An Article Worth Reading

Hi everyone,


One of my fellow exchangers posted the link to this article the other day on her Facebook wall, and I couldn't help but share it on my blog. This article pretty much sums up everything I feel about my exchange, why I am here, and the affect it is having on my life; and it says it all so perfectly. I really couldn't have written or expressed these ideas any better myself. So, without further ado... here is the link to the article "What Happens When You Live Abroad" by Chelsea Fagan.
http://thoughtcatalog.com/chelsea-fagan/2012/05/what-happens-when-you-live-abroad/#1LfRf2leJL8sXSyC.01



"So you look at your life, and the two countries that hold it, and realize that you are now two distinct people. As much as your countries represent and fulfill different parts of you and what you enjoy about life, as much as you have formed unbreakable bonds with people you love in both places, as much as you feel truly at home in either one, so you are divided in two."



This quote and the concluding paragraph of the article are the messages that really struck me and now have me reflecting on my experiences here in Ecuador and my future back in the US or wherever I end up after having experienced life abroad. It is exciting and scary because I know I am not done with life abroad, not done discovering new places, cultures, people, not done exploring where I want to settle down in the future. But at the same time, I know how much I hate leaving my family and friends behind, and the person I get to be in the various environments.



I am different here in Ecuador, and I will bring that changed self back to the States, but other than the language, friendships, and memories...I can't fully share who I am in Ecuador with my family and friend back home. I can't live like I am living now because Ecuador isn't the Unites States. I think the best I can do is keep blogging, keep posting, keep sharing my experiences in hopes that people understand a little bit better the life I have abroad without actually being here to see me in that life and experience it themselves.



That being said, thank you to those of you reading my blog and supporting me while I am on exchange. It is nice to know that there are people back in my other home that think of me often and are excited to here about this side of me, a side foreign to all of you.



I hope you enjoyed the article!

I owe you a food post...

Some of the traditional holiday food in Ecuador as well as some snacks that I have yet to write about:

Relleno: Sweet and sevory holiday turkey stuffing made with ground meat, chorizo (sausage), bacon, apple, raisins, olives, walnuts, bread crumbs, herbs and more. We had this both at Christmas dinner and New Year's Eve dinner.






Guaguas de pan y Colada morada: These are two very traditional Ecuadorian dishes made to celebrate the Dia de los Difuntos or Day of the Deceased. The bread figures, sometimes considered bread babies, are sweet bread figures, shaped like babies or dolls, that are decorated with bright frosting as part of the holiday. The Colada Morada is a drink made with fruits like dates and grapes, peaches, and apricots, spices, and purple corn flour- the drink is purple. The fruit is only somewhat blended, so I do not advise trying to drink this in a car as there are often big chunks of fruit that make it difficult to drink and could cause a mess. I speak from experience...

Pavo horneado: Roasted turkey. This is what we had for Christmas dinner and it was delish!

Batidos: Batidos are blended drinks (similar to smoothies) made with fruit, milk (or water- I prefer milk), ice, and added sugar. I love the mango batidos, but you can pretty much get them in whatever fruilt flavor you want.

Naranjilla ice cream: Another Ecuadorian favorite, something we don't have where I am from, are naranjilla flavored batidos and ice cream. Naranjilla (solanum quitoense)  is a subtropical perennial plant from northwestern South America. It is kind of like an orange, but isn't. I don't really know how to describe this one... but it's one of my favorite homemade ice cream flavors here. I am going to miss a lot of the fruit options here in Ecuador like the naranjilla.

Maduro con queso: Fried plantain with cheese. YUM!

Lomo: The Spanish word for tenderloin. Therefore, pork tenderloin is know as lomo de cerdo, whereas beef tenderloin is just called lomo. They have a lot of lomo here.




Menudo: A traditional Ecuadorian (and Mexican) soup, usually spicy, made with tripe (intestines of cow, pig, sheep), thought of as a cure for a hangover (which is why they typically serve it on Sunday). I am not a fan of this one... ick.

Seco de pollo o carne: Chicken or beef stew cooked slowly in a sauce of beer, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and spices. The meal with carne often includes menestra (beans) and rice.




Chaulafan de pollo: Ecuadorian chicken fried rice made with rice, chicken, bacon, onions, garlic, peppers, bell peppers, peas, carrots, scrambles eggs, raisins, spices and herbs. This stuff is good.


Mayonesa casera: You can buy it in the store, but this type of homemade mayonnaise is even better. Egg, cumin, onion, salt, sunflower oil and lemon juice should do it.

Salsa de queso con cilantro: Cheese and cilantro sauce. It is popular on meat, corn, plantain chips, and mexican food.

Salsa de mani: This isn't peanut butter, rather a warm peanut sauce made with peanut butter, milk, onion, cumin, achiote, cilantro and hard-boiled egg. It is popular on potato patties.

Salsa rosada: Also known as salsa golf, is a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup. It is the best on the street vendor's salchipapas.

Huevos chilenos: The translation means Chilean eggs but they are really Ecuadorian mini-donuts. They are orange corn balls, deep fried, and sugared. These are seriously my favorite!

Hominy o Mote: Dried maize kernels which have been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization. It's a type of corn.

Mote pillo: Mote pillo consists of hominy sauteed with onions, garlic, achiote, eggs, milk, chives and cilantro or parsley and normally served with hot black coffee and slices of fresh cheese.

Humitas: Savory steamed corn cakes made froma mixture of freshly ground corn, onion, garlic, cheese, eggs, and cream, which is placed inside corn husks and steamed.

Majado de verde o Tigrillo: A plantain mash made with green plantains, onrions, garlic, and achiote, fried eggs and cheese. This is delicious, one of my favorites when we go to the cafe for dinner.

Carne en palito o Pinchos de res: Thin pieces of meat seasoned with garlic, achiote and cumin and grilled on skewers. If you haven't noticed, onion and garlic are a big seasonings here.

Choclo asado con salsa de queso: Grilled corn with the salsa de queso sauce.

Ensalada rusa: A classic salad and side dish made with potatoes, carrots, peas, apples, celery, onion, and mayonnaise. It's like part fruit salad, part potato salad.

Pan de yuca: Cheese breads that melt in your mouth, typically served warm. Made with cheese and yuca or cassava starch. Usually accompanied with yogurt.





Salchipapas: A typical South American snack food sold on the street- french fries with fried hot dog sausages.


Tostada: A grilled jam and cheese. Seriosly, the best sandwiches ever.

Llapingachos: Potato patties or pancakes stuffed with cheese, cooked on a griddle until crispy brown and served with the salsa de mani, and sometimes fried egg, tomato, and onion curtido, avocado slices and hot sauce.

Llapingachos de mote: Corn patties stuffed with pork or cheese, cooked on the griddle, served with the peanut sauce, and sometimes with pickled red onions and aji criollo hot sauce.





Morocho: A thick, spiced corn pudding made with morocho cracked corn, milk, cinnamon, and sugar.

Halfway Point

Another post I meant to upload a few weeks ago...woops. My halfway point was January 21st. I return home on June 21st. 

I am starting to understand four things more and more. 

The first is that I will never be able to wrap my head around how time can’t actually slow down or speed up, but how it's just playing tricks with my mind. I am now at my halfway mark wondering what happened because I just left home and yet I don’t have much longer to go. 

The second is that now I know when I’m leaving and I can see the end, and it is all very bittersweet. I’m excited because at times I miss home but sad because I know how much I’ll miss Ecuador and the family and friends I've made here. From the starting line, 10 months in another country seems insanely long. But here I am at the halfway point and I realize just how short 10 months is and how much can change in this short period of time. 

The third is how much any exchange student needs to appreciate these ten months before they are gone and they find themselves back home with regrets because they didn't try a certain food or didn't spend more time with their host family or avoided getting really into the culture. You have to be brave...exchange is not the time to be indecisive about what to do. It is a time to learn and experience everything you possibly can. Your time in this country is short, so enjoy it now because you don't want your memories of exchange to be another bedroom instead of another country.

And the fourth is how important it is to stay positive. I’ve found that the more I seek the positives in my life, the more positive results I get. It is all about having an open mind and a positive outlook in order to get through the rough spots on exchange and fully enjoy the good spots. It is good to remember that a little change never hurts and trying new things won’t kill you (hopefully). 

Happy halfway through exchange! 

New Year's Celebration in Ecuador

What a night! (I know this post is a bit overdue, but better late than never. I've been busy!)

The pictures and video really speak for themselves. New Year's is probably the biggest celebration in Ecuador.

We had leftovers for days...

The video...*it may load better on YouTube

My family arrived around 10:30-11 and we were talking and dancing a little until we went outside for the fireworks, sparklers, and the burning of the años viejos at midnight.

This was a really unique experience for me. The burning of the años viejos (old years) is probably the most important and most widely done tradition of New Years Eve in Ecuador. People make large, scarecrow-like dolls often portraying people they dislike or people who have wronged them from the past year. You can often find portrayals of presidents or celebrities. There are fun ones too, like the minions that my family decided to get. They sell them in the street for weeks leading up to New Year's Eve. At midnight, everyone lights these dolls of newspaper, paper mache, and sawdust on fire. The symbolic meaning is that by burning the dolls, you are forgetting the bad of the past year and looking forward to the coming of a better year. Imagine seeing all these streets lit with lines of dummies being burnt! Everyone does it.

Also, we ate grapes, pineapple, and other fruit at midnight for prosperity and a spoonful of lentils to bring a year full of work and money.

After the fire burnt out, we went back inside for dinner. Yep, dinner. At 1 in the morning. But the food was fantastic. Apparently, midnight is only the start of the party here in Ecuador. Half of the family left after we ate but the rest of us ended up dancing the rest of the night (I didn't sleep) and leaving for a beach in Peru at 9 that morning. The beach was beautiful, the water was warm with huge waves, and I had a lot of fun. I can say I have spent January 1st on a beach in Peru. It was a great way to start off 2014 and I am glad I could spend it with my Ecuadorian family. I really enjoyed partying with them and am so happy that I chose to stay with them all night instead of going elsewhere to party. 

That being said, there were so many parties to choose from- they were everywhere. You couldn't really sleep because every street had music, dancing, fireworks, and partying somewhere. Some people went for a nap at 4am and continued to party at 6am. The discotecas were open all night into the morning, and then the party moved somewhere else. Traveling on January first was a sight with plenty of ash piles in the street and most businesses shut down for the day. 

If you are interested in reading more facts about the tradition and history of the años viejos or the festivities in general... see the following articles.

http://www.lan.com/onlyinsouthamerica/2012/12/goodbye-old-year/

http://www.life-in-ecuador.com/ecuador-new-years.html

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.