I Think She Likes Me!

“Mom, I think she likes me!”

6/8/12

            So yesterday when Santiago came to pick me up, he told me there was STILL no internet in CalaCali. Only some places and houses have it. He told me that in Ecuador, “la systema no funciona”, which basically means the system doesn’t really function as it should here. I can definitely see that in place here on the streets! People are always passing each other when cars are coming on the other side, and so the cars just move over into the pull-over lane. Since “la systema no funciona”, Santiago and I went into his school to get internet access. I explained that I can’t even go to the school I went to for high school because you basically have to be invited! He was surprised at that, but I was surprised that you could just walk into his school. So I was able to get on the computer (hence my three other blogs that I posted)! I also posted pictures on Facebook, for anyone who is curious to see my adventures!

            We then went back to Santiago’s house. I got to spend time with his family, which was awesome. I sat down with his mom and showed his family some pictures and videos of Ecuador from back in January. I showed them the video of Santiago giving his testimony, in which is always powerful, and so his mom started to cry. It was so sweet. I love how much love is in that family. Santiago takes good care of his family, and I adore that.

            After laughing and talking for a bit, Santiago and I started walking back to my house. He told me all the really cool stuff God has been doing, including allowing him to preach and pray in his church. He feels like God wants him to continue giving messages and telling his story, and he was so excited when he was telling me about it. It was really awesome =).

When we arrived, we were “justo en tiempo para cena”, just in time for dinner, as Bladimir said when he greeted us! He told me that he made goals in his soccer game, and I was so proud of my hermanito! We had rice with sausages and salad for dinner, and we talked for a good amount of time about a lot of different things, including the fact that the president of Ecuador is coming to CalaCali tomorrow.

            Angelica told me that she had a children’s book that was in English and asked if I could read it to Rebeca, to which I responded, “In English… or in Spanish?” Santiago told me to try to translate, but there were a lot of words I didn’t know. I translated the gist of it for her as I read, and she sat quietly in my lap (the timid little girl that she is!).

            Once I finished the book, we went into my room to talk and hang out while everyone else went to their rooms. I was in the middle of a conversation with Santiago when all of a sudden I heard Rebeca’s voice calling, “ALLIE? ALLIE? CHOCOLATE?”, as she tapped on my door. I almost couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard. I opened the door and asked, “quieres chocolate?” (you want chocolate?), to which she nodded, so I took her into the kitchen and gave her M&Ms. Santiago and I could not stop laughing for quite some time after that.

            This morning I had the privilege of helping Angelica with some work stuff. Since she’s a cook in the camp, she had to buy food and other items for the meals of the groups in the camp. I had to wake up early, and I didn’t sleep last night, so it was a bit of a struggle to wake up, but I was able to get up at 7am. While I was getting ready, Rebeca came into my room and said, “Allie? Dijo mi mami si quieres comer empanadas”, which meant she was seeing if I wanted to eat the pancake-like food for breakfast. It was so cute. Then as I was brushing my hair, she came into my room again, but this time, she was carrying a chess board with the pieces. She sat on my bed, lining them up in the tin, as I got ready. I can see that she’s starting to open up to me… slowly but surely! Before she wouldn’t even come into my room!

            When I went to sit down to eat, Angelica told me that this morning Rebeca said to her, “Mami, creo que Allie me quiere”, which means “I think Allie likes/loves me”. When Angelica asked why, Rebeca responded, “Because she gave me chocolate!” It was sweet.

            Then we walked Rebeca to school before going to the market. Angelica left a list of vegetables with them, and then we took the bus to Quito. Once we got there, we went to SuperMaxi, which is the place that Santiago and I went to get my food (it’s in the mall). I definitely felt like her daughter when we were in the store. I helped her with her list and pushed the cart. We got a whole bunch of food and other items; the cart was filled with milk, vegetables, napkins, cleaning products, and other foods. She also helped me pick out a milk (I have milk allergies) so I can now eat my Zucaritas (Frosted Flakes)! =)

            She bought both of us Yucas, which are AWESOME chips, and this peach-like drink from the store, and we brought all of the groceries to the El Refugio truck that was waiting for us. I loved being in the back of the truck with the cool breeze and passing all the busyness of the towns. I also got to buy a decent-sized mirror for $1, which was pretty cool, too.

            As we rode in the back of the truck, Angelica and I talked about our families and our lives. She was so sweet. I’m starting to understand her voice a lot better now. I’ve realized that I need to get accustomed to someone’s voice before I can really understand them. I had months of hearing Santiago, so I usually never have a problem communicating with him, but when it comes to other people speaking Spanish, it’s harder.

            Now I’m waiting for Santiago to arrive so that we can hang out for a bit before going to his church service tonight. After the service I’m pretty much going to bed because we have to catch a bus at 5am tomorrow to Pifo (three hours or so) to get to the camp counselor meeting. Hopefully I’ll be able to sleep tonight…