Some Lessons I've Learned...

1. Peatones (pedestrians) do NOT have the right of way. Be very careful with this.
2. If they are boiling bananas, run away (I very literally almost threw it back up on my plate).
3. Get used to sleeping with the light on...it doesn't go off until everyone's in bed, and it comes on as soon as someone wakes up.
4. It's OK for boys to stare at you for any period of time.
5. Because I am white, I get honked at and talked about all the time..."Oh, que linda!" (How beautiful!) They think you don't understand. Just say "Gracias!"
6. Only use yellow taxis with numbers on the side.
7. Malls here are not cheaper.
8. Alex Campos is one of the greatest Latin artists ever.
9. You must turn the hot water on and let it run for about 5 minutes before it's actually hot....and you just don't use the cold water knob.
10. Children can do whatever they want here.
11. Don't make much eye contact with guys. Don't go out to town alone with a guy. Don't have a long conversation alone with a guy. These all mean that you are interested or are dating.
12. Almost no one wears wedding rings.
13. Wear layers just in case...the weather changes constantly.
14. SPF 50 is a must...SPF 30 will still get you burnt.
15. You can buy a movie for $1.50. But this may mean that someone filmed it in the theater and put it on a DVD. Good luck finding which ones those are...
16. Don't touch the dogs on the street.
17. If you buy fruit/vegetables on the street or in the market, WASH before you EAT.
18. Only buy Pinguino ice cream. This is critical.

I'm sure there are more I'm not thinking of...but this is a pretty good list for now. Maybe I'll write a Survival Guide for Ecuador! I probably won't learn enough in 4 months for that...

Chau!
Amy Jo

Good Family

Well...first of all, I should start off with the Ballet Jacchigua. It was incredible. There were some awkward scenes (not entirely a family program) but there were so many beautiful dances and costumes. One of the ushers was really annoying...I was filming and she told me to stop, and I did. Then she came up to me two more times during the show to tell me not to film until finally I had to argue with her and tell her I'm not filming, I'm taking pictures. But she kept repeating herself over and over "No puedes filmar, no puedes filmar." (You can't film). I understand. I'm not. I'm telling you this (in your own language) and you act like you can't hear the words that are coming out of my mouth! Ayayay.

What I really want to write about is my family here. If you don't know, I've been sick the past few days. I was really sick yesterday and just felt....blah. Well, the mothers here are wonderful (everyone is actually). One of the ladies here especially kept tabs on what I ate and made sure I was eating enough and not eating what would make me more sick. Then she sent her son out with tea for me, with the message that I need to drink it, it's medicinal, it will help me. :) I really hate tea, but I really appreciated the gesture (so I tried to drink as much as possible). Then, the other students from NILI went into Carcelen. I was feeling too sick to go, so I stayed in bed to play on my computer and sleep. When they came back, they brought me red roses, Sprite and crackers for my stomach, and Gatorade for the dehydration. I was so touched! I love my NILIs. And I have to say that if the food didn't help me feel better, their thoughtfulness did. Because I feel a million times better today besides a kind of heartburn-like pain in my stomach area. They are my 4-month family, and I love them. :)

As an overall update...classes are going well. There's a lot of work to do, more homework than I think is necessary for study abroad students, but I suppose I can handle it (insert sighing and dirty looks here). I'm especially not looking forward to my 10 page exegesis. In Ecuador? Seriously? Ew. OK, that's really all. Hopefully something more exciting will happen soon that I can update you on.

God bless,
Amy Jo

This is the place to be!

Hola!

Now that I've seen Ecuador in daylight I can say much more! First of all, the people here are wonderful. They are so sweet and kind. They've been helping me with my Spanish, of course and they are very patient. Also, the seminary has housing for married couples, and a lot of them have children. So there are children running around all over the place here! There are also rabbits here, cats, and dogs wandering around. I met a cute dachshund today named Dipo. He's my new friend.

Also, the view is amazing. All I have to do is open my door and right in front of me are the mountains. We can also see a couple volcanoes, but I'm not sure which ones those are, I just know they're there. Downtown is beautiful. There are stores lining every street, and when you get into the heart of the town, all the streets are brick. And there are people selling things all along the street. For instance, you can buy a dozen roses for $1. My favorite part so far was today. All of it was my favorite. :-) We went to church this morning, and it was the most incredible experience. It was a 2 hour service, but it could have been twice that and still been good. Everyone worshiped to the music...no exceptions...I was greeted with hugs and kisses on the cheeks, everyone said "Amen" all the time, we prayed after everything, and the ending prayer was so powerful. We all gathered in the front of the sanctuary and prayed and prayed and it just moved me so much. I have to tell you, if you think you're going to come here to minister to the people here, you are so wrong. You won't get anywhere that way. Instead, they have ministered to me so much already. I have something I can't want to take home and share with people at church. Church at home doesn't have passion or faith compared to the people here. I'm just so excited because through this experience I'll be able to take what God has laid upon my heart to minister to my own home church...something I didn't really expect.

All in all...I am one of the happiest people alive. The other NILIs (American students studying here) are already like family, living in a very close community with the seminary students who will hopefully be like family soon as well. The scenery is beautiful, the atmosphere is so welcoming and encouraging, I can't imagine spending my study abroad anywhere else! Just to rub it in a little bit more, I've added some pictures for your enjoyment. :-) I hope you are all safe and not suffering too much in the cold weather.

God bless,
Amy Jo

Estoy Aquí

Hey guys!

I'm here in Ecuador now. It wasn't a terrible flight, just long! Unfortunately there's not much to tell you because it was dark when I got here. All I know is that there are a lot of mountains. The people here are very nice. They also go to bed very early. :-) The city is a lot bigger than I expected, and the traffic is RIDICULOUS! Cars everywhere! The natives say it's cold here because it's sixty degrees, but coming from -31, this is absolutely amazing. It's perfect. In fact, I'm sitting outside as I type this, it's warm enough to! Well, that's about all I have to say so far. If it were sunny outside, I'd have juicier stuff for you. But as it is, I can only tell you that I've made it here safely, and the fun stuff starts tomorrow!

God bless,
Amy Jo