What a week!
Sunday
morning at 8:00am, me and the other exchange students in the city of Machala
left on a 5 hour journey to the all-inclusive Decameron resort in Punta
Centinela where we would be staying for the next 5 days. Upon arriving, I was already
certain that the week would be amazing because the hotel was totally
breathtaking. The beach was beautiful, the rooms were beautiful, the facility
was well maintained- everything was just fantastic. We went to check-in and sat
down together as the students from the southern provinces of Guayas, Manabí,
Santa Elena, and Loja came and sat down also. There were 68 students there out
of the 145 total inbounds in Ecuador. The northern students (Pichincha,
Tungurahua, Imbabura, Riobamba, Esmeraldas, etc..) have their Spanish camp next
week. I will meet all the northern students on the trip next month to Manabí.
The days went like this:
Breakfast- Waffles and fruit covered in
chocolate, eggs, and a meat empanada or sausage.
Spanish class- We took an exam the first
night to place us in a certain group- level 1 & 2 beginners, 1 & 2
intermediate, and 1 & 2 advanced. Each class had the same workbook, but the
different levels were going through the book at different paces. I was in one
of the intermediate courses, and I didn't learn anything new. I already knew
all of the grammar, so my group teacher went to the director to try and move me
to a better group, but he wouldn't make the switch. So that was a bit
frustrating and I was bored a lot.
Lunch- Pasta bar, salad, bread, ice cream
Swimming and snacks- Bathing suit on, a
bunch of sunscreen, swimming in the ocean or aqua fit in the pool. We even went
on a mini catamaran for 4 people and got to swim in the middle of the ocean
with a great view of the Salinas shoreline. We had popcorn and chifles and every drink we
could order without alcohol like piña coolatas.
Afternoon meeting- We would have a meeting
about Rotary rules or our improvement exam.
Dinner-Let's just say I ate a lot of bread
and desert and I tried sushi and there was so much food!!!!
Dancing- After dinner there was always a
professional dancing show or themed party going on. It was my favorite part of
the day because...
The first night- there was an
international dance competition and they were looking for volunteers from the
audience. It had to be a guy and a girl- usually a couple would volunteer
together. They still needed two more couples and I saw a guy get up to do it
but sit back down as there wasn't a girl to do it with him. That is when I just
said, "why not, I like to dance" and I stood up. There I was, sitting
on stage with a stranger (just to clarify- he wasn't an exchange student) not
knowing what to expect. The announcer came around and asked for our names and
where we were from. My partner was Pablo from Argentina. How it worked was the
4 couples watched the professionals perform 30 seconds or so of a dance and we
were supposed to try and do the same. There were four different dances- a
tango, a salsa, something country, and something similar to a jive. A different
couple went first for each dance. I watched the dancers closely, trying to
memorize the steps in my head. But the dancers were really good, and the dances
they performed were really fast. I was lucky that my partner spoke some English
because he would ask me how to do some of the steps. At one point he just said
"it's alright, I'll follow you". But I was happy that he was having
fun and taking it competitively at the same time like I was. So we got up and
made complete fools out of ourselves- trying different lifts and crazy moves
that I would have never imagined trying, falling, and laughing at myself, and
just having a great time. And to top it all off, the audience choose the
winners in the end, and it came down to two couples (the other couple was a guy
and an exchange student too) but they choose my partner and I. We won! It was
amazing. I got a t-shirt and a hat. I almost got a bottle of champagne too when
they asked me my age (18) but I reminded them of my Rotary bracelet and they
gave it to my partner (who was still in shock that I'm only 18). All of my
friends congratulated me and were impressed by my dancing. "You were great
up there". It was such a nice feeling and all the other students
immediately knew who I was. It was also a huge confidence boost for the rest of
the week.
The second night, all the exchangers
started dancing in one of the bar/lounge areas by the beach. Before I even
realized it, we had formed a circle and other students were pushing me to dance
in the center. I went for it. I am so glad that I took a chance because this is
my one year on exchange and I am loving every second of it. Dancing with my
exchange friends was fantastic.
Tuesday and Wednesday night I talked with
my new friends about anything and everything. Wednesday night was especially
nice when my closest friends and I walked and talked by the ocean. Somehow we
were talking about scary movies, and then night terrors, and somehow got on the
topic of September 11th. We ended up talking for 40 minutes or more about where
we were on 9/11, stories of people we knew, powerful memorials and our
different holidays for recognizing those who serve our country. Suddenly, one
of my friends looked at her cellphone and gasped. She said, "guys, today
is the anniversary of September 11th. Today is 9/11". We were all in
shock- we had been talking about it without even realizing what the date was. I
couldn't believe that I had no idea all day, but I was glad that we had talked
about it, because I know if I had been in the states I would have talked about
it. There would have been a moment of silence, a documentary or video, or
something that would have had me thinking about it all day. It was a bizarre
moment, but I am glad it happened.
Thursday was check-out day. Saying goodbye
to everyone was hard because I made so many new friends; students my age that
are going through the same experience that I am. I learned about their own
countries and lives and they learned about mine. We talked about our lives
here, and the things we are still adjusting to. I laughed and smiled a lot. I
learned how to say "I love you" in German and wished English wasn't
my first language (there were more students from Germany than any other
country.) I gave and received pins and business cards- the front of my blazer
is now completely covered in pins. I got sunburnt even after reapplying
sunscreen and I got to swim in ocean water that wasn't freezing like I'm used
to in Maine. I got to relax, eat, sleep and enjoy. It was a wonderful week, and
I can't wait for the next trip when I can see my new friends again and make
even more friends.
Pictures from my week in paradise:
*Note: I got a bunch of pictures from friends so they aren't in a certain order.
*Note: I got a bunch of pictures from friends so they aren't in a certain order.
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