Waiting to depart to Quito (again)

Last Tuesday evening I got an e-mail of a flight confirmation back to Chicago for Wednesday night, very confused I facetimed my mom. I then got the news that my Gramma Gerri, one of the most genuine and loving people in my life, had unexpectedly passed away Tuesday morning. I was heartbroken and so upset, thankfully my host mom was there with tea and a big warm hug. I flew home the next night unsure if I would be returning to Quito. The flight home I thought a lot about my 10 wonderful days in Ecuador and how disappointed I would be if I didn't return. A huge thank you to April, Kathleen, everyone from Simon Bolivar and my parents for making it possible to finish out my time in Quito!!!!! Going back a second time I am feeling pure excitement. I am excited to be back in the beautiful city of Quito and to be surrounded by mountains. I can't wait to see my friends and my host family! I know my Gramma would have wanted me to finish out my adventure, and I want to continue making her proud! I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and to be surrounded by such supportive people.

See you in Ecuador!!! Thank you for reading!

Love,

Molly

Great Ending to the week!

Hola!

I haven't written in a while so I will catch you up on my week!!!

Wednesday night after Spanish lessons me and four other students at the school went to an activity hosted by the school, soccer. What we thought was going to be just a three on three quick soccer game ended up being a three hour long very competitive soccer match. The teacher that organized the activity invited 8 of his friends. Who were 8 big Ecuadorean men who were very very good at soccer. I didn't contribute much to the team but it was fun to see how passionate they were about the game.

Post futbol cervezas! 

Thursday I slept in and did some Spanish homework in the morning. After Spanish lessons I went with my two friends Eric and Maggie to Old Town to see "Virgen de El Panecillo". We took the bus to Old Town and then a taxi up to the statue because it's unsafe to walk up there, but the taxis are really cheap here, it was only $5!

Old Town

The staute

View of Quito from the top of the statue

Me and the view

After the statue we wandered around Old Town for a bit and got and an empanada a piece of fried dough with sugar on it and cheese inside, and the traditional Ecuadorian drink Canelazo, its a warm drink made with orange juice and cinnamon.

Canelazo

Empanada

On Friday I had orientation for my volunteering that starts on Monday. I will be volunteering at a center for elderly people that provides meals and activities. A volunteer at the center was explaining to me that elderly people in poverty is a big problem in Ecuador, their families do not have enough money to feed themselves so it leaves the elderly people to fend for themselves. I'm really excited to start volunteering, but am nervous because no one there speaks english. It will be a new challenge!

After Spanish lessons I came home for a little and took a nap and then headed to Old Town with my friends to hop around some of the restaurants there. 

On Saturday I went on a day trip organized by the school to Cotopaxi volcano! We met at 7:00am in Plaza Foch and it was about an hour bus ride to where we ate breakfast. It was a cute little lodge in the valley of all the mountains and volcanoes. Cotopaxi volcano is still active, its last eruption was August, 2015 and it is 5,897 meters tall! We hiked up a mountain across the volcano to get a better view. It was so pretty!!! We were so close to the clouds it was amazing. Our guide told us all about the different ecosystems in Cotopaxi national park, that was really interesting to hear. After hiking, we biked through the park! It was beautiful and a cool way to see the mountains. It was mostly downhill, but the parts that weren't were really challenging because the altitude made it really hard to breathe. Once we biked for about two hours we were back at the van and ate a delicious lunch at the same lodge we ate breakfast at. I loved the trip and I don't think I stopped smiling once. 

Cotopaxi Volcano

Pretty Flowers (Mom this pic is for you!!)

Selfie with the volcano

So close to the clouds!!

Another picture of the volcano

Coca tea! This tea is supposed to help with the altitude. 

Today (Sunday) I went to the equator. My friend Olivia and I figured out the bus to get there! We took the bus all the way to the end of the line, which we thought was the only bus we needed to take. We must have looked like clueless tourists because a woman came up to us and explained we needed to get on another bus to get to "Mitad del Mundo". We got there and it was so cool! There's a huge monument and a big yellow line marking the equator. We took the elevator to the top of the monument it was a great view of the surrounding monuments! Then we had a good lunch and took a taxi home!

The monument

View from the top of the monument

Me sitting on the equator!

Lunch! Steak with fried eggs on top of rice and salad

I can't believe it's been a week, it has flown by! I am all ready dreading leaving this wonderful place! I am so grateful for this experience! I am excited for volunteering and for another good week!!!

Thank you for reading!!!!

Lots of love!!!

Molly

Fruit, Popcorn, and an Earthquake

It's my third full day in Quito! Yesterday after Spanish lessons I went with my friend Olivia to a place called "Frutemonse" it has fresh fruit, juice and ice cream. I got fruit salad and she got fruit salad with cream. It was delicious and a good snack to tide us over until dinner (they eat dinner really late here).

my fruit salad

both mine and Olivia's

I went back to my house and read my book for a while before dinner. For dinner we had soup made with cauliflower, celery and potatoes. There was a bowl of popcorn on the table, my house mom explained that in Ecuador they put the popcorn in the soup, and it was surprisingly very good!!! After dinner I went on a walk with my house mom for about two hours, it was nice to chat with her and get to know more about her! She has lived in Quito all her life, and has been a teacher at the school I am taking Spanish lessons at for 20 years. I asked her why Ecuador had the US dollar as their currency, she explained that there was an economic crash in the 1990's and the President made the decision to change to the US dollar. 

A mural we saw on our walk

We walked up a mountain and got a cool view of Old Town from above (sorry for the bad quality)

I was pretty tired when we got back so I took a shower and then went to bed. I was woken up at about 3:00am to my bed shaking, at first I thought it was a dream, then realized it was an earthquake!!! A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit near the pacific coast of Ecuador, we felt the after shocks! This morning my host mom said that we could feel aftershocks for the next 2 months. 

This morning I am going to a market with girls I met at school from Germany before Spanish. Then Spanish lessons from 1:00-5:00.

I can't believe its all ready Wednesday, the week is flying by!!! 

Thank you for reading!

Love,

Molly

First Day in Quito

Hola!!!

I made it to Ecuador in one piece! One of the things I was most anxious about was getting to the airport and no one being there to pick me up, but I found the sign with my name on and the people from Simon Bolivar (the Spanish school I am going to be attending) no problem. It was about a 40 minute drive from the airport to where I am staying. I was greeted with open arms from my host mom and she showed me my room and my bathroom.

The view from my window!

The next morning I had breakfast with my host mom and sister; yogurt and granola, toast, a banana, and tea. After that someone from Simon Bolivar (the spanish school) and another girl named Olivia who will be here for the next two weeks, picked me up at my house for an orientation of the city. He showed us good places to eat, and other fun things to do around Quito.

The main square of downtown Quito

After orientation I went back to my host family for lunch; an omelette with vegetables and soup. After lunch I headed back to school for my Spanish lessons at 1:00. For the first week I am here I have one-on-one Spanish lessons from 1:00-5:00 every afternoon. My Spanish teacher, Julio, is very nice and patient. The lessons are challenging, but I learned a lot! After lessons I met up with my friend Olivia and we walked around the city for a while. I went back to my house for dinner with my host mom. I was pretty tired from so after dinner I took and shower and went to bed. 

Quito is a beautiful city and I am excited to explore all it has to offer!! Everyone at the school is very helpful and friendly. My host mom is very sweet and I am looking forward to getting to know her better. 

Thank you for reading!!!!

Love,

Molly

Waiting to Depart To Ecuador!

The day is here! After a delay in Chicago and long security lines I made to Houston, next stop Ecuador! I am so happy to be chosen as one of Spirit's scholarship recipients and I cannot wait for this month long adventure. Walking off the plane in Quito will be a terrifying, yet exciting feeling. I am looking forward to meeting my host family and seeing my new home for the upcoming weeks. I am anxious about my Spanish skills and if I will be able to keep up with the fast pace of native speakers. Going into this alone is challenging but I have a positive mind set and am trying to keep my nerves to a minimum. Danielle (a previous scholarship winner) talked about how friendly all the other volunteers were and how easy it is to make friends which makes me feel better about braving this alone. I feel so blessed to be granted this amazing opportunity.

See you in Ecuador!!!

Molly