the jungle.

A weekend I've been waiting for since the moment I signed up for this semester:  the jungle.  

On Thursday morning we boarded the bus eager with anticipation for our first trip to Misahualli.  After a couple hours, a session of devouring leftover chocolate mousse from the guys apartment, a couple near death experiences, and some car sickness, we stopped at a gas station to take a bathroom break.  We got lucky and stumbled upon these bad boys (which are actually strangely common in the hills of Ecuador)...

 After a couple more hours on the bus we stopped at a deserted tourist destination on the side of the mountain road to explore some caves.  Sadly, nobody on the trip had a waterproof camera (the only kind i DON'T have) so I have no pictures from inside the cave to share...BUT it was SO COOL.  We wore head lamps and did everything from climb up waterfalls to the cave version of cliff jumping to seeing GIANT spiders to jumping into a 9-foot-deep hole under water to getting mud facials by our Ecuadorian guide.  It was definitely one of the best adventures we've gone on since being here.  And since I have no pictures from the caves...here's one from afterward...bathing suits, boots and all.

Aaaaand after a little less than an hour bus ride from the caves, we finally arrived at Misahualli.  We stayed at a hostel that had AMAZING food.  I'm being serious...the best four days of eating I've experienced since being here.  We got way to close to the tourist-friendly (or not so friendly when they try to steal your camera) monkeys in the small square next to the hostel, tried our very best not to get bitten by chiggars (almost invisible bugs that leave bites that itch worse than the worst poison ivy you could imagine), and spent the weekend serving.

On Friday I got the opportunity to go with Zach (the guys' RC) to teach English in the insanely small village about 40 minutes from Misahualli, Pusuno.  I met Elena, their teacher who travels by bus, river, and foot 1.5 hours there and back each day to be their teacher, cook, mom, caregiver, and more.  She is a Saint.  Really.  We spent the morning playing games, doing activities, and loving on the 7 precious children of God in Pusuno.  My heart wanted to stay forever.

Someone shared this quote during one of our evening gatherings in Misahualli and I think it puts words to the way my heart feels after our weekend in the jungle:

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy.  I awoke and saw that life was service.  I acted and behold, service was joy." -Rabindranath Tagore

 [after we called to Humberto across the river to bring us to the other side in his canoe, we walked this jungle path to Pusuno]

 [I let the kids use my camera...not bad for a camera almost as big as their heads.  Merly & I]

 [the houses we passed in Pusuno]

 [the school in Pusuno]

 [Merly, Chequiera, Henri, and me]

[our class in Pusuno]

foch.

Legitimately hit the streets of Quito tonight for my birthday.  Maybe my favorite night yet...

 [my family came!]

[my family and Scott's family are really close.  The first day of homestays they told us we were primos (cousins).  they all came out to celebrate! 

me, scott, tía celeste, mamí, scott's mamí, papí, scott's papí.]

 [oh baby.  love this girl.]

 [kimmie made my birthday request to go dancing happen.  she rocks my world.]

twenty one.

I can't even lie.  Birthdays are my favorite.

If I could rate this day, my twenty first birthday, on a scale of 1 to 10 [1 being "this day sucked. I bet the smashed bumble bee on the bathroom wall of the restaurant I went to the other day feels more special than I do today" and 10 being "this day ROCKED MY SOCKS OFF and I want to re-live it everyday for the next five years"]... today was about a 9.7.

I thought being away from home and the people I love so much would make my birthday a not so special one.  I thought wrong.  I can't even begin to record all the things I loved about this day, but I'll try.

1. I got up at the butt crack of dawn.  I thought for sure mi familia was still sleeping.  As I dried my hair I heard a voice from the kitchen...mi  Mamí yelling "Beckiiiiiii!" from the kitchen.  I walked into the kitchen and immediately stumbled upon this (pic below) AND mi Mamí & Tía singing a Venezuelan birthday song.  She also gave me a pair earrings that she and my baby sister, Anita, both have.  SO SWEET.

2. When Bonnie got to class she RAN in and said, "I'm SO HAPPY you were born today!" and gave me a huge hug.  She told me she wore her favorite outfit in honor of my birthday today.

3. Alyssa met us at Youth World even though she didn't have class and waited an HOUR so she could go out with us for my birthday.  What a gem.
4. A group of us went to a mexican restaurant for lunch between classes and hung out for almost 2 hours eating and laughing.  I loved every minute of it.

5. In Spanish my profesora found out it was my birthday and blessed me in Spanish.
6. I laughed with Alyssa all the way up the hill walking to Chapel.
7. Jenna bought me flowers that she arranged herself.
8. I got to spend all evening reunited with my friends.

9. Marlo made me a cake and they smashed my face in it.
10. I got a ride home from chapel with Christy & Kim.  What more could I ask for?!
11. When I got home, mi Mamí & Papí watched the HILARIOUS birthday video the Flipses sent me and the WONDERFUL birthday video Rochelle Burks made for me.  I cried.

12. Mi Papí gave me a beginner's Spanish lesson...words he said I NEEDED to know.

• safegato:  "When un chico gets muy close to you and says 'ahhh, Beckí....eres muy linda y bonita (very cute & pretty)' you say...'SAFEGATO!' It's like when a kitty tries to eat off the table and you yell at it to go away!"  
• naguara:  "es como (it's like) WOW!"  
• conchale:  "it's for something very bad"
• chevare:  "we say it for everything in Venezuela, means cool"

13. I opened all the cards my family and friends from home sent with me.  I felt SO SPECIAL.
14. My request to go out dancing tomorrow night for my birthday was granted.  CAN'T EVEN WAIT.

I could probably keep going and get to twenty one reasons that today was special...but let's be real...I'm pretty tired.  I feel SO INCREDIBLY blessed to have such amazing people in my life...en los estados unidos AND en ecuador.

first time for everything.

My heart swells when I cross paths with people with the same sense of adventure as mine.  Today instead of taking me anywhere "normal" for our early birthday lunch date, Kim casually mentioned as we crawled into the back seat of the taxi that we were going out for sushi.  Sushi.  In earlier times in my life I would've opened the door to tuck and roll, but my love for any piece of adventure I can get my hands on has grown since those early days, so I went for it.

I only gagged once when a really slimy part was rolling around on my tongue like a rollie pollie soaked in Vaseline.  Other than that and the battle my brain fought with my fingers to control my chop sticks, it was pretty good!

new week, new home.

I am currently being serenaded by the lovely sound of a 60-something year old Venezuelan woman snoring like a foghorn in the bed next to me.

Welcome to home stays.

We left our college life in the apartment and moved in with our Ecuafamilies last night.  I expected a low key entrance into Ecuafamily life, but I got the exact opposite. [funny how that works.] As soon as we left the family meet and greet, we speed walked our way to church.  My Ecuadad, Daniel, was singing in church, so he pointed out a seat next to his Venezuelan aunt, who is visiting for the week, and left me in the dust.  My Ecuamom, Nery, came a few minutes later and well, I really don't know what she was doing, and my Ecuasister, Anita, was chillin in a carseat in the middle aisle.  After church we went out for Colombian food with a bunch of their friends from church.  Today about ten or twelve people came over for lunch and stayed most of the day.  By the time 6pm rolled around, I was almost in tears, overwhelmed with the amount of crazy fast Spanish I had tried to soak in for 24 hours.  I've never longed for English so much in my life...but God is good, and my Ecuafamily is great.  AND after all that, we went to Christy's for a movie tonight with Kim, Jenna, Zach, and Scott and his Ecuafamily.  I was reminded of how much the people in this program really do care about me and love me...even when they make fun of my laugh every 3 minutes.

 [mi familia]

be jealous.

Today, we were beyond spoiled.  When my housemates and I received the formal invitation to a dinner at the guys' apartment earlier this week, we thought it would be like any other community dinner.   Little did we know the thoughtfulness they had up their sleeves.

We dressed up (as the invitation instructed), got dropped off, opened the gate, and were overcome with sweetness.  The stairs were covered in rose petals, the path we took lined with candles.  We were seated at already set tables and served a three course meal, including a chocolate dessert that rocked my world.  After dinner they escorted us into another room where they performed a hilarious choreographed dance routine and then invited us to dance with them.  We owned the dance floor for hours after that.

I felt pretty spoiled.  I felt super special.  I spent this cheesy day being loved by and loving some really wonderful people.  Be jealous.

 [sarah & i warming up the dance floor]

 [LOVE these girls]

feliz carnaval!

Carnaval:  the Ecuadorian version of Mardi Gras in which people attack each other, spraying foam and dumping water all over each other until there's not a dry, clean person in sight.  Today we caravanned about an hour north of the city to Diana's grandparents' property to celebrate.  We lucked out with a day of sunshine in the midst of about a week straight of rain.  It was BEAUTIFUL.

[the view from the back patio]

We knew what the festivities of Carnaval entailed, but we didn't expect to get dumped on as we sat finishing our burgers on the patio.  Mayhem began as soon as the first bucket of water soaked our peaceful lunch.  We spent the next hour running around destroying each other with buckets of water and foam spray cans.  I'm thinking next year I may have to bring this tradition to the States.

city love.

In the midst of a Sunday of hard choices, good conversations, and couch hang out time, I had an incredibly wonderful night.  We drove out past Old Quito to eat at a restaurant that overlooks the city.  

Good food.  Beautiful view.  Amazing company.  More laughs than words can express.  

So blessed.  

 [this girl warms my heart]

 [roomie pic.  bonnie, me, janie, sarah, & kayla]

[me & christy]

el refugio.

How do I even begin to describe this day.

We spent the entire day at El Refugio, a Youth World camp north of the city.  Call me crazy, but I have a special place in my heart for team building activities...even the cheesy ones.  We spent the day being challenged by trust falls, a trust walk, team building activities, low ropes, rock walls, and more.  One of my favorite moments was during an activity in which all fourteen of us had to cross an imaginary river by swinging on a rope onto a tiny little platform on the other side.  Once all of us made it across, as we balanced on the platform only by holding on to each other for dear life, we had to sing a song before we could cross back over.  We belted out Lean On Me at the top of our lungs.  I had so much love for all the people on the platform at that moment.  I loved sharing the joy and adventure of this day with mi familia.

Another highlight of our day at El Refugio was our "solo time."  We had a little less than an hour to go off on our own, explore, and spend time with God.  In those forty-some minutes I was overcome by the incredible beauty of this place and the truths God was speaking into my life.  I've had kind of a rough week feeling really needed at home and drawn there, but also searching for support here, and today I was reminded that I don't need any of it.  What I really need is God and God only.  I am complete in Him and Him alone.  I may feel weak, but His spirit is strong in me.  It was truly incredible to be empowered in the midst of the breathtaking beauty of a powerful Creator.

war.

House rules:  every week three or four girls get clean up duty.  This mainly includes taking out the trash and cleaning up the kitchen (washing stray dishes and putting the dry ones back in their trusty resting place).

So tonight I was minding my own business, standing at the kitchen sink about to conquer the remains of the unwashed dinner dishes when I noticed a bowl of frosting leftover from a community dinner at the beginning of the week.  Out of NOWHERE Kim comes flying into the kitchen (followed by Alyssa who was yelling something I couldn't quite make out), grabs a handful of frosting, and reaches her sticky nasty hands toward my face.  I grabbed her arm just in time to save my face from getting decorated like a cake.  The moment that followed was like one from a movie.  We just stood there in silence staring at each other...deciding whether to laugh it off or wage a full on war.

You can guess the outcome.  WAR.

alexander day.

That awkward moment when I decide not to wear my rain boots.

Today was one of those days that went so terribly wrong that it turned into comedy movie material.

Scene 1:  The five sleeping beauties of the room with the party bathroom (aka my roomies and I) were jolted awake by the barking dog next door that was SO LOUD it could've set off a car alarm.  I turned over, glared at the window, thought about the probability that I could purchase a bow and arrow and go all Katniss on the stupid dog, decided I could probably get in trouble for that, and pulled the covers over my head in defeat.

Scene 2:  Not even 3 minutes after I decided against wearing my rain boots, I stepped foot outside with my housemates as the clouds started to spit.  I refused to accept the fact that rain was indeed pouring down on us until drops started streaming off the hood of my raincoat, down my bangs, and into my eyeballs.

Scene 3:  We took the trolley FOREVER and finally arrived at one of our favorite locations, Old Quito, to watch the changing of the guard and see the President.  We stood in a torrential downpour for about an hour aaand the President just decided not to show up.

[waiting for the Pres]

Scene 4:  After 8 hours...I repeat...EIGHT HOURS of enduring the puddles in my shoes [because of course we had Spanish after our cold, wet morning], we were on the home stretch.  We exited the trolley station with only a giant hill standing between us and sweatpants.  We stood, waiting patiently to cross the street and start our trek toward warmth and relief, only to be completely overcome by the GIANT WAVE of puddle water that splashed ALL OVER us as the trolley flew past.  I wish someone had been standing across the street with a video camera.

I could continue to describe numerous similar events, but at a certain point, they all just became hilarious.  While I could quote my friend Alexander and his Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day...I can't help but laugh at the events of this day and the wonderful things that radiated through the crap.  I shared an umbrella with Jenna.  I laughed until my stomach hurt about weird jobs and soft-cheeked becitos over a delicious lunch with friends.  I ate ten freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in Christy's kitchen.  I heard the testimonies of the girls who will support and love me in person in Ecuador when my friends and family in the States can't quite reach far enough this semester.  So yeah, today sucked...but I'll laugh it off this time, wear my rain boots tomorrow, and remember how faithful my God is.  I hope He laughed when that puddle destroyed any dry areas my clothing had left.

[standing in the rain with Jenna & Kim]

 [I'm not quite sure why, but I thought this picture was hilarious.]