First Two Weeks (Part 2)

Day 8: I stayed in bed as long as I possibly could- 10AM. I think my sleep habits have changed and I have moved past my "sleep till 12 or 1pm stage". I find myself waking up around 7 or 8 on the weekends even if I stayed up late the night before and I can only continue to doze for another hour or two. Even getting up for school is the same way- if I miss the alarm, I still end up waking up in time. Hmm. Anyways- I got up just to sit down with my family and watch the movie they had just started. It wasn't until the movie was over that I realized I had just experienced Star Trek and honestly (I never thought I'd say this) I loved the movie. Not just because Chris Pine (the actor who plays James Kirk in the movie) is a total babe. But the action and plot were suprisingly interesting and enjoyable- probably because it was in English. After the movie and lunch, Lorgia and I left for the Jesus Adrian Gomez concert. We waited in 3 different "lines" from 3:30 pm until we were let in around 7- when the show was supposed to start. It started eventually, but I was sick of being patient. Luckily, the show was worth it. The songs were great and I even bought the concert CD. 

Day 9: I didn't want to get out of bed. School was boring but I met a student in my class named Pamela for the first time because she had been sick all last week. She has become one of my closest friends from school. The other good thing at school was watching the girls in my course beat their rival team in soccer- apparently last year’s game was rough and they wanted revenge. I started riding in a taxi today because Jorge took back the little temporary car and their other one still isn't fixed. In the evening I went to my first Rotary club meeting in Machala. Each inbound presented their banners and the rebounds presented 10 minute picture presentations about their own trips. It was nice to talk with my new exchange friend Simone from Switzerland. She knows English and it is nice to revert to that every once in a while. The meeting was long and Lorgia and I left early. When I got home, I sat down and watched yet another action movie (that I never watched before) Superman Returns. When I went to bed after the movie it was 1:30AM. 

Day 10: As a result of little sleep and the pizza at the Rotary meeting, I was sick and exhausted all day. I went with the one girl in my class who speaks decent English to the health room where the doctor gave me some anti-acid stuff and advil, but it didn't help much. We went on a field trip to a nearby sports field facility where the boys in my course had a soccer game against a team from a different school. They lost in a shoot-out. After school I went to Pamela's house and we talked for an hour before going out to walk around. She brought me to her cousin’s cell shop to see if they could get my phone to work. I let them keep it to try a software update but I was pretty sure the state of my phone wasn't going to change. Then I went with Lorgia and Jorge to Chili's for a birthday of a friend’s daughter. These friends I hadn't met before, and the whole thing was awkward on top of how exhausted I was feeling. I seriously had never felt so tired before in my life; I couldn't keep my eyes open, but they didn't seem to notice or care because they sat there talking late into the evening. 

Day 11: I got up in front of my class and translated 6 or 7 facts to Spanish about the US involvement in World War 2. I gave two boys in my class lyrics to Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven" and Journey's "Faithfully" because they wanted me to help them with the lyric pronunciation. They were so excited- it was cute. I told my literature course teacher that I love to sing, and he had me get up and sing in front of the class. I sang "Amazing Grace", "Locked Out of Heaven" and "Somebody Like You". The whole class was impressed with my voice. I took out my NH state pin to show a couple students who had asked about it, and then everyone ended up wanting one. I ran out of pins and promised to bring more the next day. I took a much needed nap today- four hours. Then I watched Soul Surfer in Spanish and had a grilled ham & cheese for dinner- this has become my favorite dinner.  

Day 12: I rushed to get ready as my alarm didn't go off for school. I was still late for school and had to sit in the library for the first course of the day. Woops. It was yet another boring day at school. I handed out more pins to my class and handed some to my course teachers too. They have been wearing them ever since. After school I hung out with Pamela again and went back to see if my phone was fixed. It didn't work- so I bought a new phone and she helped me set it up. It was worth the purchase.  

Day 13: Friday was a good day at school. I brought my camera and took pictures of my school and my class. I also ended up trying this huge hot dog thing at lunch because a course had made them as an experiment. That night I was invited to shop and go to Chili's with some girls from my course. They said to meet in front of the theatre at 7. But when I got there, one of the girls named Rosita messaged me to say "donde estas" and when I told her I was there, she said "okay we are leaving now". In the meantime, my exchange friend Sarah invited me to the movies with her and another friend from school at 7:45. I decided to see the movie and meet up with my other friends after since they didn't arrive till 7:50 anyways. We watched The Conjuring- it was one of the scariest movies I've ever seen.  

Day 14: I slept late and packed for my language camp. Then I met my Swiss exchange friend Simone by the church in the center of Machala. We bought some ice cream and walked around. I had to make a copy of my passport, so I did that. We got manicures for only $3.50 and then went to buy chips before coming back to my house to watch some movies on my laptop (because Jorge was watching tennis on tv). I was proud of myself for getting to the center and back in a taxi all by myself- especially when going to my house because there aren't actual house numbers so you have to say the street and direct the driver from there.   

After two weeks I am developing a routine and becoming more comfortable and familiar with my surroundings. I have tried more food and my body is getting used to the heat. There are still things that I must adjust to though, like the sound of car horns and car alarms (the most obnoxious alarms ever!). I also have to get used to new habits at home, especially when it comes to security. I have to close the window, lock the door, make sure I close the gate tight, etc. I have to get used to later nights, and how quickly it goes from light out to dark. Lastly, I have to be patient. Translating Spanish in my head all day long is very tiring. After a long day- I am tired and usually frustrated about not knowing how to say things or not understanding more. But it will come. My exchange has only just begun.  

Pictures from my second week: https://ayearinalife.shutterfly.com/pictures/8 

First Two Weeks (Part 1)

Hello everyone!

First of all, I would like to thank all of my family and friends for all of their emails, skype calls, and for keeping me in their thoughts and prayers. I can feel the love, and I appreciate it more than you can understand!

Second, I want to thank you for reading my blog. It means so much to me that people are interested in how I am feeling and what I am doing. That being said, I have been keeping very busy and it has been hard to find time to write. Also, I need to focus more on Spanish than writing in English all the time. My goal is still one post each week, unless I have a crazy-busy week and can't post or I have this burning need to post more than once. I suggest adding your email to the update list so that when I post, you'll know.

Where do I start?! I am at the two week mark and yet I feel like I have been here for much longer. I hope that means I am already getting accustomed to life here. I do not plan on recaping each day of my exchange in future posts, but there have been so many new things that I have experienced in the past two weeks that I felt it was necessary to give more detail.

Day 1: My first full day in Ecuador: I spent the first half of the day with my host family in Guayaquil doing errands and eating, although I wasn't very hungry and for some reason my stomach was still upset. I think I was really nervous to begin with and didn't want to overdo it with the food in case my stomach reacted poorly. Back at Gaby's appartment, we brought my bags down to the little car. Jorge worked for 20-25 minutes trying to get my bags to fit in that car. I ended up with my smallest carry-on in my lap, my other carry-on and smaller suitcase next to me, and the biggest one in the tiny space they consider the trunk. Lorgia took a picture of me surrounded by my luggage and has proceeded to show almost all of her friends that I have met. Anyways, I was tired and tempted to sleep on the ride from Guayaquil to Machala, but I quickly remembered from my previous trip to Ecuador that the road quality here isn't amazing and their driving isn't any better. I fell forward and shifted after every bump we went over and thus couldn't sleep. But there were some great sights along the way, and I was growing excited to arrive at my new home. My home in Machala is beautiful (if you haven't seen the pictures, check out my link below ). I was happy to bring my luggage into my new room and unpack. We went out for dinner and stopped at the Supermaxi (the Ecuadorian version of Walmart) to buy some food for the house. It was so different than our supermarkets though- there was a whole aisle of milk products (in a box and not refrigerated!) and the check out lanes were only wide enough for a person to fit through, leaving their empty cart right in the middle of the store. I also stood there patiently while my host family talked to friends in the middle of the store for 10 minutes before they started shopping. I have discovered that no matter where you go, Ecuadorian people are all about being social. Whether it's the mall, the gym, school, or out to eat, they talk the whole time. And that was my first day.

Day 2: I discovered that I would be starting school the next day. Lorgia and I went to buy the the things I needed for school; sweatpants, shorts, jacket, white sneakers, and a t-shirt for the physical education class, a notebook and pens. We also bought the fabric for the uniform skirt and brought it to a sewing shop where they would make it. We went to the mall to buy a Claro chip for my phone so that I could make calls here.

Day 3: My first day of school. I had never been so nervous for anything in my life. I arrived and one of the general inspectors named Sonya brought me to my course and told the students to give me a seat. Everyone just started at first, then went back to talking and doing their own thing. I am the only exchange student in my course, so I didn't have a familiar face to look for. My first class of the day turned out to be English class, but it was actually nice because the teacher wanted a couple of the students that could speak English to practice by asking me questions. He also said that he would like me to help him and the students with English and that they would help me with Spanish. That day, one student in particular, Ana Paula, was really helpful to me. She immediately befriended me, linking our arms and showing me around the school at our "recreation" time (lunch). She was able to come up with synonyms for words that I didn't understand so that I could eventually figure out what she was saying and attempt to respond. The other students were easy to warm up and ask me questions (see my FAQ 3 post). The only downside was the slight sunburn I got from watching the soccer games the classes play against each other two times each week (which is during class- YES!).

Day 4: Day two of school was tough because I was exhausted. I had gone to the gym with my parents the night before. I was still getting used to the schedule and I was frustrated with my limited comminication abilities. I got to meet Lorgia's mother that day, and as soon as I entered her home, I was immediately reminded of my both my Great Grammy DuBois and my Great Grammy Clairmont. The home smelt like smoke, and she brought out cookies for Lorgia and I to eat. I also meet the family maid, Consuelo, who cooks our main meal of the day (lunch), does the laundry, and cleans/organizes the house almost everyday. It is weird coming home from school at 2 and immediately sitting down for a prepared lunch and an organized bedroom.

Day 5: I asked another student to copy her schedule for me, and suddenly my school days made much more sense. Unlike my high school in the United States, the students stay in one place and the profesors travel to the students classroom to teach. My mistake today was forgetting that the toilet paper for most bathrooms is  located outside of the stall and sometimes out of the bathroom itself. That was quite unfortunate. Oh yeah, and here in Ecuador, we don't flush our toilet paper. We throw it in a waste basket next to the toilet. I find it gross, but they are kind of supersticious about it- so I try my best to remind myself. But honestly, this is one habit that has been hard to break. I had my first meeting with my host counselor, and with the other exchange students in my host club today and it was so nice to meet some new people who would help me and become my friends. With the exchange students, I ended up translating to English for a girl from Germany and a boy from Thaiwan who knew very little Spanish. It helped my confidence a little bit to know that my understanding was there.

Day 6: I didn't sleep well the night before and was extremely tired all day. During English class, I was the person that everyone wanted on their team when we played a reading comprehension question game. It felt good to have so many students interacting with me, even if it was for a competition (I am a competetive person myself). Also, I think I have found a place where I belong- where others come and ask to have a sip of water and then take an extreme "Megan Sip" and practically finish what's in the bottle. That might not make sense for some readers, so I'll just say that apparently, when I ask to take a sip of someones drink, I end up always taking a huge gulp and this has become the "Megan Sip". Guess what people? Here their sips are worse than mine! This has happened on more than one occasion and I realize that I need to start hiding my water when I bring it to school.

Day 7: I skyped my family, (who was living it up in York, Maine without me!) and some friends. It was nice to see people. I also submitted my first monthly report for Rotary that I had to do even though it had only been a week. That afternoon my host family took me to the coast of Machala. The pier was beautiful and there were huge fishing boats there and smaller boats to take people to a beach 30 minutes away. There was also a whole street of seafood restauraunts lined up one after the other. It was nice to walk around and try some food from the venders at the pier. I snacked on mango, a coconut ice pop, some crackers, and some other fried dough type thing. It was all delishious! Back at home, I met some of Jorge's family and we ate pizza and talked until almost midnight. I showed them the picture book that I brought depicting my home, family, friends, and more. It was really nice.

Look for the details of my second week in the next post...
Check out my pictures from the first week: https://ayearinalife.shutterfly.com/pictures/56

FAQ 3...

What Ecuadorians, especially the students at my school, asked me this week when we met:
Note: The other person talking/asking the question is in bold (English translations are italicized). My response is the normal text and translated to English aslo. Also, si means yes and no means no :)

1. Eres un estudiante de intercambio? You're an exchange student? Si, con Rotary. Yes, with Rotary. 
2. De cual país/de donde eres? Where are you from? Los Estados Unidos. The United States. Que parte? What part? New Hampshire. (A look of confusion). Cerca (Near) Boston. Oh Boston!
3. Hablas español? Do you speak Spanish? Un poco. A little bit.
4. Como te llamas? What is your name? Megan. Morgan? No. Meh-gahn. Megan. 
5. Cuando llegaste? When did you arrive? El sabado. Saturday. 
6. Te gusta Ecuador? Do you like Ecuador? Si, hasta aqui! Yes, so far so good. 
7. Dónde y cuándo llegaste eso? Where and when did you get this (points to my nose piercing)? Enero del este año, en Nuevo York. January of this year, in New York. 
8. Te gusta la comida aqui? Has probado el ceviche? Es muy rico! Do you like the food here? Have you tried the shrimp? It is delishious! Me gusta la comida, pero no he tenido el camarón todavía. I like the food, but I haven't had the shrimp yet.
9. Donde vives aquí? Where do you live here? En Machala. No lejos de aqui. In Machala. Not far from here. 
10. Quienes son tus padres? Who are your parents? Jorge Zaldua y Lorgia Gomez. Jorge and Lorgia. 
11. Que es tu apellido? What is your last name? Reid. (They have no clue.) Rye-eed. Ray-it? No, r,e, i, d. Reid. Reid? Si. (I'm thinking: Yes, that's how I pronounced it. Accents.)  
12. Como dormiste? How did you sleep? Bien. Well. 
13. Que países viajaste? What countries have you visited? México, Canadá, España, y yo he visitado Ecuador anteriormente. Mexico, Canada, Spain, and I have visited Ecuador previously.
14. ¿Ha visto o conoce a alguien famoso? Have you seen or do you know someone famous there (Boston)? No, las personas famosas casi todo viven en California o Nueva York. Y muchas personas conocen las famosas pero no estan amigos de ellos. No, the famous people all mostly live in California or New York. And many people know of the famous, but are not friends with them.
15. Te gusta este colegio? Do you like this school? Si, hasta aqui. Yes, so far. 
16. Te gusta who-stin baybur? Do you like who-stin baybear? Que? What? Who-stin baybur? Oh, Justin Bieber? Si! No me gusta. No, I don't like him. Haha. Oh, y one dirreccion? What about "One Direction"?  Escucho a unos de sus canciones, pero no me gusta ellos. Mis mejores amigas en los estados unidos les encantan! I listen to a few songs from them, but I don't really like them. My best friends in the U.S. love them!

Also, once the students discovered that I can sing, they started asking me to sing different American songs that are popular in Ecuador. I also helped a couple boys pronounce the lyrics to "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars so that they could sing it better, and now they are all coming to me for lyrics to a bunch of songs. It's kind of crazy, but at least they are interacting with me! 

New Food!

Empanada: An empanada is a bread or pastry that is stuffed with things like cheese, vegetables, fruits, meats, and other things, and then is fried (sometimes baked). The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. They make popular empanadas for each meal of the day. I have had a plain cheese empanada, but here in Ecuador (depending on the region) there are two really popular empanadas: the first is with rice, peas, corn, beef, and cheese. The second is the plantain empanada with the dough made from plantains and then filled with beef, cheese, or shrip.

Plantain: Plantains are a member of the banana family but are certainly different (see the chart below) and are unsuitable raw. They are used in so many dishes here, almost like we use the potato in America, it is usually fried or baked. Here in Ecuador they are called "verde" because their peels are usually green. Many Ecuadorians eat Plantain in some dish during the day- even if it's just fried plantain (mashed or chopped) as a side dish. I personally like the thin plantain chips that they sell at my school called chifles (they have many names) because they are salty and delish. There are also patacones which are thick plantain chips, and many soups with plantain. But seriously, come visit me and you will eat a bunch of plantains whether you know it or not. Did I mention that Machala is the Banana capital of the world? Well it is, and I get to go to the International Banana Festival soon! Cool, huh?

Plantains	Bananas
Starchy Used as a vegetable Longer than bananas Thicker skin Resemble green bananas, but may be green, yellow or black	Sweet Eaten as a fruit Shorter than plantains Thinner skin Color is green when not fully ripe, yellow when ripe

Bolon: Bolon de verde is the first breakfast food I had in Ecuador. Bolon is a slang term that means large ball, hence it's appearance. In English, people will say it's a dumpling instead of a "green plantain ball". It is made by boiling plantain and mashing it up, adding fresh cheese, chorizo and/or chicharrones and then forming the mixture into a ball and frying it. It is a popular breakfast/brunch dish but is also served as a snack or appetizer and can be stuffed with pork. Chicharrones in Ecuador are chunks of deep fried fatty pork meat, and chorizo is a type of pork sausage. 

Wikipedia has been very helpful when it comes to figuring out what it is that I'm eating! :)

But I found this amazing website with recipies and explanations about popular Ecuadorian food. It has been super helpful and it will be a great resource when I want to make some Ecuadorian food back home. 

Take a look if you're interested: http://laylita.com/recipes/ecuadorian-recipes/

I will add more food posts when I try more interesting/new food. Apparently the ceviche (shrimp) is the best here. I am not a seafood fan though, so although I want to try it, I'm not sure how well it will go.

Chao!

Start of Something New

Yes, I choose to title this post after a High School Musical song. And you can't judge me because it's relevent and it's catchy and Zac Efron is in it. So there.

My flight from Miami to Ecuador seemed to go on for far too long. First, I had to fill out the scary customs and passport check papers. I say scary because if you misinterpret what it's asking you and don't claim the right amounts/items or if you copy some passport information wrong, it can become a bigger ordeal than usual at the customs counter. And that is the last thing I ever want to happen to me, especially as an exchange student starting off in her new country. All I can say is, police-like authorities (when on-duty) make me very nervous and because of this I was meticulous with my papers, taking 45 minutes to complete them both. The dinner and drink cart came around an hour later and woke me up from an uncomfortable slumber. Airplane food is NOT tasty. The next hour dragged on as I tried to sleep and listen to music. With about an hour and a half remaining, I was getting antsy. The seatbelt sign had not been removed once, and at this point people got up anyways and formed a huge line for the bathroom. Now, I usually would hold my bladder and wait to go in the next airport because the airplane lavatories are gross and I don't like making the other people move for me, but there were 3 things wrong with waiting. 1) I didn't want to go at the airport and delay getting in the long line for customs and security when I knew my host family would be waiting. 2) There was still a full hour left in the flight. And 3) I had chugged a big bottle of water (the WHOLE thing) right before boarding the plane hours before. So by the time I stopped arguing with myself and decided to get it over with, there were 40 minutes left in the flight. I simply told the Cuban woman, "Necesito el bano" and asked the American if I could get past. After that lovely experience, I got back to my seat as the captain announced that electronics needed to be turned off for our descent. I put away my iPod and opened the shade of the small plane window to stare at the surrounding sky. Soon, land came into view, and mountains, and finally roadways and houses. The woman next to me was going crazy praising the lord as our view of the beautiful city of Guayaquil was closer. At first she was mumbling to herself, then she started to shout. Soon she had others on  the plane chanting and clapping with her as the plane touched down at the Guayaquil airport. "Gracias Señor, Hallelujah!" It was a memorable way to arrive.

I am lucky that I met that woman from Machala at the Miami airport because she let me cut a whole room-length of the customs line to stand with her. I got through without hassle, and then went to baggage claim which was a mess. Luggage was everywhere- I mean, NO organization whatsoever. It was like a treasure hunt; all of my suitcases were spread out on different sides of two different carousels behind everyone else's (of course). I paid 2 dollars for a luggage cart to manuver all of my stuff, and by the time I had found all 3 suitcases, a huge disorganized pile of people had gathered by the entrance of the last section of security where they scan all the suitcases. I was exhausted, at the back of the "line" and sweating like crazy in my blazer. After waiting for another 25 minutes to get through the security, I found myself walking out the double doors into the airport lobby where many people were waiting to welcome friends and family. I continued forward, searching the crowd to my left for any sign of my host family. Then, I saw my host mom, and relief washed over me. I heard my name and looked forward to see my host dad ahead to my left, taking pictures with his phone as I continued to make my way through around the ropes and towards where I saw my host mom coming towards me. I stopped pushing my luggage and came around to greet them. My host mom, Lorgia, came up and hugged me, saying "Hola Megan!". Then my host sister, Gaby, came to me for a hug. She was holding a sign that said "Bienvenida Megan!". Lastly, my host dad, Jorge, came and hugged me. In that moment, all I could say was "hola" "gracias" and "si". Once they were sure I was all set, we started to make our way out of the airport while Gaby explained to me in English that we would be staying with her tonight and that she was going to take a taxi to her appartment with my luggage. Apparently, Jorge had recently been in an accident with their car and the temporary one is small. (Gaby speaks English because she went on exchange to the US five years ago). The ride to Gaby's was short, and I was thankful because I lacked the energy necessary to try and understand what my host parents- who don't speak English- were saying. I simple sat there, taking in my surroundings and answering questions the best I could if they asked.

When we arrived, Gaby was waiting at the door to the stairs with my stuff. We all took a bag and lugged it up the 3 flights of stairs to her appartment. I felt bad because boy were they heavy and I only ended up breaking into my carry-ons that night. Once we got the bags to my room, I asked for the wifi password so I could FaceTime with my parents and let them know that I made it and was doing well. After I talked with my parents, I went with my host family for dinner not too far away at one of the common little restauraunts that occupy the main streets. We had empanadas but I only ate one because my stomach was still uneasy from the nerves of the day. During dinner, there were fireworks nearby, and as cliche as this is, I couldn't help but think that they were a sign that my year will be amazing and spontaneous and beautiful. If I got fireworks on the first night, imagine the other things that could possibly happen to me over the next ten months! After dinner, we stopped at a pharmacy for Lorgia and then returned to the appartment. I was glad when they understood how tired I was and let me go right into my room for the night. I flopped down on the bed wanting to journal about my day, but had no energy to do so. I did, however, give thought to the fact that my exchange had officially started. I was in a different country, with a host family, eating new food, speaking a different language, and experiencing a different culture. I fell asleep feeling happy with the start of my new life in Ecuador.

See you later

Saying goodbye to my family and friends is probably one of the hardest things I have experienced in a long time. Friday night, some family and friends came over to wish me well and give me their final words of advice before heading out the next morning. It was a little overwhelming, but I am glad that I got to see the people that mean the most to me before leaving for 10 months. It felt so strange, saying goodbye to people and thinking about how I wouldn't be seeing them soon- not when I wake up in the morning, not when I go to school, not during the holidays. It is the realization that 10 months is a long time to go without seeing someone who would normally be part of your everday life that hit me the night before. And I was stressing out about my luggage being overweight and wanting everything to go smoothly. 

I got two hours of sleep before waking up at 4am to get ready and leave for Boston airport with the family. We arrived and made our way to the check-in counter for American Airlines. We checked my two big bags (one of which was over-weight *sigh*) and made our way towards the security line. Mom tried to delay the goodbyes, because boarding wasn't until 8:50,  but my stomach was in nervous knots of anticipation and anxiety about getting through security and finding my gate and the rest of my travels so I wanted to get it over with. I hugged Mom, and started to sniffle, then I hugged my Dad and started to ball. Then I took a breather to get it under control. I hugged Tyler through more sobs, then Mom and Dad once more. Hesitating, I took my carry-on and made my way to security. Luckily, it was a simple security day; I didn't have to remove the liquids in my carry-on, my laptop, or my shoes on my feet. I was so grateful for that! I got through and grabbed my things. I turned and had a perfect view of my family on the other side of the security ropes. I was a hot mess after the tears and all, but I managed what I hope was a reassuring smile, a wave, and gave an I love you sign with my hand before using all my willpower to turn and walk around the corner to find my gate. "That's it," I thought, "I am officialy embarking on this journey." 

I found my gate in no time, sat down with relief and fixed my eye make-up. It didn't seem like a long time before I boarded the flight. Despite the pain of manuvering my carry-ons through the plane aisle and getting them in and out of overhead bins, the first flight went well. I tried to nap a little bit too. I arrived at the Miami airport on schedule and decided that I wanted to find my next gate first. I had to take the skytram from one end of the airport to the other. Once I found my gate, I went to the bathroom and reorganize my carry-on so that I didn't need to get into the overhead bin during the next flight. I then went to buy a water and something to eat. I asked for a chicken ceasar salad and realized back at my gate that they had given me a chicken salad sandwhich that did NOT taste good. But I didn't have much time to be upset because I went to put my stuff down at the gate when I notticed two Rotary Blazers behind me. I went and sat down next to two girls from the US who were on the same flight to Guayaquil. We talked about where we are from and what cities we are living in for the year. It was nice to know that there were others that were going through the same thing and would be there through customs before finding our host families. 

While we were talking, a woman across from me noticed my Ecuador flag patch on my blazer and asked me if I was from Ecuador. I explained that we were exchange students going to Ecuador through Rotary. She asked the girls and I what cities we were going to. When I told her I was living in Machala, she got excited and said she lives in Machala. She asked me who I would be living with and I told her the names of my host parents. She was even  more excited to tell me that she is a friend of my host family. "Es un mundo pequeño" she said. I agreed. Meanwhile, the other girls sat there not really knowing what we were saying. They were impressed with how I understood and talked with the woman all in Spanish. From then on, I ended up translating questions for the other girls and answers for the woman. 

Another two girls with Rotary blazers came to the gate and then it was time to get on the plane. We boarded together (even though we didn't have seats together) and it was nice to visit with them for as long as posible. I took my window seat next to a Cuban woman visiting Ecuador for the first time and an American who was visiting Ecuador for 3 days. We finally took off, and I silently said goodbye to the United States- my home and my comfort zone- as we ascended into the sky towards my new home and new country. 

"I will carry you with me 'till I see you again."- Carrie Underwood

FAQ 2...

2. Is there a big time difference between where you live (NH) and Ecuador? 

No, there's not. Ecuador is in the same time zone as NH which is UTC/GMT -5. However, Ecuador does not observe daylight savings time, so when NH moves the clock forward an hour between March and November, NH is one hour ahead of Ecuador during those months. The daylight savings time differences can make things really confusing when it comes to calculating time!

In case you're confused about the time thing (I was)...

Hope this helps a little!