Friday, August 22, 2014

8/15/14-8/18/14 Birthdays, Reflections and Goodbyes!

Friday 8/15

On Friday, I said farewell to all my Abuelitos! It was so sad to leave them, but I was overwhelmed at how grateful every single person was for my time and service at ABC. It brought me to tears when each Abuelito hugged and kissed me goodbye! Here are some pictures of the Abuelitos using some of their new supplies! I miss them so much already! 





Pepe is using the new pencil sharpener!




A goodbye picture with all the kitchen staff!


Friday night was my host sister's birthday! We had a big party and it gave me the opportunity to say goodbye to all of my Ecuadorian family! It also gave me a chance to see the way birthdays are celebrated in Ecuador. They are so fun. The house was decorated beautifully and there were lots of games for the kids. There was desert and even a piƱata! There are some pictures below!






All the kids ready for cake!



And it's tradition to dunk the birthday girl's face into a big chocolate cake!





It was a blast and I enjoyed being with my family one last time and celebrating the birthday of Vale!

Saturday/ Sunday

The rest of the weekend was spent peacefully (besides more earthquakes) catching up on sleep and relaxing. I did more shopping for souvenirs and really just tried to enjoy my last meals with my family and friends. It was relaxing and when I had to say goodbye Sunday night, it was very emotional. Saying goodbye to my host family was the hardest and I know I am really going to miss them so much. As a take away I was given a Diploma of Accomplishment from Simon Bolivar and A certificate from ABC (in Spanish) talking about my service and volunteer hours! See below:



It was an honor to work with both of these organizations and I cannot emphasis enough how honored I was to be able to go on this trip! My flights home were safe and on time! I arrived at O'Hare airport promptly on Monday at 1:30PM and was so glad to be greeted by Dad! It was so wonderful to be home! 

Reflection

I was more than blessed with this opportunity to be abroad for the last month. I have learned so much about not only Ecuador and its culture, but I have learned so much about myself. Traveling alone in a foreign country is one of the best ways to get to know yourself on a deeper and more personal level. I have realized my own strength, power and control over my attitude, actions and reactions. This trip has been a stepping stone for me into a new level of self awareness and personal serenity. I am so blessed that I have been given this time to confirm my passion for serving is what I want to do the rest of my life. It is so important to me that I continue to fulfill my purpose in God through serving. In the future, I plan to return to Ecuador with bigger plans and a bigger outreach to serve. I am so excited for the future and I cannot wait to see how the impact of this trip ripples into other parts of my life. 

I am so appreciative for all of you who have continued to follow me throughout my journey. I am so blessed to have so many individuals who support and care about me and my travels. It has been so impactful to hear everyone's prayers, comments, questions and responses. I have been beyond grateful for all of your prayers and support. Your love and interest for me has been more than meaningful.

A final thank you goes out to Spirit Cultural Exchange Program, which has made this miracle trip happen for me. Thank you all for believing in me and blessing me with the opportunity to serve, grow and explore in Ecuador. I am so grateful to each and every one of you who has made this possible at Spirit, especially Kathleen and April. Thank you so much for your time, energy, and faith in me. 

Until next time!

Beyond grateful, 

Dani


Wednesday, August 13, 2014

8/13/14 A Day of Love and Giving



Wednesday

Today was the big day. That's right. I finally got to give the Abuelitos all their wonderful items so generously donated by all of you in the USA. I went out and a bought a few more things in the morning. Check it out...

-Over 15 magazines full of wonderful pictures


-5 more packages of 50 plastic spoons


-2 red bins for supplies and spoons


-10 new containers for colored pencils


And here is everything all boxed up and ready to go!



We also purchased a 50 pound bag of flour so that more bread can be made for the Abuelitos! We arrived around 10:30am with the truck load of items and completely surprised everyone at Abuelitos! It was a beautiful morning and I was proud to be apart of facilitating such a wonderful project and donation! Here are some more pictures of me and the Abuelitos on this day of celebration!











Me with some of the kitchen staff as well!


In the evening, I headed with some friends to El Centro Historico to do some shopping and see the Ecuadorian President's house. I bought some Ecuadorian Coffee and walked for a bit. After that, we went to the artisan market so I could start buying my souvenirs! We spent about two hours there (I love to barter!) and then we headed back home. We will go to ladies night tonight in town (if I can find some money for a taxi!). 

Reflection

Today marks the end of my 24th day in Quito. With only four short days remaining, I am feeling more than grateful for the amazing opportunities I have been blessed with here. I am walking away from this trip feeling closer to God, having a greater understanding for our unique world starting with the beautiful country of Ecuador. I am leaving Ecuador feeling stronger, smarter, more blessed, more loved, more beautiful and more excited for my future than ever! I am so lucky that I am going to get to help people for the rest of my life! Thank each and every one of you for your never ending support and thank you to Spirit Cultural Exchange Program for sending me on this amazing voyage which has been proven to be an absolutely priceless trip!

Thanks for following me,

Danielle

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

8/11/14-8/12/14 Shopping for Abuelitos and a 5.1 Earthquake

Monday 8/11

Today I joined my Abuelitos for more fun! I learned a new Ecuadorian card game called Cuarenta. I end up playing it with the Abuelitos very often for fun. They like to play it. It is a very well-known Ecuadorian card game and everyone knows it! It's very simple and fun! I enjoy it!

Besides that, it was just a normal day of volunteering! It was crowded for lunch so the day went quickly! After that, my house mom took me for our first round of shopping for the Abuelitos! Check it out!

-3 huge containers of glue
-6 rolls of tape (3 transparent & 3 masking)
-6 pairs of small scissors
-2 pairs of large scissors
-3 packs of 12 colored markers


-12 packs of plain assorted paper
-10 brand new puzzles


-12 packs of 24 colored pencils
-1 new coloring book (due to a lack of coloring books in the store)
-1 huge pack of colored construction paper
-1 big pencil sharpener
-3 packs of number 2 pencils


It was a very successful first trip, and we are off to do more buying on Tuesday! 


Tuesday 8/12


Today was another day of fun at Abuelitos! We did a workout/dancing class in the morning and I took some pictures to share...





It was a really fun thing to watch and participate in. Other than that, it was a normal day of Cuarenta and lunch! After Abuelitos, I came home and ate lunch then left with my family to go to El Central Historico to do some shopping for the Abuelitos. Check out what we got...

-32 different colors of yarn
-10 sticks to weave with




 -12 decks of playing cards
-7 candles (for a religious shrine)


-9 packs of 50 plastic spoons (for lunch)


 -18 new towels for kitchen and cleaning
-2 large bottle of hand sanitizer


Thanks for all the monetary contributions to make this all possible!

During our shopping trip, we heard that there had been a big 5.1 earthquake. Because we were not home, we didn't feel it and wer were not in harm. Our house was in the earthquake (I came home to pictures off the wall in my room). Nobody that I knew or my family was harmed, but there were people injured and killed. Here are two links if you'd like to read about the earthquake: 

http://www.india.com/news/world/earthquake-of-5-1-magnitude-shakes-ecuador-capital-quito-117197/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/12/us-earthquake-ecuador-idUSKBN0GC1X020140812


I also found some pictures on Facebook of some of the destruction. See below:




The skies are filled with ash and the traffic is terrible. Besides that, all should resume to normal tomorrow!

Tonight, I am headed to an American friend's house for a homemade American dinner! I am so excited! I will post pictures tomorrow of our meal!

Thanks for reading and thank you always for your love and support!

Love,

Danni