4.26.11
I enjoyed writing these. These are things that randomly pop up into my head and i, but aren´t worth a full story... so here ya go! Enjoy!
1. I had REAL chicken feet in the soup I ate on Easter… wish the nails/claws still on it!!
2. Women here wear a TON of perfume
3. I never in a million years would have bought the shoes I have on right now in the States. Just not my style. But here I love them. Probably because they were only $6 (And that was still the Gringa price)
4. There isn’t “snack” food here, really.
5. My host mother in Cuena owns a Spa (hair salon, manicures, corsets, massages, nutrition store, all in one location)
6. There is a Panaderia (bread bakery) on almost every block. In case you were wondering, the smell of fresh bread never gets old
7. I will not be getting a tan while here, sorry to disappoint (unless I go to the beach for vacation)
8. I’ve gained weight since being here, blahhhh
9. I still can’t believe I’m serving in the Peace Corps and in the 3rd largest, most beautiful city, in Ecuador. How did I get so lucky?
10. I work with a community tourism organization as my primary project
11. Someone today told me my Spanish was really good. I accidently laughed first and said thank you second
12. My Spanish REALLY needs to get better!
13. I really like my new host family
14. I REALLY love the Granola Thins that my friend Lauren sent me. Everyone, feel free to put those in the next package you send me
15. Women/girls dress up on a daily basis
16. This country is so amazingly beautiful, I can’t wait to travel!
17. I can’t wait for Josh to get here in August
18. I am really sick of potatoes. Thank goodness I haven’t had them since being in Cuenca… 5 days only.
19. Nuts are really expensive here. I really miss almonds, but reuse to pay $5 for a VERY small container.
20. I love being in this country
21. When I showed my host mother in Tumbaco my pictures from home… they didn’t know which one I was in the pictures, so I pointed myself out. And then they said, “you’re so pretty in these pictures!” haha, I guess that was a hint for me to start wearing make-up
22. I killed my first rather LARGE spider yesterday
23. My host mother in Cuenca likes to go walking with me
24. I have 3 host brothers… its definitely a change from only having 1 sister in the States, but they are super nice
25. Ecuadorians don’t use measuring cups or teaspoons here. It’s spoons or pinches
26. I’ve, thankfully, only been sick once since being here and that was the first full week I was here. My body was adjusting to the new diet
27. Shampoo/conditioner/lotion is REALLY expensive here (especially on my PC budget)
28. Ecuadorians don’t eat peanut butter
29. I REALLY miss my family and friends back home
30. I get sad when I hear about all the fun things my friends are doing in the States, then quickly remember I put myself in this situation and should not be sad. “After all, Heather, you did put yourself in this situation! It’s ONLY for 2 years. Only….. “
31. My host mother’s Spa got robbed on Good Friday L
32. I miss Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Peanut M&Ms, along with MANY other snacks and foods
33. I drink 2 cups of coffee a day here. One with breakfast, the other with lunch sometimes. In the States I never drank it.
34. I have gas frequently. Sick, I know
35. I walked into a restaurant/hotel where I use the internet yesterday and a guy goes, “Is that a Mizzou shirt?”
“Yes.”
“Are you from Missouri?”
“Yeah, I am and I went to school at Mizzou!”
“Wow, small world, I’m originally from there. What part are you from?”
“I’m from Saint Louis, and yourself?”
“Same here! Lived in West County. What part are you from?”
“I’m from South County.”
They were here on vacation. Pretty crazy! It was fun running into them, they were leaving for Peru in the evening.
36. My host mother gets a HUGE bag full of fresh shrimp from the coast shipped in every 2 weeks. Yes, they are delicious and yes, you should be jealous.
37. I miss the gym
38. There are a lot of things I left at home that I wish I would have brought with me instead of some of the things I did pack. Like, my boots, skinny jeans, and jewelry.
39. I could come up with a million more random thoughts, but I’m only going to go to 40
40. I’m impressed if you read this whole thing. I hope you enjoyed it because I really liked writing it.
I love these random thoughts! Keep doing them! I like #14 and 34 the best!! Lol what's your new address?! -Dieckmann
ReplyDeleteYou'll be surprised how tan you'll get there. When I studied abroad there I came home and people were amazed how tan I was ... I guess being at the equator will do that for you.
ReplyDeleteWow, you sure lucked out .. . ending up in Ecuador (amazing!) instead of Guinea sub-saharan Africa! I found your old blog when I googled "map of Guinea". I, like you, was assigned to Guinea and my placement was deferred. Unlike you, though, I didn't wait for the government to decide. I moved on with my life getting a master's degree and having 2 kids. The reason I googled it now, many years later, is that I had an appendectomy (in America) and couldn't help but think back that if I had stuck with it and ended up in Guinea, I would've died from the appendicitis because I wouldn't have had access to medical care. Scary to think. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you congrats for sticking with it and having what sounds like (from a brief skim) a good experience after all the waiting.
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