So this afternoon I write in a little bit of a limbo because I don't have classes. We have had more than a full week between the last session of Spanish and this next session. It starts on Wednesday, so I have two days now to catch up on the business that needs done, which includes writing on the blog that I have neglected for a month. I haven't really felt like writing because a while ago I lost my thumb drive. 8GB of audiobooks and two months of photos were lost. I was a little upset. Luckily my team is all sharing photos, so I won't be totally out of memories, but I had some great photos and it is sad that I no longer have them.
My dad left Saturday night for the States. He was here for 6 days and we nearly wore each other out! It was a fantastic visit. My dad even took all of us that were in Quito out to dinner, which ended up being really swell, as we ate at this great little restaurant looking over Old Town Quito. We went to Baños and the Teleférico and La Basilica and El Museo del Banco Central and PUCE and the zoo and the big market. We had tons of fun. I can't say how much I miss my family, so it was fantastic to have a member here to share my current home with me.
I'm missing Moscow a lot. I'm fairly jealous of those that are there and got to enjoy the fall colors of the city and campus. Not that I'm not having fun here, I just love Moscow too. And home.
So, I am having to patch together what I have done since I last wrote using my diary, which, I will admit, is not always completely descriptive. I think that the last time I wrote was after Baños and the rafting trip.
So the week after Baños, we did our volunteer work. I went to Las Casas on Tuesday and felt completely useless. The language barrier makes it so hard! Compounded on top of that is the fact that they do all their stuff here differently. The whole schooling system is different. Kids have to have their careers picked out in high school so they can begin focusing on them then. That would suck. I don't even know what I want to do with my life yet, I just know what I like and I am going from there. But on this particular Tuesday, I was in the older kids' class and I was trying to help a little boy with his long division and besides the fact that it has been far too long since I have done long division to remember how to do it, everything about his method was backward from what I thought I knew. So while I was helping someone else, the kid started to cry silently and the other kids just wanted to gather around and watch him cry and poke fun at him. It was very very sad because there was nothing I could do to help him! Plus, I remember feeling exactly the same way in elementary school. Learning new concepts in math and then having a huge assignment in front of you is so incredibly daunting! It's not like it's something you can just look up in a book and read about and automatically know. I remember nights where I would cry over my math homework because I was so frustrated and those were not fun.
Wednesday was again at La Opción de Vida and we again did laundry. I think if I didn't have David there with me, I would go mad from boredom. But he keeps me laughing and talking and joking, so we have a good time. That and the bags of cookies they give us every week.
Thursday was taco and crepe night at Caitlin's house. Mmmmm.... they were so good. I love our weekly food parties we have as the Idaho team. They make me happy and it's a really cool tradition. Coolest part? I started it. :)
The weekend was Otavalo, which was both interesting and informative. Otavalo is a small town that is well-known for its massive marketplace. It was pretty incredible, though I didn't spend much money because I just wasn't feeling it.
We stayed at this really cool place called Las Cabañas del Lago, or The Cabins on the Lake. The place was so cool! Caitlin and I shared a cabin which had a fireplace! The hotel had bunnies to pet and chickens and mini-golf and a swimming area and a restaurant and these fantastic tire-swing-zipline things. While we had a break, we built a fire in Caitlin and my cabin and chilled out. Then we had a coffee break. We thought some of the desserts were for us, but we were informed that no, we just got coffee and empanadas. The restaurant seemed to be proudly displaying their mousses and I really wanted one, so as Cait, a girl from Keene State, Massachusettes, was walking past our table, I asked her to grab me one, all casual-like because I knew she didn't know that they weren't for us. So as one of the waitresses was pouring coffee, Cait waited and then as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she grabbed me a chocolate mousse, gave it to me and went to her own table. We laughed and laughed and laughed at that one, not telling her until much later what exactly that all was about.
Between that coffee break and dinner, three of the girls decided to start drinking, but David Alex, David, Landon, Caitlin and I decided to go swimming in the chilly lake. It was very dark and very cold and the guys were mostly swimming in boxers because they hadn't anticipated the swimming. In the swimming area, there was a very large inflatable play area that had a ladder and a slide/jumping thing. I climbed up it and when I got to the top, the whole thing folded on me! It collapsed forward so that I was stuck somewhere in between the big climb-up part and the jump-onto part.
When we all gathered to get on the boat that would take us around the lake, it was pretty obvious that the girls were drunk. The boat ride consisted of one of the men from another college and one of the women from ours making-out, before she started majorly throwing up over the side of the boat. And yeah, we were mad at the other guy for making-out with someone he should have known was so drunk. When we docked, it took her a minute and several helpers to get up from the puking position and off the boat. She was taken to her room and put in bed, where multiple people took care of her. Luckily for us, one of the girls that was on the trip was an EMT in her hometown and since it was a college town, drunk people were her specialty. Our girl kept getting worse, forgetting her name and unable to answer questions. Impressively, however, she would answer English questions in Spanish. While wasted. Idaho stayed late into the night because we were so worried and eventually a medic was called and she got an IV. Needless to say, by the next morning, she was feeling pretty lousy about what had happened and apologized profusely to everyone. Honestly, we were all just glad that she was okay. People sometimes make mistakes, but I'm just glad hers was recoverable. Before she went to sleep with the IV, I left her some bread because she happens to be a bread fanatic, and she started giggling uncontrollably.
Before 7 in the morning, Caitlin, David Alex, Landon, David and I were out swimming again. My oh my, how cold that was! The sun had only recently risen and we were jumping from a half a story up. I'll admit, the combo of morning wood and cold water and a lack of a proper swimsuit was really disgusting. Caitlin and I just acted like everything was normal.
Breakfast was divine! Such great eggs. We got to sit in the sunshine and have real coffee. That afternoon we also saw Correa, the president of Ecuador. Pretty cool. He's a handsome fellow. Some people got to shake his hand and get a picture with him, but I did not. I was okay with that, since he looked a little peeved at not being able to enjoy his meal because of stupid Americans.
The week to follow was pretty average. Classes, volunteer work, go-go-go. I also noticed that I'm putting on weight and it is driving me a little mad. I have so little opportunity for exercise here, because of both the lack of time and the danger in doing most things. I got a fake bill as an IOU which was really frustrating because I couldn't spend it. Luckily the girl replaced it with a real one for me. My cousin got married.
As an outing for my Spanish class, we went to Cochasquí, a site with ancient pyramids from ancient people. That was fun, but Caitlin, Ashley and I decided to roll down one of them like we used to do when we were little. We discovered that there were pokies, but we put on sweatshirts and rain jackets and went for it anyway. That was a bad choice! They went through our jeans and sweatshirts and rain jackets. My rain jacket even got ripped on the sleeve from one. I had rashes all over my arms and thighs for a week and I was digging out tiny little slivers from my arms because they were swelling up. Bleh.
When we got home, I hung out with the Davids for a while until we had pizza night at Ashley's. We were supposed to go to Natalie's, but her mom was sick. The BBQ chicken pizza was so freaking amazing! I went home a little early to catch my host-cousin's going-away party, which was delightful! Homemade mojitos and fantastic desserts! Ooo boy they were good.
The next week was USB-losing week, so I didn't really like that much.
The weekend after we went to the beach! We played in the waves and body-surfed and exhausted ourselves completely. The food was fantastic and the company was great. I hung out with the guys because the girls were being pretty boring. During the day, they just wanted to lay in the sun in bikinis and at night they just wanted to drink. So I was a kid and played in the waves and SLEPT. And I didn't even get burnt until the last day! At which point I fell asleep in the sun while the girls were gone for lunch and got so burnt that I am still peeling.
Then of course was my dad's visit, followed by a lounging day yesterday, watching How I Met Your Mother with the Davids. David stayed until 10:30, at which point my host-brother kicked him out so he could turn on the alarm. I'm getting really frustrated that they don't trust me to do anything. They must think I am incompetent because they won't give me the password for the alarm in case I come home and it goes off, nor will they teach me how to turn it on so that they don't have to wait up for me to go to bed. Because I don't want to make them wait up for me and rearrange their schedules so they're always around when I am. I like having an empty house sometimes. And I want to not bother them, but I also want to have friends stay over or make my own schedule but I CAN'T. And it is really getting to me because I feel like now they think I am rude for keeping them up or being too un-planned, but I just want a little bit of my freedom! I want to come and go as a please without feeling like I am bothering anyone! So... as you can tell, I am a little upset about this.
Well, this is all I have for right now. I'll post some photos later, but for now I hope everyone is doing well! Peace, Love and Oreos! (Eat an Oreo for me, would you?)
Emily
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
New and Improved Previous Post
Afternoon! I found myself a moment this afternoon to sit down and write about Ecuador. Here it goes...
Ummmm..... I don't know what I wrote about last time, but I will highlight some of the more impressive things (meaning they made an impression on me- can be both positive and negative).
I bought a phone. I even memorized the number. 09 282xxxx. Two days after I bought this phone that I really liked (it was the cheapest, but still $50), I was pick-pocketed. I'm just thankful nothing was violent and it happened to be the only thing in that particular pocket, so that is all he got from me. And I only shed one tear afterward! :) Quite the achievement for this easily bruised soul.
This pick-pocketing happened as I was coming back from getting my gear from an outdoor shop. I was loaded down with impermeable pants, gaiters, boots, crampons, ice pick, helmet, gloves, and more. The next day, I got up at 5:00 in the morning, left at dawn to meet the Andinismo Club, which is an outdoor club here on campus, and we headed off on a bus to the town of Cayambe. We were going to climb on the mountain Cayambe which is the only glacier on the equatorial line. Altogether it took a cab ride, a long bus ride, a cramped truck ride where I had the gear shift persistently knocked into my thigh, and a small hike in over-powering winds. We practiced climbing all day on Saturday in the snow and on the glaciers. I'll be honest, my knees are very bruised still. We learned braking and roping as a team and we had some fun sliding down and attempting to stop ourselves before we slid to our deaths.
That night we slept in el Refugio, or the Refuge, which had bunks, no heating, and ice-covered windows. It was delightfully movie-like. In the morning, the other brave souls, which did not include me, got up at 2 AM to climb more! They were on the hill by 3:00 and off by 9:00. And then we did the whole fun travel in reverse (although on the way back I got to sit in the BACK of the truck where we rode like cattle in a farmer's pickup). Yet again delightful.
I had oatmeal with peanut butter and raisins and panella for the first time. Mmmm.... That was good. And then I came back to Quito and told my host-mom about it and she thought I didn't have a stove, so when she fixed "oatmeal" for me, she did it without cooking the oats, just putting some other cereal in with it and pouring milk on top. She thought I was a little weird for wanting it that way and I thought she was a little weird for fixing it that way. When I asked her, a couple of days later, if I could make her oatmeal the way I eat it, she said sure and that was when we both realized that we ate oatmeal in the same way. Funny thing. But I now like it with milk as well. If you ever get to try that, I recommend it too. But mostly I just recommend the peanut butter. :)
I started my volunteering for real last week. I work at an after-school program up in the hills of Quito on Tuesdays. Wow, what an overwhelming task. Luckily, us American whities could handle the amount of loving that the kids needed. We gave out hugs the entire day and had kids crawling on our backs and up our legs and into our laps. Some people might say they were clingy, but it wasnt true... we are the clingy ones.
On Wednesdays I go to a park here in town called La Carolina. In La Carolina is a little institution called Opción de Vida, where young men from the ages of 6-18 go so they can take showers, eat, and do homework or learn. I go at 3:00 in the afternoon and wash dirty clothing. These boys are from the street and they have no place to live. Many of them perform tricks at intersections to make money. Even more of them use drugs. And I have no idea how high the number is for those that steal to live. Either way, it is a little dangerous for us to go; us ladies are not allowed to go alone and we definitely aren't allowed to go through the park at night. Hence why I have my body guard, my buddy David. P.S. as a side note, our group is plagued by Davids. My brother's name is David, my host-brother's name is David, we have two Davids in our group of Idaho, one of the girl's boyfriends name is David. We're just swimming in Davids. That was just interesting to note. Not at all pertinent to my stories.
Then there was this last weekend! I know, really impressive. Breathe in, now breathe out. Hard to grasp that a weekend would follow the week days, but it did! Did it there? I don't know.
Okay, stop you silly people. Back to the real stuff. This weekend we went to Baños, a local excursion town. We rode the bus there—it took like four and a half hours!—and then stayed in a hostel for $6.50/person/night. Quite swell. We went rafting in level 4-5 rapids where it was basically just like getting a firehouse pointed at your face. I was in the raft with my friend Caitlin and these three older gentlemen from Barcelona. They were beautiful people. I don't even mean that they were hot, they were just handsome and striking and they spoke beautiful Castilian Spanish and they were so NICE and incredibly enthusiastic. One of them even pulled me back into the raft when I went overboard during a rapid! Quite nice of him to save my life. And we jumped off cliffs into the water (our rear ends hit the rocks at the bottom, but it didn't hurt). We sat in the hot pools and visited the waterfall. We sat around this great fireplace in our hostel and drank tea and coffee. The second night three of the girls and one guy got rather wasted rather quickly, which ended up in a pair of broken glasses, a missing set of keys, and a long night for David and I. But all was well and David and I were grateful to not be the ones with hangovers the next morning.
And when I say they got wasted, I mean they had multiple Bob Marleys, which are red, yellow and green shots that are lit on fire and drunk with a straw. I had a couple the first night and they were way too much fun, but when my nasal cavities decided it was time for me to be sick again, I decided to pass on them for the second night.
Sunday morning before we left we had a breakfast that I can only describe as divine. REAL coffee (as opposed to instant—the only thing you can find in Ecuador), pancakes with fruit and yogurt, french toast with thick syrup, homemade bread with homemade mermelada and a muffin. Can't beat that with a stick, I tell you.
Ummmm..... I don't know what I wrote about last time, but I will highlight some of the more impressive things (meaning they made an impression on me- can be both positive and negative).
I bought a phone. I even memorized the number. 09 282xxxx. Two days after I bought this phone that I really liked (it was the cheapest, but still $50), I was pick-pocketed. I'm just thankful nothing was violent and it happened to be the only thing in that particular pocket, so that is all he got from me. And I only shed one tear afterward! :) Quite the achievement for this easily bruised soul.
This pick-pocketing happened as I was coming back from getting my gear from an outdoor shop. I was loaded down with impermeable pants, gaiters, boots, crampons, ice pick, helmet, gloves, and more. The next day, I got up at 5:00 in the morning, left at dawn to meet the Andinismo Club, which is an outdoor club here on campus, and we headed off on a bus to the town of Cayambe. We were going to climb on the mountain Cayambe which is the only glacier on the equatorial line. Altogether it took a cab ride, a long bus ride, a cramped truck ride where I had the gear shift persistently knocked into my thigh, and a small hike in over-powering winds. We practiced climbing all day on Saturday in the snow and on the glaciers. I'll be honest, my knees are very bruised still. We learned braking and roping as a team and we had some fun sliding down and attempting to stop ourselves before we slid to our deaths.
That night we slept in el Refugio, or the Refuge, which had bunks, no heating, and ice-covered windows. It was delightfully movie-like. In the morning, the other brave souls, which did not include me, got up at 2 AM to climb more! They were on the hill by 3:00 and off by 9:00. And then we did the whole fun travel in reverse (although on the way back I got to sit in the BACK of the truck where we rode like cattle in a farmer's pickup). Yet again delightful.
I had oatmeal with peanut butter and raisins and panella for the first time. Mmmm.... That was good. And then I came back to Quito and told my host-mom about it and she thought I didn't have a stove, so when she fixed "oatmeal" for me, she did it without cooking the oats, just putting some other cereal in with it and pouring milk on top. She thought I was a little weird for wanting it that way and I thought she was a little weird for fixing it that way. When I asked her, a couple of days later, if I could make her oatmeal the way I eat it, she said sure and that was when we both realized that we ate oatmeal in the same way. Funny thing. But I now like it with milk as well. If you ever get to try that, I recommend it too. But mostly I just recommend the peanut butter. :)
I started my volunteering for real last week. I work at an after-school program up in the hills of Quito on Tuesdays. Wow, what an overwhelming task. Luckily, us American whities could handle the amount of loving that the kids needed. We gave out hugs the entire day and had kids crawling on our backs and up our legs and into our laps. Some people might say they were clingy, but it wasnt true... we are the clingy ones.
On Wednesdays I go to a park here in town called La Carolina. In La Carolina is a little institution called Opción de Vida, where young men from the ages of 6-18 go so they can take showers, eat, and do homework or learn. I go at 3:00 in the afternoon and wash dirty clothing. These boys are from the street and they have no place to live. Many of them perform tricks at intersections to make money. Even more of them use drugs. And I have no idea how high the number is for those that steal to live. Either way, it is a little dangerous for us to go; us ladies are not allowed to go alone and we definitely aren't allowed to go through the park at night. Hence why I have my body guard, my buddy David. P.S. as a side note, our group is plagued by Davids. My brother's name is David, my host-brother's name is David, we have two Davids in our group of Idaho, one of the girl's boyfriends name is David. We're just swimming in Davids. That was just interesting to note. Not at all pertinent to my stories.
Then there was this last weekend! I know, really impressive. Breathe in, now breathe out. Hard to grasp that a weekend would follow the week days, but it did! Did it there? I don't know.
Okay, stop you silly people. Back to the real stuff. This weekend we went to Baños, a local excursion town. We rode the bus there—it took like four and a half hours!—and then stayed in a hostel for $6.50/person/night. Quite swell. We went rafting in level 4-5 rapids where it was basically just like getting a firehouse pointed at your face. I was in the raft with my friend Caitlin and these three older gentlemen from Barcelona. They were beautiful people. I don't even mean that they were hot, they were just handsome and striking and they spoke beautiful Castilian Spanish and they were so NICE and incredibly enthusiastic. One of them even pulled me back into the raft when I went overboard during a rapid! Quite nice of him to save my life. And we jumped off cliffs into the water (our rear ends hit the rocks at the bottom, but it didn't hurt). We sat in the hot pools and visited the waterfall. We sat around this great fireplace in our hostel and drank tea and coffee. The second night three of the girls and one guy got rather wasted rather quickly, which ended up in a pair of broken glasses, a missing set of keys, and a long night for David and I. But all was well and David and I were grateful to not be the ones with hangovers the next morning.
And when I say they got wasted, I mean they had multiple Bob Marleys, which are red, yellow and green shots that are lit on fire and drunk with a straw. I had a couple the first night and they were way too much fun, but when my nasal cavities decided it was time for me to be sick again, I decided to pass on them for the second night.
Sunday morning before we left we had a breakfast that I can only describe as divine. REAL coffee (as opposed to instant—the only thing you can find in Ecuador), pancakes with fruit and yogurt, french toast with thick syrup, homemade bread with homemade mermelada and a muffin. Can't beat that with a stick, I tell you.
This week has been pretty swell so far. Had a very entertaining day with David yesterday at La Carolina. We laughed a lot. And tonight I have Club Andinismo meeting and then Tacos and Crepes with the Idaho group. PUMPED for that part.
Oh, and I took a test last Friday and got a 94%. How did I pull it off? I have no idea, ask someone else.
I am going to sign off with some photos. Enjoy and I hope everyone is well! Peace and Love.
 |
| Ready to hit rapids! |
 |
| Annnnd hitting the rapids |
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| Idaho in nerdy rafting gear |
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| This is my boat as well and that's me taking water to the face! |
Monday, September 1, 2008
Momentary
Here is my second post. I finally figured out how to get into the computer lab on campus, so it should be easier for me to write from now on.
Also, if anyone would like to attempt the ridiculously confusing telephoning system, my home number is 593 xxx4415x. Good luck with that one. 593 is the country code for Ecuador and 2 is the city code for Quito. I wouldn´t have the foggiest idea how to call from there, hence the wishing of luck.
For now, be satisfied (or unsatisfied, depending on who you are) that I am alive!
Peace!
Also, if anyone would like to attempt the ridiculously confusing telephoning system, my home number is 593 xxx4415x. Good luck with that one. 593 is the country code for Ecuador and 2 is the city code for Quito. I wouldn´t have the foggiest idea how to call from there, hence the wishing of luck.
For now, be satisfied (or unsatisfied, depending on who you are) that I am alive!
Peace!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
First
I have not forgotten my blog. I have, however, been putting it off. Without a computer at my use except in a pay-by-the minute internet café, it's a little difficult to get to things when one wants to.
My flight to Ecuador was mostly uneventful. I made last phone calls in Atlanta and then watched movies for the whole flight to try and distract myself from what I was really doing. Was I a little nervous? Yes, I most certainly was. It was the hardest to say goodbye to my family, which involved finding the nearest restroom and locking myself in a stall for a brief breakdown and gathering myself up.
Customs was packed when I got in country. Some flights had been delayed and so we waited in line for at least an hour with three other planes worth of people in front.
Once I did get through however, I got to meet José, the Resident Director and Ruth, my host mom. Also Zanobi was there, who is my host brother. I had a long taxi ride home through the crazy streets of Ecuador late at night and I was soon acquainted with my room, which is actually very nice. Every morning I wake up to the sun pouring through my window and I can roll out of bed onto the hardwood floor. My shower, however, is rarely hot and it consists of a cold tub with a hose shower head attachment thing. But not to worry. I showered in a closet all summer that was never warm toward the end, so it's practically the same thing.
The first couple of days I spent locked in at home, partially because I didn't know the city and didn't have keys and partially because my mamí had to go help a friend. I didn't know anyone at that point, so I was definitely locked up.
On Sunday after arriving, I went to Itchimbia park, where I met most of my UI colleagues and the RD, José. The food at our restaurant was great, but we were all really uncomfortable with each other still. We did paperwork and a small city tour for the next couple of days until Wednesday, when we left for Yunguilla.
It was actually a little rough to try and acclimatize to one host family and then be up-rooted a couple of days later and try to get used to another family. While in Yunguilla, our team really bonded. We got to see the Yumbos ruins, weed the community garden, become "cement-ologists," make marmalade, make cheese, go on a hike on the Yumbos trails used centuries ago to transport contraband material through the jungle, go to a dance and milk cows. It really was a great experience!
The community was an interesting one, based quite a bit on socialistic principles, which worked for them. I found that I could never be a part of a community like that because I am far too independent, but it was still a great place. 
This last week we had Estudiantes Internacionales orientation. We got all orientated again and we even got to go to the Mitad del Mundo, or the Middle of the World. I'm including several photos with this post, so look there! We were right on the equator.
I have seen the Museo del Banco Central, a museum that houses the oldest artifacts in the country. Interestingly, when American students learn so much about the Incans back at home, they learn about the shortest-lived population in Ecuador. The museum was fascinating.
At El Ejido, we looked through artisan booths and the art that is out during the month of August. If I had a house, I would have bought some art to bring home. C'est la vie.
And then the sickness hit in and I have been struggling immunally ever since. But this is a cold and not the regular stomach sickness common in foreign travelers. Slowly I will conquer!
I love to hear from people, so definitely write to me! Classes will be starting tomorrow and I got into level 4 in Spanish, meaning that I can take some classes outside of Spanish! Pretty neat considering the first time I tested, I got into level 1. If I stay on track, I won't have Spanish classes by the second half of next semester.
And if you are wondering about the food, there has been NOTHING here that I have eaten that I did not like. It has all been great.
Other than that, the employee here in the Internet center has his girlfriend with him and I can't stand the persistent sound of smooching. So time to load some photos and get out of here!
Peace to everyone! Stay in good health!
Emily
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
WOW
Second month and I already have 17,000 subscribers! That's impressive!
Just kidding.
This is the address that I believe I will be receiving mail:
Emily K in:
La Floresta
Quito, Ecuador
Though I won't actually know until I can talk to my host mom and check on that. Cheers!
Just kidding.
This is the address that I believe I will be receiving mail:
Emily K in:
La Floresta
Quito, Ecuador
Though I won't actually know until I can talk to my host mom and check on that. Cheers!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Starting Out
It's still summer and I am just creating my blog. For those of you who I invited to be a part of my adventure in Ecuador, welcome! There was a strong request for me to set up a blog to keep everyone in the States up to date on what I will be doing. And I mostly just wanted to prevent forcing my parents to answer the same question ten thousand times. So this will be where you can check up on me and leave conversations with my parents to exciting things, like Idaho weather!
Having said that, I don't want to limit myself to this blog. I therefore promise no more than an ordinary update, and maybe sometimes no more than once a month. That way I won't feel tied to the computer. Since I'll be attempting to learn another language at a mad hard-core rate, it is possible that my English might suffer a little, or it might go to a little Spanglish, but I'll do my best! I'm also not going to be posting a bunch of sappy, gory, personal details here, just general impressions and a catalog of what I am doing. But I am almost one hundred percent positive that cataloging of events by itself should never be boring.
First of all, I wanted to include ways that I can be contacted while I am abroad. As of now, the only way is through my email, which is spacychicky@hotmail.com. I may eventually obtain a cell phone, but I would prefer not to, simply because I don't want the hassle. I will also have a mailing address, but I won't know that until I get there. My school email address is emilyk@***.edu but I would prefer to keep that reserved for business emails, so my hotmail address would be a better way to get hold of me.
Second, I wanted to explain a little more of what I will be doing. While I was still up in Moscow, I took a Spanish aptitude test for my placement in the language learning program. I will be a part of the intensive Spanish courses offered at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador for the first semester. I hope to then be at a high enough level in my Spanish abilities to take regular PUCE university classes for the second semester in their local Spanish language, but I'll just have to see when the time comes.
This program is a direct-exchange program through UI and is specifically set up as a Service-Learning program, which will include cross-cultural learning, global ethics, social responsibility, and service learning. I won't know specifically what I will be doing for this until I get there, but it should be fun.
I will be leaving the United States on August 1st, 2008. I bought a one-way ticket because my parents and I agreed that coming home for Christmas would only cause culture-shock complications with the rapid changes in cultures that a trip home would bring. Therefore, a specific date for my return is not chosen.
As a part of the culture shock, I can assure you that I will go through some extreme loneliness, trying to find friends in a culture that I don't understand yet. So, don't be afraid to write to me however you'd like. And I know that snail-mail abroad is rather slow and expensive, so I will welcome all communication warmly.
Thanks for the support everyone, and please enjoy your year.
Emmy
Having said that, I don't want to limit myself to this blog. I therefore promise no more than an ordinary update, and maybe sometimes no more than once a month. That way I won't feel tied to the computer. Since I'll be attempting to learn another language at a mad hard-core rate, it is possible that my English might suffer a little, or it might go to a little Spanglish, but I'll do my best! I'm also not going to be posting a bunch of sappy, gory, personal details here, just general impressions and a catalog of what I am doing. But I am almost one hundred percent positive that cataloging of events by itself should never be boring.
First of all, I wanted to include ways that I can be contacted while I am abroad. As of now, the only way is through my email, which is spacychicky@hotmail.com. I may eventually obtain a cell phone, but I would prefer not to, simply because I don't want the hassle. I will also have a mailing address, but I won't know that until I get there. My school email address is emilyk@***.edu but I would prefer to keep that reserved for business emails, so my hotmail address would be a better way to get hold of me.
Second, I wanted to explain a little more of what I will be doing. While I was still up in Moscow, I took a Spanish aptitude test for my placement in the language learning program. I will be a part of the intensive Spanish courses offered at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador for the first semester. I hope to then be at a high enough level in my Spanish abilities to take regular PUCE university classes for the second semester in their local Spanish language, but I'll just have to see when the time comes.
This program is a direct-exchange program through UI and is specifically set up as a Service-Learning program, which will include cross-cultural learning, global ethics, social responsibility, and service learning. I won't know specifically what I will be doing for this until I get there, but it should be fun.
I will be leaving the United States on August 1st, 2008. I bought a one-way ticket because my parents and I agreed that coming home for Christmas would only cause culture-shock complications with the rapid changes in cultures that a trip home would bring. Therefore, a specific date for my return is not chosen.
As a part of the culture shock, I can assure you that I will go through some extreme loneliness, trying to find friends in a culture that I don't understand yet. So, don't be afraid to write to me however you'd like. And I know that snail-mail abroad is rather slow and expensive, so I will welcome all communication warmly.
Thanks for the support everyone, and please enjoy your year.
Emmy
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