Between Worlds

            So today is my last day in Ecuador, and it’s bittersweet. Though I can’t wait to take a warm shower without worrying about it becoming ice cold in .5 seconds or losing the water halfway through, and though I can’t wait to eat some pop tarts and have the beach only an hour away, I’m also going to seriously miss this country, these people, and this life here. I always feel like I’m in between worlds here, and it sucks. At times I’m blessed to have two homes, two families, and two languages to call my own, but at the same time, it becomes such a burden when I have to choose between them. I don’t like having to go back and forth to these houses. I don’t like getting to have brothers and a sister for only a few short months. I don’t like mixing up my English and my Spanish or having to choose whether to watch a movie in one or the other. But honestly, this is my life. I have another family and a boyfriend overseas, and this is what it’s like to have that. I just hope that one day I’ll be able to balance it, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to end up going back and forth for our entire lives, and at some point, I think I’ll be okay with it. I’m at least thankful for it. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have it any other way…

Like A Child

 

            Quite a bit has happened since the last time I posted! Last Sunday at the church we watched the kids perform their drama. The adults got to do their ‘exposition’ a few weeks ago, showing the church what they learned from their baptism classes. It was time for the younger kids, who Santy taught, to give their exposition in the form of a drama. It was extremely interesting to watch and even more wonderful watching my boyfriend do such a great job leading the whole service.

Who They Are

 

Santy's new buddy from Michigan, Luke

our class! don't worry- they're actually NOT miserable.

my little cousin in the mime group :)

            My last post was a little bit about who I am as a person, and, on the other side, this post is going to give you a little taste into the people of this small town that I live in here in Ecuador…

Who I'm Not

 

waiting to go in the ring with...

this big guy!

me & friends in the bull ring

baby girl for her graduationnn

            Not too much has gone on the past week, but God keeps being faithful with “Jesus Calling”. What a great devotional! It really is one of those things where every day has the perfect word. Today’s was really great because I was being weighed down by the expectations of others here in Ecuador, but today’s message read that we have ONE master and ONE man who wants us to be who we are in Him and does not expect us to be who we aren’t. It was so perfect for me today because I just have been feeling like I haven’t been involved in as much of the culture as last year. Yes, I have to deal with there not being any water during most of the day, and I work in the kitchen with my Ecuadorian host mom sometimes, and I help hand wash dishes at home, but I’m talking more about relationally. I’ve closed myself off to a lot of people here because, since college, I’ve become more emotionally distant as a person. When I got rejected for being outgoing, my “sociable” personality went down significantly to the point where I feel uncomfortable being around a bunch of people that I don’t know. This makes it hard to bond with people who come to my house here or people who come to Santy’s house. There are always a MILLION people at the house, and it bothers me. I’ve tried to open up more, but it’s become harder. So it was quite refreshing to hear that message today that, although I can push myself to be a better person, I can’t spend all my energy trying to please people in being someone that I’m not. It’s more worth it to focus energy on God, and that leads to our authenticity.

Hidden Treasures of Ecuador

me with the bulls with fire on their horns!

 

            So since the last time I’ve written, my life has been pretty interesting. That Saturday Santy was at school all day, so I just kind of hung out at his house til he got back. He got back super late, so he surprised me with purple flowers because he knows it’s my favorite color. We also got caramel apples from the parade which, like I’ve mentioned before, is like a week long! 

Ecuadorian Dynamics

            So I’m sure you’ve all been just dying to find out what I’ve been doing over the last two weeks, and I can tell you it’s been something! After I last wrote I did a bit more working at El Refugio. Friday was the church service yet again, and it was quite interesting to watch Santiago “at work”… let me tell you why.

When The Smoke Alarm Goes Off

my sissy Rebeca!

my twin brothers

            I love working with my host mom, Angelica. She is one of the sweetest and most patient people I know. I spent my first day working with her on Tuesday, and it was wonderful. If something is dropped or done wrong, she doesn’t get frustrated or overly worried. She just smiles and helps fix it. She always finds something for me to help out with, and isn’t afraid to help me experiment with cooking, even if I suck at it. Even if I’m the slowest onion cutter in the world, she’ll let me do it.

A Thousand Words

Good old McDonalds! And a yummy McFlurry :)

I think they actually put broken glass on the tops of walls and fences to keep people from climbing up... that or they know it looks super cool and colorful!

I love random Ecuadorian chickens <3 br="">

           Since the last time I wrote, things have definitely gotten a little better. That Friday I got to spend time with one of my little brothers, Kenner. I saw him playing ball outside by himself, so I got Santiago, and we went outside and played with him. At first we just threw the ball around, but then we played categories. Whoever lost had to spell their name with their butt! It was a lot of fun, and I was glad to be able to spend time with Kenner.

Feeling Like A Chicken...

They played us music as we ate :)

The Santos/Collaguazo family.. one of the strongest that I know.

           So there is a reason that I have not updated on what’s been going on. However, I can’t really write too much about it because it’s some personal stuff. I haven’t really been doing much of anything the last two weeks, so you haven’t missed too much. There were some good days, but the majority of the past two weeks hasn’t been so great.

Things I'm Not Used To

            Well, here it is! My first blog of the 2013 summer I’m spending in Ecuador. I can tell you already that it has been challenging for me, and I think even more so than last year. Let me tell you why.