Author's Note

Hi everyone,

As part of my goals for the New Year, I am trying to become even more involved in the Ecuadorian culture by thinking in Spanish all the time, speaking in Spanish all the time, and pretty much getting off my computer because that's not good. I am even going to try and cut back on listening to my favorite music (because it's in English) and talking to my family over Skype and Email. The less opportunities I give myself to utilize English, the more I can focus on taking my Spanish to the next level. As of now, I know enough Spanish to live day to day here in Ecuador. But my progress has plateaued and I really want to get to the point of more in-depth conversations and even greater understanding instead of playing fill in the blanks when I am listening to stories.

So, that being said, I will not be posting any more "Highlights of the week". I think now that my life here has become more normal, updating on every week would get redundant. Fear not, because I will still post about new and exciting things like when I switch host families, new opportunities that arrise, any new food, progress I have made with spanish, perhaps random little side posts, any important holidays or celebrations, and the rest of my trips. Basically, you will be getting plenty more posts, but maybe more like 1 or 2 posts each month. I hope you all understand. Thank you for reading so far, and I hope you continue to look out for my posts in the future. Happy New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo!!!

2013, Part 2- Reflection and a New Year

I know I said that I wasn’t about to measure my year by the success of my resolution, but I think I accomplished my 2013 resolution and much more-would those of you that know me agree? (I am sorry but I am going to brag about my year a little bit)—I went to NYC with my best friends and got my nose pierced. I got accepted to 9 out of the 10 colleges I applied to (I did apply to one more college after the New Year), and I made the big decision to attend Centre College. I found out that I would be going to Ecuador for my exchange year. I participated in my last high school drama club’s production of “13”. I actually got a 3 on my AP English exam! I went to prom with my friend and fellow exchange student, Sam Otis, and I couldn’t be happier with how things worked out. I am extremely proud of how well I did on our school’s scholarship night as I was awarded around $8,000 in different scholarships. I sang “You Raise Me Up” at our senior Baccalaureate ceremony. I graduated high school in the top 10 of my class as a NH scholar and with National Honor Society recognition. After graduation my family and I spent a week together- like a mini vacation- where we went to Boston and to Newport, RI, and spent time up in York, Maine which is one of my favorite places to be. I spent the summer making good money as a babysitter but kept time for hanging out with my best friends and spending time with my family as well. I went on two great motorcycle rides with my Dad, one of which we spent the day riding up through the Kangamagus Highway and back. I participated in my last summer theater camp with my favorite director- Robb Dimmick. I had two great parties; one was an end of the summer party, where I got to see my good high school friends one last time before we went our separate ways for the year, and the other was with the most important family and friends the Friday before I left home for the next ten months. And then, on August 24^th 2013, I embarked on my exchange journey to Ecuador, where I have been making friends, adjusting to the culture, and speaking Spanish ever since. If I am being honest, I have had more fun than I have ever had before by living here in Ecuador. I don’t have to do school work and I love the free time to go volunteer, work at my host dad's lab, and go to Crossfit. I have even lost weight from eating differently here and going to Crossfit- and isn’t it interesting how I didn’t make “losing weight” my new year’s resolution and yet I have had more success than ever before. I don’t have a boyfriend, but I can say I have a close relationship with a guy here in Ecuador and it has been nice getting to know him and hang out. And this year, I can say that I wasn’t alone on New Year’s Eve—It was one of the most fun nights of my life.  I know I only mentioned my own happy events above, but there were still significant events during 2013, some negative like the Boston Marathon Bombings, that affected me and many people, and reminded me to pray and be thankful for the safety of my family.      

Overall, I can say I enjoyed life. I enjoyed the good times, and through the bad or harder times, I prayed and was thankful for the positives that I did have, like my family and friends. And now, I feel accomplished. I feel the success of this past year. I feel excited to carry that success, that happy and stress-free attitude into this next year. I am thankful for my family and friends and my health. I feel confident with my decision to go to Centre College and I am in no way rushing for my exchange to be over- but I am excited to start back up with education as I am not doing anything in school here in Ecuador. But I am learning everyday- about the culture, about the world, and about myself. And I am growing and changing in a good way. And I know I have so much to look forward to still. I have more Spanish to learn and more friends to make, here in Ecuador and when I start going to college in Danville, KY. And I will have more decisions to make. But I will be a worldlier person. I will be a healthier person. So this year will be just as exciting and eventful as last year.

And here I am, on January 1^st 2014, in Ecuador. I am missing my family, but I will see them again… this year! I will turn 19 this year. I will return home from Ecuador a new person. I will reunite with my family and within a week of my return I will go on a cruise to celebrate my grandparents 50^th anniversary as well as my parents birthday, and my uncle’s birthday. I will be reunited with my old friends, but be missing my exchange student friends. I will have trips to other countries to look forward to now that I have friends from around the world. And I will start as a freshman at Centre College in Danville, KY. And even more! I will be unique- a student from NH who lived in Ecuador for 10 months, and I am excited to bring that cultured side of me to the school. Maybe I will know what I want to do for a major by then, and maybe I will still be undecided.

That being said, my New Year’s resolution is going to be the same as last year- I think it really is the best one to have no matter what your age and where you are in life. Enjoy life! Enjoy what you can because life is short; the opportunities you have and the people you meet and the places you visit are everything. Slow down what you can. I know this next part of my exchange is going to go by so quickly and the next thing you know, August 2014, this year, I will be starting college. It is all so surreal and I just want to slow it down. I want to really take in these feelings and appreciate the experiences I am living. I want to keep learning, enjoying, discovering the world, feeling successful, and being thankful.

                I really liked how I ended my entry last year, so I am going to end in the same manner here—So New Year, 2014, and GOD; please be good to me and my family, friends, and loved ones. Let me have a happy year and let me be strong. Help me to try my best and do everything I can to be everything that I want to me. Give me strength to get through the challenges so that I can appreciate what’s on the other side- the success. Keep me going and looking forward to the future, one that is so promising for me. But most importantly, keep me grounded and keep me living for today.
Love, Megan.

2013, Part 1- How It Started (my journal entry)

I can’t believe another year has come and gone so quickly. I want to start by sharing a journal entry that I wrote last New Year’s Eve. I typed it because I had a lot to say but also because I felt that it would be important to look back on what I said next year. This is truly what I wrote and how I felt and I never expected I’d be sharing this.

Monday December 31, 2012, 11:30 PM.

Wow, a half hour left of 2012. Where do I begin? Well, first off, I want to start by recognizing 2012 for what it has been; a pretty good year that had its share of happy and sad moments. I started it off with Ivy Stafford (my friend), at my house, with some sparkling cider. What was my new year’s resolution? Hell, it was probably something about losing weight. Guess what? It did not happen, and I am not too surprised. But that’s okay because the year shouldn’t be based off of a resolution. The idea of a new year’s resolution is just something you want to remember for the next year but not necessary something that you measure the success of. Or that’s not what I want it to be for me at least. Anyways-the year 2012;

I went to Ecuadorwith my grandparents . I turned 17. My Aunt Nancy died- RIP, June 2^nd 2012. I was accepted to St. Paul’s Advanced Summer Program and attended the 5 weeks of intense academic study. I applied to 9 colleges and have been accepted to 3 so far. I have gotten two sportsmanship awards for tennis and volleyball. I survived junior year. I completed online English 11 in pretty much two days. I started senior year!!! Obama was elected president again. I discovered fanfiction- something that I read far too often. I drove without getting pulled over. My class (juniors) won lip sync with my theme idea. I played Junior Olympic volleyball. I bombed the AP United States History exam (Yep, I got a 1 haha). I was a HOBY junior facilitator. YOLO and instagram became really popular trends. Summer Olympics were incredible to watch- GO USA! KAT Company had its last performances ever. I didn’t get into All-State… again. I played great roles like Annie in “Annie get Your Gun”, the Mother in “Aladdin”, and Tracy Turnblad in “A Very Broadway Christmas”. What else? The Patriots lost in the Superbowl after being ahead- ughh Giants. I decided to take a gap year and go to South America for a year. Oh uhm, we survived the apocalypse? Just kidding I don’t believe in that stuff. And recently (December 14^th), a terribly messed-up man killed 27 people including a bunch of little kids at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. I went and came back from celebrating Christmas in FL with my grandparents (while there I got to go to Bush Gardens!). I saw Les Miserables the movie while there. I also got a new laptop for Christmas. Okay, now I really think I covered 2012.

So 2013, in 10 minutes!!! It is so exciting and bittersweet. I am going to NYC with my closest friends in 3 weekends. I am going to turn 18 and technically become an “adult”. I am going to pierce my nose. I am going to pick a college. I am going to go to prom. I am going to graduate. I am going to spend a month and a half of summer with friends celebrating the end of high school. I am going to leave for a year in South America! And I am going to spend the rest of 2013 in a South American country as a senior in high school again, becoming fluent in Spanish, gaining a new appreciation for a culture, and living my life. I may get a boyfriend. I may not. I may lose weight. I may not. But whatever happens, happens, because it is life and you need to roll with the punches but also do your best and love what you can and work hard for the things you want most.

So, my New Year’s resolution?! It’s the simplest one yet. Enjoy Life! Slow it down, don’t rush. Feel the emotions of graduating- you are graduating from high school! Enjoy the benefits of turning 18. Feel accomplished. Feel the excitement for traveling to an unknown country, the anticipation, and also the nervousness for leaving my family for an entire year. The slower I go, the less stress and complications I put on myself, the happier I will be. It shouldn’t matter if I have a relationship, if I have the perfect grades, if I go to the perfect school, if I lose all the weight. What matters is if I try. 

Here we go… ONE MINUTE UNTIL 2013!! Just try; and focus on the happy and positive. Be thankful. Call on God. Pray more. And again, Enjoy life.

2, 1, Happy New Year!!!!! And here it is. I’ll admit it- I am alone on New Year’s, and I am kind of emotional at this point. It’s an overwhelming feeling of happiness though. So New Year, 2013, GOD, please be good to me and my family, friends, and loved ones. Let me have a happy year and let me be strong. Help me to try my best and do everything I can to be everything that I want to me. Give me strength to get through the challenges so that I can appreciate what’s on the other side- the success. Keep me going and looking forward to the future that is so promising for me. But most importantly, keep me grounded and keep me living for today.

Love, Me ~ January 1, 2013, 12:07 AM.