Very very very long post time!

Before you begin, make sure you're in comfortable clothes.. maybe even slippers... grab a soda and take the phone off the hook... this is what nearly 2 weeks as an exchange student looks like, all at once:


So, the last time I was here was just after the parillada:


The candidates for Reina de Guayaquil


A few exchangers and Mariuxi, Ayla's host sister


By the river!


This is such a cute picture :]
From left to right: Karlijn from Belgium; Michaela from British Columbia, CA; Rose from Belgium; Thimo from Deutschland; Nils from Deutschland; Yours Truly; and Liz the Aussie. Ayla had already gone home by now.

School this week was pretty plain, nothing out of the ordinary. Sometimes it still shocks me that this foreign place is starting to feel so familiar. Spanish classes are coming along but mostly, like in school, the socializing is the most enjoyable aspect. The other students here this year are just beautiful, all-around wonderful kids.

Then, this past Sunday, we went to the big futbol game: Barcelona, who we support, vs. the rival Emelec. You think the Yankees and the Red Sox have devoted fans... It was electric. Barcelona is yellow, red, and blue and Emelec is blue and white. For miles before the game the traffic was horrendously dense, and literally every car except a few of them had either a passenger wearing yellow or a passenger wearing blue. The game itself was not so wonderful, we lost 1-0, but watching the spectators was very entertaining. There were colored smoke bombs, fireworks, banners, and a sea of colored jerseys. We bought eggnog-flavored popsicles and bottles of water and sat in the [supposedly very dangerous] mixed section. Since it was Barcelona stadium, though, mixed simply meant that there was a ratio of about 10:1 Barcelona to Emelec supporters. An added bonus: Barcelona's goalie lives across the street!



Left to right: Emelec section, another mixed section, Barcelona section.


Again, the contestants for Queen of Guayaquil taking advantage of a sponsored photo-op.


The one in the red is my neighbor!


The seats were metal and the steps were concrete so the rowdier fans startd fires on either ends of the stadium


Today the exchange students got the distinct priviledge of helping out at a field day for blind children. It was truly awe-inspiring to watch these children work around their problem, the same way you find new ways to hold a hairbrush, tie your shoes, open bottles, etc. when you have a bad cut on your hand. You wouldn't say "I have to go barefoot, I have a cut on my hand and can't tie my shoes" but, by the same token, that's what some people expect from disabled children. Sometimes we expect them to say, "I can't play soccer because I can't see the ball." But what about soccer balls with jingle bells inside? What about friendly volunteers who guide the ball back when it goes off the wrong way? It was so amazing. I have never felt a drive to help children with disabilities, they've always made me nervous more than anything else, and I'm amazed at how much fun I had with them today.


Local rotarians and some awesome exchange students, front row from left to right: Michaela from BC, CA; Karlijn from Belgium; Thimo from Germany; Kourtney from Piqua, OH; Yours Truly; Ayla from Germany; Ayla's host sister Mariuxi [from Ecuador...]; and a boy I don't know!


I just think this is a great picture of us :]. Our cheeks were sore so we were tickling each other, hence Karlijn's flamingo stance. Oh, and on the end is Julio, he's our counselor here and usually does our amazing photography.


More soon! Being so busy, it's hard to spend much time in fornt of a computer, but there's more excitement in the works, and more pictures, too! Stay tuned!