so I couldn’t get open his door. Caitlin figured out how to close the door, but when we were upstairs we heard this insane banging. First came the freaking out, then the possible realization I had locked Mateo in his room, and then the apology.

On Sunday when we woke up, thanks to Caitlin that was around 8:00am, we talked and then got on the subject of American food and that lasted a while; I forgot how much I miss all the choices. Later, we went to watch Mateo to do downhill, then to have ice cream with the exchange students, then out to eat, and then to the mall for shopping. I think I forgot how fun shopping is, because I had SO much fun just walking around shopping and smelling perfume; I love perfume and exchange students. Got home, stayed in the house, and talked to my family for a long time after Chichi’s birthday cake.

Monday, school. After, I went to Xavier’s house and then later the dance class. We left that, all us exchange students talked about Christmas and decided on what we’re going to do. Katie came to my house for a little while longer, then she left. Tuesday (today) school and “practicing” for the parade that we have tomorrow; again I get to march. After, Xavier came to my house and then we went to the center, back to his house and then me back to my house. I’m really content with my life, which is weird because someone just robbed my cell phone. I guess when that happens it makes you realize who your friends that you can trust are, and now I really like my family. My dad sent a message to my cell phone, and apparently the person who has my phone called tonight (but my dad didn’t have his phone on him then)! WHAT IS GOING ON?! This is driving me crazy. But everyone who is reading this, know that Ecuador is a beautiful country and that for every person that robs you, there are a hundred people that want to help you. J

second monthly report for rotary :)

So, my life has definitely changed here. I'm starting to learn how to adapt to my new life and family here, and I'm actually really dreading when I will have to change families in February. I absolutely cannot believe how fast time has flown since I've been here, meaning I only have right around seven months here. Why does the best year of my life have to pass by so fast?
There are a few things that I feel are note-worthy for my blog. I went to a party, and we got gassed by the police because we didn't leave fast enough. That was something that would never happen in the U.S., and it really startled me. I absolutely could not believe that the police, the people that were supposed to be helping us, gassed us while we were trying to have fun. Another is that I went to Mama Negra, this huge festival where everyone gets drunk. There was a parade through Latacunga, a city close to mine, and the people were all trying to pour drinks into your mouths; it was crazy. There were so many people, almost all of them completely drunk, and me not having drank found it so funny. There I met somebody who went with Rotary twenty-two years ago to Latacunga, and she just now married her love from there a week ago. I'm a sucker for those kinds of stories, so I about died when she told me. I also met a guy from Latvia through YFU, and I have always thought Latvia was a cool country so it was nice to talk to him. He understood me perfectly, which I cannot say is the same for all Europeans, so it was like talking to an attractive American. I left that party and went with my classmates to celebrate it somewhere else and I met a guy who went on exchange to Germany with a small program two years ago, so that was cool too. I love exchange students.
Let's see.. what has happened? I went on my second, if you could the Spanish Camp as one, trip with Rotary. We went to the beach, and it was amazing. All these trips have been the best weeks of my life. The first night everyone, including me, was thrown into the pool with clothes on, and considering I had jeans on, those took the whole trip to dry. The next day has to have been my favorite day because we had a full day on the beach to ourselves. When we were leaving though, the boat hit straight onto a wave, and everyone was completely soaked. It didn't bother me that much because I had been in the water up until the moment we left, but there were some people that had dried for over an hour and who were mad, in a funny kind-of-almost joking way. The next day we participated in a parade, which was pretty fun but I was so burnt. During the parade, I ended up changing my clothes into a dress because it was so hot, and that was funny. We then went to a place to buy stuff, and then had this amazing bonfire on the beach. The beach was amazingly warm and beautiful, and there was a dance on the beach with a huge screen of the music videos and blaring music. A lot of people, including me, were dancing in the water, and that was amazing. Next day we had more beach time, aka I came back completely red, and we went to a "Chiva" which is a bus with a band. That was cool, and after there was this fancy dinner and dance. So much fun, and we didn't go to sleep until like 3:00am. We had to leave after that, which, well, was awful. I love my city, but honestly I missed everyone so much.
I went to a huge concert of Colombian music, and everyone was dancing and having fun. I swear, all of the city must have came out because it was the biggest concert I've ever seen. I got home at 2:45am and then had to go to school the next day (Saturday?!) because we had a program for Dia de los Disfuntos/Halloween.
I went to Ibarra, Otavalo, Quito, and a few other cities. Some of my best friends live in Ibarra, so that was amazing because I hadn't gotten to see them for a long time. In Otavalo, there was a huge market and I spent so much money there and bought so much. Now that I look on it, it's not that much for what I received, but still. Quito, the capital, is so beautiful. We saw the Historical District, which just practically made me faint. It was so gorgeous, and there was one monument, Virgen de El Panecillo, and we went there at night. There was a wrap-around balcony that showed all of Quito at night. Breathtaking, and so romantic.. From there, went to this street, La Ronda. If it is possible to fall in love with a street, I did. It was so clean, everyone was holding hands, it was actually an alley because there were no cars, and it was all made of brick with flags and cute lights. I loved it so much, it has to be my favorite place in the world. We left, had pizza, and the next day we had to leave. Got back, went with Xavier, Chacha, and Billy (girl from YFU-other program, from Switzerland) to a barbecue. More bonding, more love.
It was weird, I had this awful nightmare where it was June 6, and I would have to leave in a week. I wish I didn't have to leave that early, but we're going on a cruise the first week of July so I'm not complaining. Anyways, I know I always say this, but every moment also makes me realize I'll have to leave that much sooner. I thought, WOW! That was horrible, but then I realized that day is going to come. Ahh!
My family is getting so much better, it's awesome. For my mom's fiftieth birthday, there was a huge party in the discoteca of my aunt's house; yes, my aunt has a discoteca in her house. I think it's so funny how hard all the people, including the adult's, can party. I'm now friends with Emi, and things are much better with my brother. I love all my classmates, and I can't imagine this life here without one of them.
So to sum this up, like always: I love my life. I cannot believe how lame life would be without Rotary and all the people that make this experience possible. I love it here, this culture is for me, and, well, I'm not going to return. Just kidding... probably.

time for an update,..

Well, I love all the exchange students here in my city. So much. We're all just a really good group, and I can't imagine when we have to split up after this. I will definitely miss going over to Xavier's house to watch "How I Met Your Mother", or dancing with Chacha whenever a song comes on. Anyways...
I went to an insanely huge concert with practically all of the city last Friday. It was Colombian music, so I didn't understand anything, but it showed me a lot about the culture about here. I really wish I had known the lyrics because all those that did looked like they were having so much fun. I was too of course, just not the same. The next day we had classes, Saturday?, and I practically died. I got home at 2:45am the night before, well the morning of, and I had to wake up at 6:30am. It was awful. Then we had classes and after a program for Dia de los Disfuntos. It's funny how I got to an all girl's Catholic school, but I have never seen an outfit shorter than that. All the classes had to do something, so they dressed up like pirates or leprechauns and danced; it was funny.
I went to Ibarra, Otavalo, Quito, and a few other lakes. We left "at 6:30 on the dot," literally 9:00am for Otavalo. There is a huge market there, and I bought so much for presents and for me for so cheap now that I look back on it and see what I bought. Oh, before that we went and had lunch at this beautiful lake that I definitely want to have my honeymoon at. From there we went to Ibarra, where I stayed the night with Mexi (U.S.), Charline (France), Ashley (U.S.), and the next day I saw Marie (France). It was so nice of my family to go there and so that I could see my friends that live way too far away. We went to a lake there too, which was so pretty; I love lakes. Then we stayed the next night in Otavalo, where I sang with another cousin to Justin Bieber and tried to learn Spanish lyrics. We watched "The Big Bang Theory" for a while, I talked with my sister (we're now really good friends, it's awesome!) and then the next day was wonderful. We left for Quito and, wow. I love Quito. We saw the Historical District, which just practically made me faint. It was so gorgeous, and there was one monument, Virgen de El Panecillo, and we went there at night. There was a wrap-around balcony that showed all of Quito at night. Breathtaking, and so romantic.. From there, went to this street, La Ronda. If it is possible to fall in love with a street, I did. It was so clean, everyone was holding hands, it was actually an alley because there were no cars, and it was all made of brick with flags and cute lights. I loved it so much. We left, had pizza, and the next day we had to leave. Got back, went with Xavier, Chacha, and Billy (girl from YFU-other program, from Switzerland) to a barbecue. More bonding, more love.
Back started classes, but as of now, every Thursday we only have class until 11:00am. It's awesome. Friday I went to Xavier's and then after we all went to watch COMER. REZAR. AMAR (Eat, Pray, Love). How beautiful, but so different from the book. Of course I loved it, but different.
Today I went to Mama Negra, which is this program where everyone in Latacunga, the city next to us, gets drunk. It was insane, like we were dancing and watching the parade and they would try to feed everybody alcohol or put them in circle, rub them with sticks, and spit on them. Weird, but completely Ecuadorian and awesome. I thought it was so cool and fun, and the people were nice. I met a lady who went with Rotary to Ecuador I believe twenty-two years ago and fell in love, and just now married him about a week ago. How cute is that? Well, we danced, then I left that party to go to another one, and from there back to Ambato.
Today, a miracle happened. I never really got along with my brother, but yesterday he said "Hola Diane" and I was so surprised. Then, today got home and had nothing to do so I just decided to talk with Mateo. We actually talked and decided this fighting is over, thank gosh, and now I really honestly do think this will work. I'm so excited. I now actually have a lot of respect for him, and he smiled and talked with me like I was a person that mattered, which you would think would have happened sooner, but nope. Anyways, we're good. And my sister and I, yes, we are friends now! I really like her now, and I feel like I can talk to her about anything. We are both very different people with completely different personalities, but it works. I love it. I love life.

Pictures:
Classmates and I.
Most of my class.
A long time ago, but I think it's a cute picture of us.
Isn't that girl just too cute?
We were having fun in a dance party.
Mexi and I in Ibarra.
Again.
Us four.
Charline and I.

BEACH TRIP. best five days of my life!

It's weird meeting people in real life that you've talked to on Facebook for a lot of time, especially if you don't recognize them... just thought I should get that out! We traveled from 6:30am until 6:30pm to the place that should have only taken five hours to get to. The first night we had a bunch of rules, and then there was free time where mostly everyone (including me) was thrown into the pool with the clothes on.
The next day I would say was definitely my favorite, as it was a full beach day. That meant an awful sunburn, of course, but by far worth it. We played on the beach for so long, and it reminded me of a cruise because it was like our own private island. It also felt really nice to speak English with people that would understand expressions and if I talked fast and used bigger words. I know, I should be practicing, but it was vacation and it was fantastic. When we were returning from the island on a boat, it hit a HUGE wave so everyone was soaked. I was pretty okay with the wet part because I stayed on the beach until practically right before we left. Then, it got super cold and there was spray everywhere and I found it so funny and miserable at the same time. We rode these things called Banana Boat, which were fun but not fast enough for me. On the boat, we tried to shove people off, and I got Lea off one time and Ashley another. The one with Lea (from Germany) was so funny because our boat kind of ran out of gas so they drove us as far in and then we swam while we just saw her head bobbing in the water. I don't think I'll ever forget the image of her sitting in the boat while the worker was paddling it back in. The second time was just boring, so I told Ashley she was going off the boat and as she said "Bring it" she moved her hand to her hair and I pushed her off. After that, it was kind of more boring so we just planned to all jump off. I love the beach. We went to a view afterwards, and it was super pretty and made me really wish I lived in Crucita. That was pretty much just a huge picture taking session, which is always fun. That night was the talent night, and I thought Brasil did the best job because they danced capoeira and, well, I wish I was Brasilian. After was more dancing and more talking.
The next day we went to Portoviejo, which is a city that has a lot of exchange students in it. It really made me realize how lucky I am to live in a city as safe as Ambato. Lea and I went to go buy coco water, and when we looked up the parade had already turned and my heart almost stopped because all the Ecuadorians were watching and walking towards us. The parade was almost fun, because of the talking with so many people, but it was so hot. I had been wearing a shirt but during the parade, fun times, I changed into a dress, so I got even more burnt. After we went to an artesenal market and I had fun buying everything. Unfortunately the two hats I bought, one for me and one for my mom from here who just turned 50, got lost/stolen. After we spent more time at the beach, but not really in it, just jumping around and taking pictures. That night was a bonfire on the beach, so I played in the water which was so nice. The water was extremely warm, there was no sun to burn me, there was music with the videos playing, and dancing is just a bunch funner in the water.
The next day, oh the last day, how fast it came. We had more beach time, played tug-of-war and watched others play volleyball. It was just a really long time to relax on the beach, which was very much appreciated. That night we went on Chiva buses throughout Portoviejo I think, which is a bus with a live band. I thought it would be like a dance floor, but there were seats and not room to dance, so we stood in the back in something that slightly resembled a cage. My friend from Canada, Amanda (Amanada, cute nickname huh?) had to pee really badly the whole time, and she finally just couldn't take it anymore. She sat down in the back, thank gosh we were in the back on this wood platform, and peed. That image is another one that I highly doubt I will ever get out of my head. After we elected the King and Queen of the camp, one boy from the USA and one girl from Switzerland and then had a fancy dinner and dance. I LOVE TO DANCE WITH ROTARY PEOPLE SO MUCH! At around 3:00am we returned to Crucita, and then we all just talked for a while and ate.
The next morning I was nervous because I still had to pack and we hadn't set an alarm. We woke up around, well I don't know but I was told I had five minutes until we were going to leave. I freaked out and chucked everything in my suitcase, which included my wallet so I thought I had lost it which scared me half to death. The way back I slept for a lot of it and talked for another part of it. I have to admit, returning to Ambato was, well for lack of a better phrase, a slap in the face. Back to school and no relaxing on the beach in the warm sand watching the other exchange students shirtless. However, I'm glad about the fact there's not much seafood here, and I love the group of people we have in the city. I defintely wish there were more than just seven, but oh well.
Again, the one thing that this trip made me realize is just how much I am going to miss some of these people when this year is over. I have to wait until FEBRUARY to see those from the mountains, and until APRIL to see everyone else. It's killing me! More and more this is making me want to stay here forever, but not just me, with the other students. Oh yeah, and it's currently university-application time for Early Action, and I still have NO idea if I should do it in Europe or the U.S. AHH!
The photos:
Fancy time.
The other girl from Colorado (Emily) and I on our early morning walk down the beach.
Fancy time with our Rotary blazers.
We spelled out AMOR!
Almost everyone from Ambato (my city) and Latacunga (neighboring city).
Caitlin, my original and first roomie, and I.
Mexi (Izzy) and I with our matching scarves.
Everyone jumping, or well, everyone jumping and me preparing to jump.
Someone wrote that, and yes, We <3>

BEACH TOMORROW !!!!

There have been a few things happening that are even too long to post in my blog, so if you wanna know more just message me or leave a comment and I'll message you!
Let me think... school is unfortunately even more boring, what with me just drawing in the class. I not only don't entirely understand the language, but I don't have the books for the classes and I've never had some of these classes before. The people are all really nice, but I definitely feel awkward when we have to pair up or go in groups and I'm not supposed to because I'm not doing anything.
I went to two parties this weekend, and they were so fun. I love to dance, and I love to be around people who love to dance as well. Friday though, we went to one but it was a private party so even though we got in, the police made us leave and almost everyone. No one was really dancing at that one though, just taking photos so it wasn't really that much of a shame we left. Then we went to another one that was organized and such, but the police showed up and made everyone leave and they even put gas on us. Everyone started coughing and I just wondered why everyone was hiding their mouthsand all of a sudden it hit me. I couldn't believe that for doing nothing the police gassed everyone, that scared me so much. My friend's boyfriend even started smoking to get rid of the smell, which surprisingly even though I absolutely cannot stand the smell of smoke, well it helped. Saturday I went with Katie, an exchange student from Oregon, and her family to watch cars race high up in the mountains. To sum that up, it was really cold but almost exciting; I absolutely love her family though. Everyone, literally everyone, in Ambato knows her family because they're really rich, REALLY rich, and her grandpa started this car dealership or something. I have the same birthday as her mom, which I think is cool. Katie's brother, Pato (by the way everyone's name is Pato here, when I told my brother that he said "So many Pato's, so little time" which made me laugh) and my cousin, Mayte, like eachother, which is also cool! Saturday was Franzi's birthday party, so when we showed up there were like five people there but after about an hour a bunch of people showed up and it was a lot of fun. I love the atmosphere of here so much.
Sunday nothing really interesting, most of the cousins went to the movies but me and Mayte decided to just walk around the mall and eat and talk. I talked with my family on Sunday and I miss them a lot, especially my brother. It was kind of funny though, because almost all of my extended family was with me, or at least six at a time, so it was almost awkward because there was the whole language barrier problem and the fact that they were meeting for the first time over internet and didn't know what to do.
Since I've been here, I've really wished I liked seafood. They have it a lot of the time, and my parents have this theory that if I eat a little bit every time of the stuff that makes me want to vomit, I will slowly begin to like it. Then they'll give me fish or "jugo de tomate de arbol" and after I have it they'll ask me if I liked it. I thought that answer would be obvious. Anyways, I wish I liked seafood but there are just some foods that you really don't like.
I found my absolute favorite word in the world.. libelula. It means dragonfly, and I just love how it sounds I'm pretty sure I'm going to name my kid that.
So I have a few things to say about today (Wednesday). One is about the dangerous problem here in Ecuador, and how it's affected me. My friend and I were at the mall and we had to grab a taxi home, so we jumped in and I told the guy where we needed to go. Well, after going for about twenty seconds you're supposed to make a U-turn but he didn't so I told him he had to. He didn't listen to me, and he kept driving farther away. I told him again, and then later I'm pretty sure I told him that we wanted to go out. He turned into a neighborhood that looked really sketchy, and then turned left farther into the neighborhood. We jumped out of the car and sprinted down the street (with people yelling "run" and laughing because they think they're funny when they speak English here) into a store with a nice lady. My dad came and picked us up, and my mom thinks we overreacted and that he knew where he was going, but from the moment the driver didn't turn around, I knew something was wrong. People tell you to trust your gut, and this was a good example of that.When we were in the car, we tried to laugh it off, but it was that we're-so-nervous-and-don't-know-what-to-do laugh.
The other thing... I hate it when guys think it's funny to "speak English" but they only know like two phrases. Franzi and I have been on the bus when guys have said "I want to have sex with you" and then they laugh. They always say "I love you", ALWAYS it's "Hello" and "I love you" and when we leave it's "Bye" and "I love you" again. Sometimes I just want to punch them.... Yesterday, we were on the bus and one guy passed us and then backed up, stared at me, and then sat down right behind me and asked me how I was while saying other things and laughing. I almost went off on him in English, it's getting so tiring. They say if you don't pay attention to them, it will stop, but obviously the people that said that have never been to Ecuador. I was waiting for my aunt today on the corner, and whenever guys would pass they would wave, honk, or blow kisses at me. Two people in cars even tried to talk to me, or shouted something and looked all creepy, and that was only in about a three-minute-time span.
Anyways... Today, we had P.E. class, the first time because I seem to always miss Wednesday. We "ran" which was everyone holding hands and almost jogging for maybe two minutes. Then we sat in the field to do stretches, and I had so many burrs (those spiky ball things) all over me. Then we went and marched, but when I'm bored or just when I'm being me, I dance-walk. Well, I was doing that without even realizing it during the march and all of my class was laughing at me. I looked at everyone and I didn't understand at all and thought that they were saying a joke about something else. When I looked up and everyone was looking at me I was so confused, but later my friend told me and I thought it was funny.
Also, today I got another taste of what it's like to be a "gringa" and how people automatically love you (if they're teenage guys) here. My friend got my phone number, and I knew she know of guys that wanted to meet me but I didn't know that she would give them my number. I got calls today, and when I asked my dad if he knew the number he joked around saying it was my secret admirer. Turns out it was, and he kept saying I have such pretty photos and that he very much wants to meet me. Then he said something else and I laughed because I couldn't hear him, and he said "Yes?!" all excited so I'm still wondering what that was. Well now it's two days later and apparently he's mostly in love with me, even though he's never met me. Anyways, I just think it's really interesting, sometimes flattering and sometimes annoying.
And tomorrow: I'm headed for the beach with Rotary!

The photos:
1) party.
2) from the election.
3) with Liss, a classmate.
4) all the names.

first monthly report for rotary :)

I have no idea how I'm going to write all about what's happened since I've been here in a reasonable amount of space. My life here is so interesting and so difficult, but I'm learning (and definitely growing as a person) to embrace those difficulties. This year is going to be the most emotionally-testing year of my life, but it's also going to be the best.
I would say what first has been on my mind is my family. I absolutely completely love the huge extended family that all lives next door, and it makes it easy when I'm getting bored at my house to just walk over to their houses. My mom here is a lot different than my mom in Colorado, but I know she loves me, just shows it a little differently. The moms here really care about their kids, and are extremely nervous for them, so they are overly protective, which I am not used to. I absolutely love my dad, he's so funny and I feel like he really cares about me. My sister is a typical sixteen-year-old, and she is kind of always on the computer, so she is nice when she talks to me, but I think she also has other things on her mind. My thirteen-year-old brother, Mateo, actually really has caused a few problems for me. That is an incredibly difficult age, but he has not been helping me at all with my life here. He's definitely better now, but we're still not even close to being best friend siblings. I have hope because I see how he acts with all the cousins, so I think what it is is that he's jealous of the extra attention I have. My aunt who acts a lot like my mom from Colorado hosted an exchange student boy last year who had the same problem with her daughters that I'm having with Mateo, and she said at the three month mark all should be going well.
My school. Honestly, when I was getting ready to come here, I was so upset I would be going to an all girls school. Then I got here, and I really love it. There aren't really any cliques here, and everyone in my class is friends with everyone. There's only one girl who I'm not good friends with, and I'm nice to her when I talk to her, but she talks behind people's backs a lot, so I figured I should stay away from her. We had a presidential school campaign, and it was two huge parties to see which course would have the bigger one and which would win. I wish that was a tradition in the US, because I absolutely loved the giant dance party and the getting out early, even though we lost.
So, now on to that thing that you're probably wondering about what happened. Yeah, there was a problem between the police and the military/president, and the police tried to take down the president, so to make their point they didn't work that day. Here, it's extremely dangerous if there are no police, so that was terrifying. The riots started in Ambato, so we didn't have school Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, in contrast to Quito which only didn't have Thursday afternoon and Friday. I saw the protest in Ambato on Thursday, and chanting completely terrifies me. We were at the post office waiting, so I went back in and on TV there was news about what was happening in Quito. I wish I had stayed outside, there was awful footage of a lot of people getting gassed and fainting. I have to admit, I was pretty terrified and pretty glad I didn't live in Quito. It's kind of weird though, because it just, stopped. Thursday was terrifying in the afternoon, and kind of in the night with the burnings of random stuff everywhere, but Friday was completely normal.
I was in for a few surprises when I got here, and there are definitely some things I wasn't expecting. For some reason, I thought that everyone spoke English, if only just a tiny bit. Well, I was wrong, and it completely startled me when the stop signs said "Pare" and the "No Parking" sign had an E, not a P, in the middle of the crossed out circle. I also expected that everyone spoke with their dogs in English, so when the mom said "Afuera" (outside!) to the dog, I thought, "Wow, the dog doesn't know Spanish." Negra (the dog), went outside, and I thought, "What a smart dog, it knows Spanish." It's kind of hard to explain, but I just expected that all dogs knew English.
I do miss some things about the USA, and they're things that I had completely taken for granted. For example, the streets here have a lot of trash, and there are homeless dogs everywhere. It breaks my heart to see these dogs that don't have homes everywhere, just sitting underneath peoples chairs outside the restaurant. Also, the air here I consider kind of unclean, and I have to say I miss the air, not a food or something else, the most. Coming from Colorado, where there is probably the best air in the world, and going to Ecuador really startled me. I'll get a headache here when I walk around, and I don't know if that's because of the altitude or the pollution here. I also, it sounds silly, but I miss being able to open my mouth in the shower. That and being able to use the tap water here I miss, because now I don't have those two simple pleasures of opening my mouth in the shower or drinking water whenever I want.
So I'm sure you're wondering if I had studied more, and honestly that answer is no. Sure, maybe ten minutes every day or something, but I was pretty prepared to come here. Of course the first two weeks were hard, but I was able to make it through and now I'm on my way to fluent. I understand everything people say to me, except for when old men talk, because they speak in a sort of mumble. Everyone here is telling me that I'm so much better than I was when I got here, which is such a relief. I think that there is only a certain amount of studying that you can spend before you just have to immerse yourself in the language. I am actually kind of losing my English, and someone will ask me a question about it and I'll have to think if the sentence worked or not. My priority is not to keep my English at all, but it would be nice if I had enough brains to write my university applications.
About Rotary, the beautiful program that sent me here. I think it's pretty different here from the USA, but not so different. My club, Ambato Cosmopolita, is different from the other club in Ambato, as my club is held above a gas station and the other is in a fancy hotel. We had hot dogs and Coke the first meeting I went to, while the other club had a fancy dinner. I think it's funny how they are here, but they've all been really nice so far. People are surprised when I say that there were 30 exchange students in District 5470, but then I try to remind them that Ecuador is the same size as Colorado, and has more than double the exchange students. The fact that that number includes only Rotary, not other exchange programs, and that not all of Ecuador is habitable (what with the Amazon), proves that the program is much larger in Ecuador. At least in my family, it's always a question of who will leave next, like, "Oh well David, Anita, and Juan are gone, and next year it's Sebas and after that it's Emi." Whenever I ask my classmates if they want to do exchange, they always say yes of course, and they all really want to go to the USA. A lot of the exchange students I talked to that are in Ecuador also said that their first choice was the USA, which I thought was kind of weird. Then I thought about it, and I realized that the USA is different from everywhere in Europe, South America, and Asia, and we are known all over.
So on to the exchange students here. I kind of find it cruel that we're going to become SUCH good friends, definitely best friends, and then have to leave each other after one year that will definitely pass way too fast. I mean, we're already in October and it feels like I've only been here for maximum three weeks. Honestly I'm dreading so much when I will have to leave this life I have here, and I don't even need to worry about that for, oh no, only eight more months! After this year, it's made me realize that I for sure want to do university in Europe, there's no question any more. I love the people here, and talking with everyone it's making really want to live in Europe. I had been debating it before, but this has just sealed the deal that I'm headed to a different continent when I'm able to. I love every single exchange student here, we're definitely the coolest people and the funnest, and it, like the outbounds from Colorado, only took one day to become best friends. When I got back from the Spanish camp, I missed everyone so much. I can not imagine how much I'm going to miss my friends from all over the world when I have to leave, especially after two Rotary trips we're going to take in April. After that, I'll see everyone, other than those in my city, for maybe one more time. I've met other exchange students that aren't from Rotary, and they're definitely as cool. It's funny how when you meet another exchange student, no matter what, there's a connection and you are automatically best friends. I love it, it's that fact that binds us all together.
Anyways, I hope all is well in Colorado, and I thank Rotary so much for this experience. I have no idea what I would be doing if I was there in Rampart High School, but I'm so glad I'm having the experience of my life right now, and even though it may be difficult at times it's definitely worth it.

in the middle of a national crisis, my life is completely normal.

So these past few days have been kind of crazy, what with the problems between the president and police. I'm still confused on what happened, but pretty much the police were trying to take down the president because he passed a law that was unfair to the police, so everyone was protesting. People were chanting, which REALLY scares me, and burning a lot of things in the middle of the towns. This made me kind of glad that I don't live in Quito, because people there could hear gunshots from inside their houses, and they couldn't leave to walk down the street at all.
Other than all that, it's been really normal. Ambato is still a relatively safe city, much safer than most. We saw a little girl peeing on the sidewalk, which made me laugh until I cried but I kind of threw up a little in my mouth. What I thought was the weirdest about that is there were many people just walking past taking no notice.
I've been meeting more people, and I found out the place to be from 5-9pm is in front of my school, because there were SO many people there, all teenagers just chilling.
My life has been going pretty well. I went to church, which I think was interesting for me because I understood almost nothing. Other than that, it was almost exactly the same, only there was a dog in the mass which I found weird.
We had a campaign today for everyone, but instead of it being like in the US which is people just putting up posters in the halls, there were two huge parties, one for tecnologia (my course) and one for ciencias. It was really fun, a lot of dancing and running around the school yelling "Vota Lista Uno!" We got out early too, which is always really nice. I didn't bring my camera unfortunately, but once everyone else posts the pictures on Facebook I'll upload them here!
I also figured I should start explaining the pictures I post, so one is when we were on the way back from Guayaquil, another is me and Franzi hugging, and the last is a mailbox thing I saw in the post office while all the protesting was going on.

GUAYAQUIL

So, I completely fell in love with Guayaquil. I was so nervous when I was leaving because it's said that it's really dangerous, but I didn't notice that at all. I think I might have witnessed someone robbing a pack of cigarettes from a street vendor, but that's about it. Everyone obeys the traffic signals and doesn't cross in the middle of the street because they'd get fined, and the police are everywhere. There is almost no trash in the streets because there are janitors of the streets and because, well, why would you litter? It reminded me of Florida, as it was so hot and humid, and there was a huge river going through it.
On the way up, we stopped in the tortilla capital of the world, which I thought was like a "Welcome to Ecuador" sign, but after the tortillas I felt so sick. I saw a cock fight, and that just broke my heart. I don't understand why most people here think that's okay, but I was so upset when I saw that. That is by far my least favorite part of here: the mistreatment of animals. Oh, and there are a lot of people that burn their trash here. It makes it smell completely horrible, and it's awful for the environment.
In Guayaquil... Saturday we went to Ecuadormoda, but that ended up being really small and it was more for fashion designers than for people who want to be in fashion. After, we went to another cousin's (or relative's, we didn't really know) house, and I loved it. One girl was fifteen, almost sixteen, and she was so nice and helpful. Another was seventeen, and she was really nice too. We went to McDonald's and I had a Tango ice cream (Tango: best cookie thing EVER) and a hamburger, and it actually tasted like a normal burger. We went to the mall later, saw Letters to Juliet (third time seeing that movie... I know, I'm such a girl) and then ate. We were going to go to a party, but it got canceled so we drove around and I started sleeping in the car.
Sunday we were supposed to go to the beach (!!!) but they said it was too far away for us to only go for an hour, which was a huge bummer. We ended up going to Malecon, this huge mall type thing that was kind of under the street and kind of outdoors. I bought, not a lot, but a few things, especially food. There were all these drinks that are "Oh, you just have to try this!" so I did, and Vivi (fifteen year old) was right, I did have to try them. Everyone is always outside there, and there are so many things to do and so many people. Another piece of evidence that I'm foreign... I walked past a policeman and he said "Hi" but I wasn't listening and then he said later that "Oh, that girl is very beautiful." Later, I had a lollipop and a different policeman said something about the lollipop and then something about me; policemen are silly. We ate more, and I'm now on the way home. I really kind of wish I had been given Guayaquil, even though I am happy with Ambato. I love the climate of Guayaquil and how close it is to the beach, and how much stuff there is to do. I do love my huge extended family in Ambato, but I think Guayaquil is just much cleaner, which is a huge deciding factor in how much I like the city. All in all, an amazing trip and a beautiful city. The family there said I can return whenever I want, and for the weekend we would go to the beach. Yes!

school is getting boring!

Well, that was a joke about me and Mateo getting along. I say hi to him Monday, in a thank-God-we're-now-friends sort of way, and he just looked at me and then turned away and he still ignores me. This is going to take a long time and a little bit of maturity on his part, and probably me not getting mad when he ignores me on my part. His behavior to me though is really making me miss my brother!
On Wednesday we randomly didn't have school, so I went over to Pepe and Carie's house. I love them both so much, but Carie cries quite a bit. Like I would tell the other cousins to not keep saying that because it wasn't true, but now that I know her it is. I adore Pepe, and I keep saying to him that he is going to be my brother later because he is going to marry my sister. It's a joke in the family, but really I would love if he was my brother so I'd be good if they married. Obviously a joke, they're ten, but still! Much later after I went to their house, we went to a Rumba (Zumba) class, which was fun but I only had flip flops with me so my feet were dying. It's a lot different in Ecuador, the room had strobe color lights dancing across it, and all the people in the class were really young, much unlike in the YMCA with all the really fit old ladies.
School has been even more boring, but today (Thursday) was very interesting. I still don't much like the Economy/Products and Services teacher, and that dislike amplified today. Someone asked how many stars are on the American flag, and I answered fifty. My teacher goes, "Oh, I thought there were fifty-two" in this of-course-I'm-right- because-I'm-the-teacher tone, and I just gave him in a but-I'm-from-the-United-States look. Then we watched this movie about money (in Spanish of course) and everyone had to write the moral, but not many people understood it in my class. Sol asked if I had to do it, and my teacher kind of freaked out, saying that I'm here to learn materials as well as the language. Well, the movie was in rapid Spanish, and almost no one in the class understood it. That just bothered me SO much!
Other than that, life has been good. Today I went to Xavier's (Belgium) house from right after school until almost 9, which was fun, we just chatted and ate (of course). Katie (USA) came over for a while too, and I really love them two. Saturday I'm headed to GUAYAQUIL! for Ecuador Moda, which is a fashion show. I'm so stoked, but it's going to be around a seven hour bus drive so that makes me a little nervous. It's going to be a nice change of scenery though, as it's really close to the beach and there's a river that runs through it.

more of my life!

Thursday night:
I was getting ready for bed (10:30) and I got a call from Gaby, who said she tried calling before but couldn't get through. She invited me to go out, and surprisingly, I was allowed out until 12:30am on a school night. It was for a birthday of a friend of her boyfriend's (Chino I think is the boyfriend's name) and so we went to this place where there were a bunch of around-22 year olds. I don't know if I would say that it was insanely fun, but I got to talk with Gaby and a little bit with some of her friends. The birthday guy had a kind-of odd chest, and so I told Gaby who told her boyfriend who told him. He grabbed my hand and told me to feel, and I started laughing but he did that because there's a hole there and that's why his chest stuck out. Interesting.
Friday school:
Pretty boring. Everyone loved my graphing calculator, which I thought was funny. Then it was not funny because I'm not allowed to use it, even though I have one and know how to do the problem without one and will use one the rest of my life.
Friday night:
Ah, I was quite mad on Friday night. I went to Xavier's with Cha Cha, and then we went to a party but I had to be home by 9. How fun! Then, later, I went to go with Chi Chi (yes, that's a different person that Cha Cha) to pick up Cristi and my parents got mad because I didn't ask for permission. I really felt like I couldn't do anything right that night! I came home on time, I can't say the same for my sister, and my parents still found a way to be mad.
Saturday:
I woke up really late, just about in time for lunch. A huge family lunch, of course, and then I went with a few of the girl relatives to buy stuff for the hair. Well, four (slightly boring) hours later, I showed up at the party with all the exchange students. Oh man, I love them all! We played cards, just kind of talked. Sounds super fun, right? Well, it really was and I hope we can all meet up every weekend or even more often. The two from Latacunga who came had to leave early for some weird reason, so after it was just the six from Ambato (Franzi was at the beach).
Sunday:
Hm. I got home, and we had a family lunch of crabs, which was super cool because I really hate all seafood. They look SO fun to eat, but I hate them and they kept telling me that I had to try it. They always say that, but I've already tried the food and that's how I know that I don't like it. I had the chicken, that I don't even really like, and rice. And dessert of course, but I think desserts are pretty much the same in every country, which I love. Later, Mayte, Carie, Pato, Mateo, and I went to this go carting and paintballing place. I've never been paintballing before, and I was on my own team against Pato and Mateo. Pato hits hard, he hit my head and OUCH! It hurt so bad! He came over to my team later, and then it was Mateo against me and I won which was awesome!
We got fries and then went into this place where there were four people singing karaoke, and I was just singing along in my chair. The four left, but one kind of stayed to talk to me. He spoke a little English, and he asked me all this information about me and greeted me (kissed my cheek and took my hand) twice. He asked my number (no idea), my home number (really no idea), where I live (they said somewhere in the center), and stuff like that. Weird. When he left he told me that I'm really gorgeous, and Mayte yelled after him "feo!" which I thought was funny.
Side note:
Mateo and I are getting along now! After the paintball game, I think he stopped being mad because now I can ask him a question and he'll answer me. I wonder if that will change by tomorrow, but I really hope not. An uncle or something of Xavier (exchange boy from Belgium) told me that he has a puppy he can give me, and Mateo and I both want it so I think that's also helping. Yes!

pantuflas :)

Gosh, I'm so bored. Today, I stayed home sick because my nose was runny and my throat hurt. Later, my stomach hurt, and I got a massive headache. What is going wrong with me? Today I researched universities, made braceletes, and watched TV. I'm starting to sense a pattern of my life here. I got a text from my friend from school asking where I was today and if I'm okay, which was really nice because I felt like I'm actually getting friends here, which is awesome!
Editors note: I missed the next day too. I was planning on going but I missed the bus, and my dad told me I didn't have to go because I still felt sick.
Oh! I found out that the package I sent to my family in the USA, my mom opened it and it was completely empty. That makes me so mad! My mom will be sending a few things soon, and I'm really nervous that when I receive it there will be nothing in it.
I forgot to put these few (slightly unimportant, but still notable) things in the last blog:
On the way to Banos, we stopped in Salasaca again to look at the market, and I bought a scarf and a pair of slippers. The scarf was only $2.50 (it was supposed to be $3.50! I'm getting better at bargaining...) and the slippers were only $4.00 and they make me look like a really cool clown.
My favorite words in Spanish: sonrisa (smile), aduana (customs), and pantuflas (slippers). I really love the Spanish language.
Written two days later:
These days have been much better because I leave my house to go to those of my extended family. There are more people who enjoy conversation, like Cristina, which is nice.
Today! We had a presentation on sex and the diseases that come with it. The person started out by saying that one in every whatever number of Ecuadorians has an STD, and then said that if you know two gringos, at least one will have a disease. Well, here I am sitting in class, the convenient gringa, so I'm at the front kind of but the about 20 people in front of me turned to me and just started laughing. Also, the whole class had to take an English test to see what level they were at, and I looked at it just for fun. The three words you had to use in a sentence were: ambitious, punctual, and keen. I literally have no idea what keen means, and almost no one uses the other two words. That just showed me that sometimes the stuff you learn in classes doesn't actually help you out in the real world. The last thing I remember from school is that Pepa (ten-year-old cousin, real name is Pepe but he calls me Dayana so I call him Pepa) saw me at lunch from his class balcony and called and waved to me. I really love being in a school with some relatives- well, two.
School I thought was fun today, and we got out 30min early (at the same time the sciences class does!) so that was nice. I really don't like the classes Productos & Servicios or Economia, and both are because of the teacher. He said that in the U.S., the company most robbed is the bank, and he said it like it was new information. I don't know, I just kind of thought that was obvious. He has that voice that's kind of like a know-it-all, and I think that's what most bothers me. But I think there will always be one teacher/administrator/coworker/whatever that you don't really like, so I'm just gonna deal with it!
So what has been going on other than school?
Well, yesterday it was an aunt's birthday, so we celebrated for lunch and then all hung out. Later, I went to the "almacen" (kind of like work place/store) with Chi Chi and Mayte, and I don't know that I would say it was interesting, but there was internet access. In about a month when it comes time to apply for universities, that's where I'll be spending my days. I talked to David (my host brother who I never met who is in Florida) on Facebook and he gave me advice about my life here and about getting along with Mateo, which was nice. Chi Chi, Mayte, and I got straciatella ice cream (that ice cream would literally be the reason I gained weight here) and then after the almacen we got chicken and curly fries. My dad was kind of mad because he said that I'm spending more time there than at my own house, but that was the first time I'd actually stayed up there for the day so it was kind of weird.
Today, school was fun. Then I went up to Chi Chi's house for lunch (maybe I'm going to start to spend a little more time there) and then we all talked for a while. Not much really happened other than chatting with family... Molde called Corentin again (it's becoming something daily) and again the message on the answering machine went something like "Corentin es feo... OW OW OW OW OWWW!" I still love that kid though, he's so interesting.

info info info!

Other days/ Weekend:
I need to keep this up a little bit better, because I don't really remember much of it. School was school, it's really boring here because most of the stuff I still can't do. I got a hair cut with bangs, and I actually really love it, which might just be the first time I've loved a hair cut. Friday night I went out with some friends (SUPER FUN!), and got back a few minutes after my curfew (8pm) and I wasn't allowed to go to Quito the following day. I was really upset about that actually, not so much about not being able to go to Quito but that neither of my siblings were home and when I got home we weren't doing anything. I swear I'm going crazy here, but since I wasn't allowed to go for a walk I walked/danced circles on the outside of the house for two hours; I'm pretty sure my family here is slowly figuring out I'm crazy.
The next day was my grandpa's birthday, so a lot of people (I feel like it was close to 40) were coming and going from the house. I got my nails and toes done with Franzi and Cecy, and then we came back to the house for the lunch. We all kind of chilled for a really long time, I went with Gaby, Caro, and Carie to this place and got Kahlua ice cream that was literally as big as Carie's head. I showed the song/dance for Waka Waka, we drank mohitos as a family (those are quite delicious) and then I went out with a few of the other exchange students. We met at Choko Banana and then went to the mall and stayed there way past the time everyone else left. I love them all, and honestly at first I was pretty upset I wasn't put into Quito, but I love everyone in my city.
That night I had a sleepover with Franzi, and the next day we went to Banos. We ate (pizza and batidos, of course!) and then had a few adventures. We got to go in these go cart type things around the city, which was so much fun, but ours was the slowest so we'd kind of chill just going up hills. After that we went to a zipline, where we took a TeraBita (sp?) across the canyon, and then came back like Superman on our stomachs. I didn't actually find it scary at all, but I never really find stuff like that scary, but the person who works there told me each person usually goes about 80km/ hour. Cool. We came back, and both Franzi and our family were locked out of our houses. When we got back, there were a lot of people that came over and we all hung out. I really adore my extended family, and I'm already dreading when I'll have to change families in January.
School today, I'm starting to not have much to say about school. I'm sick now, of course, and I slept during class today because I didn't have anything else to do when they took all of their tests. As of now, I kind of dread going to school. I love all the people, but I really have nothing to do. Oh, and math confuses me so much here!