Crazy. That's what my life is here. One day I have class for eight hours. The next day I get to spend feeding babies and pulling toddlers around the grass in a wagon figuring out my life with Alyssa. The next day I go straight from class on an 11 hour excursion to a volcano, market, and leather town, ending the day watching The Lion King in Spanish...twice...and then eating at McDonalds [OH how I missed those fries.]
A student from last semester called me before I left this January. As we talked, I asked him to tell me the biggest surprise about daily life here. The thing he told me is the thing I am still most surprised by and reminded of every day. He told me that life never settles down...not in the sense that there's no down time, but in the sense that there's never routine. We never have classes on the same day. We never eat meals at the "right" time. We get used to living in the apartment and then move to home stays. We see each other 3 or 4 days in a row during the week and then not again for 4 days over the weekend. It's crazy. But it's also really fun. Do I always have a good attitude about it? No. But I'm trying. And when I let myself bask in the excitement of the unknown of every day...God always surprises me.
[so my Ecuadad's not the best photographer...but behind me should be Otavalo, the volcano we visited this week! SO. BEAUTIFUL.]
[my baby sister, Anita...that girl eats ice cream like it's her job]
[La Ronda with the fam for a late night adventure]
The best part of my week: a sleepover. Kimmie met me at the apartment last night and we walked up the hill, more like a freaking mountain, to my house TOGETHER. We spent the night hanging out in the kitchen with the fam, eating way too much popcorn, falling asleep during movies, and FINALLY having some quality pillow talk. This morning we slept in, ate pancakes, suffered through an afternoon run in the smog of Quito, made brownies which may or may not have looked like a chocolate volcano exploded in a cake pan, and of course, watched more movies with the fam. It's crazy how much of a difference it made having Kim here for the last 24 hours. She is a blessing and a half. I wish more than anything she would still be in my room when I went to sleep tonight, BUT I'm so thankful for the time she was here. Don't know what I would do without that beauty in my life.
[hanging out with kimmie & anita]
3 comments:
haha. I LOVE you! That was interesting reading about the part about our conversation with a previous student...I'm assuming it was Drew?
You look beautiful in that pic in front of the mountains!! :) Wow - what a crazy life. Praying you keep being able to go with the flow and enjoy the adventures of each day. My prayer for you continues... that as you are away from family and friends, that you will come to know a new reliance and friendship with God.
you are beautiful! i love this post.
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