Hello!

It is the beginning of week 7 and Reading week for me, meaning I don’t have most of my classes this week!

Thought  I would put up a somewhat mid-term post and put some photos up because all of my other posts have been without pictures. Apologies for that!

Just went home to Sutton for the weekend which was lovely. I live with a family friend when I am not on campus and I met up with my Aunties too which is always really nice. Sutton is just outside London and on the bus, about 45-50 minutes away so not bad. Went to Kingston a neighboring borough actually not far from Roehampton and it is always fun going there because there is really good shopping! Also it is looking very Christmas-y so would recommend it to other students here in London!

Here are some photos around London and Surrey that I have taken since being here. 🙂

A lovely park in Surrey, a suburb just outside London

One of the views from the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral. One of my favourite places in London and if you haven’t been I would recommend it!

The Albert Bridge in Chelsea. I have been watching the reality tv show Made in Chelsea for over two years and walking around Chelsea, a very posh neighbourhood in London was amazing 🙂

Most of my lovely flat mates that I love to bits 🙂

More to come later, I promise I will be a better blogger in the future 🙂

Cheers, xx

Hello!

I am sorry it has been so long! I have been traveling for the past two weeks so I have not had much internet access. The traveling has been amazing though!! I went to Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam and Berlin and did it all on my own! It was such a crazy, fun, awesome adventure.

Brussels was not what I was expecting, but the major sites were nice. There just wasn’t much to do there so I was glad I was only there for a day. Next I was in Bruges, which is this medieval town in northern Belgium. It was such a cute town and I really enjoyed my time there. I took a canal cruise and saw a windmill! Amsterdam was next and it was great. The first night I went to the Anne Frank house and that was definitely my favorite part of my time in Amsterdam. Seeing history like that is so incredible. You can really imagine what it must have been like. It was so sad but also very humbling. Next was Berlin and it was definitely my favorite city of the trip! There was something about it that made me feel so welcome and safe. Overall, the trip was wonderful and I had such a good time. I learned a lot about myself and discovered that I actually don’t mind being alone as much as I thought I would.

Everyone in both Belgium and Amsterdam spoke English really well. The first time I had problems communicating was Berlin and it was actually kind of fun. It was an experience I haven’t had yet while abroad, and I found it quite cool. No one was ever mad that I didn’t speak German and even if they didn’t speak English, they would still try really hard to help me out. The best thing was that instead of getting frustrated about not being able to communicate, they would just start laughing and politely make it obvious that they did not understand. Everyone I met was really nice and that made it easier to be alone.

Although I was sad to leave my adventure, I was also excited to get back to London. I missed my room, my friends, and even London itself. I did not have much time to relax as it was Halloween, but I did manage to catch up on a bit of sleep. On Friday the Uni held a Halloween dance party and that was a lot of fun. It was nice seeing everyone, even though it had only been a little over a week. It made me realize how great it is going to be to see everyone back home again.

Speaking of home, I have reached and passed the halfway point of this trip. In a little over six weeks I will be on a plane back to Oregon. I am excited, but I still have a lot more to do until then. Friday I head off to Italy! This month is definitely a busy one. I will try my best to keep in touch regularly.

Cheers!

Late again, sorry!! I was ill again during week 5 and forgot! I must be susceptible to European bugs!

Rough start to the week, what with being ill but had a lovely weekend. Went into Central both on Saturday and Sunday and it was great. I feel like I am really seeing more of London. I always go from our local station of Barnes to Waterloo because from there you can go wherever! Had to get my glasses from Specsavers so did the route that I now know very well, across Waterloo Bridge to the Strand. I then headed to the City via the North Bank, this was new for me because I usually walk places on the South Bank of the river, The City is where the financial district is and also St. Paul’s Cathedral which I love. I had lunch in one of my favourite food chain eateries, Pret a Manger. They do sandwiches and soups and coffee etc. It is good and it is cheap. Close to the Cathedral is a small shopping centre and I went there next to look around and I got a couple of things.

It was nice having a ‘me day’ in central and I feel so comfortable even in parts of London I don’t know as well.

I went in again on Sunday because I have Swedish friends who were in London for the weekend and we met up for dinner and a catch up. I went in early and walked from Waterloo to the Tower Bridge, which is quite a walk. I just walked along the South Bank and when I got to the Bridge I just sat for a bit and relaxed. I made my way to Piccadilly to meet my friends and we went to a lovely pub and they paid for me 🙂

Classes were fine during the week, wasn’t feeling ideal but not too bad. I haven’t said before, but my friend and I are in the kickboxing group together and it is great. It isn’t easy but I already feel fitter and I know that doing this the whole year is a great way to stay in shape. It is on Thursday’s and Sunday’s.

Cheers for now x

I can’t believe it has already been over a month in Ecuador.

I remember sitting on the couch December 30th, incredibly frustrated with myself that I had wanted to go abroad for as long as I could remember, yet I was 19 and hadn’t even been to Canada or Mexico. That was when I made my first ever New Year’s resolution: By January 2016 I wanted to at least have purchased plane tickets to a new country. And now look at me! I’ll have been in two other countries, another continent, a completely different hemisphere AND back home all before January. I’m not sure I could get any luckier.

Things are starting to settle down and feel normal here. The altitude doesn’t bother me, cultural differences don’t come across as shocking, the consistent chicken, rice, and soup for practically every meal is beginning to feel comforting, hearing everyone around me speak Spanish seems like second nature, and my routine feels as though it could really just be my every day life, like it doesn’t have an expiration date. It makes me sad to remember this is temporary, and by the end of this week my program will be half way over. (WHAT?)

The one thing that has yet to feel normal is the constant stomach issues. Last Wednesday I made my first (and hopefully last) trip to an Ecuador emergency room at 10 pm. It was my fourth time coming down with what seemed to be pretty severe food poisoning, but I also had some new symptoms that were a little nerve-wracking. Instead of sitting in pain, my roommates convinced me to go in and make sure it wasn’t something more severe, considering I have no idea what kind of sicknesses you can contract down here.

Sure enough, after 3 hours of sitting next to a screaming baby, an IV, some weak pain medicine, multiple med students taking turns squishing my stomach (which seemed more like having a contest of who could actually grab my intestines) I was sent home with antibiotics, pedialite, and the diagnoses of an intestinal infection from good ol’ street food. At least I got the reassurance that it was nothing worse, and got to observe an emergency room in a developing country from the patient’s perspective.

Everyone was incredibly nice, the tools/machines they used seemed outdated but were effective, and their techniques were interesting to watch. I even got to practice my Spanish by trying to explain my entire medical history with a very limited vocabulary. Thank goodness for Rosita – she makes every situation down right hilarious. Even when you’re sure your stomach is about to explode.

On Saturday we set off for one of Ecuador’s most famous lakes, which was voted the best hiking destination multiple years in a row online.

I present: Laguna de Quilotoa

Reminding me very much of crater lake, only practically double its altitude at almost 13000 feet, this beautiful body of water was created by a collapsed volcano due to a massive eruption 800 years ago. Geologists claim it is around 250 meters deep (820 ft) but the Indigenous people of the village have a much more intriguing theory of it being bottomless.

This lake sits to the side of the Indigenous village, Quilotoa, home to about 50 families of native Ecuadorians. This is where we stayed for the night.

This was our hostel: Hosteria Alpaca. It was ran by an adorable family that for $17 gave you a room (with a fire place and queen beds), AND made you a home cooked communal dinner and breakfast, with tea by the fire downstairs whenever you felt like visiting with back packers who stopped by.

(sorry for the sideways picture. I have given up on trying to turn the darn things.)

This was the lady and one of her sons that ran the business constantly, no matter the hour. Their clothes were much more than just a fashion statement, they were completely necessary. It got SO cold. I made sure to pack my warmest clothes I brought with me, but they didn’t even begin to cut it. So the majority of our down time I spent by the fire, snuggling with the hostal kitty:

After each weekend I always say “now THAT is the prettiest place we’ve been to so far in Ecuador!” But this time, I REALLY mean it. The views were breath-taking. I could have watched that lake and the mountains forever and be completely content. The entire time I was there I kept thinking “there is no where else in the entire world I’d rather be right now.” Something just felt extra special on that mountain.

We got a late start to the steep hike on Saturday but it did not disappoint. On the way down I ended up rolling my ankle (multiple times–of course), but we had the companionship of stray dogs and cranky donkeys to keep us company. Speaking of 4 legged creatures, hikers have the option of riding horses back up the hill they likely slipped the majority of the way down.

Now before you judge me, remember I had rolled my ankle, AND it was getting dark (I’m also pretty out of shape). So yes, I opted to take the horse back up for everyone’s benefit. My friend Becca did the same while Lauren and Kristina trekked their way back up. The good news is that the money we paid to ride the horses went towards a young girl’s education fund, with dreams of one day studying in Quito. How can you say no to that?

This is a picture of a dog (“perrito”) sleeping outside the village (I promise it was just sleeping). There are tons of dogs here for how tiny it is, but they seem very well cared for by the community, unlike other cities in Ecuador unfortunately. I saw a puppy husky mix and was trying to find ways to put it in my suitcase.

I actually calculated wrong and have one more week with the kids before moving onto clinical rotations. Which turned out to be nice since I was sick during what I thought was my last day. I’ve built a great connection with both the teacher and the kids, and I’m going to miss them a lot after I move onto the next phase of this program. I’ve been bringing bubbles (burbujas) and stickers to class every day, so the kids are behaving wonderfully, of course. I also took a bunch of videos of the kids singing and dancing, which I’m going to keep forever 🙂 so cute

This weekend we get a nice long break due to back-to-back holidays. First, on Monday, it is The Day of the Dead (super excited about this. Look it up if you’ve never heard about it) and then Cuenca’s Independence day on Tuesday. So Friday-Tuesday we will be soaking up the sun on Ecuador’s coast line in the beautiful Montanita and Puerto Lopez beaches.

Unfortunately, this means a ten-twelve hour bus ride since the flights almost tripled in price due to the holiday. I’ve done the car trip from Eugene to LA so I’m hoping this will feel like a piece of cake. Especially once someone sees where we’re staying:

For a whole $20 a night too (about double what we normally pay for a three-four bed room). Waters are supposed to be 80 degrees and the beaches are known for their surfing and other water sports. Can someone say Parasailing?

I realized I hadn’t posted a picture of Marco or Angel, our Spanish teachers that we spend 15+ hours a week with, so here they are (on their side of course).

Marco:

Aaaand Angel:

Since it’s 6 days until El Dia De Los Muertos, traditional holiday food is being sold/made everywhere. Today the preschool teacher, Juanita, brought in homemade guagua’s de pan (loaves of sweet bread frosted like babies in a blanket) and colada morada (a warm berry smoothie with cinnamon). Both were delicious.

As much as I enjoy the food here, there are some things I really REALLY miss. Like Cheez-its, donuts, and burritos. What I would give for a dang burrito. You can’t find them anywhere down here, and if you do, they’re nothing like the ones in the US. I have a feeling the small amount of weight I lost while here will come right back on just in time for the holidays 😉 Totally worth it.

The weeks seem to be going by faster and faster, which stinks. Of course, I can’t wait to come home and see everyone I’ve missed, BUT I really love it here and don’t want the experience to end. I just have to make sure to live in the moment as much as possible I suppose.

Okay, that’s it until I come back from the coast! Chao 🙂

I like to call this post: Asthma, Anxiety, and the Andes

Hello world!

Sorry I’ve been so quiet lately. We have been gearing up for midterms and are in midterm week now. I have not forgotten about you though! I have decided that I would write this post about my trip during week 6 to the Andes Mountains. I wrote in my journal about it this trip (27 pages, to be exact), so even though it took me awhile to write electronically, I have a documentation of the weekend that I am passing on to you now!

So the weekend began as soon as we could possibly leave. I had class until 8:40pm that Thursday and right after class ended I rushed home as fast as I possibly could. I got home and had 20 minutes before we had to leave for the bus station. And in those 20 minutes I changed my clothes, emptied my school bag, put my clothes that I had already laid out the night before into it, took my trashes out, recorded and uploaded a three minute speech for my public speaking class, and ate dinner. It was crazy! Our roommate called us a secure taxi (it isn’t very safe to take a street taxi at night, especially without a male), and we were off! We made it to the bus station, picked up our pre-paid tickets, and boarded the bus. Eight hours later, I woke up in the city of Huaraz, which is in the Andes. I remember putting my winter coat on in the middle of the night and still being very cold when I woke up the next morning. Which is understandable, considering we were surrounded by mountains. We found a hostel, ate breakfast, and then embarked on a journey to find a tour. We decided on a three day trek called Santa Cruz. Included was transportation to the National Park, donkeys to carry our bags and the included camping gear, two donkey drivers, a tour guide, a cook, and all of our meals, all for 220 soles, or about 69 USD! I was a bit nervous because I had no idea what to expect, but it ended up being incredible.

We spent the next three days in the mountains. Not any mountains though… The ANDES Mountains! It still blows my mind that this is my life and that I am so blessed to do these incredible things. So why did I subtitle this post Asthma, Anxiety, and the Andes? Well, my dear friends, that is because I had some asthma issues while up in the Andes. Which occasionally resulted in a bit of anxiety issues. I have known for almost two years that I have exercise-induced anxiety. This basically means that when I exert my lungs, they become inflamed and this can progress into an asthma attack. I had never had an anxiety attack before. That is, not until I decided to trek through the Andes mountains at extremely high altitudes (the highest point we climbed to was over 15,000 feet). Luckily I didn´t have a full asthma attack. All three incidents when I began to have an anxiety attack, I was able to recognize and stop it. This also meant recognizing and stoping anxiety attacks, because every time my asthma started to get bad, my anxiety would start to rise. It´s kind of scary not being able to breathe, so this is understandable, I think. Also, I had never had an anxiety attack before, so diving headfirst into this scary unknown was terrifying. Not to mention that each time I happened to be way behind everyone else and wouldn´t be able to get help if I were to have a serious episode. Luckily, I was able to recognize and stop these simultaneous asthma and anxiety attacks all three times. I am so grateful for this and for my tendency to pay good attention to my body and the signs it gives me.

I struggled with frustration about my weak lungs the whole trip and was trying to understand why God would give me lungs that aren´t strong enough to support me and all of the things I want to know. In my pondering and in my time trekking all alone through the mountains, I did learn a few things, with the answer to this question being one of them. It was as I was standing in the valley alone (aside from the wild horses and llamas), looking back at the towering mountain peak that I had just climbed over. I realized that if I had strong lungs and that if I had been able to keep up with my group, I probably wouldnt be able to appreciate the moment quite like I was right then. I am grateful for my weak lungs because they require me to stop more often and enjoy the moment, something that many of us forget to do in our hectic lives.

I am so blessed to be able to have had this opportunity to spend a few days in the Andes Mountains. I learned so much about myself and was able to accomplish so much while also rejuvinating my mind. To this day it is still my favorite trip I´ve been on thus far, and I imagine that it will continue to be one of my favorites for the rest of my life.

With care,

Abby

I’ve been having trouble trying to find a time to actually sit down and write my blog posts. I have been so busy the past few weeks and I know my schedule won’t be clearing up any time soon (I can sleep when I die, right?)

I spent this past weekend in Paris with a tour group that Roehampton recommends to all study abroad students. Paris was alright but I highly doubt I will ever revisit it there unless someone pays for my trip for me. The weather was disgusting when I was there. There was an overcast every day and it was freezing outside. The trip really made me realize how much I love live in London. I feel so much more comfortable here than I did in Paris. Although I did enjoy the bike tour of the city we went on. That was actually pretty fun and I didn’t fall once which was nice. My favorite part about my trip to France was the Gardens of Versailles. They were beautiful and I loved being able to explore the history there.

My least favorite part of Paris (besides the weather) was the sketchy environment. Paris wasn’t as dirty or smelly as I have been told but there are a lot of pick-pocketers and loitering every where you go. I kept a close watch on all my belongings and unlike here in London, I don’t think I would have felt safe exploring the city on my own. But that might also have something to do with the language barrier. It was very eyeopening for me to be in a place where the main language wasn’t English. Even though most people I talked with spoke English, it was different for me to be on the Metro and not hear a word of English. Now that I look back I am wondering if my views on Paris would be different had I spent more time there. It was such a big culture shock that I bet it would take a lot longer than three days for me to begin to settle in.

The weekend before I left for Paris I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour here in England. It was so great! I grew up reading Harry Potter and watching the movies so being on the actual set brought my childhood to life and I absolutely loved it! When I turned into Diagon Alley I was so happy I shed a few tears. It was unreal. I could have spent all day in there but unfortunately the studio was about to close and we had to rush through the last half of the tour. It was so neat being able to see the actual stage sets and costumes used during all eight movies.

The same weekend I went to the studio tour I also spent a day traveling outside London. Me and a group of my friends decided to travel to Eastbourne and Brighton, two cities on the coast of England. We hiked up a huge mountain in Eastbourne that looked over the ocean one way and the town the other way. It was beautiful but I really regretted not bringing my inhaler with me. In Brighton we ate at a restaurant on the dock and I had the most delicious fish and chips ever! I also had a Nutella, Banana, and creme crepe from a small booth on the dock and it was the most amazing dessert I have ever tasted. We spent almost the entire day walking around so I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt eating the whole crepe myself.

I cannot believe I have been living in London for over a month already. I absolutely love it here. It really is beginning to feel like home. If I could move my family and friends and my little puppy Lilo over here I would never leave. I probably said that in my last blog post but that is because it is sooo true! It is hard for me to write about my experience here because there are no words that can actually describe my experience.

Since being here I have found a new love for coffee and pasta. Pasta is cheap to make and coffee keeps me functioning.

I would like to thank my mom for sending me American mac and cheese. I can’t wait to receive the next shipment. I already have Spam waiting in my room to be added to the yumminess. 

I can’t help but still feel stunned that I’m finally here, meeting such wonderful people, and participating in adventures I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Before I talk about the week and my weekend in Banos, here are some pictures from my weekend in Mindo that missed the cut last time:

Here was the old grandpa horse that I got to ride for my first experience.

And here is a shot of me making my way down a 135 foot waterfall. The picture probably speaks for itself, but I was sufficiently drenched.

The rest of last week went wonderfully. I had some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had at a place called Crepes and Waffles. Since then we have already returned for delicious crepes, and a chocolate fondue plate that would probably cost like $35 in the US. $11 here seemed more than doable.

This weekend we took a 4 hour bus ride to the city of Banos. Much like the rest of Ecuador, the city is surrounded by massive mountains that seem to go directly upwards no matter where you turn.

Banos is one of Ecuador’s destinations for extreme sports. After having 3 exhausting weeks, we decided to take advantage of the more relaxing aspects of the area, but kept a look out for the activities we wanted to do when we return.

In Banos you can get an hour long Swedish massage for about $30, and a pedicure or manicure for $10. These are also the more expensive prices for such offers. I was a party-pooper and didn’t end up getting either, but I doubt I’ll leave this place without doing something of that nature.

This town definitely has a sweet tooth. Candy shops on every corner. Here you can watch vendors hang massive chunks of naturally flavored taffy, then pull and spin them out until soft and smooth. After that, you watch them twist the taffy into different shapes which you can buy packaged up.

Here is a guy doing the spinning of the taffy. The taste is delicious, and it’s better to turn a blind eye when it comes to the hand hygiene of the person making your sweets. (What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, right?)

There’s also beautiful scenery that you can hike around. And if you’re real adventurous, you can look at that scenery while jumping off of a 10 story bridge with a single rope harnessed around your waste. We decided to pass on that. However, on the way to a fun hike called El Pailon Del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron), our cab driver stopped along the way to show off 7 of Banos’ most famous waterfalls. Now don’t repeat this, but Oregon definitely has Ecuador beat in this department. I had to keep my mouth shut as tourists from around the world “ooo’d” and “aww’d” at waterfalls (cascadas) that don’t even begin to compare to those we see just a short drive from Eugene or Portland.

However, the Devil’s Cauldron was spectacular. A short but steep hike takes you to a peek above an incredibly large and strong waterfall that gushes around and down into a canyon, making water spray up in every direction. From here you can take a slippery stairwell down into the center of the canyon and get your shower for the day, or you can crawl up through a dark canal to a higher lookout point, or you can take a slightly sketchy draw bridge across the cauldron and get a bird’s eye view.

I really enjoy touristy towns for multiple reasons, but one of them is the fantastic vegetarian food offered that is no where to be found in Quito. Here in Banos they even offered pasta with tofu and quinoa burgers. Not to mention the fantastic freshly squeezed juice or smoothies you get all over Ecuador for about $0.75. With that price, it’s really difficult not to get one every day.

The greenery in this country feels like home in Oregon. Although the mountains are crazier than I’ve ever seen back in the states, the constant vegetation is incredibly comforting.

In Banos you can go to the Casa Del Arbol (house of the tree) and swing from a spot called “The Swing at the Edge of the Earth.” So of course, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. After securing yourself into a swing attached to a tree house, you pick your feet up from a ramp and swing out over the side of a mountain. For the majority of the experience you’re truly flying through air, with nothing below you for hundreds of feet.

While waiting your turn on the unregulated swing, you could also try and balance on some random pieces of wood that remind me a lot of the kid’s jungle gyms at the preschool.

Banos was fun and interesting, but it was nice to make it back home on Sunday to relax, get some dinner, and prepare for the upcoming week that is currently my last with the kiddos.

Although they can be incredibly aggravating, they can be even more sweet. I’m going to miss getting tackled by 30 little bodies every morning yelling “Buenos Dias Profesora McKenzie!” And having to wash my hands a million times because they pick their nose then hold my hand. They also love to “wash” their hands and then shove them straight in my face because they think I need to smell the antibacterial soap.

The letters “McK” and “McC” never appear together in the Spanish language (too my knowledge). This makes my name exceptionally difficult for most adults here to pronounce. So it’s pretty adorable listening to the little ones try so hard to call me by my name. They end up pronouncing it: “MAH-KHAN-SY.” Close enough 🙂

Some other random but interesting pieces of the culture:

-Even if you pay for a non-stop bus ride, you have to be prepared for multiple stops on what seem to be random highways to pick up hitch hikers that wave money to show they’re willing to pay the bus driver. If there are no seats available, they’ll be invited to sit up front with the driver. Most bus drivers also allow street vendors to climb on the bus and shove products in your face while you’re trying to sleep. Obviously I’m not much of a fan of that.

-Ecuador, and I’m assuming the majority of Latin America, has a very beautiful appreciation and acceptance for the human body. You’re likely to find murals and sculptures in almost any town of pregnant women captured as Mother Earth, couples dancing, and even just poses of the naked body. Even the women here seem to be accepted for all their shapes and sizes much more than you would ever see in the United States. There’s definitely a sensual vibe to the majority of the artwork, but I think it’s pretty beautiful. They have even found preserved pottery and paintings from the Incas and early humans in South America the capture the vulnerability of the human body and sexual poses in a very matter-of-fact way. I think it’s somewhat ridiculous that the United States is so obsessed when it comes to sex in pornographic ways, but so prude when it comes to appreciating the human body without over-sexualizing it or accepting it in its natural forms.

-Movies here are absolutely all North American films. Then you either have the choice of Spanish subtitles, OR Spanish voices dubbed over the English speaking actors. Sometimes that means the same voice for every character in the movie, no madder the age or gender.

-Every hostel we have been to here has had some sort of pet roaming the halls and entertainment areas. I LOVE it. I miss my kitties a lot, so it feels nice to snuggle up to an animal once in a while. Even if that animal’s name is Tarzan and wants nothing to do with you.

-For being the very religious, and what I would consider conservative, country that Ecuador is, there are a decent amount of actions and laws that surprise me. Here, both prostitution and marijuana are legal. I’m not fully up to date on the rules that it entails, or whether or not this is seen as progressive by anyone, but it’s not what I would typically expect. The bathrooms in the school that I’m working at are also gender-neutral. One big bathroom shared by all kids without the unnecessary emphasis on gender roles and expectations. I love it. (I also worked with the 5 year olds today on the human body. I was so happy to see the teacher speak about genitalia just as casually as you would an arm or a leg. It’s totally unnecessary to add all this explicit adult content to a body part to make the child get the impression it is somehow dirty or wrong. So way to go public schools in Ecuador for just teaching it how it is).

-The sidewalks in Quito desperately need some attention. If I’m not constantly looking down at my feet, I’m rolling an ankle. I wear my calf-high boots when walking longer distances to try and protect myself from breaking something (knock on wood).

(that’s a sidewalk)

-After beginning my research about health in the United States and Ecuador, I wanted to share a few statistics that hopefully remind us back in the US how lucky the majority of us truly are: Ecuador’s childhood mortality rate is 24 in 1000 kids, over three times higher than the US. Over 92% of children in the United States have access to a measles vaccines while less than 65% of kids in Ecuador have that opportunity. Ecuador’s maternal mortality rate is over 5 times higher than the US’s, and while very few deaths have been due to tuberculosis in the US, the numbers in Ecuador are over 35 times higher.

Many of you may know by now, but I have recently purchased plane tickets to Cusco, Peru in December to cross Machu Picchu off my bucket list. Traveling with me is my Aunt Anna and friend Blake. It will be so nice to travel with some familiar faces.

Alright, that’s it for now! Chao from Quito!

Currently in bed after a great but veerry late night last night. I feel so much more lively here than at WOU, hope that is okay to say…

It was a but of a rough week with actual assignments due for the first time which included a 1200-1500 word paper for my Philosophy of Religion class and worksheets for Linguistics. Very happy to be done for the week.

Probably going into Central tomorrow for a wander and to pick up my new pair of glasses I apparently need. Also my friends from Sweden are in London for the weekend so spending the day with them on Saturday and showing them around London and doing a pub crawl in the evening which will be lovely.

I am so happy here but I suppose the only thing is having a proper routine. I stayed up so late last night which means I woke up really late and still might have a nap or go to bed earlier than normal. A nighttime routine is proving difficult for a lot of my friends though because some of them go out every opportunity. I don’t know if I will just get used to it or I will eventually have some kind of routine. All part of Uni life though 🙂

Yet again, a week late with my blog post!

Third week of classes gone by, the year is already going by so fast. My classes are starting to get more demanding and I will have more independent work this weekend but having classes only two days a week means I have plenty of time!

I went into Central on my own on Monday which was so nice. I love London so much and as hopefully my future home, I want to get it to know it more. I needed a book for French so I found a bookshop on Charing Cross to get it, having lunch on the way. The weather wasn’t ideal but being from Seattle a little rain was’t a big deal. It was nice to be in Central on my own and go at my own pace and even getting lost once or twice was fine because then I will learn more about the city.

Need to go in again on Friday for an eye test at Specsavers and then spending the say with aunties in Surrey which I am really looking forward to. It is amazing how comfortable I feel here and how much like home it feels.

**I was not able to rotate some of the pictures for some reason. Sorry, so frustrating.**

Despite getting over a stomach bug and then developing a small cold, I had a fantastic weekend–probably in the top 10 best weekends of my life.

The four of us interns spent all of Friday exploring Quito because Kristina, the latest intern to arrive, had yet to really see the city. We toured La Basilica, Ecuador’s tallest church, and climbed all the way to the top and looked out over the entire city.

Lauren has a friend from the United States that lives in Quito, so we got to spend Friday evening with her, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s friend. As much as I enjoy hanging out with our Spanish teachers and Rosita, the house mother, it was nice to spend time with people our own age that knew the city. While with these people we got into a tiny fender-bender in a parking garage, where we MAY have gotten our car’s paint onto another parked car. I spent the next 45 minutes using my sweater and some dish soap getting the paint out, and sure enough, the security guard let us leave without leaving our information! When we came back, he said the owner never noticed a thing…Now perhaps this was SLIGHTLY unethical, but in our defense, I guess that’s just kind of how things roll over here.

We planned on taking the Teleferico, a cable car, that goes up one of Quito’s highest mountains that looks over the city, but at about 5pm Quito got it’s first rain in months, and the cloud cover was too thick for a good view. So we will have to go back another time. However, I DID see a 10 foot tall, glow in the dark, dancing robot at a bar that night. So that kind of makes up for it.

Saturday morning we went to Mindo, which is 2 hours North West of Quito and puts us right in the rainforest. SO BEAUTIFUL. Our hostel was a cabin, and we got to our room by climbing up a ladder. Once inside, there were huge windows looking out into the trees…it was literally like a treehouse. We had a blast. It was also right next to the river where I got to see an amazing sunrise and tons of birds.

This was the view from our beds. Told you, totally a treehouse. AND HOT WATER — best part about hostels is not having to take cold showers.

While in Mindo we made sure to fill our time with as much activities as possible. Lauren and I went horseback riding through the forest/jungle, which is a really big deal for me. Not only am I terrified of horses, but it was also my first time riding one. It’s probably safe to say I won’t have a better experience in that department. Which I’m okay with.

After that we repelled down a waterfall, which I didn’t expect to be so scared of, but once I got up there, saw the equipment, saw the 135+ foot WATERFALL, and then the guide only spoke in Spanish to explain the procedure, I started to panic. And luckily, I have a gopro video of the entire thing capturing my moments of pure terror. However, it did NOT capture the moment where I saw the person below, that was supposed to be securing the other end of the rope, NOT holding the rope, and TEXTING. Thank goodness I didn’t let go right? 🙂

View of the Mindo rainforest

Post-waterfall repelling

Oh, and this was our method of transportation all weekend:

Riding in style

After cleaning up from repelling, and taking a zipline swing across the river, we toured a local chocolate factory. There they grow the fruit, cut it open, harvest the beans, ferment them, then turn them into chocolate. We got to see the whole process, and the best part was the samples at the end. Who knew chocolate, chili powder, and ginger went so good together?

We finished the evening with a fantastic dinner (freshly made pizza, we watched the guy go cut off the vegetables) and some dancing. The people here are amazing dancers. It’s seems to be part of growing up. Like learning to tie your shoes, you learn to dance. There was live music in the park and I watched a 3 year old with way better dance moves than I will ever hope to have. Luckily, the majority of the locals find my two left feet endearing–or at least they pretend to 🙂

Sunday was filled with more relaxing activities. We visited a butterfly reserve, hiked in a nice German couple’s back yard (the bugs were not so nice. I was bit by fire ants), drank lemon grass tea on a balcony, and observed some of Mindo’s many bird species.

We also spent the time taking advantage of some of the best snacks I’ve been offered. I had helado de paila (kind of like a sorbet) inside quinoa pudding…very interesting. But the food that stole the show was the grilled corn and bananas, dunked in sauce and cheese (not cheddar cheese–I wish). The corn here, called “choclo,” is massive, much lighter in color and texture, and almost fluffy. SO good. A lady and her husband sold them at a small market along with chicken kabobs.

Grilled bananas are really common here. It makes the texture very interesting, and makes them about 5 times as sweet. The sauce and cheese was a good touch to taming down the sugar.

We got home late Sunday night, the bust taking almost two hours longer than usual due to the massive amount of wrecks on the road. It was a holiday weekend over here, so there were at least triple the amount of travelers. Sadly, that created some fatalities.

As I already told some family members, I’m not yet homesick, however I miss the normalcy and familiarity of home, where things are just easy. Stores have more than one product, I don’t have to worry about who prepared my food and how they did it, I could drive myself around when I wanted, where I wanted, etc. It’s exhausting being in a new country, learning so much EVERY DAY. I’m constantly being aware of my surroundings, watching the culture with curiosity, translating everything I can in my head, all while making new friends and working and going to school. However, today I was able to find a Subway and it was a little piece of heaven. Funny what 15 minutes in a familiar setting can do for your psyche.

The preschoolers are hilarious. And by hilarious I mean devil children. Haha no they’re sweet…but then sometimes they’re not. Half of them just want to love on me and share their snacks and hear “muy bien! Lindo!” when they show me their coloring books. The OTHER half want me to cry myself to sleep at night I’m pretty sure. 🙂 They have caught on that I don’t know a ton of Spanish, so when I give orders they’ll be like “what was that? I don’t think you’re saying that right. I don’t understand you.” Even though I KNOW my classroom commands are fine…I use them A LOT. They’re a handful, but I love them all. Even when they take sewing needles and put them pointing upwards on the carpet under my desk…

However, today I started to notice some of the issues the kids and teachers are facing. Although the school puts on a good front, they’re very poor. The teacher I’m helping was distraught today when she realized she only had enough funds for either 1) classroom paper or 2) a clean water dispenser for the kids. A little boy also showed me bruises on his arms and told me he was scared to go home because he “wasn’t strong.” This brought me to tears. Protecting children here doesn’t work like it does in the US. The parents would be notified about the accusation and likely take their kid out of school. If there truly is abuse in the household, it would likely get worse in this situation, and then the child wouldn’t have the five hours of a safe place to play. So unfortunately, it’s likely safer for the child if action was not taken. So while wrestling with this dilemma, I just reminded him that he was safe here and very loved.

Tomorrow I start a research project analyzing the children’s health and comparing it to children’s health in the United States. Then I will look at the accuracy and availability of vaccinations in both the US and Ecuador to draw further conclusions on why their health may differ.

Here are some more things I’ve noticed while being here:

-There are just as many female police officers as male police officers…Maybe even more. Which is SO unlike the United States. I’d like to know the reasoning behind that trend, but whatever the reason, it seems pretty cool.

-You can only buy liquid yogurt here. Like in a cup that you drink.

-Ecuadorians like to put pineapple in everything apparently. Which isn’t awesome for me, considering I’m allergic and all.

-The snacks and sweets lack all the additives and artificial ingredients that are in the US. I’ve unintentionally lost a little bit of weight from the fresher food and the huge amount of walking we do.

-Taxi drivers don’t pick you up if it’s raining and you’re soaked. So you’re screwed.

-Sometimes what get’s lost in translation can be hilarious. The Spanish verb “molestar” means “too annoy” or “too bother.” Luckily, we knew this in Mindo when a store owner came up and told us in English he was not trying to “molest” us. We didn’t have the heart to tell the guy he wasn’t saying what he thought he was. We just thanked him for telling us his intentions. Lol it’s fine because last week I was trying to ask if the juice had pineapple in it (pina) but instead asked if it had penis in it (pene). Awesome.

Well that’s all for now! Happy Wednesday!