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.

            The adults and kids were both then given their awards for having finished the classes. I was really excited to be able to see the baptisms the next week!

            After church Santy and I Skyped his dad for a little while, which was much needed for him. We even got to talk to his stepsisters, who have only been in London for a year but are speaking English so well! The cute part is that they have British accents.

            Once we finished talking to Santiago’s dad we went to Condado, where we bought some things for the beach, as we were planning on going the following week.

            On Monday we had to get everything set up for the beach. Ironically we were trying to get a hold of two people that were going to go to the beach with us- our friend, Willy, and Santy’s cousin, Cristian. Neither of them were answering, and we couldn’t buy the bus tickets without their identification (which is dumb). We knew Cristian was in Condado, but it’s huge there, so we just decided to wait to get to him.

            Stressed out and frustrated, Santy and I went to get some food for a second picnic at the big mall in Quito with the Pizza Hut! We had bought empanadas on the bus, and we decided to get a pizza from Pizza Hut. While we were waiting, all of a sudden, Willy walks past us. I did a double take then freaked out! If you don’t understand how ironic it is that Willy happened to be in the same place at the same time, it’s kind of like if you randomly saw a good friend on the other side of the world. Willy just happened to be at that mall at the same time as us, as we were rushing around to get food. What a God send!

            Unfortunately, Willy didn’t have good news. He wasn’t going to be able to make it, but it was cool to have seen him at the mall. So we just took our food and went to the park. It was nice just lying there on our blanket and relaxing in the sun with the cool breeze. I also got to buy these chocolate alcohols at the big candy store with all kinds of American chocolate. They ended up being pretty good!

            Finally we got a hold of Cristian, and he was able to give us his identification. At this point came the rushing around. We bought the tickets for 11pm in another city, which meant we had limited time to get ready and pack. Santy called a friend of his and asked if he could pick us up at 9:40, and time went by so quickly that we didn’t end up getting home from Condado where we bought the tickets until around 8. Time kept going by quickly, and at 9pm it was time to go to my house to pack… except it takes at least 20 minutes to walk to my house, which would give me no time to pack. So, with last minute thinking, Cristian borrows his dad’s truck and drives me over, where I speed pack all of my stuff and then rush back to Santy’s house, where his friend was waiting to take us.

            Thankfully we got there on time and had time to eat. Unfortunately two of our backpacks broke, so we had to try to fit a lot into our bigger bags, but it was okay. The bus ride took only about 6 hours, and we slept for most of it. I was worried about feeling nauseous, but I ended up fine! We got there at 5:30, though, and we were hot, tired, and hungry. We were desperate to find a hotel, but it was too early. The sun hadn’t even risen yet. So we sat at the bus station, eating M&Ms and watching this American guy, who I called Aladdin because he had Aladdin pants, try to talk to Ecuadorians in Spanish.

            Once the sun finally started to rise, we took an offer from this “taxi moto” to go to where all of the hotels and the beach was. We walked around for at least an hour trying to find a hotel that cost only $10 per night, per person, as Santy told me they would (as we got a hotel last year for cheaper, but it was a different beach), but we got told it would be more expensive for just 3 people. We couldn’t find anywhere less than $30 per person, and we were ready to give up. At one point I was sitting with the luggage, waiting for an answer from the boys who were running from hotel to hotel, when I saw a boy talking on the phone. He kept looking at me while he talked, so in my mind, I kind of figured he’d say something. I’m not gonna lie, I was little worried about being in the middle of the street with three big luggage bags and three backpacks. Anyone could just come up and take one from me, and I wouldn’t be able to stop them, but I was too tired to really care.

            So anyway, once he got off the phone, he asked me (in Spanish, of course) what was wrong. I told him that I was just waiting, to which he responded with a head shake, saying, “aw, no, let’s go get some ceviche” (which is this famous Ecuadorian soup, and I think it’s from the coast). I said no thank you, and as he was about to continue insisting, Cristian came up. It was like the “saved by the bell” moment, or I would’ve gotten annoyed with being picked up at 6am when I look like I’ve been run over by a train. Yet Cristian didn’t have any good news.

            We continued to walk around and finally found a place that was willing to have us pay $12 per night per person. We went up to look at the hotel room, and I almost cried. It was like a closet with two beds, one fan, no ventilation, and the smallest bathroom I’ve ever seen in my life. I did NOT want to settle for that. As I was about to give up, this guy who was helping us look at hotels showed us one hotel that was a block away from the beach and was willing to have us pay $10 per night per person. I went up to check, totally unhopeful, and wanted to jump for joy. The room had SO much more space than the last one, and it had a big bathroom and a cable TV. It also had three beds, windows, a wall fan, a dresser and mirror for our stuff, and even a look out porch that showed the ocean which was literally like 30 feet from us. It was exactly what we were looking for. The only problem was that the toilet didn’t have the seat that girls need to go to the bathroom. It just had the toilet itself, but we worked it out so that the owner ended up putting a seat on later.

            After taking a nap, we ventured to find some cheap (but good) food. We ate some typical seafood while looking out at the ocean, which I’ve longed for since I came! After eating we ran to the beach and spent most of the time in the water until I got stung by a small jellyfish on my foot. I got too freaked out to stay in the water, so instead I collected shells on the shore while the boys dug motes like little kids. At some point I stopped to join them, and I felt so much like a little kid again. It was in that moment that I started remembering what it was like to be a kid and how I still hadn’t lost the ability to get seriously sandy, salty, and muddy in order to dig a mote with my guy friends. That was how I felt for most of the week on the beach, as we spent a lot of time digging little motes. Kids would come over to play in the little pools we had made, and even adults would wash their hands or feet in them. At one point Santy and Cristian even bought little kid shovels so they could dig faster. They’d end up making so many holes during just a few hours. They’d dig a really big one and then they’d play in the mud together while I took pictures. It was pretty cute.

            One time Santy was trying to bury himself in the sand when a little black boy came and asked what he was doing. I told Santy to give him a shovel because I could tell he wanted to play. He looked so bored. So, this little five year old helped dig Santy in the sand. It was hilarious. He even gave him little boobs, which I was dying laughing to see.

            Needless to say, we enjoyed the water, getting ice cream on the beach, getting nice and tan (woohoo!), buying new sun glasses, eating fruit (because there are so many vendors trying to sell you things while you’re on the beach), playing with shovels in the sand, collecting shells, and just having fun! We ate delicious food every day (I had fried shrimp like every day because it was so good), and I even tried (and LOVED) this Arabian dish that Ecuadorians like called “shawarma”. My parents would enjoy the fact that I told Santy that it sounded disgusting and that I wouldn’t eat it, but when he bought it, it smelled good, so I tried it and loved it. Yup, that’s kind of who I am.

            After the beach we’d all get changed and washed up and then watch TV for a little bit. We had the Fox channel, so we watched The Simpsons, Futurama, and several movies such as 27 Dresses and Iron Man. The best part was that the movies were in English with Spanish subtitles! It was so weird hearing English, but it was nice!

            Once it was time, we’d go get dinner and then head to a discoteca for some drinks and dancing! The first night I got this fruity drink called Deco, but I liked Santy’s drink better, so I got that the rest of the week! Santy got a “sex on the beach”, and Cristian got a margarita, but it was ridiculously strong. We’d dance for a while then go sit on the beach, where it was nice and cool. I think we had the most fun at night, but by the last night we were so exhausted. Santy and I spent a lot more time on the beach than dancing, and he even drew a map of Ecuador and explained the different parts for me.

            It was really crazy seeing the differences between the people from the coast and the people from the mountains, where I lived. If I thought that the people in Calacali were at all risqué, the people from the coast would look like pagans. They were persistent in selling things and often times very eager and even intrusive. The people who sold things in markets had very serious faces and would watch you to make sure you didn’t steal. Every coastal person had this funny accent where they didn’t pronounce “s” in words, so it was hard to understand them. The young people would drink a lot and practically have sex with each other on the dance floor. It was pretty nasty, and Santy said to me, “those people are all from the coast; people from where I live wouldn’t do that”. The way people lived almost reminded me of an old time ghetto or something. Everywhere in Ecuador I see both men and women wearing clothes that really DO not fit them, but at the coast it was worse. I saw skimpy clothes, but I saw very little “skinny” people. Let’s just say I had quite an interesting time people-watching.

            By the end of the week I ended up collecting at least two pounds worth of shells that I’m going to use to make some gifts for my family. So, in all, we had a really great time at the beach, and I really miss it! I know in a week I’ll have more access to the beach, but it won’t be the same without having Santiago, and it won’t be the same as the beautiful beaches here in Ecuador. I definitely miss it.

            After eating we took the bus ride back home to Calacali around 1. Wonderfully enough, one of the bus drivers put a movie on the big screen for us to watch, and it was in English! It was called “The Gringo” about a white guy in Mexico, so there were some parts in Spanish, but for the most part it was in English, which was cool for me but probably sucked for everyone else. Everyone else was all sleeping or on their technologies anyways! The next movie they put on, though, was some old 80’s movie about fighters, and it was in Spanish. It’s an American movie, and probably a classic, but I have no idea what it’s called in English.

            I tried to sleep for a bit but mostly just looked out the window, watching the beautiful scenery go by. Ecuador truly is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to. I have to say, I’ve only been to a few other countries, but they were all beautiful. Ukraine was my first, and the mountains there were prettier than I had ever seen in my life. South Africa was, of course, like Lion King scenery, and Haiti had the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever seen. Yet Ecuador has a mix of the jungle, the mountains, and the beach. It has the best of everything in one small country, and I can’t get enough of staring at even the mountains here. Yet on the bus ride I just watched the palm trees and bright blue ocean fade away as we rode back home.

            We got home that Friday around 8 to the freezing cold. I was wearing shorts, so we had to get a taxi truck to take us to my house so I could change. It was almost sad coming back, but I remembered it’d be even worse when I really go back home in a week. It reminded me of when we got off the plane from Florida back to New Jersey after senior trip in Disney, and all of the teachers told us, “all right, guys, here are the yellow school buses. Back to reality!”

            Saturday was totally uneventful, as Santy had class literally all day. I got to hang with my family a bit then Skyped with my parents, too. Luckily it was Santy’s last class, so this Saturday he’ll be free to hang out all day!

            Sunday was another great day, though! I had to wake up super early so we could make it on time to church, as it was baptism day. Everyone from church took a bus ride to Quito, where we’d go to this pool to have services. We had worship and a message in this church hall before going to the pool for the baptisms. Also each person told a little bit of their testimony, which was cool. Then I watched about fourteen people of all ages (from 9 years old to 40 something) get baptized, including Santy’s mom (who had just had a round of chemo a few days before and wasn’t feeling well but still got baptized) and Santy’s brother, as well as a 9 year old girl who also has cancer. The weather was also perfect and warm for the baptisms!

            After watching the baptisms, we had lunch. I stole some of Santy’s food, but I also brought my own food, as well. Then we played in the pool for hours! There was this huge slide at like an almost 90 degree angle, and all the little kids were, without fear, going down it every five seconds. I spent a lot of time in the pool hanging out with the little kids (they’d even hang on me, it was cute), and so at one point they told me to go on it. I agreed, but when I got up there and looked down, I got pretty nervous. The problem wasn’t the height so much as that it was practically like falling down at  an 80 degree angle (which meant super fast), which was pretty scary. Yet while I was up there, everyone stopped playing and looked up at me. All of the little kids yelled, “YOU CAN DO IT!”, and I wanted to laugh as I watched this little four year old pumping his fist in the air, encouraging me to go down. I felt so much pressure, but it was funny watching everyone in the pool cheer me on, including all of the little kids. So finally I closed my eyes and went down. It was so fast, and I screamed, so when I landed in the water, I got a bunch of water in my nose and eyes, but when I came up, everyone was clapping. It was a pretty funny moment.

            Once we had played in the pool for a few hours we got changed and went back home. On the way back they stopped for pizza, which was actually pretty dumb, seeing as we were 20 minutes from home, and it was already really late. Everyone just wanted to go home, but we had to stop for an hour just to eat one piece of pizza each on the bus. The pizza didn’t even seem cooked all the way, either, so it was annoying.

            When I got home that night I felt really sick, so I just tried to go to bed early. I was worried I had a virus, but I woke up fine! Santy’s brother suggested that it was the change of altitude, so I’m hoping to not have the same problem when I get back to America. Last year I had a lot of problems and headaches when I got back, but I’m hoping to not get sick this year!

            This past Monday Santy and I went to Quito to meet with one of the counselors I met at El Refugio and hang out with him for a bit. Then we got lunch at, of course, Pizza Hut, and then headed back home, as Santy had to work in the El Refugio store. Once we got back home I had a lot to do, as I’m getting ready to lead worship this coming Sunday at Santy’s church! Yep, super exciting! I’ve already finished the Powerpoint with the lyrics, I’ve been practicing by myself for the last month, and this week I’m practicing three times with Marty, a friend who’s going to sing with me, and Cristian, who’s going to play the djembe.

            Also, today Santy and I were going to fly our kites that we made yesterday, but it rained. Santy had to learn in school how to make a kite, so he made it a project for us to do. He got all the supplies, and we worked on making them, which was fun! Yet today we just ended up sitting next to each other, scrolling on Facebook, sharing funny posts, and eating popcorn and drinking coffee before we had to leave for worship practice! So it’s been a pretty good week here.

            One more funny thing- I think Rebeca is finding me more to be like her family. (Again, to read about her first cute impressions of me, click HERE!!) The other day she told her mom that she couldn’t cry because she knew I’d “talk to her sternly”. This is because I’ve been helping Angelica, who is starting to discipline little bad-tempered, whiny Rebeca, to start growing up. So when Rebeca starts to whine or cry because she wants something, I’ll tell her she can’t have it until she stops crying. So now she knows a little better not to whine… at least while I’m in the house! =)

            So I have one more week left to enjoy this great country, and I’m just trying to soak it all up! I’ve enjoyed so much the last two and half months, and if you haven’t already, read some of my other blog entries. There are some pretty interesting ones about Ecuadoriandynamics, the stories of the people I live with in Calacali, and some hiddenbeauties Ecuador has. Read those ones, and I hope to post one more entry before I head back home to good old America.