The Galapagos Trip

Galapagos Trip:

Prior to the trip...there were some problems and confusion with flights and travel to the airport. We ended up having to temporarily postpone our trip until the company and our club were able to reschedule everything. It ended up working out that the kids in my city of Machala went to the Galapagos just the 14 of us instead of the big group of 35-40 students as originally planned. This was both dissapointing, and helpful at the same time as we didn't have to break off into smaller groups when we got to the day trips on the islands. It still would have been nice to see some other students from other parts of Ecuador for a change instead of only the Machala kids that I spend time with every week anyways (I love them, I do, but I like getting to know new people too). Well anyways...

Monday: We left Machala at 2:30AM to get to the airport in Guayaquil early for our flight check in. After waiting an eternity at the airport, we boarded our two hour flight to the island of Baltra, the location of one of only two airports in the Galapagos island region. In fact, the island of Baltra is only used for the airport and nothing else; there is no population there. When we landed, it was around 2PM because the islands are actually an hour behind Ecuador's time. We took a mini-barge from the island of Baltra to the bigger and most popular island of Santa Cruz where we had another 45 minute bus ride to the bottom, populated part of the island. We checked in at the Ninfa? Hotel, and immediately changed for our lunch and afternoon excursion. After lunch we walked a very long way (probably 45-50 minutes) to a beautiful beach called Tortuga bay. It was stunning- beautiful sand, beautiful ocean. The water was very salty but the temperature was fantastic as well as the waves. There were plenty of surfers out there taking advantage of the great swell. We stayed there for 1.5 hours before having to leave as the beach closed at 6. We walked back and immediately went for the warm pool at the hotel to try and get the sand and salt off us. After a shower, it was dinner time. The hotel did a nice job with all of our meals. After dinner, we hung out in the lounge-bar area where many utilized the free wifi and where Simone and I played many rounds of pool (billiards) as a team with the other students. It got late and we went to bed knowing we had an early start the next day.

Tuesday: We woke up at 5AM for a 5:30 breakfast and a 6AM departure in a bus to the same port where the ferry dropped us off at the island the day before. Once there, we got on a little inflatable motor boat to be brought out to the bigger boat we would be spending the day on. We went to Bartolome Island, a small island off the coast of the bigger island of Santiago, just northeast of Santa Cruz. It was a spectacular view...then went snorkeling around the area ...saw a hugeee mamma manta and her baby, a tortoise, some big starfish, a gigantic lobster, and some beautifully colored fish (many Dory's). Then we got back on the boat, ate lunch, tanned on the front of the boat (I mean burned), and saw a bunch of great animals like dolphins and even a shark swimming next to our boat. The ride to and from the island was around 3 hours each way. Back at the hotel around 5PM, I showered before dinner again. After dinner we went out to explore the area of Port Ayora and looked at souvenir shops and got an ice cream. It was a nice little outing. We came back and once again hung out until late.

Wednesday: Wake up was at 6, breakfast 6:30, and departure at 7. We walked down to the port where we got on a taxi boat that brought us to the actual boat we would be spending the day on. It was a different style boat then the day before, meant for more speed and more passengers to bring them from place to place. We all found a way to get comfortable and sleep for the 2.5-3 hour ride to our destination on Isabela Island. Upon arrival, we got on a bus to take us to a fresh-water pool where there are usually many flamingos if the nutrient in the water is good (there were only two flamingos when we arrived). After a quick talk about the flamingos in this location, we walked next door to the tortoise museum/reserve (I don't remember the name). There are some really huge tortoises there. It was cool to learn about how they lay eggs and the whole process of reproducing their species and where certain species were found on the different islands. The put a lot of effort into the care and protection of them. After our museum tour, we got back on the bus to head to a nearby beach for a little swim before lunch. It was another beautiful spot, with calmer waters and a quick chance to relax. After an hour we got out to head to lunch. Then, we got in a boat to see another part of the island where we hoped to see penguins (we saw 4), sharks (we saw the tail-end of one that was sleeping in the shadows), and a specific spot where we would see plenty of ugly iguanas. From there, we went a little further out to try and spot sharks and got a second chance to snorkel. During this snorkel trip we saw more tortoises, but specifically got to get very close to some 12-15 sharks that were in an rock-cave and occasionally would swim out for us to get a good look. Our guide was super generous and decided to buy a go-pro for our group to use (because nobody had an underwater camera or anything...) so we and future groups could borrow it to take underwater pictures. Our snorkel guide was able to get some great shots of the sharks down in their cove. It was fantastic! After a long snorkeling session we got back on the boat for what turned out to be a long and sickening ride back. I decided to go up to the top deck where there are seats available for the driver and 3 or 4 others. It was a pretty view but I wasn't in one of the chairs so I really couldn't see anything anyways. Then, the water got extremely choppy and I found my self getting thrown around, hitting my arms on the rails and almost hitting my head. The harsh waves really hurt to go over. And not only that but it just made me so sick to my stomach and I felt like I had a huge headache. Either way, that was not a ride I enjoyed- it was far too long, I was uncomfortable sitting there on the deck, and it made my head hurt for the rest of the trip (not to mention a bruised arm and tailbone). But we made it back and I got to have a cola and some headache medicine to help me while we waited for dinner. After dinner, we had story-time for an hour or two before everyone went back to their rooms, some of us staying in one room to socialize late into the night. I really enjoyed talking and laughing with my good friends.

Thursday: Up and ready at the same time as Wednesday. We went to the port and once again boarded the speed boat to take us the 2.5-3 hours, this time to the island San Cristobal which is the most populated island of the Galapagos and also contains the only other airport. At the island we switched to a different boat authorized to take our group to Leon Dormido (in English- “sleeping lion”) for us to snorkel again around the two giant rocks and through the canal they form. It is called the Sleeping Lion because of the shape that is formed from the rock structure. The best part of that snorkel trip was an up-close experience with a manta and a sea-lion...like SUPER UP-CLOSE. I seriously want to take a sea-lion home, they are adorable! Other than that, the snorkel trip wasn't that successful like some of the others. The water was a too choppy to see much if it wasn't close. After snorkeling we boarded the boat once more to head to a beach area where we ate lunch, had more snorkeling (by that time I was extremely snorkeled out) and a then took a ride back to the bigger boat in the San Cristobal port that would bring us back to Santa Cruz. Luckily, the long rides on the big speed boat were better this day and I got to enjoy a semi-peaceful ride back. We hung out by the pool awhile before showering and having dinner. After dinner we got to go back into the town, and this time I spent some money on souvenirs and a frozen yogurt treat. Then we stopped at a cyber-cafe to download the go-pro pictures we had taken in order to return the device to our guide the next morning. We downloaded pictures and returned to the hotel where we stayed in the lounge area for as long as possible playing pool like we had almost every other night, then returned to a room to talk until we headed to our own rooms for bed. I packed my bags before heading to sleep.

Friday: Same time again. We left in a bus but stopped in town at the Charles Darwin National Park. It wasn't even open yet, so we couldn't go into the museum part like I would have liked in order to learn more about his impact on the islands but we did take an hour to see more protected tortoises and iguanas in the park. After our short tour the bus brought us to the top of Santa Cruz to catch a ferry back to Baltra for our flight back home. There was more waiting and travel problems (our chaperone's bag got lost and we had to wait for it to come in on the next flight)...typical. But we all got to Guayaquil around 3, had something to eat and left the airport around 4PM for the 3 hour ride back to Machala.

And that was my awesome Galapagos trip! :)  

A Post to Make Up for Lack of Posts

Hello blog world,

It has been wayhayhayyy too long since I have posted (4 months, I know). I feel bad- I do. I was so on top of my blog for the first 4-5 months and then I went on the Amazon trip, switched host families and pretty much got a life. I probably still could have found time to write and post, I mean, you should see the number of blog-post drafts that I have on my computer! But I would either forget or just keep pushing it off in order to do other projects, spend time with friends, or sleep.

So this is my post to make up for the time. I will try my best to cover everything I missed or wanted to say but didn't get to. Because like I said in the beginning, I want this blog to accurately represent my year abroad. I want it to help describe to people the year that I am having. So, here is a blog post to fill in the blanks before I get into the other more important posts that I am looking to upload.

Ok so;

The Amazon Trip-

Back in January I went on a trip to the Amazon. I had been before- but this trip was absolutely fantastic. I wanted to let this part of the post be a "picture is worth a thousand words" kind of deal but I somehow managed to delete all the pictures I took on the trip, and although I have recovered most of them, the format of the recovered files have made it almost impossible to upload anything. So instead of writing every incredible detail of the trip, I will give you a quick summary instead: We flew north to a town on the Napo river where we got on boats for another two hour trek to the Sacha Lodge where we stayed for the 4 day trip. Once there, we did a lot of walking/hiking through the forest, and plenty of canoeing as well to see the different plant and animal habitats of the jungle. It was incredible! We were split into groups of 6, and my little group was so much fun- we also had the best guide; he was very insightful. Every night most of us got together in one of the exchange student's cabin-rooms and would talk for hours. I also decided to go down to the dock one night because the view of the stars from this location was amazing!!! Of all the trips, despite the amount of sweating I did on this one, I really think this one was my favorite. I got to know the other kids in our group who live in Guayaquil and I got to revisit the jungle. Who can say they've been to the Amazon forest two times in their life (besides people that live and work in the jungle, or live in a country nearby)? It was totally different too because our tours were in Spanish unlike my English tours the first time I was there. The food at the lodge was so delicious and the sleeping arrangements very comfortable. I even got to swim in the lake with piranhas and crocodiles, catch piranha, and try a bite of grilled piranha. So yeah, I had a fantastic time.

Switching Host Families-

Just four days after getting back from the Amazon trip, I had to pack up all my stuff and move from the host family where I was living to another family. We switch within the club that is hosting us, which means that I went to a house where another student already was living for the first half of the year. I will be honest; I didn't want to switch. In fact, I was thinking about convincing the club to let me stay with my last host family, as I was comfortable with them and after a student chose to go home, they weren't going to recieve anyone. I was really unsure about switching after knowing how the student in the house I was going to had spent his first months here in Ecuador. All the students were pretty apprehensive about it actually...it's hard when you talk to the others and they tell you about what they like and dislike with their family. So, I went into my new family a little nervous, but remembering the importance of an open mind and that I am a different person then the last student and I can make the most of any situation. Turns out, switching host families was the best thing that could have happened to me on my exchange. It was silly of me, assuming that my experience would be the same as the other student's in this house. I also learned that exchange is as good as you make it. What I'm trying to say is, you never know if you can do something if you don't ask and you never will have a good relationship with your host family if you don't leave your room to get to know them. It's all about how involved you want to be, and most of the time, great host parents will be totally willing to let you have the best time. In the case of the student in this family before me, he just never asked. 

Turns out, I was the perfect fit for this family- Cesar, Patricia and their son Sebastian welcomed me into their home to fill the temporary spot of their 17 year old daughter/sister Paulina who is on exchange in Denmark. I actually felt and still feel like I am part of a family that cares for me, that wants me around, that is willing to do things with me and wants me to enjoy my time here. In this family, I actually have a host-sibling, Sebastian, who is 12 years old. I think having host siblings is an important part of the exchange experience, and I have a brother back home, so it's only natural for me to have a sibling. I enjoyed having that brother-sister dynamic back in my life. Sebas and I enjoy bantering with each other and that's fun for me. My host parents are some of the kindest people I have met and they actually understand me. They never say no to letting my friends come hang out, and willing to bring me places if I give them a heads-up. My host dad has a great sense of humor, and I really connect with his principles/way of thinking. And then, my host mom has really taken the opportunity to get to know me and is genuinely interested in my life. She has given me great advice along the way. Over all, I am so grateful to get two great host families, but especially my second family. They completely changed my exchange for the better.

Finding Activities-

My new host family was keen on me getting out of the house and doing something. So after a little searching and asking around, I finally found something worth while. I started going to a cooking school and it was exactly what I needed. I went Monday-Thursday from 8-10am and learned some really interesting and useful things for the future, like recipes that I can take back and use in the states not only for living on my own, but for showing family and friends Ecuadorian cuisine. I love food anyways, so it was wonderful getting recipes and trying things out. I made my family's Christmas sugar cookies with the NH cookie cutter to present to my class and then to my host family, and they were all impressed. The cooking classes were totally worth it. I also took guitar lessons once a week, which required practice during the week to improve before the next lesson. And every afternoon, I either went to Crossfit from 4-6 to exercise, or had plans to spend time with friends. So you can see, I got a little busy for a while.

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics-

It is an exciting time to be an exchange student that likes sports, especially during the Olympic Games. Starting with the last winter games in Vancouver 2010, I found an interest in watching the games. These are some incredible athletes doing incredible things. The amount of talent, dedication, practice, strength, and perseverance to be an Olympic athlete is something not many people have; it is something to be very proud of. I think that is part of the reason I like watching these athletes and teams compete. It is an exciting event! But from my exchange student perspective, what is even more exciting is seeing countries come together to celebrate the games by watching, cheering, participating, and honoring the successes of the countries as well as the individual athletes representing them. Ecuador is not a country that participates in the winter games (I hope you understand why), but watching the games from the perspective of another country was so cool for me. I had a couple great exchange friends who were into watching the games with me, and it was really exciting to have some friendly competition, country pride, and a lot of success.

Experiencing Ecuador-

Ecuador is famous for a number of things, including the diversity of it's land and the production of different products/goods. The region of El Oro, where my city is located, is famous for the production of bananas, cocoa, and shrimp. The city of Machala is called the banana capital of the world for the amount of bananas it packs and ships annually. I have always thought it is important to know about the important products and exports of a place, especially in an experience like this. Not only is it good to know about one of the biggest parts of the economy here in Ecuador, but it's interesting to see how these things are done if you don't know anything about it. Luckily for me, host dad owns a banana packing company and a few rice fields. He is also friends with some guys who catch and pack the shrimp here on the coast as well as some who work with the cocoa too. Being the great guy that he is, he helped me organize a couple "field trip" days where me and some of the other exchange students in my city to be able to see how these processes work. The first day, we went to my dad's banana fields and packing area where they told us all about growing, harvesting and packing the bananas. We also stopped by to see them till the soil where the rice is at my dad's rice field. Then, we went next-door to my dad's soccer field where we had a nice barbeque and hung out. It was a great day! The second trip we went to the port of Machala where products come in and out, one of those being shrimp. We got to go to the shrimp packing plant to see how they process and pack the shrimp that is caught. Then, we got to hang out at my grandparents house in the port where they have a great pool for swimming with a group of friends. I am so glad we got to do these things not only to learn more about our province but to also have some group bonding time. Special thank you shout out to my host dad, Cesar!

The Galapagos Islands Trip-
On March 24th the kids of Machala went to the Galapagos Islands for the week.

The Galápagos Islands are a small archipelago of volcanic islands belonging to Ecuador in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The islands are quite remote and isolated, lying some 1000 km (620 miles) off the shore of Ecuador. The Galápagos are world renowned for its unique ecosystem which was the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection. Giant tortoises, sea lions, penguins, marine iguanas and different bird species can all be seen and approached. Strict controls on tourist access are maintained in an effort to protect the natural habitats and all visitors must be accompanied by a national park-certified naturalist tour guide. - See more at: http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-ecuador/#sthash.ntF6nVMB.dpuf

*I will be posting a separate blog post with the details about this trip

A Rough Patch-

Exchange is advertised as the best year of your life. And for the most part, it really is incredible. For me though, the saying "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" is essential on exchange. Because what they mention but don't talk about enough, are the problems. Exchange always, without fail, will throw problems at the student- a set of hoops to jump over. It's like a test; who can avoid striking out when being thrown multiple physical and emotional curveballs, while on top of it trying to deal with these things in a completely foreign environment just for the sake of additional discomfort. I think people should talk about the bad times to, because if you never talk about it, nobody can learn from it and maybe you personally wont appreciate the growth of it either if you don't acknowledge it. That being said-

Coming back from the Galapagos trip, I was hit with some hard situations. April first was no joke; first of all, there was an earthquake in Chile that triggered a tsunami with warnings as far up as Ecuador. That in itself was worrisome. Then, there were exchange students posting the typical "good to be back home" and "I leave tomorrow" posts as their fun little April fools prank and I wasn't having any of it because I was almost certain that I would be going home in a few days myself, for real, and I just wasn't sure yet which of a few reasons would be bringing me there. Not only was I dealing with some host club issues that if worse could have likely been the end of my exchange, but I also got a call from my dad saying that my grandfather back home had a stroke and they didn't really know how he was or how severe it was. That was no prank. My Dad informed me that my mom was flying to Florida to be with him and my grandmother. As awful as this is, I was so scared that I would be told I needed to come home for a funeral or something. Of course it had me very concerned. To top that off, my host family here was having problems of their own- the grandmother on my host dad's side died and the father of my host mom went into shock and survived but was then looking at some severe recovery and surgery needed- for which they decided to do in the United States. Again, no jokes there. So as you can imagine with all of this going on at almost one time, I was a mess. Did the earthquake effect any of my exchange friends in Chile? No. Did the tsunami wreak havoc on the coast like they warned it could? No. Did the problems with my club send me packing? No. Did my grandfather live/is he okay? Yes. and Yes. And is my host doing okay? Well, thankfully the father of my host mom went to the US for his tricky surgery and it went well. He has been back for about a month and a half now and is recovering well. The whole family was able to breath a sigh of relief once he got back. So, for a period of time- I was a little on-edge and emotional. But you have to expect the unexpected on exchange. And most importantly, I believe, you have to have faith. Doesn't matter to me what you have faith in, but it's gotta be in something. I was constantly praying and hoping that things would turn around. I was checking on my friends in Chile, talking with my club back home to assure them that I was okay and the tsunami didn't end up effecting me, working to get things resolved with my host club, working to be there for my host family, and staying in contact with my family back home for constant updates on my grandfather. And I survived the curveballs. All of them. I was able to make it on base, in fact, I am about to round to home plate in less than 10 days. With a situation like that, not everybody would still be here on exchange. They would have given up, or struck out. But I made it, I am still here. And I am proud of myself for that accomplishment. 

Counting The Days- 

90 days ago, (about the end of March) I checked my countdown app on my iPad to see how many days I had. 100 days. I had spent 200 already in Ecuador and was starting on the final countdown. I decided to celebrate this final countdown in Ecuador with the #100happydays project. Now, for those unaware of this project, the goal is to take and post one picture each day of something that made you happy that day, or something to be happy about in general. The hope is that you will notice things you never really thought to appreciate before, or will remember that you can find happiness everyday, in some way. There is a lot to be grateful for, whether it's lunch with friends, or just to sleep in a bed, or a song that keeps you in a good mood. Happiness is everywhere, and doing something like this makes it easier to find that happiness (even on a bad day) and remember how fortunate you are. I have really liked doing this because it can be hard some days, especially when I am sick and stuck in bed, missing home, or when I see I have 10 days left in Ecuador (10 DAYS, WHAT?!), but you can always turn things around and be glad.

I will upload my happy days picture-video as soon as I am home and have posted 100 happy pictures!

So, there are more posts coming your way, but I figured we should end on a happy note, right? Get it? Happy note? ^^ *rim-shot* Haha. Thanks for reading!